Beside the Fair River in the Pokémon Breeding Zone, large clusters of Tentacool and Tentacruel were gathered together.
All of these Tentacruel were ones Aven had personally sought out—each of them possessed the Liquid Ooze ability.
They were able to continuously produce viscous sludge rich in life energy, and at the same time infused with potent poisonous toxins. This made them extremely valuable training resources for many poison-type Pokémon.
At this moment, a great amount of collected sludge had already been piled up by the riverbank, and was continuously being transported to the potion factory.
Once in the hands of the apothecaries and potion masters, the sludge would be refined and blended into a special kind of potion. One containing concentrated life energy and toxic power.
After being processed, these sludge-based potions would then be shipped straight either into the Safari Zone or the other Breeding Zones.
Meanwhile, deep within the forest along the Black Coast, in the Drapion territory, countless Gloom lay buried partly underground, camouflaging themselves perfectly with the surrounding terrain as they kept watch.
Suddenly, a Stunky pulled a wagon slowly into view. Several wooden barrels were stacked atop the wagon, and as the wheels turned, the sound of liquid sloshing echoed continuously.
The sight of the wagon immediately excited the Gloom. One by one, they popped out of the ground and hurriedly surrounded the wagon.
"Easy, easy. There's enough for everyone," Aven called out as he leapt down from the wagon, speaking to the eager Gloom crowding around him.
As soon as the wagon halted, he took out a Poké Ball and pressed the button. A massive Onix emerged in a flash of white light.
"Onix, help move these barrels down from the wagon."
"OONIX!"
Onix nodded firmly and moved quickly to the wagon, using its long tail to lift and carry the heavy barrels.
Then, following close beside Aven, the Onix brought the barrels to the area where the Gloom had previously taken root.
Aven opened one of the barrels, dipped in a wooden ladle, and scooped up a ladle of thick, pitch-black potion. He sprinkled it directly onto the soil before him.
At once, the potion seeped into the ground, dyeing the soil dark and radiating a powerful mixture of life energy and poison energy.
"Glooo~! Gloooo!"
The Gloom squeaked excitedly.
They rushed forward in a cluster, each immediately using the move Ingrain, drawing the special energy from deep within the soil.
The energy stored in the sludge, produced by Tentacool and Tentacruel with the Liquid Ooze ability, was exceptionally compatible with the Gloom and allowed them to sense and absorb life energy directly.
"Lilligant, use Grassy Terrain!"
Aven turned to the Lilligant standing beside him.
"Lilli~!"
With a graceful sweep of her arm, a vivid green light burst outward, covering the entire surrounding area.
At the same time, Lilligant summoned vast amounts of grass and life energy, engulfing the entire zone in a rich emerald glow.
The Gloom immediately began greedily drawing in all the surrounding energy.
Grass energy, life energy, poison energy, each of these alone was powerful, and together they dramatically accelerated the Gloom's growth.
"I hope these special potions help the Gloom learn Grassy Terrain…" Aven let out a quiet sigh.
The territory was in desperate need of healing-type Pokémon. His plan to use sludge potions to cultivate these Gloom was entirely aimed at helping them comprehend Grassy Terrain, an incredibly valuable move.
Grassy Terrain had tremendous utility as it enhanced crop growth and served as a potent healing method, making it a key asset in the territory's development.
Ever since learning the sludge contained both life energy and poison energy, Aven had been trying to use it to nurture the other Gloom.
Now that he had successfully captured a large number of Tentacruel and Tentacool with Liquid Ooze, he finally had enough resources to fully commit to the endeavor.
Although none of the Gloom had managed to learn Grassy Terrain yet, the training had been remarkably effective—every one of them had shown significant improvement in strength.
Time passed quickly.
As the Gloom continued absorbing the energy around them, the once-altered earth slowly returned to its normal state, the potion's energy gradually drained into their bodies.
Unfortunately, by the end of the session, none of the Gloom had succeeded in learning Grassy Terrain. Clearly, this wasn't training that could yield results overnight.
With the terrain-training complete, Lilligant activaed Sunny Day, drawing on solar energy to mimic the effect of a Sun Stone, attempting to stimulate evolution.
Using the move Growth, Lilligant channeled streams of solar power directly into the Gloom, boosting the natural development of grass-type Pokémon.
Every Gloom gathered there possessed exceptional talent in grass-type energy, and all of them had the same evolutionary goal of evolving into a Bellossom, a Pokémon aligned toward healing abilities.
If they evolved into Bellossom, the chances of learning Grassy Terrain would increase significantly. Combined with the sludge-based potions, Aven was confident he could guide them toward mastering the move.
Thud—thud—thud—thud!
Just as Aven was contemplating the next phase of the training, the ground suddenly trembled with approaching footsteps.
A knight riding a Rhyhorn galloped rapidly from the distance.
"Your Highness Aven, the envoy to the western domains has returned!"
"They're finally back?" Aven's eyes lit up.
The envoy to the western domains had been personally led by Link. Their goal was to negotiate with Marquis Salt and hand over the plans for the Pokémon Breeding House.
The envoy had also brought large quantities of Pokémon food, fertilizer, and potions to exchange for the western domains's resources. If all went well, they should now be returning with extremely valuable supplies.
Without hesitation, Aven mounted his Luxray and sped toward Fairhaven Town, soon meeting the returning envoy outside the town.
There, countless wagons were parked in neat rows—each piled high to the brim with goods.
"Your Highness Aven, we have fulfilled our mission," Link said respectfully, handing Aven a detailed inventory list.
Then, from his backpack, Link retrieved five Poké Balls and presented them forward.
"Your Highness, these are the Pokémon you requested. I've brought them back."
"Link, you've done very well." Aven accepted both the list and the Poké Balls, unable to hide the excitement on his face.
Inside those five Poké Balls were five Chansey. It appeared Marquis Salt had agreed to the deal.
In the marquis's territory, Chansey were valued mainly for producing eggs but in Aven's hands, they represented something far more important:
Five healing-specialist Pokémon capable of supporting medical centers.
With five Chansey, he could now establish five Pokémon Centers, finally resolving the immediate need for healing facilities in Aspiration City's territories.
In addition to the one Pokémon Center he had promised Marquis Salt as part of their agreement, there would be enough for establishing a Pokémon Center each in the Ironblood Fortress, in the Frontline Fortress, in the Casston Town and in Marina City
(End of Chapter)