Chapter 231: The First Lesson of Hell's Opening Term (Bonus 2-in-1)

"Isn't Teacher Luo Mu going a bit too far with this?"

Qiren's expression was somewhat strange; just moments ago, Jianyi and the others, who had been strutting arrogantly, were now sobbing uncontrollably after being gently hugged by the Swampert, running outward while crying, perfectly illustrating what it meant to flee in tears.

There was even one person who accidentally stepped on rock fragments crushed by the Swampert's hug, fell down, was helped up by the Swampert, and then ran off crying again, which was slightly comical.

"Too far? I merely scared them; they were malicious enough to make you seek out a Bewear to die, so shouldn't they be scared a little?"

The corner of Luo Mu's mouth twitched; he really could not stand their actions, and besides, he was not exactly a proper teacher anyway.

He was not afraid of Jianyi and the others reporting him; if the matter escalated, it would be equally disadvantageous for Jianyi and their group, as their act of inducing Qiren to find a Bewear would be exposed, and any adult with even a little knowledge could see their behavior already qualified as bullying.

Even if Jianyi and the others were willing to self-destruct just to drag Luo Mu down, Luo Mu felt that even if the matter reached Geeta, given Geeta's attitude of craving talent, the more probable outcome was not his own dismissal, but rather Naranja Academy thoroughly launching a cleanup campaign regarding bullying.

"As for you, Qiren... your mouth has been curving upward since just now; aren't you quite happy?" Luo Mu looked at the uncontrollable smile on Qiren's face, his tone full of teasing.

"Is that so... hahaha." Qiren finally let go completely, laughing as if venting the emotions accumulated over this period, laughing until he choked on his own saliva and began coughing.

After venting his emotions, Qiren remembered how Luo Mu had previously made the Swampert stop Jianyi before he ran away, only letting the sobbing Jianyi leave after he sent out his Wiglett, and couldn't help but ask confusedly, "Teacher Luo Mu, why did you stop Jianyi just now?"

Luo Mu did not answer, instead bending down to pull a ballpoint pen from Qiren's pocket, inhaling sharply before heavily tapping his head with it.

Seeing Qiren clutch his head and cry out in pain, Luo Mu considered this a lesson enough and said indifferently, "This is not something you should know; I am confiscating this item. Stop thinking about all sorts of messy things all day, study obediently, and Wattrel will get better too."

Ignoring Qiren's wailing pleas from behind about having cultural classes in the afternoon, Luo Mu skillfully spun the ballpoint pen with his fingers as he walked toward Naranja Academy, feeling as if he had become several years younger and returned to his elementary school days.

Along the way, occasional teachers and students who recognized him greeted him, and after Luo Mu responded kindly, he arrived at the playground of Naranja Academy.

Seeing that nearly half the students were missing, and recalling how Jianyi and the others had just acted so blatantly, Luo Mu raised an eyebrow, perceiving something.

His gaze fell upon the students, who had all undergone slight changes after the spring break; Luo Mu, without changing expression, called roll one by one, silently pondering in his heart which students had not come to class.

"Penny."

"Present!"

After calling out the last name, Luo Mu closed his eyes to think for a moment; Penny and Ortega, those two future Team Star members, were still here.

But Penny, the student council president who always wanted to do everything perfectly, was absent; connecting this with Penny's listless appearance mentioned by Penny earlier, what he was currently undergoing seemed obvious.

Although his mind was filled with myriad thoughts, Luo Mu still spoke to the dozen or so students below without changing his expression: "Today is the first lesson of the new term; I assume everyone received my mass message not long ago, instructing you to keep your Pokémon in optimal condition."

"I won't waste words; the content of today's first lesson is very simple, just treat it like an opening test for your cultural classes."

"Each of you choose one of the Pokémon I release next and battle them; losing is fine." Luo Mu shook his large backpack filled with Potions, then released a Comfey, "I guarantee your Pokémon will be jumping around energetically again within a minute; with this as your confidence, show me your growth during the spring break."

"Of course, for those who have made basically no progress compared to before the spring break, I have also prepared a special reward; you can look forward to what it is."

Luo Mu spoke threatening words with a kind face; within the student group, Ortega's body trembled, and knowing Luo Mu's demonic nature, he panicked completely at this moment.

He had spent the entire spring break vacationing in tourist cities of other leagues, immersing himself in the gentle embrace of Lumiose City's sea and the swimsuits of big sisters, let alone training Pokémon; his Maschiff was still at the combat power it had just upon evolving.

I'm done for, I'm done for, I'm done for!

His bank card is going to be frozen again!

For a moment, fear invaded Ortega's entire body.

On the other side, Penny looked speechlessly at the two female comrades beside him who were fired up; Penny's eyes sparkled, muttering that she must find a Pokémon with excellent strength and fighting skills to battle, while Hearing Hearing Nimo's face was flushed, her mind entirely filled with the thought that she could fight to her heart's content today.

Penny: "..."

Two battle maniacs; today was another day of speechlessness.

However, Penny felt a bit secretly delighted; fortunately, he had gone to find Luo Mu yesterday to get advance notice and trained specially all night, so he probably wouldn't fail this time.

Under the gaze of all the students, Luo Mu pulled out a pile of Poké Balls from his backpack, and then, the figures of over a dozen Pokémon appeared before them.

Feng Su Gou, Rear Heavy, Politoed, Comfey, two Meng Ya Lu, three Bai Bai Pengpeng, three Wen Xiang Jun, and two Dragonair.

Today, Luo Mu had brought nearly half of the farm's Pokémon.

He stepped aside, smiling fully and speaking kindly: "Feel free to choose your opponents."

Ai Li Qi Si, as if discovering a blind spot, suddenly raised his hand and asked, "Teacher Luo Mu, isn't senior Comfey a Pokémon specializing in healing? Can such a fragile creature also engage in battle?"

Luo Mu did not respond directly: "You can have Ti Lei Miao battle Comfey for a round to try; it can serve as a reference for everyone."

Hearing Luo Mu's slightly inciting words, Ai Li Qi Si hesitated before nodding; he and Ti Lei Miao had specifically gone to Blueberry Academy during this holiday to train with his older brother, so he shouldn't be unable to defeat even Comfey, right?

Thinking thus, Ai Li Qi Si came to a small battle arena partitioned by Luo Mu and released Ti Lei Miao under everyone's attention.

Comfey also floated over with a harmless, innocent expression.

Hearing Hearing Nimo puckered her lips, feeling itchy all over, and complained dissatisfiedly, "Darn it, Ai Li Qi Si stole the march; I clearly also wanted to battle senior Comfey!"

Penny soothingly patted Hearing Hearing Nimo's head and said gently, "There are other Pokémon to choose from; for example, those Wen Xiang Jun are quite good—I can see the muscles hidden beneath their skin. Hehe, let me and my Mankey take on two of them together; let's launch a double battle."

In the first half, Penny was still soothing Hearing Hearing Nimo, but now suspicious tears flowed from the corner of her mouth, and she was already impatiently wanting to wrestle with the Wen Xiang Jun.

Hearing Hearing Nimo was obviously a kindred spirit like Penny; her gaze circled over Feng Su Gou, Politoed, Rear Heavy, and the Dragonair, pondering the feasibility of such an efficient plan as commanding four Pokémon to challenge them together.

Penny: "..."

My silence is deafening.

On the other side, Ai Li Qi Si and his partner Ti Lei Miao had officially begun their battle with Comfey, except that it ended a tiny bit too quickly.

Ai Li Qi Si had originally intended for Ti Lei Miao to hold back a little, so as not to beat senior Comfey to the point where it couldn't heal.

But the moment Comfey's body erupted with dazzling light, Ai Li Qi Si's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly ordered Ti Lei Miao to change its move from Leafage to Seed Bomb, the most powerful and most proficient move they had mastered.

But this was utterly futile.

The next instant, a brilliant ray of light surged out like an arrow; the overflowing Fairy energy within the Dazzling Gleam immediately engulfed Ti Lei Miao's body, and under this terrifying strike, Ti Lei Miao directly lost the ability to battle.

"..."

A deathly silence fell, and many students who already lacked confidence began sweating profusely.

Could they really leave this class alive?

As the sky was gradually dyed by twilight, the proud sun bringing light gradually receded, presenting a miraculous sight on the playground of Naranja Academy.

Over a dozen students lay on the ground regardless of posture as if they had exhausted all their strength, and their usually energetic Pokémon partners also slumped nearby, panting heavily.

Luo Mu had already ended the class and left over ten minutes ago, yet they still had no intention of getting up; instead, they stared blankly at the sky, unknown what they were thinking.

At this moment, Ai Li Qi Si was the first to speak; his voice was very low, like a murmur to himself: "I suddenly feel as though I have thoroughly mastered all the gains from this entire spring break; what about you, Ti Lei Miao, didn't you also learn a new move?"

"Meow—"

Ti Lei Miao similarly stared blankly at the sky; amidst more than ten consecutive battles, it had learned Energy Ball from Floragato, a move it had never managed to master during spring break at Blueberry Academy.

Hearing Ai Li Qi Si's muttering, Grandma Ju Zi also exclaimed with a sigh-filled expression, "I'm not far from evolving alongside my Mankey!"

Hearing Hearing Nimo's face was filled with unsatisfied longing, craving more: "If only the course were a bit longer—I'm completely unsatisfied! Whether it's Feng Su Gou, Mudsdale, Politoed, or Dragonair, they're all so strong!"

The other students seemed infected by their emotions, each voicing their impressions of the day.

Pippa lay on the ground, gritting his teeth, looking as if he wanted to cry but had no tears: "Isn't Bai Bai Pengpeng just too disgusting as a Pokémon!?"

That triple threat of Spore, Cotton Guard, and Poison Powder had nearly made his own Ao Ao Jiaofu and Greavard vomit from disgust; last night's special training had been utterly useless.

Beside Pippa, Gao Ang curled up with a look of deep regret, muttering to himself, "My bank card has been frozen again."

His two henchmen exchanged glances, forcing down their exhaustion to save face: "It's fine, Boss. We can share half our steamed buns and milk with you."

Behind a tree trunk not far away, Pi Na, looking rather unkempt and exhausted, hid while staring blankly at them; beneath his eyes lay a hint of envy and longing, but mostly an exhaustion that refused to fade.

A girl with red-and-blue hair, wearing round-rimmed glasses and carrying an Eevee backpack, paused alone on the playground; watching those lying on the ground to rest without caring about outsiders' gazes, she lowered her head in silence for a moment, then turned away expressionlessly and left by another route.

Meanwhile, in the office of the Orange Academy Chairman, Luo Mu, Principal Mu Fei, and Geeta, who rarely visited this place, gathered together.

"I don't stay here often, so there aren't many types of tea; will black tea do?"

Geeta poured hot tea brewed by her secretary for the two, her face full of smiles.

Principal Mu Fei chuckled, "Chairman, please don't worry about it."

Luo Mu demonstrated his indifference through action—lifting the teacup, disregarding the scalding heat, and gulping it all down in one go.

Geeta asked curiously, "What's wrong, are you very thirsty?"

Luo Mu refilled his own cup without waiting for an invitation, nodded, and said, "I nearly talked my throat hoarse; it was the first class today, after all. I was feeling quite enthusiastic, so I gave guidance to every student."

"You've worked hard."

Geeta and Principal Mu Fei exchanged glances; recalling the students on the playground who had been drilled until they had no strength left, the corners of their mouths twitched.

Luo Mu took the opportunity to gulp down another cup of tea; there was still much to discuss later, and once he returned, he must definitely drink some Combee honey water to soothe his throat.

Geeta interlaced her fingers, directed her gaze at Luo Mu, and spoke in a calm voice, "Regarding the matter for which you specifically asked Ai Li Qi Si and me to gather, could you elaborate?"

Feeling his throat much more comfortable, Luo Mu nodded slightly; his heavy voice rose in an orderly manner as he revealed the intelligence and news he had recently gathered, slipping in a little personal agenda with purposeful intent.

"Abandoned Pokémon bullying."

Geeta pressed her forehead completely against her palm, her facial expression obscured by her long hair, impossible to discern.

Principal Mu Fei widened his eyes, still finding it somewhat hard to believe, yet everything Luo Mu said was backed by actual basis, even evidence.

Moreover, as a Champion-level trainer, Luo Mu had no need to tell such lies.

The moment he thought that such a major incident had occurred during his tenure managing the academy, beads of sweat seeped from Principal Mu Fei's forehead, and his back was drenched in cold sweat.

At the same time, within his heart lay a trace of anger that he concealed very well.

Through Luo Mu's account, Principal Mu Fei suddenly recalled that two months ago, Young Master Gao Ang had gone through an unusual period; back then, he had merely assumed the young master was downcast simply because Luo Mu had stopped his bank card, but now, thinking carefully...

Geeta took a deep breath, lifted her head, and met Principal Mu Fei's gaze with eyes as sharp as a falcon's; at this moment, she revealed for the first time the presence and dominance of the Paldea region's highest authority and strongest trainer.

"Mu Fei, starting tomorrow—no, starting right now—conduct a thorough investigation into all bullying incidents and Pokémon abandonment cases within the academy."

"Whether it involves techniques, intelligence, or necessary force, all personnel will be provided by the Paldea League Headquarters; it must also be investigated whether any faculty or staff participated in or covered up these acts, and corresponding punishments must be issued."

"Within half a month, ensure that all filth within Orange Academy disappears completely; this place should be sacred and pure, an academy where students pursue their own interests, grow, and enrich themselves."

"Any scoundrel who dares to attach themselves to the academy and suck its blood, I will absolutely not forgive."

Principal Mu Fei felt his heart pounding loudly; he understood two things.

First, Chairman Geeta was thoroughly enraged; although she usually did not come to the academy, she would handle any matter concerning the academy once informed.

One could see how highly Chairman Geeta valued Orange Academy.

Second, starting now, Orange Academy was about to undergo a change of heavens; a purge and reckoning were about to begin.

The extra chapters have been repaid!

Also, I chose a rather clever method of handling this, so from now on I can happily depict a bright and clear Orange Academy and its familiar characters!

(End of Chapter)