Elf: Re-employment of retired champion of Padiya

Chapter 796 Time and space rift
"Haohao Power—"

Sigh. Is it possible to reconcile?
The leader, Hawley, knelt on the ground, his face still showing lingering confusion.

Its eyes had long lost their previous ferocity, and were as clear as those of a student at Yokohama University in the Kanto region.

Its towering body, over three meters tall and comparable to that of a creator of the earth in a certain illustrated book, was now tightly entwined by numerous thorny vines, forming a shape resembling a tortoise shell.

The thorns pierced its bulging muscles, causing its gray skin to sink slightly.

In fact, these thorns are not sharp and cannot pierce its well-trained muscles.

But in contrast, there was a sour and tingling feeling that Hao Li couldn't quite describe.

This made it quite uncomfortable, and it didn't even struggle much anymore.

—But I doubt it would dare to.

The bumps on its head were from when it told the Swamp Monster to get out of its way.

The scene was... wow!

It's no exaggeration to say that if Swampert hadn't held back, its leader Machoke would definitely be meeting its grandmother.

That punch would make even Hoenn Rayquaza perform a Dragon Dance from the pain, let alone this one.

If it weren't for the foresight of the Queen of the Lacecrown in creating a "superpowered soundproof barrier," it might have attracted the entire Pearl Village.

Luo Mu was unaware that the Monarch Serpent had subtly used some underhanded tactics to punish Haoli, the leader who had attempted to attack him.

Looking at the leader, Haoli, whose face clearly showed he had "become obedient," Luo Mu sighed.

"He was well-behaved when he came out; he wouldn't have committed these crimes."

That's what he said, but Luo Mu also knew that saying it was just hindsight.

Without another beating, the leader, Haoli, wouldn't behave himself.

Furthermore, they cannot be judged by modern standards.

In this era, fists are far more persuasive than words.

The leader, Haoli, with his head bowed, said, "."

Feeling frustrated, but not daring to utter a sound.

They were terrified that the giant swamp monster's fist, as big as a sandbag, would come crashing down from the side.

He looks like he doesn't have as many muscles as I do, so how come he's so strong?

There's a reason why we should go along with Luo Mu, this human being!

The leader, Hawley, calmed down, and his two wrists, after their initial panic, had also calmed down.

Especially witnessing the submission of Hawley, the strongest leader in their tribe, in their eyes, made them only dare to follow Hawley's example and obediently kneel on the ground.

They're all so well-behaved, and Luo Mu isn't a demon, so naturally he won't do anything to them.

Rather, after this "killing the chicken to scare the monkey" incident, these two will definitely be very well-behaved.

Moreover, their personalities are actually quite suitable for being partners with humans. Their gluttony is the easiest trait to overcome, and their aloofness can be easily tamed with love.

On the other hand, the leader Hawley should offer both a stick and a treat after giving them the big stick.

Luo Mu moved closer to the leader, Hao Li, and hooked his arm around the shoulder that wasn't entangled by the vines.

The mighty tiger shuddered, thinking that its ancestor had come up with some new idea to torment it. Its three-meter-tall, muscular physique now resembled a weak and helpless "little wife".

But Luo Mu's next words immediately stunned it.

Even the sensation from the thorns on the vines seemed to have vanished, and Haoli's mind felt as if he were floating on clouds.

What did it just hear?
Perhaps noticing the change in the leader Haoli's expression, Luo Mu, thinking that it hadn't understood, emphasized it again.

"What I mean is, starting tomorrow, as long as you obediently assist the humans in this settlement with their lives and work, I will help you complete your evolution."

"How about that? Pretty generous offer, right? Not to mention, the people here will definitely take care of your three meals a day, and if you do well, you might even get some desserts."

Luo Mu continued to promise benefits in a patient and persuasive manner.

But at this point, Haoli couldn't listen anymore.

Its mind was filled with the three conditions: "free food, free lodging, and free evolution," and its eyes were wide open.

The first two are not particularly attractive to Haoli; at most, they are just icing on the cake.

As a leader Pokémon, it has no shortage of food, and its mountain village is home to a harem of Machamp wives.

But evolution... it's truly captivating.

Even when it was just an ordinary Machop, it had heard that its race had the potential to reach an even higher level besides Machop and Machoke.

That stance will grant a massive boost to fighting ability; even the strongest Macho Might cannot defeat it.

It naturally wants to evolve.

But no matter how much it trains its muscles or spars with strong opponents, the feeling that it once had never returned never seems to reappear.

—And now, this human is actually saying he can help me evolve?
It's true that the leader, Hawley, had a head full of muscles.

But it's easy to tell from its immediate reaction of sliding to its knees after being beaten.

This guy's bottom line is actually quite flexible, not to mention that Luo Mu offered him conditions that he simply couldn't refuse.

"Haoli!"

Almost instantly, the excited leader, Hawley, turned around and changed the direction in which he was kneeling.

I've spent half my life wandering aimlessly, only regretting that I never met a wise ruler.

If you do not reject me, I am willing to become your godfather!
Seeing that Haoli was about to become his godfather on the spot, Luo Mu quickly ordered the Serpent Lord to tighten its vines.

Seeing the leader, Haoli, grimacing in pain but unable to hide his smile, Luo Mu patted it on the shoulder.

"From now on, you won't need to pledge allegiance to me. Anyway, do your best tomorrow, understand?"

"You're a leader, after all. Don't treat others like that. Stand up straight and don't embarrass yourself."

"I will naturally help you with this reward later."

"Hooray!"

The leader, Hawley, nodded repeatedly, his face full of anticipation.

It had actually seen some examples of Pokémon partnering with humans, but it never took them seriously.

To say it resists this matter is actually not that much.

After all, in Hawley's view, he was merely offering companionship and assistance during the short lifespan of humans in exchange for the evolution that many Hawleys could never achieve in their entire lives on this frozen land.

As for whether this was just Luo Mu making empty promises, unfortunately, Hao Li's brain was too full of muscles to think of that.

After reaching an agreement with their leader, Hawley, the two arm wrestlers naturally followed his lead.

With a combination of harsh measures and sweet rewards, Luo Mu directly resolved the hidden dangers they posed.

After putting the three Pokémon back into their clean, green Poké Balls, Luo Mu turned his head to look at the Calyrex that was staring at him, and immediately anticipated its problem.

"You want to ask me why I'm confident enough to promise to help it complete its evolution, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Crowned King nodded in confirmation.

It had heard from Ogre Magi that the evolution of some Pokémon, such as Machamp, required the use of a human technology called "communication connection exchange".

Otherwise, it would be a naturally evolved individual, one in hundreds or thousands of Haoli.

The former is impossible in this era, and as for the latter, it's not that Rachel doesn't believe Luo Mu can train Macho to the point of evolution, but rather that she feels that even for Luo Mu, it would be a troublesome matter.

Seeing Calycerin nod, Luo Mu's lips curled up. "It's very simple. There is actually a magical item in this era that can do this, helping Machamp evolve into Strength in one go."

Crassou appeared thoughtful. "I see, an evolution item, huh?"

Luo Mu smiled but didn't say anything.

Although it was just a minor change made in the Legend of Arceus game to prevent communication and exchange.

However, in this era, there was indeed an evolutionary item called the "Connecting Rope".

Pokémon that require a communication link to evolve, such as Haunter, Kadabra, Graveler, and Machamp, can all evolve using this item.

Where did Luo Mu determine this conclusion?
Naturally, he had casually opened the box again to confirm the existence of this thing before promising it to Haoli. Luo Mu already had a plan in mind.

If he has the chance to go to Zhuqing Village someday, he will visit the Ginkgo Merchants Association, which is often stationed there, to see if they sell "connecting ropes".

We can also use this opportunity to probe Wang Luo's true strength.

Early the next morning.

Luo Mu was awakened by the sudden drop in temperature inside the room.

The culprits that caused the temperature inside the house to plummet were the Spirit Horse and the Snowstorm Horse, who had been running around all night before being called back by the Queen of the Crane Crown.

One is an Ice-type and the other is a Ghost-type; both are excellent at lowering the temperature.

"Did you cause any trouble?"

Without even yawning, Luo Mu, feeling more awake than ever before, glanced at the two of them. Unable to discern anything, he could only ask a question.

The Spirit Horse and the Snowstorm Horse exchanged a glance and nodded frantically like chicks pecking at rice.

Don't be ridiculous, they're super well-behaved, okay?
There's no way they'd cause trouble.

Luo Mu turned his head to look at the Queen of the Brilliant Crown, who nodded slightly.

Last night, it also used the spiritual energy it had left in its own horse to monitor their movements, and at least it didn't notice anything amiss.

"Alright then, you'll have to make do and hide in the shadows for the rest of the day."

"Zhubei should be coming over to deliver breakfast later. I want to meet the other people in this settlement with her then."

The two horses had no choice but to hide obediently. Luo Mu and Rachel checked the furniture placement to see if there was anything wrong, then picked up Bictini and Shemi, and instructed Bagogo to hide them in the bag.

With everything prepared, they awaited the arrival of the pearl oysters.

On the third day after Luo Mu arrived at Xicui, at noon.

With a radiant glow, Zhu Bei led Luo Mu out of the large room in the pearl settlement, which was usually used for collective discussions.

She put her hands behind her head and looked quite happy.

"Hehe, Machop is alright, but their expressions were quite interesting when that Machop appeared out of the Poké Ball."

Pearl reminisced about the experience, her expression still somewhat rapt.

Witnessing Luo Mu shock the entire settlement was once again proof to the members of Pearl Settlement that her vision as the leader was impeccable.

They just picked up a powerful guy who could tame the boss's Pokémon!
It's worth noting that most people who farm greenery tend to avoid the leader Pokémon.

But now, their Pearl Village has a leader named Hawley as their partner!

—Can the King Kong settlement accomplish something like this?

"It's that Haoli. His temperament has changed quite a bit since I saw him yesterday."

"how did you do it?"

Zhu Bei looked at Luo Mu with a puzzled expression.

She was aware that boss Pokémon weren't invincible, and there were plenty of people who had defeated boss Pokémon with their partner Pokémon.

Even after defeating their opponents, only a minority of Pokémon are willing to submit.

Not to mention individuals like that Machamp that didn't show any aggression whatsoever.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes yesterday, I would have almost thought it was one of those Pokémon that grew up with humans from a young age.

"Hehe, it's a trade secret, I can't tell you for now," Luo Mu said with a smile.

"Fine, if you don't want to tell me, then don't."

Zhu Bei shrugged, displaying considerable nonchalance in this regard.

"The snow will stop soon. What are your plans next?"

Zhu Bei stared directly at Luo Mu, hoping to hear him say something like, "I have nowhere to go for the time being, can I stay with the Pearl Team?"

After a brief silence, Luo Mu spoke up: "Could I meet the manager of the Pearl Team?"

Zhu Bei's smile faded. "May I ask you why?"

"Because of it."

Having already gained initial prestige in the pearl settlement, Luo Mu no longer had any intention of hiding what the pearl shells would eventually find out, in order to achieve his next goal.

He took out Arcanine's Poké Ball and released it in front of Tsubasa.

"Growlithe".

Zhubei covered her slightly open mouth in surprise, staring at the imposing-looking Growlithe in front of her with a complicated expression.

And that thing that Luo Mu just took out, which looked like a Poké Ball, was definitely not one of those she knew.

As if she were getting to know Luo Mu all over again, Zhu Bei glanced at him and then said softly, "Since it's a Wind Dog, then you need to go find Manager Gua Na."

“But something happened on Blowfire Island, which she’s in charge of, and it’s currently under lockdown. Even I can’t get close.”

"Is there a problem?"

Luo Mu narrowed his eyes and exchanged a glance with the Queen of the Brilliant Crown.

At the same time, as if she had made up her mind, Zhubei took a deep breath and said, "I will try to help you, but it is probably hopeless in the next two days. After all, the manager in charge of the Qinghai Coast is not only our Pearl Team, but also the King Kong Team and even the Galaxy Team."

"Will you help me?"

Luo Mu was slightly surprised; he had actually prepared himself for Zhu Bei to be angry.

But she actually wanted to help him out.

“I trust my first instinct and my own feelings.” Zhubei raised her eyebrows. “Judging people is an essential skill for any leader, and as the leader of the Pearl Team, I don’t think you have any bad intentions.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhubei muttered something else.

"As for the Ginkgo Chamber of Commerce, forget about it, never mind what I said."

She put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest, as if this would better demonstrate her authority as the leader of the Pearl Team.

So, can you wait?

“Sure.” Luo Mu nodded slightly.

Although he could have simply and quietly landed on the island with the Lady Crown.

But since Zhu Bei had considered his feelings so much, he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"Could you help me arrange to work in another field managed by a different manager? I'm quite interested in all of them."

Zhu Bei made a thoughtful expression, "Other farm managers... let me think, the one who is most available in the Pearl Team right now is... Grandma Xi Pu."

"She's the manager in charge of the Red Lotus Wetland area. Although she has a bit of an eccentric temper, I don't think she'll dislike you."

"The environment there is better than here. If you want to go and have a look, I can arrange it for you."

"Then please."

Luo Mu readily agreed to Zhu Bei's arrangement.

He had originally planned to visit the Honglian Wetland as well, so this would be even better.

"Okay, I'll make the arrangements right away."

Pearl waved and left like a gust of wind.

Watching her departing figure, Luo Mu felt a little better.

He felt lucky to have encountered such a kind-hearted person as soon as he arrived in this era.

However, the only problem is—

Luo Mu raised his head, his gaze passing through the vast white expanse of land and landing on the towering mountain peaks in the distance with a strong presence.

That is the highest peak in Sinnoh, a place called Mt. Crown.

But when the heavy snow recedes, the majestic Tianguan Mountain can be seen with the naked eye.

The phenomenon known as the "space-time rift" also appeared in Luo Mu's field of vision as expected.

(End of this chapter)