Chapter 240: Sudden Incident

That was a mission to drive out an Onix that had occupied a narrow mine tunnel.

No mine tunnel wanted to deal with this kind of Pokémon—Onix had an enormous body size, along with Rock- and Ground-type attributes; they were extremely powerful, and just moving its eight- or nine-meter-long body was enough to make the mine tunnel emit an overburdened hum.

Not to mention they were also very skilled in many Ground-type moves.

If it was in a foul mood, even without using an Earthquake move, just a single Stomp could cause the mine tunnel to collapse, burying countless ordinary-flesh miners alive.

And the Onix that caused all this only needed to flick its tail to dig a tunnel in a new direction and leave, completely unaffected.

It could be said that inside a mine tunnel, Onix was absolutely one of the most troublesome Pokémon.

Including Luo Mu and Mu Cun, there were eight trainers in total summoned to drive out the Onix at that time, among whom there were no shortage of Water- and Grass-type Pokémon.

With Luo Mu's strength, he originally couldn't join this mission—after all, with a Luxray's Electric-type attacks, there was simply no way to deal effective damage to Onix.

There was only one reason he could be chosen: the Snivy at that time had learned a move called "Grass Knot," which was very effective against large-bodied Pokémon like Onix that were also completely countered by Grass-type.

Onix's oppressive presence inside a narrow mine tunnel was extremely strong—a roar that made one's heart and soul tremble, a massive body whose mere movement caused the surroundings to shake—calling it a giant beast of the tunnel was by no means an exaggeration.

But in the face of multiple prepared trainers, Onix could only be repeatedly targeted at its weaknesses, beaten until it lost the ability to fight, then taken into a Poké Ball, waiting to be sent back to the Pokémon Center for treatment before being released back into the wild of Shenshan by professionals.

Because of the active performance of the Snivy—no, the Servine—Luo Mu attracted the team's attention, and naturally got to know Mu Cun, who at that time was the leader and could be considered one of the most outstanding trainers in Xuezha Town.

As a senior trainer at that time, Mu Cun was undoubtedly qualified; he would occasionally point out mistakes Luo Mu made during training due to lacking some common-sense knowledge of the Pokémon world, and their relationship had always been in a state of being both mentor and friend.

After spending a long time together, they naturally came to learn each other's pasts. Upon learning that Luo Mu had collected two badges in a short period of time, Mu Cun explicitly expressed his envy—envy that Luo Mu's talent as a trainer was far greater than his own.

When he had first become a trainer, just the first Gym alone had taken him three months to clear, and the subsequent Gyms were even more so.

In idle chat, Mu Cun brought up his past.

He was now nearly thirty years old, stuck at the seventh Gym for who knew how many years.

Even so, every year he would go to Beigu Town at least once to challenge the Gym.

And Tan Xiao Shi was the new card Mu Cun had prepared to clear the Psychic-type Beigu Gym; he planned to raise Tan Xiao Shi into Cang Yan Ren Gui, using the Ghost-type attribute that countered Psychic-type to complete the clear.

That was Luo Mu's first time meeting Tan Xiao Shi. The Tan Xiao Shi at that time had eyes full of fighting spirit and a longing to become stronger, as if it had taken Mu Cun's goal as its own life creed.

Luo Mu felt Mu Cun was very lucky to have caught such a Tan Xiao Shi—it had every element needed to become a strong one—and even Luo Mu was somewhat envious of Mu Cun.

In the several cooperative missions that followed, Mu Cun also displayed not-inconsiderable leadership, sense of responsibility, and combat ability.

To be honest, Luo Mu had never imagined he would be the kind of person to abandon a Pokémon.

But just when Luo Mu had saved up enough travel expenses and Luxray had evolved into X-Ray through actual combat, planning to leave Xuezha Town, he encountered in the wild a Tan Xiao Shi with spikes all over its body and a strong distrust toward humans.

Because he had appreciated that Tan Xiao Shi's personality back then, Luo Mu could guarantee he wouldn't mistake it—this Tan Xiao Shi was definitely Mu Cun's Tan Xiao Shi.

Seeing a Tan Xiao Shi all alone in the wild, what it had gone through went without saying.

Luo Mu admitted that for a moment he was dumbfounded, not understanding why Tan Xiao Shi had been abandoned. He wanted to approach Tan Xiao Shi and ask what had happened, but what he got in return was Tan Xiao Shi's fierce resistance and rejection.

As if overnight Tan Xiao Shi had completely lost trust in any human.

Feeling puzzled, Luo Mu sought out Mu Cun, and then Mu Cun displayed a side completely different from the steady, gentle impression Luo Mu had of him.

His expression was indifferent, his voice as cold as the harsh winter of the twelfth lunar month.

To this day, Luo Mu still remembered that passage of words.

【"It's no good, it doesn't have the potential to become Cang Yan Ren Gui. I even stuck an Armor of Curses on it and couldn't trigger the miracle of evolution. I'm nearly thirty now, and my talent as a trainer isn't as amazing as yours. How much longer can I keep clinging to my dream?"】

【"I'm not willing to accept it. I believe I'm more hardworking than anyone. Why can't I ever pass the seventh Gym—even once would do. I want to go to the League headquarters and take the final interview."】

【"I poured a lot of income into it, but what it gave me back was this kind of answer? Continuing to train it has no meaning. Rather than wasting time on it, better to part on good terms. If I let Buizel train a bit more, there might still be a chance."】

Mu Cun's obsession made Luo Mu realize for the first time that obsession could change a person so drastically.

After hearing Mu's explanation of why he had abandoned2】 After hearing Mu's explanation of why he had abandoned Tan Xiao Shi, Mu gave a contemptuous snort, as if mocking his naivety.

【"Although the League has rules against abandoning or casting off Pokémon, I caught Tan Xiao Shi outside Xuezha Town. Feeling it wasn't suited to me, I released it back to where it once lived—that doesn't break the law."】

After leaving these words, Mu Cun strode away. What followed was the story of Luo Mu, unable to bear watching Tan Xiao Shi live on in the resentment and loneliness of being abandoned, working to win it over.

Thinking of this, the skin on Luo Mu's right arm, which bore burn scars, itched slightly. This made him pull out of his reminiscence, his thoughts returning to the present, and without hesitation he walked into the Pokémon Center.

Saying Tan Xiao Shi had no potential—didn't it, through its own efforts, evolve into Cang Yan Ren Gui later on and become a powerful Shadow Swordsman?

But now, neither Luo Mu nor Cang Yan Ren Gui had any intention of making trouble for Mu Cun. Life now was pretty good; there was no need to add more frustration to themselves.

Even Cang Yan Ren Gui had long since cast that person out of its mind.

Luo Mu had come to the Pokémon Center not to see if he could lie in wait for Mu Cun for a triumphant-return face-slap, but simply to meet a Zhou Zhou Shuren.

Entering the Pokémon Center, soothing light music reached his ears. Quite a few people had gathered in the lobby; the most people were at the nearby notice board specifically for posting missions, but among those people Luo Mu barely saw any Zhou Zhou Shuren—instead, there were more new faces.

Among them were no shortage of trainers whose faces still carried a youthful innocence—probably newcomers, just like he once was, earning money here.

Walking through the crowd with practiced ease to the front desk, it seemed to be exactly the most leisurely moment right now. A Joy with beautiful, smooth pink hair was leisurely drinking hot tea, her pretty eyes fixed unblinkingly on a TV drama.

Her partner Wigglytuff was nowhere to be seen—most likely off somewhere else.

One look told him she was slacking off again. Luo Mu gave a light cough, startling Joy greatly. She fumbled to turn off her phone screen, and words she had said who knew how many times slipped out: "Welcome to the Xuezha Town Pokémon Center, how can I help you—Luo Mu?"

Joy's voice carried four parts pleasant surprise, three parts astonishment, two parts hesitation, and one part nostalgia.

Luo Mu smiled and waved, teasing: "Long time no see, Sister Joy Yumi, you still love slacking off as much as ever."

In this world there were many Joy Young Ladys who looked almost identical; what they shared was only the surname Joy. The real name was known only to a few people with closer relationships.

Once, because his pockets were empty, Luo Mu had chosen to stay in the Pokémon Center's shared room for a period of time, and it was then that he got to know this Joy Young Lady whose name was Joy Yumi.

"Well, sorry about that!" Joy's tone took on a hint of displeasure. She swiftly stashed the snacks sitting nearby, and looked at Luo Mu curiously: "Why are you here? Didn't you set off traveling to other cities?"

"I—"

"Wait, don't say it, let me guess!" Before Luo Mu could get the words out, Joy reached out and silenced him, her face eager: "Lost at which Gym? Don't be discouraged—being able to challenge that many Gyms in such a short time is already pretty good. Or is it that your travel funds ran out and you're back to earn money?"

"There have been quite a lot of missions lately, you came at just the right time."

"Hmm, looking at your expression, I seem to have guessed wrong?"

Joy's voice gradually grew quieter, eyeing Luo Mu suspiciously.

Finally shutting up—Joy Joy Yumi was still the chatterbox she always was.

Thinking this, Luo Mu helplessly spoke up: "I've already retired as a trainer. Now I've opened a farm in Pingdie Town. Today I just happened to be passing through Xuezha Town on some business."

"As for the Gym Challenges, I've passed all eight Gyms and the final Champion Test."

"."

Joy's expression shifted repeatedly; if her face had shown surprise and reluctance upon hearing Luo Mu say he had retired, as though regretting that someone with his talent hadn't persisted,

then upon hearing the latter half, her expression swiftly turned to shock, gazing at Luo Mu as if he were some rare species, her cherry-red lips agape from astonishment wide enough to fit an egg.

He was already Champion-level!?

Joy did not think Luo Mu was bragging; having known him for some time, she knew he was not the type to be bursting with vanity, with no need to deceive her with a lie that would burst at the slightest poke.

Joy praised him from the bottom of her heart: "You're so amazing! If Mr. Kimura knew, he would surely be even more surprised than I am."

"However, he is currently leading a team on a very important mission. How long will you be staying in Anaza Town? Perhaps they will return by tonight."

Upon hearing the name Kimura, Luo Mu's expression flickered with a momentary unnaturalness, but he quickly masked it, breaking into a smile as he said, "I just came to see you and catch up on old times; I'll be heading back shortly, as there are many matters awaiting me at the farm."

"Is that so? That's fine too; I'm very happy to see you have established your own home."

Joy Joy Yumi did not hesitate to reveal a smile full of gratification.

Although she prayed with a blessing attitude for everyone's journey to go smoothly,

the fact that Luo Mu had achieved such accomplishments and was living a stable life still made her feel the gratification of watching a child grow up.

After staying at the Pokémon Center for a while longer, Luo Mu chatted extensively with Joy Joy Yumi, sharing travel anecdotes and amusing tales as well as trivial matters from the farm, causing Joy Yumi, who had always remained at the Anaza Town Pokémon Center, to display an expression of longing.

The Joys served as the lifeline for every town; while strictly fulfilling their duties to save lives, they also lost the opportunity to freely travel to places they wished to go, yet merely by listening to the stories of passing travelers, they could persist.

During this time, several minor earthquakes occurred within Anaza Town; both Luo Mu and Joy wore expressions indicating they were accustomed to such events, as the wilderness of Anaza Town was home to many Rock-type and Ground-type wild Pokémon, whose mutual battles invariably sent shockwaves affecting the town.

It was hardly a rare occurrence.

Having finished catching up on old times, Luo Mu waved his hand and said, "Sister Joy Yumi, I'll be going now; I'll come to see you again when I have the chance, and next time I'll bring some specialty products from the farm."

Joy responded, "Good, I will look forward to it."

Just as Luo Mu intended to walk out of the Pokémon Center, a hurried flurry of footsteps suddenly came from outside, and several familiar faces known to Luo Mu rushed into the Pokémon Center in a panic.

Clutching Poké Balls in their hands or carrying Pokémon covered in injuries, looking utterly disheveled, they shouted anxiously, "Miss Joy! Please treat our Pokémon!"

"Oh my! Su'en, Morei, Shuli, what happened? Weren't you expelling the Tyranitar that broke into the mine!?"

Joy hurriedly ran to their side, frowning as she diagnosed the condition of their Pokémon.

"The injuries are severe; immediate treatment is required. Wigglytuff!"

Joy immediately called out loudly for her partner; soon, the sound of rolling wheels erupted, and a Wigglytuff pushing an emergency stretcher with both hands rushed over rapidly.

After sending several heavily injured Pokémon into the treatment room, Joy turned to the group with a solemn expression and asked, "What exactly happened? Weren't you driving away the Tyranitar?"

Su'en clutched his head, saying painfully, "That Tyranitar is too strong; our Pokémon were injured after just one exchange. Right now, Uncle Kimura is leading people to engage it in a stalemate."

"We fled back not only to treat our Pokémon but also to seek reinforcement; please issue an emergency mission to summon Trainers to provide support there!"

Joy nodded and said in a heavy voice, "I understand."

Before she could turn to issue the emergency mission, Luo Mu, who had remained silent until now merely observing, spoke lightly: "Where is the location?"

Joy's steps halted abruptly, while Su'en and the others looked at Luo Mu, exclaiming in surprise, "You're... Luo Mu? You've returned?"

"Long time no see, everyone." Luo Mu gave a slight nod, then asked in an urging tone, "Where is the mission location? I'll go handle it."

(End of Chapter)