Chapter 682: Soul Crystal, Heart's Water Droplet

My name is Brother Qingmu, I am 34 years old, and I suppose you could call me an office worker.

Within the Paldea League, I hold multiple positions: there is the well-known role of Gym Leader of Mesagoza, and there is also the imposing-sounding title of Elite Four member of the Paldea League.

But in my view, my true main job is that of a staff member belonging to the Paldea Pokémon League's Sales Department, as well as a mere brick in the hands of League Chairperson Geeta.

Perhaps most people think Geeta has assigned me too much work and suspects she is exploiting me.

But only I know that this seemingly busy workload is actually the greatest help the Chairperson can give me within the scope of her duties.

Because my performance as a Sales Department staff member is not good, and coupled with the slightly high expenses of my household, I took on so many jobs, hoping to achieve quality through quantity.

The root cause lies with those Pokémon in my home that, even if I used up all my Gym Leader and Elite Four subsidies to feed them, would still leave me looking somewhat inadequate.

I like Normal-type Pokémon because I am very similar to those two words 【"ordinary"】.

But as an Elite Four member, I cannot be so casual; Chairperson Geeta strictly requires me to use the Flying type, in which I am relatively more skilled.

However, the costs of raising most of my Normal-type and Flying-type Pokémon can already be fully covered by the subsidies.

—There is only one kind of Pokémon, a Pokémon named Snorlax, that makes me feel every day as though I am racing against the Grim Reaper.

They eat far too much, instantly making my shriveled wallet and miserable situation even worse than before.

What makes it even more unbearable is that they also multiply.

After my daily routine of feeding them, I often find one or two Pokémon Eggs from time to time.

At first, I thought they were Pokémon Eggs from other Pokémon, but as I gradually gained experience, I could accurately judge through their random patterns that they were all Munchlax Pokémon Eggs.

—Heaven knows how those Snorlax, who spend all day eating and being lazy, manage to do such a thing; don't they consider even turning over to be tiring?

Then, time brings us to the present.

On the last night of this month, when I dragged my exhausted body away from the League Headquarters, returned to my home in Mesagoza located at the other end of the Paldea Crater, and saw that extra Pokémon Egg that had appeared out of thin air.

The fingers clutching my freshly issued salary began to tremble subconsciously.

In this moment, I understood what it feels like when the sky falls down.

—The above is the inner monologue of Brother Qingmu, sitting exhaustedly on the sofa.

"..."

For a moment, Luo Mu could only fall into speechless silence.

Because this was truly hard to judge.

He never would have guessed that the reason Brother Qingmu worked so hard, staying overtime until he looked like he was about to die from kidney failure—no, stay overtime until he looked like he was about to drop dead and ascend to immortality—was because he kept a bunch of Snorlax at home.

Wait, what kind of decent person keeps so many Snorlax at home? Do they think they have too much money?

Brother Qingmu covered his face, his voice so weak it could barely travel three meters, "I really have no other choice; the batch of Munchlax hatched a few months ago is already on the verge of evolution, and now new Pokémon Eggs have arrived."

"In a moment of emotional loss of control, I ran all the way from Mesagoza to you, because the farm you operate should be able to afford the food for one Munchlax."

"But after calming down like this, I realized my actions were not mature at all; I actually wanted to shift the pressure onto you."

"I am truly ashamed."

Seeing Brother Qingmu begin to engage in self-reflection there, Luo Mu's mouth twitched slightly as he tried to comfort him from another angle.

"By the way, if it really comes down to it, you could just get the Snorlax neutere—"

Before he could finish the sentence, Luo Mu's heart gave a sudden thump, and he immediately stuck the remaining words in his throat.

He had almost subconsciously given Brother Brother Qingmu advice based on his pre-transmigration experience.

Come to think of it, where do Pokémon need neutering? They are the kind of miraculous species where, after having a picnic together and packing up, you discover extra Eggs.

The suggestion of neutering the Snorlax to stop them from randomly laying Pokémon Eggs seems somewhat unreliable upon careful consideration.

"Ah, alright."

Luo Mu sighed deeply, thinking of the reason Brother Qingmu had just given for raising so many Snorlax: that sleeping on their bellies effectively helped his sleep, allowing him to get up after only six hours to work like a nuclear-powered donkey, recalling that expression that was neither crying nor laughing.

Seeing that Brother Qingmu was truly this miserable, and since his own farm's grain reserves could still afford to feed one Munchlax and its evolved form, a Snorlax.

He would just treat it as compensation for always making Brother Qingmu work overtime; he accepted this Pokémon Egg.

Luo Mu picked up the Pokémon Egg that Brother Qingmu, in his haste to leave, had not forgotten to place inside an incubator, and carefully examined the patterns on the Egg.

Compared to the Pokémon Egg obtained from the old lady in Lavaridge Town, whose species could not be accurately identified by its patterns, this Pokémon Egg brought by Brother Qingmu clearly showed characteristics related to the Snorlax line at a single glance.

"Re-really?"

Brother Qingmu lifted his head with some surprise and joy, not expecting that Luo Mu would actually accept this Pokémon Egg.

"It is real."

Luo Mu nodded helplessly and gave an affirmative answer once again.

Brother Qingmu just stared at Luo Mu for a long time, before finally solemnly blurting out a sentence.

"Thank you, and... I must sincerely apologize to you for previously viewing you as a 'Disaster Star' and an 'Aggregator of Bad Luck'."

"—I am sorry."

Luo Mu: Σ(°Д°;

Wait, what did you say!?

After sending off Brother Qingmu, who repaid kindness with enmity, Luo Mu folded his arms and stared with a complex expression at the two Pokémon Eggs placed before him.

"... Why does it seem like my place is increasingly showing signs of becoming a kindergarten?"

Luo Mu asked with genuine bewilderment.

Volcarona had only just shown a bit of growth, and Popplio had also fully adapted to the farm environment alongside Seeing Seeing Kapu.

I haven't even caught my breath yet, and immediately I have two more unhatched Pokémon Eggs piled into my hands.

Am I some sort of simple, easy-to-use, and cheap nanny?

Furthermore, the matter Brother Qingmu just revealed also concerned Luo Mu somewhat.

He said that all those jobs were ones he requested Geeta to arrange; while this seemingly whitewashed Geeta, Luo Mu did not believe it one bit.

After all, everyone knows that in the future, Geeta will be a ruthless person who dares to pull in even a nine-year-old child to work.

Luo Mu simply felt that this woman, Elesa, was still too terrifying; just look at what she had turned their old brother Brother Qingmu into.

To be silently drained dry was one thing, but to then sincerely make excuses for the one who drained you was truly terrifying.

"Indeed, the choice to not hold any responsible position within the League was the correct one."

Luo Mu once again felt proud of his past self's foresight.

After considering tomorrow's opening day classes for a moment longer, Luo Mu retracted his thoughts, stood up, and instructed Infernape to properly settle the two Pokémon Eggs.

Then, stepping into slippers that Feng Su Gou had not yet ravaged, he made his way back to the bedroom.

Lei Guan Wang was already waiting there.

Of course, this was not some plot of sleeping foot-to-foot with the former King of Galar; it was simply that Luo Mu and Lei Guan Wang needed to continue the conversation that Brother Qingmu had just interrupted.

Cosmog had been handed over to the aura-affinity Audino for temporary care, so only Luo Mu and Lei Guan Wang remained in the room.

Seeing Luo Mu return, Lei Guan Wang did not beat around the bush, speaking directly via telepathy: "Then let us continue discussing what I mentioned earlier regarding that crystal sphere you brought back."

"Alright." Pulling out a stool from under the desk and sitting down, Luo Mu adopted the appearance of listening attentively.

Actually, he had not failed to consider the idea of cheating directly through the Hint System to learn the crystal's details.

But in the end, he suppressed that thought, planning to return to the farm and investigate the cause together with Lei Guan Wang and the others.

—After all, a cheating life where one knows everything is somewhat boring.

Unaware of Luo Mu's thoughts, blue light flickered in Lei Guan Wang's eyes as the "Mysterious Crystal," still wrapped in rock and soil and obtained by Luo Mu from Steven, floated up out of thin air and moved to the space between them.

At the same time, Lei Guan Wang's telepathic voice, which mostly remained peaceful, rang out.

"First, the conclusion: under the scan of psychic power, this crystal sphere wrapped in rock and soil presents a naturally perfect circular shape."

"The external rock and soil show no unusual energy reactions; however, as for the crystal sphere... within my perception, I have discovered that this circular crystal sphere possesses 'life'!"

"Life?"

Luo Mu could not help but interrupt Lei Guan Wang's narration, a trace of surprise on his face.

"Do you mean that this crystal sphere might be a certain lifeform, or that it is nurturing some kind of life within, or even that its essence is a Pokémon Egg that has changed its external form?"

Or perhaps, is it a situation similar to the core of Deoxys?

"It is none of those situations."

Lei Guan Wang shook its head, rejecting several of Luo Mu's guesses.

"Strictly speaking, the 'life' possessed by this crystal sphere cannot achieve the things you imagine."

"Because this crystal sphere should be the transformation of the soul of some Pokémon after its death."

"In other words, what is known as—"

"A crystallization of the soul."

As Lei Guan Wang's voice fell, the expression it directed at the crystal sphere mixed with an imperceptible reluctance and sigh.

"A crystallization of the soul, huh?"

Luo Mu repeated these words in a low voice, his expression gradually becoming thoughtful.

This setting seemed to leave some relevant impression in his mind.

He remembered... it seemed to be a setting unique to certain Legendary Pokémon.

Fortunately, his memory was always good, and now he had the "keyword" from the appraisal.

It did not take long before Luo Mu recalled why he felt this crystal sphere was familiar.

"Could it be, the Soul Dew—?"

He murmured these words in a low voice.

Hearing this, Lei Guan Wang tilted its head somewhat puzzledly and asked: "You know the name of this crystal sphere?"

"Mm, roughly."

Luo Mu nodded lightly and told Lei Guan Wang some of the things he understood.

Come to think of it, in places he was unaware of, Ash and his group should have already visited that city during their journey in the Johto region.

The Water Capital, Alto Mare.

More importantly, this Water City also harbored Legendary Pokémon.

—Latias and Latios.

They possessed gender and mostly acted in pairs.

However, the relationship between them was not that of husband and wife, but rather a fixed elder brother and younger sister.

Latias was the younger sister, and Latios was the elder brother.

They guarded the secret garden of the Water City, protecting the item there that guarded the entire island of Alto Mare—the "Soul Dew."

Furthermore, in the final plot known to Luo Mu's memory, the "Soul Dew" was corrupted by evil individuals, plunging Alto Mare into a crisis of destruction.

The elder brother, Latios, ultimately chose to sacrifice himself, using his full power to stop the great tsunami, then died and transformed into a brand new Soul Dew, continuing to guard the Water City of Alto Mare.

This movie, this story, could be described as Luo Mu's lingering regret.

But according to the current timeline, Ash and the others, who had already traveled to the Hoenn region, had long experienced the Alto Mare story, so there was no need for Luo Mu to remain so entangled in it.

Looking at the "Mysterious Crystal" suspended before him, covered in rock and soil like a treasure obscured by dust, he said softly: "The Soul Dew... is the materialization of the soul crystallization of Latias or Latios after their death."

"In other words, the Soul Dew before us should once have been a Pokémon, perhaps the younger sister Latias, or perhaps the elder brother Latios."

With an inexplicably heavy heart, Luo Mu looked toward Lei Guan Wang.

Lei Guan Wang also looked at him, and for a time, both fell into silence.

After a moment, with a distant sigh from Lei Guan Wang, it spoke in a deep voice: "Sigh... anyway, let us preserve it carefully first."

"Mm." Luo Mu nodded slightly.

Although in the game, the Soul Dew merely boosted Special Attack and Special Defense by 1.5 times for Latias/Latios, and was later changed to an item that increased the power of Dragon-type and Psychic-type moves by 20%.

But after learning the story behind it, it was truly difficult to treat it as an ordinary item.

In this world that truly possesses "ghosts," the crystals formed from souls hold a significance that is somewhat extraordinary.

After concluding the somewhat heavy conversation, he saw that the time was already approaching midnight.

Early tomorrow morning, Grandma Ju Zi Academy, having returned from renovations at Grape Academy, would hold its opening ceremony; as a teacher and the head of the Battle Department, Luo Mu himself was required to attend.

By then, the courses under his charge would also welcome two new students.

—Wuli and Danyu, who had moved here from the Northern Province.

They were promising talents he and Nemona had jointly poached from Blueberry Academy.

Having to attend the new semester's opening ceremony and also meet "new students"...

No matter how you looked at it, he couldn't go out sporting a pair of dark circles resembling those of a Pancham.

Thus, Luo Mu could only tidy up and lie down on his own large bed, which he hadn't used in quite some time, preparing to fall asleep.

Before sleeping, he silently pondered how to utilize the "first lesson of the new semester" tomorrow to hold a "welcome ceremony" for the two new students.

"If all else fails, I'll just have old hands like Arven and the others spar a few more rounds with the two newcomers."

"Professors Sada and Turo's holidays don't seem to be over yet; they won't be returning to the Great Crater of Paldea for a few more days."

"I also don't know whether that kid Arven will bring Koraidon and Miraidon to the school."

(End of Chapter)