Chapter 624: Do You Like a Formation of Squad Troops Where One Guidance Results in a Six-Hit Combo?

"Gaga~ Gaga-gua~"

Clutching its own small basket of fresh fruit in its beak, a Corviknight with a rather stealthy demeanor looked left and right, gripped the fruit basket with its sharp talons, and then flapped its heavy steel wings to fly off into the distance.

Hehehe, time to go home and give my little wife and children an extra meal~

"Alright, that was the last Corviknight; today's delivery work ends here."

"Dragonite, you've worked hard too~"

"Bo-wu~"

The Dragonite leader responded with a beaming smile.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Luo Mu stretched his body while using his peripheral vision to observe the Dragonite leader beside him, who was lending a hand and beginning to clean up the aftermath at the scene.

How to put it? It felt as though a visible label of "reliability" was pasted onto it.

The former Dragonite leader had always been somewhat dull-witted, so when assigning it to delivery duties, Luo Mu still had to ask Moltres and the others to keep a closer eye on it, fearing it might accidentally fly off course and get lost.

But after it resolved its inner knot, the experience gained from accompanying Lya for those decades, and even working alone, was fully unleashed.

Its level of being worry-free could be described as leading by a cliff-edge margin!

He even perceived a quality named "kindly benevolence" emanating from the Dragonite leader.

Damn it, I'm seeing the shadow of my own grandmother from before my transmigration in a Dragonite!

Three days had already passed since Tapu Fini spread its mist.

After recovering, the Dragonite leader first spent quite some time being affectionate with the Dragonites and Dragonairs, and then swiftly took on many of the farm's affairs.

The delivery work was more like a daily mandatory "morning run"; the aspect that truly showcased the Dragonite leader's capabilities was reflected more in its handling of many trivial matters.

Perhaps because it had once singly cared for the elderly Lya, even the Oranguru said that it would fall short of the Dragonite leader in certain aspects.

In just three short days, the Dragonite leader had become the farm's "Grandma Steward."

Although it had only its own Dragonite as a child, and its age within the Dragonite species was merely that of a young adult, it possessed an aura that made calling it "Grandma Dragonite" feel perfectly natural.

After Luo Mu and the Dragonite leader finished cleaning up the mess left by preparing the "rewards" for the returning Corviknights, they naturally returned to the living room.

As soon as they entered the room, several shadows pounced over.

Only this time, the one enjoying such treatment was no longer Luo Mu, but the Dragonite leader beside him.

Volcarona, Victini, Snom, and Greavard.

The four of them pressed themselves against the Dragonite leader's soft belly with faces full of ecstasy, displaying expressions as if they were "about to melt."

Without needing to look, one could tell they had already fallen completely under the Dragonite leader's gentleness.

In the past, the one being pounced upon flyingly had originally been himself.

Luo Mu felt a slight twinge of jealousy; hmm, just a tiny bit, really.

However, other things soon attracted his attention; wearing brand new slippers as he entered the living room and smelling the faint fragrance drifting in the air, Luo Mu sniffed his nose.

"This scent is..."

The Dragonite leader, holding the four Pokémon with a face full of kindly benevolence as it walked into the living room, also sniffed its nose, revealing a nostalgic expression on its face.

If its sense of smell was not mistaken, what was drifting in the air should be the rich aroma of butter, wheat, and sugar.

It remembered that in the past, Lya would often personally bake small biscuits and cookies using these ingredients; whenever there was a lull in work, both it and herself, craving a snack, would look left and right to ensure no one was watching before thief-like pulling out a few to toss into their mouths.

Following the scent, Luo Mu walked over and, as expected, discovered Shuang Nai Xian staying in front of the oven, monitoring the heat.

Although one could set the time and temperature, leaving everything to the oven.

But Shuang Nai Xian trusted its own senses and experience as a pastry chef more, and having strict requirements for its own works, it had to ensure the optimal heat and baking time.

Recently, it had also learned a few recipes from the Audino that couldn't be learned elsewhere, and its skills had improved considerably through self-practice.

Luo Mu was considering which day to contact Miss Ah Feng to inquire about the matter of Shuang Nai Xian obtaining a "Pastry Chef Rank Certificate."

Although it might not be useful since he had no intention of opening a dessert shop, for Shuang Nai Xian, this should be quite important and also its goal of effort.

After all, even regarding that chocolate cake once tasted in the Kalos region, after Shuang Nai Xian constantly recalled the taste of the chocolate cream cake enjoyed together with Korrina, it had achieved a one-to-one replication.

Luo Mu believed that Shuang Nai Xian's talent in the aspect of desserts was fully worthy of its species.

Seeing that Shuang Nai Xian was still busy, Luo Mu did not disturb it, but instead calculated the time in his mind, pondering how long he should stay away before returning to eat the steaming hot biscuits and cookies immediately.

At the same time, Luo Mu made his way to the second-floor balcony and asked Bai Bai Pengpeng and the others, who were leisurely staying in flower pots absorbing soil nutrients and enjoying photosynthesis, about some matters.

After getting the answer he wanted, Luo Mu returned to the first floor, greeted the Dragonite leader, and then walked toward the direction of the main door.

As he left, Luo Mu's gaze lingered for an instant on the Dragonite leader's belly.

To be honest, Luo Mu was also quite curious about what magic the Dragonite leader's belly possessed.

In the past, the Dragonite also often hugged them, yet Victini and the others never reacted this strongly?

Although he was somewhat eager to try, Luo Mu certainly didn't need to compete for a spot with Volcarona, this baby Pokémon.

He could only contemplate simply calling the Dragonite leader into his room secretly one day to try it out; then, putting on outdoor shoes, he directly opened the main door and walked out.

Just now, Luo Mu had learned from Bai Bai Pengpeng and the others about the whereabouts of Ogerpon and the others.

They were currently staying at the artisan forge located near the back mountain.

Luo Mu slipped over directly, and as soon as he opened the door, sure enough, he saw a scene of bustling activity.

Within the furnace, Moltres's flames were burning fiercely, ruthlessly melting the metallic substances thrown into them.

On the other side, the Tinkaton, dressed in a set of fireproof forging suit, tightly gripped the hammer in its hand, repeatedly striking an unfinished ingot.

Lei Guan Wang stayed to the side, occasionally offering a few suggestions.

And the Tinkaton made adjustments based on its suggestions.

This humble attitude of accepting instruction was much easier to communicate with than the quite stubborn smiths in the kingdoms it had once commanded, as remembered by Lei Guan Wang.

While the Tinkaton side was forging iron with great fervor, on the other side, several figures were also busy.

Ogerpon wearing the Hearthflame Mask, along with the Squad Troops in groups of six, were either busily throwing materials into the furnace or carrying things around.

Luo Mu even witnessed with his own eyes the Squad Troop at the very back, without hesitation, throwing the two round shields in its hands into the furnace.

It was still some time until mealtime and not yet work hours, so it was no surprise to see the Shieldon appearing anywhere.

But why had they appeared in the Blacksmith's Forge, and even personally melted down their own round shields?

There were actually quite complicated reasons behind this.

To summarize briefly, one could say that because the Shieldon had been practicing their cooking skills diligently, what they held in their hands were either woks or large ladles.

Those round shields, born with them and used for battle, had been left under their beds gathering dust.

They only discovered this when organizing their belongings while preparing to move from the Alola region to work on Luo Mu's farm.

—Due to lack of maintenance, these round shields had become rusted or brittle.

Let alone using them for battle; even holding them normally required care to avoid getting cut or bruised by the shields, otherwise there was a chance of contracting tetanus from the rust.

After much deliberation, the Shieldon simply decided to seek help from Luo Mu.

—Wasn't this just a fortunate coincidence?

To hone the Forger's smithing skills in preparation for future repair work on swords and shields.

The Forger was already attempting to forge more sword and shield-related items; recasting the total of twelve round shields belonging to the six-in-one Shieldon would definitely yield a wealth of experience!

Without a second word, the Forger accepted this task and, under Lei Guan Wang's supervision, began recasting the Shieldon's round shields.

Lei Guan Wang had already used psychic power to create the corresponding molds, guaranteeing that the size and details would be exactly identical to their former round shields.

As each round shield was melted in the furnace, the Forger would also mix in some special metals to further improve the various stats of the shields.

Everyone was busily working with great enthusiasm; only Lei Guan Wang noticed Luo Mu's arrival.

"You're here?"

Lei Guan Wang waved at Luo Mu, signaling him to come over.

"I'm here." Luo Mu nodded, walked over to Lei Guan Wang's side, and casually asked, "Where is Cosmog? Did you leave it with Oricorio?"

"Mm, Oricorio is very meticulous; I feel very reassured leaving it in their care."

"Let's not talk about that for now; come take a look at this shield."

Lei Guan Wang enveloped a finished shield in psychic power and sent it directly in front of Luo Mu.

There was a small notch in the upper left corner of this round shield; this wasn't a mistake made during forging, but simply because the Shieldon leader's shield had originally looked like this.

This notch also allowed for a more intuitive distinction between the leader and the followers.

Holding up this round shield, which resembled more of a "hat" to him, Luo Mu examined it carefully for quite a while under the light of the furnace, then drew a conclusion.

"It should be a good shield."

Luo Mu didn't know much about weapons and armor.

But judging by the shield's hardness, luster, and most importantly, the feel in hand, he could vaguely sense that this round shield would certainly be very handy.

The Shieldon would definitely be able to bring out the excellent performance possessed by this shield.

Unlike the method of "leveling up" by training oneself to improve.

In a certain sense, for Pokémon like the Forger and the Shieldon, another path to increasing their strength was refining their own weapons and armor to grant them more powerful capabilities.

Luo Mu then handed this round shield to the Shieldon leader, who had noticed the commotion over here and was looking over, gazing at the shield with some longing.

Seeing how the other party couldn't bear to part with the round shield, Luo Mu also revealed a smile.

After all, it was something born with them; even if not often used for battle, they still showed satisfied smiles upon seeing their round shields restored to their former appearance.

When Luo Mu arrived, the forging was actually already nearing its end.

When the Forger placed the last two cooled round shields on a rack nearby, it signaled that this forging session had finally concluded.

The Forger plopped down on the ground, refusing to move no matter what.

Even with help, given its physical stamina, recasting twelve round shields in a short time had indeed exhausted it thoroughly.

Pecharunt simply switched to the Well Spring Mask, dispersing the furnace's heat and the sweat generated from blacksmithing for its good best friend.

Each Shieldon follower, just like the leader before, examined their new shield with great affection, unable to put it down.

"Remember to perform regular maintenance in the future."

Luo Mu reminded them with a smile.

"Yi-da!" Understood, Boss!

The Shieldon responded in perfect unison.

"Eh?"

At this moment, Lei Guan Wang seemed to sense something and let out a light exclamation.

Luo Mu looked towards it, only to find the other party looking at him with a meaningful gaze.

An ominous premonition immediately assaulted him.

The next instant, this premonition became reality.

Outside the Blacksmith's Forge, the energetic call of the "My Way" battle maniac rang out.

"Teacher Luo Mu~ I've come to battle you~!"

Inside the room, Luo Mu: "."

I want to escape, but I just can't get away.

Having been ruthlessly rejected by Lei Guan Wang regarding his plea of "I beg you, please warp space and take me away," Luo Mu could only wear a tragic expression as if heading to the execution ground and opened the door.

Just beyond his expectations, outside there was not only Hearing Hearing Nimo and Pawmi; in Hearing Hearing Nimo's arms, there was currently also a blue-eyed puppy with light brown fur.

"Wang Wang!"

Upon seeing Luo Mu walk out, the puppy immediately barked excitedly twice and wagged its large tail.

"Is this... a Rockruff?"

Recognizing the species of this Pokémon at a glance, Luo Mu cast a puzzled gaze towards Hearing Hearing Nimo.

What was going on?

Hearing Hearing Nimo immediately replied, "Mm-hmm, I caught this little one on my way home last night!"

"It's really strong, you know! Even when surrounded by several Houndour, it didn't lose ground!"

It doesn't look like it, though.

Luo Mu hesitated as he sized up the Rockruff, which wore an expression of silly cuteness; he hadn't expected it could fight a pack of dogs alone—truly, one cannot judge a dog by its appearance.

Still, the story behind it was probably quite complicated; to save time, he decided not to ask and simply skip over it.

This time, before Hearing Hearing Nimo could propose a challenge, Luo Mu took the initiative instead.

"It just so happens my Falinks have reforged new shields; would you like your Rockruff to spar with them?"

How could Hearing Hearing Nimo possibly refuse a battle offered right at her doorstep?

She agreed to Luo Mu's invitation without hesitation, and the two made their way to a nearby open space with practiced ease.

Lei Guan Wang silently followed along to watch the spectacle.

On one side was the newly caught Rockruff; on the other, Falinks who focused on cooking and rarely fought.

It should be an evenly matched battle, right?

Based on Hearing Hearing Nimo's understanding of the Falinks, that was what she initially thought.

—That was, until Luo Mu issued his first command to the Falinks, whose movements were perfectly synchronized.

Gazing at the high-spirited Rockruff before him, Luo Mu blinked, then spoke his command.

"Falinks, Coach!"

"Ee-tah!"

The Falinks leader raised its round shield and let out a battle cry meant to inspire military training.

"Ee-tah!" ×5

Immediately following came the perfectly synchronized shouts of the Falinks minions, their momentum completely overwhelming that of the Rockruff.

In the next instant, something miraculous happened.

As the six Falinks roared, red waves of light representing stat boosts flashed across their bodies six times in succession!

This meant that the Attack and Defense bonuses granted by the move "Coach" had been stacked to the maximum!

"Is this even legal..."

Even Luo Mu, who had issued the command, couldn't help but mutter this complaint subconsciously.

As for Hearing Hearing Nimo—

"Wow, so amazing!"

Accompanied by that excited cry, the Miss stood with eyes shining brightly as she watched the scene.

(End of Chapter)