A Bird Brought Back

Luo Mu casually scooped up a ladle of water from the vat nearby and tidied himself up. After checking that the rice in the cooker was steaming, he immediately decided to head out and see if Serperior and the others had brought Whimsicott and the Hoppips back yet.

As soon as he left the kitchen, Luo Mu ran into Pepper, who seemed to have lost his soul and was drifting toward the kitchen with a blissful look on his face.

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

"We're having Vegetable Berry Curry Rice for lunch today." Luo Mu stopped Pepper from drifting into the kitchen and said helplessly, "We'll eat once Serperior, Whimsicott, and the others are back. Come on, let's check the fields first."

"Okay~"

Pepper reluctantly forced himself to look away and followed Luo Mu out of the little house. They arrived at the five small plots in the Farming Area, which had just been sown.

All five Pokémon had gathered in the open space.

Whimsicott spotted Luo Mu and Pepper arriving. Its eyes darted around, then it lightly sprang into the air and began spinning rapidly. As it spun, the cotton on its head scattered across the plots, which had already been sown and watered.

Then, a wondrous sight unfolded.

As the cotton seemed to melt into the soil, the earth began to tremble ever so slightly. Within just a few breaths, green shoots broke through the ground and stood there, fresh and bright.

The sight seemed like a miracle. Luo Mu and Pepper stared in amazement, frozen in place.

At that moment, Luo Mu understood more deeply than ever just how wondrous a Pokémon's power could be. In ancient times, this kind of ability might well have earned Whimsicott worship as a deity of abundance.

Perhaps Whimsicott could only make seeds sprout for now, but once it grew stronger, it would surely be able to speed the entire process—from sprouting to flowering to bearing fruit—into just a few days.

If Serperior learned a gentler growth-inducing move like Grassy Terrain, it might even be able to make flowers bloom and fade in a single night.

Unfortunately, Serperior only knew how to instantly grow plants with trunks as thick as trees and attack with Frenzy Plant.

After sharing its nutrients once, Whimsicott landed on the ground, panting a little. It was exhausted just from sharing nutrients and energy with a small plot of land. It seemed Luo Mu couldn't rely on Pokémon to grow crops all the time.

After all, how was that any different from the sweatshops of his previous life?

Luo Mu silently made up his mind.

Lunchtime.

The dining table left behind by the elderly couple was already cramped with Luo Mu and his six main Pokémon, let alone three new additions—and whatever Pokémon might hatch from the Egg in the future.

He brought the steaming curry to the table, then spooned a fragrant helping over the rice on the plates in front of the six eagerly waiting Pokémon and Pepper. The simple, rustic Vegetable Berry Curry Rice was ready.

"Let's eat!"

After Luo Mu gave his reluctant nod, the starving Pepper immediately grabbed a spoon in his right hand, lifted his plate of curry rice with his left, and wolfed it down with absolutely no table manners.

Serperior was much more refined than Pepper. It skillfully wrapped its Vine Whip around a spoon and fed itself one small bite at a time.

Even after a whole year, Swampert and Dragonite were still clumsy with spoons. In the end, they chose to eat like Pepper, lifting their plates and digging in with gusto.

At first, Whimsicott and the Hoppips were a little reserved, but before long, as if caught up in the atmosphere, they all lowered their heads and began eating in small bites.

Luo Mu ate a few spoonfuls now and then, then refilled the plates of Dragonite and Swampert, who had devoured their portions in no time.

Lunch stretched into the afternoon. Rejuvenated, Whimsicott went to share the nutrients and energy it had just replenished with the tomato test plot. Then, to the Hoppips' worried cries, it floated back down, looking weak.

Luo Mu rarely looked so stern. He made Whimsicott promise again and again that it would only help the crops grow once a day and would never use up the nutrients it needed for its own growth.

Otherwise, sooner or later, Whimsicott would damage its own foundations.

After ordering Whimsicott to rest and putting the Hoppips in charge of keeping an eye on it, Luo Mu called over Swampert, Serperior, Dragonite, and the others. With Pepper watching, they used their moves to process the lumber Dragonite had gathered all morning.

Razor Leaf stripped off the bark, Air Slash cut the wood, and Water Gun polished it. Before long, they had boards cut to the sizes Luo Mu needed.

He was still a novice when it came to farming, but Luo Mu had some confidence in his handiwork.

Following the plans he had drawn up earlier, he assembled boards of different sizes and secured them with nails, creating a miniature, entirely natural wooden house.

Finally, he laid a layer of soft carpeting inside. A little home for Whimsicott and the Hoppips was complete.

Luo Mu had Swampert carry it into the spacious living room on the first floor of the little house and invited Whimsicott and the others to try it out. They gave it rave reviews.

The two Hoppips in particular had spent so long wandering. Whimsicott had protected them, so carefree days made up most of their memories. But once they truly realized they had a "home" and a place to belong, they still couldn't help throwing themselves into Luo Mu's arms and weeping aloud.

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

Three days later.

Three days had passed since the crops in the Farming Area had sprouted successfully thanks to Whimsicott's power and the Hoppips had fully settled into the farm.

The day before, Dr. Jacq and Dr. Futaba, who had been out of contact, finally called Luo Mu. After talking for a while, Dr. Jacq personally came to pick up a very reluctant Pepper. She also promised to come by another day with a gift to thank Luo Mu for looking after him over the past few days.

After that, Luo Mu's days returned to their quiet, uneventful rhythm.

Aside from tending the fields as usual, he spent his time figuring out how to plan the Ranch Area and Lake Area.

At three in the afternoon, Luo Mu brought out the recliner he had just picked up at the market and basked in the sun. Whimsicott and the others quietly stayed nearby, planting themselves in the soil and facing the sunlight as they carried out Synthesis.

Serperior lazily swayed the tip of its tail, basking in the sun's energy. As for Swampert and Dragonite, who knew where they had wandered off to.

Just as everything was peaceful and serene, the temperature in the air suddenly rose. Serperior's once-languid eyes narrowed, and it straightened up, staring warily into the distance.

"Hmm? Serperior, what's wrong?"

Luo Mu yawned and looked sleepily in the direction Serperior was watching. His drowsiness vanished in an instant.

"What the hell!?"

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

Luxray, wreathed in lightning, was sprinting toward them at high speed, with Ceruledge close behind. Looking carefully, he could also see a corner of Mimikyu's costume poking out from Luxray's shadow.

But none of that mattered.

What shocked Luo Mu was the enormous bird Luxray was carrying in its mouth. Its feathers were scorched black, and orange-red flames burned atop its head, wings, and tail feathers!