If he were a chick himself, Lucas figured he'd be scared too.
Thanks to the Corvisquire' harassment, the chicks were a wreck. Dolliv, who was in charge of caring for them, was close to panicking.
It even brought over Comfey, hoping the floral scents could ease the chicks' stress—
Unfortunately, the results were minimal.
For now, the chicks were kept inside the coop instead of being let out for air, but the Corvisquire problem still had to be solved.
Arcanine, Dachsbun, Moltres, Lucas, Dolliv, and the Oranguru gathered to plot a counteroffensive against the Corvisquire Mafia.
Arcanine spoke first: "Woof! Woof! Woof!"
The moment it finished, Moltres made a hard-to-describe face. Oranguru fanned itself and translated for Lucas—
"Arcanine says: have Moltres carry it up into the sky, then use a combo of Extreme Speed + Flare Blitz to knock the Corvisquire out of the air."
"…"
Lucas finally understood why Moltres looked so speechless.
He glanced at Arcanine, whose tail wouldn't stop wagging from self-satisfaction, and felt a stab of pain.
Buddy, do you have any concept of how much you weigh after evolving?
Never mind whether that so-called Extreme Speed + Flare Blitz combo even works—your three-hundred-plus pounds alone would drag Moltres' flight speed to a crawl. How are you supposed to catch those sly Corvisquire that bolt the second things look dicey?
"Rejected."
Lucas crossed his arms and mercilessly vetoed Arcanine's proposal.
Arcanine's wagging tail immediately drooped.
Dachsbun then offered a new plan: "Woof, woof."
After Oranguru translated, Lucas nodded. Dachsbun's plan was much more reliable.
Dachsbun suggested posting Luxray or Dragonite at the coop; whenever the Corvisquire showed up, greet them with Thunderbolt therapy.
"Guru~."
Oranguru flicked its fan and raised an objection.
Those Corvisquire were very cunning.
From Oranguru's observations, they weren't fixed to harassing the coop only at dawn. It could be morning, afternoon, evening, or the middle of the night.
What's more, what enabled their harassment in the first place was probably a precondition: the absence of strong, long-range attackers like Luxray, Dragonite, Moltres, or Serperior near the coop.
Mimikyu, which does satisfy that precondition, can't fly and is specialized in close combat with limited range, so it can't help.
Hearing Oranguru's analysis, Lucas frowned slightly. "We could rotate shifts around the clock to guard the coop. But that would mean the crows' harassment worked—big time. No exaggeration, it would be their victory."
"We still have to solve this at the root."
Over the next ten-plus minutes, the Pokémon proposed many ideas.
For example, Moltres' suggestion to find the Corvisquire' nest and thrash them to teach a lesson.
That plan was indeed good, and Lucas could use his hint system to pinpoint their nests and storm them.
But a gut feeling told him it wouldn't eradicate the harassment. It might even deepen the grudge, pushing the Corvisquire flock to grow stronger under the fire of revenge.
They were famously stubborn and smart. From the past few days, he'd seen they were fully committed to the bandit's creed: strike when there's an opening, run when there's danger.
He couldn't exactly exterminate them physically. He needed a way to easily drive them off when they came—or even make them too scared to come at all.
"Dolliv~!"
Just then, the downcast Dolliv raised a small hand, determination written on its face.
It had been heartsick over the chicks' condition these past few days, but in this moment it made up its mind.
It would personally end—extinguish—the Corvisquire' arrogance!
Dolliv's reaction made Lucas and the Pokémon freeze. After they heard Dolliv's idea, they looked at each other.
Maybe… this could work!
To the Corvisquire, Dolliv was just a powerless, ground-bound bystander they toyed with—no threat, just like Arcanine and Dachsbun.
Even if those two couldn't hit enemies in the sky, Dolliv—no, its evolved form, Arboliva—could!
A light flashed in Dolliv's small eyes as it clearly recalled what Lucas had told it about its evolution—Arboliva's abilities.
Arboliva can fire rich, fragrant oil at bullet-like speed with rock-shattering force!
The oil could gum up the crows' feathers and make them understand the price of trespass!
Dolliv's evolution training was immediately put on the schedule. This time, for the chicks' sake, Dolliv seemed to have steeled itself—shedding its softness and bringing forth a resolute side.
During Dolliv's special training, the main force and the aerial-capable Pokémon would take turns guarding the coop, while Dolliv grew stronger as fast as possible with a lavish lineup and resources behind it!
Serperior, Oranguru, and Lucas served as Dolliv's head instructors. Comfey, the Eldegoss, and the others provided full support.
Lucas even rode Dragonite to Levincia City to purchase a Leaf Stone and a Miracle Seed—letting Dolliv absorb their energy in the most extravagant way.
Meanwhile, Comfey acted as on-call medic, treating Dolliv's injuries at once, and the Eldegoss spread Grassy Terrain for support.
Finally, on the third day of special training—just after an all-out Frenzy Plant spar with Serperior left it covered in scars—Dolliv was bathed in a thick, milky-white light of evolution, its body enlarging and lengthening.
When the light faded, its new form appeared.
It was a Pokémon that looked like a tree overall, not very tall—about 1.4 meters. A cloak of bright green leaves draped its body, studded with oval olives; its lower half resembled a brown long skirt with a faint bark-like texture.
The leafy cloak's collar was high, up to just below its eyes and over its neck.
It was the Olive Pokémon—Arboliva.
Arboliva's eyes narrowed slightly, its expression filled with compassion and kindness.
Countless globes of clear-hued olive oil shot out from its olives like bullets. They couldn't pierce Serperior's Frenzy Plant, but their terrifying force made the vines quiver.
Even Serperior was surprised.
Was this the legendary "Gatling Oil—sixfold purity with depleted-uranium rounds, 3,600 rpm in a single breath, delivering salvation with great compassion"?