Chapter 578: Brother Brother Qingmu on Vacation

Outside the villa.

Gladion took a deep breath, first releasing two Pokémon.

"Come out, Moonlight Umbreon with crimson eyes, Lycanroc!"

Accompanied by a flash of red light strikingly visible in the night, Gladion's initial foray into his future personal style of chuunibyou declarations had already shown early signs.

Luo Mu nearby had no intention of correcting Gladion beforehand; aside from whether he even had the standing to do so, the chuunibyou nature of Gladion's entire family was not something he could change anyway.

Was Lillie not well-bred? Was she not polite? Was she not a wealthy young lady?

When it came time to be chuunibyou, she was even more intense than her brother.

This was already a matter of genetic inheritance, and Luo Mu did not believe he possessed the ability to solve it.

A four-legged Pokémon and a bipedal Pokémon appeared on the open ground.

The black-furred Pokémon on the left possessed a body size slightly larger than a small dog, with golden ring patterns distributed across its body, emitting a soft golden glow under the illumination of the bright moon overhead.

The Moonlight Pokémon Umbreon was precisely one of Eevee's eight evolutionary forms.

This Umbreon had evolved from a severely injured Eevee that Gladion had accidentally encountered during his childhood; it was his starter Pokémon, and only the profound mutual affection between them could have triggered this specific evolutionary path.

The other Pokémon were already quite familiar with Umbreon, after all, Gladion had released Umbreon from its Poké Ball several times during these few days of borrowing the villa.

Especially Big Sister Eevee and Little Sister Eevee felt quite close to this member of their own species; they directly approached and touched noses with Umbreon, performing their own unique method of greeting.

Big Sister Eevee was fine, feeling only a slight sense of envy toward Umbreon that it had already evolved.

But Little Sister Eevee's gaze upon Umbreon was already nearly shining as brightly as the patterns on Umbreon's body.

So cool! So awesome!

Beside Umbreon stood the Midnight Form of Lycanroc, resembling a werewolf with fiery red eyes, white and red colored fur, sharp double claws on its forelimbs held slightly lowered, walking upright with its waist arched.

Despite this Lycanroc of Gladion's appearing extremely fierce, in reality, it possessed a quite kind heart.

Both Pokémon got along very well with Luxray and the others, and their existence was no secret.

Luo Mu had asked Gladion to display them primarily for the sake of the next Pokémon.

This time, Gladion did not hesitate over whether exposing Type: Null to Luo Mu would create any danger; he gripped the Cherish Ball in his hand and threw it out without delay.

With a "Bang," the Cherish Ball opened.

Accompanied by a heavy sound of landing, beast-like heavy breathing echoed through the tranquil night sky.

A Pokémon "never seen before" appeared beside Gladion.

It possessed composite elements including a beast's body, bird claws, and a fish tail; its hind legs bore scale-like structures, its head was bound by a heavy copper mask shackle, and that heavy breathing sound emanated from within the mask.

It looked simply as if someone, in order to balance the characteristics and strengths of Pokémon, had artificially mixed these features together.

"Ruu!"

Seemingly because it was being exposed to so many unfamiliar Pokémon for the first time, this Pokémon's emotions were somewhat agitated, but under Gladion's skilled soothing, it gradually calmed down.

"What is it?"

Luo Mu pretended to be seeing it for the first time and asked aloud.

"Zobu calls it Type: Null, but its true name is Silvally," Gladion said. "It can be considered an artificial Pokémon that Zobu created based on a certain myth."

After laying everything out at once, Gladion felt his entire person become much lighter.

Regarding his mother Lusamine and his sister Lillie, he had not yet figured out how to explain Silvally's existence to them.

But Luo Mu was different; aside from his father and James, this was the first person whom he had approved of and felt at ease with, and he felt he ought to be able to confide in him.

The facts proved just so; Luo Mu did not exhibit any reaction toward Silvally that would make it or Gladion feel uneasy, but instead listened patiently to Gladion's account.

What Gladion recounted differed little from what Luo Mu already knew; basically, Silvally had once saved him and his sister Lillie when it was young.

Then, fearing that if his actions were exposed he might lose his job, Zobu decided to go all the way, directly binding it and imprisoning it under strict surveillance.

After that incident, realizing his own weakness, Gladion's desire to become strong reached its peak; furthermore, due to various misunderstandings, he grew distant from Lusamine, and finally, four days ago, he successfully executed his plan to steal out the imprisoned Silvally.

Subsequently came these events that occurred after Luo Mu arrived in Alola.

"I want to remove Silvally's shackles, and I also want to become strong enough to protect Mother and Lillie."

Now that he had cleared things up with Lusamine and discovered she did not truly disregard the matter concerning Lillie, Gladion's only remaining goals were to become stronger and to protect his mother as they traveled together to the Wang Guan tundra to find his father Mo En.

Gladion looked at Luo Mu with hopeful eyes, hoping the other could offer some suggestions or methods.

Meanwhile, Luo Mu looked at Silvally, whose eyes were visible through the hollows of its copper mask, its gaze firm and resolute, while stroking his chin and silently pondering.

Although in the game, the relationship between Type: Null and Silvally was considered one of "evolution" or "form change."

But judging by the current situation, it was merely bound by the mask shackle that Zobu had placed upon it, resulting in reduced agility and speed solely due to the heavy shackles.

There was no evolution or form change involved; from the very beginning, Silvally was Silvally.

"The method to break free from the shackles must rely on Silvally itself."

Luo Mu said with slight profundity.

In the anime plot, Silvally relied on its own will and strength to break free from the mask shackle in order to save Lillie, gaining sufficient speed and jumping power, which also allowed Lillie to recall the "truth" behind her fear of touching Pokémon.

In this aspect, Luo Mu felt that rather than intervening prematurely himself, it was better to let them discover the truth on their own.

Once Mo En returned to the Alola region, bringing back that Ultra Beast Lillie as well, this problem would inevitably be resolved.

Luo Mu's answer to Gladion was—

Maintain a fixed training habit; when the time comes, the shackles will no longer be able to trap Silvally.

Hearing these words, Gladion nodded thoughtfully, and after consulting Luo Mu on a few points regarding training Umbreon, Lycanroc, and Silvally, he returned inside the house.

While ensuring sufficient sleep to make tomorrow's training more energetic, Gladion also had to consider how to train according to the plan Luo Mu provided, and how to curry favor with Luxray and the others to gain their "assistance."

The next morning.

It was the fifth day since Luo Mu had arrived in the Alola region for his vacation; today he chose to sleep until he woke naturally, and even though the sky was already bright, he remained lying in bed sleeping soundly.

Meanwhile, after tasting the breakfast prepared by Oranguru, Gladion took the various prepared gifts that butler James had delivered early this morning following his contact last night, and first intercepted Pecharunt, who was planning to go borrow a tablet from Oranguru.

"Poni?"

Pecharunt tilted its head, gazing with starry-eyed confusion at Gladion, who stood blocking its path.

"Ahem."

Gladion cleared his throat lightly, recalling the method James had taught him that morning; with ears red, he held the gift out before Pecharunt.

"Could I ask you to help improve my Lycanroc's resistance to physical blows?"

Based on the information Gladion had gathered after giving gifts to Oranguru, apart from the Swampert capable of pounding a Lycanroc into minced meat with a single punch,

among the Pokémon Luo Mu had brought for vacation, Pecharunt possessed the greatest strength, yet not so much that Lycanroc couldn't withstand even a single hit.

Originally, Pecharunt had no intention of agreeing, as it still needed to chat on the phone with its best friend, Tinkaton.

But upon seeing the gift Gladion offered, Pecharunt immediately beamed with joy, accepted the brand-new, top-spec tablet still in its packaging, and patted its chest.

"Poni Poni!"

From today onward, I, Pecharunt, will look after you!

As for chatting on the phone with its best friend Tinkaton, Pecharunt figured skipping it for a few days wouldn't be a problem.

After Pecharunt succumbed, under Gladion's monetary offensive, it wasn't long before he had assembled all the sparring partners needed for training.

There was Pecharunt, ready to go all out to temper Midnight Lycanroc's durability while assisting it in practicing Counter.

There was Spectrier, lured out by Poni Island's giant radish, helping Umbreon master some new moves.

And there was Milotic, ready to heal everyone while sparring with Silvally.

Following Oranguru's suggestion, Gladion chose to invite these three as the subjects for his initial training.

Around ten in the morning, when Luo Mu woke up, training outside was still in full swing.

Pulling back the curtains, he gazed upon the Lycanroc knocked flying by Pecharunt's staff only to climb back up, the Silvally attempting to break through Milotic's defense, and the Spectrier and Umbreon huddled together researching some rather underhanded Ghost-type moves.

Luo Mu sighed with emotion: "Young people are so full of vitality."

Swampert had gone out to sea for fun, and Dragonite had taken its mother out onto the ocean as well; not feeling like cooking lunch today, Luo Mu decisively chose to eat out.

After informing Oranguru that he would pack some food to bring back later,

Luo Mu directly set out with Luxray and the Eevee sisters, heading toward "Aina Kitchen," a restaurant located north of the villa near the jungle that had been recommended on their very first day in Alola but which they had never managed to visit until now.

The restaurant was not far from the villa; before long, Luo Mu spotted the building displaying the corresponding signboard.

Along the way, the younger Eevee sister was inexplicably excited, appearing even more active than her older sister, giving no hint that she had once been physically weak due to congenital deficiencies.

Luo Mu figured that after interacting with evolved members of her own species, she had probably developed the desire to evolve as well.

Judging by her behavior, she seemed very interested in the Umbreon evolutionary line; if she evolved, a shiny blue-ringed Umbreon would seem quite nice, wouldn't it?

As for the older Eevee sister, she hadn't yet shown any inclination toward a specific evolutionary branch, but she had, to some extent, developed a longing for evolution.

Calling back the Eevee sisters, who had run off to sniff the blooming flowers in a nearby flowerbed, Luo Mu opened the main door of Aina Kitchen.

Accompanied by a pleasant chiming of wind chimes, a green-haired girl wearing a pink apron, about the same age as Ash, hurried forward with quick steps.

"Welcome to Aina Kitchen. What would you like to eat today..."

"Eh, eh, eh—!?"

Looking at Luo Mu, Mallow appeared as though she had seen a ghost, involuntarily letting out a cry of surprise.

"Mallow, you must not be rude to customers."

From the kitchen nearby, a head poked out, quietly reminding Mallow before shrinking back inside.

"I know, Dad."

Mallow hung her head dejectedly and apologized to Luo Mu:

"I'm sorry; I was slightly startled because I suddenly saw you."

For Mallow, the event from a few days ago where Luo Mu easily defeated Guzma had left her shocked for quite a long time.

Seeing Luo Mu suddenly without any psychological preparation naturally gave her a fright.

"It's fine; please recommend some of your restaurant's signature dishes."

Luo Mu, however, thought nothing of it; cheerfully, he found an empty seat and had Luxray and the Eevee sisters sit in the Pokémon-specific chairs.

"Oh, okay!"

Mallow gently placed the menu in front of Luo Mu, while the corner of her eye glanced again at Luxray.

It seems Professor Kukui said it was called Luxray... So majestic.

Although her inner thoughts were somewhat active, this did not hinder the professional quality Mallow had cultivated by working at Aina Kitchen since childhood.

Mallow recommended several dishes she was very confident in, and Luo Mu accepted them all.

He had come specifically to taste the food; naturally, he wanted to try everything with unique characteristics, and if it tasted good, he would order another portion to pack back for Oranguru and the others.

After finishing the order, just as Mallow was about to leave to help in the kitchen, Luo Mu suddenly spoke up and called her back.

"Did you plant that patch of flowers outside?"

"Ah, yes; my mother left them behind, and currently, I am the one taking care of them."

Although completely baffled as to why Luo Mu was asking this question, Mallow answered obediently.

"They are blooming quite beautifully; one can tell you take very careful care of them," Luo Mu praised.

Mallow blinked her eyes. "Thank you for your compliment..."

"I think planting some Gladiolus flowers inside would make it look even better."

Luo Mu said this casually, as if it were an offhand remark.

Although puzzled, Mallow still accepted his suggestion, thinking about going to the school library tomorrow to find out what kind of flower a gladiolus was, and casually asking a classmate whose family ran a flower shop if she could buy some seeds there.

Before long, a table steaming with hot dishes filled the dining table; both in appearance and aroma, they were exceptionally outstanding.

Even without taking a bite, Luo Mu knew that this trip today was absolutely worth it!

Just as Luo Mu, Luxray, and the Eevee sisters were whetting their appetites and about to dig in heartily,

at the entrance where they had just entered, the pleasant, crisp sound of wind chimes rang out once more.

Originally, Luo Mu paid no heed to this and intended to keep his head down and work hard.

But as he listened to the voice of that person conversing with Mao, who had come out to greet them, it sounded more and more familiar, and Luo Mu couldn't help but turn around for a glance.

Then his gaze collided squarely with that of Brother Brother Qingmu, who had likewise instinctively looked over, dressed in beach shorts and a beach shirt, clad entirely in casual attire that made him look more than ten years younger.

Luo Mu, stunned: "!"

Oh, isn't this Old Brother Brother Qingmu!

Did that capitalist, President Mochi, actually give him time off?

Brother Brother Qingmu, stunned: "."

Luo Mu was just about to greet Brother Brother Qingmu when he heard the other man curse under his breath, then immediately turn his head and walk away without hesitation.

"Damn, how can I run into this guy even while on vacation!"

Those hurried footsteps looked as if they were about to leave behind afterimages.

(End of Chapter)