Chapter 466: Hearing Hearing Nimo and Ash, Their First Meeting!

Even before Luo Mu transmigrated, there were rumors that these special Pokémon, the Unown, were the underlying source code with which Arceus created the world.

Naturally, he was intensely curious about the Unown.

Since the two Unown were willing to stay, Luo Mu naturally welcomed them.

It was already late at night, so Luo Mu sent Ash, Pikachu, and Larvitar off to sleep, additionally informing them they needed to wake up early the next morning to go to Bakedog Town together and keep watch with Hearing Nimo and the others for the giant Pokémon in the thick fog.

Then he looked again at the two Unown circling around him.

Just as Luo Mu was pondering how to settle these two fellows, they seemed to discover something, let out joyful cries, and charged straight toward the tightly closed door!

No one knew how they managed it, but the moment they touched the door, a flash of Bai Guang passed over, and just as if they had always existed upon it, they transformed into patterned characters, firmly embedding themselves onto its surface.

One on the left and one on the right, they looked just like two door gods.

With a face full of astonishment, Luo Mu walked over and attempted to touch them—

It still felt like the original cold texture of the door, without a single bump or protrusion.

The two Unown instead let out cries as if they were ticklish.

Moreover, he discovered to his amazement that whether he was inside or outside the door, the single eyes of the two Unown could follow his movements, achieving dual-directional observation from both inside and out.

How miraculous!

Lei Guan Wang flew over at the right moment to explain to Luo Mu: "Aside from the vast number of Unown living within spatial rifts, those Unown that appear in this real world generally possess some kind of vessel—"

"Such as murals, sculptures within ancient ruins, or those two wooden tablets from before, and now these two door panels."

"They like to stay silently upon these, observing everything in the real world; just let them be."

As if to prove Lei Guan Wang correct, the two Unown curved their eyebrows happily and cried twice.

"Qi nuo qi nuo~"

Since the two Unown had expressed themselves this way, Luo Mu naturally would not force them to live anywhere specific; he patted each of their "bodies" in turn and said with a smile, "We'll be moving house in a while; by then, you can come be door gods on the larger gate of our new home."

"Qi nuo~"

Although they didn't know what "door gods" meant, the two Unown still swayed their bodies and cried once, considered a response.

After settling everything and exchanging goodnights with Lei Guan Wang, watching it hug the Cosmog it had picked up from the Oliva Kindergarten and enter the room, Luo Mu lingered no longer, returning to his room to set an alarm clock before sinking into dreamland.

Five o'clock in the morning.

The moment the alarm rang, a large hand, as if anticipating it, slapped down on it and silenced the ringing.

After all.

The Mimikyu, Serperior, and two Eevees inside the room were sleeping soundly.

Yawning subconsciously, Luo Mu, with sleepy eyes, struggled to keep his groggy brain awake, standing up carefully as if sleepwalking to open the door and wash up.

By his calculation, he had only slept three or four hours last night, so sleep deprivation was certain.

Rather, the fact that Luo Mu could even get up counted as quite impressive perseverance.

After quickly washing up, shampooing his hair, taking a shower, and changing into clothes suitable for movement, Luo Mu headed straight for the guest room on the second floor.

He didn't even knock, walking directly inside.

After all, after getting along with them for these past two days, he knew that if he wanted to rely on knocking to wake the soundly sleeping Ash, it would likely be difficult.

Opening the door, Ash's sprawled-out sleeping posture, along with those of Pikachu and Larvitar, came into view.

Luo Mu didn't foolishly attempt to wake Ash directly, but instead woke up Pikachu.

How did he wake Pikachu?

Naturally, it was with some ketchup he had casually grabbed from the kitchen!

When Pikachu opened its blurry little eyes, it subconsciously licked with its pink little tongue at the thing messing with the tip of its nose—

The unique sweet-and-sour flavor of ketchup spread out, instantly waking Pikachu up!

"Chu~"

Pikachu squinted its eyes, its face full of enjoyment.

"Trouble you to wake Ash up; later I'll make you an omelet rice stuffed full of ketchup~"

With itchy hands, Luo Mu rubbed Pikachu's head, gave an order, and directly withdrew.

The job of waking Ash was best left to Pikachu, whose eyes were shining and whose electric sacs were flashing with lightning.

Not long after Luo Mu left the room.

Accompanied by a vigorous "Pika~ Chu!", golden lightning instantly filled the entire room, and faintly, Ash's screams could still be heard.

Time reached five-thirty.

Sitting on Dragonite's back, Luo Mu looked at Ash riding in front of him on the same Dragonite and reminded him one last time, "We're going to the seaside shortly; the Water-type Pokémon can relax a bit, but have you made sure to bring them all?"

"Squirtle, Kingler, Totodile, Snorlax, and Pikachu, all brought!"

Ash counted on his fingers while recalling, stating with absolute certainty.

"."

Luo Mu fell into a suspicious silence for one second.

Subsequently, he looked at the Oranguru holding Larvitar beside him and nodded.

Oranguru also understood Luo Mu's meaning; nodding in tacit understanding, it watched as Dragonite flapped its wings and ascended, quickly disappearing into the sky that was still pitch black, before turning to return inside.

Time to prepare, as it would soon be time for milk delivery again.

Fortunately, that smart Noctowl had been around recently, allowing him to entrust part of the work to it.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

Wild winds whistled past them, yet due to the obstruction of strange energy, they were unable to affect Luo Mu and Ash on Dragonite's back.

Pikachu's eyes sparkled as it looked left and right, obviously enjoying this moment.

Bakedog Town was not far from Pingdie Town; at Dragonite's flight speed, they would arrive quickly, likely before dawn had even broken.

This was also the reason Luo Mu had insisted on sleeping for a few hours before setting out.

The journey was short, yet Xiao Zhi Chong Chong asked excitedly, "Big Brother Luo Mu, what exactly are we going to see today?"

Judging by his demeanor, he had clearly forgotten everything Luo Mu had said late last night after waking up.

Luo Mu could only give him a brief explanation.

But Xiao Zhi Chong Chong's reaction was somewhat strange.

"Thick fog? A huge Pokémon dozens of meters tall?"

Xiao Zhi Chong Chong widened his eyes, rarely exercising his brain as memories surged forth.

Come to think of it, he had indeed seen quite a few giant Pokémon before!

Like the unknown giant Pokémon seeking companions in the thick fog encountered at Professor Zheng Hui's lighthouse, the giant Tentacruel that attacked Lanpuerqi, and the ancient Ultra Beasts Alakazam, Gengar, and Jigglypuff resurrected within ancient ruins on Mount Bodoluo near Miya Cha Mountain behind Zhenxin Town! In Xiao Zhi Chong Chong's memory, these Pokémon should all be comparable to the giant Pokémon Luo Mu described.

Thinking of this, Xiao Zhi Chong Chong recounted every detail of these giant Pokémon he had encountered to Luo Mu, with a slight air of showing off. He had expected Luo Mu to praise him for experiencing so many extraordinary events, but unexpectedly, after hearing his story, Luo Mu fell into deep thought.

This left Xiao Zhi Chong Chong feeling somewhat disappointed.

But Luo Mu had no time to mind Xiao Zhi Chong Chong's feelings; his eyebrows trembled slightly, seemingly an unconscious motion when thinking.

In an instant, Luo Mu understood what it meant to be enlightened.

That was it—

In this world, there indeed existed many giant Pokémon.

And among giant Pokémon associated with thick fog, immense size, and ceaseless cries, one happened to exist in Luo Mu's memory.

It had appeared in the episode of the original animation set at Zheng Hui's lighthouse.

Because Zheng Hui wanted to find the mysterious creature wandering the nearby seas, he used his recorded simulated cries to lure it near Zheng Hui's Lighthouse.

The Pokémon, seeking companions and wandering lonely upon the vast ocean, received the cry carrying the meaning of "I want to see you, I want to see you," and accompanied by the thick fog, it joyfully came to keep the appointment, only to be attacked by the sudden appearance of the three great immortals of Team Rocket.

That Pokémon sent the three great immortals of Team Rocket flying, and merely the aftershock of its attack against these three nearly destroyed the entire Zheng Hui's Lighthouse.

In the end, it disappeared beyond the sea, never appearing again in the animation.

Luo Mu remembered the silhouette of the opponent in the animation; there was no doubt it was—

A giant Dragonite!

If the Pokémon witnessed by Hearing Hearing Nimo, Pai Pa, and Pipahe was truly a giant Dragonite, had it actually wandered all the way from Kanto to the waters near the Paldea region on the other hemisphere?

That span was simply too large.

Luo Mu took a deep breath, unable to help but feel anticipation.

One thing at a time; if possible, he was also very curious about the identity and origins of the giant Dragonite, wishing to investigate and solve this unsolved mystery.

Following the coordinates shared by the three, Luo Mu directed Dragonite to land on a sandy beach by the sea, approximately several dozen kilometers away from Peigu Town.

As soon as they landed and saw the tent standing alone on the beach, the corners of Luo Mu's mouth twitched imperceptibly a few times.

These three guys—

In order to stake out the Pokémon suspected to be a giant Dragonite, they actually dared to set up a tent directly on the beach not far from the sea; weren't they afraid of a sudden high tide!? "Pah, pah, pah, pah—"

"Pi, pi, pi—"

Xiao Zhi Chong Chong, standing nearby like a dumb goose, had probably failed to actively cover his face and got plastered with sand kicked up by Dragonite's landing, ending up with quite a bit in his mouth as well.

He could only bend over, spitting out saliva with a pained expression.

Pikachu, almost synchronized with him, was in the same state.

The commotion made by Xiao Zhi Chong Chong successfully brought the three people sitting side-by-side in front of the tent back to their senses; they had been staring blankly at the rising and falling tides of the sea, sitting idly all night—

Looking back and spotting the figures of Luo Mu and Dragonite, the eyes of the three lit up; they stood up with a swish and ran over excitedly, as if meeting long-lost relatives or close friends.

"Teacher Luo Mu!"

When they got closer, Luo Mu's smile instantly froze on his face.

How should one put it—

All three had tanned to varying degrees.

Especially Hearing Hearing Nimo; her originally fair skin belonging to a Young Lady was gone, replaced by the wheat-colored skin Luo Mu remembered from the game, making her look like an energetic sports girl, just without those freckles and without yet having dyed a streak of green hair.

The three surrounded Luo Mu, chattering away as they shared their travel experiences from this period; it was only after a while that they noticed Xiao Zhi Chong Chong and Pikachu peeking out from behind Dragonite.

The most steady among them, Pipahe, asked curiously, "Teacher Luo Mu, who is he?"

Before Luo Mu could speak, Pai Pa opened his mouth with a look begging for a beating, saying, "An illegitimate son?"

Hearing Hearing Nimo seemed to actually believe it, looking at Luo Mu in shock, her face full of astonishment.

Teacher Luo Mu was only nineteen years old, yet he already had such a grown illegitimate son!? The next second, Pai Pa's head received an iron fist from Luo Mu, who was smiling kindly; looking at Pai Pa crouching down holding his head in pain, Luo Mu introduced with an annoyed tone, "He is Xiao Zhi Chong Chong, along with his partner Pikachu; they come from the Kanto region and have recently been staying at the farm, undergoing my special training."

Xiao Zhi Chong Chong also bounced out with a cheerful expression, immediately starting his classic self-introduction.

"I am Xiao Zhi Chong Chong from Zhenxin Town, and this is my partner Pikachu."

Thanks to Hearing Hearing Nimo, who shared the attribute of being a social terrorist, and the moderating presence of Pipahe, even though Pai Pa could barely be considered an introvert, the four of them quickly became familiar with each other.

Especially when Hearing Hearing Nimo heard that Xiao Zhi Chong Chong had already collected Ba Mei Hui Zhang from two regions and was about to participate in the Silver Conference in the Johto region, she became even more excited.

She raised a Poké Ball toward Xiao Zhi Chong Chong and invited, "Let's battle!"

Xiao Zhi Chong Chong nodded heavily, replying with a single short word, "Fight!"

The two sent out their Pokémon and immediately began an intense battle on the beach.

At that speed, not to mention Pipahe and Pai Pa, even Luo Mu nearly failed to react.

"She is always like this; we have gotten used to it."

Pipahe and Pai Pa said to Luo Mu with calm expressions.

One could imagine how much they had experienced on this journey... Luo Mu had also expected this long ago, after all, whether it was Xiao Zhi Chong Chong or Hearing Hearing Nimo, the fervor of both for Pokémon battles was something many people could not catch up to even if they rode a horse.

Luo Mu even suspected that if he and the trio of Pai Pa and Pipahe did not intervene, these two could fight for an entire day.

At this moment.

Pipahe's stomach suddenly emitted a sound of hunger.

Luo Mu and Pipa looked at her; her cheeks instantly flushed crimson, and she began to stammer.

"I-I-I-I—"

Pipa, the culinary partner among the three, sighed and was just about to prepare breakfast when Luo Mu stopped him, smiling: "I haven't had breakfast either; let's eat together."

Half an hour later.

In the pot, aroma rose with the steam; over there, the battle between the two was also nearing its end.

Although Ash had collected eight badges from two regions, his actual strength nowadays could at best brush against the threshold of an Elite Trainer, or perhaps not even reach it.

In contrast, Hearing Hearing Nimo was truly engaging in battles against Gym Leaders going all out; at least for now, the strength of both sides was not on the same level, not to mention that most of Ash's outstanding main fighters were not brought along.

The only one worthy of being called outstanding was Snorlax.

This big fellow looked unremarkable, yet he actually wrestled with Hearing Hearing Nimo's Ursaring for quite a while before being defeated; he certainly hadn't been eating in vain all this time.

Luo Mu also chatted with Pipa and Pipahe about recent developments at the academy.

Although Hearing Hearing Nimo and Pipahe often contacted Peony, what they learned over the phone was only one-sided; with Luo Mu there adding details, both of them listened with great relish.

When the food was placed upon the newly set-up portable folding table, the two battle maniacs over there, who acted on instinct, were inevitably drawn by the fragrance; they temporarily halted their fight and drifted over like wandering spirits.

Pipahe wore a gentle smile, lightly arranging the tableware; once everyone was seated around the table, she gazed at the sea and the dimly brightening sky, speaking with some disappointment: "That giant mysterious Pokémon won't be coming today."

Ash and Hearing Hearing Nimo, who were devouring their meal, also stopped their movements and looked toward the sea together.

Could it be that they would not get to see it today after all?

(End of Chapter)