Chapter 108: Hearing Nimo's Second Pokémon

According to Luo Mu's plan, the operation to catch the honey thief officially began.

The transparent empty jar Luo Mu had given the Vespiquen was now filled with amber-colored honey, its texture crystal clear; if not for the sky gradually darkening, the honey viewed through the dazzling sunlight would likely have been glowing.

A gentle sniff revealed a heart-penetrating honey fragrance that left one with an endless aftertaste; truly, this was honey brewed by Combee, as the scent alone made it live up to its reputation.

Without putting a lid on the jar, Luo Mu placed it in an open area with no obstructions; Hearing Nimo had her Pawmo use the move Dig to burrow into the ground, and then the group and their Pokémon retreated to the shadows to wait for their prey.

Waiting time always felt long; once the sky turned completely dim, the honey thief, shrouded in a layer of mystery, gradually began to move.

Under the dim sky, the vision of the Combee, who had been on alert all day, would be further weakened, and this small Pokémon's body color happened to allow it to use the twilight to conceal its presence; coupled with its lively, darting eyes, one thing was certain—this Pokémon was very smart.

The Pokémon had light brown fur and moved with great dexterity through the grass, dodging the patrolling Combee to approach the hive without making a single sound; it was clearly a habitual offender.

On this Pokémon's head sat a crescent-shaped white pattern, and its small, brown, spherical tail swayed slightly, seemingly anticipating the delicious treat it was about to taste.

Originally, the Teddiursa's target had been a certain hive, but its sensitive nose suddenly caught a rich honey scent drifting through the air; the Teddiursa's eyes lit up, and its gaze shifted to a spot not far away.

Near a weak point in the Combee's patrol route, a beautiful transparent container was filled to the brim with honey!

Excitement surged in the Teddiursa's heart, and it immediately wanted to pounce in that direction.

After taking a few steps, the Teddiursa seemed to wake from a dream, looking around alertly before slowly retreating back into the grass.

After repeating this push-and-pull several times, the Teddiursa finally confirmed there was likely no danger; it crept forward in a flash to the vicinity of the transparent container, plunged its paw directly into the jar, and began licking the honey with a face full of bliss.

Just at that moment, a bolt of lightning shot from the underground behind the Teddiursa toward the sky; the Teddiursa froze, its black, beady eyes overflowing with panic, and it immediately hugged the container, intending to flee.

As if echoing that sudden flash of lightning, a deafening clap of thunder suddenly rang out directly above the hive further away; accompanied by the ozone generated in the air from the electrical discharge, the Luxray, draped in Lei Ting like a god descending from heaven, instantly appeared behind the Teddiursa and pinned it down with one paw!

"Bei-bei!"

The Teddiursa struggled frantically under the Luxray's paw, nearly knocking over the precious honey, but fortunately, the Pawmo just then burrowed out from underground and carefully steadied the jar.

Luo Mu and the others followed closely behind, and the Vespiquen also led a large group of Combee rushing over, eager to see the true face of the honey thief that had troubled them for so long.

"Teddiursa!?"

"As expected."

When the two clearly saw the Teddiursa suppressed under the Luxray, Hearing Nimo and Luo Mu's voices rang out one after the other.

Hearing Nimo was surprised that such a cute-looking Pokémon would actually steal honey, while Luo Mu felt it was exactly as predicted; Pokémon of the Teddiursa species naturally loved honey immensely, so committing theft was not strange at all.

After all, even the Black Bear Spirit could steal a kasaya, so it was quite normal for a Teddiursa to steal some honey.

The Teddiursa was already panicked enough from being pinned under the Luxray's paw, let alone with Luo Mu and the others following close behind, plus the Vespiquen arriving with faces full of anger.

Its seemingly clever eyeballs rolled around, and it immediately squeezed out a few teardrops, its expression and voice becoming utterly pitiful.

This trick didn't work on the Luxray, Luo Mu, or the Vespiquen; instead, it made Hearing Nimo somewhat hesitant, and she said uncertainly, "Teacher Luo Mu, could the Teddiursa have some unspoken difficulty?"

Seeing that Hearing Nimo had moved to compassion, the Teddiursa acted even harder.

The Luxray, knowing the nature of this Pokémon, felt no mercy at all; the paw holding the Teddiursa down remained motionless, causing the Teddiursa to grit its teeth inwardly in frustration.

Luo Mu patted Hearing Nimo's shoulder and shook his head, saying, "It's acting."

Before Hearing Nimo could react, Luo Mu gave the Luxray a look; the Luxray understood and slightly loosened its grip.

Instantly, the Teddiursa dropped its pitiful expression, struggled free with force, and without hesitation ran toward the grass.

The Luxray easily jumped ahead in the direction of the Teddiursa's escape and caught it again.

Now even Hearing Nimo had no way to make excuses for the Teddiursa; she could only lower her head, unsure of what she was thinking.

Luo Mu looked at the Vespiquen and asked, "How do you plan to deal with the Teddiursa?"

The Vespiquen looked at the Teddiursa, which had been caught by the Luxray again and wore a face full of regret; after hesitating for a moment, it answered Luo Mu with body language.

"Beat it up and then drive it out of this forest?"

Luo Mu stroked his chin, lost in thought.

To be honest, this Vespiquen's handling of the Teddiursa could already be considered merciful; some Beedrill or Vespiquen colonies, upon encountering such a situation, might even resort to lethal force.

However...

Luo Mu looked at Hearing Nimo, who seemed to be wrestling with a decision in her mind, and recalling her earlier casual remark, he smiled and said, "Hearing Nimo, do you want to catch the Teddiursa?"

Hearing Nimo froze, then felt as if clouds had parted to reveal the blue sky, her mood instantly brightening; nodding like a chick pecking at rice, she said, "I want to catch it!"

Hearing Nimo felt that this Teddiursa stealing honey must be due to hunger; she could guarantee the Teddiursa would never go hungry again, and furthermore, its fluffy appearance hit her strike zone perfectly.

Even its evolved form, Ursaring, was a powerful Pokémon.

The Vespiquen, leading the Combee, looked left and right, feeling somewhat troubled.

Not punishing this Teddiursa would damage its authority within the colony, but regarding that Luxray, it truly had no confidence in defeating it.

Since Hearing Nimo wanted to catch the Teddiursa, how to appease the Vespiquen colony became another issue.

Luo Mu thought for a moment and subtly reminded her, "Hearing Nimo, since you plan to catch the Teddiursa, then regarding what it has been doing during this period..."

Hearing Nimo was very smart and understood almost immediately: "I will compensate the Vespiquen and Combee with enough Pokémon food!"

Luo Mu smiled with satisfaction and looked at the Vespiquen: "Are you satisfied with this resolution?"

The Vespiquen looked at Luo Mu, then at the Luxray; knowing this was the optimal solution available, it could only nod its head to signify agreement with Luo Mu's proposal.

As the sky began to darken from dusk, under the witness of the Vespiquen and the Combee, Hearing Nimo directed her Pawmo to battle the Teddiursa; no matter how smart and cunning the Teddiursa was, with the surrounding Combee restricting it, it had no chance to escape.

Until the Pawmo defeated the Teddiursa head-on with a single Mach Punch, Hearing Nimo quickly ran to where the Teddiursa had fallen, and with a face full of expectation, pressed a Poké Ball against the crescent pattern on the Teddiursa's head, completing the capture.

Amid the send-off from the Vespiquen and the Combee, Hearing Nimo promised to have her butler bring the agreed-upon compensation to this forest tomorrow.

Hearing Nimo caught her second Pokémon, the Teddiursa, while Luo Mu gained four full jars of honey, along with the friendship of the Vespiquen and the Combee.

This friendship would continue to provide the farm with an endless supply of high-quality honey, a significance that was extraordinary.

(End of Chapter)