Chapter 503: The Multiplying Peat Blocks (5k)

Morning of October 22nd.

The large batch of fences Luo Mu had ordered arrived at the farm one after another; all that remained was to simply encircle the farm's perimeter with them.

These fences were not meant to serve as a barrier, after all, if wild Pokémon wanted to break in, this kind of wooden fence likely couldn't stop most of them; they served merely as a "psychological comfort" or perhaps another form of "marking territory."

Those truly responsible for the farm's security and defense were still the Skarmory and Rookidee working in the sky above, along with the Luxray, Arcanine, Stoutland, and the newly joined Houndoom that frequently patrolled the farm's surroundings.

Not long after the report was submitted, the Paldea League dispatched a commissioner to investigate the expanded farm; the other party did not merely go through the motions because of Luo Mu's status, but truly conducted checks one by one, only stamping the documents after confirming everything was properly settled.

This also meant that this vast stretch of land, encompassing the small hill behind the farm and extending to the vicinity of the stream, had now been included within the farm's scope, left entirely to Luo Mu to develop.

However, before development could begin, there were still many matters that needed handling.

Today, the weather had rarely turned so bright, the temperature quietly rising somewhat; strands of sunlight gently fell upon their bodies, dispelling the slight chill brought by the cold wind.

Wearing a straw hat, Luo Mu and Luxray arrived at the farming zone first, their gazes falling upon the trunks of three berry trees that had grown considerably taller, now standing about two meters high.

Two months had passed; under the meticulous care of Comfey and Bai Bai Pengpeng, the three special types of Gold and Silver series berry trees had also thrived to this extent.

According to the detailed planting manual provided by the Shi Ying Plateau, reaching this stage of growth would require nearly a year, even with the interference of Grass-type Pokémon.

Being able to shorten the time to within two months could only mean that the "gold content" of Seeing Seeing Kapu Tapu Moumou's "Tilled Soil" and "Mixed Grass Terrain" was still rising.

Even without the presence of Seeing Seeing Kapu Tapu Moumou itself, or someone as powerful as Lei Guan Wang, capable of making a sapling grow into a towering tree bearing abundant fruit within a few breaths.

Such speed was already sufficient.

Moreover, this was something achieved through the hard work of the farm's Pokémon themselves, making its significance even more extraordinary.

Gently running his fingertip over the slightly rough bark of the tree trunk, Luo Mu pondered that once the fruits bore, not only Luxray, but everyone should get to taste them.

Meeting Luxray's gaze, the human and the cat exchanged a smile.

In this regard, their thoughts were undoubtedly synchronized.

Luo Mu had originally intended to go find Ursaluna together with Luxray, but before they had even walked out of the old orchard within the farming zone, a sudden commotion from inside caught their attention.

Tropius, the Shuckle siblings, and Dudunsparce should all be at the new orchard, while now was rest time for Comfey and Bai Bai Pengpeng; Oranguru had just said that today he must use sand to give Mudsdale and the three Diglett a bath.

Who would be in the old orchard at this time? A wild Flying-type Pokémon?

A Skarmory or Rookidee stealing from their own watch? That felt unlikely.

Without continuing to dwell on it, Luo Mu simply chose to walk over and investigate.

Luxray also slowed its pace and followed directly.

Although it already knew who it was through scent, it had no intention of reminding Luo Mu.

Walking behind a berry tree that could already hide him, Luo Mu looked forward and immediately froze.

This patch of berry trees was the first batch planted when the farm had just started.

Among them, the cost-effective Pecha Berry trees occupied the majority.

And amidst that patch of Pecha Berry trees, Ogerpon was staring blankly up at the Pecha Berries growing on the Pecha Berry tree, which were "out of reach" for it, seemingly thinking about something.

It was just that Luo Mu and Luxray were behind it, unable to see Ogerpon's expression.

A question also floated into Luo Mu's mind upon seeing Ogerpon.

What was Ogerpon staring at the Pecha Berry tree for? Craving it?

It hadn't been starved to that point; even Shuang Nai Xian had made fruit-type desserts several times, so Ogerpon shouldn't need to sneak into the old orchard to eat Pecha Berries still on the tree.

Perhaps driven by curiosity, Luo Mu subconsciously slowed his breathing, waiting for Ogerpon's next move.

Meanwhile, Luxray stared at the shape of the Pecha Berry, lost in thought, and similarly made no sound.

Before long.

Ogerpon moved.

Even though its height was rather short, its movements were extremely agile.

Stepping on the tree trunk several times with its wooden clogs, Ogerpon nimbly reached a branch of the Pecha Berry tree and raised its hand to pluck a Pecha Berry.

Operating like this actually made up for its innate shortcomings.

After plucking the Pecha Berry, Ogerpon stared at the Pecha Berry in silence for another moment, then gently exerted force with its small hand; the trait of having 120 base Attack power was revealed without doubt, as the Pecha Berry was directly snapped in half by its bare hands.

Staring at the Pecha Berry split in two, as if associating something, Ogerpon's expression suddenly changed.

Because this time it was facing Luo Mu's direction, Luo Mu saw the change in Ogerpon's expression clearly.

That look of disgust, no, that heartfelt disgust, could not be faked.

Ogerpon stared disgustedly at the Pecha Berry turned into two halves, staring for quite a while; originally wanting to throw it on the ground and crush it with one foot.

But then it remembered Luo Mu's admonition of "do not waste food," recalling that these Pecha Berries were the result of the painstaking efforts of Comfey, Bai Bai Pengpeng, Mudsdale, Dragonair, and Politoad.

Ogerpon hesitated for a moment, its motion of whether to throw or not throw freezing for quite a while, before finally slowly withdrawing its hand.

"Poni!"

Pouting while staring at the Pecha Berry split in two, it endured the disgust and swallowed the Pecha Berry in a few bites, then left the old orchard in a huff.

Luo Mu & Luxray: "."

The human and the cat exchanged a glance, still in tacit understanding.

They roughly knew why Ogerpon's behavior had been so strange.

That Pecha Berry split in two looked super similar to the peach-shaped shell of Tao Dai Lang! Ogerpon's expression also gave off a feeling of wanting to destroy all the Pecha Berries just to prevent Tao Dai Lang from resurrecting again.

It seemed that in the future, they couldn't let Ogerpon see any whole Pecha Berry... This matter also needed to be told to Oranguru and Shuang Nai Xian, lest they step on a landmine.

As for whether to tell Cangyan Cangyan Rengui—

Luo Mu's intuition told him that Cangyan Cangyan Rengui was the kind of Pokémon that would go ahead and grill Pecha Berries, so it was better to say something.

When Luo Mu found Ursaluna, the fellow was actually not lying idle like a salted fish in its cave sleeping, but was engaged in a fierce wrestling match with Meng Lei Gu.

Luo Mu felt as if he had bumped into a ghost.

These two fellows, equally matched, one with a base Attack of 70 and the other with a base Attack of 73, were both Pokémon skilled in energy attacks, yet they insisted on using their massive bodies to engage in close-quarters combat.

It was quite abstract.

However, the Luxray was also forced to adopt a mixed-attacker role due to its Electric-type move pool; as the Trainer who had raised it, Luo Mu had no standing to stop them, so he simply let them serve as an artillery platform.

The two Pokémon fought fiercely; the Ursaluna swung its arms left and right, attempting to grab the Walking Wake's long neck, which thrashed about like a whip.

The sound of flesh colliding boomed loudly, causing the ground near the small hill to tremble slightly.

After clashing for quite some time, the Walking Wake ultimately emerged victorious, overpowering the Ursaluna.

Compared to the Ursaluna, which had settled down in the permanent forests of Kitakami and entered a state of doing nothing but eating and sleeping, the Walking Wake had, until recently, still been in that cruel world of ancient strife.

With their strength being similar and neither using moves to attack, relying purely on a contest of raw power, it was natural that the Walking Wake, in peak condition, would win.

"Roar—"

The Ursaluna plopped its bottom onto a rock and let out a complaint-like cry.

It had merely been careless, twisting its old waist that hadn't seen much activity in ages; otherwise, who would have won or lost was hard to say! The panting Walking Wake, however, was quite happy about its victory and paid no mind to the Ursaluna's excuses, heading straight to its usual spot—worn bald from sunbathing—and lying down.

Under the warm sun, it felt its condition was excellent.

Wasn't it called an "Ability"? Luo Mu had mentioned his own "Protosynthesis" Ability, which seemed to grant a boost under sunlight, or rather, in "Harsh Sunlight."

No wonder every time it, the Walking Wake, basked in the sun, it felt the blood within its body boiling slightly and its emotions soaring with excitement.

Even writing its "Meow-Meow Diary" had become much more effortless.

The Ursaluna and the Walking Wake began chatting back and forth, each asking about the other's past experiences.

In a certain sense, they were both Pokémon from the past, so it was natural to be curious about each other's histories.

Upon first learning of each other's existence, identical questions would immediately spring to the minds of both the Ursaluna and the Walking Wake.

What was the other's ancient era like? Clearly, there was no need to compare the Ursaluna's century-old past with the Walking Wake's suspected "Super Ancient" or "Jurassic" origins.

As Luo Mu approached from a distance, the two Pokémon, possessing sharp senses and a wild intuition similar to Ash's, simultaneously looked up, turning their gazes toward him.

Thinking that if this were in the wild, any stranger suddenly stared at by such a pair of eyes would surely panic, Luo Mu kept his expression unchanged, waved his hand, and said, "Hello, Ursaluna, Walking Wake."

"Meow-ao~"

The Luxray behind him also let out a lazy cry, serving as its own form of greeting.

The reason Luo Mu sought out the Ursaluna was not complicated.

Later, he needed to return to the Academy to meet Hearing Nimo and the other two, who had successfully returned, and take along the three blocks of Peat Block he had promised them.

Luo Mu had checked; tonight was a full moon.

As long as they used the Peat Blocks, all three of their Ursaring could evolve into the "beautifully strong" Ursaluna.

As for the current Peat Blocks, after capturing the Ursaluna and bringing it back to the farm, the System had inexplicably acted like a riddler for once; following its suggestion, Luo Mu had simply entrusted them all to the Ursaluna for safekeeping.

Suddenly seeing items from its homeland, the Ursaluna felt somewhat sentimental; this large figure, whose appearance combined ferocity with simplicity, even spent several nights feeling emo and sentimental before finally recovering.

Nowadays, those Peat Blocks were carefully stored by it in its cave; although Luo Mu could retrieve them directly, to consider the Ursaluna's feelings, he decided to let it fetch them.

Hearing Luo Mu say he wanted to take three Peat Blocks away, the Ursaluna, though somewhat reluctant, did not make any excessive moves.

After all, those items originally belonged to Luo Mu; they were entrusted to it for safekeeping, not gifted to it.

It was just that with three fewer Peat Blocks, the scent of home would likely be much fainter when it woke up in the future.

The Ursaluna felt a slight melancholy.

Watching the departing figures of Luo Mu, the Luxray, and the Ursaluna, the Walking Wake, feeling as though thorns were on its back, breathed a sigh of relief.

Earlier, when the Ursaluna had suddenly shown up demanding a fistfight, the Walking Wake, thinking this big dummy couldn't read and was still busy writing its "Meow-Meow Diary," had simply decided to fight it.

Who would have known Luo Mu would choose this exact moment to arrive? Fortunately, the other party hadn't gone up the hill to take a look, or it would have been disastrous.

Now, it had better hurry and destroy the evidence.

Feeling like a survivor of a disaster, the Walking Wake trotted up the small hill and skillfully released lightning to scorch the ground.

A moment later.

Looking at the ground that had once again become bare, the Walking Wake nodded in satisfaction.

As expected of this cat! Outside the Ursaluna's cave.

Luo Mu sat cross-legged on the ground, staring with a troubled expression at the Peat Blocks that the Ursaluna was carrying out one by one; suspecting he had miscounted, he counted them again.

"One, two, three, six, ten, eleven, twelve—"

"Twelve?"

Obvious confusion permeated Luo Mu's voice as he stared perplexed at the Peat Blocks arranged before him, his brain storming without cease.

Thinking he might have remembered incorrectly, he even made a phone call to ask the Oranguru.

The result was that the Oranguru stated with certainty that when Luo Mu had brought back the Peat Blocks, there were exactly eleven registered in the inventory.

Then...

Where did this extra one come from?

Was it the Ursaluna's private stash of secret money? Luo Mu glanced at the Ursaluna; seeing the large creature sitting awkwardly on a rock not even as big as its own butt, with a look of utter bewilderment and grievance, he could only think it looked very silly at that moment.

It didn't seem like that kind of bear.

Or could it be that the rumor was true?

That if you plant a Peat Block in the soil, you can harvest a huge pile of Peat Blocks the following year? But the following year was still far away; how long had the Ursaluna even been at the farm?

Unable to figure it out, Luo Mu simply asked the System.

A moment later, upon receiving the answer, he froze in shock.

So it really was true that planting a Peat Block yields a pile of Peat Blocks the next year? As for why an extra Peat Block appeared in the Ursaluna's cave, the explanation was unscientific to say the least, yet very much in line with Pokémon logic.

This fellow Ursaluna had specifically chosen its cave location near Thunderfall Lake.

Due to the presence of Thunderfall Lake, the land nearby possessed, to varying degrees, characteristics of "moisture" and "wetlands," which was very similar to the past habitat of the Ursaluna's species.

The Peat Block was an item that would gradually form as the Ursaluna lived in such an environment.

Because the Peat Block itself was subtly altering the composition of the surrounding soil, and ultimately, due to the Ursaluna's own unconscious influence from its innate ability to manipulate Peat, one would end up with a brand new Peat Block appearing as if by ghostly means.

As for the depths of the Great Crater of Paldea, a place with little water and arid conditions, how could Peat Blocks exist there?

Regarding this question, Luo Mu felt that those peat blocks probably had nothing to do with the Scorching Desert, but were instead brought into the Scorching Desert by some "treasure hunters" in the past and lost for unknown reasons.

Explained this way, everything suddenly made sense.

Having successfully achieved logical consistency, Luo Mu took three peat blocks, returned the rest to the Hazy Moon Bear in its dazed state, and said, "Bury these nine blocks back in their original spot; later, go out on a trip with me."

The Hazy Moon Bear nodded blankly, while Luo Mu placed the rather heavy peat blocks into the bag hanging on the Raticate's back, preparing to take them home before storing them in his spatial backpack.

Time flew by, and it was already seven o'clock at night.

With winter approaching, nightfall arrived much earlier than usual.

The temperature, which had been quite warm during the day, dropped sharply once night fell and the sunlight vanished.

Before heading out, Luo Mu silently put on a baseball jacket not meant for playing baseball, then exhaled white mist as he called out Moltres and departed.

The reason he didn't call Dragonite was, first, that it was already asleep in a warm nest with its mother and its three godmothers, the Hakamo; why wake it up on such a cold day?

Second, Moltres needed some exercise, and sitting on its back would keep him warmer as well.

After all, even at its maximum speed, Moltres's flight speed was considerably slower than Dragonite's.

It was nearly eight o'clock before Luo Mu finally caught sight of the silhouette of Mesagoza City, which was relatively close to Cortondo Town.

Compared to the dazzling, neon-lit Levincia City, nighttime Mesagoza City lacked some modernity and fashion but possessed more warmth.

Warm yellow light spilled from the windows of every household, filled with the warmth of daily life.

Moltres flew at a great height; even at night, its unmistakable, unextinguishable flames were blocked by thick clouds, causing no unexpected disturbances.

Having notified Principal Clavell in advance, Luo Mu landed directly on the playground of Naranja Academy.

Hearing Hearing Nimo and the others from the Nimohe Sect, bundled up thickly, were already waiting on the playground.

Seeing Luo Mu and Moltres, Hearing Hearing Nimo, whose demeanor seemed to have changed significantly again, lit up and ran toward them.

Arven and Rika also rarely held back their reserve, jogging past Hearing Hearing Nimo, who was running at full speed, and rushed over.

It was just unclear why Momo and Shizuku had started running too, given that they had met just a few days ago.

Seeing his students so excited, Luo Mu found himself momentarily at a loss.

With five people, he couldn't hug them all with just two hands.

But reality proved he had worried unnecessarily.

Rika took the lead, rushing over without even glancing at Luo Mu's reservedly open arms, and threw herself directly onto Moltres—

while Arven, Hearing Hearing Nimo, Momo, and Shizuku likewise surrounded Moltres directly.

Momo wore an expression of pure enjoyment, sighing as if coming back to life: "So warm; as expected of the legendary Pokémon Moltres!"

Hearing Hearing Nimo and Arven buried their faces deep into Moltres's feathers, muttering several indistinct murmurs.

This left Luo Mu standing with arms outstretched, exchanging glances with Paul, who stood his ground trying to look cool despite shivering slightly from the cold.

Luo Mu: "."

Paul: ". Ah-choo!"

(End of Chapter)