Chapter 359: Luxray VS Spectrier

"Are the two beloved horses of the King of Bounty named Spectrier and Snowsteed?"

Walking behind Luo Mu, who was holding Cosmog, and Lei Guan Wang, Mudkip asked her older sister Sordward beside her.

To be honest, having only seen it once, she wasn't actually sure whether the book her idiot father had retrieved mentioned that Lei Guan Wang had two beloved horses named Spectrier and Snowsteed respectively.

Hearing Mudkip's question, Sordward pondered, recalling the contents of her memory, then shook her head: "That book did not explicitly state this... no, rather, it never confirmed this point at all."

"It is said that the King of Bounty has beloved horses serving at his side; some legends describe them as black as the deep night, while others say their forms are as pure white as ice lotuses blooming atop snowy mountain peaks... There are many accounts in the books, but the true form of those beloved horses remains unknown."

"If the beloved horses truly are two, as Teacher Luo Mu says, one named Spectrier and one named Snowsteed, then that would make sense."

Mudkip mused thoughtfully: "Judging by the names Snowsteed and Spectrier, I feel their types must be Ice and Ghost."

The conversation between the two did not escape Luo Mu and Lei Guan Wang walking ahead; Lei Guan Wang's movement, floating via psychic power, paused briefly, and a telepathic voice sounded, directed solely at Luo Mu: "Luo Mu, how do you intend... to help me find my beloved horses?"

"One of them moves with an elusive trail, while the other is exceptionally suited for traversing this icy, snowy Crown Tundra."

The Crown Tundra is simply too vast; even those Pokémon enlarged by energy emanating from extraterrestrial meteors rising from the ground are but a single drop in the ocean compared to this Crown Tundra.

In this expansive land of the Crown Tundra, the difficulty of finding them is exceedingly high.

Luo Mu did not answer Lei Guan Wang immediately; instead, he walked a bit further, stopping just before exiting the edge of the Snowslide Slope, pointing toward that barren land with a slight smile: "Do you still remember what they like to eat?"

Looking at that barren field, Lei Guan Wang stared blankly for a moment, sinking into recollection.

After a moment, it said uncertainly: "I only recall that they seemed particularly fond of causing mischief in the fields of my former subjects; priests would often come to me, requesting that I pacify the beloved horses wreaking havoc in the farmlands."

"It took great effort on my part to make them behave, yet back then, the bellies of my beloved horses were always bulging before they left the farmlands; could it be..."

Luo Mu nodded, affirming Lei Guan Wang's speculation: "Correct, they are very fond of the crops in the farmlands; more precisely, they are very fond of the special radishes grown in this field."

"Radishes... I see, so you intend to use crops to lure my beloved horses?"

Lei Guan Wang felt somewhat moved; it had not expected Luo Mu to have considered matters to this extent.

"I have already sent my other partners to the Ancient Cemetery to plant radishes; according to the records in that book, the black radishes grown in the fields there seem to be even more attractive to the black Spectrier."

Luo Mu first explained to Lei Guan Wang that he had already made preparations.

Immediately after, he asked indirectly: "Is it sufficient to merely encounter Spectrier, allowing Victini to provide you with power, for you to suppress it and restore your strength?"

Hearing this, Lei Guan Wang pondered and said: "No... my beloved horses and I are ultimately two separate individuals; to unify our powers, we require an item called the 'Reins of Unity,' once offered to me by my former subjects."

"Yet since my awakening... it has been a long time since any human offered me the Reins of Unity."

Lei Guan Wang's tone grew somewhat heavy; without the Reins of Unity, it could not restore its power by merging into one with its beloved horses.

In the past, it possessed abundant faith power and was not overly reliant on merging or the Reins of Unity, never expecting to fall into such a predicament.

It did not know the specific method for crafting the Reins of Unity, nor did it even know the materials required.

Luo Mu knew what troubled Lei Guan Wang; he simply spoke, telling it not to worry, as he had already thought of a solution for this point, and the immediate priority was to reach the Ancient Cemetery first.

Thanks to the Grassy Terrain effect of Comfey, those radishes, which could only be considered ordinary crops, might have already taken root and sprouted by now.

At this moment, Mudkip and Sordward also noticed Luo Mu and Lei Guan Wang stopping before this abandoned field in the Snowslide Slope.

They recalled that this seemed to be one of the fields Luo Mu had mentioned for planting radishes?

Just as the two were about to speak and ask, Lei Guan Wang's telepathy connected with them, and a majestic voice rang out: "Then... let us use my Teleport to instantly travel to the resting place where the dead of the past sleep and are mourned."

Space began to ripple.

The Ancient Cemetery is one of the few areas in the Crown Tundra not completely covered by pristine white snow.

Tombstones eroded by time had long lost their original appearance; outside this area where crooked tombstones stood in rows, there lay an abandoned field.

Unlike the fields in the Snowslide Slope, which possess a high danger level, few dangerous wild Pokémon appear near the Ancient Cemetery; however, in contrast, come nightfall, this place becomes a paradise for Ghost-type Pokémon.

Cemeteries have always been the places most prone to spawning Ghost-type Pokémon, let alone this Ancient Cemetery, which has buried countless deceased.

Since most Ghost-type Pokémon are nocturnal by nature, the villagers of Freezington did not abandon the fields here due to the danger posed by Ghost-type Pokémon.

It was simply that they found it rather unsettling.

Before Peony departed with Hearing Nimo and the other two, they had specifically sought directions from the villagers.

Guided by the slightly surprised villagers, the three successfully reached the Ancient Cemetery and found that abandoned field, whose soil texture was perhaps even harder than some concrete mixed with too much water.

Peony himself came from a relatively wealthy family, Hearing Nimo was even more of a heavyweight case, and as for Piers, he was only half-knowledgeable about farming methods.

Fortunately, Luo Mu had already anticipated this situation and sent Arven, who often followed right behind him, to go along.

Under Arven's direction, Peony first sent out his Excadrill, which had learned the plowing move but had hardly ever used it; under the guidance of Arven and Comfey, it stumblingly loosened the soil texture somewhat.

Immediately after, under Comfey's direction, they began digging small holes to bury the radish seeds.

Although coming from a wealthy family, Hearing Nimo did not resist these tasks; even with mud splattered on her, her smile remained brilliant.

Unfortunately, her stamina could not compare to Mudkip, the homebody who had been walking with Luo Mu; after working for a while, she became so tired she was panting, prompting Peony, who had long known through their time together that she was a sports idiot with extremely poor stamina, to persuade her to stop.

Soon, half a bag of radish seeds had been sown; Arven, following Luo Mu's instructions, left the other half bag behind, watching as Luxray skillfully summoned rain clouds to rain and irrigate the field, while Comfey activated Grassy Terrain to nourish and accelerate the growth of the radish seeds.

In just a short while, strange-looking purple leaves unfurled.

According to Comfey's experience, the radishes should mature in about half a day.

Hearing Nimo, Arven, Piers, and the young-at-heart Peony formed a circle, squatting outside the field to observe the radish leaves poking out, their expressions peculiar.

Hearing Nimo: "So radishes in the field look like this!"

Piers: "But I recall radishes should have a nearly transparent hue..."

Peony: "Could it be black skin on the outside and white flesh inside?"

Arven: "... Is it possible that this area nearby is a cemetery?"

Luxray and Comfey, perched atop its head, were speechless for a moment; these people...

Just then, subtle ripples suddenly appeared in the surrounding space.

Luxray's ears twitched, and its star-shaped tail tip swayed; keen-sensed as it was, it did not miss this fluctuation, especially since its nose also caught a scent deeply engraved in its memory.

"Lux..."

Luxray lifted its head, looking toward a tree not far behind.

Luo Mu's figure had distinctly appeared there.

The Luxray's golden eyes turned to Lei Guan Wang beside Luo Mu, meeting the king's majestic gaze for an instant before looking away as if nothing had happened.

Instead, Lei Guan Wang narrowed its eyes; judging by its discernment, that large cat might well be even stronger than its beloved steed.

As expected, Luo Mu's identity in the human world was probably far from simple.

Because of the Luxray's reaction, Peony and the others, who had been focused on discussing what the radish looked like, also cast their gazes toward the tree; upon clearly seeing the figure there, they immediately displayed expressions of delight.

"Teacher! Little Little Dandan, Little Xia Xia!"

A moment later.

Luo Mu looked at the radish leaves in the field, which displayed a colorful array of black-purple hues, and mused thoughtfully, "So these are the black radishes that the Shadow Rider likes."

Lei Guan Wang's gaze fell upon the vast cemetery area surrounding them; a trace of reminiscence flowed in Emperor Yan Di's eyes as it nodded slightly, "Speaking of which, I often used to see the Shadow Rider's figure near here in the past."

Comfey had already finished healing Cangyan Cangyan Rengui; due to the consecutive Grassy Terrain and floral therapy, Luo Mu pondered for a moment and then had it return to its Poké Ball to rest.

Taking its place was Victini, perched on the Luxray's back, who, due to some inexplicably solemn atmosphere surrounding them, was rarely failing to look here and poke there.

Because of Lei Guan Wang's complex emotions toward the people of Galar now, Peony and the others, at the suggestion of Marnie and Sordward, retreated to a place farther from the field, exchanging whispers about their experiences over these short few hours.

Upon hearing that Lei Guan Wang was the King of Bountiful Harvests in person, Peony and his Ancient Tomb group were astonished for quite a while.

Immediately after, Marnie and Sordward shared the news that Luo Mu had easily cleared the Bingshan Ruins and captured the legendary giant, the Iceberg Titan Lei Ji Ice.

Hearing Nimo, the number-one Luo Mu fan, became somewhat excited, her cheeks even flushing slightly from the thrill: "As expected of Teacher Luo Mu!"

Peony, however, felt somewhat defeated; looking at Luo Mu's back with a hint of admiration, he murmured, "He actually knows the method to awaken the giants within the ruins."

Unaware of the discussion among his companions behind him, Luo Mu beckoned to Victini: "Victini, come here for a moment."

"Tini?"

Victini flew before Luo Mu, tilting its head in confusion.

Luo Mu nudged toward the Cosmog in his arms and said, "Cosmog seems to have fallen into a deep sleep after expending much of its power; could you try helping it replenish a little?"

"Tini!"

Victini immediately placed its hands on its hips and nodded.

It loved helping others most of all, not to mention Cosmog was its comrade-in-arms who had together tricked Poffins out of Luo Mu!

Victini immediately touched the sleeping Cosmog with its small hands; as a golden aura rose, infinite energy flowed continuously, transmitting into Cosmog's body.

Watching this scene from the side, Emperor Yan Di in Lei Guan Wang's eyes filled with curiosity and a desire to explore.

This little fellow called Victini was far more formidable than it had imagined.

Not only could it recharge itself... but even for something like Cosmog, whose internal source of power even someone as knowledgeable as Lei Guan Wang could not discern, it could still provide recharging.

Just as Luo Mu had said, Victini's energy was omnipotent energy.

Midway through the transmission, Cosmog began to show a reaction.

First, its eyes trembled slightly; then, Cosmog opened its somewhat bewildered eyes.

This time, the first thing to enter its vision was still the figure of Lei Guan Wang.

Cosmog paused for a moment, without pondering why Lei Guan Wang had reappeared before it; it let out a cry of delight, floated up from Luo Mu's arms, and flew straight into Lei Guan Wang's embrace.

"Mogu!"

Lei Guan Wang's expression was somewhat complex; sighing deep in its heart, it ultimately did not repeat its previous action and instead embraced Cosmog.

Watching Cosmog acting spoiled in Lei Guan Wang's arms, Luo Mu's smile grew even wider.

For some reason, looking at one big head and one small head, he recalled an animated series he had watched in his childhood memories.

Judging by the current situation, it was "Big-Headed Father and Small-Headed Son or Daughter," wasn't it?

With Lei Guan Wang present, Cosmog's emotions were obviously much more stable, and also more excited.

After Lei Guan Wang and Cosmog had shared a tender moment for a while, Luo Mu finally spoke: "Respected King of Bountiful Harvests, may I have the honor of witnessing the power of bounty?"

Lei Guan Wang clearly detected the teasing tone in Luo Mu's voice; perhaps because it had faced its own heart directly, its mood was also very good at this moment.

Moving slightly closer to the field beside the Ancient Tomb, Lei Guan Wang nodded slightly and said, "Very well, let you all witness it; my grace shall descend upon this land once more!"

As soon as the words fell, Lei Guan Wang held nothing back, mobilizing all the energy remaining after Victini had recharged it, followed by the depletion from multiple uses of Teleport and telepathy.

A vivid green light ignited upon its body; that light seemed to contain dense vitality, and merely by appearing, it purified all the faintly visible decay qi lingering within this Ancient Tomb.

Then, under Lei Guan Wang's control, these green lights seemed to transform into countless fireflies, forming a brilliant green river that poured entirely into the field, rippling outward like waves generated in a lake.

The black radishes in the field, as if they had "consumed" some great tonic, grew at a speed visible to the naked eye under the shocked gazes of Peony and the others.

In just a short while, the field became filled with curved-shaped black radishes.

"Mo mo~~~"

Watching Lei Guan Wang display such tremendous power, even though it did not understand what this represented, Cosmog still happily circled around it, letting out excited cries.

Marnie's pupils constricted as she whispered aloud, "This is the power of the King of Bountiful Harvests..."

Peony, however, thought even more; a trace of worry flashed in Emperor Yan Di's eyes.

The future of Galar that his detestable older brother worried about... beneath the exhaustion of energy sources, there was also the depletion of natural resources...

If it were the King of Bountiful Harvests in its prime, perhaps, just as the legends claimed, even barren lands could regain their greenery.

What a noble existence had Galar truly lost...

But having learned the truth of the matter, by this point, he could no longer shamelessly open his mouth to request that Lei Guan Wang remain in the Galar region.

After accomplishing all this, the light surrounding Lei Guan Wang flickered weakly a few times like a short-circuited lightbulb, then vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye, becoming fainter than a firefly's glow.

At this moment, Lei Guan Wang had returned to a state where it could only maintain suspension via psychic powers, unable even to speak.

"Lei..."

Lei Guan Wang looked toward Luo Mu; before its cry could finish, Luo Mu, as if knowing exactly what it was worried about, spoke to Victini beside him: "This time, I must trouble you to increase your output power a bit and help Lei Guan Wang recover to a degree where it can fight freely."

"Bi mi!"

Victini nodded lightly, approached Lei Guan Wang, clasped the hand it actively extended, and infinite energy began to transmit.

Receiving Victini's continuous recharging, after recovering the power for telepathy, Lei Guan Wang immediately hurriedly spoke:

"I have sensed it; the aura of my beloved horse is rapidly approaching this place!"

"Perhaps your companion earlier caused the black radishes to sprout; my beloved horse detected this sign and has already hastened toward this side!"

"Furthermore, with black radishes covering fully half of this field, for my beloved horse, who has likely not tasted a black radish for several hundred years, this is extremely tempting!"

After all, Victini was replenishing the energy Lei Guan Wang had lost due to weakness, so it was naturally impossible to complete the charging in just a few seconds.

According to Lei Guan Wang's estimation, Spectrier would arrive here in less than a minute.

Assuming Victini could continue charging him, it would take at least three minutes to recover to a level capable of suppressing Spectrier!

But during this interval, there existed a massive gap.

Luo Mu knew what Lei Guan Wang was worried about; he squatted down, skillfully pulled a black radish from the ground, glanced toward Peony not far away to signal him to protect the children, and only then spoke:

"Rest assured, I will hold off Spectrier during this time; you need only focus on recovering your strength, then make a dashing entrance and compel Spectrier to submit to you once more."

As if echoing Luo Mu's confident declaration, Luxray stepped forward several paces, its golden eyes growing ever more brilliant; through the obstruction of countless trees, it clearly saw a jet-black steed treading upon mist resembling souls, galloping through the air toward this direction.

Within moments, even Peony and the others clearly heard the loud sound of hooves striking the ground.

Immediately afterward, a Pokémon entirely black, possessing a blue mane and a light-blue tail, arrived treading upon empty air, appearing within everyone's field of vision!

Perhaps because the attraction of the black radishes was too immense, even though it was still daytime, Spectrier—a Ghost-type Pokémon that preferred quiet environments—still swaggered boldly into view here.

After letting out a loud neigh, Spectrier moved from afar to near, its gaze firmly stuck on the black radish in Luo Mu's hand, and charged directly at Luo Mu!

Seeing his beloved horse after a long separation, Lei Guan Wang became slightly agitated: "Oh! Spectrier, my beloved horse, it has been long since I last saw your majestic form, black as the night!"

However, Spectrier seemed to have forgotten Lei Guan Wang entirely; it didn't even glance at him, pressing straight toward Luo Mu!

Lei Guan Wang felt somewhat awkward and could only use psychic power to draw Cosmog closer to himself, lest it be caught up in the battle over there.

Just as Spectrier was about to approach Luo Mu, Luxray blocked its path like a bolt of lightning, lowering its body and emitting a threatening growl from its throat.

"Neigh—!"

Spectrier let out a surprised neigh, hastily braking with its front hooves, and looked at Luxray with some wariness.

Spectrier's instincts told it that Luxray posed a great threat!

But the field full of black radishes was equally impossible to ignore; Spectrier gazed longingly at those black radishes, intending to take a gamble!

Letting out another loud, dark neigh, Spectrier immediately lifted its muscular front hooves, concentrated rich Ghost-type energy in its mouth, and formed a black energy sphere that flew toward Luxray!

Do not be misled by Spectrier's sturdy build; this fellow actually excels more at using special attacks.

"Thunderbolt!"

Luo Mu still adhered to the essential etiquette of Electric-type Pokémon trainers—starting with Thunderbolt.

Blinding electric light flared around Luxray, colliding fiercely with the Shadow Ball.

Amidst the roaring explosion, Luxray did not pause its movements in the slightest; wreathed in electric current, it charged violently at Spectrier!

Wild Charge!

But Spectrier's reaction was also swift; relying on its keen five senses beyond sight to detect Luxray's movements,

Spectrier instantly sank into bottomless shadow, dodged via Phantom Force, and instantly reappeared behind Luxray, its raised front hooves about to strike down!

Knowing Spectrier very well, Lei Guan Wang hurriedly shouted a warning: "Careful! If kicked by my beloved horse, there is a high probability that consciousness and body will temporarily separate!"

However, Luxray and Luo Mu's response exceeded Lei Guan Wang's expectations.

"Snarl!"

"Roar—!"

A sky-shaking roar erupted from Luxray's mouth; nearly solidified black energy waves mixed with sound waves, rippling outward with Luxray at the center, directly flipping Spectrier upside down!

"Ghost-neigh—"

With its vision suddenly spinning, Spectrier stared blankly at the sky, letting out a neigh of disbelief.

Was it really only a few hundred years since it last came here? Had those farmers, who in its memory were explosively weak, become this fierce now?

Seizing this opportunity, Luo Mu also emphasized an important lesson to the several students behind him: "Remember, Dark-type attacks are super effective against Ghost-type Pokémon!"

"If that Ghost-type Pokémon is also a type specializing in special attacks, do not hesitate; just roar at it!"

(End of Chapter)