Chapter 684: Chaotic Strikes at the Waterfall

Inside the brightly lit battle stadium.

"Today's lesson is field training."

"The location is Rushing Falls, one of the Ten Great Scenic Spots of Paldea."

Looking down at the students gathered below, Luo Mu calmly announced this news.

Penny, Mela, and Rika were long accustomed to Luo Mu's unconventional methods.

Nevertheless, Rika raised her hand with concern and asked, "Rushing Falls is quite far; are we really going to walk there?"

Hearing this, Kieran and Carmine, the "newbies," instantly froze for a moment.

Only then did they realize that as an academy with a long history of inheritance, Naranja Academy was not as modern as Blueberry Academy.

Back at Blueberry Academy, they could usually run to the Terarium's simulated wild environment for training whenever they had free time, but here, venturing into the wild came with very real distance limitations.

Going even a little farther would consume considerable time, and it was impossible to cover all ecological and climatic environments by visiting just one place.

Such limitations indeed made it somewhat difficult for the two of them to adapt immediately.

Before the five of them, Luo Mu, who had long considered this, placed his hands on his hips and grinned proudly.

"Proposing this plan naturally means I already have everything mapped out!"

Penny raised her hand and remarked with a deadpan expression, "You're not about to say we should sit on the backs of Corviknight, risking being smashed out of the sky by a wild Tinkaton and crashing, just to reach this so-called field training location, are you?"

Luo Mu was speechless: "... In your eyes, is that really the kind of person your teacher is?"

He first turned his gaze toward Penny, but she immediately averted her eyes.

Next, Rika also quietly turned her head aside; only Kieran, blushing and at a loss, and Carmine, who seemed somewhat confused, kept their gazes fixed.

"Alright." Luo Mu raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. "Actually, my custom-built RV has been delivered; it can carry everyone along the Paldea Highway straight to Rushing Falls."

"The round trip will take less than three hours; if it gets too late, everyone can camp in the bamboo forest near the falls, and I have already informed Director Clavell about this matter."

"Hmm, it seems there's also a desire to show off the new car."

Penny stated, hitting the nail on the head.

Luo Mu looked at her speechlessly, wondering how this young miss had become increasingly sharp-tongued after not seeing each other for over half a month, when her dialogue in the game never showed such tendencies.

However, he certainly did not deny Penny's teasing remarks.

Last night, he had originally considered simply having the few students battle each other and be done with it.

But when he went out this morning and saw the custom RV gathering dust in the new garage, he suddenly changed his mind and chose to drive it all the way to Mesagoza.

Luo Mu did indeed harbor a slight intention to "show off" his new vehicle to others, but the field training at Rushing Falls was not something he came up with on a whim; that location could indeed facilitate some effective teaching.

Of course, Penny was merely teasing; regarding Luo Mu's arrangements, the few of them would basically choose to comply.

As for the newcomers, Kieran and Carmine, that went without saying.

However, before departing, Luo Mu stopped the five of them and turned to look beyond the battle stadium's main gate.

"Before that, let me introduce to everyone a new classmate who will be joining our lessons for the upcoming period."

The moment Luo Mu's voice fell, several question marks instantly popped up above the five heads.

"There's a transfer student?"

Penny looked toward the gate with some disbelief.

Carmine and Kieran also wore faces full of confusion.

Besides the sibling pair, were there other students transferring in?

But when the "person" from outside entered, they were instantly dumbfounded.

—It was a Pokémon they had never seen before, resembling an upright-walking toy bear cub; it was very cute.

Staring at so many pairs of eyes, the Cubchu felt somewhat nervous; it walked into the battle stadium almost moving its hands and feet in unison, then stood beside Luo Mu.

"... This is the new classmate?"

After confirming several times, Penny finally looked up at Luo Mu with confusion.

"Mm, for certain reasons, I promised to help it become stronger, so in the days to come, Cubchu will train alongside all of you."

Luo Mu nodded slightly, briefly explaining the reason.

Although having a Pokémon as a classmate was unusual, it was not unacceptable to the people present.

Soon, their attention shifted to Cubchu itself.

Rika examined Cubchu with a scrutinizing gaze, murmuring to herself, "It feels like it specializes in fighting techniques."

As a trainer specializing in Fighting-types, Rika could judge from Cubchu's walking posture and its overall stance that it must be a Pokémon inclined toward tempering its physical body.

Penny gazed at Cubchu, feeling it was somewhat familiar, yet she could not immediately recall why she found Cubchu familiar.

Expecting the slightly introverted Cubchu to immediately build good relationships with Penny and the others was clearly unrealistic.

After the introductions, considering the time, Luo Mu directly led the five of them away from Naranja Academy and headed to the parking lot where he had parked.

The RV with its matte silver exterior immediately stunned the five little kids, especially when they entered the rear compartment; the numerous functions and the convenient smart butler module inside truly opened their eyes.

Amidst sounds of praise, Luo Mu, having gained a sense of satisfaction, happily took his seat in the driver's cabin to serve as their driver for this trip.

Encouraged by Luo Mu, Cubchu remained in the rear compartment; one could only hope that during this journey of over an hour, its interactions with the others would go smoothly.

Luo Mu hoped that Cubchu would at least be capable of simple communication, rather than timidly running behind him to hide.

After all, as a Fighting-type Pokémon, being timid and shrinking back would not only prevent it from exerting its combat power but also make it difficult to break through its own limits.

Most Fighting-type Pokémon maintain a "fearless heart," seeking answers up and down the path of tempering their physiques.

But this point could only be left to future expectations for Cubchu to gradually transform.

In Luo Mu's view, getting Cubchu through the immediate hurdle was a prerequisite before discussing anything else.

Soothing music filled the interior of the RV, and Luo Mu could faintly hear the sounds of the few people behind him exchanging words.

Not just for Cubchu; this was also an opportunity for the two newcomers, Kieran and Carmine, to quickly become familiar with the others.

Time passed in the blink of an eye; an hour and a half later, the RV pulled up outside a bamboo forest.

Gazing at the scenery here, Luo Mu's eyes, as he closed the car door, filled with a sighing expression.

Not long ago, he and the then-apprentice smith, the Clever Smith, had together stirred up trouble with the Bisharp clan that had taken over this place.

At that time, Ogerfon defeated the General Pu Dao who had snatched the Clever Smith's hammer, driving him to the edge of the bamboo forest to live.

After that, Luo Mu also found some Dunsparce in the bamboo forest behind, brought them back to the farm, and used their "aging" trait to cultivate high-quality agricultural fruits.

Returning here again, he wondered if there were any new changes.

Just as Luo Mu was reminiscing about the past, the five who had grown vaguely familiar walked down from the rear compartment, with Pawmi following not far beside them.

It was clear that Dan Yu, who was already talkative by nature, immediately got along well with Pipa and found common ground with Peony.

Though he had been a lonely little rascal just a year ago, now Pippa acted like an older brother, putting his arm around Katsura as they moved together.

Pawmi didn't slip over to his side immediately after getting out of the car either.

Seeing such obvious "results," Luo Mu was quite satisfied.

"Everyone, follow us. Let's head to the Rumble Falls first."

Luo Mu called out, bringing the students, whose attention had been captured by nature, back to their senses.

"Teacher Luo Mu, are you just leaving your car parked out in the wild like this?"

Dan Yu, still not fully adapted to her changed role, asked with some confusion.

Her gaze lingered on the simple RV parked on the grass; she felt certain that wild Pokémon would likely cause trouble later.

Just like in Kitakami, where she had once grown up, wild Pokémon often damaged human-made objects, whether intentionally or not.

This was an unavoidable occurrence when bordering the habitats of wild Pokémon.

"Don't worry, I have safety measures."

Understanding what Dan Yu was worried about, Luo Mu gave her a calming look, then winked at the Mimikyu hiding in the RV's shadow.

Although the RV had a built-in function to repel wild Pokémon, Luo Mu still wanted to avoid using a function that might affect certain specific Pokémon.

As the saying goes—biological control is the most eco-friendly.

With Mimikyu keeping watch here, he could safely lead the students deep into the bamboo forest to the Rumble Falls in the depths.

Time was nearing noon; the bamboo forest no longer shrouded in morning mist, with dewdrops clinging to the bamboo stalks.

Now, with spring approaching, new bamboo shoots were rapidly sprouting and unfurling leaves under suitable conditions; almost no trace of winter remained, and the entire bamboo forest was lush and green.

Sunlight filtered through the sparse bamboo branches, casting mottled shadows on the ground, while the golden-brown husks of the new shoots gleamed brightly.

At this moment, a gentle breeze suddenly swept through the bamboo forest; the newly grown tender leaves made a softer rustling sound than the old ones, bringing a faint, earthy scent of bamboo leaves into the air.

"So quiet—"

Pippa spoke softly, feeling the soil beneath his feet slightly damp, likely because they were already very close to the Rumble Falls.

"Mm, it is indeed a bit quiet."

Luo Mu, walking ahead, kept his steps moving, glancing occasionally toward the surroundings.

In Luo Mu's view, this was probably because the wild Pokémon simply did not wish to interact with them.

After all, the domineering Bisharp clan had been punished by Ogerfon and the Clever Smith; it was not strange for this bamboo forest to return to its former quiet.

Moreover, and more importantly, the Serperior that had left its Poké Ball beside him showed no abnormal emotional fluctuations.

His own Serperior possessed not only remarkably refined energy control techniques but also a specialty in keen aura detection.

If anything abnormal occurred, it would notice immediately.

As Luo Mu had predicted, there were basically no wild Pokémon blocking their path or any abnormal incidents along the way; the group soon arrived at their destination—the Rumble Falls.

The rushing water seemed to come from the heavens, constantly scouring its path before merging into the lake below, and finally flowing into other waters.

Ranked as one of the Top Ten Scenic Spots of Paldea, the Rumble Falls naturally did not fall short of the Great Falls near Great Lake in terms of grandeur.

In fact, compared to the single large waterfall in the game, this place featured many waterfalls slightly smaller in scale, gathering into a spectacular waterfall cluster.

Unlike the silence within the bamboo forest, the lake beneath the Rumble Falls was quite lively.

Many wild aquatic Pokémon inhabited here, such as the Psyduck Luo Mu had encountered before, along with common aquatic Pokémon like Marill and Buizel.

Even the Arrokuda, which Luo Mu deeply detested, could be found here.

Suppressing the urge to "electrocute fish for revenge," Luo Mu glanced left and right, found a smaller waterfall with a place to land, pointed there, and said, "Let's choose that one."

Upon hearing this, everyone obediently followed his pace.

After all, on the way here, Luo Mu had already explained what today's outdoor practical training would involve.

Although he still intended to have them engage in Pokémon battles to check for any slackness.

But if they failed in this battle, they would receive a punishment—

To enjoy the sensation of the waterfall washing over their bodies.

The waterfall Luo Mu chose was at most a super-mini waterfall; for the group, enduring it was no problem, so they felt no particular resentment.

In fact, thinking that they could play in the water freely during the free time after the battle ended, they became even more excited.

Setting aside Katsura and Dan Yu for now, at least Pipa and Pippa looked forward to this natural outdoor scenery; they had experienced quite a bit of it while traveling with Hearing Hearing Nimo.

As for Peony, the current homebody was already thinking about how to avoid getting into the water.

Just as everyone had their own thoughts, preparing to roll up their sleeves and get to work, Luo Mu separately approached Pawmi.

"Brr?"

Looking at Luo Mu squatting before him, Pawmi tilted his head in confusion.

Pippa and the others were one thing, but he was just a Pokémon, not a trainer; surely Luo Mu wouldn't expect him to command Pokémon in a battle too?

Pawmi clasped his small hands behind his back, twisting his fingers with some inner conflict.

He wanted to make himself stronger, not to become a trainer.

How could Luo Mu know what wild ideas were spinning in Pawmi's little head? His gaze lingered on a slightly more turbulent section of the waterfall, then he turned to Pawmi and said, "You can probably guess, this will be one of our fixed training locations from now on."

"Excluding the days I go to Grandma Ju Zi Academy every other day, from now on you will need to set aside time each day to come here for training."

A Pokémon's growth is a long and arduous process; to achieve results, one must inevitably expend greater effort.

Since Kubfu wishes to become stronger, Luo Mu will also go all out to help him.

Just as now, he plans to have Kubfu undergo training that is extremely classic and follows a conventional trope.

—Namely, the so-called waterfall training!

(End of Chapter)