Chapter 281: Planting the Custap Berry
It wasn't Cradily's evolution that shocked the Mega Venusaur, but rather the faint, sacred aura emanating from its body.
The aura was subtle, almost imperceptible to an ordinary Pokémon. But as a being capable of maintaining its Mega Evolved form for extended periods and deeply versed in the ways of life energy, the Mega Venusaur could clearly sense it.
This aura far surpassed its own level, both innate and acquired.
"Venu-saur? Venu-saur?"
The Mega Venusaur beckoned Cradily over, asking about the source of this aura.
"Dily-da~ Dily-da~"
Cradily naturally wouldn't hide anything from the Mega Venusaur. This was its teacher, the closest being to it besides Basalt, on par with Excadrill in its heart.
"Venu-saur?"
The Mega Venusaur tilted its head, a puzzled look on its face.
The Veridian Forest's Fountain of Life? While that spring was indeed high-quality, possessed astonishing healing properties, and wasn't scarce, it shouldn't be able to emit an aura of this level, should it?
As a powerful entity, the Mega Venusaur's knowledge was vast; it was familiar with the Fountain of Life.
Could something have happened in the Veridian Forest, causing the Fountain's quality to improve?
"Venu-saur..." That was the only possibility the Mega Venusaur could think of.
And so, it turned its gaze to Basalt. It had learned from Cradily that Basalt possessed a small amount of the Fountain's water. A quick look would reveal the truth.
"Huh? Venusaur, you want some of the Fountain water?"
Basalt was surprised for a moment but didn't hesitate. He quickly took out the vial from his bag and uncorked it. This was an old friend and a senior figure. If the Venusaur wanted some, Basalt wouldn't be stingy, as long as it didn't drink it all. Besides, once the Deerling matter was settled, he'd get another vial anyway.
"Venu-saur."
Moving its massive, heavy body, the Venusaur leaned forward and sniffed the water in the vial. It didn't detect that sacred aura.
Still unconvinced, it extended a vine into the vial, absorbed a single drop, and analyzed it.
But disappointingly, although it was a top-tier restorative, it had absolutely no effect on the Venusaur. Basalt didn't even see it glow like Mudkip had.
Slowly absorbing and carefully sensing the Fountain water, the Mega Venusaur still found nothing.
"Venu-saur?"
Unwilling to give up, the Venusaur asked Basalt about the entire process again, but his account matched Cradily's.
Because neither Basalt nor Cradily had ever known about Celebi's presence.
"Venusaur, do you still want this Fountain water?" Basalt asked, shaking the vial.
"Venu-saur."
The Mega Venusaur shook its head. At its level and size, this small amount wouldn't have any effect, unless it could drink limitlessly.
Shaking its head again, a look of disappointment appeared on the Mega Venusaur's face. But then, an idea struck, and it turned its gaze back to Cradily.
Although it couldn't determine the source of the sacred aura, if it studied it carefully, it might discover something interesting. The development of energy and moves was often like scientific research, requiring countless failures and immense amounts of time before having even a chance of success. The ancient Mega Venusaur had that kind of patience.
Its eyes narrowed. The Mega Venusaur had made up its mind: it would keep Cradily by its side for personal instruction, allowing it to carefully sense and research this energy.
This aligned perfectly with Basalt's wishes, so he certainly wouldn't refuse. He just rubbed his hands together and said, "Venusaur, my Cradily has recently developed a little interest in developing its Poison type. Could I trouble you to give it some extra pointers during this time?"
"Venu-saur."
The Mega Venusaur nodded in agreement.
Originally, it had only agreed to teach Cradily out of obligation, somewhat reluctantly. Later, it had grown fond of Cradily's talent and diligence, and the reluctance faded. Now, needing to sense the sacred aura on Cradily, it technically needed Cradily more than Cradily needed it. How could it refuse? Besides, it was already its teacher.
"Oh, right!"
Slapping his forehead, Basalt suddenly remembered something.
He took two seeds from his bag and held them out to the Mega Venusaur. "Venusaur, these are Custap Berry seeds. I was wondering, if I plant them in your garden and water them with the Fountain of Life, could they survive?"
One of these seeds Basalt had "acquired," and the other was left over after Bronzong had eaten a Custap Berry.
For a long time now, Basalt, the son of a fruit farmer, had wanted to try planting Custap Berries. It was the family trade, after all.
In terms of environment, the Mega Venusaur's central garden was the core of the Cinnabar Sanctuary. The weather, humidity, soil, and energy levels were all perfect.
What had previously held Basalt back was awakening the berry seeds. Especially during germination, they required a large amount of high-level energy, which was the main limiting factor for rare berries.
But now that he had water from the Fountain of Life, he felt it was worth a try.
"Venu-saur?"
After a moment's pause and careful consideration, the Mega Venusaur also thought it was worth trying.
"Then let's give it a shot! Nothing ventured, nothing gained!"
Basalt was overjoyed, filled with motivation.
Custap Berries were truly good things, with powerful effects. If the tree could actually grow, the evolution timeline for Mudkip and Larvitar could be moved up, especially Larvitar's.
"Dig a hole, add some soil, count one, two, three, four, five..."
Basalt hummed a nonsensical tune as he dug a small hole in the center of the garden and placed the Custap Berry seeds inside.
Finally, he took out the vial and used the dropper to draw out about one milliliter of the Fountain water.
From his estimation, the vial held about ten milliliters in total. A single drop was roughly 0.1 ml, meaning he had about 100 drops. Of course, drops varied in size. The one he gave Mudkip was a small drop, 0.1 ml. The one the Exeggutor gave the Deerling was a large drop, probably around 1 ml. This wasn't because Basalt was stingy, but cautious. He was afraid Mudkip was too weak and wouldn't be able to absorb too much at once, which would be a waste.
He dripped a small drop of the Fountain water onto the Custap Berry seed. The seed was instantly enveloped in a hazy light. The life and water energy from the Fountain were the best nutrients for a plant.
With just one drop, Basalt saw the Custap Berry seed crack open, and a tender white sprout emerged.
"Venu-saur!"
The Mega Venusaur, carefully sensing the changes in the seed, called out, signaling Basalt not to be stingy and to add more.
"Alright!"
Basalt nodded. As long as there was a reaction, it was good. Based on the current situation, the chances of the Custap Berry seed succeeding were very high.
At this thought, Basalt began to consider whether he should plant his other rare berry seeds as well.
"I, Basalt, son of a fruit farmer, supplier of rare berries... am awesome!"
Basalt daydreamed happily, then generously added three more small drops of the Fountain water.
Instantly, the light from the seed grew even brighter.
The Mega Venusaur and Cradily stretched their necks, observing intently.
The once-tender sprout rapidly transformed into short but strong roots, digging deep into the soil and beginning to automatically absorb energy from the earth.
"Excellent! Success!"
Basalt was overjoyed. The seed had taken root and sprouted.
"Venu-saur! Venu-saur!"
Seeing Basalt's excitement, the Mega Venusaur poured cold water on him.
Sprouting was a good thing, yes. But there was still a long way to go between sprouting and bearing fruit. If Basalt wanted to eat the berries sooner, he shouldn't be stingy with the Fountain water. Giving the seedling a few more drops now would build a super-strong foundation and greatly accelerate its growth. It would be highly effective.
"Still need more?"
Basalt's mouth twitched. But he didn't dare disobey the Mega Venusaur's words and reluctantly added several more drops.
Only when he reached the tenth drop did the Mega Venusaur finally call a halt, using a vine to stop his hand.
Under the continuous nourishment of the Fountain water, the Custap Berry seed from just a few minutes ago had already transformed into a small sapling about twenty centimeters tall. Its tender, emerald-green leaves swayed gently in the breeze, making a pleasant rustling sound.
"Venu-saur."
After carefully sensing the sapling, a look of satisfaction appeared on the Mega Venusaur's face. Although the Custap sapling was small above ground, its underground root system had already spread out over several meters. Its foundation was incredibly solid.
At this rate, bearing fruit was just a matter of time.
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