Chapter 491: Rejoice, for the Incarnation of the Sun Descends Here! (5k)

Arriving by the stream.

Most of the wild grass and scattered stones on the ground had been cleared away, while the Mudsdale, with extreme steadiness, step by step spread Ground-type energy underground, causing vibrations that made the earth continuously rise, churn, and become ever more fertile.

Beside it, three Diglett lined up in a straight row, withdrew their entire bodies underground, and then began to move.

Every patch of land they dug through would rise slightly, the soil becoming softer and more suitable for root systems to spread.

Those hidden stones underground were also shattered by the action of Ground-type energy; for the slightly more stubborn ones, Mudsdale would halt its movements, allowing the three Diglett to delve deep underground and work together to smash them with headbutts.

In short, the progress was gratifying.

Lei Guan Wang was not idle either; having entrusted Cosmog to Ollie's care, it now rode Snowstorm Horse, which was carefully restraining its own cold air, while mentally marking out the boundaries for the upcoming orchard.

With every step Snowstorm Horse took, it was exceedingly careful, fearing it might freeze the soil hard, making it impossible to grow crops there ever again.

Although the Ice Radish was its favorite, after that came its second favorite, and then its third favorite—trees bearing fruits that were crisp and sweet with juice—and many such trees would be planted on this land, truly making Snowstorm Horse exceedingly joyful.

How could it not be extra careful?

Heracross had not come to help, because today Mudsdale and the three Diglett had come out to reclaim wasteland, leaving it to manage the farm's fields.

The arrival of Luo Mu and Luxray naturally caught the attention of several Pokémon.

Turning Snowstorm Horse around, Lei Guan Wang asked Luo Mu, "Class is over?"

"Class is over; I came to check on you all. By the way, these are consolation gifts made by Shuang Nai Xian."

Luo Mu lifted the cute basket printed with blueberry patterns in his hand; even this basket had been chosen by Shuang Nai Xian herself.

"Diligence and eagerness to learn are good things; especially in medicine, although most humans lack special talents, through the accumulation of knowledge and the inheritance of experience, they have attained the power to heal injuries and even cure diseases that moves cannot treat, even without Pokémon."

Lei Guan Wang felt that Luo Mu going to study medicine under that pink-haired Young Lady Joy proved precisely how much he cared about the farm's Pokémon, which was why he ventured into a field he did not understand.

Lei Guan Wang itself could instantly heal severely injured Pokémon, Oranguru had mastered the herbal wisdom of forest Pokémon, and if Luo Mu further mastered human medicine, then no matter what happened to the farm in the future, they would never be at a loss.

Lei Guan Wang looked again at the basket Luo Mu was carrying, blinked, and asked, "Using this basket suggests Shuang Nai Xian is very confident in today's creations; may I take an early look?"

"Of course, no problem."

Smiling, Luo Mu lifted the lid.

Inside lay quietly a cake roll with a cute shape, emitting a faint scent of cream.

"I recall that in Wang Guan..."

Lei Guan Wang vaguely remembered that there seemed to be Pokémon of this shape distributed in Wang Guan.

"This is Omanyte, a Fossil Pokémon."

Luo Mu explained aloud.

He remembered that in the game's storyline, wild Tyrunt could be found by Lake Ball, Aurorus in the Snowy Valley, and traces of Aerodactyl near the cliffs beside the Giant's Bed.

With Fossil Pokémon distributed in Wang Guan, Lei Guan Wang must have seen them more or less.

However, Luo Mu was also quite curious why Fossil Pokémon existed in Wang Guan; logically, modern Fossil Pokémon were artificially revived, yet beneath the Great Fool's Valley in the Kanto region, there were Fossil Pokémon that had survived to this day.

Truly strange.

On the other side.

Luxray wagged its tail, approached Mudsdale, and cried out in a consoling manner, then immediately turned to look at the three Diglett, asking if they were satisfied with their work.

Since Luo Mu had gone to chat with Lei Guan Wang, the task of offering consolation naturally fell to it.

This was also something Luxray had been silently doing all along; it liked the lively adventures of the past, yet also longed for the plain and tranquil life of the present.

During the break, Luo Mu distributed the cake rolls to every Pokémon, the three Diglett included; Shuang Nai Xian had prepared a portion equally for each Pokémon.

"Di Ge!"

Tasting such a carefully crafted dessert for the first time, the three Diglett huddled together, so moved they didn't even notice tears welling in their eyes.

It was simply—

Too delicious!

Compared to this cake roll, the tree roots they usually gnawed on were countless streets behind in terms of deliciousness.

To one side.

Sitting cross-legged on the grass, ruthlessly splitting the Omanyte cake roll in half with a fork, Luo Mu glanced at them from the corner of his eye, his mind contemplative.

He recalled that the staple food of Diglett seemed to be plant roots, that is, tree roots.

In that case, as long as Serperior was present, it could casually use Frenzy Plant to sprout a pile of tree roots thicker than its own body, and the Diglett wouldn't know how long it would take to finish gnawing them all.

He hadn't expected Serperior's strengths to produce such an unimaginable effect at this very moment; truly, "the ways of the world are impermanent."

Clicking his tongue in wonder, Luo Mu turned and continued chatting with Lei Guan Wang, mainly about the issue of the farm's expansion.

Not driving them away, but using gentle methods to resettle wild Pokémon that might lose their "homes" after the farm expanded.

Basically, apart from the two groups behind the small hill, there were no wild Pokémon living in the farm expansion zone designated by the League.

After all, this place was very close to human settlements; most areas were plains, so few wild Pokémon settled here.

For the few that did exist, either Luo Mu and Lei Guan Wang found them a "home" with richer resources, or, according to their wishes, Luo Mu entrusted them to reliable people to raise.

There were also wild Pokémon like the three Diglett and the pair of Rattata that had been recruited by the farm.

Basically, all dispositions had been completed safely; the final obstacle, or rather, the last Pokémon whose destination needed worrying about, were the Houndour pack and the Salandit group.

As long as proper arrangements were made, the farm could complete its expansion smoothly.

After finishing the desserts, with Luo Mu's addition, efficiency improved significantly.

Under the effect of Z-Plowing, the soil gradually became soft and fertile; the miraculous power originating from Pokémon allowed land that would normally take a long time to slowly transform to change its appearance in just a short period; perhaps this was one of the reasons why this world's productivity was quite sufficient.

While they were busy working, in the stream flowing slowly nearby, a pair of dull, dead-fish eyes watched the activity on the bank for a while, bubbled a few times, swished its fish tail, and a golden shadow drifted away slowly with the current.

October 16th.

There was nothing major to handle on the farm today; if one had to mention something, it was that the apple saplings Luo Mu had carefully selected, along with a small number of other fruit tree saplings, had successively arrived by truck and were stored on the farm.

Originally, the truck should have moved directly to the vicinity of the newly selected orchard site, but that area was still somewhat wild; many rocks were exposed along the route, not enough to make it rugged, but still making it difficult for the truck to drive, and since the new road had not yet been laid, they could only temporarily have the other party leave the saplings on the farm.

In the past, Luo Mu would have had to call upon Swampert, Dragonite, and the others to transport these saplings over little by little using manpower.

This time, Lei Guan Wang probably wanted everyone to rest, so he took the initiative, using psychic power to warp space and directly cause them to descend onto the orchard's soil.

Next, they only needed to plant them one by one.

Originally, Luo Mu had planned to later relocate the small orchards within the farm to that area for unified management, including the Gold and Silver series fruit trees obtained from the Kanto League.

But considering how precious these fruit trees were, Luo Mu decided to keep them in the center of the farm, accompanied by the secret seasoning plants, to minimize any potential risks.

After all, it would be bad if wild Pokémon from the other side of the creek, taking advantage of his inattention, destroyed them.

Inside the new orchard under construction.

"This speed..."

Watching Feng Su Gou, who was huffing and puffing while digging with astonishing speed, the corners of Luo Mu's mouth twitched slightly.

One glance told him that Feng Su Gou must have done this often; after long-term accumulation, he had probably directly learned the move "Dig."

Beneath the seemingly flat soil of the farm, who knew how many pairs of Luo Mu's "vanished without a trace" slippers were still hidden.

Just as his teacher had taught during Arbor Day before his transmigration.

First, dig a hole slightly larger than the fruit tree's root system, with appropriate depth; about forty to fifty centimeters is sufficient.

Spread an appropriate amount of organic fertilizer at the bottom of the hole, then fill it with about ten-plus centimeters of topsoil, and a pit ready for transplanting the sapling is prepared.

Luo Mu basically handled this part personally; next, with the help of Kuailong and Juzhaoguai, they would place the fruit tree saplings—keeping the soil wrapped around their roots—into the holes without damaging the root systems, fill the pits with soil, and gently compact it.

Next, Wenxiangwanghuang and other Water-type Pokémon would provide appropriate irrigation to keep the soil moist; continuing this for a few days would ensure the healthy growth of the fruit trees.

With the help of the Pokémon, over a hundred fruit trees were nearly transplanted by the end of the day.

During the work, Luo Mu suddenly recalled the habits of a certain Pokémon.

In the Hoenn region, there is a Steel and Rock-type Pokémon named "Boskedora"; unlike their monstrous appearance and powerful destructive capability, they possess extremely "environmentally friendly" habits.

Often, an adult Boskedora would treat an entire mountain as its territory, constantly patrolling the ranges; if the mountain became barren and vegetation decreased, they would continuously transport soil and plant saplings, tidying up their territory beautifully.

Pokémon like Bangjilasi and Lvganglong, which resemble Boskedora in appearance, are often like mobile demolition crews, so the sudden emergence of Boskedora as such an "oddity" created a strong sense of contrast.

Luo Mu also remembered Lei Guan Wang mentioning that the armor and iron filings naturally shed by Kedola, Kedola, and Boskedora during their growth were among the materials needed to recast the Sword and Shield.

After all, in the Galar region, there was also a population of Boskedora dwelling.

If there was an opportunity, he could catch a Kedola and raise it from a young age; it could not only provide materials but also help manage parts of the farm.

Boskedora might not like flat lands like this orchard, but that small hill was still included within the farm's scope awaiting development, and could be entirely handed over to it for management later.

Plus, with Mikuri's invitation from a few days ago, when he had the chance to visit the Hoenn region, he could entirely ask the other party to introduce him to that stone maniac, who should be the person in the entire Hoenn region most knowledgeable about the Boskedora family.

The next day.

Early in the morning, Luo Mu was awakened by a series of "thump, thump, thump" sounds coming from the window beside his bedroom.

When he opened his eyes, they still held a hint of haziness; groping his way out of bed, he pulled open the blackout curtains, expecting to be stabbed in the eyes by the sunlight shooting in, and instinctively closed them again.

He didn't expect that upon opening his eyes again, right before him was the magnified bird face of Huoyanniao outside the window.

It even had a bit of "baby fat," strangely cute.

At this moment, Huoyanniao, like a woodpecker, kept tapping the window glass with its sharp beak capable of piercing steel; managing to leave not a single scratch was quite a struggle for it.

For some reason, those eyes looked cross-eyed, staring straight at Luo Mu, revealing a trace of impatience.

Luo Mu's slightly chaotic brain gradually "booted up" and became clear; he directly opened the window.

Usually at this time, Huoyanniao would be sleeping sprawled out; suddenly coming to find him meant there was likely something happening.

The matter must be important enough for it to willingly leave its spot, so it certainly wasn't anything trivial.

Seeing Luo Mu open the window, Huoyanniao hurriedly let out a few "gack gack" cries.

"Hmm?"

Luo Mu blinked rapidly, understanding Huoyanniao's meaning.

"You're saying, the Pokémon Egg has reacted?"

Huoyanniao nodded.

"Then we need to prepare quickly."

Luo Mu's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but show a look of joy.

Of course, the one showing signs of movement was not the Pokémon Eggs left by those Da Nai Guan and the group of yellow-maned Kentaros; those were still far from hatching.

Calculating the time, it had been over a month since A Dai Ke entrusted the Volcarona Pokémon Egg to him; plus, A Dai Ke had mentioned that when he gave the egg to Luo Mu, it had already been laid for nearly two months.

With at least three months passed, ordinary Bug-type Pokémon would have long completed the entire process of hatching and evolution, and might even be breeding the next generation.

Even with a Huoshene with the "Flame Body" ability hovering around all day, the Pokémon Egg showed no signs of hatching whatsoever.

Having endured stubbornly for over a month since arriving at Luo Mu's place, one had to say it lived up to being the Bug-type Pokémon with the highest base stats among final forms, excluding Mega Evolutions, Legendaries, Ultra Beasts, and Paradox Species.

The difficulty of hatching was almost comparable to that of the Minilong back then.

Taking the Pokémon Egg, covered in orange-red and black spotted patterns, from Huoyanniao's nest, sure enough, the egg had begun to glow, a sign that hatching was imminent.

Fortunately, Luo Mu had experienced quite a few Pokémon Egg hatchings in succession and had personally assisted in the births of Pokémon such as Minilong, Kadigou, Kenguochong, Redailong, and Alolan Chuanshushu, so his experience was quite rich.

However.

This hatching probably couldn't be conducted inside the house.

Currently, Luo Mu hadn't moved to his new home yet and was still living in the original small villa; the place was almost entirely wooden structure, and although he had performed some fireproofing when he moved in, that was merely an operation equivalent to self-consolation.

When a Volcarona hatches, it is inevitably accompanied by the birth of massive flames, making it one of the least suitable Pokémon for indoor hatching; a slight carelessness could cause a major fire disaster.

Most Volcarona habitats are located at the foot of volcanoes, so the best choice would actually be to go to Huoyanniao's island, where there is a ready-made volcano.

However, traveling there by riding Kuailong would still take considerable time, unless he asked Lei Guan Wang to intervene.

Therefore, Luo Mu's goal had always been to possess his own ecological dome, capable of meeting the habitat requirements of various types of Pokémon, which would be perfect.

But, nowadays, it wasn't necessary to go through so much trouble.

For the Volcarona about to hatch, whether a volcano or an ecological dome, there were now substitutes available.

Not long after obtaining the Volcarona Pokémon Egg, Lei Guan Wang, as usual, bestowed a blessing of vitality, which would make this Volcarona's vitality far more vigorous than that of its kind.

It was foreseeable that every generation of Pokémon on Luo Mu's farm would be healthier, and after growing robustly, would produce even more outstanding offspring, continuing this virtuous cycle.

With the Volcarona possessing vigorous vitality, the environment of its birth no longer mattered.

Next, Luo Mu only needed to prepare sufficient and high-quality flames for the newly hatched Volcarona to consume.

In this way, the Volcarona would complete its birth under the best possible conditions.

Without delay, Luo Mu immediately began his preparations.

First, he went to the open ground where Luxray and the others usually trained, asking Swampert to manipulate the earth to raise the land high; it did not need to form a real mountain, as a height of about four or five meters was already sufficient.

Next, he had Moltres and Feng Su Gou spew massive amounts of flame, attaching them to the raised "tiny little hill," thus creating a simple yet effective incubation area.

The only difficulty lay in how to maintain the Xiong Xiong burning of the flames.

This was easily solved by having Moltres and Feng Su Gou stay nearby; while continuously supplying flames, they could also temporarily raise the surrounding temperature to the level suitable for Volcarona incubation.

Then, he simply needed to place the Pokémon Egg aside and wait patiently.

Of course, this was not "roasting an egg"; the Volcarona Pokémon Egg's resistance to fire was sufficient to allow the egg to be roasted within the flames without any adverse effects.

With everything ready, Luo Mu brought over a chair and, accompanied by a crowd of Pokémon, stared at the Volcarona Pokémon Egg flashing at a constant frequency, quietly awaiting the moment of hatching.

Time slowly passed, and the morning was nearly over.

In the sky, the blazing sun, a rare sight for this season, hung high.

At the exact moment when the minute and second hands of the clock completely overlapped at the very top, precisely at twelve o'clock noon, the flashing frequency of the Volcarona Pokémon Egg reached its peak.

A blinding Bai Guang burst forth, and along with the Xiong Xiong burning flames on the small "Flame Mountain," it seemed as though the fire itself had grown several degrees stronger.

Sunlight poured down from above, and within that expanse of crimson flames, a figure slowly emerged.

(End of Chapter)