Chapter 35: Recruiting New Members

The mosquito coil tadpole leapt out of the water in a graceful arc, its tiny feet, matching its body color, landing on the damp ground and splashing a small spray of water.

After landing on solid ground, the mosquito coil tadpole did not rush to practice walking, but instead chirped several times at the calm water surface.

Seeing this, Luo Mu and Raichu paused their movements, deciding to see what the mosquito coil tadpole intended to do.

The mosquito coil tadpole kept calling out to the water, urging and encouraging with an expression of visible anxiety.

After about a minute, a cluster of dense bubbles surfaced on the water, as if something was rising; moments later, three small heads, nearly identical to the mosquito coil tadpole, broke the surface.

Clearly, these were three more mosquito coil tadpoles.

The four mosquito coil tadpoles seemed to be a group that moved together, and the first one to emerge was clearly their leader.

The mosquito coil tadpole that had leapt out alone kept its thick lips moving continuously, as if trying to persuade the three in the water to muster courage and not be afraid.

After hesitating for a moment, the three tadpoles finally wobbled out of the water onto land, carefully following their leader as they clumsily practiced walking.

Luo Mu, watching from afar, murmured: “Not bad...”

Mosquito coil tadpoles hatch from Poké Balls without legs, like tadpoles in their metamorphic stage, developing limbs only after growing for a while.

These Pokémon seem to carry an innate longing for land deep in their genes; once their legs grow, even if the ground is full of unknown dangers, they still risk climbing ashore to practice walking.

What delighted Luo Mu most was the leader tadpole, which had already shown considerable bravery and outstanding leadership ability.

With a bit of training, it definitely had the potential to evolve into a Kingdra!

Luo Mu instantly decided to take all four mosquito coil tadpoles with him!

When it comes to capturing Pokémon, there are generally three methods.

The first is food temptation: human-crafted delicacies are explosively attractive to wild Pokémon, and across all regions, incidents of wild Pokémon stealing or attacking due to trainers’ backpack food are common.

In the wild, edible sources of energy are limited; solitary fruit trees are mostly claimed by powerful Pokémon, and hunger is a constant state for wild Pokémon.

Beasts never serve as slaves—unless meals and lodging are provided.

Pretend for three minutes, enjoy wealth and luxury for life.

These are all true depictions of the living conditions of many weak wild Pokémon.

The Swampert, when it was still a Wooper, was similarly tricked into joining Luo Mu.

The second method is conventional battle capture: defeat the wild Pokémon and put it into a Poké Ball.

Considering Raichu’s combat power, Luo Mu silently abandoned this method.

The third is cultivating emotional bonds, letting the Pokémon willingly follow you as trust naturally grows.

Beyond these, there are actually hidden, mythical fourth and fifth methods.

For instance, transforming into a Super Shiny Alolan and capturing with raw meatballs, or the most absurd one—becoming a Poké Ball superhero like that guy...

Luo Mu chose food temptation: start soft, then go hard if needed.

The mosquito coil tadpoles formed a neat line and shuffled awkwardly along the lake’s edge; ignoring their wobbly gait, they almost resembled the Pokémon Lineup.

Worried that Raichu’s presence might frighten the tadpoles, Luo Mu approached alone.

His footsteps on the damp ground quickly drew the tadpoles’ attention.

The three behind trembled and immediately tried to leap back into the lake; the leader, however, opened its large, dark, shiny eyes, staring at Luo Mu with curiosity and caution.

Observing the leader slowly stepping forward to block its path and protect its companions, Luo Mu smiled wider. He stopped two meters away, crouched slightly, and pulled out the prepared food from his pocket, gently tossing it toward them.

Plop.

Several pieces of smoked fish jerky landed on the damp ground. The leader tadpole froze, unsure what Luo Mu meant.

The fish jerky was one of Luo Mu’s carried rations—easy to carry, well-preserved, and tasty; if stranded in the wild, it could provide nutrition and salt.

Unlike ordinary pets, mosquito coil tadpoles and most Pokémon can consume human seasonings without issue; Luo Mu had no concern about harm.

Before the leader understood Luo Mu’s intent, the three behind could no longer hold back.

The faintly fragrant smoked fish jerky was overwhelmingly tempting to their hungry stomachs; the three behind drooled, gazing hopefully at their leader.

The leader tadpole, in turn, looked at Luo Mu.

Luo Mu offered a friendly smile and said: “Eat. Consider this our friendship.”

The leader tadpole, no matter how mature, was still about the same age as its companions—had never seen the world or understood any tricks.

It truly believed Luo Mu. Without hesitation, the tadpole bit into a piece of smoked fish jerky and savored it.

Seeing their leader eat, the others quickly began devouring their own pieces.

When they finished, Luo Mu moved closer again, now nearly within arm’s reach.

This time, the tadpoles’ wariness had greatly lessened; in their current worldview, Luo Mu, who gave food, was now synonymous with “good person.”

Luo Mu seized the moment to begin the final step. He smiled even more warmly, took four red-and-white Poké Balls from his pocket, placed them on the ground, and said to the tadpoles: “Want to come with me? No more danger, plenty of food—much of it tastier than this smoked fish jerky!”

“...........”

After a moment of silence, the three behind made their decision first, hopping over to the red-and-white Poké Balls and gazing hopefully at their leader.

Big bro, food, drink, no danger—this is way better than the wild, right? (^▽^)/

The leader tadpole looked stunned—it hadn’t expected its companions to surrender so easily.

After a brief hesitation, besides the delicious smoked fish jerky, it was even more worried about its little companions. The leader tadpole reluctantly shuffled over to the Poké Ball and, setting an example, dove headfirst inside.

Seeing their leader do it, the three followed suit, each one willingly letting themselves be captured by Luo Mu.

“Meow...”

Raichu strolled over with a regal cat’s gait, glanced at the stunned Luo Mu, and found it amusing.

The trainer had prepared so much, yet before he could even act, the four mosquito coil tadpoles had surrendered themselves.