Chapter 677: The Origin of the Cubchoo?

At this moment, the fur on this beige little bear was in a state of being half-wet and half-dry, as if it had been pulled out of the water some time ago.

Although it was already so weak that it was delirious, it still maintained a standing posture, as if on guard against the Dragonites.

It was only when it saw Luo Mu, a human who was relatively "familiar" to it, that it stumbled unsteadily toward him, only to trip and fall flat on the ground.

Startled by Cubchoo's reaction, the wild Dragonites let out a chorus of "Boo-wah" sounds that startled Luo Mu; disregarding his own slightly dazed mind, he immediately crouched down and picked up the Cubchoo.

Even now, he couldn't figure it out.

No, where did this Cubchoo come from on Dragonite Island?

This is Dragonite Island, not Armor Island!

But rather than dwelling on the Cubchoo's origins, the obvious task at hand was to stabilize this Cubchoo's condition.

Luo Mu turned to a familiar-looking adult wild Dragonite beside him—the one that had likely been beaten soundly by the Dragonite chief yesterday—and instructed, "Go find the Comfey; it should be over in the flower field right now."

The entire Dragonite Island boasted a rich ecosystem, naturally growing a patch of wild flower fields.

They had discovered that place while exploring the island yesterday; judging from the fact that the Comfey wasn't there when he woke up, it had most likely run off there.

The adult wild Dragonite addressed by Luo Mu paused for a second, then realized what was needed and immediately complied with his order.

—After all, who could blame them when they had witnessed with their own eyes how friendly even their chief was toward Luo Mu yesterday?

If they were beaten by the chief under the pretext of "training" for disobedience, that would be a huge loss.

These Dragonites might look simple-minded and silly, but they were actually quite shrewd and would never seek trouble for themselves.

After that wild adult Dragonite flew away, Luo Mu immediately returned to the tent to fetch some towels and the leftover firewood from last night.

Then he asked the Dragonites who were still aggressively spectating, "Who knows how to use Flamethrower? Give this pile a blast, but remember to control your strength so you don't turn the firewood into charcoal."

Fortunately, these big fellows weren't just there to watch the show; soon, a Dragonite with softer features, clearly a female, stepped forward.

A perfectly controlled burst of flame landed on the firewood stack Luo Mu had arranged, instantly igniting it.

"Hoo—first, keep it warm."

Luo Mu exhaled a breath and placed the Cubchoo, which he had already wrapped in a towel, at a slight distance from the fire.

This way, it wouldn't get burned, nor would there be any worry about the temperature being too high.

The Cubchoo's fur, which had already been wiped once with a towel to remove moisture, was gradually being baked dry by the warm heat radiating from the burning woodpile.

If only the Dragonite and Moltres weren't nowhere to be seen, Luo Mu wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble.

After all, the Dragonite's heat wind, capable of regulating temperature, could achieve the effect of a hairdryer, drying the Cubchoo's fur in no time.

"It has a bit of a fever; could it be caused by prolonged hypothermia?"

Relying on his not-so-extensive medical experience, Luo Mu assessed the Cubchoo's condition.

Fortunately, thanks to his systematic studies with Joy Lin at the Pokémon Center in Pingdie Town, his foundation was now quite solid; judging such a disease, which wasn't a complicated or mysterious ailment, was still quick and accurate for him.

He didn't even need the ever-eager System to chime in just to assert its presence.

Connecting the Cubchoo's earlier soaking-wet state with the fact that this was Dragonite Island, surrounded entirely by aggressive wild Dragonites, and recalling the rather famous anecdotes associated with them...

Luo Mu suddenly formed a bold hypothesis.

Could it be that this Cubchoo was fished out of the sea by one of the Dragonites?

It had rained heavily last night, so the sea was most likely far from calm.

And Dragonites, as a species of Pokémon, often rescue drowning humans or Pokémon in the boundless ocean.

The more he thought about it, the more logical it seemed; Luo Mu asked the surrounding wild Dragonites, "Was it one of you who rescued it?"

At Luo Mu's question, a Dragonite immediately stepped forward, indicating that it was indeed the one who had fished the Cubchoo out of the sea.

At the time, it was taking a stroll in the nearby waters when it discovered this Cubchoo gradually losing strength in the seawater.

Back then, the sea was full of huge waves, rainstorms, and fierce winds; who knew how long the Cubchoo had been drifting at sea? Acting on a sudden impulse of kindness, it had brought this Cubchoo back.

Although Luo Mu couldn't fully understand what this wild Dragonite was "Boo-wah-ing" about due to the lack of translation, judging from its reaction, his guess was probably ninety percent accurate.

This Cubchoo, for some unknown reason, had crossed the ocean, encountered a "shipwreck," nearly drowned, and was then rescued by a passing wild Dragonite, which subsequently brought it directly back to Dragonite Island.

For a Fighting-type Pokémon like Cubchoo, which should have a robust physique, to become this weak, who knew how long it had been drifting at sea?

But the Dragonites clearly didn't know how to help a Cubchoo suffering from hypothermia and fever, which was why they were so agitated upon seeing him.

After clarifying the Cubchoo's origins, Luo Mu rummaged through his bag to find some specialized emergency medicine for Pokémon he carried with him, and fed it to the unconscious Cubchoo along with some warm water.

This was all he could do.

Next, they could only wait for the Comfey to return before proceeding with more effective treatment.

The adult wild Dragonite soon returned with the Comfey.

Under the dual treatment of "Flower Healing" and "Aromatherapy," combined with the effects of the emergency medicine Luo Mu had administered, the Cubchoo's unstable vital signs quickly stabilized.

About half an hour after the treatment was completed, the fever broke, though there were still no signs of awakening.

In Luo Mu's view, this was likely because physical exhaustion had triggered the Cubchoo's bodily protection mechanism; it now needed "coma-like deep sleep" to recover its depleted energy and stamina.

Luo Mu could only bring the Cubchoo back to his campsite, canceling his plan to continue touring Dragonite Island in the morning, and began caring for the little bear.

—After all, he couldn't expect this group of Dragonites to understand these things.

Approaching noon, the Pokémon that had gone out while Luo Mu was sleeping began to return one after another.

Upon seeing the unfamiliar face of the Cubchoo, they all reacted with surprise.

Some, with wild imaginations, thought a Pokémon Egg had hatched.

Others went even further, assuming that Luo Mu had somehow snatched another new member from somewhere.

"It's not a new member; it's just a distressed Pokémon rescued by the Dragonites on the island."

Luo Mu explained patiently.

Leaving aside whether he coveted the Cubchoo or lusted after the thick fur covering the muscular body of its evolved form, Urshifu...

Without knowing the Cubchoo's origins, Luo Mu certainly couldn't claim the Cubchoo was a new member he had snatched.

After all, regarding the Cubchoo's origins, he currently had two hypotheses.

First, for some unknown reason, it drifted across the sea from the nearby Galar region.

In that case, this Kubfu most likely belongs to the Armor Island Kubfu.

If it truly managed to drift so far, to be honest, Luo Mu quite admired this Kubfu.

—It was a person of great perseverance!

Second, Kubfu is an individual not mentioned in the game, but one that exists in the wild in this world's reality.

Similarly, due to some unknown reason, it drifted across the sea; it possessed not only perseverance but also the great fortune of being spotted and picked up by a wild Dragonite just in time.

But regardless of Kubfu's origin, without knowing the other party's attitude for now, one could not rashly classify it as a new member of the farm.

—Who knows if, after waking up, it would want to go home?

Under Luo Mu's patient explanation, the overly excited crowd finally calmed down.

They stayed quietly by Luo Mu's side, watching to see exactly when Kubfu would awaken.

Today's chieftain election would not be held until evening, so there was plenty of free time for now.

Fortunately, Kubfu did not make them wait long.

Perhaps this was thanks to the outstanding physical qualities of Fighting-type Pokémon, as well as its own potential as a legendary Pokémon.

Around four or five in the afternoon, Kubfu's tightly closed eyes finally opened slowly after a tremor.

"Bei ah?"

Emitting a rather weak low moan, Kubfu looked at the unfamiliar surroundings, its first reaction being to try to get up.

At this moment.

Luo Mu, lying nearby and dozing off, subconsciously placed his palm on it; feeling the other party's body suddenly tense, he instinctively said, "Don't get up immediately, you need to rest a bit first."

Upon hearing the human voice, Kubfu's nervous emotions eased slightly.

It turned its head to look at Luo Mu beside it, its black, bright eyes blinking.

"Bei ah?" (Did you save me?)

"Strictly speaking, I only performed treatment on you."

"Those who saved you are the group of Dragonite outside."

Listening to Moltres's translation from outside the tent, Luo Mu half-closed his eyes and yawned, then got up and pulled open the tent flap.

Outside the tent, faces belonging to the Dragonite filled the entire passage leading out of the tent.

Wild Dragonite: (〃'▽'〃) Bo wu~ (Hello there~)

Kubfu: "."

Luo Mu had expected Kubfu to make some reaction, but he didn't expect it to simply choose to turn its head away.

It was as if it were pretending not to see the wild Dragonite.

Setting aside the wild Dragonite's expressions, which looked as if the sky had fallen, Luo Mu, standing from a different angle than them, noticed the change in Kubfu's expression.

First stagnation, then a flash of guilt, finally ending in shame.

Was Kubfu feeling ashamed for having misunderstood the wild Dragonite?

Recalling how Kubfu had looked so tense when he saw it surrounded by the Dragonite, Luo Mu suddenly realized that Kubfu had probably thought the wild Dragonite meant ill intent at that time.

That was why it turned sideways and avoided reality like an ostrich.

Only after Luo Mu pulled the flap closed again did Kubfu agree to turn back around.

Obviously, it did not yet know what demeanor to use when facing the wild Dragonite it had misunderstood.

After a while, having drunk some hot water, Kubfu was already able to sit up normally.

Luo Mu could also take this opportunity to ask about Kubfu's origins.

If it came from Armor Island, he would send it back first.

If it was wild, and Kubfu also wanted to go back, he would send it back as well.

He, Luo Mu, was not so low as to engage in deception and fraud for the sake of a juvenile legendary Pokémon.

"First, let me ask, do you remember drifting on the sea before?"

Relying on Moltres outside the tent to translate, Luo Mu questioned Kubfu in detail.

"... Bei ah." (I remember.)

Hesitating for two seconds, Kubfu nodded slightly, while a faint fear of surviving a disaster floated across its face.

As it answered, fragments of memories emerged in Kubfu's mind.

It had completely underestimated the power of the ocean.

It had thought to train its physique by swimming, hoping to make itself no longer so useless and avoid becoming the one left behind.

But it never expected the sea to be so dangerous.

After it had struggled swimming for a long time and finally realized it had lost its direction, a strong wind soon blew across the sea surface; coupled with the influence of the rainstorm, the originally calm ocean instantly turned violent.

Under the assault of wave after wave, its stamina, which was not particularly abundant to begin with, immediately hit rock bottom; by the end, it had almost lost the strength to stay afloat and was about to helplessly sink into the depths of the sea.

As for what happened afterward, it could not remember clearly; it only vaguely knew that one second before losing consciousness, a pair of large hands had picked it up.

When it came to its senses again, Kubfu found itself surrounded by a group of massive Dragonite.

These Dragonite were all much larger than itself, plus they emitted the aura of Dragon-type Pokémon; how could Kubfu not be nervous?

It was only when it saw Luo Mu appear, a being possessing all the characteristics of a human, that it finally relaxed its spirit.

Unaware that Kubfu was reminiscing, Luo Mu continued to ask it several more questions.

For instance, questions about Kubfu's origins, why it had been on the sea, and whether it wanted to return.

But for some reason, Kubfu inexplicably resisted answering these questions, only stating that it had been swimming in the sea to train its physique and had gotten lost due to an accident, getting caught in a storm.

As for its origins and whether it wanted to return, Kubfu temporarily answered these matters with silence.

Helplessly, Luo Mu could only stop questioning and instead opened his mouth to say, "You must be hungry, right? We're about to have a meal; would you like to eat something?"

Bear Cub's eyes lit up; it was just about to agree, but then seemed a bit embarrassed and forcibly stopped itself.

Before it could continue pretending, its little belly let out a loud gurgle, clearly indicating it was starving.

In the end, Bear Cub could only take a share of the delicious food with a red face.

Incidentally, because last night's meal and today's lunch had been mooched off by those wild Dragonites and Hakas, forcing Luo Mu to do exhausting work, Luo Mu directly and sternly rejected these gluttons' evil idea of mooching another meal this afternoon.

After eating and drinking their fill, seeing that time was getting late, Luo Mu asked Bear Cub, "Later, my Dragonite is going to participate in the Dragonite clan's chieftain election; there will likely be a combat segment then."

"Do you want to go along and watch the battle, or stay in the tent?"

"Rest assured, if you choose to stay, I will have Luxray and the others keep you company."

To Luo Mu's question, Bear Cub made its decision without a second thought.

It tightened the white fur on its head that resembled a headband and let out an expectant cry: "Bei ah!"

It also wanted to go watch the battle!

A glint of longing ignited in Emperor Yan Di's eyes; because Bear Cub had its back to him, Luo Mu did not notice.

But for Bear Cub, it was very much looking forward to battles between powerful Pokémon.

After all, it was precisely in order to train itself to become stronger and more formidable that it had jumped into the sea to swim, lost its direction, and could not find its way back.

(End of Chapter)