Poliwag Leader

A Poliwag leaped gracefully out of the water, its tiny feet the same color as its body landing on the wet ground and splashing up a little water.

After reaching land, the Poliwag didn't hurry to start practicing walking. Instead, it called out several times to the still water.

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

The Poliwag kept calling out to the water, its cries full of encouragement. It looked somewhat anxious.

About a minute later, a cluster of bubbles appeared on the calm surface, as if something were rising from below. A moment later, three little heads that looked much like the Poliwag's poked out of the water.

Clearly, these were three more Poliwag.

The four Poliwag seemed to be companions who lived together as a group, and the first one to emerge was obviously their leader.

The Poliwag that had leaped out of the water alone kept opening and closing its thick lips, as if urging the three in the water to summon their courage and not be afraid.

The three Poliwag hesitated for a moment, but eventually they wobbled out of the water and onto land, then carefully followed their leader and began practicing walking.

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

When Poliwag first hatched from Pokémon Eggs, they didn't have legs. They were like tadpoles in the middle of metamorphosis, and only grew legs after some time.

It was as if these Pokémon had a longing for land deep in their genes. Once they grew legs, they would risk climbing ashore to practice walking, even if the land was full of unknown dangers.

What delighted Luo Mu most was the Poliwag at the front. It had already shown considerable courage and excellent leadership.

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

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

When it came to catching Pokémon, there were generally only three methods.

The first was to tempt them with food. The delicious meals humans had developed were incredibly appealing to Wild Pokémon. In every region, it was common for Wild Pokémon to steal food from Trainers' backpacks or even attack them for it.

There were only so many energy-rich foods available in the wild, and solitary Berry trees were almost always claimed by the strong. Going hungry was completely normal for Wild Pokémon.

Beasts never serve as slaves—unless room and board are included.

Put on an act for three minutes, and enjoy a lifetime of glory and riches.

These were true reflections of life for many weak Wild Pokémon.

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

The second method was the usual way of catching Pokémon through battle: defeat a Wild Pokémon, then put it in a Poké Ball.

Considering Luxray's strength, Luo Mu silently gave up on this method.

The third was to build a bond, then let things take their course until the other party was willing to follow you.

Besides these, there were actually two hidden methods: the illusory fourth and fifth methods.

For example, transform into a super Hisuian with sticky globs in hand and catch them with your bare hands—or, even more outrageously, become a one-ball Pokémon-catching hero like that guy.

Luo Mu chose to tempt them with food. He'd start gently, and if that didn't work, he'd resort to force.

The Poliwag were lined up neatly on the ground near the lake, learning to walk. Ignoring their wobbly movements, they almost looked like Falinks.

Worried that Luxray's presence would scare the Poliwag, Luo Mu approached them alone.

The sound of his footsteps on the wet ground soon caught the Poliwag's attention.

The three Poliwag at the back shuddered and immediately wanted to leap into the lake. Their leader, however, stared at Luo Mu with big, bright black eyes, both curious and wary.

Luo Mu noticed the Poliwag slowly moving to stand in front of its companions, giving them a chance to escape first. His smile grew wider. He stopped when he was about two meters away, crouched slightly, and took the food he'd prepared from his pocket before gently tossing it toward them.

Plop.

Several small pieces of smoked dried fish landed on the wet ground. The Poliwag at the front froze, unsure what Luo Mu meant.

Dried fish was one of the provisions Luo Mu carried. It was easy to transport and store, and tasted good. If anything went wrong in the wild, it could also provide nutrients and salt.

Poliwag and most other Pokémon could eat human seasonings without any problems, unlike ordinary pets, so Luo Mu wasn't worried the food would harm them.

The Poliwag at the front still hadn't figured out what Luo Mu was up to, but the three behind it were already unable to hold back.

The lightly fragrant smoked dried fish was incredibly tempting to them while they were still hungry. The Poliwag in the back stared at it hungrily, looking to their leader with eager eyes.

Their leader looked back at Luo Mu.

Luo Mu smiled amiably and said, "Go ahead and eat. Think of it as us becoming friends."

No matter how precocious the Poliwag Leader was, he was only about as old as his companions. He'd never seen much of the world or learned how people played tricks.

He really believed Luo Mu. Without hesitation, the Poliwag bit into a piece of smoked dried fish and savored it.

Once their leader started eating, the other Poliwag each began eating their own pieces too.

By the time they finished, Luo Mu had come much closer. He was now only a step away.

This time, the Poliwag were far less wary. In their current understanding of the world, Luo Mu, who had given them food, was a good person.

Luo Mu went with the flow and began the final step. With an even kinder smile, he took four Poké Balls from his pocket one by one and set them on the ground. "Would you like to come with me? You won't have to worry about danger anymore, and you'll have plenty of food. A lot of it tastes even better than this smoked dried fish!"

"..."

After a moment of silence, the three Poliwag were the first to decide. They hopped over to the Poké Balls and looked at their leader expectantly.

Big bro, there'll be food and no danger. Isn't that a hundred times better than living out here? (/^▽^)/

The Poliwag Leader looked astonished. He hadn't expected his companions to sell themselves off just like that.

After a moment's hesitation, he decided that, delicious smoked dried fish aside, he was more worried about his companions. With no other choice, the Poliwag Leader went over to the Poké Balls too, leading by example and headbutting his way into one first.

Following their leader's example, the three Poliwag did the same, each selling themselves to Luo Mu in turn.

"Meow!"

Luxray strode over with a swagger, glanced at Luo Mu's stunned face, and found the whole thing rather amusing.

The Trainer had prepared so much, but before he could even put any of it into practice, all four Poliwag had already surrendered.