Early the next morning, in the lobby of the Pokemon Center.
Marcus took out two Pokeblocks and a cup of Moomoo Milk and placed them in front of Buneary. The little rabbit generously pushed them towards the timid little guy next to her.
This was a light green Pokemon that looked like a seed. It had no arms, short, pointed legs, and a yellow Berry on top of the three emerald green leaves on its head. With its small eyes and wavy mouth, it looked like it would be easy to bully.
[Smoliv ♀ lv10 (Beginner)]
Ability: Early Bird (Sleep duration × 50%)
Talent: 245 (Species max 260)
Affection: 100
Learned Moves: Sweet Scent, Absorb, Growth, Body Press, Razor Leaf, Strength Sap, Synthesis, Parting Shot, Weather Ball
Description: The most excellent child of Arboliva, the ruler of the olive groves, for many years. It voluntarily followed Marcus to train itself out of gratitude for him resolving the forest's crisis, hoping to become a guardian of a forest like its mother.
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Whenever Marcus saw Smoliv's panel, he couldn't help but smile.
Strength Sap: Absorbs HP equal to the opponent's Attack value and lowers the opponent's Attack by 1 stage.
This move was the core of Arboliva's tactics.
The Early Bird ability would transform into 'Seed Sower' when she evolved into her Arboliva form. The effect is that when attacked, she will sow seeds beneath her to activate Grassy Terrain.
This allows for a defensive Arboliva playstyle, carrying Leftovers as an item, combined with the instant recovery of Strength Sap, the draining effect of Leech Seed, and the continuous HP recovery from Grassy Terrain...
It could be said that as long as the opponent couldn't knock out Arboliva instantly, they could only wait for her to exhaust their stamina by using her moves...
Furthermore, Arboliva's special attack base stat of over 120 also made it excellent in special offense, and choosing to attack when necessary often caught opponents by surprise.
Marcus traveled all the way from Sinnoh to Paldea just to cultivate a defensive recovery Arboliva that could drive opponents crazy.
"Latest news from PokeTV: A large fire broke out at the Bob Chemical Plant in Artazon late last night. The plant manager unfortunately died in the explosion. According to Officer Jenny's investigation, the plant had serious issues such as exploiting employees and exceeding pollutant discharge standards. Its illegal gains have been confiscated and it has been permanently closed..."
The sound of the morning news came from the television. Marcus remembered his actions last night and added two more Pokeblocks for Miltank.
The power of a Gym level Pokemon was still too strong for ordinary people.
Otherwise, he alone with Buneary could not have set such a large chemical plant ablaze.
When Marcus rushed back to the center of the grove, Arboliva also woke up from its deep sleep. Being able to sense the forest's aura, it could perceive Marcus's actions, so it specially sent a large pile of Berries to thank him.
After the source was resolved, Arboliva could also improve the grove environment through self-purification, and the incident was successfully resolved.
Marcus also used the Squirtle watering can to add a small pond for the Pokemon in the grove.
Just as he was about to ask Arboliva to help him find a Smoliv to train, this little guy ran out on her own.
Marcus still remembers that scene vividly...
"Smoliv! Smoliv? (Trainer, I want to become your Pokemon, is that okay?)"
The little guy's eyes showed determination, but her expression was a bit timid, as if afraid Marcus would refuse. She even used Sweet Scent.
Seeing the panel, Marcus felt that happiness had arrived so suddenly...
Near-maximum talent, a perfect inherited move pool, and a suitable ability. He immediately threw out a Luxury Ball.
And because Smoliv had witnessed Marcus defending the grove, she didn't resist at all and became Marcus's second Pokemon.
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After breakfast, Marcus put Smoliv in the yard to sunbathe and also set up standardized weighted training for Buneary. He then went to the Pokeblock blender in the corner of the Pokemon Center.
Now that he had two Pokemon, the expenses had increased significantly. He also wanted to use the System to create a training plan for Smoliv, plus things like raffles, all of which required money.
So he had to make some Pokeblocks and sell them as soon as possible.
Fortunately, Arboliva had given him a lot of Berries, so he could make more to save for Two Treasures to eat.
Marcus skillfully threw Oran Berries, Figy Berries, and other Berries into the blender. In a short while, Pokeblocks with uniform color and shimmering luster dropped out of the exit.
Continue, add Berries, mix, harvest.
Gradually, Marcus seemed to have become a precise machine, constantly repeating the actions of adding Berries, operating the blender, and collecting the blocks.
As the number of mixing times increased, his movements also became faster and faster. Eventually, it took less than 3 minutes to mix once!
Marcus seemed to enter a strange state, where he could easily find and remove impurities in the Berries, and he became more adept at proportioning the Berries.
At noon, when he reached out again to add Berries, he found nothing.
It turned out that all the Berries stored in his backpack were used up...
"Tsk... It seems the efficiency has increased a lot..." Scratching his head, Marcus took out the last batch of mixed products.
And the blocks, which were originally pure white, were now semi-transparent, Q-elastic and dynamic like jelly.
"Huh? This is..." Subconsciously, Marcus opened the System panel.
[Gorgeous Beginner Pokeblock: A high-purity block with an effect 5 times that of a normal Pokeblock. Pokemon below level 20 can slightly increase their perception of energy when consumed. This effect only occurs the first time it is used.]
Looking at the two Gorgeous Pokeblocks in his hand, Marcus grinned. He hadn't expected this production skill to yield top-grade items...
"Ding-a-ling..." The crisp sound of the Soothe Bell rang out. The little rabbit, with her sensitive nose, ran in from outside and hugged Marcus's leg, her pair of black eyes filled with longing.
Marcus smiled slightly: "If you want to eat, it depends on your performance~"
"Buneary!" The little rabbit was greatly encouraged and rushed out to train again amidst a flurry of bell sounds.
Smiling, Marcus shook his head and went to the Pokemon Center counter, taking out the Pokeblocks he had made.
"Hello, Nurse Joy, I was wondering if these Pokeblocks can be sold to the Pokemon Center?"
"Hmm?" The pink-haired young lady looked at the blocks in his hand curiously, her eyes lighting up: "The quality is very good, I wonder how many there are?"
"There are about a hundred of these."
"Only this many..." Joy frowned, seemingly a bit regretful.
Marcus rolled his eyes. As expected of a worldwide large family, 100 Pokeblocks were enough for an average Trainer to use for a month.
"Actually, there are also some that increase various stats, such as Attack, Speed, etc. There are fewer of these, about 50 of each kind."
Marcus said cautiously.
Nurse Joy's eyes sparkled with light: "Really! Give them to me quickly, I want them!"