Wilderness Adventure!

"Let me see?"

Luo Mu leaned in, looking at the small pit Pepper had dug with his hoe.

The moment he saw it, Luo Mu's brow furrowed deeply. The potato seeds, which had been evenly distributed in the soil, had inexplicably shattered into fine powder.

Pepper clapped the dirt off his hands and very naturally accepted the Water Gun sprayed by Swampert, washing his hands as he said, "I really didn't expect, Brother Luo Mu, that you wouldn't even know this kind of common sense."

"Grass-type Pokémon can accelerate the growth of crops or plants, but the prerequisite is that the crops must have the ability to absorb energy and nutrients."

"Serperior is too strong. It's so strong that the slight nutrients and energy it deems fit to bestow are enough to cause indigestion in crops that are still in seed form." Pepper's words were pearls of wisdom, making Luo Mu and Serperior blush. Before Swampert could rejoice at having escaped unscathed, Pepper's attention turned to Swampert.

"It's the same with Swampert's Water Gun used for watering. Even just washing my hands, I can tell this is water converted from pure Water-type energy."

"Things that ordinary low-level Pokémon can do well can actually cause problems because you are too powerful."

Luo Mu fell silent. He felt like he was about to break and frantically poked the Hint System in his mind.

"Is that how it is?"

[Yes, my illiterate host. Because Serperior and Swampert's energy levels are too high, the crops suffered indigestion and cracked.]

". Why didn't you give me a hint? Aren't you the Hint System?"

[You didn't ask me. You told me to answer any question but didn't tell me to proactively jump out. When I proactively jumped out, you found me annoying.]

The text writhed chaotically, faintly revealing a hint of grievance.

"My mistake. I'll actively seek you out next time."

[Hmph]

After ending the brief conversation with the Hint System, Luo Mu looked at Pepper with a sheepish grin, rubbing his hands like a fly and humbly asking, "So, besides watering and fertilizing step-by-step, it's best to find some ordinary Grass-type Pokémon to cultivate the crops?"

Pepper nodded slightly, acknowledging Luo Mu's statement. He then added, "There's another way to let Serperior do this, and it can be even more efficient."

Luo Mu perked up his ears, his expression curious.

Pepper didn't keep him in suspense. At ten years old, he was more like a teacher, directly saying, "I read in a book that many farms use Pokémon with the move Grassy Terrain to promote the growth of crops and plants. Brother Luo Mu, your Serperior is so strong, it must know Grassy Terrain, right?"

Luo Mu exchanged a glance with Serperior. Seeing Serperior put on an innocent expression, Luo Mu could only say helplessly, "My Serperior actually hasn't mastered the move Grassy Terrain."

To be precise, it had learned it but couldn't master it no matter how hard it tried. If he told the truth, he would definitely be whipped by Serperior in a fit of pique. It was better to tell a small lie.

Serperior was pleased with Luo Mu's perceptiveness and let out a soft sound, "Kala~"

In short, it was enough to find other Grass-type Pokémon to bring to the farm. This way, they wouldn't be Pokémon captured by Luo Mu, and they certainly wouldn't take away Luo Mu's attention like a Pokémon Egg.

It had no objections.

Luo Mu could roughly tell what Serperior meant. It likely didn't think ordinary Pokémon could pose a threat to its status. That's all an arrogant mind would think about, and Luo Mu saw right through it.

Luo Mu took the incubator from Swampert's hand and, as usual, glanced at the Pokémon Egg inside.

There were almost no changes. Although some Fletchlings were active in the nearby wilderness, their abilities hadn't developed to the point of hatching a Pokémon Egg yet. They still had to wait for Dragonite to bring back the nutrient solution and for Luxray and the others to find a Pokémon with the Flame Body ability.

Pepper also came over, looking curious. "Brother Luo Mu, did you buy another Pokémon Egg?"

"Someone entrusted it to me to take care of," Luo Mu nodded, briefly explaining the story of the Pokémon Egg to Pepper. He also asked Pepper to inquire with Dr. Jacq and Dr. Friede if they had any solutions when he had time.

After listening, Pepper's heart was filled with pity for the Pokémon Egg. He gently stroked the incubator's shell and said softly, "You've worked hard for so long. You must keep going. With Brother Luo Mu here, the time for you to hatch is not far away."

"As for my parents, I'll talk to them when I go back today."

Although Pepper still harbored some resentment towards Dr. Jacq and Friede, he knew the importance of the situation. It concerned a life, and now was not the time for him to be sulky.

Seeing that Pepper had agreed to his suggestion, Luo Mu breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Pepper and proposed, "I plan to try my luck in the nearby wilderness and see if I can recruit any suitable Grass-type Pokémon for the farm. Do you want to come?"

Pepper was taken aback, then quickly reacted and nodded heavily.

Since the field where the bag of potato seeds was planted had been watered by Swampert, the seeds inside were likely in dire straits. Since he had to go out anyway, Luo Mu asked Swampert to stay behind to guard the house while using its moves to re-till that experimental field.

As for him...

He returned home, picked up a canvas bag he had bought on impulse, mysteriously packed some things inside, and then left with Serperior, Pepper, and Master Dogue.

The goal of this trip was to find suitable Grass-type Pokémon and capture them to work on the farm.

Although the farm would still take some time to officially operate, it was a good opportunity to recruit a few employees.

The wilderness could always present unexpected dangers, which was probably why Grandma Juzi's explorer son had given up on that Pokémon Egg.

So, Luo Mu left the incubator beside Swampert. Although Swampert looked very violent, it was actually very sensible. Luo Mu was very relieved to have it protect the incubator.

Wilderness.

In mid-air, a streak of fire darted around like a meteor, leaving many scorched marks on the surrounding grass. The culprit was likely the entity within that fiery meteor.

Luo Mu shielded Pepper behind him and said, "Go easy. Use Vine Whip to catch it."

Serperior nodded slightly, and two Verdant Vines shot out like lightning. A sound like a thunderclap echoed through the air.

The basic Vine Whip was used by Serperior with the power of Frenzy Plant. The Verdant Vines, unafraid of the flames, quickly caught up to the high-speed target and wrapped around it tightly.

Quaxly let out a mournful cry and was dragged to the ground by Serperior's Vine Whip. Serperior then skillfully broke the vine after binding Quaxly.

Pepper, hiding behind Luo Mu, was full of admiration. There were at least a dozen Quaxly and Fletchlings lying haphazardly on the ground, yet they were dealt with so easily by Luo Mu and Serperior.

Luo Mu looked up at the sky and found that no more Quaxly were flying down to attack them. He couldn't help but sigh.

It seemed that Braviary with the Flame Body ability wasn't something you could easily encounter. Not a single Braviary had appeared in the flock of Quaxly that attacked them.

Let's continue searching for a suitable Grass-type Pokémon.

Luo Mu, along with Pepper, Serperior, and Master Dogue, continued walking westward. Suddenly, Pepper sneezed and, looking bewildered, pulled a small piece of white fluff from his mouth.

Luo Mu, who noticed all of this, had his eyes light up the moment he saw the fluff.

Speak of the devil!