Chapter 106: Just Holding On

Luo Mu made no move to interfere with Nimo’s choice of which Pokémon to catch; he nodded and stepped back a few paces, handing the stage entirely to her.

Nimo declared with fierce determination: “Let’s battle, Buto!”

“Bamo!”

Buto abandoned its earlier desire to challenge Kardig, strode forward, and faced off against Sounder.

Luo Mu and his three Pokémon watched from behind, arms crossed, curious to see how much Nimo and Buto had improved over the past week.

Sounder stared fixedly at Buto—not only had it disturbed its sleep, but it had boldly stepped forward to challenge it. Its pea-sized black eyes flashed with anger; its long arms glinted with sharp emerald light as it advanced toward Buto.

“Block, then charge up!”

A clear mutual understanding had already formed between Buto and Nimo; it trusted her commands completely. Instantly, it crossed its strongest arms in front, blocking Sounder’s “Rapid Slash” while simultaneously charging.

The effect of charging was simple: it boosted Buto’s Electric-type attack power and increased its Special Defense.

Rapid Slash required consecutive use to maximize its power—Nimo’s judgment was spot-on.

Buto endured the full force of the Rapid Slash, then a golden electric current flashed across its body—signaling it had completed charging.

So, the next move—

Nimo raised her right arm triumphantly: “Thunderbolt!”

Luo Mu froze. He had expected Nimo to have Buto use Headbutt or Thunder Shock.

Has it already learned Thunderbolt—the stronger, more fitting move?

Buto’s gaze sharpened; it thrust both palms hard against Sounder’s chest. The instant its palms made contact, a torrent of electricity surged from the pads on its hands, sending Sounder reeling, stunned and scorched.

Smoke curling from its body, Sounder staggered back, let out a shrill cry, then immediately flapped its wings and tried to flee.

Luo Mu narrowed his eyes and ordered firmly: “Litten, stop it.”

“No need!”

Nimo suddenly spoke up, cutting off Luo Mu’s action.

Luo Mu frowned: “You’ve decided not to catch it?”

Nimo nodded: “If it flies away without hesitation, chasing after it would only be forcing capture.”

Nimo believed that if Sounder had shown even a moment of hesitation, she would have pursued it relentlessly.

Luo Mu sighed and nodded: “Alright, let’s keep searching the surroundings.”

Ah well, it seems this Sounder wasn’t meant for comfort—it could have lived without worry, grown to peak strength under Nimo’s genius training, and become a true Sounder Hero.

What a pity.

Continuing their exploration, Luo Mu and Nimo encountered wild Pokémon—Kandil Grass, Spearow, Luvdisc, and Pidgey—but failed to catch any of them for various reasons.

The one Luo Mu found most regrettable was Pidgey.

This species evolves into Steelix, a Steel/Flying-type with excellent resistances and a wide movepool—perfect for both offense and defense.

Nimo had been within reach of catching Pidgey; just as she followed Luo Mu’s instruction and stepped forward with a Poké Ball, the fallen Pidgey suddenly gathered strength, took flight, and vanished into the trees in an instant.

Luo Mu had thought Nimo had it secured, so he relaxed slightly.

How dramatic.

If only Nimo had thrown the ball a little more accurately, this wouldn’t have happened.

But there was good news: after failing to find Pidgey, the two finally spotted a trio of Beedrill in the forest.

The Beedrill was flying deeper into the woods, likely returning to its hive after collecting nectar.

The two exchanged glances and followed at a careful distance, avoiding detection.

During the tracking, Luo Mu whispered: “By the way, your family probably already prepared Pokémon for you—why do you want to catch your own?”

Nimo nodded lightly: “Father prepared two Poké Eggs for me—Shellder and Munchlax—but they haven’t hatched yet, so I decided to catch my second Pokémon myself.”

Luo Mu: “...”

Damn it, once again shown up by the lavishness of the wealthy.

He thought of his own savings, barely enough to cover his Pokémon’s daily energy needs—likely less than Nimo’s pocket money right now.

A pang of heartache struck Luo Mu; he changed the subject, keeping his eyes on the Beedrill as he asked: “Those two classes were taught by Master Qingmu, right? What did he teach?”

Nimo thought for a moment, then replied: “Master Qingmu seemed unwell those two days—dark circles under both eyes, exhausted. He only covered theory.”

“He was especially skilled in the move ‘Hard Carry’—he explained how to use it while poisoned, burned, or paralyzed. I learned a lot!”

“He also said Buto can learn Hard Carry. I plan to take Buto to Jinhuizhen Gym during spring break to train it.”

Nimo always spoke endlessly about Pokémon, but Luo Mu sensed the sorrow in her words—Master Qingmu had worked himself to exhaustion, dark circles and all.

Compared to him, his own sleepless nights felt like self-degradation.

Repentance.jpg

“Bibibibi~”

After following the flying Beedrill for another fifteen minutes, the buzzing of wings and Beedrill cries grew denser, and their numbers visibly increased.

Luo Mu and Nimo perked up, moving even more cautiously.

Kardig, Doggu, and Buto each step became more deliberate; Litten suppressed its aura to avoid scaring the Beedrill into flight.

Finally, without disturbing the Beedrill, the two spotted their hive.

It was a massive honeycomb—by its scale, the colony numbered at least a hundred. Atop the hive sat a queen bee, radiating noble authority, watching her workers haul nectar.

Luo Mu stared for a moment, then whispered to Nimo, who hid beside him in the grass: “Wait until I tell you to come out.”

Nimo nodded nervously. Attacking a swarm this size would leave her injured or worse—especially as a novice Trainer.

Though she loved battle, she knew her limits.

Luo Mu turned to Kardig and Doggu: “You two must protect Nimo alongside Buto.”

Kardig and Doggu looked as if they’d received a sacred mission, their eyes filled with resolve.

After arranging for Nimo and the Pokémon, Luo Mu said: “Let’s go, Litten.”

“Miaow!”

(End of Chapter)