Harvest

When he dove back into the water, Zeno was far more focused than last time. All the uncles from the village were gathered in this area, and he was bound to find nothing if he stayed with them. After thinking for a while, Zeno swam in the opposite direction.

Although he had already put some distance between himself and them, Zeno still found nothing. It left him feeling a little dejected.

Just then, two Alomomola happened to pass by him. Seeing how anxious Zeno was, they hurried over to comfort him.

"Momola~ Momola~"

"Mumu~"

The two Alomomola circled around him, encouraging him as they used their fins to drag him upward.

Their words and actions left Zeno torn between laughter and tears. They had thought he was drowning and were trying to rescue him.

During his free time, Zeno often pestered Teacher Zhihe to tell him interesting facts about Pokémon. He knew quite a lot about Alomomola.

Alomomola had first been discovered in the Unova Region, though Zeno had no idea where that was. They enjoyed roaming, so they could be found in seas all over the world.

Alomomola had an excellent reputation and were famous Ocean Doctors. They possessed a special membrane, whose mucus had healing properties, and often helped injured Pokémon in the sea. Not only that, when they encountered humans in need of help on the ocean's surface, they would lend a hand as well.

If fishermen took one with them when they went to sea, they could save on medical expenses and greatly improve their safety. Uncle Kam had always wanted to catch an Alomomola, but he had never earned their approval.

"Thank you, but I'm fine. I'm just looking for something."

Zeno stroked their heads and climbed down from their fins.

"Mumu~"

"You're asking what I'm looking for? You're willing to help me find it?"

Both Alomomola nodded. Only then did Zeno remember that they were one of the major sources of Heart Scales in the ocean. The other major source was Luvdisc. Heart Scales naturally fell off their bodies.

"Alomomola, do you still have the scales that fell off you? Could you give me some?" Zeno asked, a little embarrassed.

"Momola~"

"Thank you!"

Seeing how happy he was, the two Alomomola were delighted too. Those shed scales were useless to them; they only collected them because they were crystal-clear and shiny, using them to decorate their nests.

The two Alomomola dragged Zeno toward their nest. Despite staying underwater for so long, Zeno felt no discomfort. He had been gifted since childhood and could breathe freely underwater, though he lacked stamina and needed to go ashore often to rest. These two Alomomola saved him a great deal of effort, making things much easier.

Many other kinds of Pokémon lived near the Alomomola's nest. When they saw the pair return, they warmly greeted them.

Zeno waited outside for a while before the two Alomomola swam out carrying some things. Besides five Heart Scales, there was also a sea-blue stone.

"A Water Stone!"

"Momola~"

"Th-this... you really... really want to give this to me?" Zeno was incredibly excited.

Though he was only ten years old, Zeno understood the value of a Water Stone very well. Someone in the village had bought one before. Even the most ordinary Water Stone sold for 3,000 League Coins. And evolution items like these could never satisfy market demand.

"It's too valuable. I... I..."

"Momola~"

Even though the Alomomola said it was a gift for a friend, Zeno still felt embarrassed. He hurriedly opened his waterproof backpack, remembering that there was still some food inside for Carvanha.

"Hurry and try some. See if it suits your tastes."

Zeno placed the food on a reef. Thankfully, it was waterproof; otherwise, this little boat of friendship might have capsized.

"Mum! Mum!"

"I'm glad you like it!" Zeno was delighted to see them eating so happily. When he noticed the eager Clamperl and Magikarp nearby, he poured out the remaining food from his backpack. "You can eat too."

At his words, the Clamperl and Magikarp happily swam over and began eating with gusto.

"Eat slowly. I should head back now. My partners have been waiting a long time. They'll worry."

"Clam~ Clam~"

Just as Zeno was about to leave, a Clamperl suddenly clamped onto the corner of his clothes.

"You want me to wait a moment?"

Before Zeno could figure out what the Clamperl wanted, two slightly smaller Clamperl came staggering toward him. They opened their shells, revealing several translucent, gleaming pearls inside.

The larger Clamperl had them place the pearls on the ground, then gestured for Zeno to take them. Zeno carefully counted them and found one Big Pearl and five Pearls. This unexpected windfall left him at a loss.

"Clam clam!"

Seeing Zeno standing there in a daze, the Clamperl urged him on.

"Thank you!"

Seeing their sincerity, Zeno stopped being so hesitant and put all the pearls into his backpack.

"I really have to go now. If I get the chance, I'll definitely come back to see you."

Zeno reluctantly said goodbye to them. The Alomomola and Clamperl set down their food as well, all bidding him a lingering farewell.

Kam and the villagers had waited on the boat for a while without seeing Zeno come back up, and they were beginning to worry. Only when they saw the Carvanha surface did they finally relax.

Kam reached out and pulled him aboard, asking curiously, "Why did you take so long? How did it go?"

Hearing that, Zeno eagerly opened his backpack to show him. Kam was shocked when he saw so many Heart Scales and pearls.

"You found all these?"

Zeno did not know how to explain it, so he simply told him everything that had happened underwater.

Kam was surprised after hearing him out. He suddenly recalled what had happened when he first found Zeno. The lines he had once read in the library at Lilycove City surfaced in his mind again. Descendants of the People of Water were born able to connect with Water-type Pokémon and possessed exceptional affinity for water. Some especially gifted members could even breathe freely underwater and were favored by all kinds of Water-type Pokémon.

The teachers at school often told him about Zeno's talent in this regard. Big Shell Village was simply too small to provide him with enough knowledge to learn.

"All right, get some rest. Once those uncles come back up, we'll head home for lunch."

After waiting for a while, Zeno fell asleep from exhaustion. Seeing how tired he was, Kam did not wake him.

On the return voyage, Kam stood quietly at the bow, letting the sea breeze wash over him as he watched Zeno sleep so peacefully. After hesitating for a long time, he finally made up his mind.