Recruiting New Members

Poliwag leaped from the water in a graceful arc, its tiny feet the same color as its body landing on the wetland with a small splash.

After reaching land, Poliwag did not immediately begin practicing how to walk. Instead, it called out several times toward the calm water.

Seeing this, Luo Mu and Luxray paused, intending to see what Poliwag was planning.

Poliwag kept calling and encouraging the water's surface, its expression looking somewhat anxious.

About a minute later, a cluster of dense bubbles surfaced on the still water, as though something were rising from below. Moments later, three small heads that looked nearly identical to Poliwag emerged from the water.

Clearly, they were three more Poliwag.

The four Poliwag seemed to be companions who acted as a group, and the Poliwag that had first emerged was clearly the group's leader.

The Poliwag that had leaped out alone first continuously opened and closed its thick lips, seemingly urging the three Poliwag in the water to gather their courage and not be afraid.

The three Poliwag hesitated for a moment before finally wobbling out of the water and onto land. They cautiously followed behind their leader, wobbling as they practiced walking.

Crouching in the distance, Luo Mu murmured, "Not bad."

When Pokémon like Poliwag first hatched from Pokémon Eggs, they had no feet. Like tadpoles undergoing metamorphosis, they only grew feet after developing for a while.

It was as though these Pokémon possessed a longing for land deep in their genes. Once they grew feet, even if the ground was filled with unknown dangers, they would still take the risk of coming ashore to practice walking.

What delighted Luo Mu the most was the leading Poliwag. It had already shown considerable Guts and outstanding leadership ability at such an early stage.

With a little training, it definitely had the potential to evolve into a Politoed!

Luo Mu instantly decided to bundle all four Poliwag up and take them with him!

Generally speaking, there were only three ways to catch Pokémon.

The first was food bait. The delicious food humans had developed held explosive appeal for Wild Pokémon. In every region, there were often incidents of Wild Pokémon sneaking food from Trainers' backpacks or attacking because of it.

There were only so many foods in the wild that could provide energy. Berry trees on their own were almost always occupied by the strong, and going hungry was completely normal for Wild Pokémon.

Beasts would never be slaves—unless room and board were included.

Put on an act for three minutes, live in wealth and glory for a lifetime.

These were accurate portrayals of the living conditions of many weak Wild Pokémon.

Swampert, back when it was still a Marshtomp, had been tricked into joining Luo Mu in exactly this way.

The second method was ordinary battle capture: defeat a Wild Pokémon, then put it into a Poké Ball.

Considering Luxray's combat strength, Luo Mu silently chose to give up on that method.

The third was to build an emotional bond and let the other party willingly follow you when the time was right.

Beyond that, there were actually hidden, legendary fourth and fifth methods.

For example, transforming into a super Hisuian and physically catching them with Sticky Globs in hand, or the most outrageous method of all—being a one-ball master like some Goh.

Luo Mu chose food bait. He would try the gentle approach first, then the hard one if it did not work.

The Poliwag formed a neat line and toddled along the ground near the lake's edge. Ignoring how unsteadily they swayed, they looked somewhat like Pokémon such as Falinks.

Worried that Luxray's presence would frighten the Poliwag outright, Luo Mu approached alone.

His footsteps on the wetland quickly caught the Poliwags' attention.

The three Poliwag at the back shuddered and immediately wanted to jump into the lake. The leading Poliwag, meanwhile, stared at Luo Mu with bright black eyes, both curious and wary.

Seeing the Poliwag slowly move to stand in front of its companions so they could escape first, the smile on Luo Mu's face deepened. Once he came within two meters of them, he stopped approaching, crouched slightly, took out the food he had prepared in advance from his pocket, and gently tossed it over.

Plop.

Several pieces of Smoked Fish Jerky, neither too large nor too small, landed on the wetland. The leading Poliwag froze in place, not understanding what Luo Mu meant.

Fish jerky was one of the provisions Luo Mu carried. It was easy to carry, easy to preserve, and tasted good. If he ever ran into trouble in the wilderness, it could also provide nutrition and salt.

Poliwag, and indeed most Pokémon, were unlike ordinary pets. They had no problem eating human seasonings, so Luo Mu was not worried that it would harm them.

Before the leading Poliwag could figure out Luo Mu's purpose, the three Poliwag behind it could no longer hold themselves back.

The lightly fragrant Smoked Fish Jerky was overwhelmingly tempting to them while they were still hungry. The Poliwag behind wore greedy expressions and looked expectantly at their leader.

The leader of the Poliwag then looked back at Luo Mu.

Luo Mu gave a friendly smile and said, "Go ahead and eat. Consider it us becoming friends."

No matter how mature the Poliwag leader was for its age, it was only about as old as the companions behind it. How could it have seen much of the world or understood any schemes?

It truly believed Luo Mu's words. Without hesitation, Poliwag bit into a piece of Smoked Fish Jerky and began savoring it.

Seeing their leader take a bite, the other Poliwag also began eating their own portions of Smoked Fish Jerky.

By the time they finished eating, Luo Mu had moved much closer, nearly just one step away.

This time, the Poliwag were much less guarded. In their current worldview, Luo Mu, who had given them food, was already equated with a good person.

Luo Mu went with the flow and began the final step. He smiled even more kindly, took four Poké Balls from his pocket one after another, and placed them on the ground. Then he said to the Poliwag, "Do you want to come with me? There won't be any danger in the future, and there'll be plenty of food—some of it even tastier than this Smoked Fish Jerky!"

"..."

After a stretch of silence, the three Poliwag made their decision first. They hopped over to the Poké Balls and looked at their leader expectantly.

Big brother, there's food and water, and no danger. Isn't that a hundred times better than living in the wild? (/^▽^)/

The Poliwag leader looked shocked. It had not expected its little companions to give themselves away so easily.

After hesitating for a moment, beyond the delicious Smoked Fish Jerky, it was still more worried about its companions. The Poliwag leader could only helplessly walk over to the Poké Balls as well, setting an example by being the first to ram headfirst inside.

With their leader's demonstration, the three Poliwag followed suit, selling themselves to Luo Mu one by one.

"Meow."

Luxray strode over with imposing feline steps. Looking at the stunned Luo Mu, it found the situation rather amusing.

The Trainer had prepared so much, yet before he could use any of it, the four Poliwag had already given themselves away.