Chapter 362: The Retired King of Galar!

At this moment, aside from keeping part of its attention on the field full of Ice Carrots, Snowstorm Horse directed most of its focus toward the Luxray blocking its path.

It vaguely sensed the Luxray's strength, but it felt that strength was good; the stronger the opponent, the longer they could endure under its attacks.

Its nose suddenly expelled two streams of frosty cold air capable of freezing objects; covered in cold air, Snowstorm Horse neighed and charged fiercely at the Luxray!

The Luxray's peripheral vision fell upon Luo Mu behind it and the several Pokémon still needing care; having no intention to dodge, it wrapped itself in fierce lightning and likewise charged at Snowstorm Horse!

Facing the intense cold air and immense force released from Snowstorm Horse's hooves and nose, the Luxray directly unleashed an electric current to pierce through the cold air, then gathered its strength and head-butted Snowstorm Horse.

The power of this Wild Charge strike was extremely formidable; neither Snowstorm Horse nor the Luxray held back, yet Snowstorm Horse was still knocked flying backward by the Luxray's collision.

"Ice-neigh—!?"

Snowstorm Horse's neigh was forced to carry a trace of disbelief.

In a contest of pure strength, it had actually lost to that Luxray!?

After the shock came even greater anger; Snowstorm Horse could not tolerate the fact that it, the King of the Pokémon in this Wang Guan Snowfield, had been knocked over by an unknown Luxray.

Immediately, more cold air erupted from its frozen hooves, condensing out of thin air into ice blocks that allowed it to stand, stabilize its posture, and connect with the ground.

Snowstorm Horse let out an angry neigh as cold air gushed forth wildly; in the blink of an eye, numerous sharp ice pillars condensed in the air, aimed at the Luxray, including Luo Mu and the three Pokémon behind it within their target range!

Luo Mu hugged Cosmog tightly, merely worried that it might run around wildly due to fright.

However, whether it was the Vulpix beside him gazing at the ice pillars in the sky with thoughtful curiosity, the Victini eager to try, or even Luo Mu himself, none of them felt any fear.

Because, whether it was the Luxray now surrounded by bursting electric light, preparing to discharge at full power, or Lei Guan Wang hiding in the shadows observing the situation, neither would allow such a thing to happen.

Just as Luo Mu expected, when the electricity released by the Luxray's "Discharge" resembled a leafless golden tree, branching out countless limbs to shatter Snowstorm Horse's "Icicle Crash,"

Lei Guan Wang, hidden in the shadows, also felt the time had come; riding the Spectrier that emitted a dark neigh, it trod through the air and arrived.

The purple mist beneath Spectrier's hooves seemed to transform into a bridge for it to walk upon in the sky; under the starry night sky, the cape behind Lei Guan Wang danced along with the wind's trajectory.

Lei Guan Wang glanced in astonishment at the Luxray, which was evenly matched with Snowstorm Horse—no, under Luo Mu's command, it would surely defeat Snowstorm Horse.

Its strength clearly surpassed both Snowstorm Horse and the Spectrier resonating with itself; although there was still a considerable distance between it and its current self, what was even more precious was that, in Lei Guan Wang's eyes, the Luxray's potential was like stars hanging in the night sky, brilliant and dazzling.

Luo Mu, who had unlocked the Luxray's potential, was likewise such a person; in every era, there always exist such dazzling humans, which made Lei Guan Wang sigh with emotion.

The moment Lei Guan Wang appeared riding Spectrier, Snowstorm Horse sensed something was wrong; it immediately stopped releasing cold air, lifted its front hooves, and attempted to turn around and flee.

It possessed a temper even more irritable than Fire-type Pokémon and particularly loved battle, but that did not mean it was foolish.

Seeing that Lei Guan Wang had already completed resonance with that utterly unscrupulous Spectrier, although somewhat unwilling, Snowstorm Horse knew that since it struggled just to fight a Luxray, there was not the slightest possibility of defeating Lei Guan Wang.

Rather than suffer a beating and then be forced to submit, it was better to flee first.

Snowstorm Horse was confident; although its ice armor made its movements slow, as long as it rode upon an ice surface constructed from cold air to slide, its speed would be sufficient to shake off Lei Guan Wang riding Spectrier!

Fortunately, Lei Guan Wang knew Snowstorm Horse's nature crystal clear; ever since Snowstorm Horse broke into this place and began battling the Luxray, it had fallen into the trap set by Lei Guan Wang.

The Luxray ceased releasing electricity; watching Lei Guan Wang riding Spectrier soar past overhead, breaking through the ice shards formed by Icicle Crash, a hidden fighting spirit subtly rose within its heart.

Everyone is constantly growing stronger; perhaps it was time for itself to challenge its limits.

Watching Snowstorm Horse frantically creating ice layers in an attempt to escape, Lei Guan Wang narrowed its eyes; amidst Spectrier's neigh that carried a tone of schadenfreude, it once again condensed numerous dark spiritual energies.

Under Lei Guan Wang's control, these spiritual energies fell like meteors streaking across the night sky onto Snowstorm Horse's inevitable path, instantly shattering upon impact!

This was the Ghost-type exclusive move "Star Shatter," which Lei Guan Wang could only use while resonating with Spectrier!

Boom—!

Snowstorm Horse, which had not yet constructed the ice layer needed for sliding, clearly could not dodge this Star Shatter strike with its slightly Clumsy and Heavy agility.

Accompanied by the explosion of countless starlight bodies, Snowstorm Horse let out a cry of pain; it was actually knocked flat to the ground by Lei Guan Wang in a single move!

At the instant it was blown to the ground, Snowstorm Horse knew it was about to flip over again.

Crack—

As Spectrier's faintly visible purple hooves crushed the ice layer and landed before Snowstorm Horse, the latter let out a weak neigh and looked up.

But the first thing it saw was not Lei Guan Wang's majestic gaze; its field of vision was entirely occupied by Spectrier's face.

At this moment, Spectrier's entire horse-face wore an expression of mockery and schadenfreude, as if it were watching Snowstorm Horse's misfortune for amusement.

In reality, it was indeed watching Snowstorm Horse's misfortune; even the neigh Lei Guan Wang subconsciously emitted while tightening the reins carried a certain sense of ridicule.

Snowstorm Horse immediately bulged several blue veins on its forehead, fury brewing in its heart.

At this moment, Lei Guan Wang released the reins and floated down; looking down at Snowstorm Horse, it said lightly to Spectrier, "My beloved steed, you two have not seen each other for some time; do not start any more conflicts."

Spectrier's body stiffened; it turned its head to look elsewhere, as if admiring the scenery.

Meanwhile, Lei Guan Wang extended both hands; several drops of water containing substantial life energy formed, and under Lei Guan Wang's control, sprinkled onto Snowstorm Horse's wounds.

Before long, Snowstorm Horse's injuries were completely healed by Lei Guan Wang using "Life Dew."

Snowstorm Horse manipulated its limbs to stand up again; the look in its eyes toward Lei Guan Wang now held several parts of resignation and giving up.

If caught, then caught; what else could be done? Life must go on, after all.

At least submitting to Lei Guan Wang meant it could at least eat the Ice Carrots in the fields nearby, and even experience the good fortune of having its strength enhanced by Lei Guan Wang's psychic energy.

For the battle-loving Snowstorm Horse, this was not a bad thing; many years ago, it had submitted to Lei Guan Wang with this same mindset.

Thinking of this, Snowstorm Horse, just like the Spectrier captured by Lei Guan Wang, knelt on the ground, once again offering its loyalty to Lei Guan Wang, and stood on either side of Lei Guan Wang.

Seeing that matters had concluded smoothly, Luo Mu approached Lei Guan Wang, holding Cosmog, accompanied by the Luxray, Victini, and Vulpix.

Not yet knowing his relationship with Lei Guan Wang, Snowstorm Horse frowned; its nostrils immediately expelled two streams of cold air as it looked warningly at Luo Mu, especially the Luxray beside him.

Having seen the King, why do you not pay homage?

Impudent fellow!

Lei Guan Wang knew that Snowstorm Horse had not yet resonated with itself and was unaware of Luo Mu's relationship with it; it did not get angry, merely saying lightly, "Snowstorm Horse, Luo Mu is a friend of mine; do not be rude."

Snowstorm Horse's pupils instantly contracted; having followed Lei Guan Wang for so long, it knew very well how much weight Lei Guan Wang's word "friend" carried.

Snowstorm Horse couldn't help but cast an inquiring glance at the Spectrier on the other side; perhaps having been scolded, Spectrier did not provoke Snowstorm Horse this time, merely signaling it to just watch.

Snowstorm Horse: What's going on?

Spectrier: The things that will shock you are yet to come.

The Shadowsteed suddenly felt a sense of superiority born from an information gap, anticipating the shocked expression on the Icesteed's face when it discovered their King's completely different mindset.

Luo Mu went straight to Lei Guan Wang and, just like ordinary friends interacting, began chatting directly with Lei Guan Wang: "The Reins of Unity are still missing one set."

Lei Guan Wang also noticed this point and nodded gently: "What you say is correct."

The Reins of Unity made from the Shadowsteed's mane and the radiant petals can only allow Lei Guan Wang and the Shadowsteed to achieve unity of horse and rider.

But to achieve unity of horse and rider with the Icesteed, one needs the Reins of Unity made from the Icesteed's mane and the radiant petals.

It was precisely for this reason that Luo Mu had specially learned the sewing technique for the Reins of Unity.

As soon as he finished speaking, while the Icesteed wore an expression of bewilderment mixed with confusion, Luo Mu suddenly pulled out a hammer and walked up to it.

Judging by Luo Mu's demeanor, he seemed to carry not a shred of fear.

Under Lei Guan Wang's command of "Do not move," the Icesteed could only stand stiffly in place.

It could only watch helplessly as Luo Mu swung the hammer, directly smashing part of the ice on its back, then plucked out much of its mane that was exposed to the air again due to the ice shattering.

But what made the Icesteed even more devastated was this:

With Lei Guan Wang's tacit approval, those three tiny creatures, so weak that the Icesteed usually couldn't be bothered to glance at them, directly climbed onto its back and started using it as a slide!

Seemingly perceiving the Icesteed's crumbling expression, the Shadowsteed did not kick it while it was down this time; it let out a neigh and then nudged its snout toward the Cosmog on the Icesteed's back.

"Neigh-whinny—" (See that? That weakest little one will probably be the prince we serve in the future.)

"Ice-neigh—!?" (What did you say!?)

A look of shock and uncertainty flashed in Emperor Yan Di's eyes; it immediately forgot about Luo Mu plucking its mane, its gaze lingering for a moment on Lei Guan Wang before following its line of sight to Cosmog.

Come to think of it, that doting gaze truly looked the part.

This reminded the Icesteed of some Pokémon it had occasionally seen in Wang Guan carrying their young; their eyes seemed very similar to Lei Guan Wang's current gaze.

Holding the Icesteed's mane and having received new radiant petals from Lei Guan Wang, Luo Mu, before sewing the Reins of Unity, curiously glanced at the Icesteed and Shadowsteed, whose expressions and emotions were incredibly rich, and felt something stir in his heart.

Although these two Pokémon appeared merely as background elements defined as "the King's beloved horses" in the game, with almost no characterization given to them as crafting materials,

it now seemed clear that the two beloved horses each possessed distinct personalities and rich emotions.

There was the Shadowsteed, a foodie capable of bending and stretching with flexible principles.

And the Icesteed, a foodie with a temper but not lacking the calmness typical of Ice-type Pokémon.

Sighing slightly with emotion, Luo Mu leaned against his Luxray and sat on the ground, taking out the sewing tools he had bought from the old village chief before leaving, and began clumsily sewing, following the method Peony had used back then.

Once he actually started, although he was somewhat clumsy at first, Luo Mu quickly grasped the key points and, after spending a little time, successfully sewed the new Reins of Unity.

Looking at the Reins of Unity in his hand, which shimmered under the scattered light emitted by the moon's glow and the stars, Luo Mu breathed a sigh of relief.

As expected, singing was not necessary to successfully sew the Reins of Unity.

When Luo Mu brought the Reins of Unity to Lei Guan Wang, it was sitting in the snow holding Cosmog, gazing at the night sky that appeared exceptionally beautiful against the backdrop of the quiet, snow-filled valley.

The Icesteed and Shadowsteed lay prone beside Lei Guan Wang, resting with their eyes quietly closed.

Vulpix and Victini also seemed tired from playing, leaning against them and sleeping soundly.

The snow-filled valley at night was extremely quiet; perhaps linked to Lei Guan Wang's previous high-power Star Fall attack, even the howling of wild Pokémon at night seemed intimidated, having vanished without a trace.

"Luo Mu, you have come."

As Luo Mu and the Luxray approached, Lei Guan Wang already knew the two of them had arrived.

Thanks to the various convenient effects of psychic powers and the mental transmission channels constructed for different targets via telepathy, there was no need to make any gesture of lowering one's voice.

"The previous Reins of Unity were sewn by the old village chief of Frostpoint Village and Peony; this one was sewn by my own hands. You can try it to see if it works; if it doesn't, I will modify it again."

Luo Mu nodded, handed the Reins of Unity to Lei Guan Wang, and then sat down on the snow next to it alongside the Luxray.

With the cold-protective clothing offering good insulation, there was no need to worry about the skin contacting the snow through the protective gear suffering frostbite due to the low temperature.

Holding the Reins of Unity, Lei Guan Wang closed its eyes and tried to circulate its spiritual power within the reins.

After a moment, it opened its eyes and said: "It is perfect; the circulation and transmission of power will not have the slightest stagnation. Even among the Reins of Unity offered by my former subjects in my lonely memories, its quality is extremely excellent. Are you very skilled at sewing?"

Luo Mu shook his head: "I have just begun learning."

Lei Guan Wang praised him without hesitation: "You are very talented."

A smile appeared on Luo Mu's face; he tapped his fingers lightly on the ground to summon the Mimikyu hidden in his shadow, picked it up, and said to Lei Guan Wang: "Because I want to sew a plush doll for it that is even cuter than Pikachu."

Held by Luo Mu, Mimikyu poked a Shadow Claw out from beneath its plush costume and shyly covered the pair of small eyes on its doll disguise.

Obviously, it too was looking forward to the plush doll Luo Mu would sew for it with his own hands, rather than the "defective product" Pikachu plushie it currently wore, which had been found in the scrap warehouse of a doll shop.

Lei Guan Wang's gaze first fell upon Mimikyu, its expression showing a slight surprise.

At least before Luo Mu summoned Mimikyu, it had completely failed to detect Mimikyu hiding in Luo Mu's shadow.

Looking closely, there seemed to be a certain very special energy lingering around Mimikyu, a type Lei Guan Wang had never seen before, which caused Lei Guan Wang to subconsciously overlook Mimikyu's existence.

With a look of admiration, Lei Guan Wang said: "Although it is very special, the bond between you two is so good that even I feel surprised."

Lei Guan Wang even felt that perhaps the affection between Luo Mu and his Pokémon had long surpassed the bond between itself and its beloved horses.

That was an extremely pure, two-way choice following the desires of one's own heart.

Having once experienced a two-way choice that ultimately ended in regret, Lei Guan Wang envied the affection between Luo Mu and his Pokémon.

After Mimikyu returned to Luo Mu's shadow, and watching him recall Vulpix and Victini into their Poké Balls, leaving only the fluffy Luxray by his side, Lei Guan Wang finally spoke:

"I know you possess much knowledge that even I must admit inferiority to, so I have a question I wish to ask you."

Suddenly being questioned by Lei Guan Wang, Luo Mu paused for a moment, adjusted into a more comfortable posture leaning against the Luxray, and nodded: "Go ahead and ask."

"Regarding this child Cosmog's ability to absorb light, do you know anything about it?"

Lei Guan Wang's gaze fell upon Cosmog, then shifted to the sky.

Its vision was far richer and more magnificent than Luo Mu's, and thus it could see many things invisible to the human naked eye.

Even in this instant, Lei Guan Wang could see the moon's glow and starlight cascading from the sky transform into strands of light flowing into Cosmog's body.

Lei Guan Wang was not unaware of the existence of Pokémon capable of fighting using sunlight or moonlight, but Cosmog was somewhat different.

Every minute and every second, it subconsciously absorbed these things; regardless of day or night, as long as light cascaded down, it seemed to have no end.

To Lei Guan Wang, the vast quantity of light Cosmog had absorbed since appearing beside it was already an amount no ordinary Pokémon could possibly withstand, yet it remained unchanged, as if time itself had frozen upon it.

Luo Mu did not expect Lei Guan Wang to ask such a question, yet he found it quite reasonable.

When raising a child for the first time, one is naturally cautious, fearing any mistake or oversight.

Just as when he first cared for his Dratini, he would wake up every few moments even while asleep, checking if the Dratini had been crushed by him, smothered by the blanket, or if it was hungry.

Luo Mu spoke steadily: "Cosmog. It emerged from a strange spatial rift, something you witnessed with your own eyes."

"Through the Ultra Wormhole, it traveled from the alternate world known as Ultra Space to our world, which is why its power differs."

"Its act of absorbing light is its growth; even the dust in the atmosphere serves as its food. Once it reaches its limit, it will evolve in one go."

At this moment, Lei Guan Wang, who had been listening intently, suddenly asked: "What is the atmosphere?"

Luo Mu paused slightly, surprised that Lei Guan Wang had accepted Cosmog's growth via light so readily, yet questioned the concept of the atmosphere.

But this was hardly surprising; after all, the era Lei Guan Wang belonged to was vastly distant from the present, and the term "atmosphere" likely did not exist back then.

Luo Mu pondered for a moment and said: "You can regard the atmosphere as the gas surrounding the planet we inhabit, the very air we breathe in."

Upon hearing this, Lei Guan Wang wore a thoughtful expression, nodded in understanding, and said: "I see. You are truly learned."

Luo Mu felt somewhat embarrassed; these were truly very basic concepts, merely unfamiliar to Lei Guan Wang, and nothing worth showing off.

"Ahem." After a light cough, Luo Mu continued: "In short, if Cosmog can successfully complete its two evolutions, it will possess power and potential no less than yours."

Lei Guan Wang quickly grasped the core point and frowned: "What do you mean by 'successfully'? With me guarding it, what resistance could possibly threaten it?"

Luo Mu nodded slightly: "Explaining this is slightly complex. You can simply understand that in the world behind the Ultra Wormhole, a 'god' that has lost its power wishes to 'prey' upon it."

Upon hearing the word "god," Lei Guan Wang's expression became unusually serious.

Luo Mu quickly smoothed things over: "However, there is no need for excessive worry; the probability of that 'god' appearing in Galar or Paldea is very low."

Even so, Lei Guan Wang stated seriously: "I will protect Cosmog."

Regarding Cosmog, Luo Mu spoke at length with Lei Guan Wang.

As the night grew deeper, Lei Guan Wang raised a second question.

"My friend Luo Mu, speaking of which, I still do not know where you truly come from, nor what your identity is."

Only after matters had largely settled, with Lei Guan Wang having more leisure to reflect, did it realize it seemed to know nothing about Luo Mu.

It only knew he was not from Galar, that his strength was formidable, capable of easily defeating the Giant of Ice, and that even the Galarian Slowking and Galarian Slowbro would likely not last long under his hand.

Such a mighty figure, even in the era when Lei Guan Wang ruled the Galar region, could only be described by the title "Hero."

Surprised that Lei Guan Wang would ask him this, Luo Mu hesitated for a moment, then smiled: "This is no secret either. I come from the Paldea region, not far from Galar. As for now, I am merely a farmer and a teacher."

Before Lei Guan Wang could reply, the Galarian Slowking and Galarian Slowbro beside it, who had been feigning sleep with eyes closed, nearly lost their composure; the frequency of their ear twitching and tail wagging increased rapidly.

Especially the Galarian Slowking; the shock in its heart was nearly overflowing.

What a joke, he really is a farmer?

The Galarian Slowking suddenly felt ashamed, having been matched evenly by a farmer's Pokémon.

At this moment, Luo Mu added: "However, last year I was still a Trainer, one who commands Pokémon in battle. Do you understand?"

Lei Guan Wang nodded lightly, indicating its understanding.

Stroking the Luxray that was purring, Luo Mu continued: "Later, after successfully completing the most difficult Champion Trial in the Paldea region, I chose to retire, found a place with a pleasant environment to start a farm, and occasionally travel around the world to make new friends."

"That must be a very wonderful life," Lei Guan Wang said sincerely. Then, blinking its eyes, it asked aloud, "What does 'retire' mean?"

"You can consider it as abandoning the identity of a Trainer, no longer being a Trainer."

"I see."

Lei Guan Wang nodded and fell silent.

After a while, its voice sounded again.

"I seem to wish to retire from the identity of the King of Galar as well..."

(End of Chapter)