Chapter 280: Victini, Bowing to Sweet Treats, Appears in Eindeoc

A Pokémon resembling a tiny mouse possessed a cream-colored body, with huge, sharp ears shaped like the letter V; the outer contours of those ears were orange, while the small wings on its back remained immobilized by some binding.

Those panicked, large blue eyes darted left and right, looking exactly like someone caught red-handed doing something wrong.

Luo Mu double-checked repeatedly to ensure his eyes weren't deceiving him; the Pokémon before him was indeed Victini.

Wait, he hadn't even had time to go looking for Victini yet, and it had delivered itself right to his doorstep—was reality this abstract?

As Luo Mu approached with a strange expression, Comfey and the others finally realized they had accidentally ignored Mimikyu again.

The captured Victini was panicking even more; the wild Pokémon hiding nearby watched anxiously but dared not show themselves due to the terrifying aura emanating from Luxray and Mimikyu.

Just as the situation reached a stalemate and the energy within Victini began to churn due to its nervousness, Luo Mu exchanged a glance with Mimikyu, who was looking at him with questioning eyes, and chuckled softly: "Mimikyu, let it go."

Mimikyu nodded slightly, gradually easing the pressure of its Shadow Claw, but Victini, completely unaware of the release, continued to struggle frantically; exerting too much force all at once, it shot high into the air like a cannonball.

Realizing it had gained its freedom, a flash of joy crossed Victini's face, and it instinctively prepared to turn invisible and slip away.

At that moment, Luo Mu's voice rang out again.

"Aren't you going to try the taste?"

Victini, halfway through turning invisible, froze; its tiny nose twitched as a sweet aroma rushed straight to its brain, causing Victini's gaze to glue itself onto the Poffin covered in cream that Luo Mu had picked up, while unshed tears of longing streamed from the corners of its mouth.

At this moment, Victini's mind was completely occupied by two thoughts, which immediately engaged in a fierce tug-of-war.

I really want to eat it... but that doll-like Pokémon is so scary.

I really want to eat it... but that big cat-like Pokémon is so scary.

I really want to eat it... so scary... I really want to eat it... so scary—

Forget it, since things have come to this, I'll just eat the dessert first.

After several rounds of internal struggle, appetite ultimately gained the upper hand; Victini swooped down in a flash to hover before Luo Mu, directly extending its tiny hands to take the Poffin without showing even a hint of embarrassment.

Seeing that neither Mimikyu nor Luxray intended to attack, Victini grew even bolder; seemingly finding it tiring to eat while flying, it plopped itself directly onto Luo Mu's shoulder, its cheeks flushing slightly red as it happily began to savor the treat.

"Teemi~~"

Before long, having finished tasting the cream Poffin, Victini covered its cheeks and let out a sound of pure ecstasy.

This food, sweet with a subtle hint of sourness yet perfectly balanced so it didn't feel unpleasant, was simply too delicious~!

Victini cast its sparkling eyes toward Luo Mu; the simple little creature had dropped all guard after eating, nearly acting spoiled to beg Luo Mu for a second Poffin.

Luo Mu took a second Poffin from the vine handed over by Comfey, signaled Shuang Nai Xian to drizzle it with cream bearing its own unique flavor, and smilingly offered it to Victini.

"Try this Poffin; the cream flavor has changed a bit too."

"Nemi~"

Victini swung its tiny feet, its pair of small wings on its back swaying joyfully as it held the new-flavored Poffin and ate with great delight.

Seizing this opportunity, Luo Mu also began to observe Victini up close.

Victini's size was nearly identical to that of Vulpix, which was still in its growth stage; its weight was very light, making it hard to imagine that such a tiny Pokémon contained "infinite" energy within its body.

Truly marvelous.

After eating several more Poffins, Victini rubbed its belly with a look of complete satisfaction; only then did it turn its attention to Luo Mu, the kind person who had provided it with delicious desserts.

One look, and Victini couldn't tear its eyes away.

On Luo Mu, it sensed a very dense wave of victory; among all the trainers who had come and gone around here over so many years, this was the first time it had encountered an existence with such a strong wave of victory.

It was as if victory had become as commonplace as daily meals for him.

Facing Luo Mu's invitation, "I'm going to eat dinner later; do you want to come along?", Victini didn't hesitate, nodding directly in agreement, having completely forgotten that it had just been trapped.

If Luo Mu's dining location happened to be far from the Sword of the Earth Castle, it wouldn't be able to go.

Perhaps it was precisely because of Victini's optimistic personality that it could endure the loneliness of being trapped here for a thousand years.

When Luo Mu returned to the small stall, he saw several people chatting enthusiastically; besides Hearing Nimo, the others, and Ms. Jiang Ta, there was now an additional woman who looked like a younger version of Jiang Ta, wearing a similar red knitted hat, and whose age was comparable to Luo Mu's.

Seeing Luo Mu return, Hearing Nimo was the first to run over, eagerly pleading: "Teacher Luo Mu! Tomorrow this town is hosting a battle festival to celebrate the Harvest Festival; let's participate together, okay!"

"Huh? Oh, sure—wait, I have to participate too?"

Luo Mu subconsciously nodded; in principle, he would never obstruct his students from participating in safe activities.

Subsequently, Luo Mu realized something was off; it was fine for Hearing Nimo and the others to participate, but what business did he have joining in the fun—was he just going to crush everyone like fishing in a pond?

The young woman spoke as she walked over; after making eye contact with Luo Mu, she bowed slightly: "I very much wish to have a Pokémon battle with you; please, you must participate in this battle festival, I beg of you."

Jiang Ta also walked over and introduced her: "She is my daughter, Carlita; if you find this troublesome, please do not worry about it at all and simply refuse directly."

"It's fine; participating won't be a problem for me."

Luo Mu also felt these matters were harmless and didn't want to spoil everyone's enthusiasm; treating it as entertainment to play along seemed quite nice.

Carlita's eyes lit up, and she thanked Luo Mu profusely, while Hearing Nimo joined in the clamor, thinking that perhaps this battle festival would give her a chance to spar with Luo Mu!

Arven and Penny squatted off to the side, determined to be salted fish tomorrow, with absolutely no intention of participating in the battle activities.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ta turned around at this moment and began packing up the stall, saying with a smile: "You all probably haven't booked accommodation or dinner yet; coincidentally, tonight I plan to borrow the town mayor's castle to prepare a sumptuous dinner to celebrate the Harvest Festival, so if you don't mind, why not join us?"

"You traveled thousands of miles bringing letters; I really want to express my gratitude to you."

Luo Mu did not refuse Jiang Ta's enthusiasm: "Then we shall accept your generous offer. However, Ms. Jiang Ta, there might be one extra mouth to feed then; that shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Saying this, under Jiang Ta's puzzled expression, he called out to his seemingly empty left shoulder: "Victini, come on out."

Inside the dining hall of the Sword of the Earth Castle, Hearing Nimo, Arven, Penny, Marnie, and Carlita sat together, curiously observing Victini, who was currently playing with the Pokémon; even after some time had passed, their expressions remained filled with shock.

That Victini had actually appeared right before their eyes, and was even going to share dinner with them?

If the view of Hearing Nimo and the other four regarding Victini was simply that of a rare and cute Pokémon, then for Carlita, Jiang Ta, and Mayor Mo Mo Mengduo, it felt like a story they had heard since childhood had come true before their very eyes, a fantastical sensation as if they were in a dream.

At this moment, Carlita and Mayor Mo Mo Mengduo were busy in the kitchen; upon hearing that cooking in this castle could only be done using firewood and Pokémon, Hearing Nimo and the others had appeared extremely shocked.

Meanwhile, Luo Mu sat on the other side, flipping through the historical stories about Victini, Eindeoc, and the People of the Earth that Mo Mo Mengduo had helped him find.

Upon reading this, Luo Mu discovered a significant issue.

The overall storyline largely followed the plot of the movie, but there were some divergent points at several key moments.

For instance, Victini was not the Pokémon of the King of the People of the Earth; it was merely a Pokémon that played in the King's garden, had been fed by the King, and thus had a good relationship with him.

When the two princes, bearing Reshiram and Zekrom, erupted into conflict due to clashing ideals and shattered the dragon veins of the Earth People's ancestral lands, the king begged Victini to help him control the Sword of the Earth Castle and make it take flight.

After flying to what is now Eindoak, the king exhausted his strength and died before he could release Victini, who had lent him power, resulting in Victini becoming trapped; this much is consistent.

Afterwards, the greatest turning point appeared.

The two princes, aware of how many disasters their actions had brought, carried two divine stones transformed from divine dragons into the underground of the castle with pain and regret; as if utterly disappointed in them, the divine dragons caused the stones to directly pierce through the rock walls and vanish into the distant sky.

Therefore, the Light Stone and Dark Stone, into which Reshiram and Zekrom had transformed, are no longer beneath this Sword of the Earth Castle.

This also means that Dreped, the villain from the movie—also known as Lady Jiang Ta's son who travels abroad—cannot cause trouble anymore without the power of the divine dragons to aid him.

Watching this history, which was utterly different from his own memories, Luo Mu fell into contemplation.

At this moment, Luo Mu felt a weight settle atop his head; he discovered Victini had suddenly sat there, gazing at this three-dimensional history book with a look of reminiscence.

Clearly, the contents within had stirred its memories.

Looking at Victini, Luo Mu displayed an expression of thoughtful consideration.

Soon after, the gourmet food prepared by Jiang Ta, featuring the specialties of Eindoak, conquered the taste buds of Luo Mu and the others; after feasting heartily, Mayor Mo Mo Mengduo proposed that Luo Mu and the others might as well stay overnight in the castle.

The Sword of the Earth Castle lacked nothing when it came to rooms; since his wife and child were traveling in other cities, it was better to stay here than to go searching for an inn or homestay now.

The group accepted Mayor Mo Mo Mengduo's kindness, each selecting a room they liked and settling in.

Quickly, night fell.

Inside Luo Mu's room, Victini, who had followed Luo Mu for half the day today and scavenged quite a bit of food, showed not the slightest intention of leaving, looking very much like a rascal intent on sticking by Luo Mu's side for the next few days.

Sure enough, just as Luo Mu had changed into his pajamas and was leisurely grooming the fur of his Luxray, Vulpix, and other furry Pokémon, Victini rubbed over, its eyes sparkling as it begged Luo Mu for sweets.

Luo Mu's motion of grooming the Luxray paused; he grabbed Victini's petite body in one hand. Despite appearances, Victini actually possessed a not-so-thin layer of cream-colored fur.

After catching Victini, Luo Mu groomed the comfortably expressioned Pokémon while calling out to the Serperior on the other side: "Serperior, please pass me a few Pecha Berries, the kind ripened by Durant."

"Jaaah—"

Serperior drew out its tone helplessly, extending its vines to rummage through Luo Mu's backpack, before directly flinging three Pecha Berries with precision into Luo Mu's arms.

Picking up a Pecha Berry, Luo Mu said seriously: "You've eaten at least ten Cream Pokéblocks today; if you eat more, you'll get fat. The taste of berries is also quite nice; give them a try."

Victini accepted the berry with an expression of disbelief; having stolen and eaten berries daily in the mayor's orchard, how could it not know what berries tasted like?

However, the instant this slightly different berry burst within Victini's mouth, its expression was immediately dyed with surprise.

Why are even the berries this delicious—

Victini cupped its cheeks, unable to help but let out a happy purring sound.

Both the Pokéblock drizzled with cream and this unique berry; Victini had never eaten food this delicious before.

Victini once again made up its mind: for these few days, it must stick closely to Luo Mu and scavenge his gourmet food.

As for what would happen after Luo Mu left, Victini had not yet thought about it.

Late at night, outside the Sword of the Earth Castle, four figures quietly stepped onto this land.

"Is this the castle left behind by the Wang Zu, who legend says were once served by two giant dragons?"

With no fluctuation in tone, a flat voice issued from a youth whose tall figure was discernible even beneath a cloak.

A few strands of green hair beneath the hood swayed slightly with the night breeze as the youth's eyes, dim with divine light, calmly gazed upon the three figures kneeling on one knee beside him, who resembled ninjas.

"Although Father ordered you to assist me in coming here to search for traces of the Dragon of Truth and the Dragon of Ideals, I have one more command... during the investigation, do not harm any innocent Pokémon."

"As you command, Lord N."

The three, known within Team Plasma as the Dark Triad, lowered their heads to show submission.

In the next instant, their figures vanished instantly, as if they were an invisible wind.

N had no intention of entering the castle just yet; he intended to wait for the Dark Triad to bring back intelligence, determine whether the two dragons of Truth and Ideals were slumbering in some corner of this castle, and only then enter to awaken them.

Only after he acquired the power to peacefully change the Unova region would he proceed to create the world of his dreams.

Inside the Sword of the Earth Castle, in the library.

Mo Mo Mengduo, whose figure was slightly stout, held an oil lamp and browsed through the history he had read countless times before.

That Victini might be the existence capable of realizing Dreped's lifelong dream.

By borrowing Victini's infinite energy for a short while to drive the Sword of the Earth Castle and liberate the sealed dragon veins, they could restore abundance to the Land of the Earth, allowing the Earth People scattered across the world to return to their homeland.

However, the fact that the king of the past exhausted his strength and died while driving the Sword of the Earth Castle also concerned Mo Mo Mengduo; did this mean that utilizing a Mythical Pokémon for such tasks would exact the price of one's life?

If so, then before finding a solution, Dreped could not be allowed to easily learn of Victini's existence.

Just as Mo Mo Mengduo intended to continue searching for a solution within the library, a sudden chill wind swept through the room, and a cold sensation abruptly pressed against his neck.

Thanks for everyone's concern; my condition has improved slightly.

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(End of Chapter)