Chapter 375: Arrest the Coin-Backstabbing Villain!

The sound of footsteps quickly approached the hiding spot of the Greedent.

With the Greedent's keen senses, it perceived that besides that howling Ghost-type Pokémon, a human was following alongside it.

Silently curling its body up, the Greedent hoped the other party would quickly leave its hiding place.

But reality often goes against one's wishes; just as the Greedent was so tense it could barely breathe, the footsteps outside stopped right in front of the bookshelf where it was located.

A female voice spoke, inexplicably carrying a certain rhythm.

"Oh, have you found anything, Mabosstiff?"

The Pokémon called Mabosstiff by the woman sniffed carefully beside the bookshelf, yet discovered that the scent of the Ghost-type Pokémon it had smelled extended toward a spot not far away.

Mabosstiff shook its head directly, causing some dust to scatter from the tombstone-like protrusion atop its head.

"Wang Wang!"

Mabosstiff barked a few times toward another area of the library where historical books were stored, then walked in that direction.

Ryme, who had been called by Geeta to investigate the academy's ghost rumors, could only follow in Mabosstiff's footsteps, heading toward the historical section.

As an excellent Ghost-type Pokémon Trainer, she trusted Mabosstiff's sense of smell completely; even Ghost-type Pokémon skilled at concealment could not evade Mabosstiff's search.

Except for that "Phantom Pokémon," the Greedent, which circulated in the Paldea region like an urban legend, whose true appearance almost no one had seen, let alone captured, Mabosstiff could find traces left by any Ghost-type Pokémon!

Of course, if they truly searched everywhere and found nothing, then one would have to suspect the Greedent was behind it.

As Ryme and Mabosstiff moved farther away, the Greedent hiding behind the bookshelf breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing into its hoarded "treasure pile" as if exhausted, awaiting the arrival of night.

A moment later.

When Ryme and Mabosstiff followed the trail to the point where the scent was most concentrated, she saw two people conversing.

One was Luo Mu, a young Trainer who had defeated her, promising yet formidable.

The other was a woman who appeared slightly suspicious, making Ryme feel that an unpleasant aura lingered around her.

As Mabosstiff let out a loud bark toward the shadows of the two people within the silent library, Ryme's gaze also locked onto that woman's shadow.

As everyone knows, apart from the small fraction of Ghost-type Pokémon possessing complete physical forms, most spirit-like Pokémon can dive into the shadows of living beings or various objects.

In other words, there was a Ghost-type Pokémon inside a person's shadow!

Seeing Ryme approaching with imposing momentum, Luo Mu stopped his conversation with Seeing Lei He, who wore a face full of complaints, and cast a puzzled look at the other party.

"Auntie Ryme, why have you come?"

Ryme did not respond to Luo Mu's greeting; instead, she walked up to Seeing Lei He with Mabosstiff, which was barking loudly at the shadows of both individuals, and asked her, "Is there a Ghost-type Pokémon hidden in your shadow?"

Although phrased as a question to Seeing Lei He, Ryme's voice was extremely certain.

A trace of surprise flashed in Emperor Yan Di's eyes as Seeing Lei He openly spread her hands and said, "That's right, there is a Ghost-type Pokémon in my shadow; it is my partner, Gengar."

Speaking thus, as if to prove her claim, Seeing Lei He stomped her boot on the ground, causing her shadow to begin writhing as if it possessed life.

Within just a few breaths, a purple fatty wearing a confident smile emerged, revealing its round body as if surfacing from water.

The Shadow Pokémon, Gengar!

"Geng~"

Gengar cheerfully greeted the several people, then jumped onto the floor and, with a standard diving posture, leaped back into Seeing Lei He's shadow, hiding once again.

Seeing Seeing Lei He act so openly, the words Ryme had intended to use for questioning vanished from her lips; she frowned, looked at Luo Mu, and asked again, "Who is she?"

Luo Mu did not mind that Ryme hadn't responded to his greeting; after all, rappers were a group of individualistic folks.

Shrugging his shoulders, Luo Mu pointed at the work badge obscured by the strange and quirky Legendary Pokémon ornaments on Seeing Lei He's person and said, "The academy's history teacher, Seeing Lei He."

Ryme: "."

Frowning slightly, Ryme trusted Director Geeta's judgment; since this teacher had been personally selected by her after the Auto-Chu plan, her character must have been vetted, making it unlikely she would do such a thing.

Seeing Lei He read something from Ryme's expression; realizing Ryme's purpose, she skillfully adopted an aggrieved look and defended herself, saying, "I was just complaining to Teacher Luo Mu that my gold coins were also lost within the academy."

"Gym Leader Ryme wouldn't... think I am the thief, would you?"

Gazing at Seeing Lei He's feigned innocent eyes, Ryme showed not a hint of panic, maintaining her composure as she said, "Mabosstiff searches based on the aura of Ghost-type Pokémon; mistakes are normal."

The moment Ryme's voice fell, Mabosstiff, which had been barking at Luo Mu's shadow, stopped its action and looked incredulously at the Trainer who dared not meet its gaze.

If I weren't a Pokémon famous for my loyalty, I'd be cursing right now!!!

Luo Mu struggled to hold back laughter, tapped his toe on the floor, and said, "Usually Mimikyu also likes to stay in my shadow, but it isn't there today; perhaps because it stays there so often, the aura of Ghost-type Pokémon in my shadow has become even more concentrated."

"So Mabosstiff, subconsciously pursuing the most concentrated Ghost-type aura, ended up finding the two of us who happened to be gathered together."

With a single sentence, Luo Mu rationalized Mabosstiff's mistake in targeting the wrong people, incidentally earning grateful rubs from Mabosstiff.

Ryme felt a bit sour but could say nothing, since she had been the one to shift the blame onto Mabosstiff first; she could only ask Seeing Lei He with a serious expression, "Teacher Seeing Lei He said you lost gold coins; can you describe in detail where they were lost, their source, and the quantity?"

"I will have my assistant register them; once the lost items are found, counted, and compared, they will be returned one by one in full."

Seeing Lei He: "."

This time it was Seeing Lei He who was rendered speechless, her expression becoming somewhat unnatural.

Having worked so hard to wash away her past and go straight, the origin of these gold coins simply could not be spoken of!

Luo Mu, who had been standing with Seeing Lei He chatting a few moments ago, had already figured out the ins and outs of the matter through Seeing Lei He's complaints.

After the trip to the scorched desert, Seeing Lei He had driven her beloved off-road vehicle wildly all the way back to Mesagoza.

When parking her car in the Naranja Academy parking lot, she had specifically checked the dozens of ancient Paldean gold coins she had hidden away, leftovers from her former "work" career, confirming they were safely still tucked under the car seat.

A few days ago, upon hearing rumors of ghosts at Naranja Academy and the loss of valuables, Seeing Lei He had gone to check again out of worry, only to discover that all the ancient gold coins in the box had vanished without a trace.

But constrained by the fact that the origin of the ancient gold coins was "slightly" illegitimate, Seeing Lei He could not report it and could only drag Luo Mu, who happened to pass by, into her complaints.

Thinking of this, Luo Mu directly spoke up to resolve the situation, saying, "Rather than that, I already know the culprit's location; do you want to come with me to find it?"

Seeing Lei He and Ryme both froze in surprise, while Mabosstiff also tilted its head, seemingly unable to understand how Luo Mu knew where the culprit was.

Compared to Seeing Lei He, who breathed a sigh of relief, Ryme, whose heart was churning with turbulent emotions, reacted much more strongly.

She and Mabosstiff had already searched the campus for a long time, yet Luo Mu claimed he already knew the "culprit's" whereabouts?

Ryme fell silent, but she did not question Luo Mu's statement; she simply followed behind Luo Mu with Mabosstiff.

If an ordinary Grape Academy student had told him at this moment that they had found the culprit behind the ghostly rumors of theft, Lem absolutely would not have easily believed their words.

But when those same words came from Luo Mu, both their value and their reliability were entirely different.

After all, Luo Mu was one of the few Trainers whom Lem, a rapper with a touch of pride in his bones, truly admired and accepted without reservation.

Seeing Lei He fell silent for a moment, looked deeply at Luo Mu, and then followed in their footsteps.

This person... really seemed to know everything.

In front of a bookshelf filled with children's picture books, Luo Mu came to a halt.

Seeing Lei He said nothing, while Lem looked somewhat surprised.

This was because she and her Greavard had only just been here, staying for a short while, before being drawn away by the dense Ghost-type aura emanating from the shadows of Seeing Lei He and Luo Mu.

The culprit behind the ghostly rumors and the theft of gold-related items was right here?

Luo Mu looked at the bookshelf before him, which seemed perfectly normal, rubbed his chin, and asked Seeing Lei He, "Do you have your Spoink with you?"

Seeing Lei He nodded gently, took out a Poké Ball, and said, "I do."

Luo Mu asked again, "Can it lift this bookshelf with its psychic power? My Dragonite could lift it, but it might damage the shelf; if it really can't, I'll go fetch some outside help."

Seeing Lei He carefully examined the size of the bookshelf, compared it in her mind to objects her Spoink had previously lifted with psychic power, and then said, "It should be able to; let's give it a try."

With that, Seeing Lei He released her Spoink from its Poké Ball and attempted to move the bookshelf, which appeared to be firmly embedded within the wall.

Lem crouched down, stroking Greavard's fur to soothe its little heart, wounded by being made the scapegoat, and couldn't help but ask Luo Mu curiously, "Is the culprit inside?"

"More or less; some of the stolen items should also be piled up in there."

Luo Mu nodded slightly; a Poké Ball had somehow already appeared in his hand.

He gently pressed the button on the Poké Ball, and amidst a flash of red light, the figure of Comfey appeared beside him.

"If any little creature tries to escape later, use Vine Whip to catch it; remember to be gentle, it should be quite fragile."

"Comfey~"

Comfey looked at the bookshelf being moved outward by Seeing Lei He's Spoink using psychic power, began to gather its strength, and waited for the moment the shelf would be moved aside, its small face filled with seriousness.

Soon, under the gaze of several pairs of eyes, the bookshelf was completely moved aside, revealing the scene within.

This bookshelf was almost seamlessly embedded into a pre-made recessed wall; honestly, neither Seeing Lei He nor Lem had ever imagined that the culprit behind the incident was hidden inside.

Apart from dust dancing everywhere under the bright lights of the library, a pile of glittering objects nearly blinded the eyes of the two.

Lem's eyes widened: "Oh my god!"

With her sharp eyes, Seeing Lei He also accurately spotted her lost ancient gold coin within that pile of a "gold mountain."

"Ding!"

A crisp sound, like coins colliding, rang out, clearly betraying a sense of panic within it.

Immediately after, a small Pokémon, as if startled, trembled with its antenna-like structures atop its head and frantically fled toward the gap between the adjacent bookshelf and the wall.

As an expert in researching the ancient history of Paldea, Seeing Lei He recognized the Pokémon's identity at a glance: "Gimmighoul!"

Lem's expression of surprise grew even more pronounced.

Was this really the Gimmighoul that almost no one could catch?

As if remembering something, Lem hurriedly said, "Careful, Gimmighoul's escape speed is extremely fast!"

Comfey's Vine Whip, already poised to strike, was even faster than Lem's warning.

With just a "whoosh" sound cutting through the air, two emerald-green vines that Comfey had ready shot out, directly catching up to the Gimmighoul before it could burrow into the gap, binding it tight.

The Gimmighoul, now bound by Comfey, was in extreme panic, its little head looking around incessantly, yet its struggling strength was so slight that even a newly hatched Applin would be stronger than it.

Due to its panic, it had even forgotten to bring its precious coins; yet even so, even without the coins slowing its escape, it was still brought to justice by Comfey's "rope."

Watching the Gimmighoul emit panicked "ding-ding" sounds under the restraint of the vines, Seeing Lei He and Lem exchanged a glance, looking at it as if it were some rare species, their gazes sticking tightly to the Gimmighoul, making it even more flustered.

Both of them thought that perhaps today they were witnessing history.

The Gimmighoul, said to have never been successfully caught by anyone, had today been captured by Luo Mu, who seemed to have foreseen everything and arranged it all beforehand.

As for the Gimmighoul, Luo Mu originally had no thoughts about it, at least not until this incident was resolved and the lost items returned to their owners.

After all, theft is indeed bad behavior.

But a hint that suddenly floated before his eyes made Luo Mu pause for a moment, looking at the Gimmighoul caught by Comfey with some incredulity.

Was this the Gimmighoul from atop the Watchtower Ruins?

How did it manage to run all the way from the vast Asado Desert to Grape Academy in Mesagoza?

Given its appearance, where even a slightly strong wind would blow it away directly, it was hard to imagine it could independently travel from the Asado Desert to Grape Academy.

Just as Lem and Seeing Lei He wanted to get closer to observe the Gimmighoul, Luo Mu suddenly stepped in front of them and asked the Gimmighoul, "Why do you steal other people's things?"

Perhaps able to sensitively perceive human emotions toward itself, the Gimmighoul, detecting a trace of kindness, stopped its struggling movements and looked up at the speaker.

Once the Gimmighoul clearly saw the person's appearance, it paused slightly.

It was that human who had driven away the Sandaconda and gently returned the gold coins to it!

The Gimmighoul suddenly realized its wildly beating heart seemed to calm down somewhat; it struggled to understand Luo Mu's question, finally tilting its head and emitting a confused cry.

"Ding?" (What is theft?)

Luo Mu did not understand the meaning of the Gimmighoul's cry, but he could hear the confusion in its voice.

Under the thoughtful expressions of Seeing Lei He and Lem, he patiently asked again, "You don't know the meaning of theft?"

"Ding!"

The Gimmighoul nodded its head.

Luo Mu pondered for a moment, pointed his finger at that pile of Jin Guang, items that had already attracted many Grape Academy students to stop and watch, and said very seriously, "Those things are others' property that you arbitrarily stole; this is not good."

(End of Chapter)