Chapter 90: Report on Otherworldly Plants (Part One)

"The door has been modified, the new bed is finished, and the Z-Ring is ready. Hmm, I'm still very curious about the plants from the Ultra Space." Sitting on a chair, Summer muttered to himself, driven by a strong curiosity.

Curiosity is one of the most important driving forces for humans, but unchecked curiosity can lead to trouble. Therefore, Summer planned to take some precautions while investigating these otherworldly visitors.

"Rilla?" 

The Rillaboom sitting on the bed made a questioning sound. It was rare to see such an expression on Summer's face. The last time was during Marnie's opening ceremony.

"First, hmm, let's start with the Bright Block Berry. We need to find a suitable place for it," Summer said as he stood up. He planned to start with the Bright Block Berry, the least dangerous one.

He chose the abandoned vegetable garden near the wooden house. Due to the ranger assistant's strong hint, Summer believed it was best to plant it near his home. This way, if anything unusual happened, it wouldn't affect the other residents of the Sunset Forest first.

"Let's begin."

Summer dug a small hole, with Rillaboom standing by his side. He then took out a seed that glowed with a blue light. As expected from an Ultra Space product, even the seed was unique.

After burying the seed in the hole, he took a few cautious steps back, then stretched out his hand and called out:

"Rapid Growth."

[Ranger Skill Rapid Growth has reached a certain proficiency level and has evolved into Bountiful Hands.]

[Bountiful Hands, Effect: Accelerates plant growth with no usage limit but is tied to physical stamina. Cannot be used if stamina is below half. The first use each day does not consume stamina.]

Ranger skills can evolve? Summer was a bit surprised. Bountiful Hand, hmm, its effect is indeed stronger than before. The latter description is telling me to use it wisely?

Since the skill usage is linked to stamina, but I also have the Robust Physique skill, this means I can use it more often. It seems I should incorporate more training into my daily routine.

While Summer was deep in thought, Rapid Growth took effect. The soil trembled slightly, and a few gray-black vines emerged, sprouting gray-white leaves. Then the growth stopped.

"No fruit yet? Well, it did mention slow growth in the description." Nodding, Summer took out his phone and snapped a picture of the peculiar, low-growing shrub.

"Let's try again. Rapid Growth—no, Bountiful Hands."

A green light emanated from Summer's hand, enveloping the not-yet-fruit-bearing Bright Block Berry. Instantly, he felt a significant drain of energy, and a familiar fatigue washed over him.

As the light merged into the branches, gray-black vines quickly blossomed with ash-gray flowers, which then bore a large, cube-shaped fruit that weighed down the branches to the ground.

The fruit had a gray-black skin, with a blue-glowing circle in the center resembling an eye.

"Whew, I can't use this skill often. The energy drain is huge." Summer, holding his forehead, said. Despite having the Robust Physique boost, it still drained over half his stamina. Is this the cost of performing miracles?

"Gorilla!"

Rillaboom showed a surprised expression. The center of the fruit, which looked like an eye, blinked.

"What happened, Rillaboom? Oh, I see why you're surprised. A blinking fruit is indeed novel," Summer said, squatting down, and then asked:

"Can you understand us? If you can, respond with a motion."

The fruit swayed slightly, responding to Summer's question. It indeed had consciousness. Ultra Space is truly wondrous.

"Do you want to leave here?"

It hesitated for a moment, then the blue circle turned red.

"Hmm, I see. You prefer to stay here. Alright, stay here then." Summer tried touching the fruit. It didn't resist. Its skin felt like rock.

"Rilla?" Rillaboom looked puzzled. Just leave it behind the wooden house?

"Don't worry, Rillaboom. Consider it a part of the Sunset Forest family," Summer said with a smile.

Since Summer was unconcerned, Rillaboom didn't press further. After all, they had experienced time travel. Accepting a sentient fruit was just another step in following Summer's lead.

[Otherworldly Plant Research Report (Part One): Bright Block Berry, with a rock-like hard skin and a glowing, eye-like circle in the center. It possesses its own consciousness and is suspected to be a component of a Stakataka (unconfirmed).]

The next day, during his patrol in the Sunset Forest, Summer found a suitable clearing. No trees or plants were growing nearby, making it perfect for experimenting with the day's plant, the Thunderstrike Tree.

Just like the previous day, he buried the seed in the soil, took a few steps back, then a few more, anticipating the plant's strong electrical discharge. He pulled Rillaboom along with him for safety.

"Bountiful Hands."

A jet-black branch emerged from the soil, with white leaves sprouting from its cable-like stem. It looked harmless.

"Phew, I thought it might be a Xurkitree at first. Glad it's not," Summer said, taking out his phone to document it.

Thunderstrike Tree resembled a straightened Xurkitree branch. Maybe if several Thunderstrike Trees were gathered, they could form a Xurkitree?

"Let's test its electrical capability. Rillaboom, use Leaf Blade."

"Rilla!"

Rillaboom swung two sharp leaves, hitting the Thunderstrike Tree. It released a strong electric current, equivalent to a Pokémon using Thunderbolt, turning the leaves to ash.

"Only releases electricity upon impact? It seems to be a passive plant without consciousness." Summer nodded.

"Indeed, it's dangerous. I'll have Lilligant remove it later."

Suddenly, a Morpeko emerged from the nearby bushes, curiously eyeing the Thunderstrike Tree. It reached out a small hand.

"Morpeko, don't touch it. It releases electricity."

Ignoring the warning, Morpeko placed its hand on the plant. The resulting electric shock wasn't as intense as before, leaving Morpeko with a contented expression.

"Mor~"

"Well, Morpeko is an Electric-type after all," Summer quickly understood.

Many Electric-type Pokémon have organs to absorb electricity, some even sneaking into human power plants or chasing thunderstorms to replenish their energy.

So, Thunderstrike Tree is like a buffet for Morpeko?

"In that case, we can keep it."

Soon, Summer built a wooden fence around the plant, leaving a small gate for Morpeko to pass through.

Once finished, he placed a sign by the fence: "Danger: Electric. Do Not Touch."

To prevent other Pokémon from entering, Summer asked the Lilligant to inform other residents to stay away from the area.

A day later, Summer returned to find a group of content Morpeko inside the fence, while the Thunderstrike Tree looked drained. Was it overused?

Otherworldly Plant Research Report (Part Two): Thunderstrike Tree, with a black trunk and white leaves. It releases electricity upon contact, with the strength varying based on the force applied. Overuse reduces its electric output (unconfirmed).