Chapter 399: Selling Oneself to Save a Sister

On the ground left in a mess by the battle, the first ray of morning sunlight pierced through the thin mist and gently fell.

The Eevee sisters stared in shock at the farm's wooden fence, which remained completely undamaged, then looked at the cratered ground before them bearing clear signs of battle; the contrast was simply too stark.

They followed Luo Mu on a circuit around the perimeter; these fences served at best merely to mark boundaries, yet the wooden barriers, which only creatures like Caterpie would be unable to breach head-on, had not suffered the slightest damage.

Not to mention that a little further away, they had also seen an enormous ice wall; was that really something a Pokémon could create? Limited by her younger sister's stamina, the Eevee could not walk around to see the entire farm, but with just a little thought, the other areas were likely similar to this one.

This also meant that the Pokémon of this farm, relying solely on their own strength, had forcibly defended this farm against wave after wave of arriving wild Pokémon tides, not allowing any wild Pokémon to cross the line? Judging from the exchange between Luo Mu and Lei Guan Wang, it was said that some wild Pokémon skilled at hiding, or those attempting to sneak into the farm unexpectedly from underground, had all been driven out by a swordsman wielding twin blades of pale flame.

It had already rated the capabilities of Luo Mu's farm quite highly, yet it never expected them to be so absurd.

The Eevee glanced at its panting younger sister beside it, a trace of determination flowing into its eyes.

It had decided; even if it was for the sake of its younger sister, it must cling to Luo Mu's thigh! Just as the Eevee made up its mind, Luo Mu, standing outside the wooden fence and examining the traces left after the battle, spoke sincerely to the Lei Guan Wang beside him.

"We need to work on the landscaping outside the farm these few days."

Lei Guan Wang nodded in strong agreement. "I think so too."

Just look at the mess on the ground.

Let alone flipping up the turf; the ground within a hundred meters around looked as if it had been plowed over once, with all green vegetation completely wiped out, clearly annihilated by moves of various types.

Not even the roots remained.

Rather mixed attribute energy lingered in the soil, including no small amount of attributes naturally incompatible with plants; to grow dense vegetation again, the land would have to be plowed anew to remove the excess residual attribute energy.

Luo Mu said helplessly, "This is a huge project; Bog Monster and Heavy will probably have to work overtime."

Looking across the entire farm, only Bog Monster and Heavy could manipulate the soil on such a large scale; at a time like this, they were the only ones to rely on.

He hoped that after the extracurricular treasure hunt began, Hearing Hearing Nimo would successfully challenge all eight Gyms, so that he would have a reason to hand over the Peat Block to her.

After clearing all eight Gyms, Hearing Hearing Nimo would most likely not directly challenge the Elite Four and the Champion; even though she loved battles immensely, she clearly understood that her abilities still fell short of formally challenging the Elite Four, and starting a challenge directly would merely be a futile waste of opportunity, forcing her to start over from the beginning.

She would definitely choose to travel to other regions for a training-style journey, and only when she felt confident would she head straight to the Paldea League to begin the Champion Assessment.

By that time, Luo Mu would have a reason to requisition it to the farm to help dig and loosen the soil under the pretext of "helping Hearing Hearing Nimo train her Ursaluna."

Taking it a step further, once the other students had all completed their requirements and obtained their own Ursaluna... thinking about it this way, it seemed they would suddenly no longer lack Ground-type Pokémon to order around.

Luo Mu silently postponed his plan to kidnap Landorus or Seeing Seeing Kapu Tapu Moumou.

Lei Guan Wang did not know what evil scheme Luo Mu was contemplating; through its keen senses, it accurately detected that among the two Eevees not far behind the wooden fence, the normally colored Eevee was looking at Luo Mu with an intense gaze.

Lei Guan Wang glanced back thoughtfully, its movement extremely slight; the Eevee, who was focusing intently on Luo Mu, did not notice at all.

After looking at the Eevee, and then at the shiny Eevee several sizes smaller that clearly suffered from poor development, Lei Guan Wang understood the situation in its heart.

Risking danger to enter the farm to notify them of the wild Pokémon riot was likely done for this purpose as well.

After a brief moment of thought, Lei Guan Wang decided to help fulfill their wish and proactively suggested to Luo Mu beside it, "The Eevee seems to be waiting for you; it appears to have something it wants to ask you."

"Hmm?"

Withdrawing his gaze, Luo Mu turned his head to look at the Eevee behind him, now separated from him by only a single wooden fence.

Although regarding the warning itself, it was basically a wasted trip with little effect.

Yet the Eevee's actions were indeed worthy of encouragement and reward.

Without hesitation, Luo Mu vaulted over the wooden fence and landed beside the Eevee; glancing at the shiny Eevee that was unwilling to meet his gaze, he simply squatted down so as not to appear towering in the Eevee's eyes, and only then spoke.

"Did you come specifically to warn me because of what happened at the Pokémon Center that day?"

"Eevee, bui."

The Eevee nodded, then shook its head.

Yes, but not entirely.

The inducement for it to bring its younger sister to this area nearby was indeed because Luo Mu and Nurse Joy had saved it when it was exhausted and injured that time.

But as for running over to give a warning, it had indeed come with other purposes in mind.

The Eevee was very smart, but it did not want to lie.

Lei Guan Wang translated the Eevee's thoughts for Luo Mu.

After a moment of silence, Luo Mu looked at the shiny Eevee hiding behind the other Eevee, still panting heavily.

"Did you come for its sake?"

Luo Mu remembered that according to Nurse Joy's examination, the Eevee itself had no problems and was very healthy.

The reason that would make it risk "danger" to enter the farm just to warn him should be this shiny Eevee that never left its side.

"Bui." (Yes, it is my younger sister.) The Eevee nodded, turning its body sideways to display the shiny Eevee's entire form before Luo Mu.

The shiny Eevee had originally wanted to continue hiding behind its older sister, but under the encouraging stare of its sister and receiving grooming licks from her, it summoned the courage not to hide behind its sister anymore.

This also gave Luo Mu the opportunity to observe the shiny Eevee carefully.

Under the shiny Eevee's slightly nervous little expression, Luo Mu observed carefully for about a minute, and then by comparing it with the Eevee beside it, he reached a conclusion.

Its height was probably only around twenty centimeters; compared to the Eevee beside it, it looked just like a newborn infant.

It could not be said that this situation had nothing to do with it being shiny; congenital deficiencies, postnatal developmental insufficiency, or malnutrition could all cause such a condition.

Thinking of this, Luo Mu asked with certainty, "So, you want me to treat your younger sister?"

"Bui!"

The Eevee nodded, its eyes full of pleading.

It did not know whether Luo Mu had a method to treat its younger sister, nor did it understand how powerful human medicine was.

It only felt that since Luo Mu and Joy could save it when it was severely injured and exhausted like that, they must be even more skilled than the Chansey in the forest who selflessly treated Pokémon.

Once, it had taken its younger sister to seek the famous healer Chansey known far and wide among Pokémon, and had even received an Egg gifted by the other party, but even that nutrient-rich Egg had only improved its sister's condition slightly; full recovery remained a distant hope.

Perhaps Luo Mu would have a way to help its younger sister. With Lei Guan Wang's assistance, the Eevee recounted the whole story: how it and its younger sister were twins, how its sister was born weak and ostracized by their own kind due to her fur color, suffered from malnutrition, and how they had eventually left their group.

After hearing everything, Luo Mu and Lei Guan Wang exchanged a glance, rarely falling into silence.

Leaving aside for now how a single Pokémon Egg could hatch twin Eevees.

The shiny Eevee had clearly had the meager nutrients it should have had in the Egg unconsciously snatched away by its "stronger" older sister, so it carried a hint of deficiency from birth; coupled with the rejection by fellow Pokémon toward individuals of different colors, long-term malnutrition had exacerbated these issues.

For an Eevee to survive in the dangerous wilds while carrying a Shiny Eevee, to be honest, is truly impressive.

After listening to Eevee's request and explanation, Lei Guan Wang remained silent, leaving the decision entirely to Luo Mu.

He was the true owner of this farm.

Pressed by a plea and a timid gaze, Luo Mu felt immense pressure; he sighed and said, "Curing it is probably possible, but we can't do it for free, right?"

"Bui?"

Eevee's ears twitched; it blinked its large, adorable eyes, its wagging tail seemingly expressing its confusion.

Luo Mu glanced at it, grinned, and said, "Come with me to a place."

A moment later.

The farming district.

Since the Shiny Eevee's stamina was truly insufficient to support walking such a long distance again, Luo Mu had carried it for most of the journey.

Initially, the Shiny Eevee had shown some resistance and fear, but after being soothed by Eevee, and since Luo Mu's embrace seemed very warm to it...

Its eyelids trembled for a while before the Shiny Eevee could no longer resist the overwhelming sleepiness and fell into a deep slumber.

While asleep, the little Shiny Eevee sister remained curled up; her tiny body could be held in two palms, and her weight seemed frighteningly light to Luo Mu, who had been doing farm work for several months.

Although walking ahead, Eevee frequently looked back to check on its sister's condition; one could imagine they must have lived relying solely on each other in the past.

Standing in the secret recipe seasoning field that had been firmly guarded by Serperior last night, Luo Mu freed one hand, pointed to the three empty spots, and said to Eevee, "Among the crops that matured last night, these have a significant effect on your sister's congenital deficiency and malnutrition."

Secret Recipe Seasoning: Bitter Herb, capable of greatly boosting immunity.

Secret Recipe Seasoning: Salty Herb, capable of promoting health.

Plus, on the way here, Lei Guan Wang had also said he could use Life Energy, rich with vibrant vitality, to nourish the Shiny Eevee's body.

Finally, adding the Secret Recipe Seasoning: Spicy Herb, capable of increasing metabolic speed, would help the Shiny Eevee absorb energy more effectively.

With this combination, both the congenital deficiency and the acquired malnutrition should see improvement.

Coincidentally, there is now a Joy among my students; I can use my position to get a few Chansey eggs from her, which, paired with Da Nai Guan's Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk...

Luo Mu didn't believe that with so many cards in hand, he still couldn't cure a Shiny Eevee! However, just as he said at the beginning, curing is fine, but no free rides! Under Eevee's bewildered gaze, Luo Mu pointed to the half-consumed jar of Secret Recipe Seasoning that he had just asked Lei Guan Wang to retrieve from the warehouse, saying, "To force-ripen this single stalk of Secret Recipe Seasoning, do you know how much effort and cost I expended?"

"Not to mention its own rare value, just converting the resources invested at the end could buy enough Pokémon food for you sisters to eat for many years!"

Eevee, looking completely confused: OMO. Although I don't understand, it feels very impressive.

Meanwhile, Lei Guan Wang had already turned around, not wanting to witness this unbearable sight any longer.

Luo Mu continued, "Moreover, if we are to treat your sister, it naturally cannot be finished in one go; with her congenital deficiency plus malnutrition, administering a heavy dose all at once would only cause harm; slow nourishment is the best approach."

"Having said all this merely to make you understand the preciousness of these items, let's just cut to the chase... I won't beat around the bush. In order to receive treatment, your sister will definitely stay here for a long time, and you surely won't feel at ease leaving her here alone, right?"

"Bui!" (Yes!) Eevee nodded; indeed, it did not feel at ease leaving its sister; no matter what, the sisters must always stay together.

"Then it's settled!"

Luo Mu wanted to clap his hands, but considering the Eevee in his arms, he only performed a verbal output.

Finally, he revealed his true intention.

"How about this: simply have you sisters join the farm, become part of the farm family; the farm not only provides food and lodging but also treats illnesses for free, so you don't need to worry about the value of these things; free treatment!"

"... Bui?"

Eevee tilted its head; its clever little brain intuitively felt something was slightly off, yet it also felt that what Luo Mu said seemed reasonable.

Others had already treated it once without charge; asking for more would be insatiable greed.

The self-reliant Eevee disdained doing such things.

Perhaps finally seeing hope for its sister's recovery, the Eevee, usually capable of fighting wild Pokémon to a standstill, unhesitatingly chose to sell itself to save its sister.

"Eevee-bui!" (It's a promise, no going back!)

Displaying a smile of successful planning, Luo Mu nodded, "It's a promise!"

Luo Mu smoothly took the farm's two new members back home.

At this moment, Oranguru and Shuang Nai Xian had just finished hosting the Pokémon who had been busy all night, sending them back to their nests to rest.

Apart from Corviknight and the others who arrived at the farm punctually as always, and some Pokémon who still had matters to attend to, Luo Mu simply had Oranguru notify them that farm work was suspended for the day; everyone should just catch up on sleep and rest.

Anyway, skipping just one day wouldn't cause any major problems.

No news had yet come from Mudan; Luo Mu guessed that Young Lady Joy was probably still researching the reasonable combination of the three types of Secret Recipe Seasonings and how to maximize their effects.

The underdeveloped flame sac of the Flareon shares similar issues with the Shiny Eevee's condition; once Young Lady Joy devises a plan, Luo Mu felt he could plagiarize it and modify it to fit the Shiny Eevee's situation, saving time and effort.

Since he had classes this afternoon and absolutely needed to catch up on sleep, Luo Mu simply settled the two Eevees temporarily in his own room, then entrusted Oranguru to fetch two new small nests from the warehouse for them to sleep in—

These nests were originally bought for his former Growlithe, but its evolution speed was slightly fast; even with Feng Su Gou around, several remained unused, after all, Feng Su Gou wasn't like Arcanine who loved destroying the house.

This afternoon, the former Young Lady Joy from Zhuotai City should also report to the school; to be honest, two were manageable, but now with a third added, to make differentiation easier, Luo Mu decided that, just like Joy Joy Yumi from Xuezha Town...

He would ask for the names of the Young Lady Joy from Pingdie Town and the former Zhuotai City Young Lady Joy, now a freshman at Grape Academy, in order to distinguish them.

(End of Chapter)