Unexpectedly, the male Farfetch'd's strike hit the Drilbur's vital spot perfectly.
The Drilbur fell backward, screaming incessantly.
The male Farfetch'd was extremely excited. The newly acquired leek was simply too easy to use; it felt as though it had achieved a true union of duck and leek!
Thinking this, the male Farfetch'd attacked the Drilbur with even greater high spirits, and for a moment, the Drilbur was unable to parry effectively.
Seeing this, the Drilbur hurriedly called out to Lairon for help.
Since this was a double battle, it was not embarrassing to ask a partner for rescue.
Lairon had been beating the female Farfetch'd back as well, but upon hearing the Drilbur, it hurriedly changed direction, slamming into the male Farfetch'd with Headbutt.
The male Farfetch'd was riding high on the satisfaction of its leek, so it was caught off guard and sent flying by Lairon.
When the female Farfetch'd saw her partner being hit, how could she let it slide? She immediately brandished her leek, green light flickering on it. In an instant, the leek transformed into a long sword, fiercely piercing into a gap on Lairon's back.
The female Farfetch'd had also landed a critical hit.
Seeing this, the Drilbur quickly waved its dual claws and surprisingly used Sandstorm. In an instant, a howling sandstorm whipped up across the field.
The two Farfetch'd were immediately blinded, unable to see the surrounding environment.
However, the Ground-type Drilbur and the Steel/Rock-type Lairon were unaffected.
Especially the Rock-type Lairon, whose Special Defense was increased by the sandstorm, although the increase in Special Defense was useless in this battle.
This was because the two Farfetch'd were not skilled in special attacks.
Taking advantage of the two Farfetch'd being lost in the sandstorm, the Drilbur used Dig to quietly approach them, then launched a sneak attack.
Finding the opportunity, the Drilbur suddenly burst from underground, slapping the two Farfetch'd away, one with each claw.
The Drilbur's ability was Sand Force, which increases the power of Rock, Steel, and Ground-type moves during a sandstorm.
And the move Dig was precisely a Ground-type move.
Poli poli~
Poli poli~
The two Farfetch'd let out screams at the same time.
Just then, Lairon launched Rock Slide. Massive boulders descended from the sky, hitting the two Farfetch'd one after another.
Looking at the pile of rocks with not the slightest movement, the Drilbur and Lairon couldn't help but think:
Did they fall just like that?
So, the two of them went forward to check the situation.
They had just approached when they saw a dazzling green light erupt from the rock pile. Following that, two sharp blades shredded the rocks and lunged at them.
Caught off guard, the Drilbur and Lairon were struck simultaneously, both taking critical hits.
After a wail of pain, the Drilbur and Lairon were sent flying.
The Drilbur was weaker and lacked defense, so it lost the ability to battle immediately.
Comparatively, Lairon's defense was outstanding. Despite being hit by critical strikes twice in a row, it was as if nothing had happened.
Seeing that they had defeated the Drilbur, the two Farfetch'd looked at each other and were overjoyed. After establishing an understanding, they flanked Lairon from left and right.
When they got close, the two Farfetch'd raised their leeks and attacked Lairon.
This time, they didn't use Leaf Blade again, but instead used the Fighting-type move Brick Break.
Fighting-type moves are four times super effective against Lairon!
Given Lairon's speed, it couldn't dodge. Its whole body began to flash with a metallic luster, and in the next second, its body became silvery and shiny.
It had used the Steel-type move Iron Defense, which significantly increases defense.
Boom!!!
With two loud bangs, the leeks of the two Farfetch'd slammed into Lairon's back simultaneously. They even fortunately landed critical hits again.
The reason Farfetch'd could land critical hits so easily was because their signature leeks naturally had the effect of increasing the critical hit ratio.
Unfortunately... even so, Lairon remained standing.
Lairon~
Lairon let out a high-pitched roar. At this moment, it seemed to have an epiphany. Suddenly, its whole body erupted with red light, and it slammed fiercely into the male Farfetch'd.
After a scream, the Farfetch'd was sent flying and collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.
Lairon had actually mastered Body Press at the final moment.
This was a move that Bruno's Steelix had just taught it shortly before leaving.
The Steelix had coached Lairon many times, but it hadn't been able to grasp it; it never expected to execute it suddenly.
Body Press is a Fighting-type move. Its special characteristic is that it uses the user's defense instead of attack to calculate damage, and among Lairon's stats, its strongest attribute was its defense.
Furthermore, once it evolved into Aggron, its defense would remain higher than its attack, making Body Press a very suitable move for it.
After defeating the male Farfetch'd, Lairon turned to look at the female Farfetch'd, its deep blue eyes filled with fighting spirit.
The female Farfetch'd wasn't afraid at all; the leek in her hand gave her infinite courage!
Bell bell~
She shouted and rushed toward Lairon using Brick Break.
Lairon~
Lairon also roared, and massive boulders were controlled by it to crash toward the female Farfetch'd. Before she could even get close, she was trapped by the circle of rocks.
This was Rock Tomb.
Without waiting for the female Farfetch'd to react, Lairon had already launched Body Press again and crashed into her.
The rocks were smashed one by one by Lairon, and the female Farfetch'd was sent flying along with them.
With this, Lairon completed a double kill.
Lairon!!!
The victory in battle made Lairon very excited. It looked up to the sky and let out a hearty cry.
At this time, two Dolliv stepped forward and cast Grassy Terrain, healing the Drilbur and the two Farfetch'd.
Xerneas happened to be passing by nearby, so it casually tossed a Heal Pulse to the three Pokémon.
Before long, the Drilbur and the two Farfetch'd slowly woke up.
However, the moment the two Farfetch'd opened their eyes, bright white light erupted from their bodies simultaneously.
Lairon, Drilbur, and the Dolliv sisters couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, and even Xerneas, who hadn't gone far, looked over.
The Farfetch'd were about to evolve!
The evolution condition for Galarian Farfetch'd is to land three or more critical hits in battle. During the fight just now, the two Farfetch'd had exactly landed three critical hits on the Drilbur and Lairon each.
The light soon completely engulfed the two Farfetch'd. Through their silhouettes in the light, their physiques underwent massive changes, and the leeks in their hands changed appearance as well.
Their height didn't change much.
Soon, the evolution ended, and two new Pokémon appeared before everyone.
Compared to their original form, the evolution of Farfetch'd didn't change drastically, but their feathers had turned white. They held a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, with cold and serious expressions—they were the spitting image of two knights.
This was the evolution of Galarian Farfetch'd—Sirfetch'd.
Sir~
Sir~
Once the evolution finished, the two Sirfetch'd looked at each other and then excitedly embraced.
Unfortunately, the swords and shields in their hands prevented them from hugging.
The two Sirfetch'd: ...
Although the embrace didn't succeed, the two Sirfetch'd were still extremely happy.
Sir~ Evolved!
Sir~ We evolved!
They happily announced the good news to everyone, even though everyone had seen it.
The Pokémon came forward one after another to offer their congratulations.
Looking at the dashing Sirfetch'd, the Drilbur was extremely envious. How nice, it wanted to evolve too.
Lairon, standing to the side, sensed its thoughts and gently nudged it.
Lairon~ Lairon~ Don't worry, you'll be able to evolve soon too.
Encouraged by Lairon, the Drilbur immediately regained its spirit. It couldn't wait to drag Lairon off for special training.
After Ange came out of the kitchen and learned that the two Farfetch'd had evolved, he sent his blessings to them as well.
Just as Ange was chatting with a few Pokémon, he suddenly saw Chesnaught running over in a hurry, its expression full of excitement.
"What's wrong, Chesnaught? Why are you so happy?" Ange asked with a smile.
Ches~ Ches~
Chesnaught didn't say much and pulled Ange toward the outside.
Ange asked suspiciously, "Where are you taking me?"
Ches~ Ches~ You just come with me to the orchard to see, you'll know once we get there.
Chesnaught had an eager expression.
Hearing this, Ange had no choice but to quicken his pace and follow Chesnaught toward the orchard.
Chesnaught led Ange all the way to where the Pecha Berries were planted. In the center of the orchard, Victreebel, Bellossom, Vileplume, Weepinbell, Floette, and Vivillon were all gathered together.
Seeing Ange arrive, they cheered and waved at him.
Ange: "What's wrong? You all are..."
Vile~
Bell~
Ches~
Hearing him, the Pokémon pointed at the fruit tree they were surrounding.
After Ange looked over in that direction, an expression of surprise appeared on his face.
On the trunk of that Pecha Berry tree, yellow-green lines were actually spreading upward from the roots.
What was important was that those lines were glowing.
"This is..."
He walked up to the fruit tree and reached out to touch one of the lines, discovering that it was actually composed of special crystals.
Through the Aura Power emitted by the fruit tree, Ange could feel the abundant energy contained within.
He guessed that these crystalline patterns were the fruit tree's energy transport organs.
Suddenly, he seemed to realize something, so he looked at the Pokémon and asked, "Could it be... is this the sign of the birth of a Tree King?"
The Pokémon nodded joyfully.
Ange had received the recipe for cultivating Mythical Berries from the System rewards, and the key to it was the droppings of Legendary Pokémon (including Mythical Pokémon, minor legendaries, and major legendaries).
And a fruit tree that could bear Mythical Berries was a Tree King.
Originally, the only thing that could provide such droppings at Ange's place was Volcanion, but hadn't Yveltal and Xerneas arrived recently?
Ange guessed this might be the reason the Tree King was born early.
"That's just great!" Ange said excitedly, "Are there any other fruit trees evolving into Tree Kings?"
Ches~ Ches~ Chesnaught nodded happily.
"Take me to see, quickly," Ange said impatiently.
Immediately, under everyone's guidance, Ange saw the Chesto Berry tree, Rawst Berry tree, Cheri Berry tree, Lum Berry tree, Oran Berry tree, and Sitrus Berry tree that were about to evolve into Tree Kings...
These fruit trees hadn't evolved as thoroughly as the Pecha Berry tree; only their roots had developed the yellow-green crystalline lines.
But without exception, they were all taller and sturdier than other fruit trees of the same kind.
He believed it was only a matter of time before they fully evolved into Tree Kings.
Looking at the fruit trees that had been cared for so vigorously, Ange couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude, so he said to everyone:
"It has been hard on you all this time."
The work of taking care of the fruit trees had always been carried out by the Pokémon—weeding, fertilizing, catching pests, pruning... every single task was trivial and complicated, while Ange had only provided the directions.
Hearing Ange's thanks, the Pokémon all showed shy smiles.
Ange paid them wages, provided them with food, shelter, and a good living environment; working hard for Ange was just what they ought to do.
Looking at the fingernail-sized fruits growing on the Rawst Berry tree, Ange said, "I wonder which one will grow into a Mythical Berry."
Mythical Berries are very special; a single fruit tree can only bear one such fruit at a time, and the rest are ordinary fruits.
The other Pokémon also looked at the green, unripe fruits on the tree with expectation.
After withdrawing his gaze, Ange said happily, "To reward your efforts, we'll have a big meal tonight!
Coincidentally, the Farfetch'd have also evolved today, so let's celebrate together!"
"Oh~"
"Oh oh~~"
...
Hearing this, the Pokémon cheered excitedly.
On the way home, Ange saw a few Aerodactyl flying overhead, so he smiled and waved at them, his attitude very familiar.
"Hey, here to play again!"
Awooo~~ The Aerodactyl also made sounds, greeting Ange in return.
Because Mew often came to the Nebel Plateau to play, it brought along other Pokémon from the Tree of Beginning who would occasionally come to play as well.
Pokémon like Aerodactyl, Chansey, Kangaskhan, Dragonair, and Dragonite had all visited. They would occasionally have breakfast or dinner at Ange's house, contributing Happiness Points to Ange.
All the residents of the Tree of Beginning who had visited the Nebel Plateau had been warned by Mew that they were absolutely not allowed to leave the boundaries of the Nebel Plateau; otherwise, they were not to come back.
Therefore, the Pokémon strictly abided by this rule.
When the Pokémon came to Ange's house for meals, Ange would treat them warmly, and they would also bring some local specialties from the Tree of Beginning.
Among them, the Chansey line was the most frequent visitor to the Nebel Plateau, because they had reached an agreement with Ange: Ange provided them with food, and they sent the eggs they produced every day to Ange.
Of course, sometimes Ange would go there himself, or send his own Pokémon to collect them.
Each Chansey could produce at least one egg a day, so Ange had currently achieved "Chansey Egg Freedom."
However, the Pokémon from the Tree of Beginning generally wouldn't stay long at the Nebel Plateau; they would go for a stroll or have a meal before heading back.
In the evening, Ange cooked a big feast for everyone as promised. A Dragonite accompanied by two Dragonair happened to arrive at the Nebel Plateau as guests and were also treated by Ange; for a time, they were completely satisfied.
Time passed by several more days in a blink of an eye. This day, Ange was studying the manual Bruno had given him, when he suddenly saw a Sawsbuck carrying a Bunnelby over with a panicked expression.
Ange hurriedly put the manual away, got up to Sawsbuck's side, and took the Bunnelby down from its back.
"So hot!"
The moment he touched Bunnelby, Ange discovered that it was radiating a scorching temperature.
"What happened?" Ange asked Sawsbuck anxiously.
Deer~ Deer~
Sawsbuck was also full of anxiety, but it didn't know the reason for Bunnelby's collapse and fever.
They had originally been working together to herd the chickens for a walk in the meadow when Bunnelby suddenly fainted. It couldn't worry about the chickens and immediately carried Bunnelby to find Ange.
Sawsbuck also told Ange that, in fact, Bunnelby had been acting a bit strange lately, occasionally showing a pained expression on its face as if enduring something.
It had wanted to ask Bunnelby the reason, but Bunnelby had always changed the subject.
At this moment, Cinccino, who was passing by, heard the conversation between Ange and Sawsbuck and suddenly jumped over to shout.
Cin~ Cin~ Ange, Ange, I noticed Pancham has been like this lately too. Could they be sick?
Speaking of which, a worried look appeared on Cinccino's face.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner!" Ange was about to go crazy with anxiety.
With such a high temperature, wouldn't Bunnelby be burned foolish?
"Where is Pancham?" Ange asked Cinccino.
Cin~ Cin~ I'll go call it!
Saying this, Cinccino ran off in a hurry.
Panch~ Panch~ Let go of me, I'm fine! Let me go!
Pancham had been dragged over by Scrafty under Cinccino's command; it seemed very unwilling to see Ange.
Ange said with a stern tone, "Pancham, don't be willful!"
After being scolded by Ange like this, Pancham immediately became well-behaved, its expression drooping, looking very pitiful.
Ange touched Pancham's body and, sure enough, found that its body temperature was also too high.
Could it be that some infectious disease had broken out on the Nebel Plateau?
He hurriedly picked up Pancham, tucked it under his arm along with Bunnelby, one on each side, and said to Sawsbuck and Cinccino:
"Tell Diancie, I'm taking Pancham and Bunnelby to the Pokémon Center."
Deer~
Cin~
The two Pokémon nodded with grave expressions.
Panch~ Panch~ Ange, I'm fine, there's no need to go to the Pokémon Center.
Pancham said powerlessly.
Ange said with a mix of heartache and anger, "You call this fine? Look, Bunnelby has even fainted!"
Pancham glanced at Bunnelby and finally stopped talking.
After giving the instructions, Ange carried the two Pokémon to the third floor and passed through the space portal to the Azoth Royal Capital.
Before leaving, he called for Staraptor, who happened to be passing by.
As soon as he exited Munchlax Home, Ange hopped onto Staraptor's back and said to it:
"Staraptor, please hurry, go to the Pokémon Center."
Star~
Staraptor nodded with a serious expression; it knew Ange was in a hurry, so it flapped its wings, took off, and carried Ange as it charged directly toward the Pokémon Center at high speed.
Before long, Ange arrived at the entrance of the Pokémon Center. As soon as he got off Staraptor's back, he sprinted into the Pokémon Center carrying Pancham and Bunnelby.