Chapter 629: Champion Zhu Lan Also Wants to Say Hello to Wallace

Luo Mu and the Dragonite leader spent quite a long time in the graveyard.

The Dragonites, Hakuryus, Seeing Seeing Kapu Finneon, and Luo Mu himself each presented bouquets to the now-tidy gravestones in turn.

Staying by the side of the Dragonite leader, who couldn't help but grow melancholic again, until it had composed its feelings, Luo Mu and his Pokémon then bid farewell to You Lijia, promising that the next time they visited her, they would tell her about the changes in the Paldea region.

The elderly caretaker merely watched silently from the side; after Luo Mu and the others departed, he lit a single stick of incense for You Lijia alone.

A smile appeared on his wrinkled face, as if he were glad that the owner of the grave still lived on in the memories of those close to her.

Returning to the farm.

Although it was still a while until lunchtime, Luo Mu had already begun "calling the rolls."

The Pokémon gathered together, staring eagerly at the "list" in Luo Mu's hand.

If one's name was called, there would be a chance to follow Luo Mu to the Hoenn region!

Being stared at by so many pairs of eyes, Luo Mu himself felt immense pressure.

After all, considering the number he could look after, the quantity of Pokémon he could take with him was far less than the number currently residing on the farm.

There would always be Pokémon who felt disappointed.

This was something Luo Mu could not avoid, but even if it didn't work out this time, there would be a next time; the Pokémon all understood this point, so they simply stayed obediently in place, merely hoping their names would be called.

"Ahem... then I will begin announcing the list of Pokémon who will accompany me to the Hoenn region."

Clearing his throat lightly, Luo Mu fixed his gaze on the paper and read the names aloud one by one.

"Luxray."

"Swampert."

"Mimikyu."

"Moltres."

"Politoed."

"Comfey."

"Victini."

"Ninetales."

"Milotic."

Just as he read this far, Luo Mu noticed his pant leg being tugged.

Looking down, sure enough, it was Terapagos.

Wearing an expression of helplessness and staring at the blank area on the paper, Luo Mu could only manually add one more spot.

"... And Terapagos."

"The above are the Pokémon who will accompany me to the Hoenn region; everyone, do not be sad, as there will be many opportunities in the future to go out and play together."

With Terapagos's innocent cheers ringing in his ears, and looking down at the Pokémon displaying expressions ranging from surprise to disappointment, Luo Mu felt both heartache and helplessness.

Actually, Luo Mu had originally planned to invite Regice as well, but nowadays, serving as a "Guardian," Regice regarded the farm as a "ruin" it ought to protect, and under non-essential circumstances, it did not wish to stray too far from the farm.

Having learned this point in advance, Luo Mu could only drop the idea.

Serperior, who hadn't been called, swished its tail somewhat unhappily at that moment, directly ignoring the slightly show-offish glance cast by Moltres beside it.

If it couldn't go this time, then so be it; Serperior was not the kind of short-sighted snake that fought over trivial, temporary gains, not to mention the unshakable value of its status having accompanied Luo Mu on his travels for a year; as long as its strength remained where it was, there would be plenty of opportunities to go out together.

At worst, during these half-month, it would undergo intensive training with Lei Guan Wang, attempting to overtake on a bend!

Hmph, it absolutely wouldn't feel disappointed!

After a sumptuous farewell lunch, Luo Mu shouldered the spatial backpack that Oranguru had stuffed full of various necessities.

Besides Victini, which could follow while invisible, the Pokémon by his side also included Terapagos; although it had entered its Poké Ball, it was more accustomed to staying outside.

Luo Mu simply cleared out his satchel and let it stay inside there.

Come to think of it, it was quite fitting, just like You You Lijia's Dedenne in the future.

"Young Master, I wish you a happy time."

Oranguru still offered blessings to Luo Mu, who was about to depart, in its simplest yet warmest manner.

"Mm, while I am away, I leave the farm in your care."

Flashing a smile at Oranguru, Luo Mu then turned his gaze toward two other heavyweight contenders.

Lei Guan Wang, and the two great deities, the Zygarde Core.

To be honest, with the two of them present, Luo Mu felt truly at ease regarding the farm's safety.

Otherwise, when he went out, he generally would not bring along a large number of main force Pokémon exceeding half his total.

Lei Guan Wang remained as reliable as ever, its gentle yet not lacking in majesty voice echoing within Luo Mu's mind.

"If you encounter any problems, simply call my name, friend."

"I will rush to your side immediately."

Looking at Lei Guan Wang, whose expression was utterly sincere, Luo Mu dared guarantee that this statement was absolutely its heartfelt truth, a promise belonging to the King of Abundance who once governed the Galar land.

"Good, if there truly comes such a time, I will do so."

Luo Mu replied with a smile, but in his heart, he felt it unlikely that anything would force him to the point of calling for backup.

But the very next sentence from the Zygarde Core, which hopped forward a step, caused Luo Mu's smile to freeze on his face.

It spoke with profound meaning: "Recently, the natural energy in the Hoenn region has been somewhat chaotic; although you are already so strong among humans that you have almost no rivals, it is still best not to be careless."

Luo Mu: "..."

What ill-omened words to speak; suddenly, he felt an impulse not to go out at all!

Although a "drum of retreat" had already materialized in his heart, he had already agreed on a time with Wallace, after all.

By current moral standards, Luo Mu was not capable of standing up a friend.

He could only call out Moltres with a trembling heart and fly in the direction of Naranja City.

The Hoenn region is a place with a warm climate, where the area of water is nearly equal to that of the land.

Compared to the Paldea region, perhaps because Hoenn and Paldea are separated by a vast expanse of ocean and are also approaching regions like Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh...

Although it is January, just before the arrival of spring, signs of all things reviving are already appearing in the Hoenn region.

Green vegetation covers the earth, showing absolutely no trace of any heavy snow that might have fallen.

However, this is merely the appearance of Hoenn's coastal areas; in the regions deeper inland, the environment is even more harsh than along the coast.

A mysterious city where history sleeps—

Sootopolis City.

In the past, this city could only be entered by riding flying Pokémon mounts, or by taking ferries and sea-riding Pokémon.

But perhaps due to the development of the times, Sootopolis City has now constructed an airport dedicated solely to the city; after all, this city is not like in the games, limited to just that small area at the front.

Luo Mu was now quite proficient in handling airport procedures in the Pokémon world; after disembarking, it did not take Duo Jiu De Gong before he smoothly arrived at the airport terminal.

Luo Mu had informed Wallace in advance that there was no need for him to pick him up at the airport.

After all, this Sootopolis City was the other's home base; given Wallace's status as a Top Coordinator, if he were to appear at the airport, it would not be surprising if chaos and confusion ensued.

Rather than encountering such a battlefield of emotions, it was better to walk out of the airport on his own two feet.

But before leaving the airport, Luo Mu, whose attention had been drawn by a "Bago" from Terapagos inside his shoulder bag, stood before a Load-Bearing pillar and fell silent.

On that load-bearing pillar was plastered a huge poster, featuring a handsome man with a healthy smile revealing his pearly white teeth, wearing a white hat, sporting blue-green hair, and holding a trophy and ribbons—who else could it be but Wallace?

"The Wallace Cup welcomes everyone who dreams of becoming a Coordinator to register; the ribbons obtained by the winner are recognized by the Contest Associations of every region."

The more he muttered, the stranger Luo Mu's expression became.

So the Wallace Cup is being held right now; no wonder flight tickets here were so hard to grab...

He remembered that the last time Wallace personally arrived, the Contest held at the Academy was widely recognized, and with the association officially established, it was only a matter of time before formal Contests began.

It is foreseeable that in the future, groups known as "Coordinators" will also bloom in the Paldea region.

In a certain sense, as a Top Coordinator who stands at the pinnacle of Contests, Wallace's achievements in this aspect even overshadow his honor as the Hoenn League Champion.

Do you understand the value of—

#Coordinator No. 1 Award#

#Cynthia Also Says Hello to Wallace Award#

#Strength Not Inferior to Steven Award#

#Busy with Work Yet Still Champion Award#

?

The promotion for the Wallace Cup had even reached the airport; while Luo Mu was surprised by Wallace's popularity, he also felt relieved that his decision to act in advance was indeed correct.

If the other party had appeared at the airport, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to walk out even after a whole day.

"Bago, don't you agree?"

Lifting up the peeking Terapagos along with the shoulder bag, Luo Mu said with a smile.

"Bago? Bago!"

Terapagos tilted its head; although it didn't know what Luo Mu meant by saying that, it still very obligingly let out a cry.

While interacting with Terapagos, Luo Mu did not forget Victini beside him; he took a small round cookie from a prepared box and fed it directly to the Pokémon.

"Let's go, we'll leave the airport first; Wallace should be waiting for us in a less crowded place."

Stepping out of the airport, the view that met his eyes was an incredibly vast and massive cityscape.

Sootopolis City was built on a volcanic island, hence most of its buildings were constructed on lands of varying heights, extending all the way to the highest point.

The architectural style of the entire city was quite uniform, consisting entirely of pure white square buildings, while individual areas featured tower-like structures with domed roofs.

The first impression the entire city gave people was an inexplicable sense of sanctity.

"... I wonder where the Cave of Origin is."

Muttering casually, following his intuition, Luo Mu looked left and right before walking toward the right side of the street.

He felt that Wallace would be waiting for him around that corner.

The influence of the Wallace Cup completely exceeded Luo Mu's expectations; although they were still on the airport road, the festive and lively scene nearby, with lights and decorations everywhere, was not quite at the state of people squeezing against people, but it was close.

If the newly built airport was already like this, one could only wonder how crowded the port docks, which bear Sootopolis City's most traditional mode of transportation, must be right now.

Shaking his head and discarding extraneous thoughts, Luo Mu turned and walked into a small alley at the street corner.

The moment his front foot stepped into it, a pleasant male voice tinged with delight rang out.

"Oh, my dear friend Luo Mu, between us there is indeed a spiritual connection, just like streams merging in the great sea!"

Wearing sunglasses and seemingly in disguise, yet with his iconic attire completely unchanged, Wallace no longer leaned against the hood of his sports car but instead opened his arms warmly and came directly to greet him.

This was Wallace's method of expressing welcome; Luo Mu did not refuse, but instead retorted, "Your metaphors are still so strange."

"But regardless, it has been a long time, Wallace."

After a brief, passionate embrace.

Wallace's gaze fell upon Luo Mu; it was not that there was anything wrong with his attire, but simply that Wallace had noticed Terapagos hiding in the shoulder bag with only its eyes exposed, as well as Victini sitting openly on Luo Mu's shoulder.

"An angelic cute countenance, and those eyes shining like the brightest stars in the night sky; your Pokémon truly surprise me every single moment~!"

Looking at Victini and the hiding Terapagos with glowing eyes, Wallace felt that the Pokémon suitable for Contests around Luo Mu were simply too numerous to count!

There was also the Ninetales emitting a sacred and awe-inspiring aura like a snow mountain, and his own Milotic; they were diametrically opposite in terms of beauty yet reached the same goal by different paths.

Not to mention various Pokémon that were not limited to the realm of "beauty," but were also cool, strong, and intelligent.

The charm radiated by each and every Pokémon made Wallace feel extremely fond of them.

Seeing that Wallace had a tendency to start another long-winded praise, Luo Mu quickly changed the subject.

"Should we set off first? If we stay here too long and your fans discover us, it will be very difficult to get out once we are blocked in."

Suppressing the urge to chant, Wallace said with a smile: "You need not worry about this aspect; I have already made preparations for my disguise."

Saying this, Wallace blinked behind his sunglasses.

Luo Mu: "."

You call this thing a disguise?

Could it be that because Team Rocket followed Ash to the Hoenn region, simply putting on a pair of flashy glasses and changing one's hairstyle counts as a perfect transformation, making one unrecognizable to anyone?

Don't be too ridiculous!

"However, what you said isn't wrong; calculating the time, I also intend to pick up another person along the way and introduce him to you while I'm at it."

Wallace added.

A moment later.

Accompanied by the roaring of the engine, a garishly colored sports car drove out of the alley and vanished down the road in the blink of an eye.

Luo Mu held Victini in his arms to prevent it from being blown away by the oncoming gale, while simultaneously looking at the seat beneath his own rear and the one beneath Wallace's with an expression of wanting to speak but hesitating.

An unavoidable thought emerged in his mind.

—This convertible has only two seats in total, the driver's seat and the passenger seat; after picking up that friend of yours, where is he supposed to sit?

Between us?

(End of Chapter)