Chapter 159: The Plan to Cultivate Ancient Trees (3k)

Suyi, who had been relaxing leisurely on a roadside bench, straightened up, a look of astonishment crossing his face.

He had simply wanted to inquire about Kulu-Ya-Ku's recent well-being, never expecting to hear such news.

Suyi quickly asked, "Professor, are you and Kulu-Ya-Ku alright?"

Professor Oak quickly reassured him, "We're fine, perfectly fine. Kulu-Ya-Ku was extremely fierce in battle."

He never would have imagined that Kulu-Ya-Ku, usually so dopey-looking yet mischievous in personality, could be so ferocious when fighting.

A single Stone Throw nearly cracked an open skull on a Drapion.

Professor Oak couldn't help but recall what Suyi had mentioned before about those Pokémon that retained their primal, wild nature, and a wave of realization washed over him.

"Fortunately, the Sinnoh Champion, Ms. Cynthia, was also there, which was how they managed to scare off the Pokémon hunter."

Suyi: ???

Champion Cynthia?

What on earth had they run into?

"Anyway, you don't need to worry."

"However, I want to remind you, Suyi, that in this world, there are no shortage of people who capture Pokémon in pursuit of profit."

"The rare Pokémon you carry with you are very likely to become their targets, so you must be extra careful."

Hearing Professor Oak's kind warning, Suyi first expressed his gratitude, and then let out a cold snort. "As long as they dare to come, I'll make sure they never leave!"

"I have confidence in your strength. Besides, the League has stepped up its crackdown on poachers, so those kinds of bad guys are actually quite rare now. There's no need to worry excessively," Professor Oak comforted with a smile.

"I understand," Suyi nodded.

After a brief chat, Suyi hung up the phone.

There were no shortage of people and organizations that captured Pokémon for profit.

And as for organizations that used the power of Pokémon to achieve evil goals, nearly every region had them.

Looking further ahead, almost all of them were potential threats to Suyi's "Bringing Monsters into the Pokémon World" plan.

Even so, one could not give up eating for fear of choking.

"Poachers, you'd better not let me catch you!"

...

In Petalburg City, Suyi was planning the route for his upcoming journey.

"Heading out from here is Petalburg Woods. Following the forest northward leads to Rustboro City, the location of the next Gym."

Looking at the electronic map on his Rotom Phone, Suyi muttered, "There seems to be a flock of Treecko in Petalburg Woods. I heard Treecko can sense the condition of trees and help them live longer and grow more luxuriantly."

"It seems I could abduct... ahem, invite some Treecko to help me take care of the Ancient Tree?" Suyi muttered to himself.

For now, he didn't have his own territory in the Pokémon World.

However, the Isle of Armor, which had already been set as a [Base], seemed like it could serve as a trial planting ground for the Ancient Tree, right inside the Focus Forest.

It would also count as greening up Master Mustard's Isle of Armor, repaying the old man for the help he gave when Suyi first entered this world.

Furthermore, if cultivation succeeded, and they planted various Berries to accelerate their maturation and fruiting, wouldn't he achieve Berry freedom by then?

One had to know that the specialty of the Hoenn region—the nutrient-rich Pokéblocks—were made from various Berries.

And Pokéblocks were a powerful tool for raising Pokémon. Not only that, they could also satisfy the appetites of many big eaters.

"But right now I don't even have a seed of the Ancient Tree. I'll go back and ask the Botanical Research Institute Director."

Action follows thought, and Suyi immediately returned to Astera.

...

"Aibo, you're back."

When Suyi came from the back-mountain shed to the main lobby of the base and passed through the command room, he ran into the Handler.

"What's wrong?"

"Something strange has happened in the Ancient Forest recently."

"Oh? Strange things?" Suyi's interest was piqued.

"We've already captured the Great Jagras and Anjanath, right? Logically speaking, most of both of their territories should have been taken over by the Anjanath."

"The strange thing is, the research team hasn't found any traces of the Anjanath recently."

Suyi rubbed his chin and said, "In other words, you suspect the Anjanath has left?"

"Yes, and an Anjanath that should have gained more territory has instead abandoned a prime territory. That's very suspicious," the Handler said.

Suyi said, "According to common sense, the reasons forcing a monster to leave its territory are either being driven out by a stronger monster, or insufficient resources in that area, causing the monster to seek out a new territory for survival."

The Handler nodded and said, "Your thoughts are the same as our analysis."

Suyi continued his analysis, "First of all, it shouldn't be a lack of resources. The outer fringes of the Ancient Forest are very rich in resources, enough to support multiple large monsters and a host of smaller ones."

"As for a powerful monster... it shouldn't be an Elder Dragon, right?" Suyi analyzed, looking at the Handler.

The Handler shook her head and said, "Probably not. The research commission hasn't observed any traces or anomalies related to Elder Dragons."

"In other words, the most likely cause is some other powerful monster? Black Diablos and Rathalos alone probably aren't enough to force an Anjanath to leave."

Suyi immediately felt a headache coming on and said, "Deviljho, Bazelgeuse, Rajang... in my mind, only these monsters are left."

Hearing these thunderous names, the Handler said with some concern, "If it's them, that would be terrible."

"Hunters, gatherers, researchers, and scholars who venture outside will all be in danger."

"However, according to recent survey reports, there don't seem to be any traces matching these monsters," the Handler said thoughtfully.

Powerful monsters like these would unhesitatingly mark their territory, hunt prey, and recklessly leave behind traces, making it difficult for them not to be discovered.

Suyi rubbed his chin and said, "In other words, the probability of it being these monsters is quite low?"

Suyi asked casually, "Palico, what do you think?"

"Meow?" The Palico raised its head, touched its cat ears, and said uncertainly, "Is it possible that the Anjanath was beaten away by us, meow?"

"Huh?" Suyi's hand paused, an eyebrow raised, and then he said, "Come to think of it, perhaps we should analyze it from the monster's perspective."

"The ones who fought the Anjanath head-on back then were the Palamutes and Palicos."

"Naturally, the Anjanath would think that all the Nargacugas and others were territorial competitors. It would only wonder why so many different monsters had ganged up to attack it."

"Black Diablos, Rathalos, the Rathalos couple, Nargacugas, and the Anjanath it didn't know had already been tamed..."

"Thinking about it this way, it probably thought there were too many competitors in this area, and coupled with being severely taught a lesson by Nargacuga, it decided to leave this place and find a new territory?"

"That actually sounds possible, but I always feel like something is off..." the Handler hesitated.

"Guesses alone won't yield accurate conclusions. It's better to wait until the research commission gathers more intelligence before discussing it," Suyi said.

Because the main body of the base was transformed from a huge sailing ship, walking through the logistics area on the first floor of the base felt like strolling across a ship's spacious deck.

In the logistics area, some members of the research commission set up stalls to sell materials or items, and hunters walked among them, purchasing what they needed, giving it quite the feel of a seaside market.

Scattered here and there, hunters formed small groups by the quest board before setting off from the base's gates to investigate the field.

With the addition of nearly five hundred members from the Fifth Fleet, Astera had grown lively, increasingly resembling a town.

Passing through the crowd, Suyi and the Palico arrived at the Botanical Research Institute, which resembled a greenhouse garden.

Before even getting close, the complex scent of various plants flooded their nostrils, and a scene dominated by green with accents of various other colors came into view.

A bespectacled Wyverian researcher was recording something in front of a plant seedling.

...

"Yo, Director, remember me?" Suyi waved and greeted.

The Director of the Botanical Research Institute looked up, pushed up his glasses, and said in surprise, "It's you, the hunter who saved me from the pursuit of the Great Jagras."

The Director quickly finished recording his data, invited Suyi to the side, brewed a cup of special flower tea for both him and the Palico, and asked, "What brings you to see me?"

Suyi took a sip of the freshly fragrant flower tea and said, "Actually, I'd like to ask you for a seed of the Ancient Tree."

"A seed of the Ancient Tree?" The Director was somewhat surprised. He pushed up his glasses and said, "What? Do you want to research the Ancient Tree with me?"

Suyi quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no, no! Actually, I want to cultivate an Ancient Tree."

"You should know that cultivating an Ancient Tree is no easy task. For instance, you need fertilizer containing Elder Dragon energy to make it sprout..."

"Those carapace pieces of Zorah Magdaros were brought back by me, and I still have some here," Suyi interrupted the Director's long-winded speech.

Moreover, the Director seemed unaware of Suyi's identity as an outsider, still assuming he was a hunter of the base—truly someone who buried himself in his work and ignored the outside world.

"Is... is that so? Then I'm truly grateful to you. Although I'd love to repay you, we happen to be out of Ancient Tree seeds."

The Director spread his hands helplessly and said, "Originally, we didn't have many Ancient Tree seeds to begin with; we obtained them under the guidance of the Ancient Wyverian here when we first arrived in the New World."

"We previously couldn't figure out the secret to making them sprout, and wasted two of them. Now, the single sapling in the experimental field is our only one."

"Ah, this..." Suyi said with a headache.

"Sorry, you'll just have to go search the upper layers of the Ancient Tree."

The Director told Suyi of several places where seeds might form, which, unsurprisingly, were all at the very top of the Ancient Tree, even up in the canopy area.

That was the territory of the Kings of the Sky.

"Does this also mean I might run into a Rathalos?" Suyi frowned slightly.

Speaking of Rathalos, with his current equipment setup, he wasn't really afraid of them.

But specific situations called for specific analysis. If he encountered a Rathian or Rathalos on the winding, narrow branches of the Ancient Tree, the opponent's aerial advantage would be enough to send them packing in defeat.

"Still, a Rathalos has to go out sometimes. Besides, flashing lights aren't just for show," Suyi thought to himself.

The Ancient Tree was a crucial link in realizing Suyi's vision.

Its presence could make the surrounding plants flourish, creating an environment prosperous enough to support the survival of many large organisms.

Therefore, he was determined to get a seed of the Ancient Tree!

"Rathalos? I'm coming right to your doorstep!"

"Aibo, we're setting off." Suyi stood up and downed his flower tea in one gulp.

"Meow?" The Palico, sipping its flower tea in small sips, stuck out its cat tongue, having been scalded by the tea. It reluctantly put down the flower tea it had only taken a few sips of and followed Suyi.

Seeing that some friends had doubts about the plot regarding the Pokémon Hunter, I will explain it here:

The Pokémon Hunter itself is at war with the League. Someone like Hunter J wouldn't be afraid of a Champion.

Furthermore, although Cynthia is a Champion, she doesn't constantly expose herself to the public eye like Leon, and indeed she had no prior intersection with Pokémon hunters, so it's understandable she wasn't recognized immediately.

After all, in the original work, many people failed to recognize the Champion at first glance. We cannot start from a God's-eye view and assume everyone should instantly recognize a Champion.

Moreover, Hunter J has a somewhat arrogant personality and wouldn't care who you actually were.

Secondly, while Cynthia is a Champion, she isn't an investigator like Lance; her experience in cracking down on criminals is practically zero. Hunter J possessed restraining beams and was a hunter who would stop at nothing. What other tricky methods or dangerously bizarre Pokémon she might have had, Cynthia had no inkling of—how could she dare blindly charge into the smoke to pursue her?

Furthermore, the primary goal should be protecting Leafeon and the two professors, rather than rushing out rashly.

(End of this chapter)