Chapter 183: The Berry Tree Defense Battle!

After thoroughly enjoying some affectionate moments with the Mudsdale and the Meng Ya Lu, Luo Mu did not wipe the saliva smeared across his face in front of them, since such an action would undoubtedly break their hearts.

Hmm, worst case scenario, he could wipe it off once he got back.

These were all ways the Pokémon expressed their affection for him; as long as it wasn't excessive, Luo Mu had no intention of stopping them—in fact, he was more than happy with this level of intimacy.

Luo Mu stroked the Meng Ya Lu's long antlers, which had a texture no different from tree branches; the pale red flowers blooming atop them were just right, and thanks to these flowers and the garlands crafted by the Comfey, the Meng Ya Lu had successfully integrated into the farm.

"In a little while when summer arrives, these flowers will fall and grow leaves and branches; it's said they can be used to make richly flavored black tea, slurp."

Muttering to himself, Luo Mu wiped the corner of his mouth, only to meet the somewhat speechless expressions of the Meng Ya Lu, as if they were reproaching him for already coveting their leaves and branches before summer had even arrived.

Chuckling awkwardly, Luo Mu remembered he seemed to have forgotten the main matter; he had specifically come to find the Mudsdale and the Meng Ya Lu for this very reason.

Immediately, he skillfully recounted the poisoning incident at the neighboring Jones Farm once again, emphasizing, "In short, you must all be careful of toxins; before eating grass, sniff first to check for any strange odors, and if a companion gets poisoned, hurry and find either me or the Comfey."

The Mudsdale and the Meng Ya Lu looked at each other and nodded.

Seeing that the three Pokémon had taken his instructions to heart, Luo Mu gave each of them a good rub before departing, fully satisfied.

Early the next morning, Luo Mu enjoyed the treatment of being bound by the Serperior's Vine Whip, being forcibly shaken awake by its vines.

Hanging upside down, Luo Mu felt his brain swelling slightly with blood, unable to understand why the Serperior was treating him this way so early in the morning.

He hadn't deliberately provoked or teased the Serperior recently, had he?

Probably.

Luo Mu was a bit uncertain; after all, sometimes people suddenly act on impulse to get something done, only to forget all about it the moment they turn around.

This made him slightly timid, daring not to open his mouth to beg for mercy.

Fortunately, once the Serperior saw that Luo Mu was awake, it released him and urged, "Gah-ko!" (Hurry and get dressed!)

Luo Mu blinked, breathing a slight sigh of relief.

It seemed his misdeeds hadn't been exposed, and the Serperior hadn't come to settle scores with him.

Quickly stripping off his pajama top and bottoms, he changed into his regular clothes; under the Serperior's watchful gaze, he sped up his washing routine, and before he even had time to drink a sip of water, he was bound by the wrists with its Vine Whip and dragged rushing out of the house.

Originally, Luo Mu still held quite a few complaints due to his morning grumpiness, but when he saw the place the Serperior had brought him to, joy instantly surfaced.

There, atop the canopies of the fifteen berry trees planted in a neat row, large berries had grown in dense clusters.

Oran Berries, Pecha Berries, and Sitrus Berries.

The three types of berries hung delicately from the tree canopies, morning dew adorning their plump bodies, looking utterly tempting.

A rich fruity fragrance permeated the air, completely waking up Luo Mu's still slightly groggy brain.

After a long period of time, the saplings had finally grown into great trees, and under the pollination of the Combee swarm, they had borne berries that looked incredibly enticing!

A sense of accomplishment that never grew tiresome no matter how many times he experienced it surged into his heart; Luo Mu grinned broadly and exclaimed joyfully, "It's a harvest!!!"

A bumper harvest of berries was the farm's top priority; Pokémon with free hands flocked to the still small-scale orchard and began picking the fresh berries.

Large baskets prepared in advance were arranged neatly under the fruit trees, gradually being filled by the diligent labor of the Pokémon.

Of course, a problem every farm must face—the invasion of wild Pokémon—also quietly arrived.

The ground was handled by the Luxray, Growlithe, and Herdier, but they couldn't manage the sky.

Aside from the pink Dragonair and the Dragonite who needed to care for the Dragonite leader, two other Dragonair danced in the sky, dispersing the large flocks of Flying-type Pokémon that had come attracted by the ripe fruit fragrance.

Flocks of Pikipek, Rookidee, and Starly, as well as small groups of Honchkrow, were all targets for expulsion.

However, these Flying-type Pokémon were utterly reckless for a mouthful of food; cleverly forming into entire groups, they treated the two Dragonair as bosses that needed to be challenged.

At this moment, the four major Flying-type Pokémon species had seemingly formed a temporary alliance with a united front, planning to break through the Dragonair's blockade first before considering matters of distribution.

Against a single or a few Flying-type Pokémon, the Dragonair could expel them without breaking a sweat, but the opponent's numbers were vast, and more Flying-type Pokémon were continuously arriving from all directions as the fruit fragrance gradually spread.

Although the Paldea region boasted a rich ecological environment nurturing huge populations of wild Pokémon, this fertile environment also brought natural enemies to every farm planting berry trees; these fruit plunderers flying in the sky were a nightmare for every farm.

Often, it required spending a huge price to hire Trainers and Pokémon just to guard the fruits of their hard labor.

This was likely because the berry trees had always been nourished by the Grassy Terrain domain, the soil cultivated by the Tapu Tapu Moumou's signature move, and the meticulous care of other Pokémon, making the resulting berries far more attractive to wild Pokémon than ordinary ones.

More and more wild Flying-type Pokémon arrived; even quite a few that slipped through the net used their numerical advantage to break through the defense of the two Dragonair, pecking off some berries from the top of the canopies amidst the chaos, while other berries fell straight to the ground, making Luo Mu's heart ache immensely.

These wild Pokémon were too bold; for a bit of food, they even overcame the Dragon Aura of the Dragonair and others, throwing themselves at the defensive line one after another; it seemed time to deploy the trump card.

Luo Mu looked at the Moltres preening its feathers by his side and said, "Extra meal today; chase them all away!"

The Moltres paused its movements, stopped preening its feathers, and immediately cast a questioning gaze at Luo Mu.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Deal!"

The Moltres's eyes lit up; it hadn't expected that coming just to watch the show would yield such benefits, proving it wasn't in vain that he, a Pokémon whose sleeping time used to be counted in years and months, had endured his sleepiness to wake up early—wasn't this a windfall dropping from the sky!?

"Screech!!!"

Letting out a sharp cry, the Moltres, face full of excitement, flapped its wings and soared upward, charging straight toward the dark, oppressive area above.

Lord Moltres has arrived; shouldn't all you petty thieves retreat immediately!?

Although the desire for food had allowed the wild Flying-type Pokémon to overcome the not-so-strong Dragon Aura of the Dragonair, the extremely deterrent pressure emanating from the Moltres was a different matter entirely, as it was one of the apexes among Flying-type and Bird Pokémon.

Upon seeing the Moltres, the wild Flying-type Pokémon acted as if they had seen their ancestor; before it even had to exert effort, their fragile alliance collapsed directly, and in panic and confusion, they fled in disarray at speeds even faster than when they had arrived.

(End of Chapter)