Chapter 174: The Appearance of the Moltres After Losing Weight

Time galloped away like an unbridled wild horse; in the blink of an eye, four more days had passed since returning from Yuanmo Town.

The date was quietly approaching mid-March.

Luo Mu could clearly perceive the temperature gradually rising; the biting night winds had vanished without a trace, replaced by a refreshing coolness that made one acutely aware that spring had arrived, while the day of Li Xia was also drawing near.

Not much had happened over these three days; after all, what could possibly occur when cooped up on a farm every day? It was merely the routine of tending the fields alongside Grass-type Pokémon, leading the Mudsdale to use its increasingly proficient plowing moves to keep the soil in optimal condition, and drooling while feeding the fish fry, waiting for them to grow large enough to feast upon.

Under the Luxray's guidance, the Farm Security Team's training had yielded remarkable results; the two new members were increasingly cutting a proper figure, already capable of conducting daily patrols under the Luxray's lead, and occasionally even permitted to step onto the field to disperse wild Pokémon drawn to the farm by the crops.

A few days prior, the Combee swarm led by the Vespiquen had completed their honey gathering and brewed the freshest Combee honey. Since they had taken several empty glass jars from Luo Mu upon departing, he did not even need to venture to that forest; the Combee cooperatively returned with the glass jars filled with golden, glistening honey.

At this moment, with the assistance of three Poliwag, he was carrying these heavy glass jars back home.

The Poliwag carrying the honey jars had their eyes slightly curved downward in delight; Combee honey was the most delicious honey they had ever tasted, especially after Cang Yan Ren Gui had once brushed it onto grilled fish during a barbecue, causing the Poliwag to fall in love with that sweet flavor.

With such a massive increase in reserves now, it would be strange if they weren't happy.

Ever since growing hands, the three Poliwag had relied on those reasonably strong arms to help Luo Mu considerably; even though the Politoed existed and their subsequently learned Rain Dance move was of no use, relying on these hands, they could still contribute to the farm.

"Wu-lu-lu~~"

Humming a cheerful little tune, the Poliwag walked lightly along the path.

Seeing their joyful expressions, a smile also surfaced on Luo Mu's face; as he walked, spotting that rain cloud in the distance, he suddenly asked, "How is your boss's Drizzle ability training coming along?"

Both the Politoed and the Swampert gave him little cause for worry; with those two Pokémon present and the Moltres being supervised by other Pokémon, he indeed hadn't paid much attention to their training progress recently.

Since the Poliwag basically followed the Politoed around every day, it was the perfect opportunity to ask about the recent situation.

"Wu-lu-lu."

The Poliwag exchanged glances, their happy expressions suddenly turning dejected.

Before Luo Mu could react, a tremendous boom suddenly rang out from the sky not far away; when he cast his gaze in that direction, something entirely unexpected occurred.

From within that thick, black rain cloud bringing the downpour, a bright and brilliant line of fire shot straight into the heavens, instantly piercing through the dark clouds while simultaneously delivering sunlight to the ground.

"This is..."

Luo Mu's eyes widened in shock; gently hugging the honey jars in his arms tighter, his heart urgently desired to know what was happening over there.

Undoubtedly, that line of fire must have been released by the Moltres; while piercing through the clouds, the Moltres had very likely simultaneously unleashed the Sunny Day move.

The Moltres, which had been suppressed by the combination of the Politoed and Swampert some time ago, had actually managed to snatch back control of the weather!?

As if perceiving Luo Mu's curiosity about the scene, the three Poliwag exchanged glances, tucked the honey jars under their armpits, forcibly freed one hand to snatch the honey jars from Luo Mu, and made sounds urging him to hurry over there.

The Poliwag remembered clearly that as the high-intensity battle continued, that Moltres's body shape had gradually returned to normal; with its agile movements, it could utilize its advantage of flight to nimbly evade the Swampert's attacks.

At the same time, having gained a moment to catch its breath, the Moltres could divert part of its focus to deal with the Rain Dance weather that caused it such distress.

Their boss, in the contest for weather control, was completely no match for the Moltres when it got serious; the gap between an ordinary Pokémon and a Legendary Pokémon was laid bare without any omission.

If not for the Swampert continuously posing a threat to the Moltres, the Politoed would not even have been able to snatch back control of the weather from the Moltres' grasp.

The boss's frustration and determination over the past few days had been witnessed by the Poliwag; they could only hope that Luo Mu could bring suitable advice to the Politoed.

Watching Luo Mu depart, the Poliwag's eyes were filled with hope.

"Nyu-lu! Nyu-lu!"

Beneath the clear, proud sun, the Politoed's body, originally covered in moist liquid, gradually became dry; forced to waste more energy to maintain its surface humidity, it felt extremely annoyed.

It constantly mobilized Water-type energy in an attempt to gather rain clouds, yet due to the Fire-type energy permeating the surroundings and the suppression of the proud sun overhead, it failed repeatedly.

The Politoed looked at the Swampert, which under the intense Sunny Day still pursued the Moltres—currently in peak condition in the sky—with an unchanged expression, hammering away; it knew very well that its own insufficient strength was dragging the Swampert down.

Clearly, the Swampert had already seized countless opportunities for it to regain control of the weather, yet in the end, due to its own immaturity, the weather had been snatched away by the Moltres once again.

Upon arriving here, the first thing Luo Mu saw was that battlefield making quite a commotion over there.

The Swampert exerted force with its legs, leaping over ten meters in a single bound; the water flow on its fists seemed not weakened by the Sunny Day at all, still causing the Moltres to treat it as a formidable enemy and choose to dodge.

And that Moltres, whose feathers burned with flames that grew more intense and brighter with every flap of its wings, had already changed its appearance dramatically.

Its body size had now recovered to how it looked when they first met; its streamlined form made its flight even easier, and thanks to Luo Mu's period of feeding it well, it had become even more robust and powerful, occasionally even taking the chance to engage in close combat and play tricks when the Swampert had no foothold in the air.

The Moltres's weight loss was a success!

Since its weight loss was successful, the day to head to the volcano to help the Growlithe evolve was not far off.

Luo Mu was somewhat lost in thought; unexpectedly, the Growlithe's evolution was approaching so soon; by then, upon seeing the Arcanine, the Moltres should feel reassured enough to leave, right?

Luo Mu had originally felt a bit regretful about no longer being able to use the Moltres's highly stable Sacred Fire, but when he noticed the somewhat frustrated Politoed, he realized he would have to perform some "talk therapy" again.

The area where the Politoed contested for weather control would not be affected by the battle between the Moltres and the Swampert; Luo Mu walked over with peace of mind, smiled under the Politoed's surprised gaze, and said, "Young man, do you desire power?"

(End of Chapter)