Chapter 26: Observation Record of Petilil

The workshop has gained a new companion, but when Xiang Guangtai released Petilil again, she seemed somewhat bewildered by the work he requested of her.

She tilted her head and made a sound.

"Petil?"

What is work? Is it just fighting all the time?

Petilil did not understand what this meant, but Xiang Guangtai proposed that she help the herbs grow, and in return, he would provide her with the corresponding medicinal herbs.

"Just like how you trade leaves for medicine, you give something and get something in return. It consumes time; that is work. You come help me tend to the herbs and crops, helping them grow—that is your job."

"And helping me with work is different from helping others. I am an item craftsman; I specialize in making items with special powers and collecting unique materials. In this process, both you and I will gradually grow stronger and become better."

"Petil?"

Petilil still had many questions, but Xiang Guangtai's offer of medicinal herbs as a reward moved her. Seeing her gaze shift, Xiang Guangtai naturally nodded: "Revival Herbs can certainly be part of the compensation, too."

"So, we must help it grow quickly."

"I was worried about the Oddish coming here because I feared they would scatter seeds. Although there was no malice in it, it has a negative impact on the growth of the herbs. Every Pokémon has a different attribute, and even among Pokémon of the same attribute, their ecological traits, natural characteristics, and the impact they have on the surrounding environment and objects are all different."

Xiang Guangtai explained to Petilil that it wasn't out of dislike that he had made her leave the herb field earlier.

Dou Jianqiao also chimed in appropriately, mentioning that it had heard Xiang Guangtai say that in a distant land, there exists a powerful Grass-type Pokémon. Unlike all other Grass-types, however, its appearance causes forests to wither and the earth to decay. Therefore, one must carefully screen and judge the Grass-type Pokémon that come into the fields.

"Yo!"

Of course, that kind of Pokémon that leaves the earth barren would not appear here, but every Grass-type Pokémon has different habits and abilities, and the effects they have on the fields can be both good and bad.

Petilil was immediately captivated and let out an incredulous response:

"Petil~!"

There are Grass-type Pokémon like that?

If they are Grass-type, why would they destroy forests and soil?

"Right? Pokémon matters are very magical. You yourselves cannot fully understand them, and for us humans, knowing how to get along with Pokémon and mastering the balance is even more crucial."

Xiang Guangtai smiled. After some thought, Petilil agreed to Xiang Guangtai's request.

This was not a capture, just help, just as Xiang Guangtai asked the Diglett and Dugtrio to help till the land.

Thus, Petilil was led by Xiang Guangtai and Dou Jianqiao to stroll through the herb and crop fields. Xiang Guangtai explained to her the areas where various herbs were planted, their approximate growth rates, the same for regular crops and berries, as well as various cultivation techniques and methods that could be utilized.

Petilil's eyes swirled with confusion as she listened.

She was the Grass-type Pokémon, yet she couldn't understand any of this content at all!

Human knowledge... it's truly amazing!

"Pokémon live relying on their attributes and instincts. Grass-types live in forests, Ground-types in deserts, Rock-types in caves, and Water-types by the water. But humans are not like that. We must master a lot of knowledge and reasonably utilize resources and materials to live better in all regions."

After Xiang Guangtai finished walking the entire route with her, he asked to see her moves and hoped to understand what kind of Pokémon she was facing.

"Knowing the enemy's attributes, abilities, and moves is the only way to fight reasonably and increase your chances of winning."

Petilil went from being stubborn at the start to feeling somewhat unconfident now, because the human before her knew too much, leaving her at a loss. But Dou Jianqiao's guarantee helped Petilil settle her heart once more.

"Petil~ Petil~ Wawa!"

"Yo yo..."

Petilil described the "enemy" in detail, and Dou Jianqiao continued to translate:

They were round Pokémon, like wooden balls. There were about six of them, one of which was the largest and had a fierce look in its eyes.

The small wooden balls had a wood-colored lower half and a red upper half, with somewhat comical eyes.

As for the large one, the upper half was wood-colored, while the lower half was red. The colors were the reverse of the small ones.

They arrived at Petilil's habitat at the end of spring. Although there weren't many of them, they sprayed seeds carrying electricity everywhere, and they would even explode!

"Voltorb and Electrode? However, in terms of color..." Xiang Guangtai's expression turned surprised!

These colors were not those of normal Voltorb and Electrode; they were the Hisuian forms!

Hisuian Voltorb and Electrode are said to have body compositions almost identical to Apricorns. Their attributes are Electric/Grass, and they possess the Soundproof/Static/Aftermath abilities.

However, the external personality of Hisuian Voltorb should be friendly; they often gather together to laugh out loud, and their mood is always very cheerful, which is the opposite of the normal form of Voltorb, which is always angry.

"Seizing habitats, body composition close to Apricorns, the Hisuian form that has been extinct for a hundred years, small in number... Wait, could it be that Petilil's original habitat grows a large number of Apricorns?"

Apricorns also grow on fertile land. If the habitats overlap, the event before them could indeed happen. However, because the Hisuian form of Voltorb has been extinct in the past, and the number of Petilil in the Sinnoh region is also quite rare—almost non-existent—this habitat struggle is actually a very low-probability event.

It is a civil war between Grass-type Pokémon for the sake of soil and Apricorn land.

However, if there really are Apricorns there, Xiang Guangtai felt a sense of pleasant surprise in his heart.

These are important materials for making Poké Balls and Sticky Globules.

"I see. The climate in Sinnoh has changed, and the Hisuian form of Pokémon has gradually died out. But this ancient land of the Divine River, which has been forgotten, still has a climate similar to Hisui. Thus, Hisuian Pokémon have also emerged, or perhaps some Pokémon were brought here by ancient Sinnoh people and have since taken root."

"One Hisuian Voltorb evolved into a Hisuian Electrode, and in order to better expand the tribe, it set its sights on the Apricorn area where Petilil originally lived!"

Xiang Guangtai thought to himself, no wonder Petilil came back covered in wounds every time; it turns out she went to face off against a group of self-destructing bombs.

"In any case, by working here, you can become stronger. Before that, let me see what skills you have mastered."

As Xiang Guangtai said this, Dou Jianqiao began a one-on-one battle with her, demonstrating moves during the fight.

This would also help her showcase more skills.

During the demonstration, Xiang Guangtai also took out a notebook and began to record, observing the moves Petilil used.

First were the powder-type moves, Stun Spore and Sleep Powder, followed by Leech Seed. However, because it was raining, these powders became sticky and gooey as soon as they were sprayed out, failing to touch Dou Jianqiao at all.

Xiang Guangtai saw Protect; a pale green barrier appeared in front of Petilil, blocking one of Dou Jianqiao's casual attacks!

But she struggled to cope with the second round of attacks. During this time, she used Magical Leaf and Giga Drain. Until she was pushed back by Dou Jianqiao, she used a very strange move.

There was clearly nothing in front of her, but it was as if an air punch had been thrown out, and faint, inconspicuous energy rippled, directly attacking Dou Jianqiao... but it had no effect!

The Ghost-type was immune to this skill!

"Vacuum Wave?! Fighting-type moves cannot attack Ghost-types. No, that's not right, Petilil cannot learn this move."

"A move without special effects, it's a Normal-type... Could it be 'Facade'?!"

This hypothesis was relatively reasonable. Petilil can indeed learn Facade, and given that she had "faced" the situation of returning to her habitat twice, it was normal for her to know this move.

Normal-type moves also cannot attack Ghost-types. Of course, the physical impact exists; after all, Dou Jianqiao is a Ghost-type with a physical form.

But this ordinary impact damage was equivalent to Tackle, or perhaps even less. So Dou Jianqiao only paused for a moment before immediately launching a new offensive.

Was this move learned during the battle to reclaim the habitat?

Then, would the next one be...

"Yo!"

Dou Jianqiao slashed over with a Psycho Cut, but Petilil did not fall. Instead, a special effect similar to Focus Energy appeared on her body, and it appeared even before the Psycho Cut attack.

"Sure enough, it's 'Endure'."

Endure, Protect, Facade.

Suddenly, he felt that this Petilil was working too hard.

Protect blocked one, Endure blocked one, and there were still two self-destructing bombs left.

Subsequently, Petilil performed Synthesis, but because it was a rainy day, the amount recovered was very small, and she was quickly defeated by Dou Jianqiao.

'Learned moves: Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, Leech Seed, Magical Leaf, Giga Drain, Facade, Protect, Endure.'

'Ability: Own Tempo.'

Xiang Guangtai wrote down the record.

'Petilil, a Pokémon from the Divine River Forest.'

'A somewhat stubborn personality.'

'Met in the herb field outside the workshop.'

'Dislikes bitter tastes.'

'Tenacious and unyielding.'

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 27 =====