Chapter 631: Trying On Outfits and Lisia's Challenge

To be honest, if anyone else had spoken such words, which bordered on sexual harassment, it would have been severe enough to immediately call the police and seek Miss Miss Junsha's help.

But when spoken by a noble young man like Steven, who possessed looks, strength, and family background in equal measure, that greasy feeling vanished instantly.

—Truly miraculous.

Of course, this was merely Luo Mu's private sigh.

As for Terapagos, Steven, descending from the sky, was quite presumptuous both in his speech and in the scorching way he looked at it.

It was still in the stage of exploring and adapting to the outside world and could not withstand frights.

After Steven's antics, Terapagos's impression of him had plummeted to freezing point.

Originally admiring the courtyard scenery, it suddenly stood up on its hind legs, hugged Luo Mu's calves with its front limbs, and unhappily indicated it wanted to "go home."

As for Terapagos's home, naturally, it was the satchel Luo Mu carried on his back.

Helplessly, Luo Mu could only let Terapagos crawl inside; after it let out an unhappy "Gos-gos" cry, it pulled its head back in and refused to peek out no matter what.

"Oh my, coaxing it back to a good mood will probably take some effort."

Lifting the satchel, Luo Mu shrugged helplessly at Steven.

Steven also realized he had inadvertently lost his composure just now and said with some shame, "I am truly sorry; my indiscreet remarks seem to have upset Terapagos."

Mainly, upon suddenly seeing Terapagos's body, beautiful as crystal, the fanaticism within him that belonged to the stone-obsessed part completely took over his brain, causing him to subconsciously speak those series of words according to instinct.

—After all, who could have expected that Terapagos, with most of its body hidden inside Luo Mu's satchel, would possess such a shell that made Steven's heart throb uncontrollably?

At this moment, Wallace, sighing inwardly that his reminder had come a step too late, stepped forward to smooth things over.

"This is just how he is; regarding matters of stones, he easily loses his rationality, even going so far as to hand over the Champion position to me just to dig for stones; what he said just now was unintentional."

"I too should apologize to you and Terapagos; if I had reminded him in time, this situation would not have occurred."

Luo Mu, of course, also understood what kind of person Steven was.

After all, he was known as the man who could marry a stone.

If he saw Pokémon like Diancie or Terapagos and wasn't excited, that would be the real problem.

The reason he didn't react at first was simply because Gos-gos had only exposed its head, so he couldn't see the crystal shell resembling a Tera Orb at all.

It was just a minor matter; since the other party had apologized sincerely, Luo Mu naturally had no intention of holding onto the issue, waving his hand and saying:

"It's fine; later, as long as we prepare some delicacies characteristic of the Hoenn region, I think Gos-gos will forget these unpleasantnesses, after all, it is currently quite curious about different foods."

Hearing this, Steven immediately breathed a sigh of relief, revealing a smile capable of captivating countless fans of his in the Hoenn region, and joked, "Then I must personally prepare the most characteristic and most delicious dishes to seek forgiveness."

After a brief misunderstanding, Wallace formally began hosting Luo Mu and Steven as guests in his home, which was this vast Sootopolis Gym.

There was tea brewed from tea leaves long treasured by Wallace's master Juan, along with desserts he had specially prepared; the three sat in the reception room chatting for a while, and during this time, many exquisite dishes Steven had summoned via financial power also made the slightly unhappy Terapagos willing to "peek out" again.

It was just that Steven's occasional glances, restrained yet unable to hide their fanaticism, still made Gos-gos feel somewhat uneasy.

At this point, Wallace put forward a proposal he had personally been looking forward to for a long time.

"Currently, the Gym area is temporarily closed to the public because my master is preparing for the upcoming Wallace Cup."

"However, the relevant facilities are still undergoing regular maintenance and can be used normally."

"Would you do me the honor of letting me admire the even more dazzling figures your Milotic and Ninetales have grown into since then?"

It could be said that Wallace inviting Luo Mu to visit the Hoenn region, besides truly treating him as a friend, also involved the matter of Milotic and Ninetales.

Wallace himself was open and honest about this point, making no attempt to conceal it.

He had seen the qualities of "beauty" and "elegance" in these two Pokémon and wanted to witness these qualities blossom and bear fruit with his own eyes.

Knowing this, Luo Mu nodded, showing no intention of refusing.

After all, before coming to the Hoenn region this time, under the eager gaze of his Gyarados, he had reluctantly brought Milotic, and specifically brought Ninetales, which did not like tropical environments like Hoenn, precisely to let Wallace see them, hadn't he?

Upon receiving Luo Mu's reply, Wallace's eyes lit up, "Although costumes themselves are merely tools to complement a Pokémon's inherent temperament, I have also prepared some suitable outfits for Milotic and Mimikyu; you can try them on later, perhaps we might discover a different kind of charm?"

Led by Wallace, the three went straight to the ecological pool of the Sootopolis Gym.

Several floating platforms on the water were fixed like small islands on the clear surface, where many aquatic Pokémon lived.

Looking at the types, basically all those common to the Hoenn region were present.

"Over there is the Water Field used when accepting Gym challenges, while this side is where the Pokémon usually live; both the Pokémon I raise and those my master raises live inside."

While introducing the place to Luo Mu, Wallace also interacted with the Pokémon who showed excited expressions upon seeing him.

It was a good while before the lively pool finally quieted down.

As a Water-type specialist and a Coordinator on water, the ecological pool Wallace had built at great expense truly startled Luo Mu.

Its scale was already comparable to Thunder Lake on the farm, and this was still a structure within the Gym; fortunately, in terms of water quality, since Seeing Seeing Kapu Fini resided there, Thunder Lake should still be slightly better than this place.

Steven was already familiar with the environment of the Sootopolis Gym, so he just stood behind the two with his arms crossed, listening to Wallace introduce the surroundings.

A moment later, Wallace finally stopped his "speech" and looked at Luo Mu with expectant eyes.

Luo Mu did not keep people in suspense either; holding five Poké Balls between his fingers, he flung them all into the air together.

"Come out, everyone."

Red beams shot onto the floating platforms on the water or into the pool itself, and five figures appeared in this space accordingly.

Swampert, Mimikyu, Politoed, Ninetales, and Milotic.

If Mimikyu, Ninetales, and Milotic were the Pokémon Wallace had been expecting, then Swampert and Politoed were special surprises for Wallace.

For a moment, Wallace felt he was almost dazzled.

Although Mimikyu was not wearing the outfits that had amazed even Wallace during that performance-oriented Contest.

Instead, it presented a kind of cute temperament that made one want to cherish it.

Milotic's temperament had become even more mature; it had clearly completed its metamorphosis from its identity as a Feebas.

Seeing Ninetales again, that otherworldly and sacred temperament caused the sense of amazement to diminish not one bit.

Not to mention the two unexpected joys, Swampert and Politoed.

Wallace himself also raised a Swampert, and in his opinion, its potential was in no way inferior to his own ace, Milotic.

Yet it was precisely such a Swampert that, when Wallace saw Luo Mu's Swampert with his own eyes, involuntarily sparked a thought in him: "I have lost."

—Simply put, whether in aura or appearance, this Swampert was too outstanding among its kind.

As for the other Politoed, although Wallace himself had not raised this Kanto Pokémon from beyond another sea, judging by his eye as a Water-type expert, it too was raised exceptionally well.

It was the type that, merely by standing on a Contest stage, would earn bonus points for its conditioning.

Wallace genuinely felt that Luo Mu had brought him far too many surprises.

Steven, who had been observing from the side, did not stint his praise either, sighing sincerely, "One can tell that every single Pokémon has been raised with great care."

"Especially this Swampert; I imagine my Metagross would have a thoroughly enjoyable time wrestling with it."

"Bi-mi!"

Seeing its companions all come out, Victini over here immediately flapped its little wings excitedly, flew over, and began circling the clapping Politoed.

Watching everyone quickly adapt to the new environment, Luo Mu also revealed a smile and loudly announced the matter he and Wallace had discussed and decided upon on his way here.

"Everyone get ready; in a moment, try putting on these new outfits!"

Indeed.

In fact, ever since Wallace witnessed Mimikyu's entirely new charm radiating from its whole body after changing costumes at that performance Contest,

he, who always pursued displaying a Pokémon's original form and temperament, also began considering the possibility that clothing might play some unexpected role.

So he tried buying some clothes and accessories suitable for Pokémon to wear, discovered the effects were remarkably prominent, and simply bought a huge pile more of clothes.

Repeating this cycle again and again, nowadays the Sootopolis Gym even had several rooms dedicated to storing the various costumes and accessories Wallace had purchased for Pokémon.

The aurora-style skirt worn by Ninetales was also one that Wallace had taken a fancy to while shopping.

Now he was no longer limited to ready-made products but had begun designing and customizing clothing himself.

This time, Wallace had prepared quite a few outfits suited to the style of Milotic and the others, solely to satisfy his own pursuit of beauty and art.

With Wallace and Steven lending a hand, soon all the Pokémon had changed into their new costumes and accessories.

Ninetales still wore that same aurora-style skirt; although Wallace had already seen the photos Luo Mu sent, the moment Ninetales moved, he still froze for a long while.

—It was simply so sacred that one could not harbor even a trace of irreverent thoughts; merely gazing at its figure made one feel as though their soul was being purified by those towering snow-capped mountains.

Strictly speaking, Milotic's attire consisted only of some accessories Wallace had prepared for it to wear.

Wallace had already tried matching costumes for his own Milotic, and to state the conclusion plainly, Milotic's serpentine body was actually not suited to most little skirts.

—It was already beautiful enough on its own; all it needed were some accessories to complement its beauty and temperament.

Set off by those shimmering body-chain accessories, Milotic's streamlined curves became even more pronounced, simultaneously adding just the right amount of allure to its "tranquil beauty."

Wallace was so excited he nearly got a nosebleed, repeatedly muttering that his hypothesis had indeed been correct.

As for Mimikyu, Wallace had not prepared a dedicated one-piece plush costume, but he did have clothing.

He selected a "pastel-style" outfit for Mimikyu, consisting of a small cape adorned with a bowknot and a wide hat like that of a magician.

It looked quite cute.

Politoed donned a tall top hat like a magician's, and Victini also put on a cute little vest.

Only Swampert received no adornment.

According to Wallace, merely by standing there, it constantly radiated a "beauty of strength," requiring no superfluous additions.

After this round of trying on clothes, both Wallace and Luo Mu were very satisfied.

Wallace had feasted his eyes to his heart's content, Luo Mu's camera shutter button hadn't stopped clicking, and only Steven was truly working hard like a laborer, helping them change clothes.

He was still feeling sad that Terapagos seemed unwilling to pay him any attention.

Unknowingly, the sun hanging high in the sky was nearly setting, so Wallace and Luo Mu could only reluctantly stop their "Pokémon Dress-Up," giving the Pokémon, whose eyes were gradually losing their luster, time to rest.

Apart from the aquatic Pokémon living in the ecological pond, the place fell quiet once again.

Luo Mu returned the exhausted Mimikyu and the others into their Poké Balls, then looked at the mountain of boxes and bags filled with clothes and accessories piled before him and asked Wallace helplessly,

"Can I really accept all these?"

"Naturally." Wallace nodded slightly, spread his arms, and said with an expression of complete ecstasy, "Proper attire ought to be paired with proper subjects; they were born for your Pokémon~"

At this moment.

A commotion suddenly came from outside.

The chirping voice of a young girl approached from afar, accompanied by the occasional response of a middle-aged man.

Luo Mu looked toward the direction the sound came from and discovered a young girl about twelve or thirteen years old with a blue ponytail, along with a mature-looking middle-aged gentleman, walking toward them.

Wallace's unsurprised voice followed shortly after.

"Master, and Lisia, you're back?"

"Mm, the final preparations are done; next, your Wallace Cup only awaits execution." After stopping, Adam nodded slightly, then asked in return, "As for you, how have you entertained the guests? You haven't been busy satisfying yourself again, have you?"

Adam knew his disciple quite well; in terms of obsession with beauty and art, Wallace was even more enthusiastic than himself.

This also meant that when Wallace was immersed in "satisfaction," he easily failed to read the room, causing trouble for others.

Before Wallace could respond, the chirping girl beside Adam locked onto him directly; like a little fan, her eyes sparkling, she grabbed Wallace's hand, treating no one present as an outsider, and immediately began acting spoiled.

"Uncle, train with me again tonight, okay, please!"

As a Coordinator planning to compete in the Wallace Cup, Lisia wanted to receive a bit more advice from Wallace himself.

Being relied upon by his niece, Wallace felt somewhat helpless at this moment and couldn't help but press his forehead, saying, "Better not; seeing your performance in advance would cause me to misjudge the scoring. You'd better go find your grand-uncle master instead."

"Eh~ How can you be like that~"

Lisia, dragging out her tone, puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction, but she also hadn't forgotten the other two men present besides Wallace and Adam.

First greeting Steven very politely, Lisia's gaze then fell upon Luo Mu, whereupon she narrowed her eyes.

After a suspicious silence, a perfect idol's signature brilliant smile returned to Lisia's face, and she stepped forward directly to grab Luo Mu's hand.

"It seems this big brother is the guest Uncle specially wanted to entertain today. Nice to meet you; I'm Lisia, currently working as a Contest Idol!"

"... Hello?"

Confused by the girl's sudden burst of enthusiasm, Luo Mu responded, and then he heard Lucía's extremely abrupt invitation.

"Then, without delay, can Big Brother join Lucía in a splendid competition?"

Luo Mu: "?"

Girl, isn't your thinking a bit too erratic?

(End of Chapter)