Chapter 552: They Sent the Little Ones, Now the Big Ones Came (5K)

Where the group passed, chickens flew and dogs barked; nearby residents fled from them as if they were venomous snakes and scorpions, slamming shut their shop fronts.

Among the dozen or so Skull Team members swaggering through the streets, the leader—a man with blue hair spilling out from his skull-shaped hat—snapped at Luo Mu, who blocked their path:

"Hey, you trying to interfere with Skull Team business?"

As Dapa finished speaking, his pink-haired companion Lap and gray-haired fat man Jip chimed in.

"That's right!"

"You don't want to live, kid?!"

Their shouts stoked the others' anger, and the rest of the Skull Team members began hurling threats at Luo Mu.

Luo Mu sighed—he had no interest in getting entangled with this bunch.

Even if he might soon face four Capuas guarding him, at the very least, Capuafini would refuse to give him "the pure water that purifies all filth."

He hadn't expected much—just came to say hello to an acquaintance.

Instantly, the deep-blue hurricane, under Dragonite's control, surged forward, effortlessly nullifying the attacks of two dozen Pokémon, then rolled onward without pause, sweeping up Dapa and the dozen or so Skull Team thugs along the way.

Kachi retracted his Poké Ball, his eyes dazed, silent.

Who the hell is this guy?

"Because of you?" Luo Mu asked, pretending not to know.

"Forget it. Just get rid of them."

Luo Mu smiled, sharing with Kukui several amusing anecdotes from his teaching days, especially highlighting Nimo, who had grown strong enough to challenge the Elite Four.

When they recovered, they stared at Dragonite with real trepidation.

Behind the fallen Blaziken in the crater, Kachi's face was grim.

After the "Tornado" ceased and dissipated, the dozen or so Skull Team thugs and their Pokémon lay scattered and twisted on the ground, as if spun inside a washing machine—dizzy, nauseous, stomachs churning.

Kukui reacted faster than him, but when he saw the familiar back of the man being surrounded by Skull Team thugs—

"It's not that serious—"

His feet never paused; in moments, he vanished.

"That's fine, but you—"

Kukui nodded, resolved to visit Lilie Village soon, where his Master, King of the Island Hala, resided, to see if he could help.

He chose to become a teacher at the Pokémon School not only because, as Luo Mu said, it built his reputation, but also because Luo Mu had subtly influenced him.

It wasn't that Luo Mu forbade Dragonite from using "Hurricane"—he simply didn't need to; "Tornado" was enough. A stronger "Hurricane" might blow these people straight into the sky.

They couldn't even be considered officers on the level of "Apollo" or "Athena"—they weren't even as professional as "Armando" or "Junior."

"That Pokémon beside him looks dangerous. Maybe we—"

They were barely stronger than ordinary thugs.

Luo Mu, who knew the Skull Team's true nature, felt no emotion—yet he hesitated, wanting to say something to Kukui.

Kachi, full of righteous fury, instantly reached for the Poké Ball he'd instinctively gripped.

Kukui scratched his temple, offering a helpless smile.

"Kachi and the others can't hold on much longer!"

"Damn, that man's in danger!"

Since Kukui had become a Pokémon School teacher, once Ash arrived in Alola, the Alola Pokémon League would naturally form.

The two exchanged glances, their expressions turning serious.

"Yes," Kukui nodded softly, a distant look in his eyes. "How to put it? I have old grudges with their boss. He somehow found out I'm teaching at the Pokémon School and came here to cause trouble."

Luo Mu listened intently to Kukui's account.

First, go to the Harvest Ruins on Ula'ula Island and see if Capuamoo, whom he knew somewhat, was there—ask him to introduce Luo Mu to Capuafini.

He knew Kukui was still hiding something from him—in fact, he concealed a fact from almost everyone.

Luo Mu: "?"

The two exchanged smiles; the awkwardness of not having seen each other for nearly a year vanished completely.

So they sent the little ones, and now the big ones came?

They were only slightly better than the "Essential Malie Personal Fan Club" cheer squad and a bit more competent than the "Stellar Team" I botched.

"Yes!" Lillie also chimed in.

Kukui's anxiety eased; his motion to throw the Poké Ball slowed, and he even grabbed Kachi's arm.

"Sorry you had to witness this," Kukui muttered, scratching the back of his head, face flushed with shame.

Second, use my own strengths—have the Hint System guide me directly.

"Biting!" "Sludge Bomb!" "Supersonic!" The other Skull Team thugs followed suit.

But Kukui had his own ideals—he preferred to build from scratch rather than reveal his hidden identity.

"Unfortunately, the Island King who could summon Capuafini, the guardian of Poni Island, passed away years ago. Now, Poni Island has no Island King or Queen."

Dapa's trio had more Pokémon.

Luo Mu sighed after hearing the answer—his path through Kukui was likely blocked.

"Ooooh!!"

He still felt a slight regret.

After all, the Capuas' choices shift with their moods; Luo Mu couldn't possibly force Capuamoo—whose grass field and mud-pulling skills he'd taught—to kneel and beg for Capuafini's help.

Rather than wander aimlessly, he felt asking Kukui directly would be the easiest way to achieve his goal.

Chengye Daimu suddenly transformed into a Weedle without any wind-up—so lifelike, he'd clearly mastered Ash's Pikachu's full ten levels of skill.

So who gave them the courage to bother me?

But anyone who's played the games or watched the anime knows: these guys, compared to Team Rocket's "conquer the world," Team Magma's "expand land," Team Aqua's "expand sea," Team Galactic's "create a new world," Team Plasma's "only I can own Pokémon," or Team Flare's "reduce human and Pokémon numbers"—

". I see."

Whether Capuamoo would agree was still uncertain.

According to the anime's plot, once Ash arrives in Alola, Hapu—the granddaughter of the former Island King—will grow up and succeed her grandfather, becoming the Island Queen recognized by Capuafini.

Kukui broke the silence first, extending his right hand to Luo Mu.

"I want to meet Capuafini. I have something important to ask of it."

Aside from being gawked at like a rare creature by students, he barely spent any time greeting Kukui before being ushered into the principal's office.

A girl in a white hat and white dress approached, her delicate, adorable face filled with panic.

In short—they were trash.

Regardless of how Luo Mu learned of Capuafini, Kukui didn't believe Luo Mu meant it harm; if he could help, he'd spare no effort.

Luo Mu ceased interference, deciding to let things unfold naturally, and began discussing one of his main reasons for coming to Alola with Kukui.

It wasn't that Luo Mu couldn't wait—he simply saw no need to.

Luo Mu, who hadn't planned to pay attention to them, halted his steps toward the Pokémon School, puzzled, glancing at Dragonite beside him.

This man had destroyed them with just one move—a seemingly ordinary "Tornado."

Jip, as if just noticing Dragonite beside Luo Mu, tiptoed to whisper in Dapa's ear.

"Congratulations on becoming a Pokémon Professor—your dream is one step closer," Luo Mu replied, reaching out to shake his hand.

It startled both Luo Mu and Kukui.

There was a hint of boasting, but Kukui said with a touch of envy: "I wish I could train a student as outstanding as hers for Alola."

But Ash is probably just beginning his journey in Hoenn; by the time he reaches Alola and Hapu succeeds as Island Queen, it'll take another year or two. Still—he was powerless regarding Capuafini.

"If we go back like this, Boss Guzma will be furious. Even Big Sister Bully won't save us."

Dapa clearly didn't want to retreat without even entering the Pokémon School. He gritted his teeth, stubbornly declaring: "He's only one man—we've got over a dozen! What are you afraid of?!"

Kukui shared with Luo Mu what he'd done over the past year in Alola.

Lillie, visibly panicked, appealed to Kukui and Luo Mu beside him.

"If I've brought trouble to you, Principal, I'll resign immediately!"

Dragonite tilted its head innocently, its dragon wings glowing blue, then flared violently.

"Bad news! Those people are back!"

As he spoke, Kukui bowed apologetically to Professor Daimu (Alola form), the school's principal.

He was defeated without even putting up a decent fight!

The Skull Team, at best, was a group that caused minor trouble, disrupted things, and occasionally succeeded in stealing Pokémon—they weren't even an evil organization, just local thugs.

Luo Mu had a faint memory of the three who first threatened him.

Composed of three Nighty, three Skitty, three Zubat, and one Dustox.

As Kukui expected, Luo Mu, sensing someone behind him, didn't turn—instead, calmly watching the flashy attacks rush toward him, he said: "Tornado."

"It's fine. This much means nothing to him."

". Capuafini?"

"So amazing!"

When this topic came up, Kukui struggled to speak, gathering his courage before explaining: "They… the Skull Team came to disrupt the school because of me."

"."

"Use Toxic Shock to teach him the consequences of angering Master Dapa!"

Although Luo Mu had once revealed Capuamoo's power to Kukui, this time Luo Mu clearly understood Capuafini's power before making his request.

Luo Mu turned—and unsurprisingly saw a sea of people behind him.

Kachi, lost in thought, didn't notice Water Lily's shocked hand covering her mouth.

"Although it might be a bit late to say this now, welcome to Alola, Luo Mu!"

Kukui looked at Luo Mu with a hint of apology.

"Boooh～"

The playground of the Pokémon School.

As Luo Mu had suggested, to boost his visibility—not just relying on raw power—he put in effort to self-study and earned the title of Pokémon Professor, accumulating considerable fame; after wrapping up his affairs a few days ago, he chose to join the Pokémon School under the identity of a Pokémon Professor.

The office door suddenly swung open.

"Of course, my students previously defeated the exchange team that came all the way from Blueberry Academy."

The two began chatting.

Just as Luo Mu stood up to leave, and Kukui invited him to take a vacation across Alola these days and to ask for help if he needed a guide,

Under Kachi's confused expression, Kukui shook his head.

Kukui curiously asked Luo Mu.

The two chatted a while longer.

"I don't know anything about the whereabouts of Capu-Fini."

The Skull Gang grunts immediately perked up, hurling Poké Balls that flooded the surrounding space with dazzling light.

In an instant, a barrage of moves surged toward Luo Mu and Dragonite.

"Damn."

Even if you found Capu-Fini, there was no guarantee it would help—and you'd still endure some hardship.

It seemed he had only two paths left.

The opponent had calmly absorbed a Z-Move—truly terrifyingly strong! Before Kachi, a young man with messy white hair, wearing bizarre sunglasses, and radiating arrogance—clearly not a good person—snorted.

After all, "The Royal Masked One" was a superstar and idol, adored throughout Alola.

But no matter how many there were, aside from Dustox, none were fully evolved—and collectively, they posed no real threat to Dragonite.

Mauzi clasped her hands together, utterly amazed.

Even back then, Luo Mu had only recently become a teacher.

Speaking of which, the Skull Gang, as one of Alola's antagonistic factions, was structurally similar to Team Rocket.

At a glance, the Pokémon consisted mostly of Golbat, Ekans, Sluggox, Dartrix, Rattata, Raticate, Spinarak, Skitty, and Hypno.

"That way, we can better build the Alola Pokémon League."

"This has never happened before."

"How dare you look down on us!"

With so many Pokémon attacking, even my Blaziken would need to unleash a Z-Move to stand a chance.

Sensing the commotion outside, Kukui and Kenta Oki, along with Kachi, Wailord, Mauzi, Marnie, and Lillie—all students of the Pokémon School—arrived just in time to witness a dozen Skull Gang grunts attacking Luo Mu.

Fortunately, Kukui had been on the job for days and was already accustomed to Kenta Oki's quirks and habits; Luo Mu, too, had some mental preparation, so neither was startled.

Kenta Oki quickly helped Kukui up, smiling as he tried to persuade him: "You're a scholar who's already earned the title of Pokémon Professor—the very kind of talent the Pokémon School needs! How could you possibly leave over something so trivial!"

"Sorry, I'll also try to find someone who might have a solution."

I hadn't even recalled Dragonite into its Poké Ball yet—have thugs become this bold nowadays? Yes, that's exactly what Luo Mu called these Skull Gang members: thugs.

After a moment of thought, Luo Mu didn't press Kukui further and said, "Then I'll think of another way."

Red beams from Poké Balls shot out one after another, recalling their Pokémon; as they fled, they still hurled threats behind them.

Inside the Pokémon School.

Recalling how many promotional posters he'd seen even on Alola's beaches—featuring the wildly popular wrestler "The Royal Masked One"—Luo Mu gave a knowing smile.

"Damn it, you'll regret this!"

Then, as if hypnotizing himself, Dapa raised his arm and shouted to his comrades: "Everyone, release your Pokémon! Clear the roadblock! Crush the Pokémon School! Fulfill the boss's orders!"

Perhaps because he hadn't lowered his voice, Dapa, who was nearby, immediately flew into a rage.

He had a faint sense that the Skull Gang was targeting Kukui.

Last time it was Capu-Moo; this time, it's Capu-Fini.

After livening the mood, Kenta Oki cheerfully excused himself, claiming he needed to patrol the school grounds, leaving the two young men alone.

"Are you still teaching at Orange College?"

His already sensitive pride stung, Dapa roared and ordered his three Nightcrawlers to attack Luo Mu first.

Luo Mu solemnly told Kukui.

On this point, Luo Mu could somewhat understand Kukui's determination.

The air fell silent.

Some people even vomited on the spot.

In fact, if Kukui were to publicly reveal his identity as "The Royal Masked One," countless people would likely invest in that persona to help him establish the Alola Pokémon League.

"So Kukui's always doing pointless things—what's the point of teaching students who get defeated this easily?"

"They were crushed, blown away, utterly powerless before my absolute strength!"

"Where's the guy who messed with my useless underling? I'm Guzma, their boss—bring him out to me!"

"I'll show him what happens when a broken machine gets hammered!"

(End of Chapter)