Chapter 45: Daily Life

Returning to the kitchen, Luo Mu began planning which dishes to prepare for the day.

The menu revolved around the abundant crops harvested today: cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, cabbages, and strawberries; although there were many varieties, they were unsuitable as staple foods, typically appearing only as supporting characters in most dishes.

Considering that among the dozen or so Pokémon some were carnivorous while others were herbivorous, the dishes could not be monotonous but needed to be diverse.

After a busy period, Luo Mu served several dishes to the Pokémon, who had returned from washing off the mud and were now eagerly awaiting their meal.

The crisp, tender, and fragrant cucumbers harvested from the fields were made into smashed cucumbers, their sweet and sour taste proving very popular with the four Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou.

Since smashed cucumbers were already being served, making cold-dressed eggplant would have resulted in a repetitive flavor profile, so Luo Mu instead prepared steaming hot Fish-Fragrant Eggplant.

In addition, there was the most classic Tomato Scrambled Eggs, and Braised Fish made from fish bought at the market.

For dessert, there was a fruit and vegetable salad made by mixing yogurt with some of the crops.

The table inside the small villa simply could not accommodate so many Pokémon, so helplessly, Luo Mu had to move the battlefield outdoors to dine under the open sky.

The smashed cucumbers were sweet, sour, crisp, and refreshing; the Fish-Fragrant Eggplant was salty, fresh, and slightly sweet; the Tomato Scrambled Eggs maintained their eternally stable flavor; and the Braised Fish boasted a ruddy color with tender flesh that was rich yet not greasy, leaving a lingering fragrance between the teeth with every bite, spicy within the aroma.

The salad, served as an after-meal dessert, seemed extremely popular with the two Cottonee; they planted one foot into the ground to stabilize their bodies, buried half their faces into the salad bowls before them, and emitted sounds of happiness as they ate.

Bai Bai Pengpeng watched his two little companions with a look of helplessness mixed with doting, occasionally bowing his head to take small bites of the salad, savoring the taste and sense of accomplishment derived from the strawberries he had cultivated.

It had been some time since he settled down on the farm; although life here lacked the novelty of drifting with the wind and making a home everywhere as he did in the wild, this simple yet fulfilling life deeply immersed him.

Perhaps, this was the feeling of "home" that he had once learned about from other Pokémon during his wind-blown journeys.

After the pleasant lunchtime concluded, the Pokémon, wearing expressions of satisfaction, either went to take afternoon naps if they wished, or headed to the open ground to play and frolic or engage in sparring training to expend their excess energy.

Swampert swung his fists with such force that the wind roared, while his opponent, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, like a calm swordsman, slightly shifted his body to dodge some attacks, raising the flame greatswords on his arms to block or counterattack those he could not avoid.

Occasionally, when Swampert's fists or Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's dual swords missed and struck the ground, a huge pit or a deep trench would appear; any ordinary Pokémon hit by such a blow would likely suffer a miserable fate.

Under the careful watch of Moltres, Growlithe boldly spectated from the sidelines, his black, shiny eyes hidden beneath his fur blinking not once as he intently observed their movements with great seriousness.

Initially, Moltres did not want to accept that this single divine bird suddenly had a son, especially one who called her "Mom" and called that human, Luo Mu, "Dad."

However, this little guy truly possessed a certain enthusiasm and a talent for persistent pestering; Moltres, who had never had friends nor experienced such sincere passion from another creature, simply could not resist.

Perhaps the emotions generated during egg incubation also played a role; nowadays, Moltres was indeed completely captivated by Growlithe, even spending her leisure time tracking his figure with her gaze, concerned about what he was currently doing.

Noticing such changes in Moltres, Luo Mu revealed an amused smile, thinking that subsequent developments would likely become quite interesting.

Luo Mu watched with a smile on his face as the interactions between the different Pokémon on the farm collided to create stories.

Suddenly, a wave of sleepiness washed over him; having no intention of resisting it, Luo Mu allowed himself to yawn, looked up at the perfectly clear sunshine in the sky, and murmured, "I've been busy all morning; since the weather is so nice, I might as well take an afternoon nap."

After pondering for a moment, Luo Mu's gaze wandered over the few Pokémon still present.

Swampert and Cangyan Cangyan Rengui were fighting with intense fervor, so he decided not to disturb them; moreover, leaning against hard muscles and cold armor did not feel very comfortable.

As for Moltres, Luo Mu admitted to himself that he was not yet familiar enough with her to use her as a little bed for an afternoon nap, while Bai Bai Pengpeng, the Cottonee, and Mimikyu were simply too small.

After thinking it over, the only options left were Luxray, who was dozing on the ground, or Dragonite, who was floating in the sky.

Luo Mu asked himself in his heart whether he wanted to sleep on a fluffy "bed" or a soft, elastic "bed" today, and soon made his decision.

Today, he would take an afternoon nap with Dragonite!

Luo Mu immediately called out to the sky, and once Dragonite descended to the ground like a gust of wind, Luo Mu, trapped in her somewhat suffocating embrace, expressed his desire to invite Dragonite to take an afternoon nap together.

Dragonite was more than willing; she immediately chose a spot bathed in perfect sunshine, lay on her back on the ground, patted her round little belly, and signaled for Luo Mu to sleep wherever he liked.

Luo Mu chuckled, chose what he felt was the most comfortable position, and lay prone on Dragonite's belly; the slightly undulating, soft large potbelly was simply comparable to any high-end mattress.

Perhaps, only Snorlax, who surpassed her in size, could compete with Dragonite in this aspect.

Although he very much wanted to catch a Snorlax to serve as his exclusive afternoon nap bed, after considering that Pokémon's terrifying appetite, Luo Mu felt that all the crops grown on his small farm might not even be enough to feed a Snorlax, so it remained just a thought.

Unknowingly, Luo Mu drifted into dreamland under Dragonite's warm gaze; seeing this, Mimikyu, who had been amusing herself in the shadows, darted into the house and returned with a thin blanket clutched in her Shadow Claw.

Mimikyu carefully covered Luo Mu with the thin blanket; being able to do just these things already filled her with complete satisfaction.

Luo Mu was awakened by a burst of noisy clamor and the moist sensation of licking on his cheeks; opening his slightly blurry eyes, he discovered the Pokémon were surrounding the two Cottonee in the center, though he did not know what they were doing.

Realizing she had finally licked Luo Mu awake, Growlithe barked excitedly, immediately attracting the attention of the Pokémon over there.

Bai Bai Pengpeng hurriedly hopped in front of Luo Mu; having no hands, he could only anxiously use gestures to attract Luo Mu's attention.

"What's going on?"

All of Luo Mu's drowsiness vanished; frowning, he followed behind Bai Bai Pengpeng to where the Cottonee were surrounded by the Pokémon.

The two Cottonee currently wore somewhat strange expressions, curled up on the spot as if bearing some unknown burden.