Ancient Tree And Ladyba

And so, following the famous landmarks they found through navigation, Yuga and the others happily began their tour of Fortree City.

The most famous attraction in Fortree City was the Ancient Tree Park, located in the city center, and this was also the final stop on their tour today.

As the name suggests, the highlight of Ancient Tree Park was the ancient tree within it. According to the information provided, the tree was said to be over a thousand years old.

Of course, whether the tree was truly a thousand years old or not was something Yuga and the others couldn't verify. It could be true, or it could be a story made up by the citizens of Fortree City to attract tourists. Or perhaps, even the people of Fortree City didn't know for sure.

But what was undeniable was the sheer size of the tree. From the moment Yuga and the others arrived in Fortree City, they had noticed the tree's vast canopy covering the sky, even before they got close to Ancient Tree Park.

Fortree City was filled with tall trees, but even among them, this ancient tree stood out like a crane among chickens. Yuga had once thought that the large tree in his own eco-garden was impressive, but it still couldn't compare to this ancient tree. No wonder the people of Fortree City claimed it to be over a thousand years old—maybe it truly was.

By the time Yuga and the others reached Ancient Tree Park, it was already mid-afternoon, yet the park was still full of people, a testament to its popularity.

The entire park was under the canopy of the ancient tree, casting a dim light over the area. However, the specks of sunlight filtering through the gaps in the tree's branches created a dappled pattern of light and shadow, adding a unique charm to the park.

Yuga didn't recognize the species of the tree. It somewhat resembled a banyan tree from his previous life, though with slight differences. Banyan trees typically have many aerial roots, but this tree didn't. He couldn't help but wonder how such a massive tree managed to absorb enough nutrients without them.

After a detailed explanation from the system, Yuga learned that the ancient tree's scientific name was the Nimora Chesto Tree, which was closely related to the Chesto Berry Tree, or rather, it was a variant of it.

Chesto Berry Trees typically grow in colder climates and remain small in size, whereas the Nimora Chesto Tree thrives in hot climates and grows to an enormous height.

The only aspect in which the Chesto Berry Tree surpasses the Nimora Chesto Tree is in the size of its fruit. Chesto Berries can grow as large as a fist, but once the Nimora Chesto fruit ripens, it is only about the size of a fingernail.

Additionally, Chesto Berries have significant medicinal value, as they can heal Pokémon from sleep status, but the Nimora Chesto fruit possesses no special effects, except for being exceptionally tasty.

Currently, most of the Nimora Chesto Trees in the Pokémon world have gone extinct, with only a few surviving in certain areas. That this particular tree in Fortree City has grown so large is considered a miracle.

It's said that the Nimora Rindo Tree in Fortree City hasn't flowered or borne fruit for many years, and no one knows why. Fortunately, examinations show that the tree itself is healthy.

After learning about the Nimora Chesto Tree, Yuga suddenly thought of planting some in his eco-Park. Although the fruit had no special effects, it was said to be delicious.

He wasn't sure if he could successfully grow one, given that the plant was on the verge of extinction, meaning it was likely difficult to cultivate.

He thought to himself, "I'll ask Luvia to check with Winona and see if she can get her hands on some Nimora Chesto Tree saplings!"

The Nimora Chesto Tree in Ancient Tree Park was a haven for bird-type Pokémon. All kinds of bird Pokémon flew overhead, from the common Taillow and Swellow of Hoenn to Pidgey and Noctowl from Kanto and Johto, and even Staravia and Chatot from Sinnoh could occasionally be seen.

The person most excited by this was Max. He kept pulling May along, pointing excitedly at the Pokémon in the trees while jumping up and down, much to May's exasperation.

Halfway through their tour, Yuga parted ways with Max, May, Ash, and Brock. May wanted to buy souvenirs and try the local food, which didn't interest Yuga and Max, so they split into two groups, agreeing to meet up later at a set time.

Ancient Tree Park is indeed a great place to relax. Noticing that it was getting late and they had played enough, Yuga and the others were preparing to meet back up with May and the rest when they suddenly saw a small figure flying toward them, chased by two Fearows.

As it flew closer, Yuga and Max could clearly see that it was a Ledyba being chased by the two Fearows.

"It's a Ledyba! It's being bullied by those Fearows, how pitiful!" Max shouted as he watched the panicked Ledyba.

Hearing Max's voice didn't stop the two Fearows from attacking the Ledyba. They continued to strike at it with their long beaks.

Fearows were notorious bullies among bird Pokémon, and since Pokémon living in cities weren't afraid of humans, the Fearows paid no attention to Yuga and the others being nearby.

"Big brother Yuga, help the Ledyba!" Max pleaded, tugging on Yuga's hand.

However, Yuga didn't respond immediately. Instead, he focused intently on the Ledyba, which was still under attack in the air. In Yuga's eyes, the Ledyba wasn't in as much danger as Max imagined.

...

[ Ledyba ]

Type: Bug, Flying

Ability: Swarm

Gender: Female

Potential: Yellow

Level: 38

Moves: Tackle, Supersonic, Swift, Mach Punch, Silver Wind, Tailwind.

..

This was a Ledyba with a relatively low level, average potential, and unremarkable moves, so why did Yuga say it wasn't in that much danger against the Fearows?

Look! When both Fearows simultaneously tried to peck it with their sharp beaks, Ledyba responded by sending a blast of Supersonic right at one of the Fearows' heads. The Fearow was immediately disoriented and knocked away, while Ledyba lightly flapped its wings, summoning a gust of wind that increased its speed, allowing it to easily dodge the attack from the other Fearow.

One of the Fearows became confused, but the other continued its relentless pursuit. However, the Ledyba kept alternating between rapid ascents and descents. The air currents beneath its wings would rise and dissipate, leaving the Fearow spinning in circles.

No matter how hard the Fearow chased, Ledyba dodged effortlessly. The air currents swirling around it were generated by a combination of the moves Silver Wind and Tailwind. Ledyba kept the winds concentrated around itself, using its precise control over the airflow to perform intricate flying maneuvers.

Silver Wind has a small chance to boost all five of the user's stats (Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed). Although the probability is only ten percent, the more often it is used, the greater the likelihood of Ledyba becoming increasingly stronger.

Ledyba wasn't using Silver Wind to attack its opponents, but rather to enhance its flying. Since it used the move frequently, the chances of triggering stat boosts increased significantly. As Fearow continued its pursuit, Ledyba grew faster and faster.

By the time the other Fearow recovered from its confusion and rejoined the chase, Ledyba had fully benefited from Silver Wind's stat boosts. Yuga marveled at Ledyba's mastery over the wind.

With its wings beating rapidly, two tornado-like currents formed around Ledyba's wings. One upward current lifted it, allowing it to dodge Fearow's talons with a burst of speed, while another horizontal gust propelled it forward, letting it swiftly glide away from the other Fearow's beak.

Despite its overall stats being boosted by Silver Wind, Ledyba still avoided a direct confrontation with the two Fearows. It knew well that even with the boosts, it wasn't strong enough to defeat them. Ledyba was too weak for that.

This was why, even though it hadn't been injured, Ledyba still seemed so desperate and disheveled in Max's eyes.

However, Yuga believed that even with its remarkable flying skills, Ledyba would still find it difficult to escape from the Fearows.

Generally, when a Pokémon uses moves to boost its stats, it expends a significant amount of energy.

Everything in life comes with gains and losses. Whether it's Swords Dance, Quiver Dance, or Dragon Dance, they all trade significant energy expenditure for a temporary boost in abilities. The same goes for Silver Wind, which enhances all of the user's stats but at the cost of rapidly depleting the user's stamina.

This drawback is especially fatal for Ledyba, a Bug-type Pokémon with a relatively low level. Fearow's aggressive and impatient nature is well-known among bird Pokémon. If Fearow's patience runs out, Ledyba will be saved.

However, in reality, Ledyba is more likely to run out of energy before Fearow loses its patience.

In other words, no matter how skilled Ledyba is in flying, once its stamina is depleted, it's done for.

Seeing the increasingly desperate Ledyba, Max grew more anxious, urging Yuga to intervene. However, Yuga shook his head and said, "Let's wait a bit longer."

As Yuga predicted, it wasn't long before Ledyba began to tire. One of the Fearows struck it with Steel Wing, sending it flying. The other Fearow quickly followed up, aiming its sharp beak at Ledyba.

Witnessing this, Max was so scared that he covered his eyes.

At that moment, Yuga finally took action. His Vivillon cast an Electro Web, trapping both Fearows. The birds flailed in panic, struggling to escape, but they were shocked repeatedly by the web's electric currents, letting out frantic cries.

Yuga didn't make things too difficult for the Fearows. After capturing Ledyba in a Poké Ball, he ordered Vivillon to release them. By then, Ledyba had already fainted, making the capture process quite smooth.

When Max saw that Yuga had caught Ledyba, he breathed a sigh of relief but was also a bit surprised. "Brother Yuga, are you really going to capture this Ledyba? It looks so weak."

Yuga smiled and replied, "Just because it's weak now doesn't mean it will always be weak." Of course, he wasn't going to tell Max that what he really admired was Ledyba's flying techniques—he intended to bring it back to teach Vivillon.

Although Ledyba's level was low, its flying skills were far superior to most other Pokémon, especially its precise control over wind, which was truly impressive and worth Vivillon learning from.

Yuga's Vivillon was already quite skilled at controlling wind, but its progress in this area had hit a bottleneck as its strength increased. It urgently needed a breakthrough, and Ledyba was the key to that.

Hearing Yuga's response, Max nodded in understanding and then asked, "But why didn't you help Ledyba earlier? It was so pitiful being bullied by those Fearows."

Yuga, with a serious expression, made up an excuse, "I didn't plan to capture Ledyba at first. In nature, the strong prey on the weak, and we humans shouldn't interfere lightly."

"If we save Ledyba today, what if the Fearows come back tomorrow with more friends to bully it as revenge?" In reality, he just wanted to see how far Ledyba could push itself and decide if it was worth bringing back as a teacher for Vivillon.

"Yeah, yeah, Brother Yuga, you're right!" Max agreed, nodding vigorously.

"Smart" Max readily accepted Yuga's explanation, finding it very reasonable and completely oblivious to Yuga's ulterior motives.

And so, the incident with Ledyba passed. After reuniting with Max, May, and the others, they all returned to the Pokémon Center. By the time they got back, Luvia had already returned and, upon learning that Yuga and the others had gone out to have fun without her, she exclaimed that Yuga was heartless and only knew how to make her do work.

Once they were back at the Pokémon Center, Yuga asked Nurse Joy to check on Ledyba. It didn't take long for Ledyba to regain consciousness; although it looked battered, it wasn't severely injured.

After waking up, Ledyba agreed to Yuga's request to teach Vivillon, feeling grateful for the help Yuga and Vivillon had provided.

Yes, the plan worked! Yuga silently made a peace sign in his heart. It truly mattered to take action at the critical moment.

Back in his room, Yuga took a bottle of the Innovation Potion that he had stored in his system backpack and decided to see if he could elevate Ledyba's potential to green.

A Pokémon as capable as Ledyba should not be overlooked; there were plenty of Bug-type Pokémon in the Ecopark that needed its guidance.

Due to its size, Ledyba's flying skills were not suited for bird Pokémon or other large flying Pokémon, which was also why Yuga didn't expect Charizard or Dragonite to learn alongside it.

After Yuga explained the effects of the Innovation Potion, Ledyba gratefully drank it.

Although Ledyba was at a low level, it was not young; without years of accumulated training, it could not have developed such impressive flying skills.

Vivillon was indeed exceptionally talented, but being still young, it would undoubtedly improve further with Ledyba's guidance.

The Innovation Potion was a rare opportunity for Ledyba, who was nearing the end of its prime, so it was determined to seize it tightly.

The chance of a yellow-potential Pokémon using an Innovation Potion to become a green-pptential Pokémon is less than fifty percent. Fortunately, Ledyba was lucky; it not only improved its potential but also learned a new skill: Agility.

Feeling the changes in its body, Ledyba grew increasingly grateful toward Yuga and resolved to repay him well.

Having settled Ledyba's matter, Yuga felt good and went to see Luvia, sharing his idea of wanting to plant a Nimora Chesto Berry Tree.

"You want a seedling of the Nimora Chesto Berry Tree?" Luvia was very surprised upon hearing Yuga's intention.

The Nimora Chesto Berry Tree was so famous in Fortree City. As Winona's former sister-in-law, Luvia certainly knew about it. She advised Yuga, "Are you really planning to grow this thing? It's really difficult to keep this plant alive."

The Nimora Chesto Berry Tree in the Ancient Tree Park produces a batch of seedlings every year, but very few survive. Many botanists have racked their brains trying to solve this issue, and Luvia didn't believe Yuga would be any different.

Rather than wasting time and energy only to be disappointed, it would be better not to get involved in the first place.

"I'll just give it a try; if it survives, it survives. I've heard that Nimora Chesto Berry are incredibly delicious," Yuga smiled and said.

He thought that since he could manage to grow Revival Herb in his Ecopark, the chances of successfully growing a Nimora Chesto Berry Tree were quite high, which fueled his desire to try, but he couldn't tell Luvia that.

"Well, okay then; I'll ask Winona for you."

Seeing that Yuga was only planting it for fun, Luvia didn't press the issue further. The seedlings of the Nimora Chesto Berry Tree were generally left to grow on their own in the Ancient Tree Park because they were difficult to cultivate, so Yuga's request for some should not be hard to fulfill.