Vegetable Berry Curry

Until Luo Mu stood in the fields of the Farming Area, he was still mulling over his earlier exchange with the system.

First of all, he had no problem with the general plan for dealing with the Pokémon Egg. Whether it was using Incubation Nutrient Solution or searching for a powerful Pokémon with the Flame Body Ability, both were sound decisions.

What he cared about more, though, was the phrase "distant past." Did the system mean that the Pokémon Egg came from the distant past—or even from ancient times?

If that was the case, then this Pokémon Egg probably had quite a story behind it.

Luo Mu had some suspicions, but he didn't dare be certain. Perhaps he would only know for sure once the Pokémon Egg hatched.

He decided not to dwell on it. Smiling at Whimsicott, who had been waiting nearby for some time and was visibly eager to get started, he asked, "Did you sleep well last night?"

Whimsicott was much livelier than the day before. Bouncing around, it seemed to love the farm, and answered Luo Mu's question through its actions.

The two Hoppip, however, seemed a little less at ease. They had woken up in an unfamiliar place and probably hadn't adjusted yet. They just cowered behind Whimsicott, timidly watching Luo Mu, Serperior, and Swampert.

Luo Mu smiled. There was no need to rush into befriending the Hoppip. He said to Whimsicott, "I'm going to start planting this morning. You can take the Hoppip around inside the fenced area and help them get familiar with the place. Once I'm done, I'll make a Wooden Nest for you and the Hoppip so you'll have somewhere more comfortable to sleep."

Whimsicott nodded. It knew it couldn't help with the farming, so it followed Luo Mu's instructions, playing and fooling around with the Hoppip as the three of them explored the unfamiliar surroundings.

Watching their bouncing figures grow smaller in the distance, Luo Mu looked up at the cloudless sky and muttered, "Looks like it'll be sunny today. Perfect weather for getting some work done."

With that, Luo Mu put on his straw hat, picked up his iron hoe, and called Swampert and Serperior over. It was time to roll up his sleeves and get to work.

Today's goal was to plant all the seeds!

Beneath the clear blue sky, Luo Mu swung his hoe to dig a small hole, then placed the last of his Strawberry Seeds—or rather, the strawberry skins—into the soil.

Serperior used Vine Whip to gather the loose soil nearby and cover them, while Swampert brought over a bucket of ordinary water, without Water-type energy. Luo Mu poured a small amount over the soil.

And just like that, the planting was done. All that remained was to wait for Whimsicott and the others to come back so he could give the seeds some nutrients.

Luo Mu sighed with relief. After washing his hands at Swampert's side, he looked at the five small plots of farmland, each separated from the others, and felt a powerful sense of accomplishment.

This was his first step toward a rural life, and a small step in the farm's development.

Today was a day worth commemorating. Luo Mu wanted to take the opportunity to name the farm, but then he thought of Dragonite, who had gone out to gather wood, and Luxray and the others, who had gone to search for a powerful Pokémon with the Flame Body Ability. In the end, he decided to set that desire aside for a while.

An occasion worth commemorating deserved to wait until everyone was there.

Whimsicott and the others still hadn't come back. Luo Mu doubted they could get lost on a farm this small, but sent Serperior and Swampert to bring them back anyway. Then he went to see why that kid Pepper was still in bed at noon.

The shortest route from the farm led to the little villa. Next in order of distance was the Ranch Area, which hadn't been built yet, followed by the farthest area, the Lake Area.

Luo Mu slung his hoe over his shoulder and hummed as he walked. It took him just three or four minutes to reach the house. On a whim, he looked up and saw Pepper lying on the third-floor windowsill, gazing blankly into the distance with a strangely melancholy air.

Good grief. He was only ten, so how was he acting like a middle-aged man worn down by life? Luo Mu leaned the hoe against the wall, strode through the front door and up to the third floor, then grabbed Pepper, who was putting on a melancholy act with dark circles under his eyes. "So you didn't listen to a word I said yesterday, huh?"

"Look at those dark circles. What time did you stay up until last night?"

Pepper yawned and mumbled, "Four."

Luo Mu: "..."

Staring at the ten-year-old who was stubbornly at odds with his parents, Luo Mu even wondered whether someone as childish as Pepper could really go traveling like the other Super Rookie, who was also ten.

Luo Mu had his doubts.

He wasn't about to try to correct Pepper's stubbornness today. Letting go of the back of Pepper's shirt, he said, "Forget it. Go wash up. I'm about to make lunch."

Pepper was going through a rebellious phase and refusing to get along with his parents, but aside from anything involving them, he always listened to Luo Mu.

He slipped on his little slippers and pattered off to the washroom on the first floor.

Luo Mu strolled into the kitchen and opened a cupboard to check what ingredients were left. "If only I had a refrigerator. I could keep some meat frozen. But money's a little tight right now, so I'll have to eat vegetables and wild game for a while. Today, I'll make... Vegetable Berry Curry Rice!"

With that, Luo Mu took out carrots, onions, and the other vegetables needed for curry, along with half a bag of leftover Curry Powder.

As for the meat, he had only just finished what he'd bought and hadn't gone shopping again. Besides, Whimsicott and the others probably wouldn't accept meat. Luo Mu took a few huge, plump Peach Fruits out of the cupboard. Peter had given them to him as samples when he'd visited Jones Farm, so he could try them.

Now was the perfect time to use them in a meal.

Peach Fruit tasted less like peaches and more like a mildly flavored, low-juice fruit. Pairing it with curry rice wasn't really a culinary crime. Luo Mu had tried it once before, and it had tasted pretty good.

Making curry rice was simple. He fried the vegetables in a little hot oil until they were cooked through. Since Peach Fruit tasted bad when exposed to hot oil, he first added warm water to cover the ingredients. Then, once the water boiled, he added the Peach Fruit, cut into bite-sized pieces, and cooked the curry sauce until it thickened.

When he was done, Luo Mu scooped out a little curry and tasted it. The mildly sweet curry was light and mellow, and its delicate flavor lingered pleasantly. That was all thanks to the distinctive taste of the Peach Fruit.

As the first meal for the new members, Whimsicott and the others would probably like it.

Luo Mu took some firewood out from beneath the stove, covered the pot, and left it to simmer over low heat. For a moment, he missed the days when Ceruledge was around. Ceruledge could always control the temperature of its flames so precisely. When Luo Mu lit a fire with firewood himself, he always ended up covered in soot.

There was no gas line out here in the suburbs. The fact that Pingdie Town had electricity and running water was already a sign of decent infrastructure.