Chapter 396: Ripening, Three Brand-New Secret Seasonings!

As soon as Luo Mu met Peony sitting in the waiting area, Peony immediately relayed all the information his parents had revealed to him in one breath.

Terapagos, the Zero Great Hollow, and hard crystalline bodies formed from highly concentrated Tera Energy—these were all things he had never heard of before, prompting Luo Mu to cast an inquisitive glance toward Lei Guan Wang.

Noticing Luo Mu's gaze directed at him, Lei Guan Wang felt slightly surprised; he hadn't expected that Luo Mu, who seemed to know everything, would actually have things he did not understand.

"I do not know."

Nevertheless, Lei Guan Wang honestly shook his head; having never visited the Paldea region, how could he possibly know about Terapagos or the Zero Great Hollow? "In any case, Father and Mother said that if you, Big Brother, have need of them, they can gift you some crystal chunks possessing concentrated Tera Energy, but you must personally travel to Area Zero to retrieve them."

Peony stroked the fur of Ao Ao Jiaofu, who was lying at his feet, verbally conveying the intentions of Sada and Turo.

"I will go when I have the chance; for now, the Tera Shards waiting for Peony to purchase should be sufficient."

Luo Mu nodded, effectively accepting the invitation, then asked further.

"By the way, where are Hearing Hearing Nimo and the others?"

Peony replied immediately: "Hearing Hearing Nimo said she was going home to ask her sister and father to help Peony purchase Tera Shards, while Pipa dragged Shinji out into the wild to search for Tera Crystals, defeating wild Pokémon guarding the crystals nearby to collect Tera Shards."

"I see."

Luo Mu felt very gratified; this was almost entirely a spontaneous action by the students.

It seemed that firm friendships had already formed between them, making them willing to actively rush about for the sake of their friends.

At this moment, Young Lady Joy, having finished attending to several scattered visitors at the Pokémon Center, walked over with her Chansey; being already very familiar with Luo Mu, she spoke quite directly.

"I have finished handling matters on my end; are you certain you want to enter the ward directly to visit Flareon?"

"To put it bluntly, Flareon's immune system is currently declining rapidly due to Yan Dai Yan, making it unsuitable for contact with the outside world."

"I am certain." Luo Mu nodded slightly, his gaze drifting to Lei Guan Wang at his side. "Before we enter, please perform comprehensive disinfection and sterilization for us; Lei Guan Wang can improve Flareon's physical condition somewhat."

"... Lei Guan Wang?"

Young Lady Joy looked at Lei Guan Wang beside Luo Mu, her first reaction being that his head was incredibly large.

It wasn't that she distrusted Luo Mu, but did Lei Guan Wang truly possess the power to improve Flareon's condition?

Even her own Chansey, who specialized in treatment and possessed the Ability 'Healer', could barely use 'Healing Pulse' during emergency care to merely slow the trend of deterioration.

Before Luo Mu or Lei Guan Wang could say anything, Peony spoke up first.

He looked at Young Lady Joy with serious eyes, his tone decisive and firm.

"Please believe us, Young Lady Joy!"

"Lei Guan Wang is the legendary King of Abundance from the Galar region; he can cause even flowers and grasses to grow to maturity within a few breaths, so he can certainly improve Flareon's situation somewhat!"

"Woof!"

Ao Ao Jiaofu also chimed in from the side.

"Although I cannot cure the disease, making it feel better and persist a bit longer... such things I am still capable of doing."

Lei Guan Wang's voice subsequently rang out in Young Lady Joy's mind.

"Telepathy..." Young Lady Joy paused in surprise, then said in a deep voice: "I understand; please follow me."

The Joy family is an extremely large clan with a long lineage, hence members of the Joy family know many secrets that are not publicly disclosed.

Telepathy.

Aside from some exceptionally gifted Psychic-type Pokémon, this is almost certainly one of the exclusive abilities possessed by many legendary Pokémon.

Although it is possible that some non-Psychic-type Pokémon might also learn it, this does not hide the rarity of Telepathy, nor its status as one of the representative abilities of Psychic-type Pokémon.

Furthermore, looking at Lei Guan Wang's aura, which made one subconsciously want to trust him, caused Joy to be willing to take the risk and allow him to enter the room of the patient under her care.

Lei Guan Wang smiled; he appreciated physicians like Joy who took responsibility for their patients, and thus he was willing to seek Joy's opinion rather than simply teleporting directly into the ward.

A short while later.

After undergoing thorough sterilization, Lei Guan Wang entered the sterile ward where Flareon was located, accompanied by Joy and Chansey.

Meanwhile, Luo Mu and Peony remained outside.

Watching the ward begin to glow with a soft halo shortly after Lei Guan Wang entered, Luo Mu withdrew his gaze and turned his head to look at Peony.

He was very reassured about Lei Guan Wang handling matters.

Although classes could not be held today, Luo Mu still had matters he needed to ask Peony about.

"This Friday, the academy will launch its extracurricular Treasure Hunt event; at that time, Hearing Hearing Nimo will embark on a journey, touring Paldea to challenge the remaining Gyms, and Pipa has also decided to head out."

"For the period following this, it will likely be difficult for everyone to gather together; Shinji and your other new classmate have only just barely entered the door and will remain at the academy to attend classes, but what about you? Have you made your decision?"

Hearing this, Peony, whose gaze had been fixed on Lei Guan Wang displaying his holiness before the shocked Young Lady Joy and Chansey, silently looked at Luo Mu for a moment before stating with conviction: "You wouldn't be thinking that since we are all leaving, you could just slack off, would you?"

Luo Mu: "..."

How had this kid's intuition become so sharp!

Seeing Luo Mu's guilty expression, Peony knew he had guessed correctly.

Pouting slightly, Peony said: "I am also going on a journey; after all, Big Brother, you still haven't fulfilled the promise you made to me. Only after clearing the eight Gyms will you be willing to take me into the Paldea Great Crater."

Luo Mu smiled awkwardly: "Wasn't that out of concern for your safety? Even if I can protect you, to be prepared for any eventuality, you yourself must possess a certain level of combat strength."

Peony naturally understood this principle as well; he silently stepped forward to embrace Luo Mu, then retreated a few steps and said: "Trouble the teacher to tell Peony that if she encounters any difficulties and needs help, she should feel free to seek me out... this is also my father and mother's intention."

"Alright."

Luo Mu nodded slightly, watching Peony depart.

Approximately half an hour later, Joy and Chansey walked out of the sterile ward with Lei Guan Wang.

Traces of shock that had not yet completely faded still lingered on Joy's exquisite and beautiful face.

Under the power of Lei Guan Wang, Flareon, whose various indicators had previously barely been maintained at a low value, saw all its metrics rise crazily.

Through the data, Joy even discovered that the symptoms of Flareon's Yan Dai Yan had been alleviated to a certain extent.

Although the illness had not yet disappeared, Lei Guan Wang's actions had undoubtedly bought precious time for both Flareon and Peony, who was rushing about outside.

Now she completely believed in Lei Guan Wang's identity as a legendary Pokémon.

Young Lady Joy looked at Luo Mu with a meaningful gaze, suddenly feeling that she was quite foolish for having to prepare the next day's learning content and select teaching materials every night after getting off work.

With Lei Guan Wang present, was there any necessity for Luo Mu to learn medical arts? She had previously thought that with Luo Mu running such a large farm, his Pokémon would inevitably feel unwell now and then, so she intended to teach him everything she knew, ensuring he wouldn't be completely clueless in an emergency.

As it turned out, Lei Guan Wang could cure most problems; diseases that even Lei Guan Wang couldn't treat were difficult for her as well, let alone expecting anything from Luo Mu, who hadn't even mastered the basics. It was enough for him to simply recognize medicinal herbs and make conservative combinations.

Feeling a chill run down his spine under Joy's gaze, Luo Mu simply turned to ask Lei Guan Wang about Flareon's condition.

Around eleven o'clock at night, Peony contacted Luo Mu again.

She said that the Terapagos fragments, urgently purchased and rushed for delivery, should arrive at Luo Mu's farm by midnight.

Luo Mu, who had originally thought there was no hope for tonight and had already washed up to lie in bed playing with Mimikyu and Cosmog, suddenly sprang up, surprised by Peony's speed in purchasing and transportation.

Peony's voice over the phone could barely hide her exhaustion; Luo Mu wanted to persuade her to rest first, but Peony insisted on witnessing the maturation of the Secret Spice: Bitter Herb with her own eyes to gain a sense of peace.

Until the Secret Spice was delivered before Flareon, watching it consume the medicine and its condition improve, Peony dared not close her eyes.

After all, Peony had spent the entire day expending time, effort, and money, scrambling through connections; Luo Mu felt he had no right to say anything else and could only prepare to receive the goods before the truck carrying the Terapagos fragments arrived.

Luo Mu summoned Pokémon such as Swampert, Dragonite, Poliwag, Oranguru, and Lei Guan Wang, waiting at the farm entrance.

The Pokémon Luo Mu called upon were either those with great strength and hands capable of carrying heavy objects, or Psychic-type Pokémon like Oranguru and Lei Guan Wang that could move objects via telekinesis.

What about Victini and Cosmog, who were also Psychic-types?

It was better to let the Olivine Nursery keep them company.

At one o'clock in the morning, a large cargo truck laden with goods drove up and parked at the farm entrance; two people stepped down from the front driver's seat.

One was Peony, and the other was the driver.

Luo Mu immediately stepped forward.

At this moment, Peony bowed slightly to the truck driver and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Master."

A trace of surprise flashed in Emperor Yan Di's eyes; Peony, who usually found it difficult to speak to strangers, could actually socialize so smoothly today. What exactly had she experienced throughout the day? While the driver went to open the truck compartment, Peony turned to look at Luo Mu and said with a hint of guilt, "I am very sorry to disturb you so late."

"It's fine; treating Flareon is the priority. During the day, I took Lei Guan Wang to the Pokémon Center; Flareon's condition is much more stable now than it was back then."

Luo Mu patted Peony on the shoulder, offering comfort and reassurance.

"Mm."

Peony pushed up her glasses, which had become slightly blurred from the day's rushing, lowered her head to hold back tears, and nodded gently.

Soon, the truck driver opened the compartment, revealing fluorescent green Terapagos fragments piled inside almost like a small mountain.

"Are all of these..."

A hint of surprise showed in Luo Mu's gaze.

"These are Grass-type Terapagos fragments purchased through the channels of my uncle and Hearing Hearing Nimo; I thought that for planting purposes, the Terapagos energy within Grass-type fragments would be more suitable," Peony explained.

"The logic is correct, but..." Luo Mu nodded slightly, "and regarding this quantity... exactly how much did you buy?"

Judging by eye, there were likely no less than a thousand pieces.

"I only kept enough money for Eevee and the others, as well as my own living expenses; I converted all my remaining savings into Grass-type Terapagos fragments, numbering around fifteen hundred pieces or so..."

Worried that buying only 500 pieces would not be enough, Peony simply chose to buy as many as she could.

Money could be earned again, but she absolutely did not want to lose Flareon.

Seeing Peony so determined, Luo Mu felt he had no right to say anything further; he summoned Swampert and the others and began transporting the Terapagos fragments to the farming area.

Under his command, the Pokémon divided the labor and cooperated, achieving extremely high efficiency.

Lei Guan Wang and Oranguru used telekinesis to place the Terapagos fragments into the bamboo baskets Luo Mu had brought, which were usually used for holding harvested crops.

Subsequently, Swampert, Dragonite, and Poliwag, outstanding in strength and stamina, carried the bamboo baskets filled with Terapagos fragments to the farming area.

Luo Mu did not remain idle either; seeing that everything was operating in an orderly fashion, he joined the ranks of the porters himself.

Carrying a basket fully loaded with Terapagos fragments, Luo Mu glanced out of the corner of his eye at Peony, who was carrying only a half-full basket; her pale skin, rarely exposed to sunlight, had turned completely red as she exerted all her strength to carry the fragments.

Luo Mu said nothing, merely silently quickening his pace to finish the carrying as soon as possible.

Through everyone's efforts, the Terapagos fragments were soon piled up near that small plot in the farming area where the Secret Spices had been planted.

Luo Mu let the other Pokémon return home to rest first, keeping only Lei Guan Wang and Peony by his side; looking at those Grass-type Terapagos fragments, an idea surfaced in his mind.

The five types of Secret Spices each possessed their own miraculous effects; originally, he and Joy's idea had been to use the Bitter Herb to enhance Flareon's immunity, followed by implementing other treatment plans.

But with so many Grass-type Terapagos fragments available, it seemed they could be a bit bolder.

Luo Mu's gaze fell successively upon the Secret Spices with white leaves and those with red leaves.

Secret Spice: Salty Herb, with its mellow and delicious salty taste, produces astonishing effects in promoting health.

Secret Spice: Spicy Herb, possessing a supreme spicy flavor, is rumored to cause metabolism to increase explosively with just a single bite.

Combining them with the Bitter Herb and Sour Herb might allow Flareon to recover even faster.

Thinking of this, Luo Mu told his idea to Lei Guan Wang.

After receiving a nod from Lei Guan Wang indicating there was no problem, Luo Mu led Peony to step back a few paces, waiting for Lei Guan Wang to perform.

Lei Guan Wang closed its eyes; its entire body was enveloped in a blue telekinetic aura, and a powerful momentum swept outward, suddenly transmitting a strange humming sound through the air.

Lei Guan Wang closed its eyes; its entire body was enveloped in a blue psychic aura, and a powerful momentum swept outward as a strange hum suddenly resonated through the air.

Under the compression of Lei Guan Wang's telekinesis, the mountain-like pile of Grass-type Terapagos fragments shattered, transforming into brilliant starlight tinged with a hint of emerald green, resembling a river of stars covering the sky like a celestial curtain.

Further away, in the grass separated by the farm's wooden fence, a pair of brown ears and a pair of silver-gray ears, resembling those of a rabbit, stood upright from the vegetation.

Their owner watched this breathtakingly beautiful scene in fascination, their eyes full of longing.

Under Lei Guan Wang's manipulation, the Terapagos energy was evenly divided into three streams, flowing like rivers into the soil beneath three plants that it had specially marked.

Simultaneously, Lei Guan Wang mobilized its power of abundance, and waves like a tidal surge washed over the field.

In the eyes of Luo Mu and Peony, those three plants seemed to defy the laws of nature, growing and maturing at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if they had passed through countless years within merely a single minute.

When the Terapagos energy extracted from all the Grass-type fragments had vanished and a strange scent permeated the air.

Lingering at the tip of the nose was a scent that couldn't quite be called fragrance, yet it provoked the body to stir restlessly, constantly sending signals demanding acquisition.

Luo Mu and Peony understood that the three types of Secret Spices had been successfully ripened! Following this, accompanied by it, was... the riot of numerous wild Pokémon that had sniffed this scent.

Luo Mu and Mudan understood that the three secret transmission condiments had successfully accelerated ripening! Following this, however, came the riot of numerous wild Pokémon that had smelled this scent.

(End of Chapter)