Chapter 520: Source of Tera Crystals, Terapagos

Hearing Luo Mu so astutely discern their thoughts, even though they were somewhat at odds with each other and found one another rather unpleasing, Koraidon and Miraidon's satisfied gazes still met in midair for an instant.

Koraidon: This human is not bad.

Miraidon: Agreed. Professors Sada and Turo are also curious about what kind of food Luo Mu will prepare.

According to their thinking as Pokémon Professors, Koraidon and Miraidon, hailing from the ancient past and distant future respectively, would likely differ not only in their food preferences but also significantly in the very types of food they consume.

For instance, Koraidon might prefer raw meat, while Miraidon would favor something like energy sources.

Furthermore, considering the vast gap between their respective eras and the modern day, one must wonder if modern food would count as deadly poison to them.

All these issues require careful investigation to find answers.

As for things like ancient viruses or future crises, this is the Pokémon world; such things are generally not taken into consideration.

After Luo Mu accurately voiced their thoughts, Koraidon and Miraidon no longer lingered where they were, livelily returning to the Area Zero Research Station.

Meanwhile, Luo Mu headed to the research station's kitchen—

To be honest, this place hardly counted as a kitchen; it was merely a collection of heating appliances plus a warehouse piled high with instant foods.

Luo Mu could easily imagine the researchers, who wished they could split themselves in two to get more done, rushing frantically into the kitchen, finding a bucket of instant noodles, opening it, adding water, boiling it, eating, and then burying their heads back in their research, with the entire mealtime lasting no more than fifteen minutes.

If not for the biological necessity of eating, and for the sake of research progress, they might even be fanatical enough to skip meals entirely.

Fortunately, the Paldea League delivered fresh supplies at regular intervals; from those few refrigerators, Luo Mu gathered all the ingredients he needed.

Even though the fate of most of these ingredients was to be boiled alongside instant noodles, their freshness was still guaranteed.

The lettuce leaves looked as crisp and dewy as if they had just been picked; the freshness-locking technology was extremely sophisticated.

No wonder the small bag of secret seasoning seeds Professor Sada gave him could actually grow things.

Apart from some ingredients requiring heat treatment, the preparation method for the food Luo Mu intended to make was not complex; one could say it only required a table, or even no table at all.

Luo Mu rummaged through the stacked cardboard boxes again, finding what looked like soft white toast, some baguettes, and ordinary whole wheat bread.

That's right; the food Luo Mu planned to make was something called a "sandwich."

In his memory, both Koraidon and Miraidon showed a clear preference for sandwiches.

The prototype for the Paldea region is the Iberian Peninsula, involving both Spain and Portugal, so the food here mostly follows that style.

Sandwiches made with white toast were very common in Luo Mu's memory but relatively rare here, making them an experiment worth trying.

Using the baguette and the stick-like whole wheat bread (barra de pan) he had taken as a base, he would make sandwiches with Paldean characteristics (bocadillo de tortilla); since the difference between the two flavors was quite large, Luo Mu decided to try both.

Just as he was stuffing the several types of bread in his hands back into the box, a voice drifted out faintly.

"I see, so Big Brother Luo Mu wants to make sandwiches?"

Fortunately, Luo Mu had already cultivated a heart of steel; he wasn't startled by Arven appearing suddenly behind him, but continued packing the bread with an unchanged expression.

"Woke up?"

His flat, monotone voice rang out.

"I woke up not long ago. Hearing Mom and Dad say you were preparing food for those two unnamed Paradox Pokémon, I got curious and came looking."

Seeing his sneak attack had failed, Arven could only sigh in regret as he moved to the side and lifted another box of ingredients.

"I often make sandwiches at home; can I help too?"

"Sure."

Luo Mu had no objection to this; standing up steadily while hugging the heavy cardboard box, perhaps on a whim, he asked curiously, "Do you know how to make a sandwich with 'Mom's taste'?"

Arven: "."

【_?】 Huh? Arven looked at Luo Mu in surprise, as if seeing him for the first time.

Seeing Arven's expression, Luo Mu instantly guessed the misunderstanding and said with a dark face, "Just say whether you know or not."

Luo Mu was very confident in his ability to make delicious sandwiches.

However, regarding whether a single "Mom's Succubus Sandwich" could capture the hearts of Koraidon or Miraidon just like in the game, Luo Mu held a pessimistic view.

Therefore, he was very curious whether Arven, who must have eaten quite a few dishes handmade by Professor Sada, would know what was meant by "Mom's taste."

"Well—"

As if recalling some unspeakable memory, Arven became somewhat hesitant.

He didn't know how to tell Luo Mu plainly that Sada's cooking skills were terribly awful; if not for his previous "mom filter" and the fact that he had basically never cooked himself, he would have discovered this truth long ago.

Seeing Arven unable to spit out a single word for ages, Luo Mu waved his hand, left a sentence saying "Come help me prepare the ingredients," and busied himself.

Along the way, he also called out Comfey to assist him in making condiments like mayonnaise, though salad dressing was already available ready-made.

Assembling the Paldean-style sandwich was simple; he had Cangyan Cangyan Rengui slice the stick-like whole wheat bread in half, making the bread surface slightly scorched while also giving the texture more layers.

He assembled sliced Iberian ham, bacon, or other cured meats onto the bread base, drizzled olive oil or condiments like mayonnaise and ketchup on top, and once put together, it was done.

The other type, made with baguettes, was a sandwich-like food called Tapas; using small bamboo skewers, various ingredients were skewered and placed on cubed baguette bread, including not only meats like ham, fried scallops, shrimp, and sausage, but also paired with fresh fruits and vegetables.

The final type was the sandwich that fit Luo Mu's stereotypical impression: using multiple slices of white toast to layer ingredients one by one, then cutting diagonally; besides ready-made ingredients like corn, Luo Mu also made some meat floss and fried a few eggs.

The condiment used for this kind of sandwich was generally salad dressing.

For Arven, a pure-blooded Paldean, he knew the first two types of sandwiches and could make them himself, but the third type was much more novel, so he curiously asked Luo Mu which region's specialty sandwich this was.

Luo Mu could only answer that regions like Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh basically all had this type of sandwich.

Once everything was successfully completed, the two of them hugged several large rectangular iron trays filled to the brim with sandwiches and walked toward the room where Koraidon and Miraidon were located.

". Stare."

Professors Sada and Turo observed Luo Mu carefully, as if wanting to know what he was thinking to actually prepare sandwiches for Ancient Number One and Future Number One.

It did look quite delicious, enough to make the two of them, who had been eating instant noodles or salad consecutively for a month, drool with craving.

But—

Could this thing really stimulate the appetites of Ancient Number One and Future Number One?

Both held a skeptical attitude.

With a mindset of seeking stability, Luo Mu took the first type of sandwich, the Paldean-style one made with whole wheat bread, and tentatively held it up to Koraidon's two large nostrils. Whatever it did, it always had to smell first before making a decision; from this step onward, one could say it was already a life-or-death battle.

Once Koraidon lost interest, getting it to open its mouth and eat became even more impossible.

Fortunately, Koraidon saved face, curiously gazing at the sandwich and tentatively sniffing it.

Then, Koraidon's eyes lit up.

It's food! Without hesitation, it opened its mouth and bit down, directly biting off two-thirds of the sandwich's volume.

Probably out of habit, after taking a bite as if afraid it would be snatched away, it swallowed it whole in one gulp, not even tasting the sandwich's featured variety of flavors and textures.

This made Luo Mu feel somewhat regretful, so he spoke up to remind it: "Eat slowly, no one is snatching it from you."

After stuffing the remaining one-third of the sandwich into Koraidon's mouth, Luo Mu tried the next two types of sandwiches; Koraidon's reaction remained exactly the same.

One word: Eat!

This scene left Professor Sada utterly astonished.

Paradox Pokémon Number One's acceptance of modern food was actually this high!?

She had originally been considering whether to urgently develop nutritional supplements tailored for Paradox Pokémon Number One.

Seeing this, the creature's adaptability was quite terrifying; ultimately, was it still a Paradox Pokémon?

Just like those Paradox Pokémon outside, no matter where they were, they could absolutely adapt to any environment; otherwise, they would make the environment adapt to them.

Probably finding Luo Mu's feeding too slow, Koraidon simply hugged the large iron platter and began gnawing directly at the pile of sandwiches on it, acting as if no one else was around.

From the occasional grunting sounds it emitted, plus the frequency and force of its tail wagging, one could tell that Koraidon was in a very good mood.

As for Miraidon on the other side, surprisingly, it did not refuse Luo Mu's feeding either; it was just far more elegant in its eating manner than Koraidon, nibbling in small bites like a large cat, yet its eating speed was no less than Koraidon's hearty gobbling.

Hmm, the personalities of both sides presented a sharp contrast.

Professor Turo crouched to the side, so busy he was practically flying.

Recording video, handwriting notes, and puzzling over why Miraidon, with its mechanical appearance, actually possessed bodily functions to digest food—did it have a decomposition furnace module? The two professors felt that merely observing these two Pokémon, Koraidon and Miraidon, would likely occupy more than half of their daily time in the future.

After being soothed with food, the reactions made by Koraidon and Miraidon were still so unexpected.

Regardless of where they were, one lay flat on the ground and fell asleep directly, while the other seemed to have entered a hibernation state, or powered off, ceasing all activity.

Amidst their worries, Professor Sada and Professor Turo conducted a comprehensive examination of them, finally concluding that after recognizing their surroundings and completing their meal, the two Paradox Pokémon had synchronously begun adapting to the modern environment.

And during this process of adaptation, it would often be accompanied by a period of drowsiness.

There was only one solution—wait.

Just wait for them to finish adapting.

Luo Mu also very straightforwardly took the crystal out of his pocket and asked the two professors how to handle this.

The two exchanged glances and smilingly proposed conducting a test.

The test itself wasn't troublesome; there was specialized equipment for scanning, and unlike Koraidon or Miraidon, the crystal wouldn't move, so once the equipment was calibrated, a direct scan would suffice.

As a complete scan finished, many data points and various charts that Luo Mu couldn't understand immediately appeared on the display screen Professor Sada was watching.

Looking at the content above, a hint of understanding flashed through Emperor Yan Di and Professor Sada's eyes; they exchanged glances, thinking just as expected.

This crystal, just like the "Zero Treasure" in Area Zero, was the living form of the legendary Pokémon "Terapagos," which theoretically went extinct during the tectonic shifts two million years ago.

It was merely that, to protect itself, or perhaps under unavoidable circumstances, it had transformed into this appearance.

There were also many interesting data points that made the two professors' eyes shine as if they had discovered a new world.

For instance, it was highly likely that Terapagos, which had transformed into this crystal, had been transferred from that extinct period two million years ago to the modern era.

The other party's energy response was also completely incomparable to the "Zero Treasure."

There were three possibilities: first, it was weaker than the Zero Treasure; second, it was still in a weakened state; third, the Zero Treasure had gradually become more powerful during its slumber over these two million years.

After all, in their predictions, the Terapagos inside Area Zero rivaled many legendary Pokémon, whereas this one was not so ideal.

Then there were some subtle differences; for example, the Terapagos known as the "Zero Treasure" might be a male individual, while this one was a female individual, judging by both the color and luster of the crystal, as well as its size, appearance, and shape.

Since they had already decided to entrust this crystal to Luo Mu, the two hid nothing, directly explaining all currently verifiable conjectures to Luo Mu.

Having listened to the whole process, Luo Mu: (⊙o⊙) The crystal was actually Terapagos?

Staring at the crystal lying quietly in his palm, Luo Mu's expression constantly changed, his emotions fluctuating slightly.

In other words, the first trial run of the prototype time machine had transferred out Terapagos, which had an intricate connection to Terastal energy? It was just that this Terapagos seemed to have exhausted its energy and fallen asleep.

As for matters like male or female individuals, or speculation that its strength might be weaker and inferior to the "Zero Treasure" that had survived from two million years ago until now, none of these were too important.

He merely repeatedly questioned the two professors, confirming whether they truly wanted to entrust Terapagos to him.

Luo Mu hadn't expected that he was just here to complete a mission, yet he had already received the mission's exclusive reward—a Master Ball—and could also gain an unexpected harvest.

Although it couldn't compare to the "Zero Treasure," it was still of the same kind as Terapagos, the source of Terastal energy; at the very least, charging the Terastal Orb and obtaining the Terastal energy essential for planting secret seasoning ingredients could now be achieved freely!

Falling into slumber was a minor matter; with Victini on the farm, the versatility of infinite energy might be worth looking forward to—

The reason for saying "might" was that Luo Mu had tried having Victini transmit energy to Iron Valiant, but the other party still showed no signs of waking up or powering on, so he was unsure whether it would work on Terapagos.

Whether infinite energy could be converted into Terastal energy had not been tested, so no conclusion could be drawn yet.

But the light energy required for Z-Moves, infinite energy could indeed convert.

After pondering quite a few matters in his mind, Luo Mu ultimately solemnly accepted the two professors' entrustment, deciding to take good care of this treasure that had traveled through time and space from two million years ago.

Seeing that Luo Mu had accepted their entrustment, Sada and Turo exchanged a smile and, striking while the iron was hot, put forward a new proposal.

"In that case, would you like to journey with us deeper into Area Zero?"

"The source of Terastal energy spreading throughout the Paldea region, the 'Zero Treasure' Terapagos, is slumbering there."

"Furthermore, unlike the outside world, due to changes in Terastal energy concentration there, extremely special Terastal forms may have appeared."

"I wonder if you are interested?"

(End of Chapter)