[Completed first time-space distortion, received item: Tea Tree Seedling, precious tea leaves from the Eastern region.]
[Completed first time-space distortion, expanding the forest area.]
[Completed first time-space distortion, received item: Grass Knot TM (one-time use).]
[Grass Knot: Grass-type move, the heavier the target, the more powerful the move.]
Still immersed in the experience of the time-space distortion, Summer suddenly heard the voice of the ranger assistant in his mind.
Indeed, completing the time-space distortion came with rewards. Could it be the Tea Tree is same tea tree that Ramos carefully nurtured? The rewards seemed related to the time-space distortion experiences. Speaking of which, Grass Knot was exactly the move TM given by Ramos after defeating him.
Summer confirmed his guess and then brought up the map of Sunset Forest. He wanted to see where the expanded area was.
"Hmm? It's that place again. The area around the Gracidea Flower Meadow has now expanded."
Wait a minute, Gracidea flowers were so rare in Ramos' time; could it be the same now?
[Gracidea flowers, once a very rare type of flower, were cultivated worldwide thanks to the efforts of Kalos Gym Leader Ramos. Now, even common ranches can grow them.]
The ranger assistant's words eased Summer's worries. If rare flowers appeared in the forest, they might attract criminals like Blank, or even more dangerous entities.
"Let's study the book Ramos gave us. Maybe you'll learn some new moves, Grookey."
"Hoho!"
Grookey had just recovered from the time-space distortion journey and was immediately interested in learning new moves.
"Alright, let's head back to the cabin and study it slowly."
Summer led Grookey back to the cabin, sat down, and began to browse through the guide to Grass-type moves.
As he read, his expression shifted from excitement to disappointment. Ramos' grandfather was undoubtedly a high-power enthusiast, and the recorded moves were extremely aggressive.
Frenzy Plant, Leaf Storm, Solar Beam, Solar Blade, Petal Dance, Power Whip, and Wood Hammer.
Excluding special attacks, the only move Grookey could potentially learn was Wood Hammer. Ramos' grandfather had also noted that if the physique wasn't tough enough, attempting to learn it would leave incurable scars.
In other words, Grookey couldn't learn the only move it was capable of.
"This is already the second-to-last page. Maybe there's something good on the last page."
With hopeful anticipation, Summer turned to the last page. Two characters came into view, and Summer's brow relaxed as he regained his excitement.
"Grassy Glide. I didn't expect this move on the last page. It's really a treasure!"
Rillaboom, the final evolution of Grookey, has formidable attack power and a resilient physique. Its only shortcoming is speed.
Grassy Glide can perfectly compensate for this flaw. On Grassy Terrain, Grassy Glide becomes a priority move. Imagine a muscular Grass-type Pokémon appearing like lightning in front of a Water-type Pokémon—that would be a terrifying scene.
Additionally, Rillaboom's hidden ability is Grassy Surge, which creates Grassy Terrain upon entering the field. Although Grookey's current ability is Overgrow, it has the potential to gain Grassy Surge, which isn't just wishful thinking.
"Ho? Ho~" Grookey didn't understand why Summer was so happy, but if Summer was happy, it was happy too.
"Alright, let's study the rest of the content."
Thud, thud, thud. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Before Summer could respond, the door was flung open.
"Summer!"
"Please come quickly to Spikemuth!"
"Urgent, urgent!"
The three members of Team Yell were panting and shouting, their expressions unusually panicked.
"What happened in Spikemuth?" Summer stood up, but with Piers there, there shouldn't be any major issues.
"Marnie!"
"The Gym Challenge opening ceremony!"
"It's starting soon!"
Summer's expression froze. For Team Yell, Marnie's participation in the Gym Challenge opening ceremony was indeed a big deal. However, the fact that they came specifically to call him indicated they already considered him a partner.
"Alright, let's go quickly."
Summer put down the book and hurriedly ran out of the cabin, following the three members of Team Yell towards Spikemuth.
On the way, Summer understood why Team Yell had come to call him. It turned out they were acting on Marnie's request. Marnie knew there was no TV in the forest and even Summer's phone was an antique. To ensure he could watch her opening ceremony, she prepared two measures.
First, she sent a text message to Summer. However, since he was too focused on the moves in the book, he didn't notice the message.
Second, she sent Team Yell to fetch him.
"I didn't expect you to be so close to Marnie, Summer. You're really something!" Aya teased.
"But isn't it nice that Marnie is showing such an expression?" Tim countered.
"Yeah, that's the best Marnie!" Nayo smiled dreamily.
As the four entered Spikemuth, they started chatting.
"But Marnie really wants a challenger, right? Why don't you guys step up?" Summer asked, puzzled.
"Darn it, don't underestimate Marnie just because she wins. She's the second strongest trainer in Spikemuth," Aya implied that they couldn't beat Marnie either.
"Yeah, and not everyone has the talent of a trainer."
"So we decided to support Marnie from behind."
"Sorry, I was a bit presumptuous." Summer showed an apologetic expression.
"It's okay, we accepted it long ago, haha." Aya waved his hand nonchalantly.
Tim's expression darkened, "Maybe we can find another way, like sabotaging other trainers..."
"But..." Nayo showed a worried expression.
"Tim, I advise you not to do that. You're denying Marnie's efforts." Usually gentle, Summer spoke sternly.
"I..." Tim sighed, "You're right. I won't think like that anymore."
Marnie had once been furious with Team Yell for interfering with other trainers. Summer's sudden seriousness was to nip this in the bud. Team Yell wasn't inherently bad; they were just people wanting to revive their hometown.
"Ahem, it's getting late. Let's hurry." Aya smoothed over the awkward atmosphere.
Suddenly, Summer thought of a question. When does the opening ceremony start? He asked out loud:
"How long until the opening ceremony starts?"
"Time, hmm, about three hours," Nayo replied, holding up three fingers.
Well, this was typical of Team Yell. Summer looked at the crowd in front of him, recognizing some familiar faces: Piers and the restaurant owner, Gideon.
Marnie was the trainer who carried the hopes of the entire Spikemuth, so all the townspeople came to watch her opening ceremony.
"Alright, let's find a good spot to cheer for Marnie," Summer suggested.
"Of course!" the trio responded in unison. "Even if we're far away in Hammerlocke, we want Marnie to hear our cheers!"
(End of this Chapter)