Chapter 512: An Unprecedented Crisis, Overwhelming Sense of Danger for Cangyan

Although he had initially considered selecting only those Applin with the "Ripen" characteristic to bring back to the farm,

after actually experiencing it, Luo Mu found he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.

Since these timid Applin had chosen to follow him of their own accord, neither he nor the Dracozolt should betray their decision.

The "Gluttony" characteristic merely meant they ate a bit more, while among the three different evolution options, the "Bulletproof" characteristic was simply equivalent to "Thick Fat," "Hustle," or "Sticky Hold."

After pondering for a moment, Luo Mu decided to take them all back to the farm.

Fortunately, he had prepared enough Poké Balls; within a short while, fourteen red-and-white Poké Balls, each adorned with a small grass sticker, found their respective owners.

Speaking of which, these Applin now constituted the most numerous species among the Pokémon raised on the farm, a record previously held by the Miltank.

Although that herd of yellow-maned Tauros had gifted him a total of eleven Pokémon Eggs,

not all of the Pokémon hatching from those eggs would be Miltank; some Tauros would inevitably be mixed in.

Thus, they could not surpass the Applin in number.

After completing the capture, Luo Mu released them again, allowing them to move freely.

Since this place was quite tranquil, he planned to set up camp and spend the night here, departing for the nearby Cortondo Town the next morning.

Incidentally, he could also visit that young man, Hanze, who had moved from the Johto region to the Paldea region and was currently operating the Da Nai Guan House.

Regarding the Miltank Pokémon Eggs, Hanze surely possessed his own unique insights; furthermore, Luo Mu could inform him about that matter and see if he wished to view it.

On the morning of October 25th, with the assistance of his Tinkatuff and others, Luo Mu packed up the campsite and took all the trash with him; shouldering his backpack, he set off on foot for Cortondo Town instead of riding his Dragonite.

Cortondo Town was not far from North Province Area Two; heading east toward East Province Area Three, without needing to cross those barren rocky mountains, and walking a bit further, one would reach the mining excavation zone.

By catching a ride with those miners returning home for their lunch break, he could arrive in Cortondo Town before the midday mealtime.

Having lived in Cortondo Town for a period in the past, Luo Mu was thoroughly familiar with the local environment and the route.

In the past, he had often traveled with his Shinx and Snivy across these rocky mountains to the resource-rich vicinity of North Province Area Two, using the knowledge in his mind to supplement his meals.

Time flew swiftly, and in a flash, it was already noon.

Relying solely on his silver tongue, Luo Mu had secured a free ride back to Cortondo Town.

It was just that this "free ride" happened to be an excavator.

As the rumbling sound of the engine gradually diminished, the silhouette of Cortondo Town came into view.

Unless there was a construction task, excavators were generally not permitted within the town, so this "free ride" stopped directly outside the settlement.

"Thank you, big brother, for giving me a lift."

Opening the passenger door to step out, Luo Mu politely thanked the middle-aged man who was shutting down the engine.

The man, likely in his forties or fifties with a slightly out-of-shape figure, didn't mind being called "big brother"; on the contrary, he felt somewhat pleased inwardly.

After all, who doesn't like being addressed as younger than they are?

If a handsome young lad in his late teens or early twenties called him "big brother," hadn't his age effectively decreased by ten or twenty years?

It was precisely because Luo Mu spoke so sweetly that he had agreed to give him a ride in the first place.

"No problem, no problem; it was on my way anyway."

The man forced a smile, skillfully pulled a pack of cigarettes from his trouser pocket, clicked his lighter with a sharp 'Crack!', and wisps of smoke curled upward.

After taking a drag, he felt his stress lessen considerably.

At that moment, his eyes met Luo Mu's bright black gaze for a second; as if remembering something, he coughed several times, hastily spat the smoke he had inhaled out into the air, and crushed the cigarette butt under his foot.

The man laughed awkwardly: "I almost forgot; you young people hate the smell of smoke the most."

Luo Mu said nothing, though he indeed had no intention of touching such things.

"Although I smoke to relieve stress and soothe my emotions, you young folks shouldn't emulate me."

The man sniffed his collar, seemingly concerned about whether the smoke odor had clinging to it.

At the same time, he waved his hand and said, "You said you were going to visit that Da Nai Guan House, right? They form a long queue there every noon, so you'd better go early."

"Although the price of their Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk has increased recently, everyone can taste whether the quality is good or not; thanks to word of mouth, they actually have even more customers now."

"I understand; thank you for the reminder."

Accepting the man's kind warning, Luo Mu waved back at him and turned to walk into Cortondo Town.

He walked all the way to the ranch marked with the sign "Da Nai Guan House."

Just as the man had said, a long queue stretched out here.

Presumably because Hanze liked to sleep in until he was fully rested, the sales time for the daily fresh Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk was set for noon; given their good reputation and the fact that buyers were free at this hour, the queue was to be expected.

Luo Mu silently joined the very end of the line; amidst the bobbing heads, there were quite a few still wearing miner helmets, obviously having just returned from the mines.

It was just that they no longer enjoyed those discounted prices.

To be honest, Luo Mu felt quite envious of Hanze's lifestyle.

Sleeping in until naturally waking up every day, the Miltank eating grass on their own when hungry, doing only a bit of work in the afternoon, and earning quite a substantial amount from selling Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk.

Damn it, the more he spoke, the more he felt this was the ideal salted-fish life he desired.

The queue was orderly; everyone was self-disciplined, taking their Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk, paying, and leaving without anyone cutting in line, maintaining excellent order.

Therefore, despite the long appearance of the line, Luo Mu reached the front in less than ten minutes.

He stepped forward and said,

"Please give me one bottle of room-temperature Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk."

"Certainly, one bottle is 600 League Coins."

Hanze, busy recording accounts, noticed that the Miltank serving as his assistant made no move; lifting his head, just as he was about to remind the Pokémon, his gaze collided with Luo Mu's.

"Luo Mu!?"

Hanze exclaimed in delight.

"It's been a few months, hasn't it?" Luo Mu smiled slightly, then reminded, "There are people waiting behind; let's talk later."

Luo Mu took a bottle of room-temperature Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk from the Miltank that had recognized him from the very beginning and voluntarily stepped aside to taste it.

After tasting a small sip, he simply released Fast Dragon and the others, giving each of them a taste to savor this Moomoo Milk, which differed completely from the Johto-produced variety and possessed a distinct "Johto" flavor.

After all, Hanze was the kind of ruthless person capable of air-shipping an entire pasture's soil and forage from Johto; even in a foreign land, he could still stand upon the soil and grass of his hometown.

By the time Hanze finished his tasks and walked over with an apologetic expression alongside Da Nai Guan, only Cangyan Cangyan Rengui and Volcarona remained by Luo Mu's side.

The other Pokémon had all returned to their Poké Balls to rest.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Milu~"

The human and the pet spoke and acted in perfect unison, matching in tone and voice.

Luo Mu didn't mind this, but instead pointed to several tables over there and asked, "Do you need our help?"

"Then I'll trouble you; later, please let us treat you to some specialty dishes from our Johto region."

Hanze was straightforward enough, readily agreeing and even making a promise in passing.

Luo Mu walked straight over, lifted a table, and attempted to order, "Can we skip the sashimi, sushi, or cold bento boxes?"

"Of course; I have a weak stomach and usually eat only hot food."

"Yan Bu~"

Clinging to the fluffy Volcarona, Luo Mu gazed with surprise at the kitchen, which was truly bustling with fiery activity.

A Pokémon with a bulky body, flames blazing fiercely around its neck, resembling an upright pig-man like Zhu Bajie from Journey to the West, was busily working in the kitchen amidst the heat and fervor.

This was a Pokémon from the Unova region, one of the three starter Pokémon distributed by the Unova League to novice trainers, the final evolved form of the Fire-type Tepig: Emboar.

In common parlance, it was known as the "Second Brother."

What surprised Luo Mu most, however, was that this Emboar wore a pristine white chef's hat, looking every bit the head chef, as it hurriedly stir-fried several specialty hot dishes from the Johto region.

Meanwhile, that Da Nai Guan had also tied on an apron and was assisting nearby as a sous-chef.

It was quite strange.

Hanze, meanwhile, brought over a cup of hot cocoa milk mixed with some cocoa powder, inviting Luo Mu to taste it again.

In the gradually cooling weather, this single cup was enough to warm a person from the bottom of their heart.

With Hanze's permission, Ogerpon, Tinkatuff, Dudunsparce, Florges, Fast Dragon, and the Applin all ran off to play in the vast pasture behind the Da Nai Guan house.

Besides Volcarona, who served as a body pillow by Luo Mu's side, only Cangyan Cangyan Rengui remained, its Gaze Grows Solemn as it watched Emboar.

Of course, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's apprehension toward Emboar was not due to its strength, but because both were Fire-type Pokémon and both were cooks who could prepare meals; Emboar posed too great a threat to it.

After all, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui knew that limited by its physical conditions, it could only utilize the faint spiritual power that more or less all Ghost-type Pokémon mastered, using telekinesis to flip skewers, brush on oil, or sprinkle seasonings.

In contrast, this Emboar was proficient in frying, boiling, stewing, pan-frying, and stir-frying alike, and could even finely adjust its own fire power, making it a complete superior replacement for Cangyan Cangyan Rengui.

This was not good!

Logically speaking, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui shouldn't have been so wary of Emboar; after all, Emboar was merely the "chef" of Hanze's household.

But the problem lay precisely in the words Hanze mentioned when introducing Emboar to Luo Mu.

This Emboar was not Hanze's Pokémon, but a chef he had hired!

Not only could Emboar prepare specialty dishes from various regions, but Hanze also said its culinary skills were quite excellent, leaving Luo Mu somewhat expectant.

To make matters worse, Hanze casually added that if Luo Mu needed it, he could act as an intermediary to introduce a Pokémon chef to him.

There were those specializing in visual cuisine like Delphox, those focused on pure meat dishes like Incineroar, and even all-rounder Pokémon chefs like Emboar.

To Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, silently observing from the side, it felt as though its sense of crisis was about to explode.

Its true rival was not Iron Valiant, but this Emboar, and even that so-called New Western Pokémon Culinary School!

After the meal.

Cangyan Cangyan Rengui had to admit that Emboar indeed possessed some real skill.

But in contrast, it remained confident that in the specific domain of barbecue, it would absolutely not lose to it.

Fortunately, during their casual chat, Luo Mu did not mention that Pokémon culinary school, nor did Hanze bring it up, which allowed Cangyan Cangyan Rengui to breathe a slight sigh of relief.

With its heart greatly settled, it went out to the pasture grass outside and silently repeated its sword-practice movements.

If it guessed correctly, since Luo Mu had come to find this Mr. Hanze, the duel would likely take place tonight.

It had to dispel distracting thoughts and maintain its peak condition.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Luo Mu, hugging the fluffy, self-heating Volcarona, was chatting with Hanze while watching a television program.

When Hanze asked whether Luo Mu's special visit this time was not merely to mooch a meal, Luo Mu knew the time had come.

He opened his mouth and said, "You remember the matter I contacted you about before, right?"

Hanze's motion of peeling peanuts paused; he applied slight force with his hand, crushing both the shell and the peanut in his palm without even caring.

"Are you referring to the matter of the Hero?"

Hanze felt somewhat expectant, yet somewhat hesitant.

He feared that the "Hero" Luo Mu mentioned was not the one he sought.

"Yes, though I am unsure if it is the Hero you speak of, and since I happened not to have any photographic equipment during my previous encounters, I never approached you until now."

"But as far as I know, at least regarding the characteristics you described, they are almost entirely consistent."

Luo Mu stated clearly and logically.

"Then what brings you to seek me out specifically this time?"

As if guessing something, Hanze looked at Luo Mu with expectation.

"Hmm, one matter is related to this, and the other concerns my farm."

Luo Mu nodded.

First, he mentioned the five Da Nai Guan on his farm, which had somehow produced eleven Pokémon Eggs for him, a situation that probably required him to learn detailed knowledge from Hanze.

Next, he explained to Hanze the entire context and sequence of events regarding Iron Valiant and Cangyan Cangyan Rengui scheduling a duel to decide victory or defeat at the peak of the rocky mountain in the mine cave outside Xuezha Town.

Since Hanze was unaware of the concept of "Paradox" Pokémon, Luo Mu also spent a certain amount of time educating him on the subject.

By the time their conversation ended, the hot cocoa milk in their cups had grown completely cold.

Hanze's pupils trembled slightly; seemingly recalling something, he murmured thoughtfully, "No wonder I could never find any relevant traces. So it was a 'Paradox Species'?"

Hanze had once guessed that the hero who saved him might be a Gallade.

But when he actually saw a Gallade with his own eyes, he immediately spotted the difference.

A Gallade is a knight, a swordsman, whereas the hero he sought was a dancer wielding a sword; in terms of elegance, they resembled more the other branched evolution of Ralts, Gardevoir.

Yet if one called it a "Paradox Species" combining the traits of both, then all past doubts suddenly made sense.

"Thank you for bringing me such important news."

Hanze held Luo Mu's hand, his face filled with gratitude.

"As for the matter of the Pokémon Egg, we still have plenty of time this afternoon to discuss it."

"In return, could you take me along tonight to watch the battle?"

(End of Chapter)