Chapter 302: They Come Knocking on the Door, A Blade Shining with Pink-Purple Light!

June 25th, Mesagoza City, Naranja Academy.

Although summer vacation was still a few days away, in reality, more than half of Naranja Academy's students had already left campus, most of them being scholars who had come from other regions to study.

Due to the decrease in students, certain areas of the academy had already begun changing their colors and decorations; specifically speaking, they were shifting from oranges to grapes.

The autumn and winter uniforms for the second half of the year would also feature purple as the main color tone, which Luo Mu thought was quite nice.

In an empty classroom, hearing the students' chirping discussions, Luo Mu paused in his action of packing up his teaching aids and couldn't help but join their conversation.

"Peony is going back to the Galar region too?"

"It's not like I wanted to! It's all because my stinky old dad heard that Hearing Nimo and the others were going to travel to the Galar region, so he suggested that during the trip we could visit the Crown Tundra, saying the scenery there was great and so on; then I was inexplicably swept up by the momentum and muddled along, ending up having to go with them."

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable under Luo Mu's rather surprised gaze, Peony puckered her lips high, ranting frantically, looking as if she had no choice in the matter.

Hearing Nimo, true to her character, threw an arm around Peony and said with a grin: "Everyone traveling together to another region is just like a school trip, isn't it? How exciting!"

"Still unable to read the room as always; could her Ability be 'Own Tempo'?"

He was already used to it.

"Has the research... made progress?"

Although he couldn't say exactly why, Dragonite vaguely had a premonition that perhaps before long, it might even be able to learn some incredibly amazing move!

Looking at Dragonite's silly and cute appearance, Luo Mu's mood improved accordingly, and his restless hands directly started rubbing Dragonite's belly, which felt extremely good to the touch.

Just as he had said during his call with Geeta a few days ago.

While rubbing Dragonite's belly to relieve stress, Luo Mu began pondering the future paths for the main Pokémon of his team.

Seeing Peony's particularly aggrieved expression, Arven shook his head, wearing a look that suggested he was already quite accustomed to this.

Left behind, Arven: "."

One was the artificial intelligences AI Sada and AI Turo, and the other was a groundbreaking device... reportedly capable of capturing Paradox Pokémon from past and future timelines and transmitting them to the present—the Time Machine!

Cannot go...

In his own dormitory, there were still amiibo figures he had specifically purchased for the game.

Although Hearing Nimo was just filling a spot, how could Peony, this homebody girl, possibly break free from Arven's grasp?

The boost from Terastallization was present, but the enhancement was not as obvious as that of Mega Swampert.

Luo Mu knew very well that Luxray was currently limited by a predicament where it possessed neither an exclusive nor a generic Z-Crystal, nor could it Mega Evolve; after all, improving its inherent strength was a matter of gradual effort, whereas Swampert could rely on Mega Evolution and compatibility to complete a counterattack in one go.

Before leaving the classroom, Arven mentioned to Luo Mu that recently his parents, Professors Turo and Sada, seemed to have made significant progress in their research and might be unreachable for some time, so he was specifically notifying him.

Luo Mu: "."

She could only wear a face full of regret as she was dragged out of the classroom.

Overall, it was correct, but for some reason, being praised like this made Luo Mu feel a bit embarrassed.

Then, there were these two: Luxray and Ceruledge.

Even though Luo Mu had fallen silent, Hearing Nimo and the others became interested and immediately started talking all at once.

Dragonite tilted its head, not quite understanding what Luo Mu was saying.

Because it had been late at night at the time, they had all been sleeping soundly, and subsequent related reports were pitifully scarce, so they could only piece together the events through exchanges among the students.

"Hmph hmph."

After finishing class, Luo Mu did not stay longer at Naranja Academy; his courses before summer vacation had all concluded, and next came another delightful month of Salary Leave.

Clapping her textbook shut with unexpected quietness and gentleness outside of battle and training, Arven looked up and asked curiously: "Teacher Luo Mu, is that matter regarding the Orange Islands true? I see many students discussing this incident, saying that you alone turned the tide, and that even the glory of Lorelei, the Ice-type Elite Four member of Kanto, was overshadowed by you."

After speaking, Arven left the classroom with Mabosstiff; their flight to the Galar region was tomorrow, so they had to return home to pack their luggage and lock the door properly.

At this moment, Peony suddenly pushed up her glasses and let out a mysterious laugh.

"I have the recording of the live broadcast from that time; this is a high-definition resource I spent some effort hacking into the Kanto League system to find, very precious indeed."

Peony was so frightened by the actions of the two that her face turned pale; she began to regret her earlier reckless behavior of speaking without filter just to whet Hearing Nimo and the others' appetite.

Indeed, although there were no changes during the battle, as time passed, Dragonite truly sensed a certain change within itself, like a slow enlightenment; its sensitivity and control over Flying-type energy, the wind currents necessary to stir up storms, were naturally increasing, and even some things it had lost after evolving from Dragonair into Dragonite were gradually returning.

"Boo?"

Even at the very end of the game's first playthrough, the Time Machine transmitted the AI Sada/AI Turo to the past/future.

As soon as Peony finished speaking, she was surrounded by Hearing Nimo and the other two; Hearing Nimo and Arven each hooked one of her arms and said excitedly: "Let's go! Take us to your dorm!"

Watching Arven's figure recede into the distance, Luo Mu stroked his chin, revealing a thoughtful expression.

Moreover, once the Time Machine was successfully developed, the fated accident would not be far off.

This was interesting; what exactly were the research projects of Professors Sada and Turo?

Luo Mu was probably clearer about this than the two professors themselves.

Mimikyu had its exclusive Z-Move to rely on, and Serperior could also use the Grass-type Z-Crystal for battle when necessary; after combining Leaf Storm with Contrary to release the Z-Move, the power would likely swell to a terrifying degree.

Riding on Dragonite and returning to the farm, when Dragonite landed smoothly, Luo Mu checked the time and murmured: "More than a minute faster than usual."

"No..."

Luo Mu smiled: "Your control over Flying-type energy and wind currents has become quite a bit stronger, hasn't it?"

Dragonite and Swampert had both received significant benefits recently, their combat power soaring visibly; especially for Dragonite, with the schedule to learn Extreme Speed, once everything was achieved, perhaps its strength would become even greater than Luo Mu had anticipated.

Whichever of these research results came to light, it would likely bring profound influence to the Paldea region.

Hearing this, Dragonite placed its chubby right paw by its mouth, biting its claw as it pondered for a while.

The scheduled itinerary for the Dragon Clan family was on the 30th; in the few days before that, Luo Mu wanted to wander around other places in the Johto region to see if there were any suitable Pokémon to catch and bring back to the farm.

Having reached this realm, it was very difficult to make improvements in strength; regarding Luxray's enhancement, Luo Mu felt it must be planned for the long term.

Ceruledge itself practiced the way of the sword; constantly refining the sharpness of its moves was a situation where it could slowly become stronger.

Regarding the aspect of its strength improvement, perhaps consideration could be given to other Pokémon skilled in swordsmanship, or even legendary Pokémon.

But having said that, wanting to encounter a legendary Pokémon was not such an easy matter; fortunately, Luo Mu lacked many things, but he did not lack time.

He believed these troubles would be gradually resolved in future farm life, so there was no need to rush anxiously running all over the world; it was better to simply live well in the present.

After enjoying Dragonite's big belly for a while, Luo Mu sent it back to rest at Thunder Cry Lake, then picked up a milking bucket and milker from the warehouse, intending to head to the pasture area to milk Miltank and his riding Mareep.

On the way, Luo Mu encountered three Nacli lined up in a row, hopping cheerfully toward the Salt House.

As they advanced, a path formed by Little Little Dandan's rock salt gradually trailed behind them on the stone slab road; this rock salt would later be collected by Oranguru using psychic powers, undergo purification treatment, and then be consumed or sold.

Do not underestimate these small Nacli; in reality, selling the rock salt they produce can fetch a considerable sum of money, and once they evolve further into Garganacl and Glimmora, the amount of rock salt produced will skyrocket!

Just as Luo Mu had once described, fully evolved Nacli are walking money-printing machines.

"Nacli!"

The neatly queued Nacli specifically stopped in their tracks when passing Luo Mu, performed a saluting gesture, and only then continued advancing toward the Salt House.

They were deeply grateful to Luo Mu for providing them with delicious soil and building the Salt House to shelter them from wind and rain.

A warmth surged in Luo Mu's heart, and he suddenly recalled that mentioning the Johto region inevitably brought to mind a landmark geographical feature—Mt. Silver!

Located in the eastern part of the Johto region, Mt. Silver is a massive mountain range west of Victory Road and the Indigo Plateau; due to its vast expanse, locals in Johto generally refer to it as the Mt. Silver Range.

Luo Mu remembered that in the game, the Mt. Silver Range was open only to the most excellent trainers.

Ultimately, this was because of the range's complex terrain and its wild, isolated nature, where wild Pokémon lived by the law of the jungle; if an ordinary trainer ventured in, they would likely enter but never exit.

Therefore, the Mt. Silver Range fell under the jurisdiction of both the Kanto and Johto Leagues, prohibiting ordinary trainers from entering.

Within Mt. Silver lived many Tyranitar, a species known as the Desert Tyrant and the Terrestrial Monster.

For a Tyranitar larva, Larvitar, to grow into a Tyranitar required a considerably long time, along with the intake of massive amounts of nutrition and nutrients to ensure it could accumulate enough power during its Pupitar stage to break out of its cocoon like a butterfly.

Since the Tyranitar clan had taken a liking to this place, the soil nutrition of the Mt. Silver Range must be quite excellent, right?

Luo Mu glanced at the retreating figures of the Nacli, an expression of contemplation appearing on his face.

Perhaps he could find an opportunity to sneak some soil away from Mt. Silver?

By then, he could buy a spatial backpack, bring two Sandslash to dig for half a day, fill the backpack directly, and return with dozens or even hundreds of kilograms of specialty soil from the Mt. Silver Range to improve the Nacli's diet, help them absorb nutrients, and strive for earlier evolution.

Maybe he could even raise a Nacli Tyrant no inferior to the Desert Tyrant?

Luo Mu had already begun imagining his future, leading three hard-as-rock, fleshy yet combat-capable Salt Lords to teach Hearing Hearing Nimo and the others what true malice from an adult felt like.

Oh right, he didn't know whether a mute trainer existed atop Mt. Silver; he could go verify that later.

The next morning.

Luo Mu was awakened by a hoarse cry ringing out above the farm.

His eyes, streaked with slight bloodshot lines, snapped open; he moved a segment of Serperior's tail away, hugged the Mimikyu plastered to his face aside, tucked the thin blanket over Victini and Vulpix, and without even changing out of his pajamas, Luo Mu flung the window open with fierce momentum to gaze at the sky.

While opening the window, Luo Mu was thinking that Skarmory and the others hadn't caused any trouble for quite some time; had they eaten the wrong medicine this morning?

Only when Luo Mu saw the flock of Murkrow gathering in the sky, under Skarmory's command, launching ranged attacks toward a certain spot at the farm's edge did he realize something was amiss.

"Is it an invasion by wild Pokémon?"

Squinting his still-sore eyes and suppressing the urge to rub them, Luo Mu muttered to himself.

Ever since Skarmory Skarmory Sanmao's flock was incorporated into the farm as temporary dispatch workers to guard its peace, such incidents had occurred occasionally.

After all, the farm was located in the suburbs, adjacent to the wilds, and cultivated many crops, berries, and even secret seasoning ingredients that held great temptation for wild Pokémon.

In the wilds of Paldea, there were also many wild Pokémon willing to risk everything for food; attacks by Stantler, Houndour, and Houndoom were frequent occurrences.

Previously, Luxray alone guarded the gate, daring no petty thieves to provoke trouble; now, unless Murkrow and Skarmory could not hold the line, Luxray, Feng Su Gou, and the Braixen pack would only then deploy.

Of course, this did not mean sending Skarmory Skarmory Sanmao and the others to serve as cannon fodder.

After all, as long as they experienced battle, the rewards Luo Mu gave them would be much richer, allowing them to gain combat experience and train the young birds.

With Comfey present, there was no fear of injury; unlike in the wild where they constantly had to weigh whether to retreat or accept the consequences of being hurt, Skarmory Sanmao and the others were naturally very willing to take on this task.

Just like on some previous morning, Skarmory Skarmory Sanmao had once again chosen the tactic of high-altitude harassment combined with moves to restrict the opponent's movement.

However, the effect seemed somewhat less than ideal.

"Caw— Caw— Caw!"

The flapping Murkrow emitted hoarse cries, attempting to attract the attention of the entity below.

Yet that creature simply ignored them, continuing to approach the farm's fence step by slow step.

Seeing that the opponent accepted the warning yet refused to retreat, Skarmory Sanmao swept its wing down, and the Murkrow immediately synchronized to use Air Cutter; sharp wind blades rained down from the sky, yet that strange Pokémon still did not raise its head, letting the Air Cutter strikes land on its body, sparking showers of sparks.

"Such strong defense—"

This thought flashed through Skarmory Sanmao's intelligent brain, its crimson pupils locking tightly onto that "Pokémon" below.

Its appearance resembled a fusion of Gardevoir and Gallade; unlike Skarmory itself, whose metal substance was contained only within its feathers and the armor covering its body, that Pokémon was composed entirely of an unknown metal, looking just like a robot.

In its left hand, it held a double-edged pink-purple blade with a certain curvature, shimmering with an inexplicable light.

That blade had not revealed its sharpness even once from start to finish; realizing that its kin's attacks could not even break the opponent's defense, Skarmory halted their actions, instead descending slightly in altitude to personally confront the threat.

"Caw—!"

Stepping forward, Skarmory issued a final warning to the mysterious Pokémon, roughly meaning that if it insisted on invading the farm, then it, the invincible Skarmory of the skies, would become its opponent!

This time, the mysterious Pokémon finally deigned to lift its head and glance at Skarmory.

In its electronic eyes, which bore a color very similar to Skarmory's, streams of data flashed; within its virtual vision visible only to itself, the nearby Skarmory displaying hostility was marked as a hostile organism.

If it is a hostile organism, it must be excluded, destroyed, and erased.

The mysterious Pokémon tightened its grip on the shimmering pink-purple blade in its hand, aimed at Skarmory, and slashed down!

The next instant.

As the pink-purple blade erupted with brilliant light, a nearly solidified crescent-shaped psychic blade suddenly shrieked forth, its target clearly fixed on Skarmory.

Everything happened far too suddenly; Skarmory had no time to react, let alone raise a defense, and could only stare blankly as the blade, which seemed capable of easily slicing through its armor and even splitting its spirit in two, rushed toward it.

At this moment, Luxray, having arrived nearby due to the commotion and having refrained from acting according to protocol until now, made its move.

Accompanied by Luxray's roar, a thunderbolt crashed down from the firmament directly onto the psychic blade; the Electric-type energy of the lightning and the Psychic-type energy of the blade tore at each other, finally exploding together with a deafening bang; the powerful shockwave blew the stunned Skarmory away, while Luxray seized the opportunity to cloak itself in Lei Ting, cross the distance, and stand firmly before the mysterious Pokémon.

Seeing Big Brother Luxray make such a handsome entrance to save the day, Feng Su Gou and the Braixen pack felt their hearts surge with excitement, equally eager to join Luxray in repelling the mysterious Pokémon.

"Meow-ao—"

Just as they were about to burst through the farm fence, the Luxray shook its black mane, the four-pointed golden star on its tail quivering rapidly; it opened its mouth and emitted a low growl, warning Feng Su Gou and the Braided Hound not to approach—

This fellow is formidable, definitely not an opponent you can handle!

This Pokémon is absolutely on the same level as Meng Lei Gu, or even a powerhouse surpassing it.

The Luxray could suppress it without issue, but if it went on a rampage, it would inevitably destroy things on the farm, which was the Luxray's greatest worry.

Fortunately, the farm lay directly behind it, and companions were continuously rushing over due to the commotion here; until then, the Luxray only needed to block this mysterious Pokémon and prevent it from taking a single step closer to the farm.

The Luxray let out a deep roar, its golden eyes as blazing and dazzling as flowing gold, seeming capable of piercing through every obstacle before it.

As if sensing the threat from the Luxray, which far exceeded that of the Corviknight, the mysterious Pokémon assumed a stance for the first time, raising its pink-purple blade that shimmered with brilliance.

Battle was imminent.

(End of Chapter)