Chapter 80: Aerial Competition

On the morning of the fourth day since Kukui arrived at Luo Mu's farm, the seeds and saplings in the farming district were finally all sown and planted; to reward the Pokémon who had worked hard for nearly a week, Luo Mu, despite his tight finances, held a banquet.

Life is short; enjoy it while you can.

Money lost can be earned again; it is better to live one's days comfortably.

At the evening banquet, Kukui finally tasted the cuisine prepared by the Cang Yan Ren Gui that he had been curious about.

Opening his mouth boldly, he slurped down a skewer of steaming hot meat; ignoring the scalding heat, Kukui ate until grease flowed from his lips, his speech slightly slurred: "Mm... so tasty, this meat skewer is just too delicious!"

Kukui's several Pokémon likewise ate as if they hadn't had a meal in hundreds of years, gobbling everything down.

If one were to speak of the Pokémon with the most bold eating style, it would surely be a contest between Kukui's Incineroar, currently slurping meat skewers, and Luo Mu's Swampert, eating grilled fish.

Both starter Pokémon possessed robust bodies and bold personalities; when their eyes met, sparks of fighting intent seemed to flash through the air between them.

These two muscle-bound brutes thought exactly alike; after finishing their skewers, they ran to an open space next door and began wrestling.

Kukui's Incineroar clearly had some real skill, its fighting techniques being exceedingly exquisite.

Noticing Luo Mu's curious gaze, Kukui swallowed a large chunk of pork belly so greasy that oil seemed to roast out of it, then smiled and said: "Incineroar is my starter Pokémon; in our Alola region, there is a competition called the 'Battle Royal,' which simply put involves one-on-three battles held in a stadium known as the Battle Royal Dome."

"The funds for travel, as well as Incineroar's fighting techniques, were all honed and gained through the cruel Battle Royals."

"That sounds very interesting." Luo Mu nodded thoughtfully; he knew something about Alola's Battle Royals, after all—Kukui's alter ego, the Royal Mask, was a rising star in the Battle Royals, his undefeated form beloved by the people of the Alola region.

Unlike the extremely martial Galar region, most residents of the Alola region live in harmony with an abundant nature, so their desire for Pokémon battles is not particularly strong.

With Kukui possessing the strength to challenge the Elite Four of the Kanto region, wouldn't he be one of the top contenders in the Battle Royals?

Noticing that Luo Mu seemed to have developed some interest in the Alola region, Kukui felt a surge of joy in his heart and was about to press his advantage to lay more groundwork, when suddenly a clamor erupted from the group of Pokémon nearby, immediately drawing both their attentions.

There, under the watchful eyes of all the Pokémon, Kukui's Braviary and Luo Mu's Dragonite were rubbing their fists together, gazing at the sky with expressions eager to try.

Luo Mu's movements halted; he murmured, "Are they about to hold... a flying race?"

"Hahaha, Braviary is still so competitive." Kukui laughed heartily, then looked at Luo Mu apologetically, "It probably feels that as a warrior of the sky, being saved by Dragonite during flight was embarrassing, so it has decided to compete with Dragonite in a full-state flight speed comparison?"

Luo Mu had no objection to such matters; he was not someone with an extreme desire for control, and there was no need to stop social interactions between Pokémon.

However, before the Pokémon cleared an open area for Dragonite and Braviary to take off, Luo Mu patted the sturdy back of Moltres, who was burying its head and devouring meat nearby, saying, "Moltres, you fly along with them too."

Moltres froze, then shook its head frantically.

Why should it participate in such meaningless competitive behavior? With this free time, it would rather slurp down a few more skewers of meat!

Moltres plopped its butt down on the ground, looking as if it had no intention of moving today and would just loaf right there.

Kukui witnessed the scene on Luo Mu's side; Moltres's demeanor and actions left him utterly stunned, for during his travels in the Kanto region, he had often heard rumors and legends about Moltres.

Legend says Moltres is a divine bird capable of being reborn from fire within magma; whenever it flaps its wings, its feathers shine with colors that stir the soul. Its burning wings can illuminate the night sky and dark mountain paths, rescuing travelers who have lost their way in the darkness; even if Moltres appears in a snow country, that land can enter spring within an extremely short time.

Moltres's flame also serves as the sacred fire worshipped at the Shi Ying and Silver Conferences, revered by tens of thousands.

But... could this Pokémon, looking so much like a salted fish, truly be the divine bird described in the legends?

If Kukui's inner thoughts could be heard by Luo Mu, he would certainly answer yes.

At least when Moltres had just been carried back by Luxray, it indeed matched the descriptions in the legends quite closely.

Luo Mu was so angered by Moltres's rogue behavior that his temples throbbed painfully; he snatched the food from beneath the divine bird's beak and said meaningfully, "Your 'eldest son' is over there; don't make things difficult between us, understand?"

Moltres looked to the side; although its eyes were unclear, its gaze toward the utterly confused Growlithe—its "eldest son" with undeniably innocent eyes—was evident; after hesitating for a moment, Moltres slowly rose and ambled over to stand behind Dragonite and Braviary.

Luo Mu sat back in his seat, satisfied; in front of the Pokémon and Growlithe, he had already saved Moltres quite a bit of face, at least refraining from saying, "You've gotten a bit chubby; hurry up and fly more to lose weight."

Kukui's Lucario took on the role of the "starting gun"; just as a round, azure Aura Sphere exploded, a fierce wind swept across the surrounding ground, and Braviary and Dragonite shot forward in the lead.

Whether in their takeoff posture, climb altitude, or acceleration after becoming airborne, both Pokémon performed flawlessly; truly, flight had become instinct for these two species.

In contrast, Moltres, taking off leisurely from behind, had movements that were somewhat ugly; seemingly due to lying down for too long, its takeoff motion was very stiff, requiring a running start of several steps.

During the run-up, Moltres's belly, where excess fat was clearly visible, trembled like waves; accompanied by its awkward wing-flapping motions, it wobbled its way up into the sky.

Luo Mu covered his eyes, completely unwilling to witness this heartbreaking scene.

What exactly had happened to that once overbearing and irritable Moltres to make it become like this now?

Kukui's mouth hung wide open in shock, large enough to stuff an egg inside; he was extremely astonished, wondering what exactly was the situation with this Moltres?

The strength of all three Pokémon was not weak, so their flight speeds were naturally not slow either; within just a few minutes, the three Pokémon, having completed a round trip within the designated area, flew back.

Dragonite landed at the finish line in the lead, while Braviary was left behind by more than ten body lengths, slowly descending with a face full of reluctance.

As for Moltres... Luo Mu was already unwilling to recall it.