Chapter 10: The Name of the Champion

How’s the water temperature?

Luo Mu held a stack of dried, neatly folded Orange Academy uniforms and called toward the bathroom, where dense droplets of water dripped.

Nimo enjoyed the comfort of hot water against her skin, her tense mind gradually relaxing, and she shouted back through the door: “Perfect!”

Luo Mu nodded, placed the uniforms in the laundry basket beside the bathroom door, and warned: “Your clothes—Lord Serpent and the others washed and dried them. They’re right by the door!”

“Got it~”

Hearing Nimo’s energetic reply, Luo Mu smiled and shook his head, then his expression quickly turned calm, tinged with seriousness.

The creek was not far from the small villa—only a fifteen-minute walk—and less than half an hour had passed since he pulled Nimo from the water.

Though anxious inside, Luo Mu could only wait patiently for Nimo to finish washing, then guide her.

Luo Mu stepped out of the villa, facing the five Pokémon gathered before him and the barely noticeable Mewtwo that always trailed him, and said sternly: “The top priority of this rescue is ensuring the safety of the kidnapped children. Understood?”

“Meow!” “Bō wū~” “Jiā gē!” “Sī luò.” “Zhǎo áo!” “Mí qiū~”

The six Pokémon, led by Litten, all displayed absolute confidence—trust in their own strength, and a response to Luo Mu’s request.

Luo Mu nodded slightly, recalled each of them into their Poké Balls, leaving only Dragonite outside.

Luo Mu gazed at the six Poké Balls at his waist, the first time since finishing the Paldea Champion League challenge that he’d carried a full team.

As he stroked Dragonite’s wonderfully textured belly, he recalled what Nimo had told him on the way back.

She had run away from home after a fight with her family yesterday.

The reason for the fight was childish.

Nimo didn’t want to be a Trainer; she wanted to help her family’s company like her sister.

Never mind why Nimo, a battle fanatic, didn’t want to be a Trainer.

After running away, Nimo never expected that just lingering on a beach near Spoon Town would lead to her being kidnapped without a trace.

When she woke up, she was in a dim warehouse, surrounded by several other children who had clearly been captured for some time, their spirits broken.

Some were her age; some were even younger.

During her captivity, Nimo overheard the three kidnappers laughing loudly outside, discussing their plans for her and the other children.

The other children would be smuggled out of Paldea to Galar, sold at high prices to Team Rocket; she, however, was to be held for ransom to fund the kidnappers’ lavish escape.

They had long targeted Nimo, the wealthy girl, but her family’s tight security had prevented action—until she ran out on her own.

Then came the moment when a Burmy emerged from a crack and bit through the ropes binding her, giving her the chance to escape.

Though Luo Mu longed for a quiet, leisurely life, these kidnappers clearly intended to shatter it—just as the last time, when Dr. Aulin reacted so strongly, it was because of them.

Fortunately, Nimo knew the kidnappers’ hideout. If their search failed, they’d return there to move the children. With Dragonite’s speed, they could catch them completely off guard.

Minutes later, Nimo, dressed in fresh, dry clothes and with her hair still unbound, sprinted out of the bathroom, breathless: “Big brother, let’s go save them now!”

Luo Mu nodded slightly, lifted Nimo up, and placed her on Dragonite’s back, already in takeoff position, then sat behind her and smiled: “It’ll be fast—hold on tight?”

Nimo nervously gripped her collar and nodded cautiously.

Sensing both riders seated, Dragonite’s gentle, kind expression instantly sharpened, its aura rising naturally, commanding and awe-inspiring.

With rapid flaps of its small wings, a gale swept across the ground, bending the waist-high wild grass under intense pressure.

The next instant, Dragonite was already high in the sky; Nimo gazed curiously at the buildings and landscape below, moving like ants, and asked: “Why don’t I feel any wind at this speed?”

Luo Mu stared straight ahead and replied: “Dragonite uses Flying-type energy to create a wind barrier around us. Otherwise, we couldn’t sit on its back at this speed.”

Nimo nodded, half-understanding.

In the eastern part of Flat Plate Town, an abandoned warehouse.

Three cursing figures returned here—this was their hideout and temporary storage for the kidnapped children.

The bearded leader spat a thick glob of phlegm on the ground and yelled at the short man on the left: “How the hell did a ten-year-old girl slip away? You’re getting worse with age!”

The short man said nothing, letting the bearded man curse his entire family lineage.

The tall, thin man on the right couldn’t take it anymore and tried to mediate: “Boss...”

The bearded boss ignored him completely, breathing heavily with rage: “Since we can’t find that little brat anymore, she’s probably been rescued—or drowned.”

“Either way, we’re moving. Sell these goods to Team Rocket, then head to a big city like Brewlight to kidnap more!”

The tall man quickly agreed: “You’re right, Boss.”

The silent short man pulled out three Poké Balls and released three Iron Thieves, then said softly: “I’ll stand guard.”

The bearded boss grunted: “Don’t screw this up this time!”

With that, the bearded boss and the tall man entered the warehouse to load the captives onto the van.

He didn’t notice the short man’s nails embedded into his skin, or his cold gaze.

Once the bearded boss was far enough away, the short man gritted his teeth and whispered: “One day, you’ll beg me to spare you...”

“You probably won’t live to see that day.”

Suddenly, a faint male voice came from above. The short man’s pupils shrank; he snapped his head upward.

A man riding Dragonite—and... the runaway rich girl, Nimo!

The short man immediately opened his mouth to shout a warning to the two inside, but Luo Mu and Dragonite gave him no chance.

Five red flashes appeared; Luo Mu’s Pokémon charged into the warehouse with clear division of labor.

Simultaneously, an immense, boundless Dragon aura descended, pinning the short man to the ground, immobilized by sheer pressure.

What about the Iron Thieves...?

Only three thuds answered him—the Iron Thieves, the short man’s last hope, were obliterated in a single strike by Dragonite’s swirling blue air blades.

The short man’s lips trembled as he forced out two words: “Monster...”

He had never truly understood what strength meant—but in this despair, this chasm between heaven and earth, he understood.

With his limited experience, only those at the pinnacle of this world possessed such overwhelming presence.

The apex of this world, the synonym for power, the embodiment of individual strength—the Champion.