Old Man Insect stared in horror as a Pokémon he had never seen before materialized beside him. Before he could even command his Beedrill, the creature tapped his forehead with a single finger. His vision went dark instantly.
wtwo used Disable and a localized psychic stasis, effectively turning the old man into a living "statue" within its psychic sub-dinsion.
Feng Che, I have neutralized him and stored him in the sub-space, wtwo's voice echoed. I've already begun scanning his mories to understand why he attacked the orchard. I'll place a ntal seal on him once we return to the nursery. Also, here is the Poké Ball for that specialized Beedrill.
A small, custom-made ball floated into Feng Che's hand. He clicked it open to examine the creature inside. The Beedrill was barely a quarter of the size of a standard one, but its stingers were disproportionately thick, dripping with a viscous purple venom. It had three pairs of wings as thin as cicada silk, a biological design intended for silent, high-speed assassination.
This isn't a disposable drone like the ones the Sting-Bee Organization usually uses, Feng Che noted, sensing a boundless vitality within the small insect. It's almost like a permanent ga Evolution. A masterpiece of genetic engineering.
The Secret of the Mothim Swarm
"Lord Patriarch! Are you alright?" Seventh Elder Yuan Qi finally caught up, his face pale as he looked at the scattered poison needles frozen in the air.
"I'm fine. Just a few tricks," Feng Che replied, waving his hand to dissipate the psychic barrier. "The lead Beedrill is captured. Have my Pokémon clear out the remaining Mothim. Go find the Second Elder and bring him to ."
Once Qi was out of earshot, Feng Che turned back to his internal dialogue. wtwo, what was the motive?
A shadowy organization paid Old Man Insect a fortune to cripple the Gardenia's economy, wtwo explained. But the old man had his own agenda. He discovered a massive Leaf Stone ore vein deep beneath this orchard. He specifically bred these Mothim to secrete a specialized acid. They eat the hormone-laced berries, and their digestive systems refine the raw ore from the soil into Grass Crystals, which they then excrete.
The trees themselves were saturated with grass energy from the ore, making them the perfect catalyst. He wasn't just destroying the orchard; he was using it as a biological refinery.
"The man is a genius," Feng Che muttered. "Crushing the Gardenias while simultaneously farming high-value Grass Crystals. It's a sha he picked the wrong target."
The Miracle of Restoration
It took half a day of relentless combat for Feng Che's entire team to wipe out the thousands of maddened Mothim.
"wtwo, harvest every Grass Crystal from the remains," Feng Che commanded. "We're going to need them for the next step."
Soon, a mountain of low-grade but high-volu Grass Crystals sat in wtwo's space. Feng Che then opened a portal to the Flowery Gardens.
"Shaymin, I need your help to restore the orchard," he said, patting the Sky Form Pokémon's head.
"I can do it," Shaymin chirped, sniffing the air, "but I'll need a massive amount of grass energy to heal this much land at once."
Feng Che signaled wtwo, who released the collected crystals. They cascaded over Shaymin like a green waterfall. Shaymin glowed with an intense erald light as she absorbed the energy, then pulsed it deep into the soil.
The transformation was instantaneous. Burnt stumps sprouted fresh buds, which accelerated into gnarled, healthy trees. They blossod in a riot of colors, and a gentle breeze carried the scent of a thousand flowers across the valley. Minutes later, the branches were heavy with ripe berries.
Feng Che plucked a Pecha Berry the size of his palm, wiped it on his sleeve, and took a bite. The juice was sweet and overflowing with vitality.
A New Economic Strategy
"Second Elder," Feng Che said, turning to the approaching Yuan Tian, "these berries are too high in quality to be sold on the open market. From this mont on, the Gardenia family will cease all sales of raw berries and herbs."
The Second Elder's jaw dropped. "Halt all sales? But Patriarch, our entire inco depends on the fresh trade! Many clans only buy fresh-picked stock—they think cold storage ruins the quality. Besides, we don't have enough pharmacists to process a harvest this large into dicine."
"We don't need an army of pharmacists," Feng Che said dismissively. "I have the formulas. We will only need a few experienced hands to create base concentrates. By mixing these in specific ratios, we can produce a wide variety of high-end potions and energy roots."
He looked out over the lush orchard. "Selling raw materials is the business of peasants. We are a Great Family. We will sell processed, high-tech products with ten tis the profit margin. Let the other factions panic when their supply of 'cheap' Gardenia herbs disappears. They'll co crawling back, and this ti, we set the price."
Feng Che smiled. This was the second step of his plan: moving the Gardenias from a raw resource supplier to a high-end pharmaceutical monopoly.
User Comments
0 comments from readers