Caught a Bird (Please Read On)

Luo Mu casually scooped a ladle of water from the vat beside him and freshened himself up. After confirming that the rice in the cooker was already steaming, he immediately planned to head out and see whether Serperior and the others had found Eldegoss and the Gossifleur.

The moment he left the kitchen, Luo Mu ran into Arven, who looked as though his soul had left his body as he drifted toward the kitchen with a blissful expression.

Arven's nose twitched slightly as he breathed in the faintly sweet fragrance in the air. He murmured, "What is that? It smells so good and sweet."

"We're having Vegetable and Berry Curry Rice for lunch." Luo Mu stopped Arven from floating into the kitchen and said helplessly, "We'll eat once Serperior, Eldegoss, and the others are back. Come on, let's check whether they've returned from the fields."

"Ooh~"

Arven could only force himself to reluctantly look away. He followed Luo Mu out of the Small Western-Style House and arrived at the five small plots of land that had just been planted in the Farming Area.

All five Pokémon had already gathered in the open space.

Eldegoss noticed Luo Mu and Arven's arrival, its eyes rolling as it came up with an idea. It lightly leaped into the air and began spinning rapidly, while the cotton fluff atop its head scattered over the freshly planted and watered fields as it spun.

Then, something miraculous happened.

As the cotton fluff melted into the soil, the ground began to tremble ever so slightly. Within only a few breaths, green shoots broke through the earth and stood there brightly.

The miracle-like sight left Luo Mu and Arven staring in astonishment, frozen where they stood.

At that moment, Luo Mu understood even more deeply just how miraculous Pokémon power was. If such methods had existed in ancient times, Eldegoss would probably have been worshipped as a deity that brought bountiful harvests.

Perhaps Eldegoss could currently only make seeds sprout, but once it grew stronger, it would sooner or later be able to make plants sprout, bloom, and bear fruit within a few days.

If Serperior learned a gentler growth-boosting move like Grassy Terrain, making flowers bloom and wither overnight would not be impossible either.

Unfortunately, Serperior could only instantly force plants as thick as tree trunks to grow, then use Frenzy Plant to attack.

After sharing its nutrients once, Eldegoss landed on the ground slightly out of breath. It had become this tired from sharing nutrients and energy with just a small patch of land. It seemed they could not rely entirely on Pokémon to accelerate crop growth.

After all, how would that be any different from the sweatshops before his transmigration?

Luo Mu silently made up his mind.

It was lunchtime.

The dining table left behind by the elderly couple was already crowded with Luo Mu and his six main Pokémon, let alone with three newcomers and the unknown Pokémon that would eventually hatch from the Pokémon Egg.

Luo Mu brought the steaming curry to the table, then ladled a scoop of the fragrant curry onto the rice-filled plates before the eagerly awaiting six Pokémon and Arven. The simple yet hearty Vegetable and Berry Curry Rice was complete.

"Let's eat!"

After receiving Luo Mu's helpless nod, the starving Arven immediately grabbed a spoon in his right hand and lifted the curry rice with his left, wolfing it down in an utterly unrefined manner.

Serperior was far more elegant than Arven. It skillfully used Vine Whip to curl around a spoon and fed itself one small bite at a time.

Even after a year, Swampert and Dragonite were still clumsy with spoons. In the end, they chose to lift their curry rice like Arven and eat with broad, rough movements.

At first, Eldegoss and the Gossifleur were a little restrained, but before long, seemingly infected by the atmosphere, they lowered their heads and began eating in small bites.

Luo Mu occasionally scooped a few bites for himself, then refilled the rice and curry for Dragonite and Swampert, who had swept through an entire plate apiece.

Lunch lasted until one in the afternoon. Reenergized, Eldegoss ran off to share the nutrients and energy it had just replenished with the tomato Experimental Field, then weakly floated back down amid the worried cries of the Gossifleur.

This time, Luo Mu wore a rare stern expression. He repeatedly made Eldegoss promise that it could only accelerate growth once a day and must not exhaust the nutrients it needed for its own growth.

Otherwise, Eldegoss would sooner or later damage its very foundation.

After ordering Eldegoss to rest and assigning the Gossifleur to watch over it, Luo Mu called over Swampert, Serperior, and Dragonite. With Arven watching from the side, they used their moves to process the wood Dragonite had gathered all morning.

Razor Leaf stripped away the bark, Air Cutter sliced the wood, and Water Gun polished it. Before long, they had wooden boards in the sizes Luo Mu needed.

Though he was still a complete beginner at farming, Luo Mu had some confidence in his handiwork.

Following the blueprint he had drawn earlier, he assembled boards of different sizes and secured them with nails, eventually creating a scaled-down, all-natural wooden house.

Finally, he laid a layer of soft blanket inside. A small home for Eldegoss and the Gossifleur was complete.

Luo Mu had Swampert carry the little home into the spacious living room on the first floor of the Small Western-Style House and invited Eldegoss and the others to try living in it. They gave it extremely high praise.

The two Gossifleur in particular had always wandered outside. Thanks to Eldegoss's protection, carefree days made up more than half of their memories. Yet when they truly felt that they had a "home," that they had somewhere to belong, they could not help but throw themselves into Luo Mu's arms and burst into tears.

From then on, the two Gossifleur were no longer afraid of Luo Mu, Serperior, or the others. In just one day, they had completely integrated into the farm.

Three days later.

Three days had passed since the crops in the Farming Area had successfully sprouted under Eldegoss's power and the Gossifleur had fully integrated into the farm.

Yesterday, Professor Sada and Professor Turo, who had not sent any word for some time, finally called Luo Mu. After talking for a while, Professor Sada personally came to take away the deeply reluctant Arven. She also said that she would definitely come bearing gifts another day to thank Luo Mu for taking care of Arven over the past few days.

After that, Luo Mu's life returned to a peaceful, uneventful state.

Other than his daily care of the fields, he spent his time studying how to plan the Ranch Area and Lake Area.

At three in the afternoon, Luo Mu lay on a recliner he had just picked up from the market, enjoying a sunbath. Eldegoss and the others quietly stayed nearby, burying themselves in the soil and facing the sunlight for photosynthesis.

Serperior lazily swayed the tip of its tail, absorbing energy from the sun. As for Swampert and Dragonite, who knew where they had run off to play.

Just as everything was peaceful and serene, the temperature in the air suddenly rose. Serperior's previously lazy snake eyes instantly narrowed as it straightened up and looked into the distance with vigilant eyes.

"Hm? What's wrong, Serperior?"

Luo Mu yawned and sleepily looked in the direction of Serperior's gaze. His drowsiness was instantly scared away.

"What the hell!?"

The exclamation slipped out as Luo Mu stared wide-eyed into the distance in disbelief.

Luxray, wreathed in lightning, was racing toward them at top speed. Ceruledge followed close behind, and upon closer inspection, a corner of Mimikyu's rag doll could be seen within Luxray's shadow.

But none of that was important.

What stunned Luo Mu was the large bird clamped in Luxray's jaws—its feathers charred black, with orange-red flames burning atop its head, on its wings, and across its tail feathers!