"You've learned Aromatherapy."
"Aromatherapy is a move that can heal all abnormal status conditions affecting Pokémon. It's a very powerful healing move."
"As for how to learn it… even my teacher and his teachers never figured out the method behind learning this move."
"Although most Grass-type Pokémon can potentially learn it, it's almost entirely dependent on personal insight, and the chances of learning it are extremely low…"
After explaining the effects and learning difficulty of Aromatherapy, Aven's words made Petilil perk up, her eyes sparkling like little stars.
"So Petilil, you really are amazing!" Aven didn't hold back his praise. Petilil's healing talent was truly exceptional!
Of course, he also had a guess in mind. Petilil's ability to learn Aromatherapy was likely connected to the medicine she had been helping to make recently.
The move's effects were very similar to a Full Restore, and the type of potion they'd been crafting happened to match that description. It was safe to say this was a stroke of great fortune for Petilil.
Hearing Aven's praise, Petilil happily squinted her eyes and quietly added in her heart, "Aven, you're the amazing one!"
"Now that you've learned Aromatherapy, it's going to be a huge help."
Aven gently patted her head and stood up, his gaze shifting with anticipation toward the caged beast beasts in the distance.
Petilil's eyes lit up as well. She remembered what Aven had said about Aromatherapy—that it could heal all status abnormalities in Pokémon.
With a quick glance at each other, Aven and Petilil approached the beasts.
Despite being bound tightly with vines and corroded by the gray mist, the beast in the cage was still struggling violently.
Petilil took a deep breath and used her newly learned Aromatherapy move. A faint, pleasant fragrance wafted into the air.
Under her control, the scent surrounded the beast in the cage and slowly entered its body.
Gradually, the beast's struggle weakened. Although the abnormal condition wasn't completely cured, the improvement was undeniable.
Aven was thrilled. This confirmed that Petilil's Aromatherapy had a real and positive effect!
Despite only just learning the move, it already had a noticeable impact on these abyssal beasts. With more training, the effect would surely grow stronger!
Also, Petilil had mimicked the energy waves and scent of the medicine Aven had been making when she learned Aromatherapy.
That might be why the move's effect was so impressive. This gave Aven a clear direction for how Petilil should train her Aromatherapy.
In addition to standard practice, Petilil could also continue making medicine to reinforce and refine the effect of the move—bringing both to perfect harmony.
Petilil was also highly motivated. She felt deeply for these beast beasts and wanted to help heal them as soon as possible!
…
At the front lines, another small wave of beast beasts arrived.
As time passed, Ice-type beasts were appearing more and more frequently.
Like the group of Swinub in front of them—small in stature, darting nimbly through the battlefield, just right as moving targets for the knights.
"It feels like the number of beasts is starting to go down…" Kevin stood on the front line, looking toward the distant Black Forest.
The sky was still covered in gloomy clouds. It had been over half a month since they'd seen the sun. A few flakes of snow drifted down.
Now that late winter had arrived, the harshest cold was nearly over, and the weather would gradually warm up. The snow and ice would begin to melt.
In the past, they would have looked forward to the end of winter—but now, Kevin didn't feel the same way.
The winter snowfall had blanketed the land, making it hard for regular beasts to leave the Black Forest. That's why most of the beasts appearing now were Ice-types.
But once winter passed and the temperature rose, the thick snow within the Black Forest would melt. All the beasts trapped deep within would start flooding out.
The defensive line had held for this long only because each wave of beasts was still within the line's capacity to repel.
If a huge horde emerged all at once, the defenses would surely collapse quickly—and then Aspiration City would face a fight for survival.
"Let's hope the number of beasts gathered in the Black Forest isn't too large…"
"And let's also hope Aven can finish developing the anti-gray mist medicine soon."
Kevin glanced back toward the temporary research lab, his eyes filled with both hope and concern.
At that moment, the battle at the front line had already ended. That group of Swinub hadn't posed any real threat.
"Take them alive. Any that are still breathing, restrain them and tie them up."
Kevin stepped up to the wall and shouted orders to the soldiers below who were clearing the battlefield. These beast beasts were all valuable research subjects for Aven.
The soldiers were already used to such orders. Ever since they had seen the effects of those mysterious potions, they had begun to feel a growing sense of hope.
Before long, the surviving beasts were tightly bound with blue vines, loaded into cages, and transported toward the temporary research lab.
…
Outside the research lab's courtyard, the open area was already filled with gray mist-corrupted beasts, each one bound and locked inside a cage.
The mist they emitted was so dense it formed a continuous haze that enveloped the area. Even the soldiers stationed nearby had to keep their distance, not daring to approach.
Sensing the threat, the knights' own Pokémon stationed nearby growled uneasily.
Among these abyssal beasts, there were both Rattata wearing beast gear and those without.
In the past, the Rattata without gear had already been completely corrupted by the gray mist and turned into abyssal beasts.
Even the ones wearing protective gear were showing signs of deterioration. It was clear the gear alone couldn't fully block the mist's corruption.
"Petilil, use Aromatherapy."
In the courtyard, Aven gave the order—targeting a Rattata that had just recently been infected.
A faint fragrance spread through the air. The Rattata twitched its nose instinctively, inhaling the scent.
In that moment, its bloodshot eyes regained some clarity. It began looking around and dashing back and forth within the cage.
After ongoing training, Petilil's Aromatherapy had become significantly more effective.
Of course, part of the reason was also because this Rattata had only just been corrupted, and the gray mist hadn't yet deeply rooted itself.
But after a short while, the Rattata's body once again began emitting gray mist. Its life force sharply declined, and it fell back into corruption.
(End chapter)