Daily Life

Back in the kitchen, Luo Mu began planning what dishes to prepare today.

The dishes would feature the crops that had been harvested in abundance today: cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, cabbage, and strawberries. There were quite a few varieties, but they weren't suitable as main dishes. In many recipes, they usually played a supporting role.

He also had to consider that some of the dozen or so Pokémon ate meat while others were herbivores, so the menu needed variety.

After a flurry of activity, Luo Mu brought out several dishes while the Pokémon, back from washing the dirt off themselves, watched in eager anticipation.

The crisp, fragrant cucumbers from the fields had been made into smashed cucumber salad, and its sweet-and-sour flavor was a hit with the four Polliwag.

Since they already had smashed cucumber salad, making the eggplant cold would have made the flavors too similar, so Luo Mu prepared it as piping-hot Sichuan-style eggplant instead.

There was also the classic tomato and egg stir-fry, along with braised fish made from fish he'd bought at the market.

For dessert, he served a fruit and vegetable salad made by mixing yogurt with some of the crops.

The table in the cottage was nowhere near big enough for so many Pokémon, so Luo Mu had no choice but to move the feast outside.

The smashed cucumber salad was sweet, sour, crisp, and refreshing; the Sichuan-style eggplant was savory with a hint of sweetness; and the tomato and egg stir-fry was as reliably delicious as ever. The braised fish was rosy and tender, rich without being greasy. One bite left its fragrant flavor lingering in the mouth, with just a little heat.

The salad seemed to be a particular favorite of the two Hoppip. They planted one foot in the ground to steady themselves and buried half their faces in the bowls in front of them, making happy little noises as they ate.

Whimsicott watched its two little companions with fond exasperation. Every now and then, it lowered its head to take a small bite of salad, savoring the strawberries it had grown itself and the sense of accomplishment they brought.

It had been living at the farm for some time now. Though life here lacked the novelty of roaming the wilderness, drifting wherever the wind took it, this simple yet fulfilling routine had thoroughly won it over.

Perhaps this was the feeling of "home" that it had heard other Pokémon speak of during its travels, carried along by the wind.

After the pleasant lunchtime came to an end, the satisfied Pokémon split up. Those who wanted a nap went to sleep, while those with energy to burn played in the open space or sparred and trained.

Swampert swung its fists with a fierce whoosh, while Ceruledge, its opponent, moved like a composed swordsman, leaning aside to evade some of the blows and raising the Flame Blades on its arms to block or counter the ones it couldn't avoid.

When Swampert's fists or Ceruledge's blades occasionally missed and struck the ground, they left behind a massive hole or a deep furrow. An ordinary Pokémon would have been in a terrible state after taking a hit like that.

Under Moltres's careful watch, Growlithe stood boldly by to observe. Its glossy black eyes, hidden beneath its fur, followed every movement without blinking. It was watching very intently.

At first, Moltres hadn't wanted to accept that it, a lone legendary bird, had suddenly gained a son—and that this son called it "Mom" and the human Luo Mu "Dad."

But the little one was genuinely enthusiastic and persistent, and Moltres, who had never had a friend or experienced such heartfelt warmth from another creature, simply couldn't resist.

Perhaps the emotions it had felt while hatching the egg had played a part, too. These days, Growlithe had Moltres completely wrapped around its paw. Even in its spare time, Moltres followed Growlithe with its gaze, keeping track of what it was doing.

Seeing how much Moltres had changed, Luo Mu smiled with interest. This could make for some interesting developments down the line.

Luo Mu watched with a smile as the interactions between the different Pokémon around the farm gave rise to all sorts of stories.

Suddenly, sleepiness washed over him. He made no effort to fight it and let out a yawn as he gazed up at the bright sunshine. "I've been busy all morning. The weather's perfect, so I might as well take a nap."

After thinking it over, Luo Mu let his gaze wander among the Pokémon still nearby.

Swampert and Ceruledge were in the middle of an intense battle, so he'd better not disturb them. Besides, their hard muscles and cold armor didn't seem very comfortable to lean on.

He wasn't close enough to Moltres to use it as a little bed for a nap, and Whimsicott, the Hoppip, and Mimikyu were all too small.

That left him with two choices: Luxray, dozing on the ground, or Dragonite, floating in the sky.

Luo Mu asked himself whether he wanted to sleep on a fluffy "bed" or a soft, springy one. He quickly made up his mind.

Today, he'd nap with Dragonite!

Luo Mu immediately called up to the sky. When Dragonite landed like a gust of wind, he explained that he wanted to invite it to nap with him, speaking from within its somewhat suffocating embrace.

Dragonite was more than happy to oblige. It chose a sunny spot, lay on its back, and patted its round little belly to show Luo Mu he could settle in wherever he liked.

Luo Mu grinned and chose the most comfortable spot he could find, sprawling across Dragonite's belly. Its soft, gently rising and falling stomach was every bit as good as any luxury mattress.

Perhaps only Snorlax, with its even larger body, could rival Dragonite in that regard.

He would have loved to catch a Snorlax to serve as his personal napping bed, but after considering the Pokémon's terrifying appetite, he decided that even all the crops from his little farm probably wouldn't be enough to fill it up. So he let the idea remain just that: an idea.

Before long, Luo Mu drifted off beneath Dragonite's gentle gaze. Mimikyu, which had been amusing itself in the shadows, saw him fall asleep and dashed into the house, returning with a thin blanket held in Shadow Claw.

Mimikyu carefully tucked the blanket over Luo Mu. Just being able to do that much made it perfectly content.

Luo Mu woke to a burst of commotion and a damp sensation on his cheek. He opened his bleary eyes and saw the Pokémon gathered around the two Hoppip, though he had no idea what they were doing.

Growlithe realized it had finally managed to lick Luo Mu awake and gave an excited bark, drawing the attention of the Pokémon nearby.

Whimsicott hurriedly hopped over to Luo Mu. Without hands, it could only try to catch his attention with frantic gestures.

"What's going on?"

All traces of sleepiness vanished. Frowning, he followed Whimsicott over to the Hoppip, who were surrounded by the other Pokémon.

The two Hoppip looked strange just then, huddled in place as though they were enduring some kind of unexplained burden.