Chapter 419: Will a Sky Dragon Without a Mega Dream of a Snowy Day Nine?

Arriving before Luo Mu, Xue Li Guai pulled a small metal box from beneath its hat-like head.

"Ka-pu!"

Xue Li Guai stretched out its arms as if offering treasure, eager to hand the two items to Luo Mu.

If before it was merely speculation based on available intelligence and intuition, then now Luo Mu was certain.

This Xue Li Guai was precisely the one whose parents had gotten lost, whom he had encountered in a snow-sheltered cave several months ago when he came to Frostveil Mountain to execute Eri's commission, lying in wait at the summit with Looker's Lila and Mr. Tron, the ranger from Freezington, to hunt down Hunter J.

Luo Mu had truly not anticipated the arrival of Xue Li Guai.

After all, their habitat should have been in the regions even higher up on Frostveil Mountain.

Assuming they had simply moved to the mountainside due to the previous incident, Luo Mu squatted down, looked kindly at the slightly shy Xue Li Guai, and reached out to pat its head.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Xue Li Guai? Have you been doing well?"

Xue Li Guai, who had been worried that Luo Mu might have forgotten it, lit up and threw itself directly into his arms.

Xue Li Guai had met Luo Mu on that snowy night when it was most helpless; after Luo Mu left, it had always thought that if they ever met again, it must express its gratitude to him.

Over the past few months, it had often quietly hidden under trees to observe passing Dengshan climbers and Trainers, yet it had never seen that figure etched deep into its memory.

Xue Li Guai had thought it would be disappointed and return empty-handed as before, but while hiding under a tree, it once again spotted that familiar figure within the crowd.

Although excited, it dared not enter the venue where people occasionally patrolled with Pokémon, so it had hurriedly run home to call its parents to bolster its courage.

Xue Li Guai nudged against Luo Mu's chest, letting out happy cries.

"Ka-pu~"

During this time, Mom and Dad finally didn't get lost by accident, and I've been doing very well~

Watching Luo Mu interact with Xue Li Guai, Grusha stood before several staff members who were looking at each other in bewilderment; stroking the soft feathers of his Altaria through his gloves, he felt somewhat amazed.

Even those two Abomasnow were no longer so vigilant; one must know that this species of Pokémon is famously fond of living deep in snow mountains isolated from the outside world's clamor, reluctant to have excessive contact with humans—they are "aloof" Pokémon, after all.

However, seeing the clearly man-made metal box clutched in Xue Li Guai's hand, Grusha already had a vague suspicion in his heart.

On the other side.

After the initial excitement, Xue Li Guai gradually calmed down; it once again offered the two items like treasure, wanting him to take them quickly.

One was a metal box that had been cleaned and maintained very thoroughly.

The other was a stone of beautiful ice-blue, possessing a pure body adorned with exquisite snowflake patterns.

They were respectively the Energy Cube box Luo Mu had given to Xue Li Guai, and an Ice Stone that appeared to be of quite good quality.

In Xue Li Guai's view, this was both returning something and repaying a kindness.

Luo Mu looked down at the items Xue Li Guai offered, met its innocent yet sincere gaze, smiled slightly, and reached out to accept both objects.

"I like your gift very much."

Luo Mu felt that since this was Xue Li Guai's heartfelt intention, he absolutely could not let it down.

Seeing Luo Mu accept its repayment gift, Xue Li Guai looked excitedly toward its mom and dad.

It was worth it for the two of them to fight that big fellow with a great sword on its back just to snatch this Ice Stone, which contained such pure Ice-type energy that even Xue Li Guai coveted it!

The Abomasnow couple felt somewhat unnerved under Xue Li Guai's gaze; as if recalling some unpleasant memory, even the joy of seeing the benefactor who had fished them up from beneath the cliff was greatly diminished, and they simultaneously cursed inwardly.

Bratty kid! The older it gets, the more trouble it causes its parents!

But toward Luo Mu, who had brought Xue Li Guai along, the two Abomasnow immediately became flustered and at a loss.

For the two of them, who were socially anxious and only willing to nest at home without ever descending the mountain, communicating with humans or Pokémon was even more difficult than fighting an Arctibax!

"I plan to take them to my campsite."

Asking the Abomasnow couple and Xue Li Guai to wait a moment, Luo Mu approached Grusha and the several staff members and calmly made his request.

For a moment, the air around them instantly stagnated.

A staff member who appeared somewhat older stepped forward and said helplessly, "Mr., wild Pokémon inherently possess instability, let alone Abomasnow, which possess great power and live on Frostveil Mountain."

"It's not that we are unreasonable, it's just... we must be responsible for the contestants, other staff members, and the audience!"

There was no hint of forcefulness in these words, but rather a sense of helplessness.

Luo Mu was not the type to be aggressive; thinking briefly, he opened his mouth and said, "How about this: I will take full responsibility for the actions of the Abomasnow and Xue Li Guai; signing an agreement is no problem, and I will do my utmost to restrain their behavior, so you shouldn't need to worry about anything, right?"

Luo Mu did not wish to make things difficult for these staff members, so he simply took all the responsibility upon himself.

If these staff members still had objections, then he would have to sacrifice some sleep time, go outside, and spend time interacting and getting along with the Abomasnow and Xue Li Guai.

Originally, Luo Mu had even planned to show them the completed ice sculpture.

Luo Mu's words caused the several staff members to look at each other in bewilderment, unable to make a decision for a moment.

At this moment, Grusha stepped forward and said to them, "As the chief person in charge of security for this Ice Sculpture Competition, I can also vouch for them and take responsibility."

Grusha knew that most of these staff members came from various regional Leagues and were employees of the World Ice Sculpture Association; naturally not wishing to make things difficult for them, he chose to step out and give Luo Mu a small favor.

Since even Grusha, a Gym Leader, had spoken thus, the few of them exchanged glances, reported the matter upward, and then allowed Luo Mu to take the Abomasnow couple and Xue Li Guai back to the campsite.

Grusha first let his Altaria continue keeping watch in the sky for a while, then jogged to catch up with Luo Mu's footsteps, smiling as he said, "Actually, this isn't your fault; if someone from the organizers hadn't introduced me to them, perhaps these staff members wouldn't have known I am a Gym Leader, so it's no big deal."

Not particularly depressed, Luo Mu glanced at him, then let his gaze fall upon his legs, and asked sincerely, "Is your personality a bit different from how it was during the day?"

Grusha's face, hidden behind his scarf, turned slightly red; whether from embarrassment or something else, looking at Luo Mu—who had once filled him with many complex emotions but was also a benefactor to whom he owed his second life—he stubbornly replied, "It's just your illusion!"

Speaking thus, Grusha ran toward the tent where Shauna was, but his movements resembled nothing so much as a hasty retreat.

Luo Mu could only shake his head helplessly, abandoning the question stuck in his throat, and thinking in a laid-back manner that he would just ask Grusha tomorrow about his relationship with that Ms. Shauna.

As for tonight?

Naturally, it was first to interact and communicate with the Abomasnow and Xue Li Guai for a while, then get a good night's sleep.

After waking up, he would carve the ice sculpture and let Xue Li Guai and the Abomasnow appreciate it.

Early morning.

Luo Mu, who had arguably slept for five or six hours, yawned as he rose; during his washing and grooming, he even enjoyed Lei Guan Wang's service, being cleansed by its spring-breeze-like energy, causing most of his fatigue from lack of sleep to vanish instantly.

After doing all this, Lei Guan Wang added an extra remark, "This is just special treatment for a special situation; there won't be any next time, lest you develop a dependency."

Luo Mu, whose mind was exceptionally clear, noticed that Lei Guan Wang still had something left unsaid.

Luo Mu didn't dwell on it, guessing that Lei Guan Wang had probably used this kind of power in the past, causing some individual or group to become dependent on it, which was why he was being so restrained now.

Luo Mu and Lei Guan Wang walked out of the tent together; by this time, the Pokémon had already been active outside for a while.

The Snom, who had appeared at some unknown point, was no longer satisfied with just teaching Vulpix and had now set its sights on Snover, currently conducting a double lesson under the cover of an Aurora Veil.

Lei Guan Wang smiled and recounted, "When Snom arrived this morning, Abomasnow and the others thought it was here to provoke them and nearly came to blows; it was Cangyan Cangyan Rengui who stepped forward to stop their conflict."

Surprised, Luo Mu looked over toward Cangyan Cangyan Rengui and found that while it was practicing its sword swings, it occasionally cast subtle glances in their direction.

The expectation in its eyes—or rather, the desire for praise—was incredibly strong.

Even though Cangyan Cangyan Rengui intended to hide it, it did so quite well.

But after spending so much time together, Luo Mu, who clearly understood Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's personality, would not miss this detail.

Praise the good, educate the bad.

This had always been one of Luo Mu's principles for interacting with Pokémon.

After a brief moment of thought, Luo Mu clapped his hands together and, with acting that was slightly exaggerated but certainly undetectable to Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, declared, "Cangyan Cangyan Rengui did an amazing job! Truly worthy of being my excellent and reliable Shadow Swordsman!"

Looking over at Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, although it seemed to have no reaction, its sword-swinging movements clearly became much more vigorous.

Lei Guan Wang: "..."

Never mind, he was already used to it.

Arriving at the training spot for Vulpix and Snover, Snom, leveraging the double hail summoned by the two, expanded another Aurora Veil and fanned its beautiful wings to demonstrate how to disperse energy.

To one side.

The Abomasnow couple, who had originally stood there like door gods, fearing Snom might harm the children, had now gathered together with the Sandslash couple.

These two pairs of Pokémon, who would likely have started a fight if they had met on a snowy mountain, were now harmoniously huddled together, discussing how to raise children.

Especially after the Abomasnow couple learned that the Sandslash couple was still caring for a Pokémon Egg, their enthusiasm temporarily overcame their social anxiety, and they shared many parenting tips with the Sandslash couple.

But for the unborn Sandshrew of a different species still inside the egg, whether these tips would be useful remained to be seen.

Seeing Luo Mu approach, Snom temporarily paused its teaching and flew enthusiastically to Luo Mu's front.

Luo Mu smiled with mutual understanding and said, "It's already prepared inside the tent; you can go drink it in a bit, and I'll keep an eye on your trainer for you."

"Mo Si~"

Snom was very satisfied with Luo Mu's perceptiveness, and precisely because of this, its teaching today was exceptionally diligent.

Yesterday, to thank Snom for teaching Vulpix the Aurora Veil move, Luo Mu had specially portioned out some of his treasured, remaining supply of genuine Wild Combee Honey for Snom.

This made Snom, whose diet had been controlled by Lady Shaya for a long time, feel like a person dehydrated to the point of death in a desert suddenly encountering sweet rain.

While teaching Vulpix, it worked even harder, intending to pass on all its lifelong knowledge.

For no other reason than for that single mouthful of extremely delicious Combee Honey.

Snom flew happily toward the tent, while Luo Mu looked at the two little ones, Snover and Vulpix.

After spending the night together, Snover had already become familiar with Vulpix.

But becoming familiar wasn't necessarily a good thing; at the very least, Snover's complete openness with friends had let Vulpix learn about certain matters.

Vulpix clung to Luo Mu's pant leg and clothes, scrambled up to his shoulder with the agility of a little monkey, and let out an urging cry.

"Mewu!"

To one side.

Hearing Vulpix's urging, Snover looked at Luo Mu with slight helplessness, seeming somewhat guilty.

Luo Mu first cast a comforting glance at Snover; this was not its fault.

Last night, after hearing from Snover that it had brought an Ice Stone, Vulpix had pestered Luo Mu, wanting to evolve.

Then, Luo Mu directly plucked Vulpix off his shoulder, lifted it up in the manner of a baboon lifting Simba, looked straight into its beautiful eyes, and asked, "Are you truly ready to evolve?"

Unlike the neighboring universe where one could evolve and devolve at will, even transforming from a dog to a mouse and then to an angel, apart from temporary Mega Evolution...

Pokémon evolution is irreversible.

Once such a decision is made, Vulpix will definitely lose many things.

The indulgence and doting the farm Pokémon showed toward children while it was a Vulpix would end; it couldn't be held high by Luo Mu or cradled in his arms like this anymore...

Many things would change.

Vulpix had been at the farm for two or three months now, and during this time, Luo Mu had never treated it poorly; its energy reserves and physique had indeed reached the limit for evolution.

The quality of the Ice Stone brought by Snover was excellent; stones of such purity were hard to buy on the market, and furthermore, Lei Guan Wang had said he would assist Vulpix from the side, guaranteeing it could complete a perfect evolution.

Admittedly.

After evolving, Vulpix would gain a new Fairy type, becoming a true Dragon-slayer of the Ice and Fairy systems.

The Alolan form of Ninetales was once the top choice for Hail teams in the games; if it encountered a Rayquaza without Mega Evolution, its suppressing power would be absolutely despair-inducing.

Evolution brings a leap in the level of life for a Pokémon, an awakening of brand new power.

But Luo Mu was worried about only one issue—

Was Vulpix truly ready?

Facing Luo Mu's question, conflicting light flickered in Vulpix's large eyes.

It knew clearly that after evolving, it would become like its mother; in that form, it definitely couldn't be held and petted in Luo Mu's arms, nor could it ride Uncle Baxcalibur to stroll around the farm, let alone enjoy everyone's doting love anymore.

Just as Vulpix had once heard regarding Feng Su Gou, the farm's favorite, after it evolved, once it caused trouble, the older brothers and sisters who used to dote on it would still beat it without hesitation.

Evolution would cause the loss of many privileges, but in exchange, it could also bring many things.

Vulpix's little head couldn't hold too many thoughts, but one thing was clear.

After evolution, it would definitely be able to completely master the Aurora Veil move!

Even though Uncle Lei Guan Wang could also construct an Aurora Veil, this did not hinder Vulpix's determination—

Vulpix wanted to rely on its own power to help Luo Mu!

Thinking of this, the flickering gaze of the Six-Tail grew resolute, and it let out a cry toward Luo Mu.

"Miu-wu!" (I need to evolve!)

"Is that so."

Luo Mu smiled helplessly, decided to respect the Six-Tail's wish, and turned his gaze to the Lei Guan Wang beside him.

As if having long anticipated events would unfold in this direction, the Lei Guan Wang used telekinesis to envelop the Ice Stone, suspending it before the Six-Tail.

"I will also help you complete your evolution perfectly," the Lei Guan Wang promised.

The Six-Tail nodded gently, hesitated no longer, leaped from Luo Mu's hand, and raised a paw to touch the Ice Stone.

In an instant, dazzling light radiated outward.

(End of Chapter)