Chapter 442: The Shiny Pokémon That Walked Right Into the Trap!

It could almost be said to have passed in the blink of an eye.

Mimikyu fully demonstrated its strength as a chosen assassin.

Relying on its near-zero presence, it reached this Gyarados without any hindrance, gathered Fairy-type energy, and just like the face-hugger from the Alien movies, plastered itself directly onto the Gyarados's face.

By the time the Gyarados noticed Mimikyu, it was already too late for everything.

For a moment.

The Gyarados felt only the world spinning and stars dancing before its eyes.

It did not know whether this was an illusion or something truly existing.

While being beaten by Mimikyu, strange pink stars and moons kept smashing into it, making it dizzy and blurred; before even a minute had passed, it collapsed directly into a pink mist, unable to maintain its Terastallization, shattering into countless shards of light.

In a certain sense, for it to be a Dragon Tera Type encountering Mimikyu was something that could not even be described as unlucky.

However.

Even if the Gyarados had not Terastallized, there was still Luxray to punish it for its four-fold weakness to Electric.

One second. One-shotted!? Dan Yu and Wu Li's eyes widened until they were perfectly round.

To speak of it was shameful.

Merely facing the terrifying Intimidate emitted by that Gyarados, the only thoughts remaining in their minds were "must flee" and "cannot win."

Yet such a Gyarados had been directly one-shotted by Mr. Luo Mu's Mimikyu, which looked harmless to humans and beasts alike and seemed to have almost no presence!

Is this the strength capable of defeating even Mr. Dai Ke? The two fell into a brief trance.

Ultimately, it was Wu Li who reacted first.

He ignored this side and instead anxiously turned his head to look behind him.

"Right... the Ogre!"

But when Wu Li looked, the area behind him was already completely empty.

It was as if that shouting reminder and that small green figure had been nothing more than his illusion.

Wu Li's face was filled with disappointment; at this, Dan Yu could only pat his shoulder to offer comfort.

"There will be other chances to meet in the future."

Mr. Luo Mu stared at the empty space behind for a while, his expression somewhat strange.

In the legends of Kitakami, that "Ogre" who took on three Treasures of Lure alone and directly defeated all three actually looked like a little girl?

Clearly, the "Ogre" he had imagined should have been a colossal figure with bulging muscles, a tiger's back and a bear's waist, growing ogre horns, and possessing iron-gray or blue-gray skin.

After sighing inwardly at this, Mr. Luo Mu focused his attention back on the fallen Gyarados.

First, he walked forward, patted Mimikyu on the head, and praised it a few times.

Next, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a Poké Ball.

Looking at Wu Li and Dan Yu, Mr. Luo Mu asked again to be safe: "Can I use a Poké Ball to catch it? I haven't violated any rules of Mossui Town, have I?"

"No, you haven't!"

Dan Yu and Wu Li nodded like chicks pecking at rice.

The townspeople were probably eager for the Gyarados to be caught, after all, no one wanted to be suddenly attacked by such a huge creature.

Moreover, Kitakami had no rules regarding Safari Zones; having the strength to catch it was enough, and no one would fuss too much... except regarding Applin.

Nearly all the Applin in Kitakami had been monopolized by the townspeople.

Seeing that both Wu Li and Dan Yu said it was fine, Mr. Luo Mu set his mind at ease.

If this Gyarados was still worshipped by some people in Mossui Town as a Rain God or something similar, taking it away might stir up trouble.

Since there was no problem, he had no need to hesitate.

Coincidentally, after the farm expanded, Thunderstorm Lake would also expand; having only Swampert, Dragonair, Politoed, and Poliwags, along with some fish that hadn't fattened up yet, still left it somewhat empty.

It was just the right time to add some Pokémon.

Mr. Luo Mu directly threw the red-and-white ball in his hand at the Gyarados.

The Poké Ball drew a graceful arc through the air, landed on the Gyarados, and its massive body instantly turned into red light and was drawn inside the Poké Ball.

With a click, the Poké Ball fell to the ground, shook three times, then lit up with yellow stars and emitted the ding-dong sound indicating a successful capture.

Dan Yu and Wu Li also very cooperatively let out cheers.

Mr. Luo Mu walked forward and was just about to pick up the Poké Ball when he noticed several glittering objects lying quietly exactly where the Gyarados had fallen.

Picking them up along with the Poké Ball, Mr. Luo Mu looked closely; he had originally thought the Gyarados had dropped Tera Shards that could be sold for money, but he discovered these items seemed different from Tera Shards.

They looked more like fragments of some kind of crystal.

Turning to ask Wu Li and Dan Yu, they did not know what this was either; after a brief thought, Mr. Luo Mu decided to store the crystal fragments away for now.

Perhaps at some point in the future, these crystal fragments would have unexpected uses?

Having caught the Dragon Tera Type Gyarados and seeing that night was fast approaching, Mr. Luo Mu led Dan Yu and Wu Li to find a suitable spot, immediately began setting up camp, and made preparations for spending the night.

Time passed rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, it was already deep night.

At this moment, countless stars hung high in the night sky, brilliant and dazzling, while the boundless Milky Way also revealed to this planet the sight of a single grain in a vast ocean.

Compared to the daylight hours filled with ample illumination, the Crystal Pool at night was clearly even more beautiful, dreamlike and illusory.

Countless stars were reflected in the pool water glowing with hazy colorful light; the beauty of that scene was impossible to describe with words.

Calling over Luxray, Serperior, and the others, Mr. Luo Mu took many photos by the edge of the Crystal Pool.

There were group photos of Serperior and Applin, handsome photos of Luxray and Feng Su Gou, a photo of Spectrier hovering above the Crystal Pool with a profound artistic conception, photos of Mimikyu dressed in full regalia, and even a family portrait of Mr. Luo Mu with all six of his Pokémon.

Mr. Luo Mu also took quite a few photos of Wu Li and Dan Yu, promising to develop the pictures and hand them over before departing.

Although the camera he held had an instant-print function, the materials he carried with him were insufficient to print so many photos.

Having played enough, and seeing that Wu Li, Dan Yu, and Feng Su Gou and the others were already stomachs growling with hunger, Mr. Luo Mu, just like Brock, directly took out a complete dining table and kitchen utensils from his space backpack, intending to show off his culinary skills to them.

Before long, a large pot was simmering with rich, fragrant, and appetizingly colored curry.

Added to the rice steamed by Feng Su Gou's fire nearby, it wasn't long before a bowl of curry rice, perfect in color, aroma, and taste, was placed before everyone.

Perhaps the exhaustion from most of the day had intensified their hunger, for Dan Yu and Wu Li ate with great relish, marveling inwardly as they ate.

How could there possibly be such a perfect person in this world—so strong, so friendly, and even capable of cooking?

Luo Mu also released his Gyarados.

Besides treating its injuries, he could also use the delicious food to boost its affection.

Throughout the entire process, the Gyarados remained quite well-behaved, likely because Luxray, Serperior, and Mimikyu were nearby, watching it with hawk-like eyes.

In the distance.

Hiding behind a rock, Pecharunt twitched its small nose slightly, a look of longing appearing in Emperor Yan Di's eyes.

It hadn't eaten for nearly a day, and smelling the rich aroma drifting for miles, Pecharunt suddenly recalled the distant past.

That person seemed to have cooked such food for it long ago.

The moment it thought of that person, Pecharunt's eyes involuntarily turned slightly red; memories and emotions surged like a tide, and before long, it lowered its head, covered its face, and began to sob softly.

Even while losing control of its emotions, Pecharunt firmly clutched the damaged emerald-green ghostly mask in its hand from start to finish.

To it, this mask was its final connection to that person; even if something happened to itself, the mask must not come to harm.

A moment later.

Pecharunt's emotions gradually stabilized, but its hunger told it that it must first seek food.

Before leaving, Pecharunt lowered its head to gaze at the mask.

The gem embedded in the mask's forehead was damaged; not only was a rare item ruined, but it itself had also lost its power.

That person had said that one of the important materials for repairing the mask lay within the Crystal Light Pool above.

However, recently that Gyarados had been occupying the Crystal Light Pool, keeping the materials as collectibles within its scales, leaving it no opportunity to gather them; it could only wait for a chance.

Until today, when the arrival of three humans not only forcefully subdued that ferocious Gyarados, but the one who was clearly the leader had also obtained the crystal fragments collected by the Gyarados.

Past experiences made Pecharunt dare not appear when many people were present; since the other party seemed poised to camp overnight at the Crystal Light Pool, it decided to first solve its hunger problem, then look for an opportunity to try and obtain the crystal fragments when that human was alone.

Thinking this, Pecharunt took one last look at the harmonious scene over there, carrying an envy it didn't even realize it felt, and departed.

Midnight.

Dan Yu and Wu Li were already fast asleep in their tents, snoring loudly.

Luo Mu, however, felt no sleepiness; perhaps because the beautiful scenery of the Crystal Light Pool and the night sky was simply too magnificent, he had rarely felt such inspiration.

Luo Mu took out his long-dusty partner from his backpack, intending to take advantage of this perfect alignment of time, place, and people to try once again for that legendary realm of unity between man and rod.

Although the colorful, glowing crystals beneath the Crystal Light Pool looked like some sort of pollution source, in reality, the pool contained quite a few ordinary fish and aquatic Pokémon.

Unfortunately, it seemed that because the commotion caused by the Gyarados a few hours earlier had been too great, these Pokémon were all hiding at the bottom of the lake, making it unlikely there would be any chance to catch them.

Luxray lay crouched beside Luo Mu, feigning sleep with closed eyes, while Serperior swayed its tail with interest, preparing to witness Luo Mu catching nothing all night so it could mock him extensively afterward.

Mimikyu, like a true doll, served as a mascot beside Luo Mu's fishing rod.

Time passed quickly.

If Luo Mu, just after casting his line, resembled a master angler leaning against the starry universe, fishing alone at the peak of Ghost Mountain...

... then more than three hours later, he resembled a gambler who had emptied his savings betting and lost even his underwear.

Compared to three hours ago, the fish in the Crystal Light Pool had visibly grown plumper, their bellies round, all exclaiming they couldn't eat another bite.

Looking at Luo Mu, whose eyes were devoid of spirit, Serperior, finding it amusing, was just about to exert a bit of aura to pressure a few small fish, ensuring Luo Mu wouldn't completely break down and disturb the two children sleeping in the tent, along with Applin and the others.

But before Serperior could put its idea into practice, the float that had been bobbing on the water's surface all night suddenly sank!

In that instant.

Not only was Serperior stunned, but Luxray also opened its eyes, which faintly glowed in the night, filled with astonishment.

Could it be? Luo Mu actually caught a fish? Mimikyu was so happy it started dancing.

All of Luo Mu's weariness and disappointment vanished; his eyes sparkled with intensity as he grabbed the fishing rod, skillfully executing movements he had rehearsed countless times in his mind but rarely had the chance to perform.

A moment later.

As an object broke the surface and was pulled from the water by Luo Mu, amidst the splashing spray and under the hazy moonlight, he clearly saw the creature he had caught.

Luo Mu froze instantly.

Judging by the feel, he had thought he had caught a fish weighing over ten jin.

He never expected that what he had pulled up wasn't an ordinary fish at all! To be precise, it was a fish-type Pokémon! This fish-type Pokémon had tattered-looking silver fins that appeared quite shabby, its body was pitted and uneven, its overall skin color was purple, and it possessed fleshy pink lips.

Its expression was rather dull, almost on the same level as a Magikarp; combining all these elements, speaking only of appearance, this Pokémon was distinctively ugly.

Even Luxray froze for a few seconds due to this Pokémon's appearance, while Serperior felt it needed to wash its eyes upon seeing it.

Yet, in that instant, Luo Mu was filled with immense joy!

"Holy crap."

No array of emotions could reflect his excitement better than this single exclamation.

Yes.

The Pokémon before him indeed looked very ugly, even inferior to the likes of Magikarp.

But if one knew its evolved form, the situation would be entirely different.

This Pokémon's name was Feebas; it generally lived at the bottom of rivers filled with aquatic plants, possessing astonishing vitality, even capable of growing and living in turbid, stinking sewers.

Because it looked somewhat shabby, many trainers wouldn't even glance at it, preferring to raise a Magikarp rather than choose a Feebas.

At least a Magikarp had the chance to leap over the dragon gate and evolve into a powerful Gyarados.

But Feebas, much like Magikarp, also had its own opportunity to "leap over the dragon gate."

Just as an ugly duckling transforms into a beautiful swan, once a Feebas evolves, it undergoes an astonishing metamorphosis, becoming Milotic, hailed as the "Most Beautiful Pokémon"! Setting aside the difficulty of raising a Feebas into a Milotic, if this were merely an ordinary catch of a Feebas, Luo Mu would have been happy, but not this overjoyed.

Under the illumination of the moonlight, he could clearly see Feebas's coloration, which was a different hue from the earthy yellow and blue of ordinary Feebas.

In other words, the Feebas he had hooked was a Shiny Pokémon, just like little Eevee! Not only had he caught a fish, but a Shiny Feebas at that; could it be that his luck had completely exploded tonight?

After pulling the Feebas ashore, Luo Mu had intended to let his Serperior bind the Feebas with vines first to prevent it from fleeing.

However, he hadn't expected that the moment this Feebas hit the ground, it would immediately spit out the lure; it didn't jump up to escape, but instead stared directly at Luo Mu with those dull eyes, as if conveying some message.

It was as if saying... "What are you looking at? Why haven't you caught me yet!?" (End of Chapter)