Chapter 82: Pokémon Are Terrifying Creatures

"Ha... ah... ha... I can't... go on anymore..."

In the vast playground, under Luo Mu’s leadership, seventeen students and their Pokémon were sweating on the track, pouring out their youth.

Pipa, towering above her peers, led the pack with her long black hair streaming in the wind.

Pipa had left the other students far behind; after a considerable distance, Pai Pa, Pi Na, and Ai Li Qi and others followed steadily behind her.

Aldiga was unusually well-behaved today—neither provoking the other students nor resisting Luo Mu, he jogged at a steady pace with a stiff face, under the confused stares of his two followers.

Among these students, one had emitted the weak, gasping sound at the beginning, barely clinging to the very end of the line, drenched in sweat.

Luo Mu, matching Pipa’s pace, temporarily handed leadership to Pipa, slowed down, waited for Nimo to catch up, then sighed: “Need a rest? You don’t have to push yourself so hard.”

Nimo panted heavily, feeling her lungs could barely supply enough air, but as a devoted admirer, she didn’t want to appear weak in front of Luo Mu—she forced a strained smile and said: “I’m fine... don’t look at me like this, I still have the stamina to finish the whole course.”

Bubo, who had been running beside Nimo, confidently called out, believing her trainer possessed extraordinary willpower to complete the entire run.

As she ran, Pai Pa occasionally glanced back, her expression odd: “So she’s the type who’s just bad at sports?”

Pai Pa had assumed that with her sporty outfit, even if Nimo couldn’t match Pipa’s athletic prowess, she’d at least keep pace with her.

Yet Nimo couldn’t even outrun that spoiled, delicate-looking rich kid with the terrible attitude.

“Nimo, keep going!”

Pipa waved both hands with a cheerful smile, cheering on Nimo as she neared the final lap; other students who had finished the run stood at the finish line waiting for her arrival.

Though at first, Aldiga’s followers had mocked Nimo’s lack of athleticism, seeing her actually push through ten full laps, their faces now held a hint of respect.

They certainly didn’t have the willpower to finish the entire course themselves.

Nimo, her consciousness growing hazy, felt her feet firmly touch the finish line—her rigid tension eased, her willpower receded like a tide, and her body swayed, about to collapse.

Seeing this, Pipa, fully aware of post-exercise states, stepped forward without hesitation—faster than Luo Mu—and caught Nimo as she fell.

Pipa, no more than fifteen or sixteen, spoke with surprising gentleness, stroking Nimo’s head: “You worked so hard.”

Kukui, who had been watching, hurried over with a cup of warm water at Luo Mu’s signal.

“Let me handle it.”

Pipa took the cup from Kukui and gently, slowly, fed the water to Nimo—though she was taller and stronger than most boys, her actions remained as tender and careful as any ordinary girl’s.

“Thank you, Pipa.”

From this side of Pipa, Luo Mu could see why she would later earn such deep respect in the Star Team—even the sharp-tongued Aldiga listened to her.

After rehydrating, Nimo took a long time to recover, but Luo Mu could still tell from her movements that her strength hadn’t fully returned.

It seemed Nimo’s athletic ability was naturally weak; even with training, improvement would likely be minimal.

While Nimo rested, Luo Mu led the other students through additional methods of joint physical training with their Pokémon—the bell for dismissal was nearly due.

He clapped his hands to gather everyone’s attention and said: “Do you all feel today’s lesson was more like PE than Battle Studies?”

No one answered, but Luo Mu could see from their faces that nearly everyone agreed.

“As I said at the start: as Trainers, we often explore the wild alone, and the only things we can rely on besides our partners are our own legs.”

Luo Mu paused, then continued: “For example, suppose you encounter an exceptionally powerful Pokémon in the wild—your Pokémon uses every trick but still can’t drive it off—what do you do?”

“Pipa, answer.”

Pipa, seated on the ground, pointed to herself; after Luo Mu nodded, she stood up, fired up: “I’ll use the bond between me and Magmar to unleash a fiery combo martial art and drive them off!”

Magmar enthusiastically agreed, nodding vigorously.

“Wrong.” Luo Mu lightly tapped Pipa’s head, then released Gyarados from a Poké Ball, smiling: “Pipa, do you think your fiery combo technique could even make my Gyarados budge?”

“I accept this challenge!”

Seeing Gyarados’s muscular frame, Pipa’s eyes burned with intensity; she and Magmar lunged forward together, both raising their right palms into sharp blades and slashing at Gyarados.

“Double Karate Chop!”

Aldiga, closest to Pipa, felt a gust of wind rush past—he was startled. The tall woman and that ungainly Magmar charged in, their faces grim; under his followers’ murmurs, Aldiga muttered: “Just a brute gorilla...”

Facing Pipa and Magmar’s confident double attack, Gyarados merely lifted his eyelids, raised both arms, and calmly caught their blades—his powerful body didn’t tremble at all.

All of Pipa and Magmar’s force was effortlessly neutralized.

Pipa rooted her stance, straining with all her strength to pull her arm free—but Gyarados’s muscular arms didn’t budge; Magmar, frantic, kicked and bit desperately.

At that moment, Luo Mu stepped forward and tapped Gyarados on the shoulder. Both trainer and Pokémon lost their balance, stumbling backward several steps before regaining their footing, eyes wide with shock.

They felt Gyarados’s strength existed on an entirely different plane—utterly incomparable.

The other students were also stunned—Pipa’s raw strength was legendary across the academy, yet even she and Magmar couldn’t make Gyarados shift an inch.

Luo Mu calmly recalled Gyarados and said: “Now do you understand? Wild Pokémon are living beings—they move. Who can guarantee your exploration zones are always safe?”

I already said in the first lesson: my classes won’t teach you textbook theories. Everything I teach comes from my own hard-won practical experience.

“Though not as terrifying as the ancient era when Pokémon were called ‘demonic beasts,’ modern wild Pokémon still retain plenty of their primal ferocity. Pokémon are terrifying creatures—when the power gap is obvious, don’t hesitate: use every means to run!”

“Only by surviving can you have a future.”