The operation had gone smoothly. On the afternoon he caught four Polliwag, Luo Mu returned to the farm.
First, he checked on Moltres and the Pokémon Egg in the incubator beneath him.
Moltres was fast asleep. Mimikyu, hiding in the shadow of the little house, noticed Luo Mu and Luxray return and reported that while Luo Mu had been away, Moltres had done nothing but eat and sleep. There had been no unusual activity.
Luo Mu gave Mimikyu an approving pat on the head and told him to get ready for a feast that night. Then he set off with Luxray for the next destination—the Farming Area.
Beside the fields, Serperior was amusing two happily playing Hoppip by using his vines to make different shapes, while Whimsicott wandered between the crops, checking for signs of pests or weeds.
Hearing Luo Mu's footsteps, Serperior instantly abandoned the two Hoppip and slithered over with unhurried elegance.
"Serperior?" (You're back?)
"I'm back. Thanks for watching the fields. We're having a feast tonight~" Luo Mu noticed Serperior's tail tip curling around his finger and smiled without calling him out. Then he looked toward Whimsicott in the fields and called, "Thanks for your hard work too, Whimsicott. Take a break, then remember to come home for the feast tonight."
"Whimsicott!"
Whimsicott nodded with a cheerful smile.
Next, Luo Mu went to notify Swampert, who was still in the Lake Area inspecting his future home; Ceruledge, who was practicing swordsmanship on a small hill not far from the farm; and Dragonite, who Luo Mu had thought was napping in the sky again, but was actually curled up inside the little house.
That evening, Luo Mu gathered all the Pokémon behind the little house for a barbecue party.
Ceruledge stood by the grill, skillfully using his Flame Blade to skewer and roast the wild mushrooms Luo Mu had brought home.
Luo Mu divided the crab meat from the second Crabominable claw into fifteen equal portions and steamed them.
Then, during a lull, Luo Mu let the four Polliwag out.
Three of the Polliwag hid behind their leader, curiously looking around. They couldn't help thinking that Luo Mu had told the truth.
So many powerful Pokémon lived together here in harmony. In particular, the fiery bird seemed to be on a completely different level from them, utterly beyond their reach.
Before long, Ceruledge's wild mushroom skewers and Luo Mu's steamed Crabominable claw meat were ready, one after the other. Luo Mu divided everything into portions and set them in front of the respective Pokémon. He took a portion for himself, squatted down, and started eating.
Moltres tried one of Ceruledge's skewers first. The moment the seasoned meat entered his mouth, his eyes lit up.
Chili powder was evenly spread across the mushrooms. Roasting had drawn out all their moisture, leaving them crisp but not dry—absolutely delicious.
The crab meat was the stroke of genius. After the spicy skewers, its intensely sweet, fresh flavor was a direct hit.
Moltres had always absorbed energy from volcanoes and occasionally eaten some Berries, but he had never tasted anything this delicious. He even found himself thinking that staying here for the food might not be such a bad idea.
The five main Pokémon who tasted the crab meat finally understood why Luo Mu and Luxray had been so obsessed with it. Even they would be unable to think about anything else for a while after tasting it.
Tears welled in the Polliwag's bright, round eyes. As they savored the ultimate delicacy, they felt from the bottom of their hearts that selling themselves to Luo Mu had been the best decision of their lives.
Three days later, the channel carrying water from the lake where Luo Mu had caught the Polliwag to the farm was completed. Since the channel would be filled back in after the water was diverted, Swampert didn't need to worry about appearances and simply used Superpower all along the route.
Serperior wove tough green vines into a broad net with tiny gaps and placed it across the lake's outlet. That would keep wild Water-type Pokémon or unfamiliar fish from slipping into Thunderclap Lake without Luo Mu knowing.
The project took three days in all. It was finally complete once Swampert had filled the channel back in.
At first, Thunderclap Lake averaged only 3.5 meters deep and covered five mu. But Luo Mu believed that sooner or later, he would make it live up to its name.
As soon as Thunderclap Lake was finished, the four Polliwag moved in. Aside from them, the only Pokémon in the lake was the somewhat fierce-looking Swampert, but they were very happy with their new home and looked forward to welcoming more companions and species in the future.
In the Farming Area, buds had appeared in the strawberry fields, and a few had already bloomed. The tomatoes, eggplants, and cabbages were coming along the same way.
The cucumbers were growing fastest, and tiny ones were already visible in their field.
With the two areas running smoothly, it was time to get the Ranch Area going too.
As before, Swampert used a wide-reaching Stomping Tantrum to clear the weeds and stones from the wasteland. Then the Pokémon put their skills to use, quickly sowing edible pasture grass seeds across the freshly turned soil.
The grass grew incredibly fast, and didn't even need Whimsicott to share nutrients. As if the heavens were helping Luo Mu, a light rain fell that very night, just after the seeds had been sown.
At the same time, the nutrient solution in the Pokémon Egg turned transparent again.
Luo Mu gritted his teeth and replaced it with the last canister.
Two days later, tender green shoots had emerged in patches across the Ranch Area. They would probably need only a week to grow to full size.
Once that happened, Luo Mu planned to spend some money on Pokémon suited to ranch life.
Miltank, Mareep, and Gogoat, for example.
After selling what he'd gathered on that day's expedition, Luo Mu had earned 12,000 League currency. Even after spending some of it on more ingredients, he still had 55,000 League currency in savings. He could afford to buy a few Pokémon to raise in the ranch.
The fields would bring in another income once the crops were ready, and there were only three days left until he reported for duty at Naranja Academy.
Everything was steadily getting better.
On the morning of the sixth day, Luo Mu was sleeping soundly in bed when an exceptionally piercing cry jolted him awake. Luxray and Dragonite, lying beside him; Mimikyu and Serperior on the bed; and Ceruledge, who slept in another room, were all startled awake too.
Luo Mu came fully awake at once and quickly recognized the cry as coming from Moltres in the backyard of the little house.
Moltres had been unusually well-behaved lately. Over the past two days, Luo Mu had even felt secure enough to let Mimikyu, who was supposed to keep watch, roam freely.
He hadn't expected Moltres to pull something like this today.
Without even taking time to get dressed, Luo Mu hurried into his slippers. Heart pounding, he led the Pokémon downstairs and rushed straight to where Moltres was.
Under the little shelter, Moltres stared in bafflement at the Pokémon Egg, which was flashing in a steady rhythm. Cold sweat poured down his body.
What was going on?
Had he somehow incubated the egg until it hatched? Would Luo Mu lead six Pokémon in ganging up on him?
At that moment, Moltres and Luo Mu were feeling exactly the same way.
They were both completely panicked.
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