Elf: Re-employment of retired champion of Padiya

Chapter 860 Locust Plague and the Return of the Fisherman
Luo Mu was taken aback by Zhi Huixing's answer.

It means that after setting off to the Sinnoh region with their full starting lineup and the determination to compete in the "Supreme Tournament".

Zygarde Core hasn't appeared on the farm?

Could it be that it secretly followed me out of the village and smuggled itself to Xicui, but forgot to come back?

No, that's not right.

The idea only flashed through Luo Mu's mind for a moment before he completely rejected it.

Zygarde Core is surprisingly good at hiding.

Leaving aside itself, at least the Lacecrown couldn't possibly have failed to notice that it was following.

Throughout the journey, the King of the Rachel never mentioned to him that anyone had secretly followed them.

Even after Sticky Baby fused and evolved its cells and supplies, it still didn't jump out.

Therefore, the claim that the Zygarde core definitely didn't catch up is untenable from the start.

So where did it go?

Luo Mu wasn't quite sure. In the end, if he had to say which Pokémon he knew the least about on the entire farm, it would definitely be Zygarde Core.

After encountering it in the final cave in the Alola region, it inexplicably followed me back, and then spent its time eating, drinking, sunbathing, and even splitting its cells on the farm.

It's completely unclear what it's thinking or what its plans are.

The cells are still there.

Luo Mu closed his eyes, no longer needing the system's prompts. He could clearly perceive the countless Zygarde cells scattered throughout the farm and even the town of Pingdie, centered on himself, through his "Superpower."

After pondering for a moment, Luo Mu couldn't figure out what it was doing, so he simply gave up.

Luo Mu waved his hand.

"It's nothing serious, let it go."

Given the strength of Zygarde's core, it will not encounter any danger.

The cells it has been dividing in the Padiya region for so long, even without drawing on cells from other parts of the world, would be more than enough to change its form by 10%.

Unlike other regions, the Padiyah region has at most a few insignificant poachers and, of course, a small number of bad people.

Unless a large, evil organization causes trouble, it's unlikely to pose any threat to Zygarde's core.

This is why Luo Mu initially planned to build a farm in the Padiya region, rather than going to other regions.

The reason is simple: apart from the hidden threat posed by the Padiya Crater, this area is actually very safe.

"it is good."

Zhihui Xing nodded. Since Luo Mu had said so, it stopped dwelling on the matter and began to report to Luo Mu what had happened at the farm and gym during the days he was away.

In just one week, nothing particularly noteworthy happened on the farm.

The gym is also operating steadily under Orangutan's management, receiving many challengers who want to qualify for the Pokémon World Championships, and issuing some qualifications according to the selection criteria set by Rhodes.

"Then, during this time, Pingdie Town also became somewhat unsettled due to some events." Zhihuixing paused, his tone low.

"Oh?"

Luo Mu raised an eyebrow, his eyes filled with curiosity as he looked at Zhi Hui Xing.

"There seems to be a problem with some farmland on the other side of town, opposite our farm, which is causing a shortage of the amount of crops the town usually consumes."

"Therefore, many people have come to our unaffected farms to buy crops."

Hearing Zhihui Xing say this, Luo Mu became interested.

"Speaking of which, it's about time. There's a high chance of a 'locust plague' this summer," Luo Mu muttered to himself.

The "locust plague" he mentioned did not simply refer to an ordinary insect swarm.

After all, with such amazing creatures as Pokémon around, it's a miracle that ordinary creatures can survive, and most of them are kept in captivity and protected by humans.

Before Luo Mu's transmigration, the locust plague that terrified farmers was simply not going to cause any trouble in this world.

In the Padia region, there is a Pokémon called Beancricket.

Although you might mistake this Pokémon for a cricket based on its name.

However, the prototype of the bean cricket is more like a creature called a "flea cricket".

This creature feeds on plants and frequently damages the roots of crops such as corn and sweet potatoes, making it a true pest.

However, the bean crickets in the Padida region were not classified as pests.

These small, insect-like Pokémon are generally mild-mannered and mainly feed on tender leaves and sap from plants. When in danger, they use their third pair of legs, which are folded up on their backs, to jump and escape.

Their calls are also common "background music" on summer nights in the Padia region. They are a very common Pokémon that is an integral part of the Padia region's ecosystem.

Whether they operate alone or in small groups, their harm to natural and man-made farmland remains within a controllable range.

However, once the population of bean crickets explodes due to favorable climate and abundant food resources, reaching a certain critical density, things will start to go in the wrong direction.

When the number of bean crickets becomes too large and there is no longer enough food for them in an area.

This overcrowding and competition for resources act like a key, allowing Cricket, which is already a Bug-type Pokémon that evolves relatively quickly, to further accelerate its evolution under immense survival pressure.

This even triggered a phenomenon known as "collective evolution".

This resulted in the birth of the Fierce-legged Locust, an evolutionary form based on the infamous locust.

Unlike the bean cricket, which is relatively mild-mannered, or rather, has to be mild-mannered because of its own weakness.

The Fiery Leg Locust, whose temperament undergoes a complete 180-degree change, becomes not only extremely aggressive, destructive, and migratory.

The increased appetite also means that they are no longer satisfied with feeding in a small area, but will quickly gather together to form a large-scale, coordinated swarm.

Wherever the insect swarms pass, it's not just the leaves and fruits of crops that suffer.

Even the tough stems, the deeply buried tubers, and even the bark of the orchard will be swept away by them, leaving only a mess.

This is no different from the "locust plague" in the real world before Luo Mu transmigrated.

What's even more troublesome is that, as a Pokémon rather than an ordinary grasshopper, a swarm of Razorback emits a special, highly penetrating insect chirp when they move in groups.

This high-frequency sound wave can not only precisely coordinate the unified actions of a large group, but also interfere with most sophisticated technological instruments, rendering them ineffective. It also seems to interfere with the perception and judgment of other Pokémon to some extent.

Furthermore, the enhanced jumping ability and brief gliding ability of the evolved locust have significantly reduced the effectiveness of traditional farmland protection nets and physical barriers.

Luo Mu had heard of it before.

The locust plague caused by the swarming locust is one of the most troublesome disasters in the Parthian region. They swarm in large numbers, move with lightning speed, have an enormous appetite, and are very adept at using their "insect sense" to pinpoint the most fertile fields with incredible accuracy.

Ordinary methods of driving them away and defending against them are of little effect. For most farms, once they are targeted by a large swarm of Fellegs, the few patrolling Pokémon they keep are simply unable to stop the swarm.

Once the defenses are breached, a field that has been painstakingly cultivated can be devoured and reduced to nothing within hours.

When Luo Mu opened his farm last year, he was lucky enough to avoid a locust plague, and he was confident that he could stop the swarms of locusts.

While the Padiya region is indeed peaceful and harmonious, it also has many problems; otherwise, Brother Ci Aoki wouldn't be so busy every day.

Luo Mu recalled that Ye Ci had put in a lot of effort to deal with the locust plague.

Again, the trainers, rangers, and the League's agricultural department were mobilized to intervene in the dense population of bean crickets and control the swarm size to prevent a locust plague.

However, we must be careful with the methods and approaches used to avoid causing excessive harm to the Pokémon.

Thanks to her efforts, the Padiyah region has not experienced locust plagues for several years, which used to cause massive losses every time they occurred.

However, human intervention always has its limits, and this method only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. At most, it can only postpone the locust plague for a few years.

According to Luo Mu, the Padiya region will inevitably face another locust plague sooner or later, possibly this year or in the next few years.

What Zhihui Xing was talking about is very likely that a small-scale locust plague has occurred at a farm on the other side of Pingdie Town.

As for why his own farm was unharmed, let's not even talk about the large number of Pokémon that guarded the farm every day, such as Regice.

The Sky Guard, composed of Steel-Armored Crows and Blue Crows hired by Luo Mu with benefits, was enough to scare away small groups of Fierce-Legged Locusts.

Birds and insects, flight and insects—this natural restraint is no joke.

Therefore, biological control is still the best way to prevent locust plagues.

However, Zhihui Xing's next answer surprised Luo Mu.

"I'm not sure if it's a locust plague."

"I've just heard that some of your students have been going there frequently lately, young master."

The intelligent gorilla recounted all the information it knew.

"Oh? You mean Papa and the others?" Luo Mu asked, somewhat surprised.

"There's another teacher. Papa and Uri have been picked up by that teacher after they finished their volunteer work at the dojo these past few days," Zhihui added.

Knowing that Luo Mu's students were paying attention to what was happening there, Zhi Huixing didn't deliberately try to gather information about it.

Otherwise, even if he believed that the farm would not be so easily invaded or damaged by disasters, just to be on the safe side, Zhihuixing would still find out the situation and inside story as soon as he received the news.

"I see, we understand."

Luo Mu kept stroking the chins of Espeon and Umbreon with both hands, a thoughtful expression on his face.

The teacher Zhihui Xing mentioned is most likely Leihe.

Based on the final assignments I left for several students before I left the Padiyah region.

Perhaps this matter is even related to those four "treasures of disaster".

Having already anticipated this, Luo Mu planned to ask about the details when he returned to Orange Academy for classes the next day.

After recounting what seemed to be related to both the "locust plague" and the "treasure of disaster," Zhihui Xing spoke again:

"Finally, as agreed, Ms. Rika from the Kanto region sent a package containing perfume."

It used its telekinesis to bring over a beautiful velvet box, revealing several exquisitely designed perfume bottles inside.

"So fast?"

Luo Mu's eyes lit up, and he picked up a bottle of perfume to examine it carefully.

Given the considerable distance between the Kanto region and the Padiya region, express delivery is usually handled via international shipping.

Judging from this, it seems that Rika was immediately packed and shipped as soon as she landed in the Kanto region.

This person can handle it!

Promising her to let the farm's Pokémon model for her new perfume was definitely the right decision.

Luo Mu squinted, examining the perfume that displayed different colors as he shook the bottle and adjusted the angle.

The idea that had been lingering in his mind ever since he witnessed Rika win over Baggogo and the others with the scent of this perfume.

I finally had the chance to give it a try.

Of course, Luo Mu had no intention of spraying perfume on himself.

He believes his charm doesn't need perfume to enhance it.

What he really wanted to do with this perfume was...
Thinking of this, Luo Mu stood up abruptly and waved his hand, saying, "Zhihui Xing, bring my old buddy!"

The intelligent monkey understood instantly.

"Young Master, are you planning to go fishing this afternoon?"

It can only be said that the intelligent gorilla lives up to its high intelligence and long-standing experience.

Even though it almost unconsciously misspoke, it still corrected itself without batting an eye.

"Hmm." Luo Mu nodded reservedly, pretending not to hear the slip of the tongue. "The area of ​​Lake Thunder has been expanded for some time now. Usually, the lake is inhabited by aquatic Pokémon such as Poliwag, Dragonair, Milotic, and Tapu Fini, so it's a bit empty."

Luo Mu paused, then changed his tone, saying in what he considered a nonchalant manner, "It's time to add some new life to it, to inject some vitality."

"It's better to have more species if there's no conflict."

"Understood. I'll go prepare the fishing tackle and equipment right away. Would you like to prepare your own bait, young master?"

"Ah."

Luo Mu nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

What a joke! As a true angler, he has his own pride and principles.

You have to make your own bait and catch your own fish!
Otherwise, even if he were to be protected by a powerful force, his Dao heart would remain unstable.

Besides, I've acquired a secret weapon today, so I'm even less likely to entrust the most crucial step to someone else.

As Zhihui turned to prepare the fishing rod and other tools, Luo Mu shook the liquid in the bottle and let out a laugh that sent a chill down the spines of the Eevee sisters.

"Hehehe, there won't be any air force failures today!"

Thinking of this, Luo Mu hurriedly called out to Zhi Huixing's departing figure, "Oh, and remember to prepare the biggest bucket for me today!"

(End of this chapter)