Chapter 263: Summer Is Quietly Arriving; Let Us Prepare Together

Several days had passed since Luo Mu's sparring match with Professor Professor Huangbo, yet discussions about that battle remained fervent within Ju Zi Academy; even the enrollment numbers for Professor Professor Huangbo's battle studies course had risen significantly.

This kept the newly appointed Professor Professor Huangbo overwhelmingly busy, often requiring her to spend entire days teaching at Ju Zi Academy, which was extremely taxing.

Fortunately, Luo Mu had effectively been promoted to a leadership role, so he did not need to teach too many students; he only needed to focus on cultivating the top tier and identifying talented individuals.

It was likely thanks to Geeta's bold and sweeping reforms that the atmosphere at Ju Zi Academy had been completely revitalized.

Although most students were motivated to enroll by the power of Meng Lei Gu, even after hearing from Professor Professor Huangbo that Luo Mu was now focusing on nurturing only a few students with exceptional battle aptitude, their enthusiasm remained undiminished; instead, they began working harder, striving to become one of that select few.

Professor Professor Huangbo did not complain about the exhaustion of her work; on the contrary, she enjoyed every moment of teaching students and interacting with them.

After the battle concluded, Luo Mu had also privately sought out Professor Professor Huangbo to discuss potential directions for future improvement regarding her and her Dragalge.

Time thus marched on into a new month.

May 1st, Pasture Zone.

Stroking the dark brown fur of Meng Ya Lu, Luo Mu gently plucked the last blooming pale pink flower from its antlers, then placed it into a basket nearby that was already filled with flowers.

Wiping away beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead due to the gradually warming weather, Luo Mu breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, saying:

"Alright, now the flowers have been cleared away cleanly."

The two Meng Ya Lu affectionately rubbed against Luo Mu's now-free left hand, one after the other; after making sounds of farewell, they walked off into the distance accompanied by two Skiddo that had clearly grown much larger.

They had even arranged to conduct Grass-type move training later.

Luo Mu watched their departing figures, observing the pasture grass rustling with a swishing sound under the gentle breeze, and in the distance, Da Nai Guan eating with an expression of pure happiness; in his mind floated the tender sprout tips he had felt on the Meng Ya Lu's antlers while picking the flowers.

Meng Ya Lu are Pokémon whose physical characteristics change with the seasons: in spring, beautiful pale pink flowers grow on their antlers; in summer, large green leaves emerge; in autumn, the green leaves begin to turn red; and after the autumn red leaves fall, their antlers become bare, snow-white wooden horns in winter.

Whether it was the climate or the changes in the Meng Ya Lu's bodies, both were telling one thing—

Summer seemed to be quietly arriving.

On the way back, Luo Mu happened upon three Bai Bai Pengpeng hopping cheerfully toward the warehouse.

Having fully integrated into farm life, they were now Luo Mu's capable assistants in tending the fields; under their care, crops grew robustly, and the abundant fruits they bore supported a varied diet for every meal for the Pokémon within the farm.

It could be said that this leisurely and affluent life was brought about only through the cooperation of Bai Bai Pengpeng and other Pokémon.

"Bai Pengpeng~"

Seeing Luo Mu, the three Bai Bai Pengpeng became very excited; unfortunately, having no hands to wave, they could only greet him by hopping.

Luo Mu smiled and waved back: "Are you going to rest now?"

"Bai Pengpeng~"

The Bai Bai Pengpeng nodded.

Just now, together with Serperior, they had inspected the condition of the crops in the fields; some crops that matured faster were already ready for harvest, and in a few days, they planned to gather other available Pokémon on the farm to experience the joy of harvesting together.

For now, they intended to go to Comfey's infirmary to enjoy aroma therapy and relax their bodies and minds.

Luo Mu suggested: "Then let's walk together."

The Bai Bai Pengpeng readily accepted Luo Mu's suggestion, and together they returned to the small western-style house.

Watching them enter the infirmary he had specifically cleared out for Comfey, Luo Mu realized that Bai Bai Pengpeng and the others had actually made an appointment for Comfey's aroma therapy session; they certainly knew how to enjoy life.

Smiling lightly, Luo Mu took several planning documents from Oranguru, who had been waiting nearby for some time.

【Overall stone pavement laying for the farm. Estimated funding required: 200,000 League Coins】

【Farm streetlight planning and electrical circuit laying. Estimated funding required: 250,000 League Coins】

【Construction of an underground ice cellar for the farm. Estimated funding required: 180,000 League Coins, plus several Ice-type Pokémon】

【Farm power generation and energy storage facility group. Estimated funding required: around 500,000 League Coins】

After Luo Mu reviewed them one by one, Oranguru's telepathic voice rang out.

【Young Master, the above are all infrastructure projects I believe need to be constructed as soon as possible before summer arrives; the sooner they are completed, the better】

"You are right."

Luo Mu nodded thoughtfully, greatly agreeing with Oranguru's suggestion.

Currently, the so-called roads on the farm were merely compacted earth pressed down by Luo Mu's Swampert and Mudsdale, two Ground-type Pokémon; whenever it rained, the ground became a muddy mess, and Pokémon passing through inevitably got covered in mud.

After every rainfall, Luo Mu would have to summon Politoed and the Poliwag to spend a long time bathing the Pokémon.

Especially that husky-like Feng Su Gou, who learned nothing good; he would roll around in the mud with Mawile, getting covered in filth, and then try to burrow into the house.

Luo Mu's blood pressure had risen countless times because of Feng Su Gou.

And then there was Luxray; just bathing it nearly cost Luo Mu half his life.

He didn't know why, even though it countered Water-type Pokémon, it hated having its body soaked with water so much; fortunately, Politoed and the Poliwag could use Bubble Beam to clean it, finally freeing Luo Mu from the ordeal.

In any case, laying this stone pavement was one of the most critical infrastructure projects.

Oranguru suggested again:

【Young Master, to save costs, I suggest laying the electrical circuits throughout the farm before paving the stone roads; otherwise, when we lay the underground circuits later, we would have to dig up the stone roads again, wasting both effort and money】

Luo Mu felt Oranguru's reasoning was sound; construction planning existed precisely for such occasions, and the knowledge of how to build the best farm from scratch in a logical sequence was profound.

As for Luo Mu's vision of an ecological dome farm, putting aside the financial issues, he didn't even know if Indigo Academy would be willing to share the technology, so he could only temporarily suppress this idea in the back of his mind.

Next, Luo Mu and Oranguru discussed the construction of the underground ice cellar and the establishment of power generation and storage facilities to support the electrical circuit layout.

The farm now possessed two powerful Electric-type Pokémon, Meng Lei Gu and Luxray, along with many other Pokémon capable of learning Electric-type moves; as long as equipment customized to convert Pokémon Electric-type attacks into electricity was fabricated, it could supply power to the entire farm.

In this regard, they absolutely needed to find a reliable contractor; the energy storage facility built should preferably be a large one, as Luo Mu had not forgotten his agreement with Zapdos.

He must have it generate electricity once, filling the storage batteries to the brim in one go!

And regarding Articuno, they would establish a large underground ice cellar in the future, letting Articuno create the ice inside; that way, if Delibird returned from its travels, it could live in a suitable environment.

Of course, Luo Mu also had a backup plan in case Articuno never returned, after all, Legendary Pokémon often had concepts of time that differed vastly from ordinary humans, roughly akin to the difference in time perception between long-eared elves and humans in fantasy worlds.

If Articuno never returned to the island, then Luo Mu would go to Glaseado Mountain or other snow-capped peaks to kidnap—ah, no, recruit a few Ice-type Pokémon to bring back.

Such as the fluffy Alolan Vulpix and Alolan Ninetales, Glaceon known as the Snow Spirit, Frosmoth capable of spitting ice silk, and other Ice-type Pokémon.

To be bolder, in other regions there was also Regice, capable of creating Never-Melt Ice, and Baxcalibur, which spews frosty streams.

Kyurem, capable of freezing the world, is a bit too much; if Kyurem were truly brought back, the entire farm and even Paldea Town would likely be buried under wind and snow.

Or perhaps Iron Bundle, which can be encountered in the Paldea region.

Just before concluding the discussion, Oranguru asked with some worry:

【Young Master, regarding the issue of funds...】

"Ah, funds? Don't worry about that."

Luo Mu had thought Oranguru was worried his savings weren't enough, so he quickly spoke to put Oranguru at ease.

"As you know, I recently got promoted; my salary tripled to a monthly income of 24, the farm is constantly making money, I have savings, and if push comes to shove, I can still take on some quests to earn more."

"Construction! We must vigorously construct! Since we've captured everyone, we must create an environment where everyone can live happily."

【...】

Oranguru fell silent for a moment; it had originally intended to say that the farm would be its workplace and home for a long time to come, and if he didn't mind, after many years of studying at the Pokémon Butler Academy and occasional part-time work, it had saved up a sum of money it could contribute.

It wasn't much money, just a gesture from Oranguru itself, merely a few times the farm's current liquid assets.

Since the Young Master had so domineeringly taken this matter upon himself, it would be left aside for now, kept in reserve for unforeseen needs.

In the afternoon, Luo Mu rode Dragonite to Orange Academy once again.

After his promotion, he no longer had fixed teaching hours; basically, his schedule was adjusted according to his itinerary and the needs of the students he selected for training.

Inside the brand-new office, Luo Mu received a girl whose movements appeared slightly stiff and reserved.

Luo Mu had just finished several battles with Hearing Hearing Nimo using Arcanine, pointing out her shortcomings, and then returned to the office to rest, read a book for a while, and then head back to the farm.

However, Peony had come looking for him.

Peony was still carrying her beloved plush Eevee bag, and after Luo Mu received her, she stated outright that she wanted to become stronger.

Luo Mu sat up straight, a look of astonishment crossing his face for an instant as his right fingers tapped the desk: "You're saying you want to train Pokémon under me and become stronger?"

Peony intertwined the fingers of both hands and nodded gently: "Yes."

Luo Mu's tapping on the desk paused; was the sun rising in the west today?

Peony, whom he had originally viewed as a target, had actually come to his door on her own initiative.

Nevertheless, the proper procedures still had to be followed.

Luo Mu set down the "Ice-Type Pokémon Habitat Atlas" in his left hand, stood up, and directed his gaze toward Peony: "Can I see your Pokémon?"

The office was very spacious; there was no problem fitting several Tauros standing inside, so Luo Mu wasn't the least bit worried the office couldn't accommodate Peony's Pokémon.

Besides, her Pokémon were inherently of the small and cute style...

Peony nodded nervously, her voice sounding as faint as a mosquito's hum.

"Come out, Sylveon."

Accompanied by a sweet cry, an extremely cute-looking Pokémon appeared inside the office.

Sylveon's body was almost entirely white, accented with pink on the top of its head, ears, tail, and the lower parts of its legs; it had a ribbon on its left ear and another around its neck, each ribbon connected to two feelers that graduated in color from pink to dark blue and light blue at the tips.

After leaving its Poké Ball, Sylveon first looked around the environment; under Sylveon's control, the feelers on its ribbons wrapped around Peony's wrist, making it look like their relationship was very affectionate.

Sylveon's pale blue large eyes curiously sized up Luo Mu, while Peony, having had some of her nervousness alleviated by Sylveon wrapping its feelers around her wrist, introduced: "This child is my starter partner, Sylveon."

Luo Mu nodded and smiled lightly: "Although I already had a hunch seeing your backpack, you really do like Eevee."

"I can tell you and Sylveon have a great relationship; after all, trainers who can evolve an Eevee into a Sylveon are people who care deeply for their Pokémon, which is very good."

Peony's cheeks flushed slightly, as if she were embarrassed by Luo Mu's praise.

Although he knew that the future Peony would be a powerhouse strong enough to scare those bullies, who were no longer around, into dropping out of school based on her own strength, Luo Mu still suggested:

"Hmm, from this well-raised Sylveon, I can tell your breeding ability should be quite good; as for battle aspects, let's schedule a time later to test them, how about that?"

Peony hesitated: "Ah, can't we do it now?"

Luo Mu glanced at her, did not answer that question, but instead pondered for a moment before asking: "Didn't you dislike being in the spotlight? Can you tell me what made you change your mind?"

Peony's social anxiety attribute was quite severe; Luo Mu had never expected Peony would take the initiative to come to his door.

As if knowing Peony's determination, Sylveon's wrapped feelers tightened slightly, transmitting its strength to Peony.

Peony clenched her fists slightly and said in a deep voice: "... I want to train myself a bit; I can't always rely on the teachers' help, can I? Sometimes, one has to push oneself."

"A good answer." Under Peony's surprised expression, Luo Mu clapped his hands lightly a few times, then picked up the book on the desk and smiled: "Chairman Geeta has something to discuss with me later, so I don't have time today."

"I understand..."

Peony had intended to lower her eyes, but she caught sight of the title of the book in Luo Mu's hand.

Ice-Type Pokémon Habitat Atlas.

Was he planning to capture some Ice-type Pokémon?

Although she hadn't said it aloud, Peony actually harbored a certain degree of gratitude toward Luo Mu.

Whether it was him firing the first shot in dealing with the bullies or helping her keep secrets so her family in the Galar region wouldn't worry about these matters, both made Peony very eager to thank him.

Peony thought of her father and older sister, who were currently exploring and investigating legends in the Wang Guan Snowfield.

As an extremely cold region in the Galar region, the Wang Guan Snowfield was home to many Ice-type Pokémon and possessed a rich Pokémon ecosystem; it was certain it could satisfy Luo Mu's needs.

Perhaps if she had the chance to inquire about information from Luo Mu, she could ask her father and sister to check for traces of the corresponding Ice-type Pokémon.

(End of Chapter)