Chapter 577: M-Attribute Outbreak

Holding two contracts, Luo Mu returned "fully loaded" from the interview session at the Akala Pokémon Culinary Academy.

However, the Falinks and the Audino did not leave the interview venue directly with him.

After all, this was no dirty trick of luring Pokémon over under the guise of an "interview," only to pack them up and force them into a lifetime of black-market labor.

Both the Falinks and the Audino had friends or teachers at the Akala Pokémon Culinary Academy to bid farewell to, and graduation-related procedures to handle; only once everything was prepared would they step into their future "workplace."

Before Luo Mu departed, Amara had stated that the academy would arrange a flight specifically for Pokémon for the Falinks and the Audino, and that within a few days they would head to Luo Mu's farm in the Paldea region to begin work.

It all looked quite professional, anyway.

By the time Luo Mu left the interview session at the Akala Pokémon Culinary Academy, it was still early in the day.

Although he hadn't missed out on any food or drink, having rushed back and forth all day, Luo Mu no longer wished to wander anywhere else; his mind was entirely set on returning to the villa to lie down.

Thus, essentially everything he needed to do since arriving in the Alola region was now finished, except for the matter concerning Dragonite's mother.

Originally, Luo Mu had planned to ask Seeing Seeing Kapu Fini for help.

But after that incident occurred, he changed his plans.

Luo Mu intended to wait until he returned to the farm, allow the Shiny Seeing Seeing Kapu Fini to establish communication with the seas of Paldea, regain its strength via the ocean currents, and then condense and summon the mist of the departed.

Today marked the fourth day since arriving in the Alola region; although unexpected events these past few days had kept everyone spinning without much rest.

In the three days following this, he should be able to enjoy a leisurely vacation.

—Probably?

Evening.

In the villa's living room, Luo Mu lazily tallied the souvenirs he planned to take back to the farm in a few days, while also using a Black Ball to send a portion of medicated cuisine, which he had asked the Audino to pack, to the Delibird.

The Delibird side was equally straightforward, immediately transmitting a stack of scenic photos it had taken via the Black Ball, along with a round, pink pearl that looked captivating in color.

The presence of the pearl immediately attracted the attention of Oranguru, a Psychic-type Pokémon.

Pulling a monocle without lenses from who-knows-where and clipping it into its eye socket, Oranguru began appraising it with convincing formality.

Moments later, it gave its answer.

"It's a pearl."

Luo Mu: "."

No kidding! Everyone knows this is a pearl!

After making a small joke, Oranguru smiled and added, "However, this is no ordinary pearl; from within it, I can sense a not-insignificant amount of spiritual energy; it seems capable of slightly enhancing the intensity of my Psychic powers."

"Oh?"

Luo Mu's interest was immediately piqued; he took the pearl from Oranguru, held it carefully in his hand, and began examining it closely.

Unfortunately, that sensation of a "slight boost to Psychic power" that Oranguru mentioned was something he couldn't sense at all.

One could only say that the value of Mewtwo and Lei Guan Wang's stamped evaluation of "not a shred of Psychic talent" continued to rise.

Meanwhile, Oranguru, flipping through data on an electronic tablet, also looked up the true identity of the pearl.

"Judging by its appearance and distinctive features, this should be a pearl from a Clamperl, and most likely the special pearl that they can produce only once in their lifetime."

Oranguru turned the tablet around, displaying the document on the screen for Luo Mu to see.

Luo Mu leaned in to look and found it matched what he recalled almost exactly.

Ever since Oranguru mentioned the pearl could amplify spiritual power, he had vaguely recalled the pearl's origin.

Compared to the ordinary pearls produced regularly, this kind of Pokémon, Clamperl, can only produce such a pearl capable of amplifying spiritual power at the moment of evolution.

Once they evolve into Huntail or Gorebyss, even their base species changes, so naturally, the matter of producing pearls becomes irrelevant.

It is worth noting that the pearl atop the head of the Spoink, which also inhabits the Hoenn region, is precisely the pearl produced after a Clamperl evolves.

And it is worth ten times more than the pearl of a Shellder.

"Where did the Delibird get this? It's quite nice."

Delighted, Luo Mu accepted the pearl, planning to find a skilled artisan in the coming days to polish and craft it into a piece of jewelry.

He had been worrying about what souvenir to prepare for Lei Guan Wang, the former king, besides the Alola regional specialties and the Jin Pingtang, which would surely suit Cosmog's taste.

Giving this accessory, which could slightly amplify spiritual power, to it, and then having it place the item on Cosmog, would likely make Cosmog even happier than any other gift Luo Mu could prepare.

By the time Luo Mu had nearly finished tallying the souvenirs prepared for every Pokémon on the farm, the sky was visibly growing dark.

He suddenly remembered someone he had cast to the back of his mind.

Gladio.

Calculating the time, no matter how long the heart-to-heart between mother and son took, matters on Gladio's end should have been largely settled by now.

The Bewear, who had promised to safely escort him out of the Aether Paradise, should also have reunited with its own child.

But why was there still no news? Surely Zao Bo hadn't succeeded?

Luo Mu felt he lacked the capability for that.

Fortunately, around nine o'clock in the evening, sounds finally came from outside.

Luo Mu was watching a highly popular detective TV drama from the Alola region with Ogerpon and the others when, seemingly sensing something, Luxray's ears twitched; it stood up directly, casting a sharp gaze toward the direction of the main door.

The next second.

Accompanied by a tremendous boom, the entire villa shook violently; a black-and-pink plush bear directly "burst through the door," quite literally lifting the poor door off its hinges as it barged into the interior.

Had someone unaware of its background witnessed this, they would likely have been terrified, thinking it was an attack by a wild Pokémon.

Even Seeing Seeing Kapu Fini froze for a second, then hurriedly hugged Popplio in its arms to protect it.

Luo Mu, who had already mentally prepared himself, merely twitched the corner of his mouth slightly, shifting his gaze to Gladio, who was tucked under the Bewear's armpit.

The current Gladio was rolling his eyes, his entire consciousness in a daze, his soul seemingly still lagging behind and scrambling to catch up.

It was hard to imagine what he had been through.

Relieved by his clever choice to shift the blame, and not believing he possessed the constitution of those three great immortals from Team Rocket, Luo Mu's gaze drifted to the Bewear's shoulder.

There, the harmless-looking Stufful was perched.

Seeming to notice the presence of its little companion, the Popplio, the Stufful was excitedly waving its arms, trying to catch the attention of the Popplio, who was firmly protected by Seeing Seeing Kapu Fini and enduring a motherly love so suffocating it threatened to drown the sea lion.

"Goo."

Flung Gladion directly onto the sofa, the Bewear arrived before Luo Mu.

Its eyes locked firmly onto Luo Mu, as if calculating some scheme.

Luo Mu suddenly felt a sense of impending doom.

Especially when the Bewear inexplicably produced from thin air a jar emitting a sweet fragrance, this feeling grew even more intense.

"Goo goo."

You become my child too.

The Bewear dipped its hand into the jar, stirring it until coated in thick, golden honey, then stepped toward Luo Mu one step at a time, its expression so solemn it seemed to be performing some mysterious ritual of adoption.

This was the answer it had arrived at after much deep contemplation, following the recovery of its own child, the Stufful, at the Aether Paradise.

Since it wished to repay kindness, it might as well treat Luo Mu as its own child and care for him for the rest of his life!

A mother's love is quite heavy, let alone the motherly love of a Bewear.

Even with his slow reactions, Luo Mu realized what the Bewear was thinking.

Holy crap, it wants to be my mom!

Fortunately, at this moment, the Luxray stepped forward, blocking the way before Luo Mu.

Gazing at the Bewear, which faintly radiated a certain dangerous aura, the Luxray let out a cry toward it.

"Meow-ao."

Luo Mu is no one's possession, nor is he a doll upon which you can unilaterally pour your motherly love.

"Goo."

The Bewear's gaze instantly turned dangerous, and an invisible aura began to brew.

Just as the Luxray prepared itself for what would likely be another fierce battle today, the Bewear's momentum suddenly vanished like a popped balloon, disappearing in an instant.

Its line of sight swept around the living room.

From the cautiously glaring Swampert and Dragonite, to the Okidogi, the Eevee sisters, and the Milotic.

And also, the Shadow Rider Calyrex stirring restlessly within Luo Mu's shadow.

And even the Luxray, whose sense of threat perhaps surpassed that of Seeing Seeing Kapu Koko.

The Bewear suddenly realized that Luo Mu was not like the Stufful; he did not need a mother's care.

He was already an adult.

That dangerous look in the Bewear's eyes vanished completely, as if it had never existed.

After gazing deeply at Luo Mu with soft eyes, the Bewear's nose twitched slightly, as if recording a certain scent, then it picked up the Stufful, which had somehow already gone over to play with the Popplio.

"Squee!!!"

Putting away the honey jar, the Bewear let out a sharp, high-decibel cry as if bidding farewell, then, clutching the Stufful, it smashed consecutively through the villa's wooden boards, shot straight into the sky, and vanished beyond the horizon.

Only now did Gladion, who had been lying like a corpse on the sofa, seem to regain his soul, a string of indistinct murmurs slipping from his lips.

"It really flew away."

Late at night, in a vacation villa near Akala Beach.

"Yare yare."

The Oranguru prepared for Gladion a cup of honey water effective at alleviating shock.

"Thank you."

Gladion took the glass, holding it in both hands and sipping the warm, slightly sweet water in small mouthfuls.

Having recovered, he felt that today's experiences were something he would likely never forget in his entire life.

In the morning, he was dragged into the scene of a magical duel between two great immortals, and in the afternoon, he experienced running across the sea and jumping into the sky.

The only thing left unexperienced was burrowing underground.

He even surpassed Seeing Seeing Kapu Koko in terms of brute strength; just what was the situation with that Bewear!?

Gladion felt that after today's stimulation, the chuunibyou impulses stirring in his heart were suppressed, temporarily losing the desire to erupt.

Moreover, what shocked him most today was not just the Bewear's abnormal behavior, but also what happened after he and the Bewear found the Stufful and went to his mother's office to question her about his father, Mo En.

He had never expected Lusamine to think such things; if so, weren't some of his past rebellions merely the tantrums of a childish kid?

Just thinking about those stupid things he had done before, rigidly refusing his mother's explanations due to matters concerning his father and Lillie.

Made Gladion wish he could travel back in time and punch his past self.

And then, there was the matter of the whereabouts of his missing father, Mo En.

Gladion looked toward Luo Mu, who was currently grooming the Luxray, hesitated for a few seconds, and then opened his mouth to ask, "Mr. Luo Mu, regarding the matter of my father—"

Luo Mu, who was currently engaged in a battle of wits and courage with the Luxray that stubbornly refused to let him touch the sensitive base of its tail, paused his movements and replied casually, "There aren't many years between us; don't make me sound old."

"Oh, then, Big Brother Luo Mu."

"Mm, did Ms. Lusamine tell you everything?"

"... You could say we had a heart-to-heart talk."

Gladion's gaze drifted slightly, and his voice carried a tone of guilt.

Luo Mu, who was already largely clear on the details of their family affairs, raised an eyebrow but did not continue pressing the issue to make Gladion uncomfortable, instead changing the subject.

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"Mother's idea is to finish handling all the Aether Foundation's work in these few days and immediately depart for the Crown Tundra you mentioned."

Gladion's voice paused for a moment, then he continued speaking:

"I also want to go along."

"Go ahead, but the environment there is quite perilous; you must possess the strength to protect yourself."

Firmly gripping the Luxray by the scruff of its neck, Luo Mu was finally able to use the comb in his hand to groom the fur there, which had already become somewhat knotted.

Of course, this had more or less to do with the fact that the Luxray wasn't actually struggling with full force.

After doing all this, Luo Mu pinched the Luxray's thick, large paw pads, comparable to those of a Northeast Golden Gradient cat, and let his gaze fall upon Gladion, who seemed to be hesitating over something.

Having steeled himself mentally, Gladion shot up with a "swish," bowed to him, and said, "Over the next few days, could I trouble you to conduct some emergency training for me!"

Gladion admitted to himself that he was far from mature as a Trainer.

In order to gain the strength to protect his mother, Lusamine, while traveling, and also to pass the butler James's test, he needed to become stronger.

"But I plan to roam around Alola and have fun these few days; as you know, I've hardly had a moment to spare in recent days," Luo Mu said, narrowing his eyes with a voice as calm as an ancient, still well.

"... Indeed, I have overstepped."

Gladion's expression visibly turned dejected.

But Luo Mu's next sentence immediately brought joy to his brow.

"However, finding some time to formulate an emergency special training plan for you is still doable."

"As for the subjects of the special training, I'm afraid you'll have to work hard to persuade them to lend you their help."

Luo Mu's gaze wandered in a circle over the Pokémon in the living room before finally settling on Gladion with a "you know what I mean" smile.

"Yes, I will work hard to curry favor with everyone!"

Gladion's eyes lit up as he answered with firm conviction.

Luo Mu waved his hand, telling Gladion not to get so excited.

"It's not that exaggerated... First, release your Pokémon; we must formulate an accurate plan based on their conditions."

(End of Chapter)