"Traveling makes you lose track of time..." Terrance sighed and then changed the subject, saying, "There I go being sentimental again."
Terrance used a cultivation tool to process Oran Berries into a paste and added it to an empty squeeze bottle, then stretched.
He had been really busy with tasks like these for a while, making at least 15 Oran Berry medicinal paste every day.
Some Wurmple's injuries were too severe to be quickly alleviated by simply eating Oran Berries. That would not help the Wurmple's external wounds heal quickly. Compared to that, a regular healing spray would be much more effective, but unfortunately, Terrance had run out of them. So, he had to resort to making medicinal paste.
This season was when conflicts between Taillow and Wurmple were most intense, with countless Wurmple getting injured every day. Even though Beautifly has been running around trying to heal as many Wurmple as possible, the situation was not showing any signs of improvement.
Placing the bottle down, Terrance felt a bit heavy-hearted. The Wurmple they saved today might fall under Taillow's claws again tomorrow. In truth, their efforts seemed somewhat futile, driven merely by Beautifly's "empathetic" experiences.
Terrance shook his head, deciding to indulge Beautifly's whims, as it didn't really affect much, except making him and Beautifly tired.
"Beautiflyyyy~~" The shadow of a butterfly flew over. Terrance stood up, knowing Beautifly had again found injured Wurmple, and quickly grabbed the bottle to follow Beautifly.
Under a tree, several Wurmple with big eyes were huddled, looking dispirited. The red spikes on their backs were broken in several places, and their bodies were covered in horrifying scars. Given Wurmple's soft bodies, these injuries were indeed disastrous.
These were the most pitiful-looking Wurmple Terrance had ever seen. They must have endured great suffering and paid a high price to escape from Taillow. Such a huge price wasn't worth it, as they would soon lose their lives due to their severe injuries...
It's sad to say, but that's how nature works. Terrance sighed and said softly, "Don't move, I'll apply some medicine."
The ointment made from Oran Berries and other materials by Terrance could be well absorbed by Wurmple's skin, though the process was inevitably painful. The more severe the injury, the more unbearable the ointment's effects.
It wasn't pain but the extreme cold and itching on the wound that involuntarily made Wurmple want to rub against something.
"Beautiflyyyy~~" Beautifly voiced its anxiousness, as Wurmple's actions were akin to giving up their last lifeline.
This was just a minor episode. The process of treating Wurmple's wounds wasn't always peaceful. If Beautifly wasn't there to help calm them, Terrance's workload would be overwhelming. Even so, he was terribly exhausted, and he still had to train Mismagius for the primary judging of the Pokémon Contest.
Terrance had already figured out the process and was now discussing with Mismagius how to make it more impactful, which was the hardest part.
It was the seventh day of Terrance's stay in Petalburg Woods and the last day of his agreement with Beautifly.
Terrance was treating the injuries of a Wurmple when he heard the sound of flapping wings. He frowned and turned around to see several Taillow swooping down to attack the injured Wurmple.
"Alright... this is the last day, I'll allow you to stop them once," Terrance said, turning back.
"Beautiflyyyy~~"
Beautifly, hearing this, nodded happily, then its expression turned serious. With a flap of its wings, the several Taillow immediately tumbled over and plunged headfirst into the ground, knocked out cold.
Then, countless Stun Spores were scattered, and the Taillow, shaking their wings, woke up from their stupor and wanted to fly away. They usually wouldn't give up on chasing their prey, but this time the situation was too strange and they didn't even know how they lost. They wanted to counterattack, but they didn't even know where to start, feeling powerless.
Terrance had a knowing expression. Beautifly had merely flapped its wings a few times, but given its current sensitivity to air currents, dealing with smaller, lightweight Pokémon like Taillow was easy. By calculating Taillow's flight path and disrupting the wind speed, Beautifly made Taillow lose their flight balance, causing them to fall from the sky.
It was a boring battle. The wild Taillow were no longer the match of the Wurmple that was chased three years ago.
"Hey——"
"What are you doing?"
Terrance sighed and stood up. Trouble really never ends.
This trouble, however, was not something that could be easily resolved.
It was an elderly man in a black bodysuit and orange outerwear, carrying a long rope on his waist. Despite his age, he looked spirited, but at this moment he was glaring at Terrance.
Seeing the outfit, Terrance immediately recognized the person's identity: a Ranger.
They are responsible for overseeing large forests like Petalburg Woods, preventing emergencies and safeguarding the forest.
The Ranger was named Akino, an old hand who had spent most of his life in Petalburg Woods. One of his few pleasures was catching Trainers like Terrance who "disrupt the forest ecosystem" and giving them a good scolding.
After listening to the old man ramble for a long time, Terrance finally got some peace and heard the old man ask, "Do you know the consequences of what you're doing?"
Terrance replied, "Driving away the Taillow will lead to an overpopulation of Wurmple. The forest trees will suffer severe damage, some Pokémon depending on the forest vegetation will face food shortages, leading to a vicious cycle, and Wurmple will face a more severe extinction crisis than being hunted by Taillow..."
Terrance spoke eloquently, one point after another, almost causing Ranger Akino's eyes to pop out. Wasn't this the exact lecture he had prepared for the inexperienced Trainers? Why is it the other way around today and he is the listener now?
Looking strangely at Terrance, Old Man Akino studied him for a moment, confirming that he wasn't a Trainer he had previously educated, and couldn't help but ask, 'Since you know, why did you still intervene?'
Terrance waved his hand, sincerely saying, "Just this once, it won't affect the forest."
That was true. One Trainer alone couldn't affect the entire Petalburg Woods. But what Old Man Akino feared was a group of unaware Trainers coming to drive away the Taillow. One person might not be enough, but a Trainer can have up to six Pokémon. If more people come and stay longer, the flock of Taillow would be helpless.
Without the threat of Taillow, Wurmple could safely eat plants without any worry, store energy and evolve, then breed more Wurmple... which would ruin the forest.
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