Chapter 59: Iron Because of Modern Species

Dragonite hovered low in the sky, its flight slow, as Luo Mu looked up with lingering unease.

The dark cloud layer above crackled with lightning; occasional bolts illuminated half the sky, and heavy rain began to pour—Luo Mu even doubted whether Orange Academy would open tomorrow.

He finally made it back to the farm before getting completely soaked, planning to boil water and give Dragonite and Wooper a hot bath.

Who knew that after noticing the bad weather, the Electrike who should’ve first organized the farm’s Pokémon to take shelter had instead walked back in from outside, head held high, something clamped in its mouth.

Luo Mu: “????”

He remembered Electrike’s ability was Inner Focus, not Pickup!

Why did it bring back another black, shapeless lump again?

Last time it was Charizard—was this one Articuno or Zapdos?

Luo Mu quickly opened the door to let Electrike in; its fur dripped water. After setting the object down, it walked to a quiet corner and shook itself vigorously to fling off the droplets.

Other Pokémon that had returned indoors to escape the rain gathered around, staring curiously at the thing Electrike had brought back... a Pokémon?

Since its chest and abdomen still rose and fell clearly, he’d temporarily classify it as an unidentified Pokémon.

The Pokémon clearly resembled a bird-type, but all its distinctive feathers had turned charred black and were falling off—Luo Mu, whose starter was an Electric-type Electrike, immediately recognized the marks of lightning.

Recalling the thunder and lightning still roaring outside, Luo Mu deduced this Pokémon must have been flying high in the sky, lacking Dragonite’s experience and acute senses, unaware the lightning had already formed in the clouds, and simply got struck by a direct bolt from nature.

Luo Mu’s gaze swept over the gathered Pokémon; aside from the Gyarados and the three Wooper who should’ve returned to Thunder Lake to rest, all others had taken shelter inside.

He knew his main battle Pokémon inside out—over the past year, their injuries had always been treated with medicine bought from earnings or at Pokémon Centers, none of them knew any healing moves.

Wooper, Charizard, and Growlithe simply couldn’t learn moves that healed others; only the Blissey might have that potential.

But... the three Blissey could only learn Aromatherapy and Pollen Puff, and none of them had learned either yet.

Looks like he’d have to rely on the old-timers again.

After a moment’s thought, Luo Mu said to Kingdra: “Could you please fetch the first-aid kit from the house? If we don’t treat this Pokémon soon, it’ll likely die from untreated severe injuries.”

Kingdra nodded slightly and slithered up toward the second floor.

Soon, Kingdra returned with its vine whip carrying a large first-aid kit. Luo Mu took it, quickly pulled out wound ointment and antidote, then sent Ghostfire to the kitchen for two Oran Berries.

Luo Mu skillfully treated the Pokémon’s injuries in sequence with the antidote, wound ointment, and Oran Berries—and during the process, by examining its general outline, he made a judgment on its identity.

Delivery Pokémon, Mime Jr., a dual Ice/Flying-type—though not Articuno, Electrike had brought back a bird-type Pokémon with the same type as Articuno.

Luo Mu’s impression of Mime Jr. came mostly from the anime’s Team Rocket Mime Jr.—this Pokémon’s tail is hollow; when it lifts it and inserts something inside, the raised tail looks like a bag.

Team Rocket’s Mime Jr. used this to transport Poké Balls containing Pokémon across regions.

This Mime Jr. brought back by Electrike was notably large—its tail was nearly the size of a snake-skin sack. If it belonged to a flock, it was likely the leader.

After treating Mime Jr.’s injuries, Luo Mu placed it temporarily in a spot in the living room, away from Charizard and the burning fireplace.

As an Ice-type, Mime Jr. was heat-sensitive; placing it near the fireplace would only add further stress to its already battered body.

Given the current state, Mime Jr. wouldn’t wake up anytime soon. Luo Mu checked his phone and saw it was already nine at night.

Though the rain outside showed no sign of letting up, Luo Mu couldn’t guarantee it would last all day—he’d better sleep early and stay alert for his first class at Orange Academy.

The next morning, Luo Mu woke to the howling wind outside his window.

He opened his eyes to find it was exactly seven a.m. He gently placed Meltan, who had been napping on his chest, back into the warm blankets, then moved the tip of Kingdra’s tail curled up beside him.

Luo Mu slipped out of bed quietly, barefoot, and walked around his bedroom—only to find his right cotton slipper had vanished again.

Probably Growlithe had sneaked in while he slept and dragged it off to play—he sighed, rubbing his temples, already feeling a headache forming.

He’d suspected it before, but wasn’t Growlithe’s personality becoming more and more like... a Husky?

Luo Mu dared not think further.

Stepping over Dragonite, sprawled on its back on the rug, Luo Mu went to the window and looked outside, frowning.

The rain had grown even heavier, with no sign of stopping.

The moment he cracked open the window a sliver, a cold gust slipped through.

“Plo~ Wu ...”

Dragonite, fast asleep on the rug, stretched a claw to scratch its belly, felt the chill, and instinctively curled up tighter in its sleep.

Luo Mu quickly shut the window, glancing nervously at Dragonite—thankfully, it hadn’t woken.

He rubbed his eyes; the cold wind had fully dispelled his drowsiness—he could get dressed and head to Orange Academy.

Yawning, Luo Mu walked toward the bedroom door. As his hand closed around the doorknob, his phone in his pajama pocket vibrated.

He froze, pulled out his phone, and saw a mass message.

Sender: Principal Mu Fei of Orange Academy.

【Notice to all instructors: Due to extreme weather, today’s outdoor classes are suspended. Students will remain in classrooms or the library for self-study. Below is the list of suspended classes...】

Luo Mu looked closely—Battle Studies was prominently on the list.