Terastallize, Swampert!

Caller: Professor Sada.

"Huh?"

Luo Mu let out a soft sound of surprise. Professor Sada was calling at this time—had the Tera Orb already been processed?

Luo Mu's long, well-defined fingers swiftly tapped the answer button on the screen. A few faint bursts of static came through the phone's speaker, and Luo Mu sighed. "Come to think of it, it's about time I replaced this phone."

Back when he had first transmigrated into this world, knowing full well that falling behind meant getting beaten, he had spent most of his savings to pick up this phone at a secondhand market.

It was also because of this phone that he had met Luxray.

"What's wrong with your phone?"

A woman's faintly amused voice came from the phone's speaker. It belonged to Professor Sada.

Luo Mu, who had been about to sink into his memories, was jolted awake by Olin's voice. He blinked, quickly composed himself, and replied, "It's getting a little old. I'm planning to find a chance to replace it with a new one."

"I see." On the other end of the call, Olin used her long legs to spin her rocking chair around, then got straight to the point. "The Tera Orb has been made."

"Oh?" Luo Mu's eyes began to shine. That was truly good news. He immediately asked, "Do I need to come to the Lighthouse Research Institute to pick it up?"

"No, a little deliveryman volunteered to help out~" Olin's tone gradually softened, carrying a deeply hidden trace of pride.

"...Arven came?" Luo Mu's expression stiffened, and his tone was somewhat hesitant. Yet Olin's silent confirmation left him at a loss for words. Helplessly, he said, "He's only a ten-year-old child. Professor, are you really comfortable letting him cross the wilderness of South District One to come to Los Platos?"

"Why wouldn't I be? That child is already ten years old. Children in other Regions would have received their Starter Pokémon, become Trainers, and set off on journeys filled with dreams and adventure." Olin knew what Luo Mu was worried about and explained, "Mabosstiff is accompanying Arven. With its strength, getting through South District One, which is meant for novice Trainers, will be more than enough."

"Professor Sada, you're right."

Luo Mu admitted that Olin had convinced him.

Indeed, because he had already been seventeen when he transmigrated here, he had subconsciously forgotten one of the most outrageous settings in the Pokémon world.

In this world, children who reached the age of ten could receive their Starter Pokémon, officially become rookie Trainers, and head out on adventures.

Both Arven and Nemona, whom he had rescued not long ago, had reached this age of "independence."

"Anyway, Arven has been traveling for a while now. He's probably almost at Los Platos. He doesn't know where your farm is, so I'll have to trouble you to pick him up at the town entrance~"

"Alright, I understand." Luo Mu gave a slight nod. As he answered Professor Sada, he looked into the distance, where Swampert was walking toward him.

As though she had remembered something, Olin suddenly said, "Oh, right. If you have any questions after receiving the Tera Orb, try to ask me within the next few days."

"Around the time Naranja Academy starts, my husband and I will be returning to the Paldea Great Pit for research. By then, we probably won't have time to deal with these matters."

Luo Mu fell silent for a moment before asking, "If both of you are going into the Great Pit for research, what about Arven?"

Olin replied with a strange expression, "Naranja Academy is a boarding school. In order to help Arven fit in, even if we were home, we would still have him stay at school. Don't let his appearance fool you—he's actually quite independent. Recently, he even seems to have become interested in cooking."

"So, I'll have to trouble Teacher Luo Mu to take good care of Arven during this time~"

"...Alright." Luo Mu sighed and replied.

Olin chatted with Luo Mu for a few more moments before ending the call herself. Luo Mu looked at Swampert, which had already arrived beside him, and said apologetically, "Let's go. We still need to head into town to pick someone up."

Swampert nodded and followed Luo Mu's footsteps, its gait as steady and weighty as the earth.

South District One, Lighthouse Research Institute.

Seeing his wife end the call, Futu, dressed in futuristic clothing, said to her, "It seems that once our research makes progress, we'll need to prepare a special gift to thank this teacher."

Olin stroked the beast-fang necklace on her chest and nodded. "Ever since I heard the rumors that students at Naranja Academy bullied one another, I've been worried about Arven. That child isn't very calculating. When faced with bullies, he might silently choose to suffer the loss. Aside from Chairwoman Geeta, we don't know anyone well at Naranja Academy."

"Clavell may be planning to join Naranja Academy, but distant water cannot put out a nearby fire."

"Perhaps it's a wild instinct. I felt that this new teacher was someone we could entrust him to, so I shamelessly asked him for this favor."

Futu took out the Violet Book he carried with him and absentmindedly stroked its cover. "Shameless, you say? You're right. In order to fulfill the dreams and long-cherished wishes we both have, once we enter the Great Pit, we probably won't have much time to accompany Arven throughout the year. And there's no telling how many years such days will continue."

"On one side is the dream we have admired since our youth. On the other is our responsibility as parents. Reality truly is cruel."

Olin stood up, patted Futu on the shoulder, and said in a low voice, "But Teacher Luo Mu's question also struck at the heart of the issue. If we enter the Great Pit for research, what about Arven?"

"Will that child be sad? Will he be lonely? Shamefully, I had never considered such things before."

Futu embraced Olin and said softly, "Let's work hard together. Let's find a balance between dreams and responsibility."

"Alright."

"Wow~ Is this Uncle Luo Mu's farm?" Arven's eyes were filled with curiosity as he eagerly took in the surrounding scenery.

You were about to call me uncle, weren't you?

Luo Mu smiled without warmth. "As you can see, most of it is still wasteland. There's still a long road ahead before it can be transformed into a proper farm."

Arven nodded, lost in thought. He crouched down and took a black crystalline sphere shaped like a Poké Ball from the backpack on Mabosstiff, which seemed somewhat restrained in its movements because Swampert was present. Then, he held it out to Luo Mu with both hands.

"Brother Luo Mu, this is the Tera Orb Mom asked me to bring you."

Luo Mu accepted the Tera Orb. The first thing he felt was its coolness and smoothness, as though it had been formed naturally without the slightest flaw.

The Tera Orb's black crystal shell made it difficult to imagine just how dazzlingly it could shine when used.

After examining it closely, Luo Mu could not help but marvel at the level of technology required to create such a beautiful item.

Arven tugged at his sleeve and asked, "Brother Luo Mu, do you know how to use it?"

Luo Mu hesitantly nodded. He still remembered the specific method of using it—it just depended on whether it would work.

Then, he looked toward Swampert at his side, and Swampert looked back at him at the same time.

Their mutual understanding allowed them to instantly grasp each other's intentions. The corners of Luo Mu's mouth lifted as he felt a long-forgotten heat rise in his chest, and he shouted, "Terastallize, Swampert!"