Chapter 320: Return to the Farm, Milk Subscription Service, and Garganacl!

Dragonite felt that if miracles existed in this world, this moment must be one of them.

With Victini's help, Comfey's Bloom Doom Z-Move rippled out as emerald waves of light, smoothing the uneven soil with flowing energy and causing ordinary flowers and grass to regrow and bloom anew.

In just a few breaths, the Dragon's Den restored its former appearance, even becoming more beautiful due to the infusion of dense life energy.

The bound Zinnia widened her eyes, her mind filled with questions.

What had Luo Mu done? What was that glowing object on his wrist? Why could the move of that Pokémon named Comfey actually affect the growth of plants?

Causing vast areas of flora to grow in an instant—is this really something an ordinary Pokémon can achieve?

Her thoughts mattered to neither Pokémon nor humans; at this moment, Dragonite's eyes shimmered with tears, weeping with joy like a child who had finally found a unique treasure.

The young Dragon-type Pokémon and wild Pokémon it cared for also jumped up and down excitedly, letting out youthful cheers to celebrate the revival of the Dragon's Den, which had been thrown into chaos by Salamence's Hurricane.

Under Cynthia's care, the Pokémon Iris had captured somewhat exceeded Luo Mu's expectations, even making him sigh at the wonders of fate.

Muttering to himself did not hinder Luo Mu from putting on shoe covers and lifting the salt house's door curtain.

Clair nodded slightly, smiling friendly at Dragonite: "Although we initially intended to test Dragonite's combat abilities, since Dragonite wants to eat sweets and finds the desserts you make delicious, you have passed the hidden trial; that Agility secret manual is yours."

And since their true forms are merely Bug-type, their diet basically consists of various Berries.

At that moment, a dazzling bright light instantly filled the entire salt house; caught off guard, Luo Mu instinctively closed his eyes, while the Shuckle siblings retreated into their shells to evade the blinding glare.

The three Naclstack happily hopped around Luo Mu, as if telling him how delicious the soil he brought back this time was.

"You focus on your so-called responsibility, but where does that leave your fellow Meteorites? Although the Dragon Clan won't cross regions to sanction them, the loss of reputation is unavoidable."

Facing the four obedient Miltank sitting in a row, Luo Mu introduced the Luxray beside him.

Stroking his chin thoughtfully, seeing the salt house was nearly reached, Luo Mu made his decision.

While accepting gratitude from the Naclstack, Luo Mu felt a bit surprised that the Shuckle could actually consume soil, yet found it quite reasonable.

Their names are Garganacl!

"They actually evolved."

"Mm, I'll go discuss with Oranguru later to see if it has any suggestions, such as transportation methods for Tapu Moumou Milk once the milk subscription service starts."

Luo Mu turned back halfway to the gathering point, waited there for a while, and soon met the returning Drasna, Cynthia, and Iris.

Although it didn't make the originally spacious salt house crowded, it still occupied a considerable amount of space.

Shuckle's usual habitats are generally tree hollows, or beneath rocks, or they drill holes into rocks to enter.

Luo Mu widened his eyes; could it be that the soil of Mount Silver was that effective, allowing them to gather all the energy and nutrients needed for evolution after just one meal, pushing them to complete their first evolution in one go?

Ignoring Zinnia's incredulous and slightly panicked inquiries from behind, Luo Mu and Dragonite approached Drake and Clair, briefly explaining the situation to them.

Luo Mu pointed at the sky and gave further instructions.

Considering the face of the Hoenn region's Meteorites, Drake and Clair did not parade through the streets with Zinnia tied up in ropes; instead, they first found a secluded spot to temporarily place Zinnia and Salamence there, deciding how to contact the Hoenn side only after discussing with the Dragon Elder.

Clair remembered Luo Mu mentioning that he hadn't captured any Pokémon yet knew the way straight to the Dragon's Den, so she kindly offered a reminder.

Since Luo Mu had said so, Clair did not insist, after all, this person was a Trainer of the same level as her cousin, leaving no room for her interference.

Coming to a corner of the salt house and seeing the feeding troughs already cleaned spotless, Luo Mu smiled and looked at the Naclstack, saying in surprise: "You've finished eating everything?"

"Your Whismur first chose to taste the dessert it made with you, yet for the sake of your obsession, you destroyed its intentions; unable to even care for the partner who has always watched over you, how can you talk about saving the world?"

Luxray nodded slightly, its golden eyes looking toward the Miltank that seemed to have heard Luo Mu speaking and slowed its grass-chewing action, narrowing its eyes.

The Garganacl, in high spirits, naturally accepted the Shuckle's goodwill with pleasure, squinting their eyes happily.

"Zibo~" (Congratulations~)

Luo Mu, who had already steeled his heart to help Miltank build healthy habits, chose to ignore it; after all, Luxray always knew its own strength, at most using electric current to shock Miltank's rear slightly, making it feel just a bit numb.

As they jumped joyfully, rubbing their bodies against each other, crystal-clear white rock salt continuously fell through the diamond structures within the salt house onto the collection boards.

The rock salt, crystal-clear and white in texture, looking very fine in quality, was spat out by the Garganacl; in just a short while, it piled up into a small salt mountain, looking quite shocking.

Even the Mudsdale currently cooling off in a mud pit saw this group of creatures "rolling" everywhere in the pasture and couldn't help but cast a curious glance.

As the light gradually dispersed, Luo Mu reopened his eyes; seeing the scene before him, he couldn't help but reveal a shocked expression.

Thinking of this, electric currents flashed within Luxray's mane.

Seizing the excited mood, although they couldn't stack up anymore, the Garganacl still loved keeping in step; they stood side by side, and under Luo Mu's gaze, aimed at an empty area of the salt house and spat out everything generated within their bodies!

In an instant.

"Zibo" (Con-grat-u-la-tions)

"Lei~" (Thank you~)

After staring at each other for quite a while, the four Miltank finally moved, beginning to curiously explore their new pasture where they would live in the future.

"Naclstack, you..."

First, a single Miltank's daily milk production is basically around 20 liters, while the Miltank brought back from Hanze's pasture, boosted by the "Grass Pelt" ability, had stored more energy and fat, making its Tapu Moumou Milk output nearly a quarter higher than other Miltank, with nutrition levels similarly elevated.

Then...

Luo Mu steeled his heart and said to Luxray: "Please supervise Miltank daily, ensuring it rolls around the pasture area for no fewer than five laps; if this continues, it will fall ill due to obesity."

With 105 liters of Tapu Moumou Milk daily, the farm alone cannot consume so much; furthermore, the nutrients contained in Tapu Moumou Milk are too rich, and continuous intake easily leads to gaining weight like Miltank, often requiring certain dilution treatments...

Even if part of the Tapu Moumou Milk is processed into dairy products like yogurt, cheese, curd, ice cream, or condensed milk, such a large quantity of Tapu Moumou Milk still cannot be fully consumed.

How to handle this Tapu Moumou Milk became an issue Luo Mu needed to address.

After experiencing the Pokémon's routine enthusiastic welcome, Luo Mu first led the four new Miltank members to the pasture area, introducing the pasture environment to them one by one, specifically emphasizing that if they saw rain coming in the sky, they should return to the constructed rain shelter to avoid the rain, and could rest in the Pokémon cabin beside the shelter at night.

After evolving, Garganacl's height was almost equivalent to Shuckle's, but its width and length were greatly amplified.

Crouching down to look at Zinnia, whose face was smeared with dirt and looked somewhat disheveled, before Drake and the others arrived, Luo Mu asked curiously: "For this secret manual, you actually chose to take the risk of stealing it even while I was present, and possibly Drake and Clair nearby."

"Hey, how do you know—"

As soon as he returned to the farm, Luo Mu without delay took one of the gains from this outing—the Mount Silver soil obtained from Larvitar—and filled the feeding troughs that the Naclstack usually ate from.

"I don't understand; does it hold such attraction for you that you would rather antagonize the Dragon Clan as a Meteorite?"

Zinnia remained silent for quite a while; just as she was about to speak, she discovered that several blades of green grass had fallen into her mouth at some point, nearly choking her.

Why did Little Lapras cling to Luo Mu the moment it arrived?

Walking on the way to the Salt House, Luo Mu pondered the development issues of the farm after the four Miltank had settled in.

It was not until the four of them boarded the car to return to the hotel, handed Iris over intact to Xia Ka, and saw off Cynthia returning to Sinnoh, Drasena returning to Kalos, and Xia Ka and Iris returning to Unova.

After clearing the foreign objects from her mouth, she finally did not maintain the smile on her face this time, but said coldly, "For no reason; you would never understand the weight of the responsibility I bear, nor the determination I have made to stop at nothing for it."

Luo Mu did not display any extra emotions due to Xiang Xiang Jiana's response; instead, he fell into deep thought for quite a while.

"Salt! Salt!" "Salt! Salt!" "Salt! Salt!"

"No need, let's just go back together."

"If there is any danger, or if you detect certain wild Pokémon invading the farm, then ask Luxray for help; it is the captain of the farm security team, and its strength is very formidable."

The rock salt beneath the Salt House should have been collected once yesterday by the Oranguru, so there was no stock left at the moment; the three Naclstacks stacked on top of each other, curiously sizing up the other two guests inside the Salt House—one red and one blue—the Shuckle.

In just a short while, Luo Mu, Comfey, Dragonite, Serperior, and even Victini, who had appeared due to the commotion, were surrounded by excited wild Pokémon; like cheering for their heroes, they used their own ways to thank Luo Mu and the others for restoring the beauty of the Dragon Sanctuary.

Luo Mu was right; at a time like this, one must be ruthless.

After completing their evolution, the amount of rock salt they produced was almost two to three times that of their Naclinc stage, which also meant that the sales revenue from the Naclstacks' rock salt would also double or triple!

Luo Mu was overwhelmed by this sudden surprise and could not help but reveal a happy smile.

Although it was somewhat strange that Iris, whose ambition was to become a Dragon-type Master, had consecutively caught two Pokémon that did not even possess the Dragon type, she seemed quite happy, saying something about how Lapras was also a dragon and Excadrill was also a dragon.

Two Skiddo running over to watch under the lead of a Deerling shook their heads, as if they were already accustomed to the Miltank's bottomless-pit-like appetite.

Luo Mu did not bother to ask how they intended to deal with Xiang Xiang Jiana; he booked a flight ticket from Johto to the Paldea region for early the next morning, washed up, and went to sleep.

Wataru summoned a Charizard, and Ibuki summoned a second Dragonair; the former carried the tied-up Salamence, while the latter carried Xiang Xiang Jiana as they flew toward the Dragon Clan's manor.

Luxray was long accustomed to this situation; it would only take a little more time, and Luo Mu was also confident that in a few more days, the Miltank would surely regard Luxray as their most reliable boss.

The next day, Luo Mu boarded the plane, and after a journey of nearly a day and a night, he finally landed in Cortondo City in the Paldea region.

The younger Shuckle brother also cautiously spoke out to offer congratulations.

"Stack~ Stack~"

It naturally knew which of the five Miltank Luo Mu was referring to; the other four, under Little Kim's training, had already developed the habit of rolling around whenever they were in a good mood, whereas only the Miltank on their own farm ate and slept, slept and ate.

Accumulation was correct; the Naclinc had simply accumulated energy and nutrients from the past that happened to burst forth all at once today, at this moment, fueled by their joyful mood, allowing them to complete their evolution.

Not long after leaving the farm area, Luo Mu's ears still seemed to echo with the "screams" of the Miltank.

Suddenly discovering that the Naclinc, who were smaller than itself, had grown significantly larger in size after evolving, the red younger Shuckle brother felt somewhat timid due to its cowardly nature and did not dare to show its head.

After calming the excited Pokémon, waiting for them to happily return to their new homes which had been decorated even more beautifully, Luo Mu recalled Serperior and the others, keeping only Dragonite by his side; holding the Extreme Speed TM that the large Dragonite had asked him to keep, he brought Dragonite before Xiang Xiang Jiana.

"I remember Little Kim saying that keeping rolling and performing massages frequently helps maintain the Miltank's physical and mental health, producing more delicious Tapu Tapu Moumou milk."

Looking at such Miltank, Luo Mu planned to start learning the "Miltank An Mo Shou Fa" that Little Kim had taught him tonight; after mastering it, perhaps by drawing inferences from one instance, he could also learn techniques to help massage other Pokémon.

One could see that the traces of the originally small and cute Naclinc had disappeared, replaced by three Pokémon that looked as if they were built from square blocks, having crossed over from some "block world."

"You don't need to tell me; that is my plan as well."

After all, Shuckle was, strictly speaking, a Rock-type Pokémon, part of the same family as the Naclinc; previously, Luo Mu had thought that it was because of the hard shell on their bodies that Shuckle possessed the Rock attribute.

On July 4th, Luo Mu successfully rode Dragonite back to Flat Bean Town, landing in the pasture.

For now, he was merely letting the Shuckle siblings temporarily reside in the Salt House; once Luo Mu found a suitable large rock, he would move them to the Berry Orchard, where there was not only canopy shade but also the ability for the Shuckle to select suitable berries at any time to place in their shells for brewing, and they could also keep company with the Applin and Tropius living near the Apple Orchard.

"This time, my skills were inferior to yours; you may as well hand me over to the people of the Dragon Clan, and I will take responsibility for my own actions."

This was hardly surprising; even among their own kind, the imposing aura of Luo Mu's Luxray, which commanded awe without anger, was extremely rare, not to mention the strong presence of a powerhouse that seeped out inadvertently even though Luxray was intentionally suppressing it; all of this made the Miltank slightly afraid of it.

No matter how good the soil of the Silver Mountains was, its effects would definitely require time to accumulate.

Because such an environment helped Shuckle ferment the berries inside their shells into juice; at the very least, the Salt House environment, which was mostly under sunlight, was not quite suitable.

Their method of exploration was also very simple: curl themselves into a ball, then scatter in all directions using the Rollout move, stopping briefly at each place to sniff and taste whether the pasture grass there suited their palate.

But looking at it now, the mysteries of Pokémon were far deeper than he had imagined.

The two Shuckle also slowly crawled over here, stretching their necks to indicate to Luo Mu that they too had consumed quite a bit of this soil and found it very delicious.

"Responsibility, huh?"

When Wataru and Ibuki reappeared with the Dragon Elder and announced the end of the Dragon Festival, the many visiting trainers had gained promising Dragon Pokémon, while the Dragon Clan had gained much friendship; both parties were very satisfied with this event.

And Luo Mu and Dragonite, after bidding farewell to the reluctant large Dragonite, followed Wataru and Ibuki, returning through the sky.

The blue older Shuckle sister did not indulge it; her antennae secreted slime to stick to her brother's shell and dragged him forward, arriving beside the three Naclstacks, and spoke out to offer congratulations.

Those two little ones had undergone more than a month of growth and could basically live independently of their "mother" Serperior, but having just the two of them was not ideal; the Shuckle siblings could serve as their playmates perfectly.

The places where the pasture grass had just grown were always the tenderest, tastiest, and most nutritious—the pasture grass gourmet, Miltank.

But thinking carefully, Luo Mu felt it should not be like that.

That was precisely the Little Lapras he had fed berries to inside the Dragon's Den.

The four newly arrived Miltank all had the "Thick Fat" Ability, while the native Miltank with the "Sap Sipper" Ability, having just returned to the farm as if it hadn't eaten in hundreds of years, sat down on the spot and began gnawing on fresh grass tips at a speed that astonished the four new Miltank.

Obtaining the Extreme Speed TM had fulfilled the entire purpose of his journey.

He did not expect that after a short while, the feeding trough, originally full to the brim, had been eaten completely clean.

"I recall that there seem to be no farms raising Miltank near Flat Bean Town; basically, Tapu Tapu Moumou milk is transported from other cities, and during transportation, there is inevitably a time lag... It seems we could try launching a brand of 'fresh' Tapu Tapu Moumou milk and start a milk delivery service."

Fortunately, when Luo Mu built the Salt House, he constructed it according to the size of the Naclinc's final evolved form, Garganacl, so whether it was the entrance or the space, there was still more than enough room.

Little Lapras's display of affection toward Luo Mu upon seeing him made Iris feel a bit jealous; she said that she and Cynthia had spent who-knows-how-much effort to make the highly vigilant Lapras clan trust them before finally taking Little Lapras away.

Overwhelmed, Luo Mu stroked their heads one by one, determined to distribute his favor equally and keep the water level in the bowl even.

"Congratulations to you!"

Leaving these words behind, Luo Mu looked up at the sky where Dragonite and Dragonair were flying at high speed toward the Dragon Sanctuary, along with the people riding on their backs; knowing that Wataru and Ibuki had arrived, this also meant that the Dragon's Den trial had come to an end.

Drasena had caught a very cute Horsea in the Dragon's Den, which also had the "Swift Swim" Ability; she said she planned to pair it with Goomy upon returning to form a rain-team doubles squad.

"Meow~"

Luo Mu shook his head; he did not currently lack Pokémon that needed training—just from this trip to Johto, he had caught four Miltank and two Shuckle siblings, so he had no intention of adding more members for the time being.

And the instigator of it all, Xiang Xiang Jiana, along with her Salamence, lay alone on the ground filled with the scent of green grass and earth, unnoticed by anyone.

A Du and Xiao Zhuang remained silent for quite a while, surprised that Xiang Xiang Jiana would actually do such a thing; finally, A Du spoke up: "In that case, Xiao Zhuang and I will take Xiang Xiang Jiana away, and we will contact the Meteor People over in Hoenn when the time comes."

With a face full of awkwardness, how could Luo Mu possibly admit that he was the one who personally intensified the training for Iris and Cynthia, or warn the Lapras herd not to trust any human right from the start?

The topic was skillfully sidestepped by Luo Mu without leaving a trace.

"There is still some time before the Dragon Den Trial ends; you can still return to the Dragon Den cave to catch a Pokémon of your choice and take it with you, which does not conflict with the rewards for the Hidden Trial."

"Those Rookidee and Corviknight circling above the farm in the sky are also Pokémon guarding the farm; there is no need to be nervous when you see them."

Watched by the Da Nai Guan with curious expressions, the Luxray let out a friendly cry, but this backfired, causing the four Da Nai Guan to shuffle backward, appearing somewhat afraid of the Luxray.

The trial of the Dratini line, the making of desserts, Xiang Xiang Jiana's sudden outburst, and the final subduing.

For Pokémon, evolution is just like growth for humans; the originally immature and carefree cries of the Nacli became deeper, while the Naclstacks moved their newly grown limbs, somewhat awkwardly maneuvering themselves over to Luo Mu's side as they let out cries of joy.

This good news just keeps coming, one piece after another!

He had already begun to fantasize about the future: once the Naclstacks evolved into Garganacl, they would not only be able to use the Salt Cure move to produce various kinds of dried cured goods, but there would also be a rock salt yield even greater than that of the Naclstacks, and... that Pure Salt, which was said to be capable of healing severe injuries!

(End of Chapter)