# Chapter 19: Changes and the Death of the Ancient Tree
"So you agree?" Bai Feng asked when he saw Helioptile's expression suddenly become less resistant.
Mm-hmm-hmm~
Helioptile nodded frantically.
Seeing this, Bai Feng said happily, "Since you're being so sensible, I won't hold what happened before against you. Here... have this." As he spoke, he released the hand holding Helioptile, placing it in his palm, and then gave it the Berry that Helioptile had returned earlier.
"Ay bip~"
Helioptile took the Berry, hugged it, and happily started gnawing on it. In no time, it finished the Berry.
Its body was very small, only slightly larger than Bai Feng's palm, so it could easily move around in Bai Feng's cupped hands.
"Ay bip~"
After quickly gnawing a Berry clean, Helioptile extended its little hand towards Bai Feng again.
"Want more? You sure can eat!" Bai Feng said in surprise, looking at Helioptile's small and cute size. He immediately took out another Berry and handed it to it. "Here's another one, but this is the last one. It's not good to eat too much at once."
The Berries Bai Feng took out were not small; each was about the size of an adult's fist. He was worried Helioptile's belly would burst if it ate two at once.
"Ay bip~ Ay bip~"
Helioptile didn't seem to have heard Bai Feng's words, nodding randomly, and then started eating heartily again.
Seeing Helioptile eating with gusto, Bai Feng turned to Bai Ye and Popplio and said, "Alright, we can go home now."
"Woo?" Aren't we catching a Pokémon that knows Stun Spore?
Popplio asked doubtfully.
Bai Feng, holding the Helioptile in his hand, said to it, "Look, with this little guy around, it doesn't matter if we don't find a Pokémon that knows Stun Spore."
"Woo!" Hmph!
Seeing Bai Feng so happy, Popplio thought he was particularly fond of that yellowish four-legged lizard and grunted in dissatisfaction.
After returning, Bai Feng introduced the new member, Helioptile, to Talonflame, Fletchinders, and the Diggersby family.
The Diggersby family warmly welcomed Helioptile, but Talonflame and the Fletchinders seemed very surprised, not expecting to see Helioptile.
So you actually managed to sneak in!
It turned out this Helioptile was a frequent visitor to Fangxing Mountain. In the past, it would try to sneak in and steal things every few days, but each time it would be caught by Talonflame or Fletchinder and thrown back outside.
So Talonflame and the Fletchinders were more than familiar with it.
The key was that this little guy was quite stubborn. Every time it came, it wouldn't gain anything and would even get taught a lesson, but it still persistently ran over here.
Thinking about it now, could this be fate?
Seeing the fierce Talonflame, Helioptile was a little scared. It twitched its two long ears and quietly hid behind Bai Feng's back.
Bai Feng didn't know that Helioptile had such a history with Fangxing Mountain. He smiled and comforted Helioptile, saying, "What happened before is in the past. As long as you're good from now on, none of us will hold it against you."
Talonflame nodded upon hearing this. Since the boss said so, it naturally had no objections.
Only then did Helioptile let out a long sigh of relief and walk out from behind Bai Feng.
Just like that, Helioptile became Bai Feng's second Pokémon and settled down on Fangxing Mountain.
After solving the Hidden Energy Circuit problem for Bai Ye and Popplio, Bai Feng's daily life returned to normal. Every day was spent either Breeding Fruit Trees or Training Pokémon, with leisure time used for studying. Every few days, he would also help Bai Ye and Popplio light up their Hidden Energy Circuits.
Life was fulfilling and busy.
With Helioptile's Thunder Wave helping, Bai Ye and Popplio's "surgeries" were completed very smoothly each time, and the lit-up Hidden Energy Circuits increased in an orderly manner.
The changes this brought to the two Pokémon were very obvious.
First, the amount of Pokéblocks they ate every day increased, indicating that their efficiency in accumulating Origin Energy was increasing. Among them, Bai Ye's change was the most obvious.
There was nothing to be done; its Energy Circuit was far more complex than Popplio's, where one change affected everything. The lighting up of the Hidden Energy Circuits caused its entire Energy Circuit to operate at high speed.
Because of this, Bai Feng greatly increased the frequency of sorting, compressing, and Purifying Origin Energy for it.
Next were the changes in appearance. Bai Feng didn't expect that lighting up the Hidden Energy Circuits could actually have a beautifying effect on the two Pokémon.
Bai Ye's figure became more and more well-proportioned and taller. The average height of Pokémon like Gardevoir is generally around 1.6 meters, and Bai Ye was even slightly shorter than the average Gardevoir before.
But since her Hidden Energy Circuits were lit up, she actually started growing taller.
Could you believe that she could still grow taller after being a mother for over ten years?
After some time, Bai Ye's height gradually grew to about 1.7 meters before slowly showing no significant changes.
Besides height, Bai Ye's appearance also became more and more radiant. Her bright eyes were like the clear moon in the sky, her short emerald green hair was even more lush than new Leaves, her floor-length dress was as white as snow, and then there were those long legs...
With such beauty, wouldn't an old pervert be captivated?
Bai Feng silently swore to himself that he must protect his increasingly beautiful mother!
Popplio's changes were mainly reflected in its physical condition. Although its dark blue skin also became increasingly clear and deep blue, its biggest change was in its throat.
In the past, when Popplio sang, Bai Feng really wanted to cover his ears.
But now it was different. Its voice condition was actually getting better little by little, gradually changing from being tone-deaf to a little musical genius.
After some time, its singing even became able to give people a feeling of refreshment and joy.
At first, this change was not obvious, and no one noticed. Then suddenly one day, Bunnelby said, "Popplio's singing is actually quite nice!" Everyone suddenly realized that Popplio's vocal condition had changed.
The voice Bai Feng remembered most vividly was the cry of the Milotic he encountered while drifting at sea. Although a long time had passed, that sound was still deeply etched in his mind like a heavenly melody.
After hearing that sound, Bai Feng felt that any songs or music he listened to later were somewhat lacking.
Now that Popplio suddenly had this change, Bai Feng began to look forward to its future.
As its voice condition got better and better, Popplio's control over the Move Disarming Voice also became more and more perfect.
Now, every time it uses Disarming Voice to control the moisture in the air to Water the Fruit Tree forest, everyone thinks it's using the Move Rain Dance.
In fact, it doesn't know the Move Rain Dance at all.
Although it took Popplio so long to train Disarming Voice to achieve the effect of Rain Dance, and using it is still not as convenient as Rain Dance, what it pursues is not just the Move effect, but control over the Move.
There is a fundamental difference between achieving an effect through the Move itself and actively shaping the desired effect in one's mind by controlling Type Energy.
As for Helioptile, Bai Feng hasn't helped it light up its Hidden Energy Circuit yet.
On the one hand, it is too young, seemingly having only been born recently, and its body development is not yet complete; on the other hand, the paralyzed status cannot be applied to Electric-Type Pokémon, so another way must be found to shield Helioptile's Pain.
Helioptile was very satisfied with its new life. Bai Feng kept his promise to it; Berries were available freely, and there was an even more delicious supply of Pokéblocks.
There was no happier life than this.
Helioptile had never seen its parents since birth and often went hungry since it gained consciousness. Going without Food for several days was common, which was why it used to frequently run to Fangxing Mountain to steal things.
This experience made it develop a habit of cherishing Food very much.
For example, one day Bai Feng was thinning the Sitrus Berry Tree he was giving special care to, which means removing small Fruit that were growing poorly or too densely to ensure the remaining Fruit grew better.
Unexpectedly, Helioptile ran over at some point. When Bai Feng cut off a Fruit and threw it on the ground, it immediately picked it up, put it in its mouth, chewed it a couple of times with a crunching sound, and swallowed it.
Unripe small Fruit had no taste, and were even a bit sour and astringent, but Helioptile could eat them without changing its expression.
By the time Bai Feng noticed, its belly was already round and full, and it was lying on the ground unable to walk.
Bai Feng was left speechless and amused by this.
Like Bai Ye and Popplio, after experiencing a Rejuvenation, Helioptile completely fell in love with the activity. It hadn't expected to enjoy such special benefits by following Bai Feng.
This further strengthened its belief in following Bai Feng's footsteps without wavering.
Time passed day by day, and in the blink of an eye, it was July. The Sitrus Berry Trees on the mountaintop began to bloom one after another, and Bai Feng started considering their pollination issues.
Based on the contact information Grandpa Fu gave him, he booked an appointment with the Pollination Agency, agreeing on a time. When the Sitrus Berry Trees began to bloom extensively, they would send people with Pollinating Pokémon to help.
When the Sitrus Berries were in bloom, the people from the Pollination Agency indeed came to Fangxing Mountain with a group of Vivillon.
Because the Energy Rating of the Fruit Trees Bai Feng planted was very High Quality, their Flowers were very popular with the Vivillon.
The people from the Pollination Agency were experienced professionals. From the Vivillon's reactions, they could roughly judge the Fruit Trees' Energy Rating, so they were very surprised that this client actually owned an Orchard of such High Quality.
Professional Pollinating Pokémon were indeed different from Wild Pokémon. They had undergone strict Training and were very disciplined during pollination, with regulations on where to start and where to finish, unlike Wild Pokémon that would just go about it haphazardly.
After that, every three to five days, the people from the Pollination Agency would come to Fangxing Mountain with Vivillon until most of the Flowers on the Fruit Trees withered.
This agency's fees were indeed very fair. After Bai Feng paid, they even enthusiastically expressed that they could continue to cooperate next time and even offer a discount.
High Quality Flowers were also beneficial for the growth of their Pollinating Pokémon, which was why they were so enthusiastic.
Because Biyi City East District has a good environment and a lot of usable land, there are many Plantations and Orchards, but most of them are ordinary growers, and the Berries they grow are mostly sold to ordinary people as edible Fruit.
Orchards like Fangxing Mountain that can cultivate a large number of High Quality Fruit Trees are rare, so the people from the Pollination Agency were naturally happy to build a good relationship with him.
Moreover, Bai Feng was a client introduced to them by Grandpa Fu. As a Gym Leader of the Pokémon League, Grandpa Fu was one of the most powerful people in Biyi City.
One day, Bai Feng rarely took time off to visit Grandpa Fu at the Coupling Gym, only to see him looking worried. Upon asking, he learned that the Ancient Sapling had indeed died after all.
When Bai Feng saw Grandpa Fu, he was tending to a new Ancient Tree Seed.
"I hope it can sprout successfully," Grandpa Fu said with a sigh.
This new Seed was obtained by Grandpa Fu from elsewhere. He had been bothered by the death of the previous Ancient Sapling and finally decided to try again.
Captain Sanders's Research Institute no longer had a second Ancient Plant Seed for Grandpa Fu to "waste," as these things are not easy to find, so he asked a friend to get one from somewhere else.
This Seed was also different from the previous one; it was no longer a Lum Berry Seed.
Seeing this, Bai Feng asked, "How did that Ancient Tree die?"
Grandpa Fu shook his head and said, "I wish I knew the reason."
"Is that Sapling still here? Can I take a look?" Bai Feng asked.
"It's still here," Grandpa Fu replied. After all, he had put a lot of effort into Breeding it, so even though the Sapling had withered, he couldn't bear to dispose of it. "If you want to see it, go ahead."
Led by Grandpa Fu, Bai Feng indeed saw the "corpse" of the Ancient Sapling. It had been completely pulled out of the flower bed by Grandpa Fu.
Bai Feng picked up the withered Sapling and found that its Root System was indeed very weak. Although the difference was not large compared to the roots of modern Fruit Trees, compared to its developed Arbor Diagram, this was a bit insufficient.
Although Pokémon can actively absorb Energy by eating Berries and Pokémon Food, the most basic method of obtaining Energy is by passively absorbing Energy from the air through their Energy Circuits.
The Arbor Diagram of Fruit Trees is also like this.
Through a period of research, Bai Feng discovered that Fruit Trees have two ways of obtaining Energy. The Energy here does not refer to the Organic Energy that sustains their life, but rather the Pokémon Energy stored in their Arbor Diagram, specific to the Pokémon World.
One way is to absorb free Energy from the air through the upper part of the Arbor Diagram (the Tree Crown), and the other is to absorb Energy from the earth through the lower part of the Arbor Diagram (the Root System).
This is similar to how plants obtain Organic Energy: using Leaves for photosynthesis on one side and using roots to absorb nutrients from the soil on the other.
The Root System of modern Fruit Trees' Arbor Diagram has degenerated, so the main way to obtain Pokémon Energy is by absorbing it from the air through the upper part, while the lower part only serves as a supplementary function.
The key is that modern Fruit Trees have evolved to adapt to this method of absorbing Pokémon Energy, but Ancient Plants cannot. They must obtain Pokémon Energy through both methods simultaneously to grow successfully.
Organisms are complex and diverse, containing countless inexplicable secrets. Although the Pokémon Energy and Organic Energy within Fruit Trees are two different things, they are closely related. If one side collapses, the other will inevitably be affected.
Bai Feng suspected that the reason the Ancient Sapling died was because its Root System was underdeveloped, preventing it from absorbing enough Pokémon Energy from the earth, which in turn affected its Organic Energy circulation. That's why it remained weak and thin and ultimately couldn't escape the fate of withering.
Of course, with an underdeveloped Root System, the Fruit Tree's acquisition of beneficial Energy would definitely also be affected. It should be said it was a double blow!
However, these were just Bai Feng's guesses and had not been verified. He couldn't guarantee that his conjecture was correct.
Just then, Bai Feng suddenly noticed that Grandpa Fu was holding a very thick Book in his arms, with the large characters "Complete Book of Ancient Plants" written on it.
A thought flashed through his mind, and he asked, "Grandpa Fu, can I take a look at that Book in your arms?"
Grandpa Fu smiled upon hearing this and said, "What? Are you interested in Breeding Ancient Plants too?" As he spoke, he handed the Book in his arms to Bai Feng.
"Sort of. After all, I've been researching Fruit Tree Breeding. There are always commonalities between the Breeding of different Plants."
Grandpa Fu nodded upon hearing this. "That's right. As they say, learn by analogy. There's no harm in learning more Knowledge. They will all become nourishment for your growth in the future."
Bai Feng nodded, took Grandpa Fu's Book, and began to flip through it.
The contents of this Book were the results of painstaking research by botanists, and it even included many drawings of Ancient Plants.
Most of these drawings were reconstructed by them based on excavated Plant Fossils. Bai Feng found it truly interesting as he looked through them.
"Grandpa Fu, look here," Bai Feng suddenly said, pointing to a drawing in the Book.
"What is it?" Grandpa Fu followed Bai Feng's finger and saw that Bai Feng was pointing to an illustration of an Ancient Lum Berry tree. "Is there a problem with this?"
Bai Feng explained casually, "Look at its proportion, the proportion of the root part to the entire Tree!"
The Lum Berry tree in the illustration had a very developed Root System, almost larger than its Tree Crown.
After Bai Feng's reminder, Grandpa Fu instantly discovered the problem. He picked up the withered Sapling and compared it with the picture.
"The proportion of the roots is wrong!" he muttered to himself.
"Exactly. We looked at this Sapling's roots and thought they were fine, but compared to this reconstructed illustration, these roots are clearly underdeveloped. If the roots can't grow well, how can the Tree grow big?"
"You're right, that's the point!" Grandpa Fu said excitedly. "The ancient environment was different from the modern one after all. There must be some related factor that affected the Plant's development."
Seeing that Grandpa Fu had discovered the problem, Bai Feng didn't say much more. This hint was enough.
Although he couldn't be sure that his conjecture was absolutely correct, Grandpa Fu was still in the research stage anyway, and trying more things wasn't a bad thing.
Grandpa Fu had helped him so much, so he naturally hoped that Grandpa Fu's research would be successful.
Indeed, after some time, Bai Feng learned from Grandpa Fu that the Sapling he was re-Breeding was growing well and was very likely to grow up successfully. This time, Grandpa Fu was full of confidence.
(End of Chapter)