Chapter 68

Carrying several books on Pokémon psychology borrowed from Nurse Joy, Luo Mu returned to the farm as the sky gradually darkened.

Coincidentally, Zak’s delivery truck arrived at the same time, bringing saplings, seeds, and fertilizer.

After unloading the saplings, seeds, and fertilizer, Zak drove off; Luo Mu immediately called over several Pokémon capable of carrying loads.

Riolu carried a large sack of seeds on its back, Charizard and Swampert walked side by side, their powerful arms clutching multiple saplings, while Seismitoad’s vine whips coiled around bags of fertilizer.

Mimikyu’s method was particularly impressive.

Mimikyu used Shadow Claw to lift a bag of fertilizer, triggered the Phantom Force move, and vanished into a portal along with the bag—reappearing dozens of meters away in the next instant.

Incineroar, however, was troubled—it simply couldn’t assist under these conditions due to its body structure.

Even when its arm-blades were reduced in size during non-combat states, the sharp edges, pointed tips, and burning flames made it impossible for Incineroar to carry these items.

Incineroar could only return to the kitchen at Luo Mu’s instruction to prepare ingredients for tonight’s dinner.

With the help of the Pokémon, moving these few items required only a few trips to complete.

In the storage shed beside the farmland, Luo Mu counted the saplings and seeds, confirmed everything was correct, then turned and left the shed—he planned to plant them all together when he had free time the day after tomorrow.

After all, his schedule for tomorrow was already full.

The next day, morning.

Luo Mu was awakened by a damp licking sensation on his face and a heavy pressure on his chest.

When he opened his hazy eyes, the first thing he saw was a visibly excited Cottonee.

“Good morning, Cottonee.”

Luo Mu yawned, smiled, stretched out his body from under the covers, and reached his right hand out from beneath the blankets to fumble for his phone on the nightstand.

Passing over a book marked with a bookmark titled *Pokémon Psychology*, he found his phone and checked the time.

Sure enough, it was already 8:30 a.m.

No wonder Seismitoad and Mimikyu, who often appeared in his bed, were gone—probably because they’d stayed up late reading last night, which was why he’d finally slept in.

Remembering today’s packed schedule, Luo Mu’s desire to stay in bed vanished instantly.

First, he reached out with his “magic hands,” scooped up Cottonee pressing against his chest, and ruffled its strangely textured fur for a while; after absorbing the fluffy energy from the puppy, Luo Mu felt refreshed, got up quickly, washed up, and prepared breakfast for the Pokémon waiting hungrily.

By the time he finished, it was nearly ten o’clock.

Luo Mu left behind a lunch that could be reheated, entrusted the other Pokémon to guard the farm, then mounted Charizard and flew straight toward Table Town.

In just about fifteen minutes, the outline of Table Town came into view; Luo Mu stroked Charizard’s back, covered in fine, nearly invisible scales, and felt a quiet sense of wonder.

With Charizard, traveling between cities in the Paldea region was effortless—even crossing regions took only a little time.

It gave him the exhilarating feeling that the whole world was open for him to roam.

Once Cottonee evolved into Rapidash, he could try riding it for land travel; records showed that modern Rapidash once ran ten thousand kilometers in a single day and night.

If modern Rapidash is already this impressive, what must the ancient, Hisuian form have been like... Luo Mu was eager to find out.

Charizard landed not in the center of Table Town, but in front of the Orange Academy.

The Combat Studies class wouldn’t begin until the afternoon; Luo Mu arrived in Table Town so early solely to visit a Pokémon ranch on the city’s edge.

With Luo Mu aboard, Charizard landed with surprising grace; it was midday, and the ranch had few visitors—most had gone to the center of Table Town for lunch.

Luo Mu recalled Charizard into its Poké Ball, looked up at the ranch’s sign, confirmed it was the right place, and walked right in.

The ranch was named Ely Ranch, primarily selling byproducts from its Pokémon and Pokémon suited for farms and ranches.

Inside the main hall sat an energetic, hat-wearing elderly man, reading a newspaper while sipping hot tea.

“Huh, a customer?” The old man closed his newspaper, turned his gaze toward Luo Mu at the door, and upon seeing his face, added: “Are you a student from Orange Academy?”

His tone was uncertain; though Luo Mu looked young, he wasn’t wearing the Orange Academy uniform.

“I’m not a student at Orange Academy,” Luo Mu shook his head, dispelling the old man’s assumption, then added: “Hello, I run a farm in Pingdi Town and would like to buy a few Pokémon suitable for farming or ranching.”

“From Pingdi Town?” The old man folded his newspaper neatly, set down his teacup, and frowned: “I recall Pingdi Town has its own Pokémon ranch—why come all the way to Table Town?”

Luo Mu smiled and said: “My side job is teaching at Orange Academy—I heard from colleagues that your ranch’s Pokémon are exceptionally healthy, strong, and well-tempered.”

“A teacher...!” The old man blinked in surprise, then regained his calm expression and beamed proudly: “Then you’ve come to the right place—my ranch isn’t just popular with farmers and ranchers; many Orange Academy students have chosen their Pokémon here too.”

“My name is Elymos—come with me and take a look around the ranch!”

“Of course, Mr. Elymos.”

So the ranch was named after the “Ely” in Elymos’s name?

Luo Mu nodded and followed Elymos’s steps.

Located on the edge of Table Town, Elymos’s ranch was quite large—even bigger than Luo Mu’s own farm.

Having grown into a full-scale operation, the ranch perfectly mimicked natural wilderness environments, providing optimal growing conditions for its Pokémon.

There were many Pokémon here, mostly those useful for ranching or farming.

Nearby, he saw groups of Pancham playing together, Togedemaru strolling leisurely across the grass, Mr. Mime relaxing in the sunlight, and Mudsdale happily rolling in the mud.

In a separate enclosure, three different types of Rapidash were sprinting at full speed.

The Battler, Blazing, and Aquatic variants were all visible.

These were all Pokémon suitable for ranching or helpful to farming.