Chapter 235: Peony

Since April 2nd, students and teachers within Navel Academy discovered that the atmosphere inside the academy had changed.

Not only were personnel dressed in Paldea League agent uniforms frequently entering and exiting the Navel Academy campus, but Geeta, who rarely ever showed her face at Navel Academy, was now staying on campus all day long, only hurrying away when the night grew deep.

In some classes, students or teachers would occasionally be called out for interviews, only to never show their faces again; after a period of time, the Academy Committee would announce the bizarre occurrence of their expulsion or resignation.

For a time, every student and teacher at Navel Academy who did not know the truth felt endangered.

Paper can never wrap up fire; news will inevitably leak one day, especially since Geeta had no intention whatsoever of keeping anything confidential.

What she wanted was to expose all darkness to the sunlight, then excise it with the force of thunder.

Even if Navel Academy suffered damage to its reputation because of this matter, to avoid the hidden trouble left behind from erupting at an unforeseen moment in the future, temporary growing pains were unavoidable.

April 5th, Friday.

Navel Academy, Class 1-D classroom, seat by the window.

A girl with red-and-blue dual-colored hair hugged a cute Eevee backpack; her eyes, hidden behind round-framed glasses, blinked not once as she watched those girls—who represented bad memories for her—being called away, and seeing the obvious panic and self-doubt on their faces, Peony's mood became somewhat complex.

On one hand, Peony felt a sense of relief that those who had openly and secretly ostracized her, even subjecting her to "pranks" multiple times, were being taken away.

On the other hand, Peony felt slightly lost; after those people were taken away, the matter of her being bullied by them would surely be exposed, and then the news would reach her father and older sister far away in the Crown Tundra—no, the first to know should be her uncle.

As the Chairman of the Galar Region League, if her uncle heard that she had been treated so badly in the Paldea Region, it might even cause other problems at that time.

Although she had encountered some unpleasant things, Peony felt that life at Navel Academy suited her well; here she could freely pursue her hobbies, and the beautiful natural environment allowed her to play with Eevee and the others.

If possible, Peony did not want things to turn out that way.

However, in Peony's view, Navel Academy's current actions showed not the slightest intention of concealment; while other students might still be confused and unaware of what was happening, she understood it all too clearly.

Through intelligence gathered by hacking into the Paldea League's system, Peony discovered that the Paldea League was currently launching an operation named "Operation Rat Extermination."

The content of the operation, summarized in one short sentence, was to eliminate all factors affecting the pure academic atmosphere of Navel Academy.

Judging by the current situation, the scale of the operation had completely exceeded Peony's expectations; although the plan stated that the initiator was Chairman Geeta, Peony had actually discovered the figure of another person in the appendix.

Luo Mu.

He was a Battle Class teacher who joined during the opening ceremony three months ago, when Grape Academy conventionally changed its name to Navel Academy after the winter break; it looked like a very ordinary teacher appointment.

After digging deeper, however, Peony saw a file within the Paldea League's system.

It was data recording how Luo Mu had challenged gyms with overwhelming force, faced the Elite Four in the Paldea League, and finally defeated the Top Champion Geeta; precisely because of this, his Trainer Rank in the League system was certified as Champion-level Trainer.

In fact, when Peony first saw this file, she admitted she was surprised for a moment.

It was not surprise at Luo Mu's strength; Peony also knew her background was excellent, with her father being a former Champion of the Galar Region and her uncle being the Chairman of the Galar Region, so she had seen countless powerful individuals.

Although Luo Mu's strength was formidable, it was not enough to surprise her; what surprised her was that Luo Mu, as one of the peaks among Trainers in the Paldea Region, had actually concealed his identity to come work as an ordinary Battle Studies teacher.

Becoming a new member of the Elite Four or taking a position in the League should have been the correct choice; although if it were Peony herself, she would probably choose to be a salted fish due to fearing trouble.

Peony's gaze passed through the window and landed on the academy playground, where Luo Mu was currently patiently guiding Ai Li Qi Si and his Mabosstiff in learning the attack move Crunch.

Before long, Hearing Hearing Nimo, having transformed into someone with ten thousand whys on the other side, pestered him again, asking about the raising methods for Goomy, while Penny and Ai Li Qi Si similarly refused to fall behind, actively absorbing Trainer knowledge from Luo Mu.

Watching them, a feeling named "envy" suddenly surfaced in Peony's heart, making her feel that their lively scene truly looked very happy.

However, the reason Peony paid attention to Luo Mu was not his identity as a Champion-level Trainer or as a teacher, but simply because the entire driving force behind that "Operation Rat Extermination" came from Luo Mu.

It could be said that Luo Mu was the person who caused this series of changes within Navel Academy; if it was him, he would surely be able to find Geeta and intercept the news of her being bullied, thereby avoiding worry for her father and the others, and preventing cracks from appearing in the relationship between the Paldea League and the Galar League.

Without exposing her hacking skills, this was the only method.

Gazing at the crowd on the playground that had already gathered and was preparing to dismiss, Peony silently made up her mind.

In the playground, nearing the end of class, Luo Mu gathered the students together to make a brief summary.

"Everyone performed well today, especially Ai Li Qi Si; your Mabosstiff is in much better condition than in the last class, showing that you took my words to heart and have been training earnestly with your Mabosstiff during this period; very good."

"After class, I will unfreeze your bank card; even after you have pocket money, do not neglect your training, or else you know what will happen."

Luo Mu looked at Ai Li Qi Si teasingly, and the students cooperated by letting out a few friendly laughs.

Ai Li Qi Si turned his face aside, his complexion slightly flushed, muttering something about not needing him to say so much.

The originally arrogant young master was becoming increasingly honest nowadays, which made Luo Mu very gratified; at the very least, this represented that the matter Principal Mu Fei and Ai Li Qi Si's father had entrusted to him—gradually changing Ai Li Qi Si—was proceeding smoothly.

"Well then, today's lesson ends here; after dismissal, everyone must maintain their Pokémon in good condition; let us meet again next week."

"Oh right, Penny, please stay behind for a moment; there is something I would like to ask you."

Suddenly called upon, Penny felt a moment of confusion; pointing at herself, she did not understand why Luo Mu wanted her to stay.

Hearing Hearing Nimo beside her wore an envious expression, cupping her cheeks as she excitedly said, "It must be an invitation for private lessons from Teacher Luo Mu; darn it, I'm so envious of Senior Penny~ I want to continue training too!"

"Scary battle maniac..."

Arven crossed his arms, looking chilled to the bone, recalling the experience two days ago when Hearing Hearing Nimo had pestered him into playing Pokémon battles for several hours.

Ao Ao Jiaofu, the Greavard, and Arven himself had been so exhausted upon returning home that night that they fell asleep immediately; as a result, the next day he heard from classmates that after battling with him, Hearing Hearing Nimo had continued training on the playground until the duty teacher begged her to go back and rest.

Today, it would be better to sneak away; it would be terrible if Hearing Hearing Nimo caught him.

However, after Luo Mu announced the end of class, Arven, who wanted to flee, had not yet managed to slip away before being blocked by Hearing Hearing Nimo.

Luo Mu walked with Penny toward a bench built at the edge of the grass; hearing Arven's miserable cries from behind, the corners of his mouth twitched; fortunately, with Hearing Hearing Nimo's current strength, battling classmates was enough to satisfy her, but once she became a Champion-level Trainer, who knew what would happen.

After sitting down while maintaining a safe distance from each other, Penny looked at Luo Mu with confusion; judging by Luo Mu's demeanor, he did not seem to intend to engage in battle training with her, so could it be verbal education?

Luo Mu cleared his throat lightly and asked in an inquiring tone, "Penny, if I remember correctly, you should be in the same class as Larry, right?"

"Ah, yes." Penny nodded, her expression somewhat surprised; she truly had not expected Luo Mu to ask her about Larry.

"Do you know what Larry has been busy with recently? I heard from Arven that once when he saw Larry, he felt his condition was somewhat off; he seemed very listless and hasn't even been attending classes."

Luo Mu's gaze stretched into the distance; when he first arrived at Navel Academy, it was Larry who received him, so he still had a certain degree of fondness for this polite student council president.

Now that Larry's condition was off, he could only inquire with his classmate Penny.

Penny pondered for a moment and said uncertainly, "I am not very clear on the detailed situation; I only know that he seems to be busy with Student Council matters recently, and it appears his newly formulated school rules were opposed."

Just as I thought...

After thinking it over, Luo Mu nodded to Penny in gratitude, saying, "I understand; thank you, Student Penny, for answering my question; if you and your Primeape have any questions regarding training, you can call me anytime."

Penny nodded blankly, then turned and left under Luo Mu's hint.

After seeing Pipa off, Luo Mu sat in his chair and fell into deep thought.

The moment he arrived at Grandma Ju Zi Academy today, he noticed the atmosphere had changed; some of the students and teachers he remembered had vanished one after another, indicating that Geeta's actions were proceeding in an orderly manner.

He reckoned that within half a month, the environment at Grandma Ju Zi Academy would undergo changes, and most of the persecuted students would be able to return to normal campus life, except for Penny.

In his memory, Penny, serving as the student council president, had not joined Team Star due to being bullied, but simply because the rules he formulated were too conservative, leading to his isolation.

Later, pressured into resigning, he was succeeded by Hearing Hearing Nimo, a new Champion-rank Trainer, as the new student council president; since that time was still far away, he would likely endure unimaginable loneliness during this interim period.

Therefore, even if the academy purged the bullying students and the teachers who condoned them, Penny's situation, marked by a lack of trust, would not change.

It seemed matters concerning him would require careful consideration over the long term.

Sighing, Luo Mu stood up and walked toward the library within Grandma Ju Zi Academy, intending to borrow some books to avoid unnecessary internal friction caused by being intellectually crushed by Oranguru.

At that moment, a voice faint as a mosquito's hum sounded behind Luo Mu: "Um... can we talk?"

An unfamiliar voice he hadn't heard before, and somewhat timid?

These were Luo Mu's initial reactions; when he turned around and saw the owner of the voice, his pupils constricted briefly before returning to normal, and he smiled, saying, "Classmate, is there something you need from me?"

The young girl before him possessed distinctive red-and-blue dual-colored hair, and even her oversized black round-framed glasses could not conceal her skin, which was so white from rarely going outdoors that it appeared somewhat pale.

Unlike the attire in Luo Mu's memory, the girl was now properly dressed in the Grandma Ju Zi Academy uniform; the only remaining element was the Eevee backpack she carried on her back.

This person was none other than Zhu Zi, one of the protagonist group from Zhu Zi Ben Pian whom Luo Mu had never yet encountered, an Eevee enthusiast skilled in hacking techniques—Penny.

"Um... uh..."

Penny twisted her hands together; seemingly unaccustomed to interacting with others, the words she had prepared completely stuck in her throat.

Luo Mu hadn't expected Penny to approach him on her own initiative; seeing her shy demeanor, he considerately suggested, "Let's go to the library to talk; there will be fewer people there, and I happen to intend to find some books anyway."

"O-okay."

Penny nodded lightly, her voice still extremely faint.

Penny followed obediently behind Luo Mu; waiting until he had selected the books he needed, the two found a secluded spot inside the library to sit down, at which point Penny's social anxiety attributes eased slightly.

Planting, brewing, raising... Penny silently recited the categories of books Luo Mu had selected; why was he borrowing these books? He couldn't possibly be opening a farm, could he?

"So, Classmate Penny, is there something specific you need from me?"

Noticing that Penny seemed to be zoning out, Luo Mu helplessly waved his hand before her eyes and spoke to remind her.

"Ah, sorry."

Penny instantly snapped back to reality; a faint blush appeared on her delicate white skin, seeming somewhat embarrassed.

Clearing her throat lightly, Penny pushed up her glasses, constantly encouraging herself internally.

Come on, Penny! You've practiced this many times; just recite it and it will be fine!

"I-it's like this; I want to ask Teacher to do me a favor."

"Do you a favor? What do you need me to do?"

Luo Mu was even more confused; he had never interacted with Penny before, so why would she seek his help?

Surely she wasn't so bored that she hacked into the League's system to dig up his personal data, was she?

Speaking of which, Penny's hacking skills were such that she could adjust the League's newly established currency (BP) system without anyone knowing.

Penny took a deep breath, having fully prepared herself mentally, and said, "I want to ask Teacher to suppress the information regarding my being bullied; I am from the Galar region, and my father and uncle have certain influence there; I worry this matter might affect the relations between Paldea and Galar."

A moment of surprise flashed through Luo Mu's heart, and he asked in a deep voice, "Why are you so certain I can help you suppress this matter?"

Penny summoned her courage to respond, "Because you are one of the rare Champion-rank Trainers in the Paldea region; you can communicate directly with Chairwoman Geeta."

"... You know quite a lot."

Luo Mu raised an eyebrow, showing no intention of asking Penny how she knew so much information, which made Penny breathe a sigh of relief.

Luo Mu sized up Penny; he still remembered the setting that Penny came from the Galar region, but as for who her father and uncle were, Luo Mu truly had no impression, after all, he hadn't lived long enough to experience the DLC and had transmigrated after only playing through Zhu Zi Ben Pian.

Her father and uncle having certain influence in the Galar region... it seemed Penny's background was not simple either.

The matter of her being bullied could even affect relations between two regions; surely she couldn't be related to the undefeated official battle Champion of that region, Champion Dan Di, could she?

Slightly intrigued, Luo Mu nodded and said, "I can ask the Chairwoman to keep this hidden for you, but you must also tell me who your father and uncle are; otherwise, it will be inconvenient for me to speak with the Chairwoman."

Penny nodded; she had originally intended to do exactly this: "My father is Peony, the former Steel-type Champion of the Galar region... my uncle is Rose, the Chairman of the Galar League."

Laying the groundwork for a chapter; Penny's connections relate to the subsequent Galar plotline.

Thanks to the big shot Tinker6666 for donating 8000 coin points.

Thanks to the big shots July Liuyue and September Shouyi for donating 5000 coin points.

Thanks to the big shot Diga in Shine for donating 100 coin points.

Thanks to the big shots Muyu Xi and Xianyu for donating 500 coin points.

(End of Chapter)