Although Aoki doesn't know why such a small and cute Pokémon has such a complicated heart.
However, he still took out a high-quality Pokeblock from the storage space and stuffed it into Florette's arms.
Her total body size is not that big, and the flower in her hand occupies half of her height. Aoki stuffed a Pokeblock into her arms, leaving Florette momentarily stunned.
Holding the Pokeblock much larger than her own hand, Florette was a little dazed.
But soon, she smelled a strange yet enticing scent from the Pokeblock.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
Looking up, from her angle, she could see Aoki's chin as soon as she lifted her head.
Aoki didn't look at her but said, "Eat it, this food is for you. In the next period of time, as long as you perform well, this kind of food will keep you full."
Anyway, she is so small—no matter how much she can eat, it won't be too much.
Florette opened her mouth and carefully took a bite of the Pokeblock.
She showed a satisfied smile, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons.
Noticing Florette's smile, Aoki also smiled.
"Okay, now it's your turn to perform. If you don't perform well, you won't have this kind of delicious food in the future. Use Grassy Terrain!" Aoki commanded.
Florette, hearing his words, held the Pokeblock tightly with one hand, glanced at Aoki vigilantly, and, seeing that he had no intention of taking her food, she was slightly relieved.
Then, it was time for her to act.
Grassy Terrain was one of her favorite moves.
Holding her flower with one hand, she waved it gently a few times.
At Aoki's feet, a lush patch of grass emitting a soft green glow appeared. With the rhythmic movement of her flower, the grass expanded further and further.
In the end, Slowking and Honchkrow were all enveloped in it.
Honchkrow and the others felt the special energy radiating from the grass and closed their eyes comfortably.
Aoki was a little surprised. Standing in the Grassy Terrain, he could feel his fatigue easing.
He hadn't expected the effect to be this strong.
Florette's use of this move was truly beyond his expectations.
With this, the team setup was nearly perfect.
However, her Flower Veil ability only benefits Grass-type Pokémon, and Aoki doesn't have any Grass-types, making it relatively useless in that regard.
But that was fine—Aoki valued her support abilities more.
In addition to Grassy Terrain, the moves Florette had mastered—Copycat, Charm, Camouflage, Fake Tears, Lucky Chant, Heal Bell, and After You—were all excellent support moves.
It could be said that this Florette had gathered nearly every possible support move.
She also had some Grass-type attacks, which helped compensate for Aoki's current lack of Grass-types. Combined with her Fairy typing, she could play a vital role in the future.
With the help of Grassy Terrain, the Pokémon recovered from their hidden injuries, even alleviating their mental exhaustion.
It was clear that Florette's Grassy Terrain was highly effective.
And now, the Florette hidden on Aoki's person could serve as his temporary guard, freeing up Gengar for battle.
Although Florette's protective abilities were nowhere near Gengar's, at least she prevented Aoki from being entirely vulnerable.
Aoki himself still had basic psychic powers, so he wasn't completely helpless.
The area covered by the grass was comfortable and peaceful. After moving a little farther, Aoki decided to spend the night there.
He aimed to conduct a simple survey of the surrounding environment before sunset.
...
When the sun was about to set, Aoki returned with his Pokémon.
He had gained a basic understanding of the surrounding area.
To the south of the grassland was a bamboo forest, home to a powerful Pangoro with near-Elite-level strength.
To the west lay a dense jungle filled with beehives. After exploring briefly, Aoki was chased out by a swarm of Combee.
It was Vespiquen's territory.
Only female Combee could evolve, while males remained as Combee permanently.
Among bee-like Pokémon, females held a higher status, so the Combee that chased Aoki away were all males.
Their levels weren't low either.
While Combee weren't individually strong, their sheer numbers made them dangerous.
They were even more terrifying than Beedrill. When Aoki saw the sky darken with the swarm, his face paled.
Luckily, thanks to Slowking's Teleport, he escaped in time.
He marked that area as strictly off-limits.
At least until he reached near-Elite Four level strength, it wasn't safe to enter.
Without overwhelming power, he would be swarmed and crushed by sheer numbers.
To the north of the grassland, toward the Ancient Tree of Life, was a familiar area to Aoki—Scolipede's territory.
As a Bug-type Pokémon, Scolipede's reproduction rate was remarkable, resulting in an abundance of Whirlipede and Venipede.
However, compared to the number of Combee, Scolipede's numbers were lower.
Still, traversing their territory wouldn't be easy.
Aoki initially considered flying over, but after spotting a flock of Flying-type Pokémon circling above, he abandoned that plan.
These Pokémon preyed on the Venipede and Whirlipede below.
If Aoki tried to fly over using Tropius or Honchkrow, they would be shot down immediately.
The east side of the grassland was relatively peaceful, inhabited by a group of Heracross.
Compared to Vespiquen and Scolipede, their numbers were significantly lower.
However, Heracross had far superior individual combat power.
It wasn't called the strongest Bug-type Pokémon for nothing.
Fortunately, Heracross had a docile nature, and Aoki's cautious approach didn't provoke hostility. They didn't attack him or his Pokémon.
After a while, Aoki slowly backed away.
Despite the risks, Aoki's exploration was fruitful.
He discovered old medicinal herbs, rare raw materials, and useful held items scattered around, with no Pokémon guarding them.
Not wanting to waste resources, he collected what he could.
Among his findings, one item stood out—a half-grown seed, roughly the size of half a palm.
This was one of the primary ingredients for crafting Miracle Seed.
It wasn't cheap.