Mudkip's eyes finally showed a slight change. He lowered his head to look at the energy cubes, then suddenly opened his mouth and began to eat them in large gulps.
His speed was so fast, it was as if he was a completely different person from his previous dazed appearance.
“Gala! Gala!”
Mudkip ate while letting out satisfied Growls, as if these energy cubes were the most delicious things he had ever eaten in his life.
Seeing this, Jiang Mo breathed a slight sigh of relief. It seemed this Mudkip wasn't completely unresponsive; he was just particularly interested in food.
However, after Mudkip finished eating, he let out a burp, then returned to his previous dazed state, as if the recent ravenous eating had never happened.
Jiang Mo was momentarily speechless. He began to wonder if he had chosen a foolish Pokémon.
He sighed, deciding to use Tokiwa Power to check Mudkip's body.
He reached out his hand and gently placed it on Mudkip's head, and Tokiwa Power slowly infused into Mudkip's body.
A moment later, Jiang Mo withdrew his hand, his brows furrowed even tighter.
“Strange, everything is normal with his body, no problems at all…” Jiang Mo murmured softly, “Could it really be a problem with his brain?”
It was getting late, and Jiang Mo was truly at a loss, so he could only give up for the time being.
He said to Pikachu and Haunter, “You two keep trying to communicate with him and see if he really has a problem with his brain. I'm going to rest first and we'll see tomorrow.”
“Pika!”
Pikachu nodded, indicating he understood.
After Jiang Mo left, Pikachu and Haunter began trying various methods to make Mudkip happy.
They even found some toys, trying to pique Mudkip's interest.
However, Mudkip still showed no reaction, as if completely immersed in his own world.
“Pika…”
Pikachu sighed somewhat helplessly, then turned to look at Haunter, seemingly asking, “Is this guy beyond help?”
Haunter also shook his head, indicating that he too had no solution.
Finally, Pikachu and Haunter also gave up. They decided to rest first and think of a solution tomorrow.
They each found a comfortable spot and lay down to sleep.
However, just after they had all left, Mudkip's dazed eyes suddenly flashed with a glimmer of light.
The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a cunning smile, then he gently shook his head and murmured softly, “Gala…”
His eyes held a cleverness that was completely different from his previous dazed appearance.
Clearly, this Mudkip was not truly foolish, but was deliberately pretending.
Mudkip looked at Pikachu and Haunter, who were already asleep around him, and secretly congratulated himself that his skill at playing dumb had once again allowed him to get by.
He slowly moved his body, found a comfortable corner to lie down in, and thought to himself, “Hmph, don't even think about making me train again. I just want to be a lazy bum like this, comfortably. All that fighting, killing, and strenuous training has nothing to do with me.”
He recalled his past experiences; he hadn't had a single day of peace since birth.
Every owner only wanted him to become strong quickly, forcing him to undergo various skill trainings day and night.
Take that Rock Throw skill training, for example; he was utterly fed up with it, so he simply hardened his heart and deliberately allowed himself to be hit in the head by a large rock.
That really hurt, but thinking about escaping the endless training, he gritted his teeth and endured it.
Sure enough, his first owner, seeing his dazed appearance after being hit, thought his brain was really damaged, and without a word, quickly sold him off.
Thus, he changed hands several times, and each time he continued to feign foolishness, only showing enthusiasm when eating. Over time, everyone thought he was just a foolish fish who only knew how to eat.
There were also a few owners who wouldn't give up, trying various methods to make him return to “normal,” but he wouldn't give in easily, still feigning it stubbornly. In the end, those owners also reluctantly gave up.
Until his last owner, when they were out, unluckily encountered the Hunter Organization who were robbing and killing.
The scene was chaotic, and he couldn't escape, thus falling into the hands of the Hunter Organization.
He had thought he would have to start the days of forced training again, but unexpectedly, by a stroke of luck, he became Jiang Mo's Pokémon.
He secretly observed this new environment, pondering, “This new owner seems pretty good, but who knows if he'll force me to train later? I'll just keep playing dumb for now. As long as I have food every day and can live peacefully, that's enough.”
The next morning, Jiang Mo woke up thinking about Mudkip and hurried over to him.
Upon hearing the movement, Mudkip immediately switched back to his dazed state, staring blankly ahead.
Jiang Mo looked at him, sighed helplessly, and tried again to put some energy cubes in front of him. Mudkip was still the same; his eyes showed a slight change first, then he ate heartily, and after finishing, he returned to his dazed state.
Pikachu and Haunter also came over, calling out “Pika Pika” and “Woo Woo” to Jiang Mo, as if to say that Mudkip was still the same, with no changes.
Jiang Mo still thought it was because Mudkip had just arrived in a new environment and was a bit wary.
So he squatted down, gently stroked Mudkip's head, and used an emotional appeal, saying, “Mudkip, no matter what, you are with me now. I won't force you to do anything; I just hope you can be happy.”
Mudkip's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected Jiang Mo to say that; his previous owners had always been eager for him to show his strength.
He slightly raised his eyelids, secretly glanced at Jiang Mo, then quickly lowered his head, but his mind began to murmur, “Is this owner really different from others? Hmph, no matter what, I'll continue to pretend for now.”
Over the next few days, Jiang Mo indeed did not force Mudkip to train. He would only occasionally let him out to bask in the sun in the yard and prepared various delicious energy cubes for Mudkip.
Mudkip slowly began to feel differently about Jiang Mo. Sometimes, looking at Jiang Mo's back, he couldn't help but think, “This owner seems to really take care of me. Is it really not good for me to keep pretending like this?”
But as soon as he thought of those difficult training days, he shook his head again, temporarily casting those thoughts aside, and continued to maintain his image as a foolish fish.
Every day, besides eating, he would find a place to lie down and enjoy this rare “lazy time.”
Jiang Mo watched Mudkip still maintaining his dazed appearance, and he felt increasingly that something was off.
It had been several days now, why was there no sign of change in him at all?
After much thought, an idea suddenly sparked in Jiang Mo's mind: this Mudkip was only interested in eating, right? Well then, he simply wouldn't give him food and see if he could continue to pretend.
