Chapter 43: Ni Mo

Paipu, called out by Luo Mu, jolted upright, glancing left and right, unsure how he’d been spotted—but Luo Mu’s gaze was fixed squarely on his hiding spot.

After a moment’s hesitation, Paipu shuffled over toward Luo Mu and Ni Mo, his face twisted in indecision.

Seeing his expression, Luo Mu knew he was still brooding over the earlier incident and silently scoffed inside: “What a stubborn little brat.”

Ni Mo, by contrast, stood in sharp opposition—she studied Paipu for an instant, immediately recognized him, and waved energetically at the approaching boy: “Aren’t you Paipu from Class G?”

“You’re...” Paipu lifted his head, stared at Ni Mo for a long moment, then ventured uncertainly: “Ni Mo from Class A?”

Ni Mo placed her hands on her hips. “Didn’t we take a few classes together before? You’ve already forgotten me?”

Paipu retorted: “It’s not like... you’ve changed so much I’d recognize you at a glance!”

Paipu remembered Ni Mo before the holiday: a cute girl with twin buns from the next class—now, except for her skin, still as pale as ever, she radiated an all-over glittering, energetic aura that was worlds apart.

It was as if she’d suddenly matured from a childish kid into something more grown-up.

Ni Mo pouted and muttered under her breath: “The teacher recognized me right away.”

“What did you just say?” Paipu leaned forward, as if he hadn’t caught her whisper.

At that moment, a pair of hands pressed down on each of their shoulders—Luo Mu gestured toward the empty battlefield beside the courtyard: “Aren’t you going to battle? There’s space over there.”

Luo Mu stood on the left side of the field and called to Ni Mo on the opposite side: “One-on-one battle, point-of-contact only—no problems?”

Ni Mo nodded firmly: “No problems!”

Paipu, standing in the center, felt listless.

Not only because Luo Mu, acting as if nothing had happened, made his own prolonged inner turmoil look foolish—but also because of his current assignment...

Paipu grumbled: “It’s just a sparring match. Do we even need a referee?”

“Ceremony matters too,” Luo Mu called to Paipu, then turned to Ni Mo: “Are you ready to battle my Cattiva?”

At the sound of his name, the Cattiva, which had been lazily sprawled on the ground, sprang up instantly and bounded onto the battlefield.

“This... is Cattiva?” Ni Mo blinked, surprised by how different this Cattiva looked from her memory—but that didn’t stop her from enthusiastically sending out Bubu to face it.

Luo Mu spread his hands: “You go first.”

Ni Mo nodded, her heartbeat quickening—strangely, she felt no nervousness, only a surging, fiery passion rising in her chest.

Her gaze sharpened; she waved her hand: “Thunder Shock!”

Bubu clenched its eyes shut, straining its whole body—its cheek pouches flickered with faint sparks, then after a few breaths, a thin golden current shot out.

The three-to-four-second wind-up, the tightly shut eyes—everything screamed that Ni Mo and Bubu were still complete beginners.

Luo Mu’s expression unchanged, he uttered two words: “Dodge.”

Cattiva stepped aside, shifting its body slightly, effortlessly avoiding the poorly aimed Thunder Shock.

Had the electricity not been inherently fast, this attack would’ve looked like slow motion to Cattiva.

The attack missed, but Ni Mo wasn’t discouraged—she immediately commanded Bubu to use Quick Attack, its body wrapped in white light as it charged toward Cattiva.

“Take it, howl,” Luo Mu said.

As a Rock-type Pokémon, Cattiva easily withstood Bubu’s impact.

Bubu slammed into Cattiva’s rocky-maned fur, sending the latter skidding half a meter backward.

Cattiva ignored the attack, its eyes glinting beneath its fur, then lifted its head and let out a long, resonant howl.

In the next instant, a faint red glow enveloped Cattiva—its body braced, and it charged straight into Bubu’s next collision!

“Buu!”

Bubu felt a dull pain strike where they collided, then was launched backward, tumbling uncontrollably through the air.

Bubu landed hard on the ground, its once glossy orange fur now streaked with dust, looking disheveled.

“Bubu!” Ni Mo gasped in concern, covering her mouth—Bubu struggled to its feet, barking at her defiantly, as if telling her not to worry, that it still had fight left.

Ni Mo, seemingly born for battle, nodded firmly, her face set with determination, and shouted: “Let’s prove our strength to the teacher—use Sonic Boom on Cattiva!”

Ni Mo recalled her father’s emphasis when he gave her Bubu.

Its ability was “Iron Fist,” boosting the power of punching moves—and since hatching from its egg, Bubu had already learned “Sonic Boom.” Combined, they formed Ni Mo and Bubu’s strongest offensive technique.

Bubu pushed itself up on its hind legs, its innocent eyes turning sharp, its paw-like hands clenching into fists—white light surged around its knuckles.

Bubu sprinted forward, fists wrapped in gusts of wind, delivering rapid punches straight at Cattiva!

Cattiva endured Bubu’s rapid strikes—though its body was tough, it now felt the sting of these highly effective attacks.

Luo Mu’s eyes brightened slightly; throughout the battle, he’d been reacting to every move, simply observing how much combat potential Ni Mo and Bubu could show.

The conclusion was highly encouraging: though their tactics and awareness were still crude, Luo Mu could already see the talent within them.

The verdict was reached—no need to hold back anymore.

Of the moves Cattiva currently knew, two could counter Bubu effectively.

The egg move “Double-Edge” and the naturally learned move “Flame Wheel.”

Considering Cattiva was only three days old, Double-Edge would strain its body too much and risk seriously injuring Bubu—Luo Mu swiftly decided and called out: “Cattiva, counter with Flame Wheel!”

While enduring Bubu’s assault, Cattiva curled into a wheel shape, flames instantly engulfing its entire body.

Bubu, burned by the heat, involuntarily halted its attack—just then, Flame Wheel completed its charge and spun forward, slamming into Bubu and sending it flying.