"Vibrava, since these Beedrill have stopped attacking, there's no need for you to chase them."
Ethan spoke to Vibrava, who was just about to use Tailwind to start the pursuit. Then he looked again at the orchard in front of him, narrowing his eyes.
"There are so many Berries... With this, Shuckle should be able to complete the pokéblock crafting, right?" Ethan thought to himself.
At that moment, thanks to constant training, Shuckle had already mastered the basic ability to condense pokéblocks. What remained was conducting more and more experiments, and the Berry forest before him was undoubtedly the perfect place to do so.
Afterward, Ethan sent Vibrava out again for reconnaissance. Once he confirmed that there were no Pokémon in the area capable of posing a threat, he chose to lean against a large tree to begin the crafting attempt.
"Gengar, return to your Poké Ball and rest for a bit."
After preparing everything, Ethan took Gengar's Poké Ball, returned him, and activated the lock.
"Shuckle, now let's work together to complete the pokéblock crafting."
Ethan patted Shuckle's head with a smile, causing Shuckle to squint his eyes in pleasure.
"Charizard, Vibrava, you two stay alert. Meltan, you take care of guarding me. Riolu, you come with me to collect Berries."
Very soon, Ethan had assigned all the tasks and began gathering Berries with Riolu, piling them up in front of Shuckle.
At that moment, Shuckle was using Rock Throw. In the air, Rock-type energy condensed, and they could see how the piece of rock changed shape until, under Shuckle's control, it became a perfectly square block, as if it had come out of a mold.
Ethan looked at the rocky block that fell to the ground and nodded in satisfaction. Then, expectantly, he said, "Shuckle, begin."
Shuckle nodded immediately, and several lights swept across its body as it used Acupressure to enhance all its abilities.
Next, it used Helping Hand to boost Gyro Ball, transforming it into a Super Gyro Ball. Its body began to spin with great force, and using centrifugal power, it started refining the energy of the Berries inside itself.
Fuuu... Fuuu...
Shuckle's body became a silver whirlwind that whipped up strong gusts of wind around it.
When Gyro Ball reached maximum speed, a faint green light began to appear around its body. Ethan knew Shuckle was now using Hidden Power to start condensing the Berry energy.
If Ethan could see inside its shell, he would have noticed a thick Berry purée filled with essence constantly changing shape until it began forming into a block.
However, Shuckle still wasn't fully skilled, and when the purée was finally compressed, it didn't fully take on a perfect cube shape.
"You've done an excellent job."
Ethan examined the pokéblock and nodded in satisfaction.
Then he began placing more Berries inside Shuckle's shell. After a short break, they started the crafting process once again.
...
Several days later, a gentle fragrance suddenly spread throughout the entire Berry forest.
"Did we succeed?"
Ethan and all his Pokémon had gathered, staring at the pokéblock placed on a rock, all wearing expressions of surprise and joy.
The pokéblock had a perfectly square shape, a light green translucent color, and emitted a refreshing scent that instantly made anyone feel relaxed.
"This was crafted using the recipe for intermediate-level energy recovery juice. The juice, after being refined by Shuckle, became advanced-level juice. And now, after refining it again to create the pokéblock... what effect will it have?"
Ethan lifted the pokéblock and observed it carefully. In theory, it should still be an item for energy recovery.
"Shuckle, good job. Since this is the first pokéblock you've ever crafted, you'll be the first to try it."
Shuckle, who had been secretly observing from atop a rock, showed a glimmer of joy after hearing that. The other Pokémon also began cheering it on enthusiastically.
Shuckle nodded, stretched its neck, and carefully took the pokéblock, placing it in its mouth.
In that instant, a gentle green light enveloped its body. The injuries Shuckle had accumulated from repeatedly using Gyro Ball... vanished instantly!
"This is... besides restoring energy, it can also heal injuries?"
Ethan widened his eyes in surprise, but that surprise quickly turned into joy.
A pokéblock created from a recovery-juice recipe had undergone an incredible transformation. The effect was frighteningly good!
"No... I need to keep testing it!"
Ethan took a deep breath and looked toward the deeper part of the nearby forest.
He had stayed inside the Berry forest for all these days; now it was time to explore other places and verify the true effect of the pokéblock.
Walking through the forest, Ethan frowned.
"What's going on with this place? In the areas I passed earlier, there were many bird calls... why is it so quiet here?"
A bad feeling rose in his heart. Just as he thought about it, a sharp screech echoed...
"That sound..."
Suddenly, Ethan's expression grew serious. Looking into the distance, he saw a Fearow leading several dozen Spearow, flying straight toward him.
But before they could get close, Charizard's figure had already risen in front of Ethan, adopting an attack stance.
"It's just a few dozen Spearow and a Fearow. Charizard, I'll leave them to you. Try using a Dragon-type move."
"Charrzz!"
Charizard nodded quickly, withdrew the flame it was ready to fire, and focused its power into its claws before charging at the flock.
(End of chapter)