Chapter 378: I'll Only Teach This Once, Watch Closely and Learn Well (7K, Seeking Votes)

The evolution of the riding goats immediately attracted the attention of the Pokémon.

Stopping the release of the Grassy Terrain, before they could even feel their own exceptionally abundant energy and vitality, the Bai Pengpengs hopped over to the newly evolved riding goats, surrounding them and emitting cries of astonishment.

The riding lambs, which had already been slightly larger than themselves before, now stood taller even than the Luxray!

The Bai Pengpengs were incredibly envious.

Seeing that the two riding goats had completed their evolution, Lei Guan Wang silently stopped releasing the power of abundance and, like Luo Mu, approached the two grateful-looking riding goats to patiently inquire about their condition.

A moment later, based on the answers from the two riding goats, a hint of joy appeared on Luo Mu's face.

After completing their evolution, both riding goats felt as though immense vitality was flowing continuously within their bodies, and even their affinity for the ubiquitous grass-type energy in nature had increased dramatically.

They had even learned quite a few new moves.

"Bulk Up," "Double-Edge," "Horn Leech," "Earthquake," "Synthesis," and "Energy Ball."

Having learned these several moves, each with different functions and considerable power, the strength of the two riding goats had nearly doubled.

Even though Luo Mu did not yet need the riding goats to protect the farm, the increase in strength was still a pleasant surprise.

Stroking the horns of the riding goats, which were said to be able to communicate their trainer's intentions, Luo Mu turned his head to look at the calm-faced Lei Guan Wang, his expression filled with awe.

The power of a Legendary Pokémon was truly extraordinary; with just a casual effort, it could bring such a massive impact to the riding goats and even the other grass-type Pokémon on the farm.

A moment later.

Under Luo Mu's witness, led by Comfey and including the two newly joined riding goats, a total of six Pokémon released a combined Grassy Terrain once again.

Under the cover of soft green light, the soil in the two fields visibly improved at a speed perceivable by the naked eye; even just gazing at it made one feel the abundant vitality contained within.

After nourishing the fields with the combined Grassy Terrain, Serperior slowly stepped forward, extending two vines from its collar deep into the soil; it closed its majestic rose-red eyes, carefully sensing the nutrients within the earth.

Shortly after, Serperior, wearing an expression of surprise, extended its vines and let out a cry toward Luo Mu and Lei Guan Wang.

"Serperior!"

Perhaps the addition of new members had elevated the nourishing power of the combined Grassy Terrain to another level.

The nutritional quality of the soil this time was better than any previous occasion; Serperior even had a premonition that if these soils were used to accelerate the growth of the Crazy Plant's roots, not only the hardness of the roots but also their quality and strength would see substantial improvement.

Whether in terms of the precision of controlling its own power or in perceptual abilities, Serperior was the standout among Luo Mu's main team.

Luo Mu had absolute faith in the conclusion it had drawn.

With a joyful expression, he cast a glance at Lei Guan Wang implying "it's about time," and Lei Guan Wang responded accordingly.

As Lei Guan Wang slowly closed its eyes, an invisible mental wave rapidly spread out, enveloping the entire farm in the blink of an eye.

This mental wave was extremely subtle; apart from Luxray and the other main members, as well as Oranguru who also specialized in mental energy cultivation, even Moltres, who was currently preening its feathers and pondering when to return home for a soak in the magma hot springs, and Meng Lei Gu, who was lazily basking in the sun, failed to notice it.

Inside the ice cellar, Calyrex-Ice lay dejectedly on the ground, feeling that it was probably sick.

Looking at its neighbors in the ice cellar.

There was Regice, staying in place like a wooden post, who knew what it was thinking about.

And the two Sandslash, guarding against it as if against a thief, requiring one Pokémon to stay behind guarding the house whenever they went out to eat, their alertness maxed out.

Calyrex-Ice felt that if things continued like this, it would sooner or later fall ill from stifling boredom.

Just as Calyrex-Ice was silently mourning and entering its "net depression" time in the middle of the day, an invisible mental wave flooding into its mind instantly invigorated its spirit.

The fields are ready; trying to modify them again should allow us to plant Ice Radishes!

Calyrex-Ice jumped up with a "whoosh," excitedly ran to the exit of the ice cellar, and like a happy, silly roe deer, trotted off toward the source of the mental wave.

On the other side.

Calyrex-Shadow, who was engaging in a battle of wits with Mimikyu and Cangyan Cangyan Rengui within the shadow of a house, also sensed the mental wave transmitted by Lei Guan Wang; after temporarily bidding farewell to the two of them, despite not liking the daylight, Calyrex-Shadow still hurried rapidly to Lei Guan Wang's location.

By the time the two horses arrived, Luo Mu had already directed the Pokémon to cooperate in planting the radish seeds scavenged from Frozen Village.

Even Lei Guan Wang tried not using psychic powers, but instead, like Luo Mu, held a bag of seeds, bent down, and sprinkled the appropriate amount of seeds into the corresponding small holes.

"Rain Dance."

As Luo Mu's voice fell, Swampert, who was not very skilled at controlling the precision of its power, summoned a rain cloud that was slightly too large, providing sufficient moisture for plant growth to the dry soil of the two new fields.

"Hiss hiss~"

Calyrex-Ice and Calyrex-Shadow had just arrived to witness this scene; their already excited hearts were even more exposed, their emotions visibly becoming thrilled.

Although it had only been a short week since they last saw them, they missed the Ice Radishes and Black Radishes dearly; the miserable days of counting every second were finally coming to an end!

Since both beloved horses had arrived, Lei Guan Wang directly floated down onto Calyrex-Ice's back; the moment it grasped the reins of bond, Lei Guan Wang's massive mental energy surged through the reins into Calyrex-Ice's body, greatly enhancing its ice-type energy.

Seeing that Lei Guan Wang and Calyrex-Ice had entered the state of rider and horse as one, Luo Mu's breathing became slightly rapid and coarse and heavy.

He watched nervously as Lei Guan Wang raised its right hand and began injecting ice-type energy into the fields, causing the fields, full of vibrant life, to become covered in a thick layer of frost at a speed perceivable by the naked eye.

This was the optimal result reached after previous discussions between himself, Oranguru, and Lei Guan Wang.

Logically speaking, fields filled with ice-type energy should make it nearly impossible for radishes, which thrive in temperatures between 5°C and 25°C, to grow successfully.

By the same token, ghost-type energy, whose instinct is to absorb and erode vitality, is the same; ordinary crops cannot sprout and mature carefree under the influence of ghost-type energy.

Yet, in the fields of Snowslide Slope and Old Cemetery within the Wang Guan tundra, it was indeed possible to cultivate Ice Radishes and Black Radishes.

This most puzzling point yielded an answer after discussions among the three parties.

If one were to say that ice-type energy and ghost-type energy influenced the growth direction of the radishes, then the fields imbued with Lei Guan Wang's power of abundance were the hotbeds for cultivating these special radishes.

Precisely because the fields of the Wang Guan tundra in the past had received the blessing of Lei Guan Wang's power of abundance, even the fields in Old Cemetery and Snowslide Slope, which contained energies that should have been mutually exclusive, could still grow the corresponding crops.

After the entire field was frozen with a thick layer of frost and snow, to prevent the radish seeds from being frozen damaged, Lei Guan Wang bestowed the blessing of abundance upon the fields once more.

Immediately after, it switched mounts to Calyrex-Shadow and repeated the process in the same manner, except this time it released Calyrex-Shadow's spiritual power, which had been enhanced by its own mental energy.

Having done all this, Lei Guan Wang breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Luo Mu gazed intently at the one field rising with curling cold air and the other field drifting with a mist similar to the purple thin fog beneath Calyrex-Shadow's hooves, waiting for Lei Guan Wang to complete the final step of verification.

The green bud atop Lei Guan Wang's head began to bloom with blue light; tidal waves of surging energy washed over the two fields, accelerating their growth while providing the nutrients required for the crops inside to grow rapidly.

A moment later, plump Ice Radishes and Black Radishes broke through the soil, filling the entire field, making Calyrex-Ice and Calyrex-Shadow drool until it was about to drip.

The Bai Pengpengs, seeing Lei Guan Wang accelerate crop growth for the first time, widened their eyes, feeling as though their entire worldview had been reshaped.

If Lei Guan Wang were so inclined, wouldn't I be immediately laid off right here on the spot?

With Lei Guan Wang's permission, Snowstorm Horse and Spirit Shadow Horse let out joyful neighs, each rushing toward the fields matching their own attributes to enjoy their favorite foods.

From now on, these two fields will be dedicated exclusively to planting their favorite radishes.

Having settled this major matter and effectively soothed the emotions of Snowstorm Horse and Spirit Shadow Horse, Luo Mu and Lei Guan Wang picked up Victini and Cosmog from Oliva Kindergarten and returned directly home.

The moment he entered the house, Luo Mu bumped into Luxray, who was waiting for him with an envelope clamped in its mouth.

Luo Mu took the thick envelope from Luxray's paw, and under the curious gazes of Lei Guan Wang and Luxray, he glanced at the sender and the return address.

Upon seeing "Dai Ke" and "Pokémon Advanced Medical Research Institute," a look of surprise and delight appeared on Luo Mu's face.

"Finally, there's a reply!"

Lei Guan Wang blinked, saying nothing, merely watching quietly alongside Luxray as Luo Mu tore open the envelope and scanned the contents of the papers inside.

Only after Luo Mu had finished reading the entire letter did Lei Guan Wang curiously ask, "What is this?"

Luo Mu exhaled a breath, the joy on his face completely unhidden: "Do you remember the Secret Herbs I mentioned to you before? I used Shuckle Sister's special power to fuse them with mild medicinal herbs, attempting to create several batches of medicinal liquid."

"These are the analysis results from that research institute, along with feedback from those who consumed it."

Luo Mu briefly recounted the content of the reply from that side.

He had sent out two samples: one fermented by Shuckle Sister, and one fermented by Shuckle Brother.

The results were exactly as Luo Mu had anticipated; after being quantified into data, the difference in efficacy between the two was a full twofold gap.

In other words, Shuckle Sister could maximize the activation of the Secret Herb: Sour Mix's effects to a much greater degree.

Faced with such a despairing gap, fortunately, Luo Mu had already successfully helped Shuckle Brother find the field it excelled in; even if the truth were told plainly, he believed Shuckle Brother would not be hurt by it.

Although the medicinal liquid's efficacy could not compare to Sacred Ash, the treasured item of the Kanto League, it still counted as one of the world's top-tier divine medicines.

Luo Mu set aside the detailed data inspection report for now, planning to show it to Nurse Joy tomorrow when he went to the Pokémon Center in Artazon to learn medical knowledge from her.

Directly ignoring the sheets of paper from that institute desperately asking what kind of dreamlike medicinal herbs could produce such a powerful liquid, Luo Mu presented Dai Ke's letter to Lei Guan Wang.

Having confirmed that the medicinal liquid's effects were excellent, Dai Ke, grasping the only straw of hope, did not hesitate to feed the liquid made from the Secret Herb: Sour Mix to his Volcarona.

The results were gratifying; the Secret Herb: Sour Mix possessed the miraculous effect of restoring fatigue and replenishing stamina, and after being fermented by Shuckle Sister, its effects were further stimulated, resulting in the Volcarona, who previously could not even leave the medical pod, now being able to fly and move around for a period of time.

Although the injuries had not improved, Volcarona's depleted stamina had indeed been replenished.

It was foreseeable that...

After sequentially consuming the medicinal liquids made from the remaining four types of Secret Herbs, Volcarona, with one foot already stepping through the gates of hell, would be forcibly snatched back from the hands of Yveltal or Giratina by Luo Mu and Shuckle—wait, no, in this world, it should be from Yveltal or Giratina.

Dai Ke's letter was filled with sincerity and deep gratitude; after reading through it, Lei Guan Wang couldn't help but praise, "This person must deeply love their partner."

"After all, it is the first partner; that bond cannot be replaced."

Luo Mu put down the letter, stroking Luxray's fur, and nodded in agreement.

Luxray's ears twitched, its throat emitting a few comfortable purrs, its high-held tail curving slightly, signaling its excellent mood.

After happily petting the cat for a while, seeing that dinner time was approaching soon, and with Shuang Nai Xian having finished dessert practice and cleared the kitchen, Luo Mu stood on Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, who had been waiting at the door, urging that he could start cooking now.

Before setting off, Luo Mu intended to reconfirm certain matters with Lei Guan Wang.

"Regarding that field, have you discovered any results?"

Lei Guan Wang knew which field Luo Mu was referring to and nodded slightly, saying, "There are some clues; if I make a move, although it will consume a large amount of energy, ripening it within a day is no problem."

Hearing Lei Guan Wang's answer, Luo Mu's eyes lit up.

As expected of the King of Abundance; it could even ripen those Secret Herbs.

Delighted, Luo Mu waved his hand and said, "Energy is not an issue; we have Victini here."

Speaking thus, Luo Mu pointed to the side where Victini, attracted by Shuang Nai Xian's trial products, had just woken up and was wobblingly flying over there.

"I know." Lei Guan Wang understood Luo Mu's meaning, but it shook its head again, "After investigation, that mysterious plant I have never seen before is truly miraculous, but I have a premonition: if we simply pour the vast vitality of the Power of Abundance into it, we can indeed accelerate ripening, but that might not guarantee their own effects reach the optimum."

"I fear another type of energy, one I have never seen, is also required."

Hearing Lei Guan Wang's speculation, Luo Mu frowned slightly, sinking into thought.

"Another type of energy..."

Besides life energy, what other energy do the Secret Herbs need?

That energy must be very special; at the very least, Lei Guan Wang has never seen it, so perhaps it is unique to this Paldea region.

Connecting this with the fact that apart from this land of Paldea, no other regions have ever shown signs of the Secret Herbs, Luo Mu felt he might have grasped a clue.

"Could it be Terastal energy?"

League Year 798, August 13th.

After ensuring that the Skarmory successfully delivered every customer's order of Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk and dairy products, Luo Mu rode Dragonite and arrived early at Naranja Academy.

Besides today's curriculum being slightly special and requiring early preparation, Luo Mu also met with Geeta, from whom he learned some good news.

The Johto League had notified them that the saplings for the Gold and Silver series Berry Trees were ready, asking when they would come over to collect them.

Originally, the Johto League could have delivered them directly, but Luo Mu wanted to go personally to select them, trying to choose saplings with stronger vitality.

Before Luo Mu left, as if remembering something, Geeta smiled and asked, "Are you confident about today's battle?"

Luo Mu scratched his chin, his expression showing slight hesitation: "That depends on luck."

Geeta was not surprised by Luo Mu's rare lack of confident remarks, such as saying "I will win."

After all, today's Naranja Academy event tested not only the trainers' Ji Ben Gong (Basic Skills) but also their luck.

Today would host an event spearheaded by Geeta and Clavell, where teachers from Naranja Academy would battle against the Gym Leaders of Paldea's eight Gyms in front of all the students.

Naranja Academy's faculty was formidable; not only did it have Luo Mu, a Champion-level trainer, holding the fort, but also Eri of the Elite Four, and Tyme, the former Gym Leader of the Glaseado Gym.

Yet even so, the outcome of today's matches remained unknown.

If trainers were allowed to use their own Pokémon, Luo Mu could guarantee he could cut his way from Causeway Bay to Tsim Sha Tsui.

But coincidentally, this event was held with the "intention of sparking ordinary Naranja Academy students' interest in Pokémon battles."

Considering fun and unpredictability, the Pokémon used by both sides would be provided entirely by Naranja Academy, chosen completely at random.

You don't know whether you'll draw a Magikarp or a Caterpie, nor what item you'll pick up; under such entirely random conditions, even Luo Mu couldn't claim certain victory.

If our side draws a Kricketune while the opponent's Shark-Tooth Beauty pulls something like Skarmory, Staraptor, Gyarados, or even Salamence, and the item we receive is the utterly useless Pretty Wing, Luo Mu has no idea how many brain cells he'd have to burn just to win.

Watching Luo Mu's departing figure, Geeta considered having her secretary reschedule this afternoon's meeting to free up time to watch the battle.

After all, today's battle was bound to be quite interesting.

After leaving the Chairman's office, Luo Mu headed straight for the playground.

It was only nine in the morning, yet the Naranja Academy playground had already gathered a considerable crowd.

From afar, one could see Peony, still serving his term as Student Council President, leading council members to maintain order at the scene.

This was because quite a few Paldea Gym Leaders were extremely famous figures.

Whether it was Kofu, the renowned artist; Grusha, the manager of the Montenevera shop; Iono, the world-famous rapper; Ryme, the founder of a famous cosmetics brand; or Grusha, the former professional snowboarder.

Their popularity was first-rate; relying on the Gym Leaders' alternate identities to attract students uninterested in battles was a clever idea indeed, worthy of Geeta and Clavell.

Luo Mu's arrival was like dropping a heavy bomb into an already lively crowd.

If one were to pick out a person from today's battle more spotlighted than the Elite Four member and art teacher Ryme, it would undoubtedly be Luo Mu, this Champion-level Trainer.

In the crowd, Iono, whose fame among Gym Leaders was arguably at the bottom—perhaps only comparable to Brother Brother Qingmu, an ordinary passing office worker—lit up her eyes, dashed forward in a single stride to stand before Luo Mu, flashed her signature shark-toothed grin, and boldly declared war on Luo Mu before her live-stream audience:

"Today is Iono's rematch, my moment to shine~! Are you ready to face Iono's interrogation, Mr. New·Cham·pi·on~?"

Iono maintained her energetic streaming style as usual; Luo Mu's gaze fell upon the Poké Ball in her hand, which bore an identification label, and his eyebrows raised slightly.

It seemed she had drawn a decent card; what Pokémon could it be?

Regarding this, Luo Mu felt no panic, instead offering a faint smile as he said, "Is it possible that today's matchups are random, unaffected by your will?"

"Or does Miss Iono have the confidence to hit the one-in-eight chance of facing me?"

"Ugh..."

As if Luo Mu had poked a sore spot, Iono's body trembled.

Luo Mu chuckled, patted Iono on the shoulder, brushed past her, and walked straight toward the center of the playground.

There, two tables were set up, covered with Poké Balls and paper balls bearing unknown writing, all presided over personally by Clavell.

Seeing Luo Mu arrive, Clavell offered him a friendly smile, stepped aside, and gestured for Luo Mu to make his draw.

"On the left are the Poké Balls; the Pokémon inside are unknown. After drawing, you'll have half a day to bond with it, learning its characteristics and learned moves."

"The paper balls on the right contain the names of items; after drawing, simply collect them from logistics. Rest assured, the quality is absolutely guaranteed."

Luo Mu nodded slightly, without much hesitation picking a red-and-white Poké Ball that caught his eye from among the dozens, then casually selecting a paper ball.

After choosing the Poké Ball and the paper ball, Luo Mu did not open them immediately.

After chatting briefly with the Gym Leaders who seemed to have arranged beforehand to greet him one by one, Luo Mu finally broke free and headed toward the logistics department.

On the way to logistics, he also spotted Hearing Hearing Nimo and the others engaged in a battle.

Since the battles between teachers and Gym Leaders were scheduled for the afternoon, this morning session was reserved for students to battle freely.

After watching for a while, Luo Mu smiled as he arrived at the logistics department, handed the paper ball to the logistics teacher there, and collected the item he had drawn.

The item he drew was a purple, irregularly shaped stone.

According to the name written on the paper ball, this stone item was called an "Eviolite."

Luo Mu recalled its effect: boosting the Defense and Special Defense of Pokémon that can still evolve, meaning those not yet in their final form.

This did not include Mega Evolution.

"No matter how you look at it... this option is slightly terrible."

Luo Mu muttered under his breath.

If the Pokémon equipped with the Eviolite still had an evolution, the item would have some use; but if the Pokémon had no further evolutions, this item was no different from a roadside rock.

Even if a Pokémon capable of further evolution wore the Eviolite, it would still face certain disadvantages against fully evolved Pokémon, not to mention that not every Pokémon was suited for the Eviolite.

In short, if the Eviolite didn't synergize with the Pokémon he drew, the item would be as good as chicken ribs—tasteless yet a pity to discard—holding no tactical significance whatsoever.

Finding an unoccupied corner, Luo Mu lifted the red-and-white ball in his hand and pressed the button to open the Poké Ball.

The next moment, a beam of red light shot onto the ground, converging to form a rather round figure.

Upon seeing this Pokémon, Luo Mu's eyes instantly widened.

"This is... too coincidental, isn't it?"

The Pokémon possessed a rather round, pink, egg-shaped body, hair-like protrusions on both sides of its head, a white egg nestled in the pouch on its belly, and short arms, legs, and tail that gave it an utterly harmless demeanor.

This Pokémon's name was Chansey; Luo Mu had only just seen it yesterday during class with Nurse Joy.

The moment it left the Poké Ball, Chansey seemed to understand its duty; feeling no panic toward the unfamiliar environment or stranger, it cheerfully greeted Luo Mu.

"Lucky~" (Hello duck~)

Luo Mu helplessly pressed his forehead, sighing somewhat, "Today is indeed very 'lucky'."

Luo Mu took Chansey directly to the battle hall usually used by Hearing Hearing Nimo and the others, intending to familiarize himself with the moves Chansey could use.

The target for releasing these moves would be Dragonite.

A short while later.

"Charm, Protect, Mimic, Sweet Kiss, Defense Curl, Minimize, Heal Bell, Egg Bomb, Thunder Punch, Toxic, Seismic Toss, Rock Slide, Light Screen..."

"Its Ability doesn't seem to be Natural Cure or Healer, so it must be Serene Grace."

"Hiss—"

Looking at the white paper densely covered with characters in his hand, and at the dejected Dragonite beside him that looked as if it had been disgusted by something, Luo Mu couldn't help but inhale sharply through his teeth.

Whose general is this, actually sneaking into the prestigious Naranja Academy?

Just looking at the comprehensiveness of this move pool, Luo Mu was already terrified.

Yet Chansey tilted its head innocently, emitting sweet "Lucky," "Lucky" cries, appearing just like a Pokémon Nurse incapable of tying a chicken.

Luo Mu suddenly began to sympathize with the Gym Leader who would be battling him this afternoon.

The time for building rapport passed in a flash; through the feeding method, Luo Mu had preliminarily established a certain level of trust with the Chansey. Though he could not achieve the same bond as with his Dragonite and the others, the Chansey would at least no longer disobey commands or doubt Luo Mu's choices.

At three in the afternoon, with the students of Grape Academy taking their seats in an orderly fashion, the event was about to begin.

Just as he returned to the venue, Luo Mu was blocked squarely by Hearing Hearing Nimo and the other four.

Hearing Hearing Nimo was the first to speak excitedly: "We will cheer for you, Teacher!"

Mudai, Pipahe, and Pa also each offered their blessings and expressions of belief in Luo Mu.

Even Zhen Si, who was poor with words, managed to squeeze out a sentence.

"I believe that no matter which Pokémon you use, Teacher, you will achieve victory!"

Having received encouragement from his adorable students, how could Luo Mu not respond in kind?

Before walking toward the preparation area, he patted each of them on the shoulder; Luo Mu flashed a confident smile and said, "I'll only teach this once. Watch closely, and learn well!"

(End of Chapter)