Chapter 193: On That Distant Sea, There Lie Three Islands

"An Electric-type Tera Shard."

Luo Mu picked up the Tera Shard that had fallen where the Tera Crystal used to be, feeling as though he had just cleared a dungeon, with the boss, Clauncher, dropping a heap of materials.

Growlithe also looked as if it had burned itself out, lying in Dragonite's embrace with its tongue lolling out as it panted, appearing completely drained of strength; after all, it had nearly failed to land safely after showing off, and it was only thanks to Dragonite's quick reaction flying over to catch it that disaster was averted.

But Clauncher didn't have such luck; looking at the few Berries Luo Mu had left behind as "hush money and compensation for psychological distress," it silently shed two streams of clear tears.

Who had it offended? It had been minding its own business in its territory, only to be inexplicably sought out and beaten up.

Was it just about Berries? It wasn't as if it couldn't go pick some itself!

Watching the retreating figures of Luo Mu, Dragonite, and Growlithe, Clauncher's chewing motion stalled; sensing the sweet taste of the Berry and its immediate effects, it silently pressed the remaining few Berries beneath its claw, lest those annoying Electric-type flying Pokémon snatch them away.

Come to think of it, these Berries tasted much better than the ones it picked itself; truly delicious!

On the return journey, Luo Mu rarely did not recall Growlithe into its Poké Ball; instead, he held it in his arms.

Stroking its smooth fur, along with the cloud-like mane hanging from its face, Luo Mu was very satisfied with Growlithe's performance today.

It was not only the Wild Charge move it displayed, but also Growlithe's excellent combat performance that caught his eye.

One had to say, wasn't this exactly what one would expect from a Pokémon destined to evolve into an iconic police dog?

Without even mentioning strict obedience to commands, Growlithe's compliance with orders was absolutely first-class; it also possessed its own little cleverness, able to seize opportunities at the right moments, and its decisive judgment in using Wild Charge to take down Clauncher with the final blow all proved that Growlithe had grown into an excellent Pokémon.

Naturally, Luo Mu, who was raising it as a combat asset, was very happy with Growlithe's growth; this assessment was testing precisely Growlithe's combat proficiency, which was why Luo Mu had stepped in to give commands.

It seemed now that it was ready to become an Arcanine.

Upon returning to the farm, Moltres, who had been waiting for a long time, flew straight up into the sky; when it saw Growlithe, who though still somewhat weak was brimming with spirit, the stone in its heart finally settled.

It seemed Growlithe had performed very well.

"Moltres."

Luo Mu's voice suddenly rang out; Moltres met his gaze, and noticing Luo Mu's serious demeanor, Moltres was startled, suddenly understanding in its heart.

Looking at Growlithe with tender affection, as if wanting to imprint Growlithe's current youthful appearance onto its memory, Moltres gazed at it for a long time.

Moltres sighed with emotion; although so little time had passed, so little that for Moltres it was merely the duration of a nap, Growlithe had grown from a stumbling puppy into such an outstanding specimen.

Yet those short two months were the most vibrant period in Moltres's long life, dyeing its monotonous and flavorless memories with many colors.

It seemed the time had come; to take Growlithe to the place of its birth and, borrowing the power of magma, help Growlithe complete its special evolution.

The news of Growlithe completing its assessment spread instantly throughout the farm upon its return.

In an instant, Growlithe and Moltres, who had cared for it, were surrounded by farm Pokémon coming to offer congratulations.

Having heard how exceptionally active Growlithe's Wild Charge had been, Luxray stepped forward and licked Growlithe's fur in appreciation; Serperior turned its head aside, left a remark of "Well done," and departed; Swampert, greatly admiring Growlithe's grit, invited it to wrestle with him after it evolved.

Cangyan Cangyan Rengui had already begun considering how to prepare delicious food for the evolved Arcanine, while Dragonite directly hugged both Growlithe and Moltres in its embrace, wearing a look of pure happiness.

Only Mimikyu, who had absolutely no presence because Luo Mu was absent, was so anxious it spun in circles on the spot; clearly, it too wanted to congratulate Growlithe!

Time thus arrived at the next day.

Fully packed and ready to depart, Luo Mu this time did not ride Dragonite but instead sat upon Moltres's back, after all, only Moltres knew the specific location.

Only after actually sitting on it did Luo Mu discover that Moltres's back was surprisingly wide.

Feeling the continuous warmth transmitting from where he contacted Moltres's feathers, along with the flames burning on Moltres's body surface that somehow wouldn't even scorch his shoelaces, Luo Mu looked left and right with curiosity like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.

Now he could count himself as a man who had ridden a Legendary Pokémon, hehe!

Regarding the farm, Luo Mu had also instructed Luxray and the other Pokémon to consume only the twenty-four-hour supply of food guarded by Pokémon; he and Moltres would try their best to return to the farm before the night when the Poison-type Pokémon was scheduled to visit.

At the same time, the farm's perimeter defense was fully deployed; every Pokémon was to be vigilant for any intruders, and if that Poison-type Pokémon acted early, they were to capture it immediately!

Previously, they had been infiltrated because the opponent found a loophole; under full alert, if the opponent dared to intrude, they would definitely be discovered immediately.

Of course, Luo Mu also reminded the Pokémon to put on a show of it; otherwise, it would be bad if the perpetrator stopped invading due to the heightened security.

"Screech!!!"

The time had arrived; Moltres let out a high-pitched cry, flapping its wings burning with bright flames as it soared into the sky, with faint sparks scattering along with its movements.

It was a pity it was daytime; if Moltres flapped its wings at night, a ribbon of light composed of shimmering sparks would appear in the night sky, utterly magnificent.

Gusts of wind blew past their ears, and the clear sky overhead made both Luo Mu and Moltres feel immensely refreshed; gradually, the farm became a tiny black dot in Luo Mu and Moltres's field of vision.

As their flight altitude increased, looking out, the fertile land of Paldea came into view.

However, the destination of Luo Mu and Moltres on this journey was not the land within Paldea's borders, but rather they proceeded toward the boundless Paldean sea.

Moltres's flight speed was somewhat slower than Dragonite's; Luo Mu and it had departed precisely at eight in the morning, and by three in the afternoon, the surrounding sea areas gradually became unfamiliar in Luo Mu's memory, and the species of Pokémon surfacing on the ocean had also changed to a certain extent.

All these clues proved that Luo Mu and Moltres had even left Paldean waters and arrived at some unknown sea region.

Luo Mu patted Moltres and asked, "When Luxray and Cangyan Cangyan Rengui encountered you, it was on some volcano in Paldea, right? So where is the place you are going to now?"

Moltres's meaning was conveyed to Luo Mu's mind through telepathy.

Luo Mu was startled, murmuring, "The volcano where you were born... the place where everything began?"

"In that sea region, there are three islands?"

(End of Chapter)