Chapter 598: Don't Go, It Has Ice Punch!

Alliance Year 799, January 10th.

Since he had no classes scheduled at Grape Academy today, Luo Mu had originally planned to spend the afternoon deepening his medical knowledge under Young Lady Joy in Pingdie Town, after which he would take the business card Sebastian gave him and make a special trip to Lumina City.

A few days ago, they had discussed picking up the car, but with recent busyness surrounding Hearing Nimo's Champion examination, he simply hadn't found the time to go see it.

Regarding a new vehicle, Luo Mu was currently considering buying either a Jeep off-roader or a pickup truck capable of carrying some cargo, so it could adapt to more road conditions; whether rugged mountain paths or muddy country lanes, at least he wouldn't be stuck in a dilemma due to low ground clearance.

But before that could happen, the thing he had been worrying about finally occurred.

With no farm work to handle in winter, Luo Mu slept until he woke naturally; just as he was walking downstairs in his pajamas, yawning...

He was still thinking about running a few laps around the farm later, lest the fat accumulated during winter affect his physique.

But the commotion coming from outside was impossible to ignore no matter what.

When he rushed to the window to look out, his expression changed instantly.

They're here this early!?

Glancing at the clock behind him, its hour hand pointing at the number ten, Luo Mu desperately wished all of this were just a dream, that he was still immersed in slumber and hadn't gotten out of bed yet.

Below, Hearing Nimo, now fully dressed and brimming with energy, was excitedly directing Decidueye in a fierce clash against Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, who wielded two blazing greatswords.

Decidueye spread its broad wings, nimbly maneuvering through the air to dodge the successive psychic blades slashed out by Cangyan Cangyan Rengui.

Under Hearing Nimo's command, after evading the psychic blades, Decidueye shifted into a diving posture, swept past Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, and simultaneously scattered a large quantity of feathers.

That was the move "Feather Dance," capable of effectively reducing the sharpness of Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's blade edge.

But Cangyan Cangyan Rengui only paused for a moment; the dark flames in Emperor Yan Di's eyes swayed slightly, and the next instant, fiery light surged upon its sword, instantly incinerating all the surrounding feathers.

However, the ash and black smoke produced by the burning feathers momentarily blocked Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's wide field of vision.

"Now, Shadow Sneak!"

Hearing Nimo's eyes lit up; seizing the fleeting opportunity, she decisively ordered Decidueye to unleash a move posing an extreme threat to Cangyan Cangyan Rengui!

"Jyu-nai!"

Decidueye let out a low cry, its movements swift as the wind.

It flapped its wings once, causing a few feathers to slip down quietly, which it caught steadily.

At the same time, the vines on its body rapidly tightened, transforming into a tough bowstring; the moment the feathers were nocked onto the vines, the bowstring was drawn to a full moon, poised to strike.

Feathers as arrows, vines as the bowstring!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The bowstring rang out three times, crisp and powerful.

Three feather arrows wrapped in dark energy shot into the sky, moving so fast their trajectories were nearly invisible.

The arrows cut through the air in cunning curves, emitting sharp whistling sounds as they headed straight for Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's vital points.

Every arrow precisely targeted one of Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's rare openings, sealing off its escape routes.

From drawing the bow to releasing the shot, Decidueye's movements flowed like drifting clouds and running water, completed in one seamless breath.

Within a mere 0.3 seconds, three arrows were fired in succession, each at an extremely tricky angle.

One arrow attacked Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's face, one sealed the movement trajectory of the flaming greatsword, and the other, as if it had eyes of its own, went straight for the shadow beneath Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, leaving it almost no way to dodge.

This was Decidueye's special trait: not only did it possess superb observational skills to perceive the battlefield, but its own Xiao Jian Fa was also exquisitely masterful.

Were it any other Pokémon, it might have become flustered under Decidueye's attack, thereby revealing an opening.

But since Decidueye's Xiao Jian Fa was so exquisite, did that mean Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's swordsmanship was inferior by a notch?

To the surprised expressions of Hearing Nimo and Decidueye, the flaming greatswords dual-wielded by Cangyan Cangyan Rengui began to move at speeds difficult for the naked eye to capture.

One sword used its blade to block the feather arrow sealing its greatsword's trajectory, while the other snapped the feather arrow attacking its face head-on.

Only the third arrow, posing a relatively minor threat, landed upon Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's shadow!

In that instant, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui clearly felt a strange sensation emanating from the spot where the feather arrow had firmly planted itself in the ground—or rather, in its own shadow.

It was as if its shadow had been pinned down and unable to move; at this moment, even its legs, which it could normally control freely, felt as though they were filled with lead, firmly fixed in place.

This was the "unable to flee" effect of Shadow Sneak.

Seeing that Cangyan Cangyan Rengui had finally been drawn into her rhythm, Hearing Nimo shouted without the slightest hesitation: "Shadow Ball!"

Decidueye's sharp gaze locked onto Cangyan Cangyan Rengui; between its folded wings, a dark purple energy sphere rapidly formed and plummeted toward Cangyan Cangyan Rengui.

Having accomplished this, the calm and composed Decidueye did not linger.

It knew that this alone was insufficient to completely defeat Cangyan Cangyan Rengui.

Decidueye flapped its wings, soaring directly into the high sky, and while diving, it quickly rotated its body to draw its bow and nock an arrow once more.

Only this time, what shot forth was Decidueye's Shadow Arrow Rain, intended to put a final period to this battle!

Facing countless incoming arrows while being completely unable to move due to "Shadow Sneak"...

In this situation that could be described as despair itself, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui showed no sign of wavering; suddenly, the purple armor on its body began to glow with a fiery red light.

The next instant.

Thick smoke mixed with intense fire erupted in all directions, utterly destroying the Shadow Sneak feather arrows that had rendered Cangyan Cangyan Rengui stiff as a wooden doll, and blocking the first wave of arrow rain, buying Cangyan Cangyan Rengui precious time.

Because it had become entangled within the range of the erupting smoke, numerous burn marks appeared here and there on Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's armor.

But fortunately, as a Fire-type Pokémon, it had good resistance in this regard, so this was not an obstacle that could affect its actions.

The moment it regained mobility, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's gaze turned slightly cold, and its body, wreathed in dark shadows, plunged directly into another dimension.

"Phantom Force"!

Behind Decidueye, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's figure appeared instantly as the portal opened.

Noticing the scorching heat behind it, Decidueye's expression changed slightly; under Hearing Nimo's shout, it was about to draw its bow and nock an arrow to buy itself time to react.

But perhaps due to excessive nervousness, the shaken-off feather arrows were actually caught within the range of Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's fiercely blazing greatswords, turning directly into flying ash.

The panicked Decidueye still wanted to attempt a remedy, but Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's blades would not wait for it.

"Pain Split Slash"!

The great sword of fire, surging with dark flames, launched an attack like a driving wind and pelting rain; the sword qi formed of fire resembled an inescapable net, descending to envelop the Sniper Shrike.

Under the fierce assault of Cang Yan Ren Gui, even though the Sniper Shrike exerted all its strength to unleash a "Leaf Storm," it was still struck down by Cang Yan Ren Gui, immediately losing consciousness.

As for Cang Yan Ren Gui, it withdrew its blade, ceased delivering finishing blows to the Sniper Shrike, and turned its gaze toward the Audino waiting nearby.

"Audino~"

The Audino helped the Sniper Shrike up, then tried to call Cang Yan Ren Gui over as well.

But Cang Yan Ren Gui merely cast down its eyes to glance at the scratches left on its armor by the Sniper Shrike, then shook its head.

The Regret Blade had already restored some of the stamina it had just lost; as for the scratches on the armor, it could simply ask the Oranguru to maintain them for it later.

—It was rather the Sniper Shrike and Hearing Hearing Nimo.

Cang Yan Ren Gui's gaze fell upon Hearing Hearing Nimo, who had hurried over to help up the Sniper Shrike and was now thanking the Audino, which was using "Heal Pulse" and "Heal Bell" to treat the Sniper Shrike's injuries and burns.

Its expression underwent a change so subtle it was barely perceptible.

In merely a short year, the other party had grown to a level where they could fight it, even managing to seize a momentary advantage for a brief instant.

This made Cang Yan Ren Gui unable to help but reminisce about its own period of rapid growth in the past.

Indeed, just as Luxray and the others had said, even after seizing the laurel crown of the target, one could not afford the slightest slackness, or else latecomers like the Sniper Shrike would catch up.

Not to mention that they were still far from reaching their theoretical peak, much like Lei Guan Wang.

Fortunately, it still possessed ample room for growth and could continue to become stronger.

Cang Yan Ren Gui slowly exhaled a breath, noticing the figure of Luo Mu, who had opened the door and walked over at some unknown point.

Hearing Hearing Nimo, who was treating the Sniper Shrike, also greeted him cheerfully: "Good morning, Teacher Luo Mu!"

"Good morning, Hearing Nimo."

Walking over to Cang Yan Ren Gui's side, Luo Mu nodded to Hearing Nimo, then turned to look at it and said in a low voice:

"Quick reaction; well done."

There was a hint of gratification mixed into Luo Mu's voice; clearly, he was quite satisfied with Cang Yan Ren Gui's ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

Although Cang Yan Ren Gui held an advantage in strength over the Sniper Shrike, the Sniper Shrike's side had Hearing Hearing Nimo, a person of extraordinary talent whose battle intuition rivaled, and perhaps currently even surpassed, Ash's.

For it to break the deadlock relying on its own experience was truly a delightful surprise.

"Sshilo."

Suddenly praised, Cang Yan Ren Gui's body stiffened; if its face were not completely covered by armor, it would surely have revealed an embarrassed expression.

It had always been unable to resist Luo Mu's praise.

"I'll come maintain your armor for you in a little while."

Luo Mu patted Cang Yan Ren Gui's shoulder, but before Cang Yan Ren Gui could become happy, it was Luo Mu's body that stiffened this time.

—So hot, so hot, so hot!

Screaming miserably in his heart while keeping his face unchanged, Luo Mu swiftly withdrew his hand, realizing he had forgotten that Cang Yan Ren Gui had just used "Scorching Sands," and its armor was currently in a state of dissipating heat!

Fortunately, he had pulled his hand back the instant contact was made; finding the Audino quietly later to heal him should resolve the matter.

Forcing himself to hold steady, Luo Mu dared not touch Cang Yan Ren Gui again; after giving it a meaningful glance that it did not understand, he walked toward Hearing Nimo.

Hearing Nimo gently scratched her chin, lowered her head, and said in a slightly dejected tone: "Challenging your main force again ended in failure, Teacher, even though you didn't personally command it."

Hearing Nimo had originally intended to improve herself as much as possible before the Champion Assessment and maintain her team's condition here with Luo Mu.

As a result, despite unleashing every move, she still failed to gain much advantage against Cang Yan Ren Gui.

This would inevitably cause some discouragement and lead to self-doubt.

Luo Mu glanced at her, silently murmuring in his heart.

Using two Sniper Shrikes, both of whose types were countered by Cang Yan Ren Gui, to fight it; it would be strange if they won.

When fighting Du Ruo before, she was quite normal; why was she now fixated on countering Dragon-type Pokémon no matter what?

Luo Mu seriously suspected whether Hearing Nimo had been infected by Ash while in the Hoenn region, wondering why her mind was entirely filled with playing reverse-type matchups?

Wasn't this purely seeking discomfort for herself?

Although he thought this in his heart, on the surface, Luo Mu still adopted the stance of a teacher to guide Hearing Nimo patiently, hinting indirectly that even at the Champion level, type advantages remained very important.

Who knew what lineup Geeta would send out against Hearing Nimo; with only six choices available to Hearing Nimo herself, she absolutely had to take this to heart.

But this Miss was indeed easy to coax; or rather, this was simply her nature; after chatting for a few sentences, the gloomy atmosphere surrounding her transformed completely, reverting to a positive and passionate mood.

"Next, I'll go challenge the Swampert; that will surely bring great pressure; should I use Goodra or Ursaluna then?"

Recalling the Sniper Shrike, whose injuries were basically healed by the Audino and only needed mental rest, Hearing Nimo became fervent once again.

Finally understanding Hearing Nimo's "Own Tempo" ability, Luo Mu: `(；＿)`

She hadn't listened to a single word, had she?

And don't go; it has Ice Punch!

Busy challenging the Pokémon on the farm, Hearing Nimo left Luo Mu planning to let her be.

After all, compared to her dragging him into battles, this kind of free challenging of the farm's Pokémon would better ensure her condition.

After all, the opponents she needed to consider for battle next were not him, but those Elite Four members like Hassel, and also Geeta.

The consecutive battles against the Elite Four plus the Champion in the Champion Assessment would likely be far more difficult than she imagined.

Luo Mu was uncertain how much strength Hearing Nimo would be able to unleash at that time; perhaps it would be better to stop her actions initially and have her undergo the normal Champion Assessment rules.

At this moment, Luo Mu's mood was quite complex; on one hand, watching Hearing Nimo grow under his very eyes and guidance until now made him feel quite proud.

On the other hand, he worried whether his intervention might cause a deviation in Hearing Nimo's established trajectory of becoming Champion within a year.

Luo Mu did not reject change, nor would he tie his own hands and feet due to so-called "plot" under non-essential circumstances.

But since this matter concerned Hearing Nimo, deep down he ultimately felt somewhat unsure.

Hearing Nimo's strength was very great, having already reached that realm; this was an indisputable fact.

But the reason why the consecutive battle rules made it so difficult for any league to produce a Champion was precisely that special high-pressure environment; not only did one have to struggle against opponents of similar caliber, but one also had to fight nearly five consecutive rounds; just thinking about it induced immense pressure.

Back then, Luo Mu himself had made ample preparations before undertaking the Champion Test.

"In any case, for these few days, let everyone maintain their training coordination with Hearing Nimo."

Luo Mu let out a soft sigh, summoned the eagerly awaiting Cang Yan Ren Gui, and prepared to take it for armor maintenance before attending class at the Pingdie Town Pokémon Center in the afternoon.

(End of Chapter)