"Use Murkrow feathers as an ingredient."

  The elderly apothecary furrowed his brows. In all his years of studying potion-making, he had never heard of such an unusual recipe.

  Is he just making things up…? The young apothecary gnced at his mentor's expression and couldn't help but wonder.

  "Young apothecary, I hope you're not speaking nonsense," Baron Beryl said in a grave tone. "No one has ever attempted to use Murkrow feathers in a potion before."

  The other apothecaries nodded in silent agreement. Potion-making was a serious craft—any mistake in the formu could lead to disastrous consequences.

  As expected, no one believes me… Samuel wasn't surprised in the slightest. If he hadn't successfully brewed a potion using this method himself, he wouldn't have believed it either.

  "Why not give it a try?" A voice suddenly broke the silence. Mira, who had remained quiet until now, spoke up. "If no one ever experiments, we'll never discover new possibilities."

  Samuel shot her a surprised gnce.

  "We can conduct a simple test," she continued. "Let's see if adding Murkrow feathers enhances the potion's effectiveness."

  Seeing his lord make such a statement, Knight Kevin nodded and prepared to procure a Murkrow.

  These creatures were perfect for night patrols—he remembered that the town constable had a few of them, making this task an easy one.

  "Kevin, try to find as many Murkrow as possible," Samuel added just before the knight left. "Only specific Murkrow feathers will work—especially the one currently stationed in the slums. No matter what, bring that one back."

  Samuel recalled that the Murkrow in the slums most likely had the Insomnia ability.

  Kevin gave a brief nod before stepping out of the room. Moments ter, the fpping of wings could be heard as a Staraptor soared into the sky, heading toward the slums.

  "The work on the potent potion must continue," Baron Beryl instructed the apothecaries, still clearly skeptical of Samuel's cims.

  You'll see soon enough… Samuel didn't bother expining further. Instead, he walked toward the cage where a small Petilil was being held. He smiled.

  "Little one, you'll be free soon."

  His words caught everyone off guard.

  He came here… to save that Petilil?

  "Yes, we're friends," Samuel admitted openly. If he wanted to take Petilil away, he needed a legitimate reason.

  Once he successfully awakened Baron Reiser, he could use it as leverage to demand Petilil's release. With the baron indebted to him, there would be little opposition.

  Petilil's usually calm expression flickered with surprise.

  Freedom…?

  Mira found herself unexpectedly moved by Samuel's kindness.

  I hope he really can wake up Baron Reiser… she thought. She didn't want to see Petilil perish like this.

  Time passed slowly.

  Kevin was efficient—before long, the sound of fpping wings echoed through the courtyard.

  They've arrived. Samuel silently acknowledged. He turned and stepped outside.

  In the noble estate's garden, a towering Staraptor stood proudly, and behind it were three Murkrow.

  As Samuel emerged, one of the Murkrow locked eyes with him, its gaze sharp and piercing. At the same time, Samuel's attention fixed on it as well.

  It's you. His lips curled into a smirk.

  The Murkrow hesitated mid-flight, sensing a deep, ominous intent directed at it.

  Kevin nodded at Samuel before stepping forward. He reached out, grabbed a handful of feathers from the Murkrow's wing, and yanked them free.

  A sharp, piercing cry filled the air as the Murkrow recoiled in pain, its eyes fshing with fury as it gred at Samuel.

  …One feather would've been enough. Samuel winced. Seeing the Murkrow's intense hatred directed at him, he knew this wasn't over.

  But there was no time to dwell on it. Holding the Murkrow feathers, he returned to the baron's chambers, ready to test his hypothesis.

  If these feathers didn't work, he'd be sure to remind Kevin next time—one feather was plenty.

  Inside the room, all eyes were on him. The apothecaries watched as he held the bundle of Murkrow feathers.

  "Don't worry. I'll get this right," Samuel assured them, pcing the feathers on the table.

  His gaze met Petilil's, and he offered a reassuring smile.

  Perhaps encouraged by his confidence, Petilil rexed slightly, nodding gently. For the first time, its expression softened.

  Under the watchful eyes of the gathered apothecaries, Samuel began the process.

  Oran Berries, Lum Berries, and Murkrow feathers—these were the primary ingredients.

  He really knows how to make potions… The apothecaries couldn't help but think as they observed his technique.

  Though some of his methods differed from theirs, upon closer examination, they realized his approach seemed… superior.

  So Lum Berries can be processed this way… The more they watched, the more astonished they became—even the veteran apothecaries unconsciously sat up straighter, carefully analyzing his every move.

  With practiced precision, Samuel prepared the Lum Berries and Oran Berries, then pced the Murkrow feathers into a mortar and began grinding them into fine powder.

  Finally, he combined the Lum Berry juice and Oran Berry juice in a vial before adding the ground Murkrow feathers. With that, the potion was complete.

  It worked. Thank Arceus I didn't forget my Academy potion lessons… Samuel exhaled in relief, lifting the vial for everyone to see.

  Then he noticed something strange—the apothecaries were staring at him, unblinking.

  Do I have something on my face? He instinctively touched his cheek.

  "Allow me to test it," an elderly apothecary said eagerly.

  He retrieved a small vial from his pocket, containing a pale blue powder—Sleep Powder extracted from a Grass-type Pokémon.

  Seeing this, one of his apprentices hurried to fetch a small cage from the corner. Inside was a white-furred Rattata.

  The elder opened the vial and sprinkled the Sleep Powder into the cage.

  Instantly, the Rattata—previously alert and standing on its hind legs—slumped over, eyes shutting as it fell into a deep sleep.

  To ensure a proper test, they had used an excessive amount of Sleep Powder—enough to make any ordinary potion struggle to counteract it.

  The young apothecary carefully took the vial from Samuel, extracted a single drop of the potion, and pced it in a test tube. He then pried open the Rattata's mouth and fed it the drop.

  In the blink of an eye, the Rattata's paws twitched. Its eyes fluttered open, and it immediately shook off the effects of the sleep!

  -----

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