Elf: Re-employment of retired champion of Padiya

Chapter 859 Nightmares and Hallucinations Return to the Farm, The Vanished Zygarde?
5 month 5 day.

Luo Mu wasn't sure how the Galaxy team's players who were taken down by Mimikyu last night were dealt with.

However, with the involvement of two highly skilled and intelligent individuals, Cynthia and Gosho, who wield considerable influence within the Sinnoh League, it is highly likely that the Sinnoh League will take this matter seriously.

Therefore, it will be much more difficult for Team Galactic to successfully steal the meteorite to create the "Red Chain" as in the original story, and then capture the three legendary Pokémon of Lakes—Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit—and attempt to create a new world on the Spear Pillar.

But Luo Mu wasn't a member of the Sinnoh League after all, so he didn't bother getting involved in this internal affair of the Sinnoh League.

With Zhu Lan around, there's no way he'd be the one eager to play the hero.

Just like the Hunter J incident.

Her approach to things—running to Padia versus staying in Sinnoh—is completely different.

Zhu Lan went out early in the morning to investigate the phenomenon of "spacetime distortion," which is rarely recorded in history.

Xiao Zhi and his friends ran noisily onto the streets of Baiyang Town.

While Xiao Guang was supposed to be giving Gible special training with Meteor Shower, he also needed to prepare for the Grand Contest, the Poplar Tournament, which was to be held tomorrow.

Although Luo Mu felt that when these two things came together, they would most likely manifest themselves in completely different ways.
In the blink of an eye, apart from Jerome who was sticking to his post, only Luo Mu and Shinji remained in the villa.

After checking on Victini's condition with the Queen of the Crane in his room, Luo Mu walked out of the room, closed the door behind him, and said to Shinji, who was sitting in the living room, "Let's go, I'll take you to the outskirts of Poplar Town. I also have two things to show you."

"Two good things?"

Shinji was about to nod when Luo Mu's words made him look puzzled.

"Haha, you'll find out later."

Luo Mu smiled without saying a word, but stood up first and gestured for Shinji to follow him.

As he walked by, the observant Shinji noticed that Luo Mu seemed to be holding a strangely shaped Poké Ball in his hand.
Shinji couldn't tell the model of the Poké Ball at all, or rather, the Poké Ball's design looked quite retro and wasn't like the Poké Balls currently available on the market.

Walk across the high bridge from the streets of Baiyang Town and all the way to the outskirts of the town.

As they were about to leave the area of ​​Baiyang Town, Shinji suddenly spoke up, "There are definitely fewer people now."

His calm voice carried a hint of wistfulness.

Luo Mu paused, then nodded slightly, "After all, that incident happened."

Although the problem of the two dragons in time and space was perfectly resolved by themselves.

However, the impact of the event itself has not disappeared; in fact, it may have a more profound impact due to the spread of the news.

It is foreseeable that Baiyang Town, as a tourist town, will continue to thrive even with the iconic Time Tower as its landmark.

The number of tourists and residents will definitely decrease sharply due to this event, which is the so-called "exodus".

Logically, this situation should also occur in Lucerne City in the anime, since the tree roots created by Vladari have spread throughout the entire city.

However, the anime at the time didn't seem to explicitly explain the subsequent impact.

However, according to normal logic, as the most central commercial metropolis and the most economically developed area in the Carlos region, it should be...

As a result, Miare City will not be completely devastated, but it will certainly suffer a severe blow.

After all, "safety" is what people care about most.

The same applies to Poplar Town, and perhaps also to Miarey City in the anime.

The teacher and student stood on a hill outside the town.

Looking at the familiar hill, Shinji felt a vague sense of unease.

as predicted.

The next second, his premonition came true.

Luo Mu beckoned to him with a friendly smile and said, "Come on, let's have a doubles match."

Shinji: "."

Why are they causing this mess again?

"Can we not fight?" Shinji asked expressionlessly.

He also plans to take the train to a nearby city to attend a battle rally.

That's where he can gain experience, not here where he's constantly being bullied by Luo Mu's endless tricks.

"Just fight when I tell you to, stop talking nonsense." Luo Mu rolled his eyes and added, "I'm only bringing two Pokémon. You bring as many as you have. Are you still afraid to fight?"

"Is this about the number of Pokémon?"

Shinji felt as if a million sheep were stampeding through his mind, but seeing Luo Mu's resolute attitude, he had no choice but to raise his hand in compromise.

"Anyway, don't delay me from catching the next train. You know the line isn't fixed yet."

"Don't worry, it will be quick."

Luo Mu chuckled and tossed the antique-looking Poké Ball into his hand.

A gray, white, and red fox standing upright appeared in front of Shinji.

"This is."

Shinji was slightly taken aback, his mind going blank for a moment.

Of course, this wasn't because the Pokémon Luo Mu sent out touched on his blind spots in knowledge.

The reality is quite the opposite.

Because he had Ursaring in his team and had seen Arcanine with Mu, Shinji specifically looked up relevant research literature in the libraries of the big cities in Sinnoh when he returned to the region, in order to train Ursaring more scientifically.

Therefore, Shinji knows about the Pokémon that the Sinnoh region once had but which became extinct for various reasons.

Not to mention, after fighting with the emerald-green nimble dog beside Luo Mu, he even borrowed Zhu Lan's computer to reinforce his knowledge online.

Those long hairs that seemed to writhe in mid-air like living creatures, that thin gray body—wasn't this the "demon fox" Zoroark, the creature resembling Xicui, described in the books I found online, such as "The Local Chronicles of Xicui" and "Strange Tales of Xicui"?
Shinji's expression was so surprised because he recognized Zoroark's identity.

Keep in mind, this is a Pokémon that has been extinct for a long time.

It's Arcanine again, it's Ursaring again, it's Goody again, and now there's Zoroark in front of us.

Did Teacher Luo Mu go to Xicui in the past?

Just as Shinji was stunned, the shadow at Luo Mu's feet twitched, and the figure of Mimikyu rose up.

Clearly, Mimikyu was one of the Pokémon participating in the doubles battle proposed by Luo Mu.

At that moment, Shinji felt like cursing.

What's the difference between this and openly saying, "I'm bored and want to beat some noobs"?

Evil fried fish for adults!

Luo Mu seemed to have noticed Shinji's concerns, who still maintained a blank expression, and casually added, "Mimikyu will only use one move the whole time, so you don't need to worry too much."

Shinji didn't say anything, but silently took a deep breath and took out two Poké Balls from his pocket.

He must be stupid to believe Luo Mu's words that "there's no need to worry too much." Even if Mimikyu only uses one move, its strength as Luo Mu's absolute main force is not something he can easily compete with now.

Shinji had clearly realized how big the gap was between him and the champion after his previous pseudo-6v6 all-out battle against Rin.

Just like Luo Mu's Azure Flame Blade Demon, even if it is restricted from using any moves, Shinji suspects that the opponent could rout his team with just swordsmanship.

Leaving aside the unknown strength of Zoroark, even though Mimikyu can only use one move, it still puts immense pressure on Shinji.

Shinji threw the Poké Ball in his hand with great seriousness.

"Chimchar, Electabuzz, get ready for battle!"

A flash of red light appeared, and Shinji showed up with the two Pokémon he had caught after returning to the Sinnoh region.

Looking at their figures, Luo Mu couldn't help but sigh.

The two, who were supposed to be facing off in the final battle at the climax of the anime's storyline, are now fighting alongside each other as allies.

This feeling is truly quite wonderful.

Seeing Shinji's Chimchar and Electabuzz standing ready, Luo Mu smiled and said to him, "Don't be nervous, you go first."

Shinji didn't stand on ceremony with him either, knowing full well the difference in strength between the two sides, he had to seize every opportunity.

His gaze sharpened, and he quickly gave the order.

"Chimchar, use Ember on Mimikyu! Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt on Zoroark!"

Chimchar spews out a cluster of blazing flames, while Electabuzz unleashes a dazzling electric current from its horns, each flying towards its respective target.

However, faced with these two all-out attacks...

Zoroark simply raised his claws casually, resentful energy flowing at the tips, and with a light flick, he dispersed the electric shock.

Mimikyu didn't even flinch. Its black claws, hidden beneath its painted skin, reached out and swatted the spark in mid-air like swatting a fly. The scattered sparks didn't even leave a trace on the doll.

Mimikyu goes without saying, but Zoroark is a formidable character who could withstand an attack from so many Weavile for so long.

Not to mention that after being treated by the Crowned King, its vitality has recovered from its frail state to a level that even it finds hard to believe.

"Tsk, I knew it." Shinji gritted his teeth.

He knew that Luo Mu's words were full of traps.

Even if they are restricted from using special moves, they could easily defeat Chimchar and Electabuzz based on their physical abilities alone.

"Then, we'll begin here as well."

The attackers switched sides, and Luo Mu's voice rang out.

"Mysterious Hill, Dark Cave".

"Zoroark, use your best trick."

His instructions were so simple they were almost arbitrary.

Mimikyu's beady eyes instantly locked onto Chimchar, and with a push of its little paws, a jet-black energy sphere shrouded in ominous black mist condensed completely in just a few breaths, flying toward Chimchar at an unstoppable speed, giving it no chance to react or dodge!

Even though Shinji immediately told Chimchar to dodge, the difference in training time was too obvious. Chimchar's reaction was already a beat slower, and its dodging speed and technique were also very rough.

The successfully hit dark hole expanded silently, completely engulfing the little fire monkey.

Chimchar froze instantly, the fighting spirit in its eyes vanished, its body swayed, and then it collapsed softly to the ground, sinking into a deep nightmare.

"Damn it, there's no way to dodge it." Shinji said with a grim expression.

At the same time, Zoroark's yellow, pupil-less eyes glanced at Electabuzz.

The invisible pressure caused the electric monster to instinctively take a few steps back.

Zoroark's signature move didn't involve any earth-shattering energy bursts or dazzling light effects.

But the scenery around the electric monster suddenly distorted and changed.

With a look of terror on its face, the electric monster instantly "fell" into the abyss.

Countless hideous ghostly figures and mournful wails surged in from all directions, tightly enveloping it.

The electric monster darted around in terror, unleashing electric shocks, but they all hit empty air, unable to escape this terrifying illusion.

Moments later, the mentally tormented Electric Monster rolled its eyes back and lost consciousness.

Less than a minute into the battle, both of Shinji's Pokémon had fallen.

Shinji, his face grim, recalled Chimchar and Electabuzz, his eyes filled with apprehension as he looked at Zoroark and Mimikyu.

Putting aside how Mimikyu could use the Dark Hole he had experienced, didn't that Zoroark just create an illusion that only targeted Electabuzz?
From Shinji's perspective, the Electabuzz seemed to have seen something terrifying. After randomly launching several attacks at empty space, it lost consciousness due to mental exhaustion and physical depletion.

This ability is just too bizarre.
Thinking this, Shinji took a deep breath and threw two more Poké Balls. "Metallice! Ursaring!"

This time, it's Shinji's ace MetalGreymon from his second team in the Sinnoh region, along with Ursaring, the evolved form of Ursaring, who won the Saiyo Tournament with him.

The two Pokémon are naturally much stronger than Chimchar and Electabuzz, which haven't been trained for very long.

"Metal Monster, Bullet Punch! Moon Bear, Flying Pounce!"

MetalGreymon charged fiercely toward Zoroark with its fist glowing with a dazzling silver light, while Ursaring unleashed a speed disproportionate to its size, crashing into Mimikyu with Ground-type energy.

However, the result was no different.

Mimikyu's Dark Hole struck first, hitting the charging Luna precisely.

The Moon Bear's ferocious aura came to an abrupt halt. Its massive body slid forward a short distance due to inertia before finally crashing to the ground with a thunderous snoring.

The metal monster's bullet punch hit empty air.

—Before its fist touched Zoroark, the familiar terrifying illusion had already descended.

Its cold, metallic body seemed unable to escape the erosion of the mind; the powerful mental energy generated by its two brains only allowed it to last a few seconds before it was dragged into an illusion.

The metal monster spun and crashed wildly in that endless illusion until it finally exhausted itself and fell from the sky.

Shinji tightened his grip on the Poké Ball slightly. He recalled his MetalGreymon and Ursaring, remained silent for a moment, and finally sent out his two strongest Pokémon.

"Turtle! Bone-patterned Giant Crocodile, prepare for battle!"

With heavy footsteps, Shinji's ace Tortoise and the Bone-Patterned Giant Crocodile he received from Luo Mu made their appearance.

As veterans in Shinji's team, they unleashed their full power the moment they appeared.

"Earthquake Turtle, Mad Plant! Bone-Patterned Giant Crocodile, Blazing Song!"

The Earth Tortoise let out a heavy roar, and countless thick, ferocious giant roots burst forth from the ground, strangling towards Zoroark and Mimikyu like living pythons.

The fireball on the tip of the giant crocodile's nose grew larger with its high-pitched song, transforming into a giant firebird that took flight.

This time, Mimikyu and Zoroark made their move.

The Dark Hole of Mimikyu shot out again, precisely targeting the firebird, swallowing it and plunging it into a deep sleep.

Zoroark's eyes flickered slightly as he faced the overwhelming, frenzied growth of plants.

It did not choose to resist head-on; its slender body moved like a ghost among the thick roots, dodging the strangulation of those roots.

At the same time, the illusion created by Zoroark also enveloped the Earth-Turtle.

At that moment, the earth turtle's body stiffened abruptly.

Its eyes cleared for a moment, then quickly became dull again.

The earth-platform tortoise's enormous body trembled violently, as if it had seen something extremely terrifying. The frenzied plants it had been controlling also lost control and began to lash the ground wildly.

Meanwhile, the Bone-Patterned Giant Crocodile Qiang was unable to unleash its vocal prowess due to its "partner's" slumber, and could only attempt to fight using other moves.

However, due to its slow movements, it still couldn't escape being hit by the Dark Hole of Mimikyu.

Once the Dark Hole hits, the Bone-Patterned Giant Crocodile is dragged directly into a nightmare.

finally.

Exhausted by the illusion created by Zoroark, the giant tortoise collapsed heavily to the ground.

The Bone-Patterned Giant Crocodile was unable to continue fighting due to its slumber.

Silence gradually returned to the hill.

Luo Mu could see the helpless look in Shinji's eyes after he retrieved the Earth-type Tortoise and the Bone-patterned Giant Crocodile. His eyes seemed to say, "I've played along with your nonsense, now you can let me go."

"Hmph, you'll know to thank me when you attend the Alliance Conference."

Luo Mu muttered something, knowing perfectly well that Shinji thought he had stopped him for a match because he was bored and wanted to bully weaker opponents.

Am I that kind of person?
Walking up to Shinji, Luo Mu asked, "Do you know where you went wrong?"

Shinji thought for a moment and replied, "There's no way to counter illusions and sleep?"

“That’s right.” Luo Mu nodded slightly. “Then do you know how to counter it?”

Shinji was about to say he knew, but Luo Mu continued speaking as if answering his own question.

"Electric Field" can be used as a defense, but if you get caught off guard, then learn Sleep Talk.

"While I can't guarantee that the move will be the one you want, it's better than being powerless to fight back."

"As for illusions, you can only get through them with a strong will. When your will is tempered to a certain level, the impact of illusions or nightmares on you will be greatly reduced."

"Alright, you can go now. Remember what I taught you today."

"Oh"

Shinji nodded, seemingly puzzled, clearly not understanding why Luo Mu was doing this.

but.

Although Luo Mu sometimes gave him a feeling of unreliability, Shinji still unconditionally trusted him in this regard.

Since Professor Luo Mu deliberately brought this up, there must be a deeper meaning behind it.

Future training plans will include practicing "sleep talking" moves to counter sleep, as well as training the Pokémon's mental strength.

Before leaving, Shinji asked Luo Mu, "So, teacher, how long do you plan to stay in Baiyang Town?"

"It's been almost a week now, is everything alright at the academy?"

"Actually, it's alright. I gave them a long-term mission before I left. You can participate in it after your trip to the Sinnoh region is over."

Luo Mu smiled, then changed the subject.

"However, you're right, it is indeed about time to go back."

"I'm also somewhat interested in the 'time distortion' happening in Ashford Town. After exploring it a bit, I'll say hello to the people and Pokémon I know, and then I can prepare to head back."

Gaudi's courtyard.

The battle the day before yesterday did not seem to have much of an impact on the Pokémon living in this courtyard.

After wandering around Baiyang Town several times without finding even the slightest sign of "space-time distortion," Luo Mu was forced to abandon this idea and came here instead.

It seems that the intensity of the battle and the level of spacetime imbalance also affect the scale of "spacetime distortion".

As they walked deeper into the courtyard, looking at this deserted corner, Luo Mu suddenly said, "Darkrai, I've come to say goodbye."

"I do not like this."

Darkrai's figure quietly emerged from the shadows, but it didn't mean goodbye or that it was reluctant to part with Luo Mu; rather, it meant that it didn't like Luo Mu finding his own way.

Darkrai disliked having his mind spied on.

"I just roughly sensed your location. Who would want to spy on your privacy?"

Luo Mu felt extremely wronged.

Although Darkrai's mind was now within the reach of the "Overpower" after the "misunderstanding" was cleared up, Luo Mu didn't do anything so despicable.

He generally only uses "Psychic Power" as a time-delayed translator and a convenient "tool" to roughly sense Pokémon emotions.

Darkrai snorted, but didn't dwell on the matter. Instead, he looked at Darkrai and Mimikyu with a questioning gaze. "Are you planning to leave soon?"

“Yes, there’s nothing left for us to do here.” Luo Mu nodded, then asked, “What about you? Are you still planning to stay in this courtyard?”

"Of course, I will always protect this place."

Darkrai's expression turned much more serious when the topic came up.

Darkrai's words sounded almost like a repetition of a promise he had made to someone.

"Very well." Luo Mu smiled lightly. "After this incident, including that baron, no one in Baiyang Town should be hostile to you anymore."

"Of course, if you are ever lonely, you are always welcome to visit my farm."

"Hmph, it depends on my mood."

Darkrai gave Luo Mu a complicated look.

In its view, given its previous behavior, it would have been lenient if Luo Mu hadn't been hostile towards it.

Darkrai's offer to teach "Dark Hole" was also a way for him to make amends in his own way.

Logically speaking, this would settle things evenly between the two parties, and Luo Mu should have no need to become close friends with him.

It couldn't quite understand what this human was thinking.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing Darkrai's reply, Luo Mu raised an eyebrow, and a wicked idea immediately popped into his head.

"So you want to find that girl named Alice? Because she's the granddaughter of Alicia, the one who saved you, and they look exactly alike?"

"How...how did you know?!"

Darkrai could no longer maintain his indifferent facade and glared angrily at Luo Mu.

Sure enough, this guy definitely saw something!
After finishing his business in Baiyang Town and saying goodbye to Zhulan, who was investigating "time distortion,"...

This time, Luo Mu did not travel by train back to Black Gold City, and then went to Zhuqing City to take a flight to the Padiya region.

Instead, they boarded the "Dragon Express" and returned to their farm in Pingdie Township early on May 6.

Luo Mu plopped down on the sofa he had chosen, let out a long sigh of relief, and relaxed completely.

really.

No matter how nice the villa environment is, one's own home is still the most relaxing.

Not to mention, in terms of the level of care put into it, my own home is definitely much better than that villa where I only live occasionally.

Moreover, Luo Mu actually lived in the ancient world for almost a month.
Just as Luo Mu was enjoying this rare moment of peace, with Espeon on his left and Umbreon on his right.

A shadow fell over his head.

Luo Mu looked up and saw Zhi Huixing's figure blocking the light.

"Huh? What's the matter?"

He asked Zhi Huixing in a somewhat languid tone, his face showing a hint of hesitation.

A telepathic voice belonging to Zhihui Xing rang out.

"That guest hasn't shown up at the farm recently."

Luo Mu looked in the direction that Zhi Huixing was pointing with the feather fan.

It was a corner near the floor-to-ceiling window next to the living room, with plenty of natural light, and decorated like a cat tree, allowing Pokémon to sunbathe there as they pleased.

Normally, the Zygarde Core would be sunbathing there, but at this moment, the place was empty.

Luo Mu blinked and instantly realized who the "guest" Zhi Hui Xing was referring to was.

They freeloaded on food and lodging, but since they weren't officially employed by the farm, they were naturally categorized as "guests."

Luo Mu frowned and asked, "How long has it been missing?"

"I haven't seen it since you left the farm, young master."

(End of this chapter)