Chapter 230: Deterrence

Beep!

After Luo Mu successfully swiped his card, Eric Mo Si directly handed five miniaturized red-and-white Poké Balls to Luo Mu.

"Here, these are the Poké Balls for two riding Wattrel and three Nacli."

"I will treat them well." Luo Mu solemnly accepted the Poké Balls and exchanged a smile with Eric Mo Si.

Eric Mo Si clapped his hands together as if suddenly remembering something, then looked at Luo Mu and said tactfully, "By the way, regarding the Miltank, I probably won't have time to go to the Johto region to select one recently; do you want to go yourself?"

"Ah, I understand, you're asking me to go select one at another ranch, right?" Luo Mu quickly grasped the implication behind Eric Mo Si's words.

Eric Mo Si nodded, and just as he was about to say more, Hearing Nimo, who had regained her energy, rushed into the main hall like a gust of wind; holding up her phone, she said excitedly, "Teacher Luo Mu, look at this! I found a place that can provide a Miltank!"

Hearing Nimo enlarged the photo sent by the butler on her phone screen and held it out in front of Luo Mu.

Luo Mu focused his gaze and saw that the photo depicted an amiable young man wearing a straw hat, appearing to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old and smiling kindly, standing alongside a herd of Miltank.

Eric Mo Si also leaned in, and upon seeing the photo, he exclaimed in admiration, "One can tell these Miltank have been raised quite well; they are in no way inferior to those I've seen at ranches in the Johto region that have been breeding Miltank for decades."

"But they actually moved here from the Johto region," Hearing Nimo suddenly interjected to explain, pointing at the young man in the photo as she continued, "Sebas told me this; this person is named Hanazawa, he is from Goldenrod City in the Johto region, and recently moved these Miltank to Cortondo."

"Sebas said that while representing the company to conduct business in Cortondo, he happened to help Hanazawa out; he just asked the other party, and Hanazawa said he could gift you a Miltank, but Teacher, you would have to go to Cortondo in person."

Luo Mu was very surprised; he had originally planned to travel to the Johto region if no nearby ranches were selling Miltank, but Hearing Nimo's sudden move had saved him a great deal of trouble.

With his Dragonite, he could travel to any town in Paldea and return within the same day, as unrestricted as going out for a stroll.

Yet Luo Mu still had a point of concern: didn't this count as accepting a gift from Hearing Nimo's family?

Hearing Nimo's very next sentence completely dispelled Luo Mu's worries; shaking Luo Mu's arm, she said, "After all, Teacher, you helped me select the best Tauros, so consider the Miltank matter my return gift; let's call it even!"

Luo Mu nodded, accepting Hearing Nimo's kindness: "In that case, alright."

Yay!

The little figure in Hearing Nimo's mind immediately jumped up cheering and leaping with joy; she had always been thinking if there was anything she could do to help Luo Mu, and today that wish had finally been fulfilled.

Originally, she was somewhat afraid Luo Mu wouldn't accept, but fortunately, what Sebas taught her was very useful; reciting it once led to success!

Carrying the new Poké Balls, Luo Mu and Hearing Nimo left Eric's Ranch together, strolling through the streets of Mesagoza, the largest city in Paldea.

Here, buildings stood in great numbers, and numerous shops were established within this bustling city; occasionally, passing a fork in the road revealed neatly arranged small stalls, filled with the breath of daily life.

Passing by a Pokémon Center, Luo Mu seemed to remember something and smiled as he reminded, "Hearing Nimo, wouldn't it be better for you to go restore Pawmi and Tauros's stamina?"

Hearing Nimo first froze, then suddenly realized, "Is it because of your class this afternoon, Teacher?"

"Correct, but you only got half the answer." Luo Mu extended his right hand and snapped his fingers, smiling kindly, "Just a friendly reminder, this afternoon's lesson will be slightly strenuous, so try to restore your Pokémon to their optimal condition."

Hearing Nimo immediately became interested, full of energy as she exclaimed, "Are we going to have a Pokémon Battle directly!?"

"I will also send this message to the other students in a group chat later."

"Yay!"

Hearing Nimo was so excited that her walking posture became lively and leaping; merely hearing that she could battle Pokémon again in the afternoon made her incredibly happy.

Since becoming a Trainer, she had increasingly experienced the joy of battle; every day her mind was filled with nothing but battling, and whenever she found an opportunity, she would go into the wild to fight wild Pokémon or challenge wild Trainers.

Seeing Hearing Nimo's bouncy, skipping gait, Luo Mu smiled helplessly; her passion for Pokémon Battles had become so intense that even he felt ashamed by comparison.

Perhaps it was precisely because Hearing Nimo was driven by this passion that she was able to pass the Champion Assessment with the momentum of a meteor, with enough force to knock even a flying Kilowattrel out of the sky.

The two stopped walking and headed toward the red-roofed building standing beside the street.

Although in the game Pokémon Centers were established outside cities, serving as teleportation points, in reality, Pokémon Centers were clearly set up within cities to provide services to Trainers.

After walking through the automatic doors, the entire lobby of the Pokémon Center came into view; in the spacious hall, Trainers gathered everywhere to communicate with one another, and some who took a fancy to each other would arrange to go to the battle grounds behind the Pokémon Center to immediately commence a tense and exciting Pokémon Battle.

Actually, Luo Mu did not visit Pokémon Centers often; he was accustomed to buying potions to heal his Pokémon himself, allowing him to stay in the wild for longer periods to improve his strength with greater speed and efficiency.

In contrast, Hearing Nimo's actions upon entering the Pokémon Center were extremely skilled, showing that she frequently visited Pokémon Centers to restore her Pokémon's condition.

The two Nurse Joy ladies and the two Chansey serving as nurses were likely the busiest entities here; Mesagoza was the largest city in the Paldea region with a huge population, and many Trainers gathered here, so one Nurse Joy simply could not keep up with the demand.

Even with the addition of another Nurse Joy and a nurse Chansey pair, they still seemed somewhat inadequate facing such a hall full of Trainers, not to mention that above the central plaza of Mesagoza stood Naranja Academy.

There were also quite a few students wearing Naranja Academy uniforms here.

"So terrifying..."

Luo Mu noticed the dark circles under the eyes of the Nurse Joy ladies constantly rushing about in the lobby, sending a chill down his spine.

Pokémon Centers were basically open twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year; the Nurse Joy ladies were truly great...

"Then I'll go queue up first; Teacher Luo Mu, you head to the Academy first~"

Waving to Luo Mu, Hearing Nimo ran to the end of the queue with a look of anticipation.

If only today's lesson could be a Pokémon gauntlet battle lasting from afternoon until school dismissal!

"Ah, okay." Coming back to his senses, Luo Mu also waved, then turned around intending to walk toward the Pokémon Center exit.

Suddenly, he saw a group of students wearing Naranja Academy uniforms crowded together, heading out the door.

This should have been an utterly ordinary scene, yet Luo Mu suddenly felt a sense of dissonance; even if young boys liked to horseplay, they were standing too close, nearly crushing each other.

Moreover, the back of the boy in the center felt extremely familiar to Luo Mu.

Glancing back at Hearing Nimo, who had already entered the queue, Luo Mu pondered for a moment before deciding to follow their steps and leave the Pokémon Center.

Regardless, he would go take a look first.

In a street corner rarely traversed by people, several teenagers wearing Naranja Academy uniforms looked mockingly at the classmate they had surrounded in the middle.

The leader, a sturdy boy named Kenichi, teased, "Hey, idiot Hiroto, I heard your Kilowattrel is still receiving treatment at the Pokémon Center?"

"Even a weakling like you has recovered; just how useless must that Kilowattrel be to be lying in the Pokémon Center for two months?"

"Hahahaha."

Kenichi's words seemed to hit the funny bone of the others, and laughter immediately filled the alleyway.

At this moment, besides shame and anger, Hiroto felt mostly confusion; he did not understand why these people were mocking his Pokémon as if watching a spectacle.

Clenching his fists, Hiroto took several deep breaths, his burning gaze fixed directly on Kenichi, the leader of the small group, his lips moving as he spoke: "I'll ask one more time, why... why did you deceive me, telling me that the waving gesture of a Bewear indicated friendliness, and specifically told me where Bewear appeared, causing my Kilowattrel to suffer such severe injuries saving me?"

By the end, Hiroto was choking with sobs, unable to speak clearly.

For all this time, he had not spent a single moment without regretting why he had been so naive as to believe Xiao Jian Yi and the others' claims and instigations, truly running to the vicinity of Pickle Town to search for a Bewear, ultimately causing his Heliolisk to still be receiving treatment in the intensive care unit of Grandma Ju Zi's Pokémon Center.

"I thought you were going to ask something else; didn't we say many times before that we were just teasing you? Who knew you'd be so stupid as to actually go find a Bewear? It's quite funny, hahaha, perhaps you have the potential to be a comedian?"

Xiao Jian Yi looked completely indifferent, eventually bursting into hearty laughter, while the others joined in mocking Qiren.

In their view, this deception was merely a prank on Qiren; why was he reacting so strongly? It wasn't as if they were the ones who got that Heliolisk into the Pokémon Center.

"You... you!!"

At this moment, Qiren saw through the true faces of these people completely; the fury in his heart burned utterly, and his right hand trembled as he reached into his pocket.

Then, a pair of large hands suddenly shot out and grabbed his arm; Qiren looked up behind him in disbelief, while the laughter from the alleyway corner gradually ceased.

Luo Mu, who had suddenly appeared behind Qiren, said softly, "Qiren, do not let anger blind your eyes; there are certain bottom lines that cannot be crossed."

"Teacher? But..."

Qiren's expression was filled with struggle, but under Luo Mu's serious gaze, Qiren's body shuddered, reason returned, and he slumped, ceasing his movement.

Xiao Jian Yi and the others watched the interaction between Luo Mu and Qiren with some confusion, especially regarding this person who had suddenly appeared; they seemed somewhat familiar with him.

Finally, one person with a better memory recalled who Luo Mu was and whispered in a lowered voice, "I-Isn't that the fake Battle Class teacher who made outrageous claims at last semester's opening ceremony and is rumored to have entered the academy through backdoor connections!?"

The few of them froze; he was actually a teacher?

A somewhat unlucky expression appeared on Xiao Jian Yi's face; originally, he had planned to mock Qiren a bit longer, but with a teacher present, they wouldn't be brazen enough to cause trouble in front of an adult, let alone an academy teacher.

"Tsk, let's go."

Making a 'tsk' sound, Xiao Jian Yi lost interest and intended to turn and leave immediately.

"Who allowed you to leave?"

Luo Mu's calm voice rang out in the alleyway corner; hidden in Luo Mu's shadow, Mimikyu carefully curled its body into a ball, daring not to watch any further.

Mimikyu knew best that whenever Luo Mu was truly angry, he always wore a perfectly calm expression; that scene was too terrifying for a Pokémon, and it dared not look.

Xiao Jian Yi and the others paused in their steps, pretending not to hear as they continued forward, but then a sound of tearing through the air descended from above.

Boom!!!

A huge rock with a diameter of about two meters fell from the sky, smashing directly onto the inevitable path of their departure and blocking their way; the tremendous sound that shook their eardrums caused Xiao Jian Yi and the others to shudder, turning their heads to look at Luo Mu in disbelief.

"W-What do you want to do?"

The voices of the few of them were all trembling; wasn't Luo Mu a teacher? What was he doing now?

Luo Mu first waved to the Dragonite that had dropped the rock from the sky, signaling it to land behind him, then took out a Poké Ball and released his Swampert.

As soon as Swampert left the Poké Ball, it headed purposefully toward the rock; at this moment, Luo Mu, who was still holding Qiren's hand, spoke in a faint voice: "In the Alola region, Bewear is classified as one of the most dangerous wild Pokémon; whether children or the elderly in Alola know to stay away from forests where Bewear appear."

"Their preferred method of attack is the bear hug; because their limbs are thick and powerful, and the muscular strength of their backs is extremely strong, they can crush whatever they hug—be it trees, rocks, iron blocks, or bones—purely through brute force."

With Luo Mu's sudden lecture serving as background noise, Swampert arrived before Xiao Jian Yi and the others; releasing a bit of its aura, they scattered to both sides like frightened fawns.

"Coincidentally, my Swampert also possesses quite a bit of strength; simulating a Bewear's bear hug is no problem at all."

As if to increase the credibility of Luo Mu's words, Swampert opened its arms and hugged the rock; before the shocked eyes of the few onlookers, it crushed the rock into pieces using only its strength.

After accomplishing all this, Swampert stood like an obstacle blocking the exit.

Xiao Jian Yi and the others shuddered; as if realizing something, they looked at Luo Mu in astonishment, fear invading their bodies.

The next instant, their speculation came true; Luo Mu's calm yet fear-inducing voice rang out: "Don't you like playing jokes? Then I will play a joke now; anyone who wants to leave must share a hug with Swampert, otherwise we will just waste time here today."

"You can gamble on whether or not I am joking."

Xiao Jian Yi's voice trembled uncontrollably: "You are a teacher; how can you treat academy students like this?"

Luo Mu glanced at him and smiled lightly: "Didn't you all say it yourselves? That's right, I am indeed a fake teacher who entered Orange Academy through backdoor connections and hasn't even taken the teacher qualification exam; these are all facts."

"Any other questions?"

(End of Chapter)