Chapter 15: The Past of This Forest
Seeing Rio's badly swollen right hand, the Oddish felt too embarrassed to continue moonbathing.
The few Pokémon, who had come so leisurely, now walked back dejectedly.
By the time they reached the valley entrance, the sky was already dawning. The faint morning light sprinkled across the land, illuminating the figure of an angry Vileplume.
"We're done for."
The Oddish walking beside Rio stiffened, then somewhat frantically hid behind Rio, trembling.
"How many times have I told you, the forest is very dangerous lately, don't run around recklessly! Why don't you ever listen?"
Vileplume strode angrily to Rio's side, grabbed the Oddishs' leaves with her small, short hands, and pulled them out from behind Rio.
Then, a grand nagging session, comparable to a monk chanting scriptures, began.
Starring: Vileplume. Supporting cast: Oddish. Audience: Riolu.
"...You all go back and reflect properly during this time." Vileplume narrowed her eyes, the giant petals on her head vaguely exuding dangerous pollen.
The Oddish walked back into the valley dejectedly, while Vileplume stopped Rio, who looked pitiful and also wanted to follow them back.
"Sigh," Vileplume sighed. A gentle, verdant green light softly emanated from her body, spreading out to both sides. In an instant, it was like the earth rejuvenating in spring. A large patch of lush green grass suddenly sprouted from the ground, and a vibrant, life-filled aura enveloped Rio.
At the same time, a fragrant scent entered Rio's nostrils, making him unconsciously intoxicated by it.
By the time Rio came to his senses, he discovered that his previously broken arm had actually been healed, and the swelling caused by the bruising was also gradually receding under the influence of this vitality.
Vileplume clapped her hands, dispelling the [Grassy Terrain] skill, which could heal a group of Pokémon.
"Alright, your injury is healed, but you still need to rest quietly for a while."
Vileplume patted Rio's head and said in a gentle tone.
As for why Vileplume could pat Rio's head? Yes, an ordinary Vileplume is 1.2 meters tall, even taller than Riolu.
Rio felt a little embarrassed, scratching his head with his left hand, smiling foolishly without speaking.
"But why did you go fooling around with these troublemakers? And you Fighting-type Pokémon, you don't pay any attention to your own bodies at all. You're still young. Even if I can heal your injuries, getting hurt like this in the long run will still leave hidden dangers for your body. You need to learn more from Machop about how to protect your body in battle..."
Vileplume couldn't help but nag again.
"Mm-hmm."
Rio knew that Vileplume's nagging was actually a special kind of concern, so he nodded repeatedly. However, thinking about what Vileplume had said, he couldn't help but ask.
"Sister Vileplume, why did you say just now that the forest is very dangerous lately? Did something happen?"
Vileplume's nagging words paused. She didn't directly answer Rio's question but instead spoke of another matter.
"Although I healed you, there's a price. Otherwise, you all will get used to injuring yourselves in the future and won't pay attention to protection."
"Okay, okay, no problem."
Rio nodded vigorously. As everyone knows, healers are the saviors of warriors; you can offend anyone but the healer.
"In that case, you'll accompany me to a place."
Vileplume couldn't help but chuckle seeing Rio's comical appearance.
The two Pokémon, one in front and one behind, passed through the dense thicket and arrived at a place full of flowers.
"Here."
Vileplume took out a bottle and handed it to Rio.
Then, Grass-type energy flowed from Vileplume. The verdant green Grass energy connected with the blooming flowers, and in the air, drops of golden, viscous liquid slowly formed.
Smelling a sweet fragrance that refreshed his "human" spirit, Rio's eyes lit up.
"Could this be... Flower Nectar?"
Speaking of this, Rio was already swallowing saliva frantically. Last time, Vileplume had given him a small bottle of Flower Nectar as a gift when he first arrived, and Rio had long since couldn't resist eating all that sweet nectar. The mere thought of the sweet nectar paired with those bread-like tree fruits made Rio's mouth water.
Vileplume chuckled lightly and explained to Rio, "This nectar is very beneficial for young Pokémon like you. It can improve your physical constitution and help you grow better."
"However, this nectar is very difficult to collect. This large flower garden here will probably only yield this much in one bottle, so you need to watch carefully and not miss any."
Looking at the bottle in his hand, which was only about the size of his head, Rio didn't dare say another word. He concentrated on watching the nectar that solidified in the air and then dripped down, promptly extending the bottle to catch it.
And so, one was engrossed in producing nectar, and the other in collecting it.
"A long, long time ago, this forest was in a very chaotic state. Weak Pokémon were bullied by strong Pokémon, and the former were even hunted as prey by the latter. Not only between different species, but even within the same species, if you were weak, you had no space to survive."
"Moreover, there was another kind of creature—humans. They would always barge into the forest, recklessly disrupting its order, capturing Pokémon wantonly for their own selfish desires, and then casually releasing or abandoning various injured Pokémon. Their existence put all sorts of Pokémon in a precarious situation for a long time."
Rio, who was engrossed in collecting nectar, stiffened upon hearing this. The Pokémon world in the games and anime always depicted a beautiful and harmonious picture, but in reality, a dark side still existed.
"The chaos lasted for a very long time. Then, a few powerful Pokémon finally couldn't bear to see this chaotic situation continue. A Water-type Pokémon, relying on its super-strong Water and Psychic powers, conquered the powerful beings of Crescent Lake in the south of the forest, and then led a group of Water-type Pokémon to live there."
"A Flying-type Pokémon, truly a king of the sky, awed the firmament and led countless Flying-type Pokémon to build nests on the high peak in the center of the forest."
"And the strongest in the forest, with his unparalleled hegemonic aura, attracted countless followers of the same type. They settled in a huge swamp in the eastern part of the forest."
"Relying on their formidable strength and their united clans, they formed a deterrent against the humans from the outside world, thereby restoring order to the forest and protecting it from wanton human destruction."
"However, even these few enlightened leaders didn't particularly care for weak Pokémon, and these Pokémon, with no one to rely on, still endured the fate of being bullied and hunted."
"Until one Pokémon accidentally stumbled in, creating a new opportunity."
"He unexpectedly befriended Snorlax and Oddish, displaying formidable strength in the forest. The three Pokémon thus roamed the forest, fighting against injustices faced by various weak Pokémon who were being oppressed. Gradually, they had helped many, many weak Pokémon and shouldered various expectations."
"Finally, one day, they decided to find a stable place to settle down. Then, all the Pokémon they had helped came one after another to follow them, and then, Sunrise Valley was born."
Vileplume recounted the story in a gentle tone, captivating Rio, who unknowingly stopped his nectar-collecting actions.
"After that, whether strong or weak, all Pokémon in this forest found their own space to survive. The forest began to become harmonious, and many Pokémon even stopped relying on the few powerful leaders, choosing to live independently."
"However, it seems this harmony is now about to be broken by some unknown force."
Vileplume sighed.
Speaking of this, Rio suddenly remembered the abnormal information he had seen in his [Pokédex] when he was being chased by Pidgeotto last time, and an inexplicable gloom flashed in his heart.
"That's how it is. Recently, that unsettling atmosphere has started to appear in the forest again. You are different from the Oddish; they haven't even learned to battle and cannot protect themselves. But you, you possess a natural talent for fighting, so you don't need to worry too much when you venture out, but you still need to be careful."
"By the way... you're about to miss that nectar!"
"Huh? Ahhhhhh—"