Theo withdrew his thoughts and continued leading his companions deeper toward Fortree City.
Sunlight filtered through layers of dense foliage, casting shifting patches of dappled light across the ground.
As for the Kecleon that had been defeated earlier by Deino, it had already quietly slipped away and vanished the moment the evolution light appeared. Theo did not bother to pay it any attention, since it was nothing more than a minor episode along the journey.
Along the way, the newly evolved Zweilous's second head, Blue Char, behaved like an endlessly curious child.
One moment it would stretch its neck to bite at tree branches by the roadside, the next it would lower its head to pick up clumps of grass roots, and it would even lean down to nibble at fallen wild fruits on the ground.
Every time it tasted something, it would close its eyes and chew carefully, its little head swaying slightly as if seriously evaluating the flavor.
"Wumi~"
Seeing this, Fire Vulpix joined in the fun, hopping around and picking up all sorts of strange "treasures" from the ground to offer to Blue Char.
Half a piece of tree bark, a leaf still covered in dew, even a small clump of damp soil were all brought to its mouth as if saying, "Try this one too."
Ice Vulpix tilted its head nearby, watching Blue Char's reaction with curiosity. Blue Char, for its part, accepted everything without hesitation. Clean or dirty did not matter, it stuffed everything into its mouth and tasted it all with great enthusiasm.
Black Char watched Blue Char's behavior, clearly thinking it looked like it had never seen the world before, and shook its head helplessly. Then it turned and nudged into Theo's backpack behind him.
Soon, it pulled out several cans of compressed Pokémon food and dropped them with a soft thud in front of Blue Char.
These were portable rations Theo carried with him, available in various flavors. Some were berry based and light, while others were meat based and more substantial.
Blue Char leaned in to sniff them, then picked up one can and bit it open with a crunch. It devoured the contents, meat and juices alike, its eyes lighting up instantly.
When it finished, it did not even spare the metal can. With a series of crunching sounds, it chewed the container itself into pieces and swallowed it, exactly like how it used to eat back when it was still a Deino.
"Zwei~"
Black Char lightly bumped Blue Char as if teasing it about its eating habits, but Blue Char had no time to respond. It was too busy eating, juices dripping down from its mouth onto its neck.
Laughing and chatting along the way, stopping from time to time, Theo soon arrived at the entrance of Fortree City following the road signs.
Looking up, the entire city was exactly as rumored, built upon countless towering trees.
Treehouses were scattered among the branches in an orderly arrangement, while wooden bridges and rope bridges connected tree to tree, forming a vast green web.
The most eye catching sight was a distant mountain covered in white marble. A grand staircase stretched from the foot of the mountain all the way to its peak.
At the halfway point stood massive statues of Charizard and Skarmory, their wings poised as if ready to take flight, exuding an imposing presence.
At the summit, a flattened platform served as the battlefield of the Fortree Gym, the highest point in the city where one could overlook the entire landscape.
In earlier years, Fortree City did not have many outsiders. Most trainers stayed in the accommodations attached to the Pokémon Center.
However, as its natural scenery gained popularity, especially with the flying type Pokémon tour activities becoming a signature attraction, more and more people began building lodges and inns among the giant trees, and business gradually flourished.
Theo walked further into the city. Massive trees with diameters of ten to twenty meters could be seen everywhere.
Delicate treehouses were built along the trunks, and wooden suspension ladders connected them like aerial corridors.
Beautifly fluttered overhead with colorful wings, while the calls of Taillow and Pidgeotto echoed one after another. The entire city felt like a vast aerial garden.
The air was filled with the fresh scent of vegetation and moisture, making one feel especially relaxed.
"Let's rest up ahead."
Just as Theo was about to find a decent looking inn to stay in, Zweilous, carrying the Ice Vulpix and Fire Vulpix on its back, suddenly rushed forward under the lead of Blue Char.
It seemed Blue Char had caught the scent of something irresistibly fragrant and dashed straight toward a towering tree.
Beneath the tree lay a Tropius, lazily basking in the sunlight, looking completely at ease.
Around its neck hung clusters of golden bananas shaped like crescent moons, their sweet aroma slowly spreading through the air.
Blue Char stared fixedly at the bananas, licking its lips repeatedly. It then nudged Black Char beside it, letting out a low growl, clearly unable to resist.
Black Char sniffed lightly and was instantly drawn to the scent as well, but it knew better than to steal food. It shook its head gently, signaling Blue Char to wait for Theo.
Behind them, Ice Vulpix and Fire Vulpix quickly hugged Blue Char's neck, pulling hard to stop it from rushing forward recklessly.
At that moment, the Tropius, which had been resting with its eyes closed, quietly opened them. Seeing that the two headed Pokémon could actually resist the temptation of its fruit, it deliberately released more scent, intensifying the sweetness of the bananas in the air.
Black Char originally wanted to hold out until Theo arrived, but the aroma was simply too tempting. In the end, it could not resist. Stretching its neck forward, it gently bit off a cluster of bananas and began to taste them.
Seeing this, Blue Char immediately grew anxious. It forcefully broke free from the restraint of the two Vulpix and pounced forward, devouring the bananas in big bites.
The sweet flavor made their eyes shine with satisfaction.
Black Char did not forget about the two Vulpix. It bit off two bananas and shared them with them.
The two little Vulpix held the golden bananas, sniffing their sweet fragrance, unsure what to do for a moment.
Just then, Theo finally arrived.
"Trooop—"
Seeing the trainer appear, Tropius slowly stood up, pretending it had just been awakened.
It stared directly at the bananas in the two Vulpix's arms and let out several low growls toward Theo, clearly conveying the message: your Pokémon stole my food, you must compensate.
Theo was about to apologize and offer compensation, but to his surprise, Tropius nudged him with its head and guided him toward the back of the tree, as if saying it would be fine without payment, just follow me.
Unable to figure out what Tropius was planning, Theo could only follow obediently. At the same time, he gestured for Metagross, Zweilous, and the two Vulpix to come along.
At this moment, Ice Vulpix and Fire Vulpix could no longer hold back. Sitting on Zweilous's back, they carefully peeled open the bananas with their tiny paws and took small bites.
After just one bite, their eyes lit up immediately.
Blue Char turned its head and stared at them eating happily, licking its lips over and over again, clearly craving more.
The two Vulpix immediately became alert and sped up their eating, afraid that the greedy Blue Char would snatch their share.
Black Char also pulled its head slightly aside, blocking any chance for Blue Char to grab them.
"Hmph!"
Seeing this, Blue Char snorted, then turned its head away, flicking its bangs aside. Its gaze locked onto the Tropius leading the way ahead.
It stared at the remaining bananas hanging around Tropius's neck, repeatedly pressing its lips together, unable to hide its desire.
(End of Chapter)