One week later.
On the eastern side of what was basically a wasteland, but which Luo Mu shamelessly called a farm, a small stream of middling width flowed gently by.
In its crystal-clear waters, plenty of fish of all sizes swam past. Look closely, and every so often you could catch sight of a few red ones.
"Why is it you again? I'm not running a buffet. Please, stop eating."
A voice full of anger, yet tinged with sadness, rang out. Holding his fishing rod, Luo Mu stared in utter despair at a pair of dead fish eyes.
Yet both the system's gloating text and Serperior beside him seemed to be saying the same thing. Serperior impatiently swished its tail, looking at him with eyes full of disdain.
They seemed to think Luo Mu had prepared a huge basin of bait and declared he wouldn't go home empty-handed, only to fail to catch a single fish. Not only had he fed the Magikarp in the stream, he was now trying to beg them to leave. Clearly, there was something wrong with his head.
The Magikarp dangled from Luo Mu's hand with an utterly unbothered look, as if it knew he could do nothing about it. Calmly swishing its tail, it waited for him to toss it back into the water.
In truth, Luo Mu wasn't bad at fishing. Before he'd crossed over, he often went fishing alone at some river during holidays. He didn't always catch anything, but he usually managed to get at least a little.
He'd come fishing today on a whim that had struck him that morning. He'd suddenly wanted grilled fish, so he immediately prepared a basin of bait that only attracted ordinary fish and came to try his luck at this stream he'd only just discovered.
The bait contained none of the ingredients Pokémon liked, so in their eyes it was pretty much pig feed.
But no matter how carefully Luo Mu had planned, he hadn't accounted for these shameless Magikarp. Not only were they willing to eat the bait, they'd used their special status as extraordinary creatures to drive away the ordinary fish.
They were utterly shameless!
Seeing its useless Trainer so angry his face had turned red, Serperior secretly sighed.
Though Serperior still looked disdainful, it released a little pressure toward the Magikarp on Luo Mu's hook and the water's surface.
Serperior controlled its pressure perfectly. It only covered the Magikarp lingering in the nearby stretch of stream, without frightening the school of fish.
The Magikarp, which had been locked in a standoff with Luo Mu, suddenly showed visible panic in its vacant dead-fish eyes. It let go of the bait and used Splash to leap into the stream at the fastest speed of its life, vanishing in an instant.
"Thank you, kind Serperior!" Luo Mu looked at Serperior gratefully. He immediately dropped his fishing rod, intending to give it a grateful hug from its dear Trainer.
However, before Luo Mu could embrace it, Serperior—wearing an expression of utter disdain—bound him up with two emerald-green vines and hoisted him into the air. He dangled and swayed there, looking a little ridiculous.
Serperior complained, "Gyar!" (How many times have I told you? Call me Queen!)
Unfortunately, Luo Mu couldn't understand its language. Still, he could more or less tell how Serperior was feeling. There was no doubt it was in its "tsun" state. As long as he gave in and said something nice, it would be happy.
Luo Mu had long since figured out Serperior's personality, and smoothly began showering it with praise. Before long, his string of compliments had Serperior lifting its head proudly, and it magnanimously let Luo Mu hug its warm body, unlike the cold bodies of ordinary serpentine Pokémon.
Luo Mu carefully savored the warmth of Serperior's body, and, where it couldn't see, smiled in satisfaction.
Nice try. A mere tsundere snake is no match for me—I can win it over in minutes. Don't underestimate this longtime anime-watching otaku, kora!
After all that horseplay, Luo Mu eyed the scraps around the rim of the basin and figured there should be enough left for one more try.
This time, he wouldn't go home empty-handed!
Though he could have Serperior blast the fish out of the water, there'd be no point. What Luo Mu enjoyed was the process of reeling in a catch.
Luo Mu's expression turned resolute, and he immediately prepared to roll up his sleeves and get to work.
"All my people, all my people~"
Suddenly, the phone in the pocket of his floral shorts started playing his ringtone.
Luo Mu froze, his shoulders drooping like a deflated balloon. He pulled out his phone, saw who was calling, and answered. "Hello? Is there another problem?"
A hearty middle-aged man's voice came from the other end. "Hey, no problem at all. We'll definitely start work on time. It's just that a few of my employees have something they'd like to ask your permission for, Mr. Luo."
"Permission?" Luo Mu tilted his head, unsure what the head of the construction crew was talking about.
"Well, they still haven't caught that gang trafficking children, and they've heard there have been cases of kids going missing in the nearby towns. Since it's school vacation, they're worried it might be dangerous for the kids to stay home alone. They'd like to bring them here to the construction site so they can keep an eye on them."
Before Luo Mu could reply, the foreman hurriedly assured him, as if worried Luo Mu might have reservations or be unhappy. "They promise they won't let the kids run around. They'll keep them close at all times, and I'll personally supervise things on site. Would you be willing to make an exception?"
That was all?
Luo Mu couldn't help laughing. Most of the farm was still undeveloped. He wouldn't mind even if the kids held a dance party there; all he cared about was the final result.
Setting aside his thoughts, Luo Mu smiled. "No problem. Just make sure you keep the kids together so they don't get lost."
The foreman brightened at Luo Mu's permission. He thanked him repeatedly and promised he'd keep a close eye on the kids. He even said he'd give Luo Mu a discount when the job was done.
After hanging up, Luo Mu shook his head, marveling that there were actually bosses in this world who cared so much about their employees. How had he never met one before?
"Gyar!"
Serperior lightly tapped Luo Mu's palm with a vine, urging him to finish this last cast and leave. It hadn't had its sunbath yet today.
"All right, all right, I'm fishing now." Luo Mu expertly baited the hook, then casually swung it and sent it flying into the distance.
Unfortunately, there wasn't enough bait left to chum the water. It was all those Magikarp's fault!
Luo Mu swore that if those Magikarp came back to steal his bait, he'd call Luxray to electrocute the water!
After sitting motionless for several minutes, Luo Mu stared at the water with bloodshot eyes, as if he could fish one out with sheer force of will.
Perhaps the Magikarp's earlier interference had put all the fish in this area off their food. They weren't even willing to come and freeload on Luo Mu's bait.
Just as Luo Mu thought he was about to go home empty-handed, the bobber on the surface suddenly dipped beneath the water. He'd clearly hooked something!
Luo Mu's drowsy mind snapped awake. His eyes flashed, and he immediately prepared to test his strength against the fish swimming below.
Serperior casually glanced toward the water. Even it hadn't expected Luo Mu to actually catch something.
But the instant Serperior saw what had been caught on the hook, its eyes narrowed!
Before you continue