Chapter 307: The Water Guardian on the High Ground

After venting his sorrow over not being able to see what a Shinx looked like when it was young to the little cat monster, Luo Mu took Victini and Vulpix deep into the Safari Zone.

The entire Safari Zone of Azure City is divided into six areas, but within these areas, there are even more modules and environments.

Grasslands, rocky fields, wetlands, forests, wastelands, swamps, barren lands, lakes, and even deserts and mountain peaks; one wonders how they managed to blend so many environments into a single place.

Luo Mu's main goal was to search for traces of Shuckle in the three areas of grassland, wetland, and forest; besides that, considering Shuckle's Rock attribute, the desert and mountain peak areas could also be included as backup targets.

Even though the Safari Zone of Azure City had just opened, business was booming; if Luo Mu hadn't arrived early, judging by the overcrowded scene when he entered the Safari Zone, he would probably have had to wait in line.

In the vast grassland area, the figures of many trainers could still be seen faintly.

The number of Pokémon distributed here was quite large; besides the Shinx Luo Mu had just seen, there were also Rattata, Stantler, Zigzagoon, Electrike, Zangoose, Nidoran♀, and Nidoran♂.

"Tini!"

Victini suddenly pointed to a lonely large tree in the grassland; under the tree's canopy, a yellow Pokémon resembling a little fox, with its eyes squinted, was sitting quietly there.

"Even a Kadabra?"

Bending down to place Vulpix, who was tightly clinging to his arm, on the ground, Luo Mu smiled at its confused expression and said, "Vulpix, go defeat that Arbok."

The Arbok looked at Luo Mu with an expression full of hostility and hatred, as if it had once been hurt and betrayed by humans; Luo Mu could well understand the Arbok's pain, but that did not mean he would be so saintly as to surrender and let the Arbok vent its anger on him.

It was evident that the Girafarig had grown tired of ordinary Pokémon food, so it paid no attention to the children's attempts to curry favor, acting very indifferently.

This made Luo Mu understand a few things; for instance, since battles for capture were not allowed, the Pokémon in this Safari Zone had likely long grown tired of the food brought by humans, and if there was no novelty and the taste of the food was not outstanding, one might very well return empty-handed.

Three: Those I like.

The reason Mr. Baobab allowed trainers entering the Safari Zone to bring their Pokémon along was, among other things, that the Safari Zone contained not only kind-hearted Pokémon with pure minds that were friendly to both humans and Pokémon.

Luo Mu was not frightened, nor was Victini frightened; instead, Vulpix, this pampered little Princess, had never seen such a scene and was immediately so scared that it buried its head in Luo Mu's chest; if it didn't still need Luo Mu to protect it, Vulpix might have even dug a hole right through him.

From the tree canopy overhead, Victini suddenly poked its head out; it didn't frighten Luo Mu, but it did give the Vulpix in Luo Mu's arms quite a start.

The corners of his mouth rising slightly, Luo Mu turned around, intending to leave this grassland where the crowd was growing larger.

One: Pokémon suitable for farm development.

Two: Depending on fate.

Not long after Luo Mu turned and left, a couple of trainers discovered the Kadabra under the tree canopy; flipping through their Pokédex books, they found that Kadabra could actually evolve into the powerful Psychic-type Pokémon Alakazam, upon which the couple showed expressions of having struck lucky and immediately planned to sneak up to the Kadabra to lure it with food.

Vulpix's small body trembled; first, it looked at the Arbok, which was nearly four meters long, and then it looked at Luo Mu.

Shuckle, this kind of Pokémon, likes quiet places; tree holes in the forest, under rocks, and caves in the mountains—they will stay quietly in these safe places, slowly brewing the berries or herbs stored within their jug-shaped shells.

"Timi~ Timi!"

Psychic-type Pokémon have always been famous for being versatile and rare, just like that Girafarig over there, surrounded by a group of brats trying to curry favor, yet scoffing at the Pokémon food they offered.

First glancing at Victini above his head, Luo Mu pondered that since this was the forest area, it was best not to let Victini participate in the battle; in case it accidentally caused a huge fire, that would not be good.

There were quite a few Pokémon in the forest; upon seeing Luo Mu, an outsider, timid Pokémon directly shrank back into their nests, while others cast wary glances at Luo Mu, looking as if they would leap up and attack the moment he dared to approach.

Thinking of this, it became clear who should fight the restless Arbok.

However, just as there were Pokémon that showed friendly attitudes toward Victini and Luo Mu, there were naturally also Pokémon lying in wait, wanting to attack them.

It was a snake Pokémon, entirely purple, resembling a giant cobra, with terrifying patterns on its belly capable of stopping children from crying at night.

Just as the couple showed expressions of regret and remorse, overhead, a Hoothoot flapped wings smaller than its round body, flew past them, glanced at them with a smile of successful mischief, and then flew toward the direction of the forest.

The Arbok flicked its forked snake tongue, emitting a cold hissing sound; the patterns on its belly, moving with the Arbok's rhythm, came alive and became vividly lifelike.

The eternal villain—the Poison-type snake Pokémon known as Jessie's partner, Arbok.

Only after leaving Eindeoc did it realize that the world was so vast, life so abundant, the scenery so beautiful, and that there were so many friends to be made.

Luo Mu showed a look of surprise; it seemed this Safari Zone really had something to offer.

Luo Mu's first stop, naturally, was the forest area.

"Bi-mi~"

But just as they were about to approach the Kadabra, waves of mental energy silently surged from around the Kadabra, distorting space, and in the blink of an eye, it disappeared along with its small body.

As for Victini's Psychic energy, to be honest, it was used too poorly; Luo Mu would rather let it play a supporting role.

He did not have much interest in Kadabra; currently, he followed only three principles when catching Pokémon.

Victini reluctantly bid farewell to a small brown bird standing on a tree branch, before hurrying to catch up with Luo Mu, who had already walked some distance ahead.

Looking at Victini, who was happily spinning in circles before him while ignoring Vulpix's fierce and cute glare as it bared its teeth, Luo Mu smiled and asked, "How was playing with your new friend?"

"Mewu!?"

Victini nodded heavily, responding to Luo Mu's inquiry.

You're letting Vulpix fight that guy!?

Stared at by the Arbok's cold, hostile gaze, Vulpix felt that it wouldn't be able to get over this hurdle today.

Half an hour after venturing deep into the forest, Luo Mu, Victini, and Vulpix encountered the first wild Pokémon that was full of hostility and initiated an attack.

Fortunately, this aspect was his strong suit.

And there were also those wild Pokémon that had been hurt or abandoned by humans, or captured by poachers and forced to separate from their families, thus filled with hostility toward humans.

Paying no attention to the gazes of those Pokémon, Luo Mu shouted upward, "Victini, stop playing, it's time to go."

Just thinking about the experience of flying and playing in the sky with its new friend Pidgey for quite some time made Victini feel very happy.

"Hiss hiss hiss—"

Of course, Luo Mu would not let Vulpix go to its death; he had no interest in abusing Pokémon.

It was just that compared to burning the forest, freezing was more suitable in this scorching summer, and perhaps it could even cool down the forest.

That Arbok was likely at the boss level even in the wild; relying solely on the current Vulpix, there was no way to defeat it, but... this was the wild, and no one said support couldn't be used, right?

Although Vulpix was somewhat afraid, it understood that Luo Mu was serious; recalling its mother's sacred, awe-inspiring, and powerful posture on the snow mountain, as well as its own previous instant kill of the Dark Iron Trio and their even more ferocious Pokémon.

Vulpix's violently beating little heart gradually returned to a normal rhythm; in its almond-shaped, gradient-colored eyes, a trace of determination, fighting spirit, and unyielding resolve gradually emerged.

The corners of Luo Mu's mouth rose slightly; he gave Victini a look, and V-mon happily flew behind Vulpix; as a golden aura surged upward, Vulpix once again felt a power filling its body that was... no, even stronger than when it was in Eindeoc.

There was nothing left to fear!

Arbok watched coldly as Luo Mu threw the small, cute Pokémon from his arms forward to take the hit, and its heart filled with even greater rage toward humans and toward the hypocritical Luo Mu.

It decided to let that human thoroughly taste the potency of its toxins; as for those two, they looked so fragile that a single Iron Tail or Wrap would be enough to crush them.

Arbok opened its mouth wide, and a clump of extremely foul-smelling purple venom shot toward Luo Mu at high speed like a sharp arrow.

Given the venom's speed, Luo Mu had no doubt that if he were hit, he might very well be pierced through with a hole.

After all, Poison-type Pokémon were one of the biggest problems causing accidents for novice trainers during expeditions; inexperienced novice trainers often easily fell victim to Poison-type Pokémon.

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Luo Mu's mind, but this did not hinder him from calling out: "Telekinesis!"

"Mew~"

Vulpix emitted a cute low cry; in its gradient blue almond-shaped eyes, a mysterious pink-purple spiritual light ignited, and under Victini's boost, an invisible force spread out, intercepting that arrow-like clump of foul venom in midair within the blink of an eye.

Arbok's effortless movement halted, and a trace of surprise floated across its gloomy face.

Its venomous assault had actually been caught by that little fellow who looked so fragile?

Vulpix, the little fellow that Arbok had deemed fragile, showed a look of joy after successfully blocking the venomous assault, and at the same time, it became even more confident.

As Victini's golden aura rose once again, ice-blue energy immediately began to gather in Vulpix's mouth—

"Powder Snow!"

The moment Luo Mu's voice fell, Vulpix expelled the energy from its small mouth in one breath.

The next instant.

Although it was currently midsummer, Arbok felt a bone-chilling cold; a cold wind mixed with complete snowflakes emitted a mournful howl, as if the gale were its war horn and the snowflakes its iron hooves, carrying unstoppable mighty power that instantly submerged Arbok's massive body.

Before being swallowed by the extreme cold, Arbok's brain, nearly unable to function due to the low temperature, formed only one thought before being completely frozen.

You call this thing Powder Snow?

At this moment, the entire forest was being invaded by a frosty wind blowing from the north; some trainers revealed expressions of disbelief and cried out in shock: "It's midsummer right now!"

Soon after, this news spread throughout the entire Safari Zone.

In this forest, an Ice-type Pokémon of extremely powerful strength had appeared; the frosty wind it blew could sweep across the entire forest, and if one caught it, never mind the Silver Conference, one might even be able to directly defeat Clair, the Dragon-type Champion of the Johto region!

Immediately, this news attracted people from the entire Safari Zone to swarm over, blocking the forest so tightly that not even water could pass through.

Deep within the forest, a Pokémon with a noble, elegant, and unique temperament raised its head.

Its appearance resembled the Qilin of Chinese mythology; most of its body was aquatic blue with white block-like patterns, a blue crystal-like crest shone on its head, and its tail, like flowing ribbons, drifted slowly with the blowing of that frosty wind.

A trace of surprise appeared in Suicune's ruby-like eyes; what kind of power was this—

The Ice-type energy contained within the frosty wind itself was not particularly rare, but layered over that Ice-type energy was some peculiar golden energy; perhaps the other party could...

Recalling the Pokémon it had encountered in that Shanfeng not long ago, Suicune lowered its head to ponder for a moment, then without much hesitation, it directly followed that aura to find the source.

"Bi mi~ Ti mi?"

Lying on Luo Mu's head, Victini wiggled its little feet and issued a curious inquiry to its rider, Luo Mu.

Luo Mu knew what Victini was asking; recalling that Arbok frozen into an ice sculpture in his mind, he shook his head: "Just let it stay there; in this forest, it is basically the boss, and even if it becomes weak from being frozen, no one can threaten it."

"Moreover, since it has already developed hostility toward us—no, correction, toward me—and actively launched an attack, I am not so kind and bored as to heal it and sacrifice myself to make it stop hating humans."

"Let people with greater abilities handle such matters."

Anyway, he had already had Victini use a Fire-type move to break part of the ice, and having felt the texture of Arbok's snake body with his own hands, Luo Mu now spoke with extreme confidence.

After explaining to Victini, Luo Mu looked down at Vulpix in his arms and said with appreciation: "On the contrary, our Vulpix performed very well today; it was extremely brave and must be rewarded. What do you want for dinner tonight? You can order whatever you like~"

Vulpix, who had been tilting its small head to listen carefully to Luo Mu, first raised its head, showing pride under his praise, and then heard the reward of ordering dinner freely.

"Mew!"

Vulpix's eyes immediately burst forth with brilliant light; could there be such benefits for a Pokémon battle that was just a one-hit knockout with Victini's assistance!?

At this moment, Vulpix had already begun pondering what luxurious feast it would demand Luo Mu take it to eat tonight.

After all, besides its mother's encouragement, the main reason it left with Luo Mu was more due to the temptation of the food Luo Mu provided—

Seeing Vulpix's excited little appearance, Luo Mu showed a helpless smile; these little fellows were all little gluttons one by one, fortunately he could also earn money, otherwise sooner or later they would eat him into poverty.

The main purpose of having Vulpix participate in battle today was still to build up Vulpix's self-confidence, fighting spirit, and courage; in fact, after sending out Vulpix, Luo Mu had already tightly gripped Serperior's Poké Ball in his hand, not to mention Victini's assistance.

As long as Vulpix took the first step, the second and third steps afterward would become simpler and easier.

On this basis, giving Vulpix positive feedback—a free-choice dinner—would stimulate Vulpix's enthusiasm.

It had to be said that for trainers, Pokémon were like children; the principles of parenting were truly useful!

A smile appeared on the corner of Luo Mu's mouth, and he walked straight out of the forest where there was no trace of Shuckle, advancing toward other areas.

But this time, even he did not notice that he was being followed by a Pokémon with a light figure exuding a noble temperament.

A short while later—

At five in the afternoon, after searching all day through the grasslands, wetlands, forests, and deserts, Luo Mu still had not found any trace of Shuckle.

With only three hours left until the Safari Zone closed, Luo Mu had to shift his target to his last backup option—the Shanfeng area.

The Shanfeng area was at the northernmost part of the Safari Zone; it was full of towering peaks and highlands, and to reach there without climbing, one could only rely on riding a Flying-type Pokémon to fly up in one go.

Clinging to a sliver of hope, Luo Mu arrived at the Shanfeng area; looking at the highlands which were at least twenty meters high, he knew that compared to wasting time climbing by himself, he needed to borrow Dragonite's power.

The moment Luo Mu took out Dragonite's Poké Ball, Suicune, which had followed behind him all day witnessing him share food with hungry wild Pokémon, rescue wild Pokémon poisoned by accidentally eating toxic mushrooms, and help bullied wild Pokémon escape oppression from their groups, made up its mind.

As a cool breeze blew past from behind Luo Mu, a blue figure leaped over his head; with a few light bounds, Suicune, surrounded by the north wind, appeared on the highland, its ruby-like eyes quietly gazing at Luo Mu.

Luo Mu, stunned:!?

What the heck just darted out?

Victini on his head and Vulpix in his arms stared blankly at Suicune, whose purple flowing hair swayed with the north wind, its entire body filled with a sense of elegance, nobility, and purity.

Only one thought remained in their hearts—

So handsome, what a flashy entrance.

Luo Mu had not expected Suicune to suddenly appear before him; he shouldn't have done anything worthy of Suicune's attention, right?

After a moment of silence, as if suddenly remembering something, Luo Mu reached toward his chest, exposing a feather shining with silver light that he used as a necklace pendant to the air and to the eyes of Suicune, who was busy striking a pose.

Luo Mu wondered if Suicune had detected Lugia's aura on the Silver Wing, which was why it had sought him out.

What he failed to see, however, was that the moment Lugia's Silver Wing emerged from Luo Mu's hand, Suicune on the high ground nearly lost its elegant composure, its heart churning with turbulent waves like a furious tsunami.

A feather of Lugia, the Sea God, the Ocean Current God, the Monsoon God—why would it be on this human!?

Could it be... that he is the human chosen by Lugia?

Suicune, who had originally planned to guide Luo Mu to rescue that Pokémon with a noble, distant demeanor, fell silent; though it was the north wind it had summoned itself, Suicune felt utterly disoriented within it.

(End of Chapter)