Chapter 226: Information Brought by Penny

Afternoon.

The power of the Mega Swampert left the farm's Pokémon awestruck, but since they were not the main combatants, it merely meant their sense of security had increased significantly.

On the contrary, the few Pokémon serving as the main force felt unprecedented pressure; relying on Mega Evolution, Swampert had achieved an overtaking move on a curve, directly seizing the seat of the team's ace from Luxray.

Although the main force Pokémon, having reached their current realms, did not show it on the surface, each actually possessed its own pride and naturally refused to fall too far behind.

For a time, this swept up Arcanine and the excited Politoed, along with some farm Pokémon interested in battle, causing a wave of training to engulf the entire farm.

Oranguru, who was tending to the flowers and plants, was invited by Moltres to accompany it in cultivation; speaking of determination to become stronger, Moltres believed it would not lose to any Pokémon, let alone after witnessing the overwhelming strength of Mega Swampert.

While the few main force Pokémon were sparring with each other, other Pokémon simply could not withstand even a slightly serious Flamethrower from it; only the new old butler unexpectedly performed well, able to exchange a few moves with it relying on its remarkable psychic energy.

With every wave of its fan, Oranguru could raise a wave of psychic power, struggling to block Moltres's Flamethrower, which had obviously been restrained somewhat.

Watching this lively scene, Luo Mu, wearing boots and gloves and holding a sickle, sat beside the resting Luxray before heading to the pasture area to harvest grass, asking, "How does it feel to be suddenly surpassed by Swampert?"

Luxray glanced at Luo Mu, the corners of its mouth curving upward: "Meow."

How to put it? At this moment, its feelings included surprise, pride at the Mudkip of the past growing to its current state, and also a somewhat novel sense of unwillingness it had rarely experienced.

In the past, it had always served as the guiding light within the team, bearing all the pressure and fighting for opportunities for its partners to grow; to be suddenly surpassed just because of an item was indeed quite confusing.

However, existence is reasonable; since Swampert can Mega Evolve, it itself can Terastallize, and Mimikyu can use Mimikyu Z, strictly speaking, these items are also part of their strength, and Luxray was not petty enough to feel jealous that Mega Evolution had raised Swampert's ceiling.

The future is full of unknowns, and Luxray believed that as long as it continued to work hard, it might well attain power comparable to Mega Evolution in the future.

"Is that so? That's good then."

Judging by Luxray's demeanor, Luo Mu understood its open-minded attitude; it seemed he himself had been superfluous, worrying that Luxray would lose its mental balance.

Luxray was as reliable as ever.

"Lagi~"

Swampert, which had just run off to replenish its water, came trotting over happily, beckoning Luxray to continue training.

Luxray responded with a cry, rose on all fours, and walked steadily toward Swampert.

It seemed the bond between the two brothers had not been affected in the slightest.

Stretching his back, Luo Mu's lips curved slightly upward; he picked up his sickle and walked toward the pasture area.

Since there was no one needing him, this fake Pokémon psychologist, to provide guidance, he might as well go do farm work.

There was still a large patch of pasture grass waiting for him to cut.

The pasture grass in the grazing area was like chives; cut one crop, and another would grow after some time. Luo Mu bent over and cut all afternoon before filling the several woven baskets he had asked Mudsdale and Deerling to carry.

Midway through, the considerate Ceruledge seemed to have learned from Luxray that he was cutting grass; it halted its cultivation and specially ran over to help, wielding its great swords, with flames restrained, so vigorously that one slash cleared a huge area.

Compared to Luo Mu's speed of bending over and cutting crop by crop, it was faster by who knew how much.

The only issue was that the pasture grass scattered all over the ground was a bit difficult to collect.

Seeing how considerate Ceruledge was, Luo Mu couldn't help but shed tears of old age, silently cursing in his heart the trainer who had abandoned it: "You abandoned such a good Pokémon; are you even human?"

In any case, with the help of Ceruledge and Oranguru, who joined later with its versatile psychic powers, one-third of the pasture grass in the entire grazing area had been harvested, and the view had suddenly become much more open.

At this rate, working for another day tomorrow should be enough to finish harvesting the pasture grass.

After finishing the harvest of the pasture grass, the next problem arose.

This pasture grass was definitely going to be used as food for the Pokémon, but ultimately, what kinds of food could be made from pasture grass?

The pasture grass seeds he had bought were quite good; the grass grown from them was not only tall but also had delicious juice, capable of satisfying hunger and replenishing moisture.

Foods made using pasture grass as an ingredient were limited to those few types; Luo Mu recalled a place called Green Green Grassland, where a village offered various delicacies related to green grass.

Perhaps he could try experimenting in that aspect.

Carrying the last few large baskets of pasture grass toward the warehouse, Luo Mu sat on Mudsdale's back, his gaze falling upon the two Deerling.

The pale red flowers on their antlers were blooming more and more; research indicated that these flowers, which were good for nothing but looks, would compete with the Deerling for nutrients within their bodies, and there were even Deerling whose growth slowed due to this reason.

But now, although the Deerling could not be described as fat and strong, their bodies were at least much sturdier compared to their emaciated appearance when he and Dragonite had rescued them from Lycanroc, and the excess nutrients were even distributed to the flowers, making the blossoms on their antlers more numerous and beautiful than those of ordinary Deerling.

Tomorrow was April; after some time, these flowers would wither and fall, and when June, representing summer, arrived, lush branches and leaves would grow on the Deerling's antlers, leaves that could be made into extremely high-quality black tea, which made Luo Mu look forward to summer's arrival.

Speaking of tea leaves, Luo Mu remembered a type of tea named after a flower crown; the unknown pale red flowers growing on the two Deerling's antlers emitted a fragrant aroma, so perhaps they would unexpectedly be suitable for making flower tea?

The day after tomorrow, when going to Grandma Ju Zi Academy for class, he would go to the library to see if there were any relevant books on tea making.

The two Deerling, huffing and puffing as they carried the pasture grass, were not yet aware that Luo Mu had not only reserved their summer-growing branches and leaves but now did not intend to spare the flowers growing in spring either.

April 1st, afternoon.

Luo Mu swung the sickle for the last time; the tenderest and juiciest tuft of pasture grass was cut by the sharp blade and fell into the woven basket already filled with grass.

Wiping the sweat seeping from his forehead, Luo Mu let out a long sigh, standing with hands on hips for a while, full of a sense of accomplishment.

Now that all the pasture grass had been cut, there was still some time in the afternoon to try developing some foods themed around pasture grass; coincidentally, tomorrow after attending class at Grandma Ju Zi Academy and selecting new pasture members at the Eli Ranch, he could serve them to entertain the newcomers.

Luo Mu secured the woven baskets filled with pasture grass onto Mudsdale's body with cloth strips and patted its body: "I'll trouble you to deliver this last trip."

"Hui hui~"

Mudsdale nodded and moved with steady steps toward the warehouse.

Shortly after Mudsdale left, a figure resembling baked bread came running like a gust of wind; it was Dachsbun.

"Dachsbun?"

Luo Mu was somewhat puzzled; shouldn't Dachsbun be patrolling the farm together with Luxray and Arcanine at this time? Why had it come to find him?

Dachsbun headed straight for Luo Mu, shaking its head to make the paper held in its mouth rustle, attracting Luo Mu's attention.

"Is this paper for me?"

Dachsbun nodded heavily.

Taking the paper, Luo Mu's gaze fell upon the beautiful handwriting on it; just by the script, he knew this was written by Oranguru.

【Guests visiting, currently hosting at home, return quickly】

Guests?

Luo Mu raised an eyebrow; no one should be visiting the farm today. Even Nimohe Sect and Penny, who used to come uninvited, now knew to call before arriving, and he hadn't received any calls.

Or could it be that the visitor was drawn here by the Dragonite, just like Brother Lei Si?

Never mind, no need to overthink it; I'll know who it is as soon as I go back and take a look.

Shaking his head to dispel stray thoughts, Luo Mu patted the Dachsbun's head to acknowledge its hard work, and after watching the dog run off on patrol again, its tail spinning like a propeller, Luo Mu quickened his pace toward the small Western-style house.

Along the way, while passing Thunder Lake, he had the Poliwags use Bubble Beam to give him a bath; in the anime, Dawn's bed-head could be made smooth and shiny by Piplup's Bubble Beam, so cleaning the dust off Luo Mu was child's play.

By the time Luo Mu jogged all the way home, what he saw was Miss Miss Junsha sitting restlessly in a chair, her gaze constantly drifting toward the Oranguru, while the Oranguru refilled her steaming hot black tea and served exquisite sweet cakes.

The first question that floated into Luo Mu's mind wasn't why Miss Miss Junsha had come, but rather that there shouldn't be any leftover cake in the kitchen, so where had the Oranguru conjured this cake from?

Luo Mu glanced toward the kitchen where Shuang Nai Xian's figure was faintly visible, then recalled the cooking skill that stood out prominently among the long list of moves in the Oranguru's data.

Case closed; the cake was made by the Oranguru to treat the guest.

Miss Miss Junsha's gaze fell upon the Oranguru, her beautiful eyebrows still holding a trace of undispelled surprise; she recognized this species of Pokémon and knew they were famous for their intelligence.

But wasn't this particular Oranguru a bit too outrageous?

Not only had it entertained her with perfect etiquette, but it had also personally brewed richly aromatic black tea and crafted exquisite cakes that rivaled those from any confectionery shop.

Before entering the house, she had even seen the Oranguru outside hanging up freshly washed clothes, communicating with her throughout the entire process via telepathy, a move said to be learnable by very few Pokémon.

Was it some kind of all-purpose butler Pokémon?

Miss Miss Junsha screamed internally, thinking of her own small home, which was in chaos due to her busy career, where piles of trash made walking difficult and her carefully chosen small sofa was covered with clothes, stockings, and packed fast-food boxes she had casually tossed aside.

Usually, she didn't even dare to invite friends over for meals at her place; if she had such an all-purpose butler, she guaranteed her happiness index would skyrocket!

Seeing Luo Mu rush back, and looking at the exquisite cake before her, Miss Miss Junsha couldn't help but let tears of envy flow from the corners of her mouth.

"Yare yuta~"

After leaving another serving of identical black tea and cake before Luo Mu, the Oranguru took a few steps back, picked up a broom placed nearby, and ran upstairs to clean.

"Miss Miss Junsha?"

Noticing that Miss Miss Junsha, who had just been tasting the cake with a look of bliss, was now staring fixedly at the Oranguru's retreating figure, Luo Mu waved his hand in front of her, somewhat puzzled.

What exactly had she come here to do?

"Ah-o!"

Miss Miss Junsha's attention quickly snapped back; with a slightly embarrassed expression, she pulled a drawing filled with colorful patterns from the briefcase on her thighs and held it out before Luo Mu.

"Mr. Luo Mu, can you recognize these buildings?"

Temporarily casting aside her stray thoughts, Miss Miss Junsha quickly shifted into work mode.

Luo Mu picked up the drawing and examined it carefully, raised an eyebrow, handed it back to Miss Miss Junsha, took a sip of black tea from his cup, and stated without hesitation: "What's drawn here are buildings from Mesagoza and the Naranja Academy; I work over there, so I wouldn't mistake them."

"You are correct."

Miss Miss Junsha nodded slightly, subtly sizing up Luo Mu.

If she hadn't temporarily accessed part of Luo Mu's file earlier for the case, she wouldn't have known that besides his identity as a farm owner, he was actually a Battle Studies teacher at the Naranja Academy.

But thinking about the group of ridiculously powerful Pokémon on his farm, it seemed quite reasonable.

It was just that some records even her clearance level couldn't access made Miss Miss Junsha somewhat concerned, but now was clearly not the time to dwell on that.

Organizing her words, Miss Miss Junsha stated methodically: "Regarding the intelligence you mentioned earlier about the abandoned Smoliv, actually, a few days after the Smoliv was escorted to the Pokémon Management Center, it drew a picture like this, depicting buildings in Mesagoza and the Naranja Academy."

"Just like Smeargle, Smoliv possesses an exquisite talent for painting, but that doesn't mean they can create scenes out of thin air that they have never seen before, let alone that this picture was drawn by the Smoliv at the Management Center's request with the theme 'the place that impressed you the most'."

Luo Mu pondered for a moment and asked: "Does Miss Miss Junsha mean that the trainer who abandoned the Smoliv is likely someone from within Mesagoza City, or a student or teacher at the Naranja Academy?"

"It's not 'likely'; the abandoner is precisely a certain student from within the Naranja Academy."

Miss Miss Junsha took out a stack of documents from her briefcase again and displayed the highlighted data points to Luo Mu.

"The only commonality among all the victims poisoned by your Smoliv is that they either have a student currently attending the Naranja Academy at home, or they have previously hosted a student wearing the Naranja Academy uniform."

"Mr. Luo Mu, as a teacher, you must have previously hosted students who came to your home, correct?"

"I have."

Luo Mu's expression became somewhat complex; both Arven and Hearing Hearing Nimo had previously visited the farm as guests while wearing their Naranja Academy uniforms—could it be that since then, the Smoliv, having noticed this, had marked him as one of its targets?

"The Smoliv's criminal motive boils down to these two points: first, anger toward the one who abandoned it; second, unable to retaliate against the abandoner, it simply seeks revenge against groups similar to the abandoner. Looking at it this way, the probability that the one who abandoned it is a student within the Naranja Academy is very high."

Miss Miss Junsha calmly stated the intelligence and conclusions she and her colleagues had investigated over this period.

Luo Mu rested his chin on his hand, looking thoughtful: "I understand; Miss Miss Junsha, your meaning is that you want to use my identity as a Naranja Academy teacher to find the abandoner?"

"Wouldn't it be faster for you to contact the police in Mesagoza City to handle this matter?"

Miss Miss Junsha shook her head: "That won't work; the Naranja Academy is an institution with a long history in the Paldea region, and we cannot enter to arrest anyone without possessing decisive evidence; this is probably one of the reasons why that abandoner is so brazen."

Luo Mu didn't express a stance, merely asking: "Then what do you want me to do? You can't expect me to search aimlessly through the students of the Naranja Academy as if fishing for a needle in the ocean, can you?"

"Heh heh, please do not underestimate our police intelligence network."

The corner of Miss Miss Junsha's mouth lifted; naturally, she had made full preparations and was fully confident before coming to find Luo Mu.

Another stack of photos and documents was pulled out by her and placed on the table.

"These are the records and photos of current students who have captured both Fidough and Smoliv."

The Naranja Academy still has those few familiar characters, which is satisfying; need to speed things up—

It's just that Team Star will be completely butterfly-effect-ed out of existence.

(End of Chapter)