Family, I've hooked a person!

That was a child wearing orange-yellow shorts, looking quite young!

But his idiotic Trainer hadn't even glanced at the water, his eyes fixed on the fishing rod, ready to cast.

Idiot, that child might get cut by the hook that way!

Serperior furrowed its brow, and two green vines quickly extended from near its leafy collar.

One vine directly whipped Luo Mu's butt, making him gasp and suck in a breath. He dropped the fishing rod and looked at Serperior with a face full of resentment.

He shouldn't have provoked Serperior. Did it find out about how he used to trick it?

Serperior ignored him. The other vine, with a clear target, reached into the water and directly pulled the unconscious child out.

Upon seeing a child being rescued from the water by Serperior, Luo Mu forgot the stinging pain on his butt. He quickly took the child from Serperior's vine.

"No external injuries visible. She must have inhaled water. She's coughing continuously; we just need to expel the water from her airway."

Luo Mu quickly determined the child wasn't in mortal danger. He marveled at the incredible physique of people in the Pokémon world and then directed Serperior to use its vines to perform the Heimlich maneuver, expelling the water from the child's airway.

Serperior, with its deft control over its vines, could better gauge the appropriate force. He, as an adult, might easily misjudge the strength and potentially cause secondary harm to the child.

At this moment, Luo Mu finally had the leisure to observe the details of the child who had fallen into the water.

He would definitely have to take her to the Police Station and ask Jenny to help find her parents.

What met his eyes was the face of a little girl, about ten years old, with fair skin and cute twin ponytails.

She looked a bit familiar, but Luo Mu couldn't recall where he'd seen her.

Next, the girl's clothes were soaked. Judging by the color and style, they looked like the uniform of Orange Academy from Luo Mu's memory.

This meant the little girl was likely a student at Orange Academy.

Luo Mu began to consider whether he should contact Poppy.

While it seemed like overkill to trouble the busy President of the Paldea League with such a small matter, Poppy was the only person he knew at Orange Academy. The other teachers weren't the ones he remembered from his past.

Just as Luo Mu was contemplating whether Poppy would even pick up if he called now, a noticeably louder coughing sound caught his attention.

He turned his head and saw the little girl's eyes slowly opening.

Nemo's unfocused eyes gradually sharpened. The moment she saw Luo Mu peering at her, her pupils dilated, and her lips trembled as she tried to call for help.

But Nemo was afraid of angering Luo Mu, so she could only cover her mouth tightly with her hand, tears welling up in her eyes.

"?"

Luo Mu looked confused. Judging by the obvious look of fright on the little girl's face, she was probably scared by something.

Luo Mu pondered for a moment. Currently, the only ones present were him, the amiable big brother, and the Serperior, who clearly looked intimidating.

The answer was thus obvious.

It was the Serperior that had scared her!

Luo Mu marveled at his own intelligence for finding the correct answer so quickly. The solution was also simple.

He revealed a kind and sunny smile. Under the Serperior's look of utter disbelief, Luo Mu addressed the girl reassuringly, "Don't be afraid, Serperior is big brother's Pokémon."

"It might look a bit fierce, but it means no harm."

Before Nemo could fully process the information, a vine whipped through the air with a loud crack. The annoyed Serperior, angered, lashed out at Luo Mu's backside with several more whips.

It had good control over its strength, not only choosing the fleshy, resilient buttocks but also applying just enough force to hurt without causing physical injury.

Luo Mu knew the Serperior was holding back. After all, its Vine Whip could easily snap trees and rocks. Still, the pain made him gasp repeatedly.

After some playful roughhousing between Luo Mu and the Serperior, he noticed the little girl's gaze seemed to have lost its fear, though she still appeared a bit timid.

Perhaps she realized they weren't bad people from their interaction just now.

However, the faint glint of wariness in her eyes still bothered Luo Mu.

Being cautious was good, but wasn't this little girl's caution a bit too strong?

Luo Mu thought for a moment and decided to first ease the girl's emotions through conversation, then quickly take her back to his place to at least get her body dried. Wearing soaked clothes for too long could easily lead to a cold.

"Hello, my name is Luo Mu. I'm the owner of this farm." Luo Mu first gave a brief self-introduction, then continued, "This is my partner, Serperior. Can you tell me your name?"

"Kala~"

The Serperior tried its best to soften its expression, but its innate noble aura wasn't easily changed.

Nemo first looked at the Serperior, then observed Luo Mu, who was showing her goodwill.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Nemo timidly said, "My name is Nemo. Thank you, big brother, for saving me."

"Mhm, Nemo? That's a lovely name." Luo Mu nodded subconsciously, praising her in a gentle tone.

Immediately after, Luo Mu's eyes widened, and his expression became exaggerated.

Wait, wait, wait. Did he hear wrong?

Was this cute little girl with fair skin the future "Iron Crush" champion, the energetic girl with a healthy tan, Senior Nemo?

She looked nothing like it!

Neither her personality nor her outward characteristics matched, though her facial features seemed somewhat similar.

Is it a common name, or did he accidentally enter Tsukuyomi?

But Nemo was indeed wearing the uniform of Orange Academy. Luo Mu, unwilling to give up, made one last attempt and asked, "If it's convenient, can you tell me where you live?"

"I live in Small Key Town."

This time, Nemo answered quickly. For some reason, her intuition told her that this big brother wasn't one of those bad guys who kidnapped her.

"Hiss."

Now he was completely certain. This little girl was indeed the future human-like species, Senior Nemo, the battle maniac nicknamed "Iron Crush."

Luo Mu, who had once shouted online about wanting to be Senior Nemo, felt a great sense of disconnect. He was completely stunned.

It seemed the personalities of the Scarlet and Violet protagonists in their childhood were different compared to the beginning of the story.

No, it should be said that their childhood personalities changed into their adult personalities.

Luo Mu wanted to ask Nemo to come home with him, but at that moment, Nemo grabbed Luo Mu's hand in panic and said anxiously, "Big brother, let's leave here quickly!"

"Those who kidnapped me might already be nearby!"

Luo Mu's smile froze. He was bewildered and asked, "Huh?"