Not long after Link had left, Uncle Mike hurried over as well.
Naturally, he too had already heard about the Bellossom and the Grassy Terrain situation, and at this moment his face was filled with urgency.
The moment he heard that Link had reached Aven first, he nearly panicked. In his view, Grassy Terrain absolutely had to be used for agriculture—using such a miraculous move as nothing more than a healing technique was simply too wasteful.
"Aven, with these Bellossom, the entire Pokémon Domain and Aspiration City will be able to open up so much more farmland…" he blurted, speaking anxiously.
"Uncle Mike, don't get worked up. All the Bellossom are still here," Aven quickly reassured his uncle, the Minister of Agriculture.
Then, he repeated what he had earlier told Link.
"Only those who manage to earn Bellossom's acknowledgment will be able to successfully form a bond with them."
"Also, each Bellossom's personal choice matters a great deal. Those who wish to become healing-type Pokémon will go help at the Pokémon Center, while those who prefer tending to plants will join the Agriculture Department."
Hearing this explanation, Uncle Mike finally let out a breath of relief. It seemed he hadn't come too late after all. Now all he had to consider was how the Ministry of Agriculture could secure the favor of as many Bellossom as possible.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Aven also asked him about the spring planting. With last years' experience to guide them, this year's spring cultivation had gone exceptionally smoothly, and all the land within the Pokémon Domain had already been cleared.
In fact, the Agriculture Department had already begun targeting the lands outside the Pokémon Domain, renting large stretches of land to open new farmlands. Because of this expansion, the Ministry of Agriculture was now severely short-handed.
So as soon as Uncle Mike heard about the Bellossom, he rushed over immediately. After all, a single Bellossom capable of using Grassy Terrain could easily outperform several hundred or even a thousand serfs.
"Developing the farmland around Aspiration City is indeed something that must be pushed forward quickly," Aven nodded.
With the Pokémon League now established, his ambitions had long since surpassed merely strengthening the Pokémon Domain—his goal was to develop the entire territory of Aspiration City.
Especially in agriculture. Only by doing so could he free up a massive amount of labor, allowing them to be reassigned to the factories being built throughout Aspiration City's various territories.
After finally calming down, Uncle Mike muttered to himself as he left the Safari Zone. From now on, he had to think very carefully about how to gain the approval of more Bellossom—but when it came to nurturing Pokémon, the Ministry of Agriculture seemed at a clear disadvantage compared to the Pokémon Breeding House…
Watching his uncle leave, Aven let out a quiet sigh of relief. But just then, from the corner of his eye, he noticed Master Makin riding his massive Onix toward him from the distance.
"Master Makin… don't tell me you're here for the Bellossom too?" Aven said helplessly, spreading his hands.
"Bellossom?" Master Makin blinked.
Then, following Aven's gaze toward the large group of Bellossom in the distance, he seemed genuinely surprised.
But after a moment, he shook his head quickly.
"No, Your Highness Aven. I came to discuss the matter of Poké Balls."
"We're almost out of Poké Balls at the Breeding House, and because production efficiency is so low, it will be very difficult for us to prepare enough Poké Balls before the next official trainer examination begins."
Hearing this, Aven let out a small sigh but then his eyes sharpened. Poké Balls were absolutely critical to the development of the Pokémon League. If production couldn't keep up, that was definitely bad news.
"It seems I really do need to make a trip to Meteor City as soon as possible," Aven murmured, touching his chin thoughtfully.
Meteor City possessed the very things Aspiration City lacked—Fire-type Pokémon, master blacksmiths, the metals needed for Poké Ball components, and even ironwood suitable for building sturdy ships.
The Pokémon Domain's trading caravan had just returned from the western domains of Aspiration City, so it was the perfect time to take them along to Meteor City and establish a stable trade route between the two cities.
Since the sea route had yet to be secured, they could only travel inland—crossing the Black Forest, the Aspiration Mountain, and the Meteorite Mountains to reach Meteor City.
"Your Highness Aven, please take me with you when you go!" Makin said immediately.
He knew several master blacksmiths in Meteor City, and this was the perfect chance to discuss Poké Ball crafting with them. They would certainly be interested!
"Alright. Make your preparations as soon as possible. Once I've arranged everything here, we'll set out for Meteor City."
After Master Makin left toward the forge, Aven stood up and approached the Bellossom to check on their Grassy Terrain training.
"Bell~ Bell~"
Lilligant was surrounded by the Bellossom.
Because they shared the same evolution path, and had many similarities,
Therefore, Lilligant had become their leader, guiding them through their Grassy Terrain practice.
Besides Grassy Terrain, they also needed to train moves like Sunny Day, Growth, and Solar Beam. Lilligant was also using their shared traits to refine her legion-style moves.
Perhaps because all these Bellossom had evolved using the Sun Stone energy that Lilligant herself had condensed, they shared a faint connection with one another.
Using her deep affinity with nature, Lilligant could freely control the energy emanating from the Bellossom, merging it with her own to unleash even stronger power.
"With the power of these Bellossom, Lilligant can already exert strength on the Champion-tier level," Aven said with a satisfied nod.
Not wanting to disturb their training, he took Froslass, Gardevoir, and Poipole with him and headed toward the rocky mountains to check on Rhydon.
He planned to bring Rhydon along for the trip to Meteor City, and after all the training it had undergone, Rhydon was progressing very close to the King-tier.
Boom… boom… BOOM—
Other than eating, drinking, and sleeping, Rhydon did nothing but train. At a time like this, there was no doubt what it was doing now.
As Aven approached, a wave of terrifying heat washed over him. The halfway-up-the-mountain forge had somehow transformed into a pool of molten lava!
Rhydon's massive body was submerged in the magma, and even the scorching heat capable of melting steel could no longer inflict any meaningful damage on it.
This was the breakthrough Rhydon had achieved after receiving the Fire Stone—
it had begun to develop the ability to fuse fire-type and ground-type energies together into a magma-like power!
By tempering its body within the terrifying heat of molten lava, Rhydon's physical strength had skyrocketed once again, and at this point, it was entirely immune to magma's damage.
"The Volcano Stone really is incredible… it truly is a legendary resource," Aven murmured as his eyes gleamed faintly.
This journey to Meteor City might very well become the key opportunity for Rhydon to break through to the King-level. And more than that, Aven very much wanted to uncover the true origin of the Volcano Stone…
(End of Chapter)