Chapter 35: Recruiting New Members

Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou leaped out of the water in a graceful arc, its small feet, the same color as its body, landing on the wet ground and splashing up a small spray of water.

After landing, Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou did not rush to start practicing walking; instead, it called out several times toward the calm water surface.

Seeing this, Luo Mu and Luxray froze momentarily, intending to see what Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou was about to do.

Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou continuously emitted calls of summoning and encouragement toward the water, its expression appearing somewhat anxious.

After about a minute, a cluster of dense bubbles emerged on the calm water surface, as if something were rising; moments later, three small heads, nearly identical to Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou, broke the surface.

Clearly, these were three more Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou.

The four Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou seemed to be companions who acted as a group, and the one that had emerged first was obviously the leader of the group.

Only the Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou that had initially leaped out alone kept opening and closing its thick lips, as if persuading the three Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou in the water to summon their courage and not be afraid.

The three Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou hesitated for a moment, but ultimately wobbled out of the water onto the land, cautiously following behind their leader as they unsteadily began practicing walking.

Watching from a distance, Luo Mu murmured, "Not bad..."

When this kind of Pokémon first hatches from an Egg, it does not have feet; much like the tadpole stage of metamorphosis, it only grows feet after developing for a period of time.

This kind of Pokémon seems to carry a desire for land deep within its genes; after growing feet, even if the ground is full of unknown dangers, they will still risk coming ashore to practice walking.

What delighted Luo Mu the most was the leading Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou, which had already displayed considerable courage and excellent leadership abilities in its early stages.

With a bit of nurturing, it definitely has the potential to evolve into Politoed!

Luo Mu instantly decided to pack up and take all four of these Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou away together!

Speaking of catching Pokémon, generally there are only three methods.

The first is food temptation; delicious foods researched by humans hold explosive appeal for wild Pokémon, and in every region, incidents frequently occur where wild Pokémon steal food or attack due to the food in a Trainer's bag.

There are only a few types of energy-providing food available in the wild; since solitary Berry trees are almost entirely occupied by the strong, going hungry is completely normal for wild Pokémon.

Beast-men never become slaves, unless food and shelter are provided.

Pretend for three minutes, enjoy wealth and honor for a lifetime.

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

It was in this way that Swampert, back when it was still a Marshtomp, was tricked into joining Luo Mu.

The second method is ordinary battle capture: defeating a wild Pokémon and then capturing it inside a Poké Ball.

Considering Luxray's combat power, Luo Mu silently chose to abandon this method.

The third is cultivating affection, allowing things to fall into place naturally until the other party is willing to follow you.

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

For example, transforming into a super Hisuian person and using Sticky Globes to capture with one's own body, or the most outrageous method of all: becoming a one-ball superhero just like that fellow Hao...

Luo Mu chose food temptation; try the soft approach first, and if that fails, resort to force.

The Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou lined up in neat rows, stumbling as they learned to walk on the ground near the lake's edge; ignoring their wobbly appearances, they actually looked somewhat like the Pokémon Falinks.

Worried that Luxray's presence would directly frighten the Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou, Luo Mu approached alone.

The sound of his footsteps on the wet ground quickly caught the Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou's attention.

The three Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou at the rear shuddered and immediately wanted to jump back into the lake, while the leading Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou stared with bright, black eyes, looking at Luo Mu with both curiosity and vigilance.

Observing that the Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou was slowly shifting its stance to block him, allowing its companions to escape first, Luo Mu's smile grew even wider; after approaching within two meters of the Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou, he stopped advancing, squatted down slightly, took out the food he had prepared long ago from his pocket, and gently tossed it over.

Patter.

Several pieces of smoked dried small fish, neither too large nor too small, landed on the wet ground; the leading Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou froze on the spot, unsure of what Luo Mu meant.

The small dried fish were one of the food supplies Luo Mu carried; they were convenient to carry, easy to preserve, tasted good, and could provide nutrition and salt if one suddenly encountered disaster in the wild.

Unlike ordinary pets, Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou and most Pokémon have no problem consuming human seasonings, so Luo Mu was not worried that this would harm them.

Before the leading Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou could figure out Luo Mu's purpose, the three Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou behind it could no longer hold back.

The smoked dried small fish, emitting a faint aroma, held explosive appeal for them who were still hungry; the Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou at the rear looked drooling, gazing at their leader with expectant eyes.

Meanwhile, the boss Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou looked back at Luo Mu.

Luo Mu revealed a friendly smile and said, "Eat up; consider this us making friends."

No matter how mature the boss Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou was, it was still about the same age as the companions behind it; how could it have seen much of the world or understood any tricks?

It truly believed Luo Mu's words; without hesitation, the Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou bit onto a piece of smoked dried small fish and began to savor it carefully.

Seeing the leader take a bite, the other Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou also began eating their own portions of smoked dried small fish.

By the time they finished eating, Luo Mu had moved significantly closer, now almost just one step away.

This time, the Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou's wariness had decreased greatly; in their current worldview, Luo Mu, who had provided food, was now equated with a good person.

Seizing the momentum, Luo Mu began the final step; he displayed an even kinder smile, took out four red-and-white Poké Balls from his pocket one by one, placed them on the ground, and said to the Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou, "Will you come with me? In the future, not only will there be no danger, but there will also be a sufficient food supply, much of which tastes even better than these smoked dried small fish!"

"..........."

After a moment of silence, the three Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou made their decision first; they hopped over to the red-and-white Poké Balls and looked at their leader with expectant eyes.

Big Brother, with food, drink, and no danger, isn't this a hundred times better than our life in the wild? (/^▽^)/

The boss Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou looked shocked; it hadn't expected its little companions to just give themselves away like this.

After hesitating for an instant, besides the delicious smoked dried small fish, it was even more worried about its little companions; with no other choice, the boss Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou walked over to the red-and-white balls as well, setting an example by being the first to bump its head right into one.

With the leader demonstrating, the three Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou followed suit, selling themselves to Luo Mu one after another.

"Meow..."

Luxray strode over with an imposing cat-walk, glanced at the stunned Luo Mu, and found the situation somewhat amusing.

The Trainer had prepared so much, yet before he could even unleash any of it, the four Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou had already given themselves away.