After using the move Grassy Terrain, Vileplume continued channeling the surrounding natural energy.
With its eyes gently closed, it could sense flickering lights scattered throughout the farmland—those were the seeds of Berries.
Carefully manipulating the energy, Vileplume enveloped the Berry seeds within the power of the terrain. The grass energy radiated vibrant life.
"Is he trying to use a Pokémon's power to accelerate Berry sprouting?"
Uncle Mike's body trembled—he had finally realized what Aven was trying to do.
In the next moment, tiny sprouts suddenly appeared across the field, shrouded in green light.
"Those are... Berry sprouts?"
Uncle Mike cried out in surprise when he saw the scene, instantly recognizing the seedlings as Berry sprouts! As the realization set in, a look of disbelief appeared on his face.
The Berry seeds had only just been planted, and yet they had already germinated and grown into seedlings within mere moments?!
Normally, it would take at least a month for Berry seeds to grow into sprouts, but now it had all happened in the blink of an eye?
Even though he had suspected this might happen, the speed of the growth still left Uncle Mike dumbfounded. The sight before him was simply incredible!
He couldn't help but turn his gaze toward Vileplume in the field. Clearly, this was all thanks to the special move it had used.
"As expected of Grassy Terrain," Aven murmured in awe.
The move Grassy Terrain had the power to gather natural energy. That energy could be used not just for healing or enhancing, but also for accelerating plant growth.
Judging by the results, its growth acceleration effect was even more astonishing than the move Plow.
Of course, Rototiller worked by tilling the soil and revitalizing the land, which was a different kind of benefit. It was hard to say which move was more useful for farming.
"Lil, Lil…"
On Aven's shoulder, Petilil was blinking curiously at the scene.
It gently closed its eyes and immediately felt the immense vitality and energy flowing through the terrain. A wave of comfort washed over its body.
Its eyes sparkled—if Vileplume could learn this Grass-type move, then surely it could too, right?
As time passed, the green glow in the field gradually faded.
Although Grassy Terrain was incredibly powerful, it consumed a great deal of energy from Vileplume, and it couldn't be sustained for long.
To fully master Grassy Terrain and use it regularly in battle, Vileplume would need much more training.
Still, this short burst was more than enough. The Berry seeds had now grown into uniform, healthy seedlings, neatly distributed throughout the orchard.
"Uncle Mike, could you take a look and see if these seedlings are viable for cultivating Berries?"
Aven asked.
Snapping out of his daze, Uncle Mike quickly nodded and walked over to inspect the Berry sprouts.
It should be fine, Aven thought. In my past life, using Grass-type Pokémon to promote Berry growth wasn't uncommon.
Although he had never seen Grassy Terrain used specifically for this purpose, he had witnessed Venusaur presiding over large-scale growth accelerations.
Experience showed that seedlings accelerated through Grass-type energy absorbed large amounts of natural vitality, often making them far higher in quality than ordinary Berry sprouts.
Unfortunately, a Pokémon's power could only accelerate growth to a point. It couldn't instantly produce a mature, fruit-bearing Berry tree.
After all, Berries required water, sunlight, and various minerals—life energy alone wasn't enough to sustain them through full growth.
Moreover, some Berries developed special properties only by absorbing certain energies during their growth—a process that couldn't be skipped either.
"These seedlings… they're indistinguishable from normal Berry sprouts. Unbelievable."
Uncle Mike examined the sprouts with amazement. As a long-time Berry farmer, he had his own criteria for judging seedling quality.
He could tell at a glance—these seedlings were exceptionally healthy. There was no doubt they could produce high-quality Berries.
"Good, that's what I was hoping for."
Aven turned to the Rhydon next to him.
"Rhydon, I'll need your help with the next part."
Rhydon gave a nod, picked up a wooden bucket, and followed Aven.
The buckets contained growth fertilizer—nutrient-rich mixtures tailored to the development needs of Berry sprouts. They would significantly improve the seedlings' survival rate.
"This is incredible," Uncle Mike sighed as he helped fertilize the seedlings.
"It's so expensive to buy even a single Berry seedling. But now, with Vileplume accelerating their growth, we can save a fortune."
He couldn't help reminiscing about the high costs of buying Berry sprouts in the past. The power of Pokémon truly was miraculous.
After all, in this world, Pokémon were the ultimate productive force.
Aven smiled, satisfaction shining on his face. This was only the beginning.
Several days passed.
In that time, the farmland had become filled with Berry seedlings, all nurtured through accelerated growth.
There were Oran Berries, Persim Berries, Cheri Berries, Chesto Berries, Pecha Berries, Rawst Berries, and Aspear Berries—all commonly found on the market.
At the fields, Uncle Mike was carefully digging up the seedlings with soil intact, preparing them for distribution to villagers in need.
With the merger of nine villages, the demand for Berry seedlings was enormous. But with Vileplume's power, this challenge was completely manageable.
With these seedlings, villagers could begin large-scale Berry cultivation.
Currently, the biggest shortage in Fruitvale Village was the Berries needed for making medicine and Pokémon food. With these new Berries, the village's economic prospects would vastly improve.
Elsewhere in the fields, Aven was planting Berry seedlings by hand.
Petilil and Vileplume were cheerfully helping him, full of enthusiasm.
With the two Grass-types helping, the planting was soon completed. Rows of healthy seedlings stood tall, radiating life.
"Aven, is this where you plan to grow your Berry orchard?"
Uncle Mike took time to check on Aven's progress. But as he saw the planting arrangement, the old farmer's brow furrowed.
The seedlings had been planted in complete disorder— Oran, Persim, Cheri, Chesto, Pecha, Rawst, and Aspear Berries were all jumbled together with no pattern.
Uncle Mike felt dizzy just looking at it.
Different Berries had different growth requirements—soil moisture, temperature, maturation time… all varied.
This chaotic planting was a nightmare to manage. The Berries could even interfere with each other's growth. It was completely unreasonable.
"I'm conducting an experiment," Aven explained.
"If everything goes well, we might be able to create entirely new kinds of Berries."
"New kinds of Berries?"
Uncle Mike was stunned.
Berry mutations did exist, but they were extremely rare.
Even then, most mutations only involved variations in quality or flavor—true new species were almost unheard of.
Aven, however, simply smiled. Under normal conditions, yes—it would be nearly impossible.
But with a special fertilizer called Mutation Fertilizer, the odds of successful mutation could be significantly increased.
Berry mutation occurred when two specific Berries were planted next to each other, potentially producing a new Berry variety.
Mutation Fertilizer could greatly raise the probability of such outcomes.
With the right combinations, specific Berry mutations could be deliberately induced.
In his previous life, many of these mutation patterns had already been documented.
Just like the Oran Berry plus the Pecha Berry, they can mutate into the Qualot Berry which can increase friendship.
When Aspear Berry is added to wild apple, it can mutate into Hondew Berry; when Chesto berry is added to Persim Berry, it can mutate into Kelpsy Berry, and so on.
(TN: My god, this took too long to research.)
With this knowledge, one could carefully plan mutations and mass-produce rare Berries with desired traits.
Of course, it would still take time—mutations could only occur after the plants had matured. It wasn't a short-term task.
"Uncle Mike, I'm planning to use this plot for experimentation."
"With Petilil and Vileplume helping, successful mutations are more than just a dream."
Hearing that, Uncle Mike recalled the earlier growth acceleration and nodded—maybe it wasn't so far-fetched after all.
"Tangela, I'm putting you in charge of this Berry field," Aven said solemnly.
"Watch over these seedlings. If there are any changes, let me know immediately."
Having applied growth fertilizer to every plant, Aven entrusted the task to Tangela.
These mutations could produce Berries with unique effects—crucial to his future plans!
Tangela nodded with determination. It loved this feeling of being trusted and would definitely do its best to protect the orchard.
(End of Chapter)
(TN: Took me almost 30 minutes because of the damn berry names. Chatgpt gave me algae root fruit, limousine, hami like wtf.)