Chapter 462: Not Only Did It Train My Strength, But I Also Got Someone Working for Me; How Wonderful

A Contest?

Wallace?

Luo Mu frowned, sensing intuitively that something was amiss.

Out of the blue, why would the Hoenn Contest Association, which could be considered the birthplace of Contests, come to Paldea to collaborate with the Naranja Academy?

And for Wallace to appear in person—what exactly was going on?

Geeta hadn't mentioned a single word about it.

Since he couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried, he decided not to think about it anymore.

In any case, when Clavell said "recently," he most likely didn't mean within the next few days; the Academy's preparations, notifying everyone, and recruiting participants would all take considerable time.

Judging by the message he had received, Luo Mu felt that even if he wasn't among the very first to know, he was certainly among those who found out very quickly.

"I'll just send Geeta a message to ask once I'm done with my tasks later."

After muttering to himself, he stretched lazily on his soft bed, rubbed his sleeping Luxray, then got up, washed, and began making preparations.

Today he needed to travel a bit far; although he wouldn't be leaving Paldea nor would he be away for several days, if all went smoothly, he should be back home by noon the next day.

Still, various matters required preparation.

He had also arranged a time with the little Rookidee, planning to pick it up in a few days to bring it to the farm for a visit, so there was no worry about the little Rookidee coming on its own only to find no one home.

Before heading out, Luo Mu first glanced at the clock in his room.

Seven in the morning.

At this hour, the Miltank and the Skiddo should have already finished milking, with the Corviknight beginning the delivery rounds one after another.

There was no need for him to go over there; later, he could simply check the daily report that the Oranguru diligently wrote every single day without fail.

The only two things that concerned Luo Mu were, first, that starting today, the delivery team included an additional small shiny Noctowl, which belonged to Ash.

It seemed that Noctowl was quite intelligent, but due to its small size, it probably couldn't carry many bottles; how it would perform today remained a mystery.

He hoped there would be a pleasant surprise.

The second point of concern for him was Ash's herd of Tauros.

Yesterday, Luo Mu had visited the pasture area and seen that the thirty Tauros were living extremely comfortably there.

Either they were burying their heads and galloping together, or they were savoring fresh pasture grass; these Tauros were not as picky as the Miltank, which only ate the newly sprouted tender tips.

Apart from leaving behind the root systems and a small portion of their bodies to let the pasture grass barely survive, they truly were not picky at all.

This was probably related to the environment in Professor Oak's backyard; after all, quite many Pokémon were raised there, and while there was enough food, it certainly wasn't an all-you-can-eat situation, so they still had to compete a bit.

Led by this group of energetic Tauros, the two Skiddo and the Budew ran with even more vigor, and the Miltank rolled faster as well.

What could be foreseen was that the first Miltank to enter the farm, which had the "Sap Sipper" Ability, would likely have a chance to lose a bit of weight.

However—

"If I raise them together, could it be that before I know it, they'll produce a whole bunch of Pokémon Eggs for me?"

Luo Mu looked up at the sky and muttered to himself with considerable worry.

After finishing his preparations, Luo Mu returned inside the house and knocked on the door of a certain room.

Even though, as the owner of the house, he could open any door he wished, he still chose to do this.

The reason was simple: Luo Mu knew that deep in his memories, his past self had also greatly disliked others barging directly into a space that temporarily belonged solely to them without knocking.

Only after hearing the voice from inside say "Come in" did he turn the doorknob and enter.

The moment he stepped inside, his eyebrows shot up.

"It seems last night was quite chaotic?"

Luo Mu's gaze landed on Ash, who was sporting two dark panda-eye circles; he wasn't being malicious, but rather spoke in a teasing tone.

The entire room was a mess; much of the furniture was ruined, and there were traces of impact damage in several places.

If someone told him that a Pokémon battle had taken place here last night, Luo Mu would have believed it.

No wonder there had seemed to be noises downstairs before he went to sleep last night; fortunately, his sleep quality was invincibly good, and he hadn't been disturbed in the slightest.

Ash, whose clothes were smeared with some unknown black substance, lowered his head and, for once, spoke with embarrassment, "I'm sorry, Brother Luo Mu, for messing up the room you had arranged so nicely."

"I will compensate..."

Luo Mu raised his hand to cut off Ash's statement.

"In any case, the new house will be completed soon, so this is no big deal."

"Rather than worrying about compensation, you should think about when you're going to repay Misty for her bicycle."

Ash: "!!!"

"Brother Luo Mu, how did you know...?"

Ash's face was full of guilt; surprisingly, someone else actually knew that he owed Misty a huge debt.

"You don't need to worry about that."

Luo Mu offered no explanation, merely smiling slightly as he looked Ash up and down, then glanced at Pikachu, who was sleeping soundly nearby, before speaking again.

"First, take Pikachu to take a bath; afterward, we'll discuss the matter of Tan Xiao Shi and today's schedule."

Having said this, Luo Mu turned and left the room.

Delia had brought over many sets of change of clothes, and Ash already knew where the bathroom was, so he could just let them wash themselves.

What he needed to do now was inform the Oranguru, asking it to tidy up the room later, apply a fresh coat of paint, and replace some of the furniture.

Ash moved very quickly.

Just as Luo Mu finished arranging everything on his end, Ash emerged wearing fresh clothes, with Pikachu perched on his shoulder, rushing over.

It was just that those domineering panda-like dark circles made him look somewhat out of place.

"Brother Luo Mu!"

Ash called out to Luo Mu, then looked outside and asked in a low voice.

"Where is Charcadet?"

"Rest assured, it's staying with Cang Yan Ren Gui; I doubt any Pokémon shares more common ground with it than they do, especially since they are of the same species."

Luo Mu patted Ash's shoulder, while his other hand subtly stroked Pikachu.

Then, he asked, "Can you tell me now what happened in your room last night?"

Ash nodded and explained the matter in just a few words.

Simply put, Ash's experience mirrored the anime plot exactly: he stayed by Charcadet's side all night until it awakened.

Unfortunately, the current Charcadet clearly trusted no human; it caused chaos all night, until Cang Yan Ren Gui, who had been monitoring the situation, finally stepped in and temporarily took Charcadet away.

Charcadet reluctantly trusted its own kin somewhat, which was why Luo Mu said that with Cang Yan Ren Gui present, Ash need not worry about Charcadet.

After their exchange concluded.

"Big Brother Luo Mu, what should I do to make Charcadet my friend?"

Ash looked at Luo Mu with a tearful expression, seeking advice from the senior he respected.

Luo Mu looked at him and pondered briefly.

At this point in time, Ash should have encountered only one abandoned Pokémon: the current Charizard, formerly a Charmander.

Back then, Charmander was abandoned by its trainer and tricked into waiting in one spot for that person's return.

It remained there even when it started raining.

But Fire-type Pokémon easily fall ill when soaked; a sudden torrential rain nearly cost Charmander its life, until Ash and his friends rescued it and took it to the Pokémon Center.

Eventually, after a series of events, Charmander broke ties with its scumbag former trainer and chose to travel with Ash.

Objectively speaking, that situation was resolved quite simply.

In contrast, this Charcadet situation is somewhat more difficult to handle.

This one has clearly been deeply hurt by humans; its wariness might even exceed that of Cang Yan Ren Gui in the past.

It must be said that Ash, who obviously wants to catch it, will likely need to expend tremendous effort to win its heart.

After all, the trainer who abandoned Charcadet has already been dealt with by Luo Mu, and as for Team Rocket trio serving as wingmen, who knows if they can even follow them to Paldea.

Ending his contemplation, Luo Mu replied, "This isn't something that can be solved in a short while."

"If you trust me, let Cang Yan Ren Gui guide Charcadet first; as members of the same species who have shared similar experiences, it will be easier for Charcadet to accept its persuasion."

"As for today... you will come out with me."

"Bring Pokémon skilled in underground combat; I have a training mission to assign you."

Luo Mu patted Ash's shoulder again, his face beaming with a smile of encouragement for the youth.

At this moment, Ash had no idea how Luo Mu had arranged things for him; upon hearing he could battle and had a training mission, he and Pikachu excitedly rushed out of the house to gather their companions.

Moments later.

The farm's open ground.

"Hold on tight!"

Luo Mu reminded Ash, who was sitting somewhat in front of him, then patted the Dragonite beneath him, signaling it to take off.

"Booooom~"

With Dragonite's melodious dragon roar, powerful gusts swept up from the ground; its figure instantly soared into the high sky, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

"Whoa whoa whoa—!"

"Pika Pika—!"

"Ding ding ding—!"

High above, listening to the three noisy companions acting like country bumpkins entering a grand garden, Luo Mu felt a headache coming on.

For Greavard, experiencing Dragonite's high-altitude, high-speed flight for the first time, such a reaction was understandable.

If he remembered correctly, both Ash and Pikachu had already flown on Lugia's back once before; why were they still so excited now?

After quite a while, they finally calmed down.

Ash, face flushed, stared at Dragonite beneath him, carefully stroking its scaled yet incredibly smooth and fleshy back, his expression filled with longing.

"Dragonite is so amazing; if only I could catch one too."

Luo Mu glanced at him and said casually, "As long as you have that thought, that day will come."

"Really? That's great!"

Ash was clearly a simple-minded single-cell organism; since Luo Mu said so, he believed he would definitely have a chance to catch a Dragonite in the future.

Ash turned to look behind him, wanting to ask Luo Mu some more questions.

Just then.

He suddenly noticed that at Luo Mu's collar, a necklace holding something unknown was faintly visible.

As the wind, weakened to a mere breeze, blew past, Luo Mu's collar kept shifting its shape.

Ash focused his gaze and discovered that it was actually a feather.

Moreover, this feather looked incredibly familiar!

"Big Brother Luo Mu, this feather is..."

Pikachu also sniffed from a distance, as if recalling something, and suddenly cried out.

"Pika Pika!?"

"It seems Pikachu still remembers."

Luo Mu smiled and patted Pikachu's head; hearing its cry of enjoyment, he made eye contact with Ash and pulled the Silver Wing out from his chest.

"You should still remember the incident on Ascorbia Island; the legendary Pokémon known as the Guardian of the Seas, Lugia, gave this to me as a gift."

Upon hearing Lugia's name, Ash immediately remembered.

He widened his eyes and said in shock, "That feather from Lugia? How amazing, Big Brother Luo Mu!"

Luo Mu found Xiao Zhi's flattery very pleasing.

After all.

Who doesn't like hearing nice words?

Given Dragonite's flight speed and the fact that the destination wasn't too far, about an hour later, Dragonite landed smoothly at the destination.

This was a remote wilderness rarely visited by humans; surrounded by barren mountains, it was also home to many slightly dangerous wild Pokémon, and aside from trainers specifically out exploring, few people ever came here.

Luo Mu did not answer Xiao Zhi's question of "What are we going to do?" Instead, with an excited Greavard atop his head, he led Xiao Zhi purposefully toward Shenshan.

Xiao Zhi and Pikachu were also carefree; probably accustomed to traveling mountain paths, they chattered all the way like two sparrows.

Soon, Luo Mu spotted today's mission location—

In front of a pitch-black, deep cave.

"Big Brother Luo Mu, that is..."

Xiao Zhi pointed outside the cave, his face full of surprise.

It wasn't just the bonfire blazing brightly as it roasted food.

Tents, tables, water cups, even camping chairs—there were many signs of life; someone was actually camping here!

What kind of eccentric person would stay in a place like this?

Seemingly noticing someone approaching.

A rustling sound came from inside the tent, and then a man wearing an excavation team uniform walked straight out.

Luo Mu greeted him directly: "Team Leader, we're here!"

Indeed.

The "eccentric person" camping in this deep, old forest was none other than the relic expert who had signed a contract with Luo Mu not long ago to excavate the ancient Paldean gold coins, codenamed Team Leader!

"Oh, my dear boss!"

Seeing Luo Mu arrive, Team Leader's eyes lit up, and he stepped forward immediately for an enthusiastic bear hug.

This was also a custom from his hometown.

After confirming that Luo Mu had accepted his enthusiasm, Team Leader finally released his thick arms, then looked at the suddenly nervous Xiao Zhi and Pikachu, and asked Luo Mu:

"Um, is this child the trainer partner you mentioned, boss?"

Team Leader's expression as he looked at Luo Mu gradually became complicated.

He had never expected Luo Mu to be this kind of person!

How old is he? Dragging someone in to work already; it's simply monstrous, utterly unconscionable!

Realizing Team Leader had misunderstood, Luo Mu waved his hand and explained directly: "Don't let Xiao Zhi's young age fool you; he is a trainer who has collected Ba Mei Hui Zhang from the Kanto and Johto regions. Accompanying you to excavate this relic and dealing with the guardian Pokémon and mechanisms inside is more than enough for him."

"Ho, is he really that powerful?"

Team Leader examined Xiao Zhi more carefully.

Hmm, he looked only a little over ten years old, and that Pikachu, numerous as a stray dog on the roadside, had unknown strength; for now, he might as well be treated as a mascot and pet.

At this moment, Xiao Zhi finally reacted; he looked at Luo Mu and asked in a small voice: "So, the training task Big Brother Luo Mu mentioned is..."

Luo Mu smiled slightly and said: "That's right; you will serve as the team's combat strength, accompanying Mr. Team Leader into the ancient relic tomb chamber. There, you will encounter many Pokémon and mechanisms guarding the relic and tomb, which can significantly hone your reaction speed and improve your practical combat abilities. Pretty great, right?"

Training his strength while also working for me; how wonderful!

Luo Mu couldn't help but admire his own intellect.

Truly, every bit of resources was being used where it mattered most!

(End of Chapter)