Chapter 106: Just Forcing It

Luo Mu had no intention of interfering with Hearing Nimo's choice of which Pokémon to capture; after nodding, he stepped back a few paces and handed the stage entirely over to her.

Hearing Nimo shouted with high morale, "Time for a battle, Pawmi!"

"Paw!"

Temporarily abandoning its idea of competing with Growlithe, Pawmi strode vigorously to stand before Hearing Nimo and face off against Kricketune.

Luo Mu and the three Pokémon stood behind with arms crossed, watching; he was very curious about how much Hearing Nimo and Pawmi had improved over the past week.

Kricketune stared fixedly at the Pawmi that had not only disturbed its sleep but also provocatively stepped forward to challenge it; a flash of fury passed through its bean-sized black eyes, sharp emerald light flickered across its slender arms, and it stepped forward to attack Pawmi.

"Block, then charge up electricity!"

Obvious preliminary rapport had clearly formed between Pawmi and Hearing Nimo; trusting Hearing Nimo's command completely, it immediately crossed its most powerful arms in front of itself, blocking Kricketune's "Fury Cutter" while simultaneously performing "Charge."

The effect of Charge is straightforward: it boosts the power of one's own Electric-type attacks while increasing Special Defense.

Meanwhile, Fury Cutter requires consecutive uses to maximize its power, making Hearing Nimo's judgment absolutely correct.

Sure enough, after Pawmi forcibly endured this Fury Cutter, golden electric currents flashed across its body, indicating that it had completed its Charge.

So, the next move would be—

Hearing Nimo raised her right arm high and declared with high spirits, "Spark!"

Luo Mu was stunned; he had thought Hearing Nimo would have Pawmi use Nuzzle or Thunder Shock.

Had it already learned Spark, a move with greater power and even better synergy with Pawmi?

With a stern gaze, Pawmi shoved both palms fiercely against Kricketune's chest; at the very instant Pawmi made contact with Kricketune's body, a massive amount of electric current erupted from the pads on Pawmi's palms, instantly shocking Kricketune until it was dizzy and disoriented.

Covered in black smoke, Kricketune retreated a few steps, let out a sharp cry, and without hesitation flapped its wings, intending to fly away.

Luo Mu narrowed his eyes and decisively ordered, "Luxray, intercept—"

"No need!"

Hearing Nimo suddenly spoke up, interrupting Luo Mu's action.

Luo Mu asked in confusion, "You've decided not to capture it?"

Hearing Nimo nodded: "Since it flapped its wings to leave without any hesitation, chasing it down would amount to nothing more than forcing a capture."

Hearing Nimo believed that if Kricketune had shown even a hint of hesitation, she would have pestered it relentlessly until she captured it.

Luo Mu nodded helplessly: "Alright then, let's continue searching the surrounding area."

Sigh, it seems this Kricketune was not destined for a life of ease; clearly, if it had been captured, it would have wanted for nothing in food or clothing, and under the training of a genius like Hearing Nimo, its strength might have reached the peak, becoming a true Kricketune hero.

What a pity.

Continuing their exploration of the surroundings, Luo Mu and Hearing Nimo encountered wild Pokémon such as Jumpluff, Pikipek, Azurill, and Rookidee one after another, failing to capture any of them due to various reasons.

The one Luo Mu felt most regretful about was probably Rookidee.

This species of Pokémon eventually evolves into Corviknight, a Steel/Flying type with excellent resistances; moreover, Corviknight can learn many moves, making it a Pokémon capable of both offense and defense.

At that time, Hearing Nimo was within a hair's breadth of capturing the Rookidee; just as she followed Luo Mu's command, holding a Poké Ball and walking over to capture the Rookidee, the fallen Rookidee somehow summoned the strength to suddenly rise and take flight, vanishing into the forest in the blink of an eye.

And since Luo Mu had thought Hearing Nimo had it in the bag, he had relaxed his guard slightly.

It was quite dramatic.

If only Hearing Nimo had thrown the ball a bit more accurately, things wouldn't have developed this way.

However, there was some good news; after searching in vain for that Rookidee, the two finally discovered traces of Combee in the forest.

That Combee was flying deeper into the forest, most likely having collected nectar and now heading toward its nest.

The two exchanged a glance and followed at a distance carefully maintained to avoid being detected by the Combee.

While trailing it, Luo Mu spoke softly: "By the way, your family should have prepared a Pokémon for you, so why do you want to capture one yourself?"

Hearing Nimo nodded gently: "Father prepared two Pokémon Eggs for me, seemingly containing Gible and Goomy, but since the eggs haven't hatched yet, I thought I'd try capturing my second Pokémon personally."

Luo Mu: "."

Damn it, shown up once again by the extravagance of a wealthy family.

Thinking that after ensuring his Pokémon consumed enough energy daily, his life savings barely left him with much, it was quite possible that Hearing Nimo's pocket money exceeded his own right now.

Feeling a twinge of heartache, Luo Mu changed the subject; while keeping his eyes fixed on the Combee, he asked, "Those two classes were taught by Brother Brother Qingmu, weren't they? What did he teach?"

After pondering for a moment, Hearing Nimo replied: "Regarding Brother Brother Qingmu, the substitute teacher, he didn't seem to be in good spirits those two days; both his eyes had dark circles, looking very exhausted, so he only covered some theoretical lessons."

"Brother Brother Qingmu seems extremely proficient in the move 'Facade'; he explained how to utilize Facade while under poison, burn, or paralysis conditions, which benefited me immensely!"

"He also said that Pawmi can learn Facade, so I plan to go to the Mesagoza Gym with Pawmi to study during the spring break trip."

Whenever Hearing Nimo talked about Pokémon-related topics, she was always endless and enthusiastic, yet Luo Mu detected Brother Brother Qingmu's sorrow in her words; he had worked overtime so much he developed dark circles.

Compared to that, he, who stayed up late until he got dark circles, was simply indulging in self-degradation.

Repentance. jpg

"Bzzzt bzzzt~"

After following the flying Combee for another ten-plus minutes, the dense buzzing of wings and the cries of Combee around them grew louder, and the number of Combee visibly increased.

Luo Mu and Hearing Nimo perked up, becoming even more cautious in their movements.

Growlithe, Fidough, and Pawmi made each step with greater care, while Luxray reined in its aura to avoid startling these Combee into scattering like birds and beasts.

Finally, without alerting the Combee, the two caught sight of their nest.

It was a massive beehive; judging by its scale, this Combee colony numbered at least a hundred, with a Vespiquen exuding a noble, superior aura sitting atop the hive, watching the Combee diligently transport nectar.

After staring fixedly for a moment, Luo Mu whispered to Hearing Nimo, who was hiding beside him in the grass: "Come out only when I tell you to."

Hearing Nimo nodded nervously; once provoked, this number of Combee would leave one either dead or severely injured, let alone considering she was just a novice Trainer.

Although she was battle-hungry, she was also clear about the limits of her own strength.

Luo Mu then instructed Growlithe and Fidough: "You two must protect Hearing Nimo together with Pawmi."

As if receiving a sacred mission, Growlithe and Fidough's eyes filled with determination.

After arranging matters for Hearing Nimo and the Pokémon, Luo Mu said, "Let's go, Luxray."

"Meow!"

(End of Chapter)