While Wen Qi's life remained as calm as still water, the forest nearby had recently become quite turbulent.
Ever since the Pokémon near the farm had received many berries from Wen Qi, the situation had grown complicated. These berries were of superior quality, providing a wealth of energy. Thus, every Pokémon that had tasted them knew their true value.
Although without proper storage, the berries could only stay fresh for about a month, the wild Pokémon each had their own unique ways of preserving them for survival. Some with special abilities could keep them for up to a year, while others managed three months to half a year.
One might think the Pokémon near the farm would be relatively peaceful now, but that wasn't the case. Because these berries were so rich in energy, weaker Pokémon couldn't hold onto their own. Since the day the berries were distributed, stronger Pokémon had been constantly robbing the weaker ones.
Some more righteous Pokémon tried to stop it, but they couldn't manage it all. In nature, the strong preying on the weak was instinct, and it was common for the powerful to steal food from the powerless. The only saving grace was that, thanks to the energy-packed berries, the robbers usually only took the fruit and didn't kill the victims. They wanted to keep these Pokémon alive for next year's harvest, so they could steal more then.
Moreover, with berries as food, killings among Pokémon had decreased. With ample sustenance, there was no need to devour others. As a result, the numbers of Rattata, Caterpie, and Weedle in the forest had been rising recently.
But this wasn't all good. With Wen Qi providing food, so many could be sustained. Yet if an accident occurred and his supply stopped, the forest couldn't support such a population. Then, large-scale slaughter would be inevitable. Additionally, the increase in Rattata and Caterpie would damage the forest's trees, as they mostly fed on leaves and roots.
For now, it was still manageable—just the beginning, with no major changes. But in a few years, it would be hard to say.
Though berry thefts had stirred things up, it was only a minor disturbance for the forest. After all, it was just robbery, not bloody slaughter, so it remained relatively peaceful.
The real crisis, however, was the siege by Pokémon hunters. Every autumn, many hunters entered the forest to capture Pokémon. Most were decent, only picking those with promising traits, minimizing harm to the overall population. But a different kind of hunter existed—those from the underground black market.
They took everything, not even sparing Rattata or Caterpie. Such hunters faced severe crackdowns from the League, and even the forest's Pokémon would retaliate upon discovery.
Unfortunately, such hunters had indeed appeared near the farm. Luckily, there weren't many—just the Hu brothers, notorious in the surrounding black market. If not for their decent strength, each owning an elite Pokémon, and their cunning nature, they'd have been caught long ago.
Their elite Pokémon were all Mightyena, at levels 45, 46, and 47, belonging to the youngest, middle, and eldest brother respectively. They also had some Flying-type Pokémon for aerial movement, making them hard to capture.
They came here partly because of the recent chaos, hoping to scavenge for rare Pokémon. On the other hand, they'd heard of a young farmer in this remote area. If he was weak, they might even rob him.
So they arrived with ill intentions. But before reaching Wen Qi's farm, they found a surprise in the surrounding forest. After capturing some Pokémon, they discovered many berries in their dens. The quality was astonishingly good, even better than those sold outside. They decided to feed some to their Pokémon.
To their surprise, after eating, their Mightyena's eyes lit up. They no longer cared for the high-grade energy blocks they usually got, pestering the brothers for more berries. The brothers might not sense the berries' special benefits, but the three Mightyena clearly felt a unique energy within, extremely beneficial to them. So they craved only these berries, not the energy blocks.
Even the experienced brothers were stunned. They didn't understand why, but they knew these berries were no ordinary thing. Otherwise, their Mightyena wouldn't act so strangely—not even perfect high-grade energy blocks had elicited such a reaction.
They examined the berries closely. Could these be a low-tier version of heavenly treasures? But that didn't seem right either. Even low-tier treasures wouldn't be so abundant, and they looked just like normal berries.
For a moment, they were baffled, unsure what was going on. But one thing was certain: these berries were extremely valuable.
They exchanged glances, seeing greed and excitement in each other's eyes. They felt they were about to strike it rich. If they could get more of these berries here, they could sell them for a high price, buy high-quality Pokémon, and boost their strength.
With that thought, they were raring to go, eager to scour the entire forest and claim every berry. Soon, the forest's edge became a hive of activity.
With their elite Pokémon, ordinary Pokémon groups were no match. Groups of only a few dozen, with the strongest at level thirty-something, were quickly crushed. Not only were all the Pokémon captured, but the berries the groups had been hoarding were also taken.
Suddenly, the forest was in an uproar. At first, their actions were subtle, not causing major chaos. But as they captured more and more Pokémon, the commotion grew, eventually discovered by others. News spread quickly.
Now, all the Pokémon knew a group of hunters was capturing them and stealing berries. This sparked widespread outrage. Normally, they might not care much about captures—it happened every year, and they were used to it. Plus, removing some reduced resource consumption and competition for food. So they'd turned a blind eye before.
But now, these hunters were not only capturing Pokémon but also stealing berries. That was intolerable. So they began to gather, ready to teach the Hu brothers a lesson.