Chapter 39: Mesagoza City

Three days passed in the blink of an eye; the pasture grass in the ranch district, nourished by that light rain, had already grown ankle-high. Luo Mu felt that after a bit more time, once the grass became even more lush, he could consider introducing some suitable Pokémon.

The farming district was under the care of Serperior and the Whimsicott, while Swampert punctually led the Poliwag to water the fields; Luo Mu felt quite at ease leaving the daily upkeep in their hands.

In a few more days, it would be time for the five experimental plots to harvest; after confirming the crop quality was without issue, he could then plant crops on a larger scale and, incidentally, plan out an area for fruit trees.

However, all of this was a matter for a few days hence.

Today, Luo Mu had to break away from his leisurely daily life and don a suit he had specifically purchased at great expense from the Oldi Clothing Store just for this occasion.

Specifically, it was a black hooded sweatshirt paired with an army-green work jacket, matched with work pants and casual skate shoes.

Although he had initially planned to buy a casual suit, Luo Mu ultimately abandoned that idea.

The reason was simple: he was only eighteen years old now, and becoming a corporate slave by wearing a suit so early? Absolutely not!

Instead, the outfit he chose did not make him look old, while its darker tones emphasized his own steadiness and reliability.

Standing before an old-fashioned mirror, Luo Mu confirmed there were no obvious issues with his attire, tapped his toes to ensure his shoe size was correct, vainly admired his own handsomeness in the mirror for a moment, then left the washroom and pushed open the main door.

Outside the small villa, all the Pokémon were waiting outdoors, resembling a harem awaiting an ancient emperor's selection of concubines.

Luo Mu scanned the group and first pointed out the few Pokémon needed to stay behind at the farm to guard the home.

"Serperior, the Whimsicott, and the Cottonee are responsible for watching over the farming district until I return, while Swampert and the Poliwag are to assist them."

As new members, the Whimsicott, Cottonee, and Poliwag readily accepted the arrangement; Swampert didn't mind either, as it actually wanted to catch up on sleep at its new home, Thunder Cry Lake.

Serperior, however, was somewhat displeased; these past few days, in order to care for Growlithe, Luo Mu had spent every day with that fish-stealing bird, while it, the "old wife," could only bitterly tend to that small patch of land.

"Now for the Pokémon coming with me to work: first is Dragonite; relying on you to get us home on time for our daily commute."

"Boo-wu!"

Dragonite snorted two streams of gas from its nostrils, looking full of motivation.

"Also coming are Cang Yan Ren Gui and Growlithe; today we are just going to handle the employment procedures, so we'll use any free time to continue with basic training."

Called by name, Cang Yan Ren Gui stepped forward; the face wrapped in armor revealed no significant emotional fluctuation.

Growlithe, however, happily jumped down from Moltres's back and, under Moltres's slightly worried gaze, wagged its tail and hopped over to Luo Mu's side.

"The partners whose names I didn't call will be responsible for protecting the farm's safety." Luo Mu clapped his hands to indicate the arrangements were complete, then turned his gaze to Luxray, who stood steadily in place without making a sound, and said with a smile, "I'm counting on you to keep a close eye on things at home."

Luxray nodded steadily; this was the tacit understanding between him and Luo Mu, and as his starter Pokémon, it would not sulk just because Luo Mu occasionally didn't take it along.

After all, there were still long days ahead.

Mesagoza, the largest city in the Paldea region, was also the city where one of the world's few ancient schools, Naranja Academy/Uva Academy, was located.

After Geeta invited him to become a battle instructor, Luo Mu had specifically looked up information on Naranja Academy online.

It was then that he discovered a fact beyond his expectations.

Generally speaking, in the game, the name of the academy in Mesagoza is determined by the Scarlet/Violet version.

However, as far as he knew, here Naranja Academy and Uva Academy changed according to the seasons.

During spring and winter, the school's name and architectural style were both Naranja Academy.

During summer and autumn, the school's name and architectural style became Uva Academy.

Regarding this matter, Luo Mu felt somewhat speechless.

This world-line fusion... or rather, the method of rationalization, was a bit strange.

Although Dragonite's base speed of 80 was heavily criticized in the game, even falling short of Garchomp, which loses speed upon Mega Evolution.

In reality, however, things were not quite the same; at the very least, Dragonite's flight speed ranked among the top tier of most Pokémon.

Taking off from the farm in the suburbs of Pingdie Town, it took only fifteen minutes to see the outline of Mesagoza.

Straddling Dragonite's back, Luo Mu hugged the curious Growlithe in his arms and smiled, saying, "This is our destination; isn't it huge?"

"Wang Wang!"

Growlithe stuck out its tongue, feeling the breeze blowing against its face, and responded excitedly with two barks.

Feeling they were in the right position, Luo Mu freed one hand to pat Dragonite and emphasized his tone, saying, "Prepare to land; remember to be ladylike and don't cause too much of a commotion!"

"Boo-wu~"

Dragonite sighed; having no choice, it could only abandon its plan to let Luo Mu and Growlithe free-fall, and with a bored expression, it flapped its small wings to land smoothly on the ground.

The landing spot happened to be the highest point in Mesagoza, right in front of the main gate of Naranja Academy.

Although school wouldn't start until tomorrow, quite a few students, accompanied by their parents and carrying their luggage, were already returning to Naranja Academy, which was essentially a boarding school.

Dragonite's landing attracted many direct and subtle gazes, making Luo Mu and Growlithe on its back the immediate focus of everyone's attention.

At the same time, his landing was also noticed by a boy who had been waiting at the academy gate for some time.

Penny, wearing Naranja Academy's spring uniform and looking about fifteen or sixteen years old, observed Luo Mu several times, seemingly trying to match him with the impression in his mind.

Only after Luo Mu, under the siege of watching eyes, calmly took out a Poké Ball to recall Dragonite did Penny confirm that Luo Mu was indeed the person he was waiting for.

Penny's face showed signs of nervousness; he meticulously adjusted his appearance, making ample preparations for his first task as student council president, before stepping forward to strike up a conversation: "Hello, Teacher."

"Wang-wu~?"

Before Luo Mu, who had been addressed by the boy, could respond, the Growlithe at his feet spoke up first.

Penny: "????"

"You've only been born a few days and you already want to be someone's teacher?" Luo Mu helplessly flicked Growlithe's little head, then turned to Penny with an apologetic smile and said, "Sorry, this child has only just hatched; it probably misunderstood your meaning."

Penny stood stunned in place; this new teacher seemed very approachable?