Once Espathra slowed down, Ange and Arven finally felt like they had come back to life.
Behind them, Oinkologne and the others finally caught up.
━Σ(Д|||)━ Both Oinkologne and Mabosstiff were gasping for breath, looking at Espathra with a gaze that seemed to say:
Are... are you... insane?!
"Espathra, from now on, let's run slowly," Ange said. "Only run fast when I tell you to, okay?"
Fast? Was that fast? I was just running at my normal pace! Espathra thought.
Nevertheless, it nodded gently.
After readjusting their state, Ange finally spoke, "Let's keep going."
Espa~ espa~
At that moment, Espathra twisted its long neck and pecked at Ange's clothes with its beak.
"What is it, Espathra?" Ange asked, confused.
Espa~ espa~
Espathra gestured for a long time before Ange finally guessed its meaning. It was saying that it knew where the Smoliv lived and was willing to lead the way.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Espathra," Ange said, stroking the Pokemon.
Espathra nodded and set off again with its long legs. This time, it deliberately slowed its pace and adjusted the stride of its feet so as not to jolt Ange on its back, which was very thoughtful.
Under Espathra's guidance, Ange and his group soon reached a meadow.
On the grass, several Arboliva were leisurely sunbathing with a group of Dolliv and Smoliv.
Ange climbed down from Espathra's back, walked up to the group, and spoke, "Hello there. I am a chef, and I want to catch two Dolliv to be my partners. Would that be alright?"
After thinking it over, Ange had finally decided to catch Dolliv.
Smoliv's oil was temporarily inedible and would require evolving it into Dolliv, which was a bit of a waste of time.
Furthermore, while Arboliva had higher oil production and better quality, they were the guardians of the flock. If they left, the group would be in trouble.
Therefore, catching Dolliv was the best choice.
Hearing Ange's words, the Smoliv, Dolliv, and Arboliva, who had been resting with their eyes closed, all opened them.
Smoliv looked like a fruit with leaves and a stem on its head, quite cute.
Dolliv resembled a young girl with two buns on her head, also very adorable.
As for Arboliva, it radiated a compassionate aura, like an elder guarding a large family. Just looking at it provided a sense of security.
At this point, one Arboliva stepped out from the group.
Arbo~ arbo~
Ange didn't understand what it meant, but Espathra took a long stride and stood opposite the Arboliva.
Ange realized the situation and looked at Arboliva, asking, "Do you mean that if I want to catch a Dolliv, I must defeat you first?"
Arbo~ arbo~
Arboliva nodded.
They weren't against their kin being caught by human trainers, as following humans meant never worrying about food or water and living a good life.
"Alright," Ange nodded and agreed.
Just as he was about to send out Komala, Espathra suddenly turned around and cried out to him.
"You want to fight?" Ange asked, surprised.
Espathra nodded repeatedly. Losing to Komala had been a huge blow to its confidence, and it urgently needed a battle to prove it wasn't weak.
Ange thought for a moment and agreed.
He used the Eye of Observation to check Arboliva's data.
Arboliva Type: Grass, Normal Ability: Seed Sower Gender: Female Level: 42 Moves: Sweet Scent, Mirror Coat, Safeguard, Tackle, Absorb, Growth, Helping Hand, Razor Leaf, Flail, Grassy Terrain, Seed Bomb, Energy Ball, Solar Beam, Leech Seed, Synthesis Individual Values HP: 10 Attack: 16 Defense: 20 Special Attack: 21 Special Defense: 24 Speed: 11
The data was quite a bit lower than Espathra's, so it shouldn't lose.
Even if it did lose, it didn't matter; he could just challenge again with Komala.
Once the two Pokemon stood face-to-face, Ange said, "You may begin!"
As soon as he spoke, something surprising happened. A light flashed from Arboliva's body, and it was submerged in a pile of crystals. When the crystals vanished, its body was covered in gemstones with many facets, and a gemstone crown resembling a bouquet appeared on its head.
This Arboliva was actually a wild Terastallized Pokemon!
You... this... this is simply unsportsmanlike!
Wait!
Ange suddenly remembered something. He reached into his System Backpack and took out a purple orb, which was the reward he had obtained from a previous mission—a Tera Orb!
He looked around and saw a Tera Crystal nearby. Delighted, he quickly ran over and placed the Tera Orb against it.
As time passed, the originally dim Tera Orb gradually grew bright, while the radiant Tera Crystal dimmed slightly.
Before long, the Tera Orb was fully charged.
Returning to Espathra's side with the Tera Orb, Ange threw it toward the Pokemon.
As the Tera energy overflowed from the orb and surrounded Espathra, the bird was suddenly encased in crystals. When they shattered, Espathra had also completed its Terastallization.
Espathra had Terastallized before, so it was familiar with the process. After succeeding, it let out a roar toward Arboliva.
Come then, let us fight!
Both Arboliva and Espathra's Tera Types were one of their original types. Arboliva was Grass Tera Type, and Espathra was Psychic Tera Type.
(Note: After a Pokemon Terastallizes, the Tera Type replaces the original types, but it still enjoys the original STAB. For example, the Grass/Normal Arboliva becomes a pure Grass type after Terastallizing, but it still gets a 1.5x bonus for Normal moves and a 2x bonus for Grass moves.)
"Alright, begin!"
Following Ange's command, both Pokemon attacked simultaneously. Espathra used Lumina Crash, while Arboliva used Energy Ball.
Under the boost of Terastallization, their respective STAB moves were significantly strengthened.
The multicolored orb of light and the green energy ball collided in mid-air and exploded. The resulting shockwave forced everyone to squint.
"Arven, take everyone back!"
"Got it!"
Arven quickly led Mabosstiff, Oinkologne, and Charcadet to a safe distance.
The other Arboliva also moved the Dolliv and Smoliv further away.
After the initial clash, Espathra's form flickered as it used Agility to vanish from its spot. Its greatest advantage was speed. In the previous fight with Komala, it had been suppressed so quickly that it couldn't utilize its advantage at all.
Before Arboliva could react, Espathra appeared behind it and fired a Lumina Crash.
Boom!
Arboliva was knocked to the ground. A light flashed from its body, and a lush green field slowly spread out beneath its feet.
It was Grassy Terrain!
Arboliva's Ability was Seed Sower, which turns the ground into Grassy Terrain when it is hit by an attack.
The Grassy Terrain glowed with green light, and Arboliva's injuries began to heal.
Arboliva scrambled up and fired another Energy Ball at Espathra. Not to be outdone, Espathra countered with Lumina Crash.
Boom!
Another explosion rang out, and a cloud of smoke rose into the air, obscuring everyone's vision.
Espathra took a long stride and leaped into the smoke. Relying on its mental powers, it sensed Arboliva's location and fired another Lumina Crash.
This time, Arboliva's cry was even more intense.
Lumina Crash has an additional effect when it deals damage: it significantly lowers the opponent's Special Defense. Thus, Espathra's attacks became increasingly painful.
After attacking, Espathra flickered and vanished again, causing Arboliva's retaliatory Energy Ball to miss.
Espathra's Speed Boost Ability was constantly in effect. As time passed, its speed grew faster and faster.
As the dust settled, Ange saw Arboliva spreading its arms. The leaves on its body emitted a golden glow as solar energy gathered within it, rapidly healing its wounds.
Arboliva was using the recovery move—Synthesis.
Because its Special Defense had been lowered significantly, the damage Espathra dealt was too high. It could no longer rely solely on the small healing amount from Grassy Terrain.
Arboliva's Synthesis was very fast. In the blink of an eye, its wounds were restored. Simultaneously, it began firing seeds one after another.
This wasn't Seed Bomb or Bullet Seed; it was Leech Seed.
Espathra shifted its feet, moving with extreme speed to dodge the Leech Seeds.
However, Arboliva's Leech Seeds were more troublesome than it imagined. Even if they hit the ground, they remained active.
Before long, the field was covered in hidden Leech Seeds. While running, Espathra accidentally stepped on one.
In an instant, a green vine shot out from the ground, climbing up Espathra's long leg and instantly binding its body.
Espathra cried out as its stamina was drained by Arboliva, further healing the latter.
Seeing Espathra falling into a disadvantage, Ange grew anxious. His mind raced as he tried to find a way to break the deadlock.
"Espathra, use Uproar!"
Hearing Ange's instruction, Espathra hesitated for a moment, and its running motion paused briefly. Ultimately, it chose to trust Ange.
As it ran, it began to emit a harsh, piercing sound. Arboliva, who was gathering an Energy Ball to attack, grimaced in pain, and the skill it was preparing was interrupted halfway.
"Espathra, keep using Uproar!"
Espathra nodded and continued to let out the shrill noise, even infusing mental power into its voice.
Distracted by the Uproar, Arboliva suffered a splitting headache and couldn't even launch a move.
"Now, Espathra, Lumina Crash!"
Without any hesitation, Espathra slammed a multicolored orb of light into Arboliva.
Arboliva's Special Defense had been lowered twice in a row. It couldn't possibly withstand Espathra's full-power strike. It was immediately knocked to the ground, unconscious.
The moment it fell, it reverted from its Terastallized state.
The other Arboliva, Dolliv, and Smoliv rushed to their leader's side, looking at it with concern, unsure of what to do.
Ange walked over, fed a berry to Arboliva, and comforted the others, "Don't worry, Arboliva will recover soon."
Sure enough, Arboliva woke up after a short while.
Arbo~~
It thanked Ange and then stood up to use Synthesis, causing its injuries to vanish instantly.
"Arboliva, can I catch a Dolliv now?" Ange asked.
Arboliva nodded.
Ange was delighted and began to pick out the Dolliv.
Before choosing, he asked, "If any of you don't want to be caught, please step back."
Hearing this, several Dolliv retreated; they didn't want to leave the flock.
"Anyone else?" Ange asked again.
The Dolliv looked at each other, and several more stepped back. Only five or six remained willing to be caught.
Using the Eye of Observation, Ange finally selected the two with the best data from those remaining.
Dolliv Type: Grass, Normal Ability: Early Bird Gender: Female Level: 25 Moves: Tackle, Razor Leaf, Sweet Scent, Absorb, Growth, Helping Hand, Flail, Grassy Terrain, Synthesis Individual Values HP: 30 Attack: 11 Defense: 14 Special Attack: 18 Special Defense: 20 Speed: 11
Dolliv Type: Grass, Normal Ability: Harvest Gender: Female Level: 28 Moves: Tackle, Sweet Scent, Growth, Razor Leaf, Helping Hand, Magical Leaf, Energy Ball, Synthesis Individual Values HP: 18 Attack: 9 Defense: 13 Special Attack: 21 Special Defense: 4 Speed: 3
Their data wasn't particularly outstanding, but Ange was only catching them for cooking oil, so the stats didn't really matter.
He threw the Poke Balls, and the two Dolliv were pulled inside.
Dolliv GET DA☆ZE!
Ange picked up the Poke Balls, released them again, and held out his hand, "Dolliv, I look forward to working with you from now on!"
Dolliv~
Dolliv~
These two Dolliv weren't shy; they were both very lively and cheerful. They placed their hands in Ange's palm, expressing their acceptance of him.
Noticing the time was getting late, Ange bid farewell to the remaining Arboliva, Dolliv, and Smoliv.
"We have to go now."
The Arboliva leader nodded.
A few Dolliv and Smoliv stepped out from the flock to hug the two caught Dolliv, expressing their reluctance to say goodbye.
"Let's go."
With that, Ange and Arven climbed onto Espathra, while the two Charcadet rode the male Oinkologne and the two Dolliv rode the female Oinkologne.
As Espathra galloped away on its long legs, Oinkologne and Mabosstiff followed closely. The Dolliv riding on Oinkologne's back waved goodbye to their kin.
As they set out on this new journey, their hearts were filled with both the sadness of parting and the anticipation of the future.