Chapter 545: Wielding the Hoe, Digging at the Wall

The sun sank in the west, and night fell.

Snowflakes drifted down silently, bringing the exchange match between Blueberry Academy and Grape Academy to a complete close.

Team leaders Arven Dai Ke and Bai Bai Leiya, along with the students from Blueberry Academy, did not depart immediately; instead, at Geeta's invitation, they would stay overnight at a hotel in Mesagoza to rest.

The next day, just as Luo Mu and Hearing Hearing Nimo had done when visiting Blueberry Academy, the seven students from Blueberry Academy would tour Grape Academy to experience its different culture and learning atmosphere.

Honestly speaking, this part had little to do with Luo Mu; Clavell would arrange for the faculty and students to make preparations.

For Luo Mu's part, securing victory in the exchange match once again was more than enough.

Time flew by in a flash, arriving at Tuesday, November 18th.

Nearly two days had passed since the exchange match.

The students from Blueberry Academy had experienced quite a few things at Grape Academy and were about to depart.

Through multiple exchanges between Geeta and Arven Dai Ke, a friendly relationship between the two academies had been established.

Plans were also being made to continue organizing similar exchange matches in the future to urge students to improve their strength and deepen their sense of honor; furthermore, a proposal for an "exchange student" program had been drafted, though it still required detailed processing and could not be implemented immediately.

Vaguely, an intention for Grape Academy and Blueberry Academy to become "sister schools" had already emerged.

Beyond that.

After two days of fermentation, news stemming from this exchange match gradually exploded in popularity across the Paldea and Unova regions.

Even the reports concerning a new species of Pokémon named "Ursaluna" stirred up considerable turmoil within the academic community.

Unfortunately, information regarding Ursaluna was currently extremely scarce; the only known facts were that they evolved from Ursaring, gaining a Ground type in addition to their Normal type, possessed formidable strength capable of matching a late-blooming Metagross, and some video footage existed.

Its origins and method of evolution remained a mystery.

It was not that no one dared to take risks to obtain more detailed intelligence.

But given Geeta's current level of attention toward Grape Academy.

Outsiders had almost no opportunity to contact Hearing Hearing Nimo, Arven, and Ryme within the academy grounds.

Even if they left the academy, given Geeta's influence in the Paldea region, these people had no way to meet them.

As for Luo Mu's side.

Rumors circulated that as the teacher of Hearing Hearing Nimo and the other two, Luo Mu was also privy to the information, attracting many people to loiter around the farm.

However, many hadn't even caught a glimpse of Luo Mu before being scared off by a ferocious Houndoom that looked as if it had raw-devoured dozens of people.

Even when trying to sneak past that Houndoom, it seemed to have eyes in the sky, always arriving immediately, making it impossible for them to even cross the farm's fence.

One could not mention how frustrated they felt.

That afternoon, the group from Blueberry Academy prepared to depart for the airport.

Luo Mu also rarely showed up to attend the farewell.

However, his main purpose was not to bid farewell.

Under the puzzled expressions of Arven Dai Ke, Bai Bai Leiya, and others, Luo Mu took Kieran and Carmine to a corner nearby, meeting Geeta, who had not shown herself earlier but had been waiting there all along.

It was the first time privately contacting such a legendary figure as Geeta; despite having improved somewhat, Kieran was so nervous that his palms began to sweat, standing awkwardly to the side.

Carmine was slightly better off than him, but not by much.

Luo Mu made no sound, standing quietly beside the two of them.

After all, strictly speaking, this private meeting could be considered Geeta's "interview"; what specifically to say, how to perform, and what requests to make had to be accomplished jointly by the brother and sister.

There was no need for him to intervene; observing was sufficient.

Naturally perceiving Kieran and Carmine's nervousness, Geeta smiled gently and said kindly, "Don't be nervous; I am here to understand your intentions, not to eat you."

"I heard from Luo Mu that you siblings intend to transfer to Grape Academy; regarding this point, I wish to confirm it with you personally."

"Y-yes."

Carmine and Kieran exchanged a glance, their nervousness alleviating slightly as they stuttered their reply.

It was not only the intentions of the siblings themselves and Luo Mu's guidance.

The main reason that sparked their idea of transferring was actually the current state of Kitakami.

Shortly after Luo Mu departed, the cursing mayor and a group of villagers deliberated and then constructed statues of the Loyal Three at Kitakami Hall; they even used Tao Dai Lang as a prototype to add a few strokes to the story, still depicting Ogerpon as the "villain."

This alone was unacceptable to Snow and Mochi.

Not to mention that afterward, many villagers openly or secretly placed obstacles in Snow and Mochi's way, causing trouble over trivial matters and frequently slandering them to outsiders.

Even though Snow and Mochi always acted on the phone as if "we are fine, you don't need to worry," Kieran and Carmine could directly see that they were forcing a smile to avoid causing concern.

Carmine occasionally contacted a few younger friends living in Kitakami, giving her quite accessible intelligence; with a little inquiry, she learned the whole story.

This further solidified the siblings' determination to bring their grandparents out of Kitakami.

At this point, allowing themselves to remain so nervous might waste the great opportunity Luo Mu had fought to secure for them.

Kieran and Carmine spoke one after another, doing their utmost to express their desire to transfer to Geeta.

Although she already knew, hearing two promising talents say this with their own mouths instantly made Geeta feel pleased.

She could never have too many talents.

Carmine and Kieran's performance was also very good; they had defeated Shinji and Joy Shizuka, who had the shortest development time in Luo Mu's class, by a narrow margin; even if Luo Mu hadn't said anything, she would have felt the impulse to poach them.

Someone like Champion Arven Dai Ke might be difficult, but those few students from Blueberry Academy were also quite excellent; it would be wonderful if they could all be poached.

Geeta couldn't help but feel a bit regretful.

However, she did not forget to go through the motions; looking seriously at Kieran and Carmine, she asked, "What has given you such a strong desire to transfer schools?"

"..."

But Kieran and Carmine fell silent.

Were they supposed to answer that they wanted to enroll in order to relocate their grandparents? That would be too disrespectful.

But if they asked themselves honestly, aside from their grandparents, both of them had also firmified this idea for the sake of a certain person they admired.

One after the other, the two turned to look at Luo Mu beside them.

Where would Geeta not understand what they were thinking? With a slight sigh, she said, "I understand. I can approve your transfer applications, just not immediately."

"After all, our Grape Academy has only just established friendly relations with Blueberry Academy."

The three people present understood Geeta's implied meaning very clearly.

To start poaching talent just as they were on the verge of becoming "sister schools" was, to some extent, rather unseemly.

"However," Geeta changed the subject, a smile on her face, "in a little while, a plan regarding 'exchange students' will be rolled out; we could arrange for you to come to Grape Academy as exchange students first, then complete the transfer procedures, though it will require some waiting time."

Although Geeta had agreed to the transfer in principle, Kieran and Carmine felt slightly disappointed.

In that case, wouldn't their grandparents have to stay in Kitakami for a while longer? At this moment, Luo Mu finally spoke up.

He looked at Geeta and hinted, "Kieran and Carmine's grandparents currently live in the countryside, while they are far away at Blueberry Academy in the Unova region; there is bound to be some worry."

Upon hearing these words, Kieran and Carmine instantly looked toward Luo Mu.

Geeta, being extremely cooperative, said, "Is that so? That is indeed quite worrying. Exactly where do they live?"

Luo Mu played along with her, saying, "Kitakami, Mossui Town."

"The Kitakami known for its apple production? That is indeed quite remote."

"How about this: if you are willing, and your grandparents agree, I can provide some assistance for you here in the Paldea region."

"Things like household registration, subsidies, housing, and so on."

"Don't let my appearance fool you; besides being the director of Grape Academy, I am also the Chair of the Paldea League."

In just a few words, Geeta offered extremely generous terms.

Carmine stared in dumbfounded astonishment, saying, "You are..."

Geeta smiled gently, her right hand, clad in a meticulously worn glove, touching her chest as she said kindly, "Do not be surprised; this is merely my personal effort to retain 'talent'."

"It is simply because you are worth such effort on my part to keep, nothing more."

A moment later.

Kieran and Carmine walked out from the corner in a daze.

After Luo Mu "revealed" that their grandfather, Snow, was a mask craftsman with skills one in ten thousand, the many benefits Geeta had promised to lure them in had nearly stunned the two of them senseless.

That's right, Geeta had honestly stated without any concealment that these benefits were all intended to recruit their entire family.

Transfer of household registration, housing for settlement, school tuition, special talent subsidies, and interest-free funding from the League for trainers with potential, and so on—the conditions were so generous that Kieran and Carmine, who lacked much worldly experience, were incredibly nervous.

Were they and their grandparents really worth so many benefits?

When the two returned to the Blueberry Academy team, Nari, who was very close to Carmine, noticed her unusual demeanor and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"N-nothing."

Carmine replied somewhat guiltily.

She couldn't just rashly tell her best friend that she was already considering transferring schools, could she?

She had to find a suitable opportunity to say it.

At this moment, Carmine felt a strange sensation, like someone who had secretly cheated on their partner and now faced the aggrieved spouse upon returning home.

Seeing that everyone had gathered, Mr. Dai Ke no longer delayed and announced loudly, "Prepare to depart; we are returning to the Unova region!"

His gaze swept one by one over Du Ruo, Penny, Elios, Nari, Amarys, Carmine, and Kieran, filling him momentarily with great pride.

Although they had lost this time, the gap had narrowed; he believed that under his dedicated cultivation, these excellent children would all become the mainstay of the Unova region, and perhaps even produce someone to succeed him in his position.

His, Mr. Dai Ke's, duel in the field of teaching with his benefactor and friend Luo Mu was far from over! Bai Bai Leiya followed at the very end of the group with a beaming smile, carefully taking a well-wrapped box from her bosom.

Clavell had handed it to her just before departure, saying it was a gift from Grape Academy to Blueberry Academy, given under the director's instructions—

A fully charged Tera Orb.

The memory of Peony's Terastallized Eevee crushing Penny's Excadrill floated through her mind.

With her face slightly flushed, Bai Bai Leiya thought that once they returned to Blueberry Academy, she would apply to Principal Cyrano to begin research attempts.

For instance, artificially modifying the environment within the Ecological Dome to suit Terastallization.

Everything was to restore the honor due to her ancestor Sada; careful planning was still required.

Not long after the Blueberry Academy exchange group departed.

Luo Mu, who had just wielded his "hoe," and Geeta emerged from a corner like thieves.

Both were extremely satisfied.

Especially Geeta; in such a pleasant mood, she even hummed a few notes along the way, disregarding her usual persona.

Of course, she had not forgotten the main business.

"Regarding the change of household registration for Mr. Snow and Ms. Mochi, I will have Brother Brother Qingmu go to the immigration office in the area where Mossui Town is located within these few days to expedite the processing."

"Brother Brother Qingmu will also prepare the housing for settlement in advance; in roughly half a month, they should be able to move directly to the Paldea region."

Geeta said with a smile.

Luo Mu, however, listened with trepidation, having lost count of how many times he had congratulated himself on not joining the Paldea League.

Just how many professions was Brother Brother Qingmu holding down? Truly, it was terrifying.

November 21st, Friday.

Luo Mu had just returned from Naranja Airport to Cortondo and was slowly strolling through the snow with his Luxray, heading toward the farm.

Calculating the time, Nemona, Paul, and Shizuka should now be on a plane, heading to the Hoenn region, which lies one region and an ocean away from Paldea, to challenge the local "Battle Frontier" and "League Conference."

Nemona improving herself at the "Battle Frontier" to prepare for the Champion Assessment was a matter decided long ago.

Paul also planned to travel and gain practical combat experience in the Hoenn region, utilizing the talents Luo Mu had pointed out to grow through actual battles.

It was almost a certainty that Paul would encounter Ash at this year's Hoenn League Ever Grande Conference.

An encounter advanced by one entire League; just thinking about it was somewhat moving.

As for Shizuka, under Luo Mu's suggestion, she was not only improving her own abilities by traveling with the two to accumulate experience.

She also planned to catch her team's fourth Pokémon in the Hoenn region to continue strengthening her lineup.

The target he had subdued was the Pokémon that Luo Mu had mentioned, which Nali from Blueberry Academy had used during the exchange tournament and which had once pushed Pipa into a desperate struggle—

Skarmory.

It boasted an extremely excellent type combination and a decent move pool; more importantly, it could cover up some of the weaknesses in Shizuka's team.

It could clear entry hazards, set entry hazards, recover health, taunt opponents, deal damage, possessed the Sturdy ability, and knew Whirlwind.

It could be said to be a perfect fit for Shizuka's team.

Soon, the outline of the farm came into view.

Luo Mu, who had been pondering that the Messenger Bird should be crossing the sea and arriving in the Hoenn region within these few days, suddenly halted his steps.

At this moment, before the farm's symbolically significant gate, a furtive man was peeking inside, seemingly searching for something.

Surprisingly, beside the man stood a Pokémon that looked like a duck, holding a large leek with its wing.

Luo Mu immediately became interested; he instructed his Luxray not to reveal itself, then crept stealthily up behind the oblivious man, tapped him on the shoulder, and asked, "What are you doing?"

(End of Chapter)