As soon as Bellsprout hit the ground, it ran straight to Angie, grabbed his hand, and started pulling him in a certain direction, clearly leading the way.
Victreebel and Weepinbell saw this and instructed Bellsprout's older siblings to watch the house while they hurriedly followed behind.
Flabébé hesitated for a moment but eventually chased after Angie and Munchlax.
The water sources on the Nebel Plateau mainly come from the Nebel River and Nebel Lake, and the lake in front of Angie's house is part of Nebel Lake.
The source of the Nebel River is unknown, flowing from the endless mountain ranges in the northwest of the Nebel Plateau, feeding into Nebel Lake before flowing out again, continuing far into the distance, eventually passing through the Azoth Kingdom.
One could say that the Nebel River is the lifeblood of the Azoth Kingdom.
Thanks to Nebel Lake, the water system on the Nebel Plateau is highly developed, with many small rivers, creeks, ponds, and pools all connected to the lake. As a result, the plateau is home to many Water-type Pokémon.
Compared to the relatively scarce food on land, the abundance of food in the water makes life much easier for Water-type Pokémon than for those living on land.
Bellsprout led Angie and the others to a small pool of water.
Of course, while it was called a small pool, its area wasn't really that small. The pool had dried up, leaving behind vast amounts of mud and the remnants of withered lotus flowers and leaves.
Though the climate on the Nebel Plateau doesn't change much throughout the year, it was technically autumn, the perfect time to harvest and enjoy lotus root.
However, looking at the mud-filled pool, Angie felt a headache coming on. How was he supposed to dig here? Should he go down into it?
The mud, having been submerged underwater for years, now gave off a foul stench.
But… for the sake of good food, it was worth it!
After thinking for a moment, Angie removed his shoes, socks, jacket, and pants, leaving only his shorts and shirt on. He cautiously dipped his foot into the mud.
Thankfully, the mud only reached up to his calves.
Surprisingly, Angie wasn't as disgusted by the mud as he had imagined.
He rolled up his sleeves and started feeling around in the mud with his hands. Soon, his eyes lit up. When he pulled his hand out of the mud, he was holding a section of lotus root.
Being wild, the lotus roots here were not large, but they were slender and tender.
"Looks like we're in for a good harvest today!" Angie exclaimed, holding up the lotus root.
Munchlax and Bellsprout were both delighted, especially Munchlax. Seeing that Angie had made a discovery, it immediately wanted to help.
"Gaaaang~ Gaaaang~"
Master~ Here I come!
Munchlax revved up and prepared to charge into the mud, but Angie screamed in horror, "Munchlax, no! Don't!"
But it was too late. Munchlax had transformed into a living cannonball, hurling itself into the pool.
Angie wanted to dodge, but the mud's suction held him in place, preventing him from moving his feet.
Boom!
In the next second, Munchlax crashed into the mud with a thundering splash. Mud sprayed everywhere like an explosion, with Angie, being the closest, getting hit the worst, turning him into a complete mud monster.
Angie: ...
Munchlax sat up from the mud, scratching the back of its head in confusion, only to realize that the little flower on its head had fallen off.
"Gaaang~~"
(ε(┬┬﹏┬┬)3)
It held the mud-covered flower in its equally muddy hand, looking at Angie with a face full of grievance.
Angie spread his hands and tugged at his mud-soaked shirt, saying, "Look at me. Do I look like I have the energy to worry about your little flower?"
"Gaaang~~"
Seeing that Angie was covered in mud thanks to it, Munchlax immediately forgot about the flower, turning its head to the side, pretending as if it hadn't caused any trouble.
"You little rascal!" Angie said, torn between laughter and frustration.
But suddenly, something occurred to him, and he looked toward Bellsprout on the shore, asking, "Bellsprout, does this place belong to anyone?"
Lotus roots were food, and on the Nebel Plateau, where food wasn't particularly abundant, it didn't make sense that this place wouldn't have an owner.
If it did belong to someone, digging up their lotus roots would be quite rude. He had been so excited about finding the roots that he hadn't even thought about this issue.
"Boppo~ Boppo~~"
Sure enough, after Bellsprout called out toward the pool for a while, two heads, one large and one small, emerged from the mud in the distance.
It was Barboach and Whiscash.
Barboach and Whiscash were the rightful owners of this pool and the lotus roots, and they were also good friends with Bellsprout. The lotus roots that Bellsprout had given Angie were originally gifts from Barboach and Whiscash.
Now that the owners had appeared, Angie quickly apologized to them.
"Sorry, sorry, I didn't know this place had an owner."
However, Barboach and Whiscash shook their heads, indicating that they weren't angry.
Though the pool wasn't large, and the yield of lotus roots was low due to them being wild, Barboach and Whiscash couldn't finish all the lotus roots anyway, which is why they gave some to Bellsprout.
Moreover, since the lotus roots grew in the mud, other Pokémon couldn't find them, so the extra roots ended up rotting in the mud each year.
Because of this, Barboach and Whiscash didn't mind others digging up the extra lotus roots.
Suddenly, an idea popped into Angie's head. "How about this, Barboach, Whiscash, you give me all the lotus roots here, and in return, you can come to my house to eat anytime. How does that sound?"
This way, he could have the lotus roots and earn some happiness points—a win-win situation!
Barboach and Whiscash were taken aback for a moment but quickly shook their heads.
Go to a human's house to eat? No way.
"Boppo~ Boppo~~"
At this point, Bellsprout began gesturing to its two friends, trying its best to describe just how delicious Angie's food was, in an attempt to convince them.
But Barboach and Whiscash still shook their heads vigorously.
Nope, not going!
Suddenly, Angie had another idea. "How about this: you both come to my house tonight, and I'll make a meal using lotus root. If you like it, you can come whenever you want. If not, then just forget I ever asked."
Angie suddenly came up with a great idea—he wanted to hire Barboach and Whiscash to plant lotus roots in this pool for him.
The current wild lotus roots here weren't of good quality and had low yields. He could easily buy high-quality lotus root seeds from the system store to replace the wild ones. This way, the same water area could produce more and better lotus roots. Barboach and Whiscash could keep enough for themselves and provide the surplus to him!
The more Angie thought about it, the more feasible the plan seemed. He looked at Barboach and Whiscash with a kinder expression.
(Barboach and Whiscash: Does this human want to eat us? His gaze is terrifying!)
Bellsprout also joined in, earnestly persuading Barboach and Whiscash. Eventually, the two Pokémon couldn't resist their friend's persistence and reluctantly agreed to come to Angie's house for dinner that night.
"Then it's settled," Angie said happily. He then turned to Bellsprout and instructed, "Bellsprout, since Barboach and Whiscash don't know where my house is, could you guide them there later?"
"Boppo~ Boppo~"
Bellsprout nodded confidently.
Nearby, Victreebel and Weepinbell watched the whole exchange with throbbing headaches. Were their little ones just not using their brains? Why were they so obedient to this human?
After getting Barboach and Whiscash's agreement, Angie and Munchlax resumed digging for lotus roots.
"Gaaang~ Gaaang~~"
Master, Master, look at me!
Munchlax was rolling around wildly in the mud, and before long, it stood up, proudly holding a bunch of lotus roots, showing them off to Angie.
Angie had struggled to pull out a single lotus root, and it had even broken. Seeing Munchlax's smug expression, he said enviously, "Look at all that mud on you. Don't expect me to wash you off when we get back."
"Gaaang~ Gaaang~"
Upon hearing this, Munchlax immediately toned down its proud expression, holding the lotus roots as it obediently sidled up to Angie, trying to act cute.
"Alright, alright! Stop rubbing against me; I'm already covered in mud." Angie pushed Munchlax away, even though he was already filthy from head to toe.
"Boppo~ Boppo~~"
At that moment, Bellsprout called out to Angie, extending its long vine into the mud and stirring it up, pulling out a string of lotus roots with ease.
"Okay, okay, you guys are all amazing, and I'm just useless!" Angie muttered in frustration as he angrily shoved his hand into the mud and yanked out another lotus root.
Seeing Angie, Munchlax, and Bellsprout having so much fun playing in the mud, Flabebe decided to join in. It extended two vines into the soil and pulled out another string of lotus roots.
"Woo-la~ Woo-la~"
Flabebe placed the dirty lotus roots in front of Angie.
"Are these for me?" Angie asked, surprised.
"Woo-la~ Woo-la~"
Flabebe nodded gently.
Angie happily accepted the lotus roots. "Flabebe, you should come to my place tonight and try my cooking!"
Angie decided to host a lotus root feast tonight. Even though he wouldn't gain any happiness points from it, he was still willing to do it for fun.
"Woo-la~ Woo-la~~"
Flabebe flew off to the side, continuing to use its vines to dig for lotus roots, leaving Angie uncertain whether it had accepted the invitation or not.
Seeing Angie struggling with the digging, Barboach and Whiscash, out of respect for Bellsprout, decided to lend a hand as well. Since they lived in the mud, their efficiency in digging up lotus roots was much higher than Munchlax, Bellsprout, or anyone else.
Since Barboach and Whiscash hadn't yet agreed to exchange lotus roots for the opportunity to dine at Angie's house, Angie didn't dig up too much, only enough for dinner that evening, and then he stopped.
Afterwards, Angie, Munchlax, and Bellsprout moved the lotus roots to a small river connected to the pool for cleaning. Otherwise, with the roots still covered in mud, just carrying them home would exhaust Angie.
Even just moving them to the riverbank left Angie so tired he couldn't straighten his back.
This body is really weak! Angie thought as he massaged his waist, then commanded Munchlax.
"Munchlax, wash off all that mud on you first."
"Gaaang~~"
Got it!
With that, Munchlax jumped into the river with a splash, instantly turning the clear water muddy.
There had been several Magikarp hiding at the bottom of the river, and when the water became muddy, they got very angry and leaped out, biting onto Munchlax's head, arms, belly, and backside, each clamping onto him.
"Munchlax, you... Hahaha~~~" Angie burst into laughter at the sight.
"Boppo~ Boppo~~~"
Bellsprout couldn't help but roll on the ground, clutching its belly, laughing hysterically.
"Woo-la~ Woo-la~"
Even Flabebe, who had been trying to hold back its laughter with one hand over its mouth, couldn't resist anymore and joined Bellsprout in laughing out loud.
Spitting sounds echoed as the mud covering Munchlax was so filthy that even the Magikarp couldn't stand it. After biting twice, they slapped their tails and dove back into the water, spitting at Munchlax before swimming away, flicking their tails.
Angie, Bellsprout, and Flabebe laughed even harder.
"Gaaang~ Gaaang~"
(ω)
Munchlax, in its usual simple-minded way, scratched its head, joining in the laughter just because everyone else was.
After they'd had their fill of fun, Angie jumped into the water, scrubbing off the mud from himself, then helping Munchlax clean up before finally beginning to wash the lotus roots.
The river wasn't deep—just barely enough to cover Munchlax's belly. Since it wasn't flood season, the water gently flowed, and the muddiness they brought was quickly washed away downstream.
Victreebel and Weepinbell sat on the grass not far away, watching quietly without helping. They simply observed Angie, Munchlax, and Bellsprout chatting and laughing, with Flabebe occasionally chiming in. Although Angie couldn't understand Pokémon language, it didn't seem to hinder their communication.
From their perspective, Angie's smile was so bright and warm that they couldn't help but wonder: Could someone with such a smile really be a bad person?
Gradually, the two Pokémon became confused.
Soon, the lotus roots were clean, and Angie stored them directly into his system backpack. He then clapped his hands and called out to Munchlax and the others, "Alright, let's head home."
With just a wave of his hand, Angie made all the lotus roots disappear. Munchlax, Bellsprout, Flabebe, and even Victreebel and Weepinbell were all astonished.
"Gaaang~~ Gaaang~~"
"Boppo~ Boppo~~"
"Woo-la~ Woo-la~"
As they followed Angie home, Munchlax, Bellsprout, and Flabebe gestured and chattered as if asking him something. Angie simply responded with "Mm-hmm" and "Ah-ah," even though he had no idea what the three little Pokémon were saying.
Halfway home, Angie and the Pokémon went their separate ways.
Victreebel and Weepinbell took Bellsprout back to their home, and Flabebe also returned to its own place.
"Bellsprout! Flabebe! Remember to come to my place for dinner tonight!" Angie shouted to them.
"Boppo~"
"Woo-la~"
Bellsprout and Flabebe waved back at Angie. Initially, Flabebe had been somewhat afraid of Angie, but after spending some time together, that fear had completely vanished.
Diancie was sitting at the door, waiting for Angie and Munchlax. When she saw them both returning soaking wet, she hurriedly asked, "What on earth happened to you two?"
Angie and Munchlax exchanged a glance and couldn't help but burst out laughing.