Chapter 291: Settling the Two Birds, Mewtwo, and Coconuts

As an artificially created Legendary Pokémon, Mewtwo's connection to nature wasn't particularly tight, but anything an ordinary Pokémon could notice, it could certainly perceive as well.

Coupled with one of its most trusted abilities—perception amplified and strengthened through precise psychic control—at least in this instant, Mewtwo's sensitivity to nature would not lose to that of a Legendary Pokémon born within nature itself.

Moments later, Mewtwo slowly opened its eyes, having reached a conclusion in its heart.

At least for now, the three Legendary Birds showed no abnormalities, and there were no signs that the balance of nature had been broken.

Mewtwo couldn't help but furrow its brow deeply; was it really going to waste time staying here, waiting until the cause of the anomaly appeared?

As if sensing the slight irritability in Mewtwo's heart, Slowking, with an utterly Zen expression, made a suggestion: "Let's go for a walk together. I haven't had breakfast yet. The coconuts from the coconut trees on the edge of this island's beach taste very good; I like them a lot."

Mewtwo & Delibird: "."

On the sky transitioning from dusk to night, three bird-type Pokémon drew closer and closer to the farm, until, after approaching within a certain distance, they descended before Luo Mu under Moltres's lead.

Mimikyu pounced, landing in Luo Mu's outstretched arms; while stroking its head, Luo Mu looked at Moltres, then at Zapdos, and especially at Articuno, using his eyes to ask Moltres what exactly the current situation was.

Moltres's telepathic voice rang out.

【On the way back, besides Zapdos, Articuno had also returned to the island for some time, but it was somewhat unwilling to come along, so Mimikyu and I displayed a little Wu Li... you know, and then we invited it to be a guest.】

Under Zapdos's gleeful expression, facing four "burly giants," Articuno, feeling heavy pressure, suddenly sensed something was wrong.

One could tell that the two of them were habitual offenders.

Therefore, Luo Mu was not surprised that Moltres could recognize Mimikyu and even cooperate with it to perform a mixed doubles beating on Articuno.

By the time the firmly suppressed Articuno saw the light of day again, approximately one hour had passed.

Luo Mu: "."

Zapdos nodded; it was also very curious about the delicious food Moltres had spoken of.

Thinking of this, Luo Mu snapped his fingers, and Meng Lei Gu and Serperior, who happened to be nearby, slowly appeared.

The vines Serperior had used to bind Articuno swiftly withdrew; with the retreat of the vines, a faint yet rich fragrance slowly drifted into the "nostrils" on Articuno's beak, causing it to freeze for an instant.

Only this Articuno, looking as if it wore an expression of aloof coldness, seemed to have a temper even more stubborn and rigid than a honey badger.

At this moment, Moltres paced over to Luo Mu's side, standing close to him, just as if declaring its sovereignty to Zapdos and Articuno.

Although its staple food was still lightning storms or electricity from human power plants, occasionally consuming other foods posed no major problem.

Not only were Moltres and Mimikyu ridiculously outrageous, but this Articuno also seemed extremely stubborn; Zapdos had surrendered after just one beating, and Moltres, too, had gradually been tamed by Luo Mu after taking one hit.

"."

Understood; Articuno had most likely received a mixed doubles beating, repeated several times, which was why it was being so obedient now.

Looking at the three sharp claws, Luo Mu widened his eyes.

Held down by Swampert like a little chick, Articuno could not struggle at all and could only emit a silent protest.

If seen by someone or a Pokémon who didn't know better, they might even think that Articuno was tonight's dinner.

But knowing this, Luo Mu would not therefore blame Moltres and Mimikyu in order to get closer to Articuno; he didn't want to become that kind of person, nor did he want to do something equivalent to betraying Mimikyu and Moltres.

As for Articuno, it was somewhat difficult to deal with; its cold cry rang out, but unfortunately, Luo Mu completely failed to understand what Articuno was saying, and pondering whether only Moltres possessed telepathy, he could only listen to real-time translation from Moltres.

This was probably a special trait of Legendary Pokémon; plus, having spent so much time together, as long as Mimikyu intentionally suppressed its innate special ability, Moltres could barely perceive Mimikyu's existence.

Luo Mu lowered his head to look at Mimikyu and asked in a voice barely louder than a mosquito's hum: "How many times?"

Articuno's expression turned solemn as it faced the two Pokémon, ready for battle.

Before the silent Luo Mu could say anything more, Moltres glared furiously at Articuno, looking as if it were about to start fighting it immediately.

Exploiting the two of them right upon arrival would make even Luo Mu feel somewhat embarrassed.

Luo Mu knew that Articuno had inexplicably taken... six beatings and had been forcibly brought to the farm, so it was only natural for it to harbor resentment in its heart.

Although this was wrong, when choosing between closeness and distance... he chose closeness; moreover, he would never harm Articuno.

Mimikyu quietly protruded a miniature Shadow Claw from beneath its "skirt."

But before it could do anything, everything suddenly went dark before its eyes; instantly suppressed, it was tied up hand and foot by Serperior, placed on Meng Lei Gu's back, and carried toward the location of tonight's dinner.

Therefore... Articuno would just have to suffer a little injustice.

What is this? It had never smelled anything so fragrant before.

At this moment, holding several skewers of premium chicken feet freshly grilled by Cang Yan Ren Gui, Luo Mu, with Swampert's assistance, forcibly fed them into Articuno.

Articuno's general meaning was that it didn't need to eat human food to function properly, and all of this was entirely unnecessary.

Luo Mu did not expose its little scheme; he merely chuckled lightly, then looked at Zapdos and Articuno, making eye contact for an instant with Zapdos's black pupils and Articuno's red ones, before opening his arms and saying: "Welcome to my farm as guests; without further delay... how about having a simple meal first?"

Meanwhile, Mimikyu also pulled out its Shadow Claw, which was even larger than Articuno's face, and looked at it coldly.

As for Zapdos, having already been beaten once, it naturally dared not act presumptuously, not to mention that it had already agreed on terms with Luo Mu.

Only by giving some sweets to Zapdos and Articuno first could Luo Mu feel justified in ordering them around.

"Three times!?"

However, Mimikyu smiled shyly and revealed a second Shadow Claw.

Good heavens, good heavens!

Luo Mu quietly glanced at that Articuno, which was holding its head high with an imperceptible air of aloof coldness, and wildly complained in his heart.

This time, Luo Mu barely managed to suppress his voice; after a small exclamation of shock, he repeatedly gasped in cool air.

"Six times!?"

A trace of longing inexplicably rose in Articuno's heart, but more than that was resistance; it would never...

Before Articuno could even finish running through the process in its mind, a tremendous force suddenly struck its beak; Swampert directly pried its beak open, leaving it with absolutely no ability to resist.

But the instant the spicy, fresh, and delicious chicken feet exploded like a taste bomb within Articuno's beak, the strength of its struggles gradually weakened, its red eyes widening enormously as if struck by some great impact.

Seeing Articuno's expression, Swampert raised an eyebrow, directly climbed off it, and stopped suppressing Articuno.

Just as Swampert had expected, Articuno ceased struggling and began to carefully savor the flavor...

Having no teeth to chew, it could only swallow the chicken feet whole like someone swallowing a date without biting, yet that fleeting taste was deeply Ke Yin-ed into Articuno's mind.

Articuno's inner voice urgently told it that it wanted to eat a little more, to try again that flavor it had only caught a fleeting glimpse of.

But Articuno, due to its own pride, felt somewhat unable to step down, so it could only stand frozen there, watching its old rival Moltres bury its head and gorge itself, while even Zapdos ate until oil dripped from its beak.

Articuno's heart instantly became unbalanced, yet it was unwilling to take that first step voluntarily.

Luo Mu did not miss Articuno's expressions and psychological shifts; he could handle a truly tsundere character with absolute certainty, let alone a fake tsundere like Articuno.

It was merely a matter of having it in the bag.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly; Luo Mu took another plate of various grilled items from Cang Yan Ren Gui and Oranguru, who were busy working up a storm, wondering how Oranguru dared to use its fan made of fur and leaves to stoke the fire.

"There is plenty more here; if it's not enough, just tell me. Later, there will also be some desserts and beverages available."

Approaching Articuno once again, Luo Mu displayed an impeccable smile, his slow voice seeming to carry a magic that made one involuntarily want to believe him.

"Consider this my apology gift; during the short time you stay on the farm, I will do my utmost to provide you with many delicious foods."

Articuno was stunned; it hadn't expected that this human, despite having so many Pokémon far stronger than itself under his command, would still lower his stance to apologize and seek reconciliation.

With the stepping stone placed right before it, if it continued to maintain its posture, it would indeed be ungrateful; moreover, it truly did want to try foods of various flavors.

Within a few seconds, Articuno accepted Luo Mu's "apology" and "gift" with a magnanimous expression saying, "I forgive your rude behavior," and then immediately began eagerly tasting the delicacies.

This is delicious! That is delicious too!

How can food possess such rich flavors? It's simply miraculous, isn't it?

What kind of bitter life had it been living before, surviving solely by absorbing energy and occasionally eating berries?

So fragrant!

Since gaining consciousness, this was the first time Articuno had experienced such rich and intense emotional fluctuations.

After a meal that left them full and satisfied, Luo Mu led Zapdos and Articuno, both wearing expressions of contentment, to two rows of side-by-side Pokémon cottages; these had been built by his construction team to house future Pokémon joining the farm, and now served perfectly as temporary lodging for Zapdos and Articuno.

Even though they were accustomed to sleeping anywhere in the wild.

Having eaten quite a bit of food with rich textures and excellent taste today, Zapdos was in a wonderful mood, feeling fortunate that it had been very sensible; if it helped Luo Mu generate some electricity later, it should be able to return peacefully and steadily.

Articuno's attitude had also softened; after exchanging a glance with Luo Mu and nodding mutually, Articuno entered the cottage to rest.

After settling Zapdos and Articuno, Luo Mu stretched, remembered the pile of dishes still stained with oil that needed washing, and murmured, "Let's go back and wash the dishes with Politoed and the others, then sleep early; it's almost twelve o'clock."

Orange Islands, Asagia Island.

A day had passed since Mewtwo and Delibird arrived here and began communicating with Slowking.

After Slowking abruptly proposed going for a walk and having a meal, the two, having nothing else to do for the moment, thus muddled along following Slowking through a day of its life.

Taking coconuts for three meals, strolling through ancient ruins and temples, sniffing beautifully blooming flowers, taking a comfortable afternoon nap in a sea of flowers, diving into the sea to play after waking up, and watching the sunset from the cliff edge at dusk with a head full of kelp while chewing on fresh kelp.

How to put it? Slowking's Buddha-like yet highly regular lifestyle left Mewtwo and Delibird speechless, feeling as though it were a reclusive human, devoid of desire or demand, simply spending each day in leisure and comfort.

Mewtwo also discussed philosophy with Slowking according to Luo Mu's instructions, specifically regarding its classic questions.

Who am I?

Where am I?

What is the meaning of my existence?

Slowking's answer, however, plunged Mewtwo into silence, its mind filled with nothing but Slowking's mantra-like word: "Coconut."

Yes, Slowking's answer was—

Coconut, coconut, and coconut.

This made Mewtwo even suspect that Slowking was teasing it.

However, upon further reflection, Mewtwo discerned another meaning.

Who am I? —Coconut.

To Slowking, the coconut was its favorite thing; perhaps Slowking was telling itself that who one is does not matter, what matters is what one likes and wants to become.

Where am I? —Coconut.

Mewtwo remembered that every coconut Slowking had given it today was exceptionally round, whereas normally coconuts are generally oval-shaped.

Perhaps Slowking was telling itself that the round coconut resembled this planet, and that it was currently residing upon this beautiful azure planet.

What is the meaning of my existence? —Coconut.

To Slowking, its life was regular and comfortable; as long as it could eat coconuts every day, Slowking would display a smile from the bottom of its heart.

Perhaps Slowking was using the coconut to metaphorically tell itself that the meaning of its existence must be sought by itself, regarding how it hopes and wants to exist on this planet.

Mewtwo fell into deep contemplation.

Under the night sky, Delibird nearby watched the sweetly sleeping Slowking and Mewtwo sitting on the cave edge cosplaying as The Thinker, its expression changing repeatedly.

Although this was merely its sixth sense, but... it seemed that for Slowking, who had been busy eating at that time, its mind was full of coconuts, so no matter what one asked, the answer would always be coconut.

It was just an ordinary coconut, so why would Mewtwo sit barrenly on the cave edge and fall into deep thought!?

What are you imagining?!

A desire to flee this place suddenly arose in Delibird's heart.

Neither Mewtwo nor Slowking seemed like normal Pokémon; one was superstitious and weird, the other full of philosophical questions.

Delibird feared that if it continued staying with them, it might become strange itself!

Beside the sweetly sleeping Slowking, the contemplative Mewtwo, and the restless Delibird, time passed swiftly, arriving at the second day.

Although Mewtwo had not figured out its three philosophical questions, it had made a decision regarding another matter.

Having sat barrenly all night, Mewtwo slowly floated up, its long purple tail swaying gently.

Mewtwo looked at Delibird and extended its hand, saying, "Give me the slipper."

Delibird froze for a moment; had Mewtwo decided to summon Luo Mu over?

Mewtwo spoke again: "I will use the scent on the slipper to locate and utilize Teleport to directly transmit to your trainer's side; at a time like this, perhaps we should listen to the opinion of a powerful human."

Beside Slowking, who was enjoying infant-like sleep, Mewtwo closed its eyes after receiving the slipper, psychic power spreading out; shortly after, it opened its eyes and said in a deep voice, "Found it."

In the next instant, as faint spatial fluctuations rippled outward, Mewtwo and Delibird vanished from Slowking's cave.

Not long after Slowking woke up, in the airspace far from Asagia Island, a massive airship hidden within the sea of clouds flew with clear intent toward Asagia Island.

On the sea a short distance from Ascia Island, a small boat carrying the boy who had just secured a top-eight finish at the Shi Ying Conference with Pikachu perched on his shoulder, along with his two companions, was heading toward a certain small island.

The stage had already begun to be set up.

(End of Chapter)