Hoppip and Whimsicott

Luo Mu spoke, "Serperior."

Serperior nodded slightly. A Vine Whip extended from its neck, instantly wrapping around a small white object in the air and retracting, delivering it into Luo Mu's hand.

Luo Mu carefully picked up the small white object with his fingers, feeling its extremely unique fluffy and soft texture, a surprised gleam flashing in his eyes.

Originally, his target was Grass-type Pokémon with fixed distribution locations in the Paldea region, such as Fomantis, Gogoat, Bounsweet, Mareanie, or Tropius.

He hadn't expected an unexpected surprise on this outing. The owner of this mysterious white fluff scattered in the air was a Pokémon that would be perfect for the farm.

Moreover, it was the signature Pokémon of the extremely popular "Arven's Farm" online.

"Pokémon from the Galar region are rare in Paldea."

Luo Mu smiled, patted Pepper's shoulder to signal him and Master Dogue to follow, then led Serperior in the direction the fluff was drifting.

Soon, they entered a wide grassland area.

Thick grass, about calf-high, covered the ground. Occasionally, a few small Combee or Yanma could be seen flying low. In the distance, a red figure, like a performer, let out a sharp cry.

Following Combee had a chance of leading to Vespiquen's location, allowing them to obtain sweet honey. Normally, Luo Mu would have tried to follow, but he had important business to attend to now. Luo Mu withdrew his gaze, scanned the grassland, and quickly locked onto his target.

There, two tiny Hoppip, with five-petaled yellow flowers and five red sepals like hair, were happily enjoying the sunlight and playing.

Behind them, a Whimsicott, with a large ball of fluff piled on its head and wearing a yellow cape, watched the two Hoppip with a smile.

Pepper was about to speak when Luo Mu stopped him. Luo Mu placed a finger on his lips, using gestures and his eyes to signal Pepper to lower his voice to avoid scaring the Whimsicott and its companions.

Pepper nodded repeatedly with a straight face. He grabbed Master Dogue by the tail and began to shake him wildly, trying to jump out and chase butterflies. He whispered, "Brother Luo Mu, what Pokémon are those?"

Pepper had never seen such Pokémon before and his curiosity was piqued.

Luo Mu observed the three Pokémon without looking away and replied in a low voice, "Those two smaller Pokémon that look like flowers are called Hoppip. The one watching over them is called Whimsicott. They are both Pokémon from the Galar region."

"They are almost non-existent in the Paldea region. It can be said that we've been blessed by the goddess of luck to encounter them here."

Pepper nodded as if he suddenly understood. The Galar region, he had never been there before.

Upon hearing the word "goddess," Serperior's body instantly tensed, and the tip of its tail began to swish unhappily.

Goddess!

Where is the goddess?

Come out and fight! (▼皿▼#)

While Serperior was indiscriminately radiating its terrifying jealousy, Pepper's suppressed gasp rang out, "They're flying away!"

A rustling sound echoed across the calm grassland. A strong gust of wind swept through. The two Hoppip let out excited cries and were blown away by the wind, spinning in circles as they sang a cheerful song.

Whimsicott, as if unfettered by gravity, its body much larger than Hoppip's, flew with the wind, closely following the two Hoppips.

Pepper exclaimed in admiration, "How amazing! How did that Whimsicott fly?"

That's because as Hoppip's evolved form, Whimsicott's height and weight change very little. It's just that the very light cotton on its head makes it look heavier, but it can still be blown away by the wind like Hoppip.

Luo Mu didn't have time to explain this to Pepper, he quickly got up, ignoring his numb feet from squatting in the grass for a while, and whispered, "Let's chase!"

"Huh? Oh!"

Pepper stared blankly as Luo Mu and Serperior dashed out like arrows released from a bow. A moment later, they had already run far ahead.

No longer able to stare blankly, Pepper loosened his grip on his arms and started chasing after Luo Mu and Serperior. The excited Master Dogue closely followed him, fulfilling his duty to protect.

After a chase, Pepper leaned forward with his hands on his knees, panting heavily, feeling like his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

Luo Mu slowly calmed his racing heart and laughed, "You're not up to it, kid. You're tired after running such a short distance."

Pepper retorted indignantly, "Brother Luo Mu, you... you still lost Whimsicott and them. What right do you have to say that?"

Luo Mu felt embarrassed and stubbornly said, "That's different. Who knew a strong gust of wind would suddenly blow, and they happened to drift into this forest. We lost them due to the combined effect of two irresistible forces."

Only then did Pepper have time to observe his surroundings. The view was almost entirely of tall trees, with many obstructions and very complex terrain. It wasn't strange that they had lost them.

After finally recovering, Pepper blinked and asked, "What should we do now? Was this a wasted trip?"

Luo Mu crossed his arms and pondered for a moment, then sighed, "Let's search around here a bit more. The wind has stopped now, and at Whimsicott's speed, they shouldn't have gone too far."

"Of course, if we still can't find them after an hour, we'll go back. It's getting dark, and it's easy to get lost in the wilderness at night."

Pepper nodded as if he understood, though he didn't really grasp the reality of the wilderness at night.

Luo Mu did not split up with Pepper to expand their search area and efficiency. After all, they were in the wilderness, and accidents could happen unexpectedly.

Pepper was not yet the future Senior Pepper, and he lacked many important things and knowledge to face crises.

As Pepper's senior and future teacher, Luo Mu felt he needed to take on this responsibility.

Although this method was inefficient, it at least prevented accidents.

Afterward, the two, along with Master Dogue and Serperior, searched for another half hour but still found nothing.

Looking up at the gradually darkening sky, Luo Mu knew it was time to leave.

Ultimately, they were fated not to meet.

Luo Mu smiled helplessly and turned to Pepper, "Let's go, we should head back."

Pepper nodded and followed Luo Mu's steps.

"Kala!"

Serperior suddenly raised its head, its crimson snake eyes looking towards the distant forest.

"You sensed their aura?" Luo Mu stopped in his tracks, looking at Serperior.

Serperior nodded in affirmation, its deep gaze fixed on that direction without blinking.

Besides the auras of those three Grass-type Pokémon, it had also sensed an unfamiliar aura, very likely not a companion of Whimsicott and the others.