Chapter 24: It Stinks So Badly (Half-Annoyed)

In the dark, lush forest, Bai Bai Pengpeng wore a panicked expression, doing its utmost to use the Cotton Spore move to block the foul-smelling liquid sprayed from the tip of the tail of the purple-furred ferocious beast before it.

The moment that liquid touched the air, a stench several times worse than socks worn continuously for a month and then sealed in a closed space for a year began to permeate this area.

Bai Bai Pengpeng found breathing incredibly difficult; its face turned purple, and merely inhaling felt like undergoing torture.

However, it could not collapse yet.

While defending, Bai Bai Pengpeng anxiously glanced back at the two young Cottonee behind it, which had already fallen unconscious from poisoning.

While they were drifting with the wind, a sudden gust struck; unable to adjust their direction in time, they were blown straight into this Skuntank's territory.

The Skuntank permits no other beings to invade its territory; in a single encounter, it poisoned the young Cottonee, leaving only Bai Bai Pengpeng struggling to resist.

Bai Bai Pengpeng shook its body to dislodge the Cotton Spores soaked in poison, propped up its weak frame, and released Cotton Spore once more to block the Skuntank's attack, feeling despair rise in its heart.

If this continues, it won't be able to hold on much longer.

Anyone will do... please, come save us quickly!!

"Damn it, Serperior, what kind of route did you lead us on? It stinks so badly!" (Half-annoyed)

A surprised male voice rang out; the Skuntank, as if enraged, fluffed up all its fur and glared ferociously at the newcomers.

In Bai Bai Pengpeng's eyes, a spark of hope instantly ignited.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough...!"

Peipei was nearly knocked unconscious on the spot by the stench, feeling a burning hallucination from his nose down to his throat, and coughed wildly.

Meanwhile, Ao Ao Jiaofu had tucked its tail between its legs and covered its nose with its forelimbs.

Its sense of smell was dozens of times sharper than a human's; if both Peipei and Luo Mu were nearly knocked out by the stench, let alone Ao Ao Jiaofu.

Dissatisfied, Serperior lightly tapped Luo Mu's palm with the tip of its tail as a warning; was this really the time to worry about whether it stank or not?

If they didn't act now, those three future laborers of the farm would truly be poisoned to death.

Serperior's reminder made Luo Mu realize that indeed, now was not the time to concern himself with the smell; looking at the young Cottonee, their bodies tinged with purple clearly indicated poisoning.

As for Bai Bai Pengpeng, having resisted the Skuntank's attacks for so long, it was likely only a matter of time before the toxins overwhelmed it.

That Bai Bai Pengpeng clearly hadn't evolved long ago, translating to roughly level 20 or so, whereas the Skuntank had clearly completed its evolution some time ago and might already be approaching level 40.

Therefore, what comes next is... the hero's entrance!

Covering his mouth and nose with his right hand, Luo Mu waved his left hand and ordered, "First, mask this stench; Sweet Scent!"

Serperior normally wouldn't easily use this move, but if it didn't use it now, the next ones to faint would probably be Luo Mu and Peipei.

Oh well, let's make an exception just for today. (ω)

Serperior coiled its serpentine body, and a rich fragrance of grass and trees rapidly spread outward from Serperior as the center.

In that instant, the fragrance overwhelmed the stench, creating an indescribable odor.

But this was enough; as long as the Skuntank's stench was suppressed, there were plenty of ways to deal with it.

As if it could no longer endure it, the Skuntank sprayed several streams of foul-smelling poisonous liquid from the tip of its upright large tail.

Serperior really did not want its Vine Whip to get contaminated by that stuff; its serpent eyes narrowed slightly, grass-type energy transformed into sharp leaves, which gathered into a small tornado and shot out from the tip of Serperior's tail.

This was not Leaf Storm; if it truly used Leaf Storm, this Skuntank would surely be severely injured, after all, logically speaking, it was their group that had actively intruded into the Skuntank's territory.

Luo Mu had always taught it that even when wielding power, one must not indulge oneself.

The Grass Whirlwind instantly churned the poisonous liquid into scattered fragments; the dripping liquid fell onto the ground, causing the green grass in that spot to rapidly wither.

Next, the Grass Whirlwind, without losing momentum, swept toward the Skuntank, enveloping it completely.

In mere moments, the Skuntank was scourged by the Grass Whirlwind until it screamed in agony; then, meeting Serperior's serpent eyes filled with pressure and nobility, the Skuntank immediately understood that Serperior was absolutely not an existence it could provoke.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Skuntank immediately tucked its tail, abandoned even its territory, and fled into the distance without looking back.

"Wild Pokémon can survive in the crisis-ridden wilderness precisely because of this ability to assess the situation; once the enemy is an existence they cannot handle, they will directly choose to flee."

Seizing the opportunity, Luo Mu explained to Peipei, who was curious about why the Skuntank had fled.

"Then why didn't Bai Bai Pengpeng flee?"

"Because they are family; with bonds and concerns, many things are not so easily abandoned."

"Oh..."

"Alright, this settles it."

Luo Mu gently placed the second young Cottonee onto a temporary vine bed woven by Serperior's vines; watching the purple tint on its body rapidly fade, his tense face finally broke into a smile.

It had to be said, this Antidote really had something to it.

Basically, for most poisoned Pokémon, as long as one has this small bottle of Antidote, they can be saved.

Luo Mu breathed a sigh of relief, looked at the anxious Bai Bai Pengpeng beside him, and smiled, "The young Cottonee are out of danger now; can you accept treatment now?"

Bai Bai Pengpeng hesitated for a moment, thinking that it was Luo Mu and Serperior who had saved them and that the young Cottonee seemed to be improving, so it chose to trust him.

Bai Bai Pengpeng closed its eyes and completely entrusted its body to Luo Mu.

Luo Mu first used the already half-empty bottle of Antidote to cure Bai Bai Pengpeng's poisoning, then, targeting the wounds left on Bai Bai Pengpeng's body from the Skuntank's bites, he pulled a bottle of Potion from his canvas satchel and carefully applied it.

Peipei, acting as a spectator, watched Luo Mu resolve the incident in an orderly manner, and suddenly the thought arose in his heart that reliable adults are truly cool.

He... seemed to want to become that kind of person too.

The tip of Serperior's tail twisted and swayed left and right in conflict; come to think of it, Luo Mu hadn't treated it so gently with medicine in quite a while; should it pretend to be injured to seek comfort?

But doing so, wouldn't that be a bit too deliberate and proactive?

Serperior fell into deep contemplation.

Bai Bai Pengpeng opened its eyes and discovered that its body, previously numb and weak from poison and injuries, now felt light, and its uncomfortable condition began to improve rapidly; all of this was brought about by this human.

Bai Bai Pengpeng cast a grateful gaze toward Luo Mu.

Seeing that Bai Bai Pengpeng's condition had already begun to improve, Luo Mu chose this moment to extend an invitation; rather than taking advantage of someone in distress, he preferred to leave the choice to Bai Bai Pengpeng.

Organizing his words, Luo Mu spoke directly, "Have you ever considered living on a human's farm?"