Mesagoza

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Nourished by that light rain, the grass in the Ranch Area had already grown to ankle height. Luo Mu felt that once it became even lusher, he could consider bringing in some suitable Pokémon.

With Serperior and the Eldegoss taking care of the Farming Area, and Swampert reliably bringing the Poliwag to water it on schedule, Luo Mu was fairly at ease leaving the daily care to them.

In a few more days, it would be time for the five Experimental Fields to be harvested. Once he confirmed that the crops were of acceptable quality, he could plant them on a larger scale and plan out an area for fruit trees while he was at it.

But those were matters for a few days later.

Today, Luo Mu had to break away from his leisurely daily life and put on an outfit he had spent a fortune buying specifically for today at Ordi Clothing Store.

More specifically, it was a black hooded sweatshirt paired with an army-green work jacket, work pants, and casual sneakers.

He had considered buying a casual suit, but ultimately gave up on the idea.

The reason was simple. He was only eighteen now. He didn't want to become a corporate drone in a suit this early!

Instead, the outfit he had chosen didn't make him look old, while its darker color scheme emphasized his own steadiness and reliability.

Standing before the old-fashioned mirror, Luo Mu checked that there was nothing obviously wrong with his outfit. He stomped his toes to make sure the shoes fit, then admired his handsome reflection for a moment before leaving the washroom and pushing open the front door.

Outside the Small Western-Style House, every Pokémon was gathered there, like an imperial harem awaiting an ancient emperor's selection of consorts.

Luo Mu swept his gaze over them, then began by naming the Pokémon who needed to stay behind to watch the farm.

"Serperior, Eldegoss, and the Gossifleur will take care of the Farming Area until I return. Swampert and the Poliwag will assist them."

As new members, Eldegoss, the Gossifleur, and the Poliwag gladly accepted the arrangement. Swampert did not particularly care either way—it happened to want to go back to sleep at its new home, Thunderclap Lake.

Serperior, however, was somewhat displeased. For the past few days, Luo Mu had spent every day with that fish-stealing bird in order to care for Growlithe, while it, his "wife from the lean years," could only miserably tend its tiny patch of land.

"Then there are the Pokémon coming to work with me. First, Dragonite. Whether I can commute every day and get home on time depends on you."

"Bo Wu!"

Dragonite snorted two streams of air from its nostrils, looking full of energy.

"Then there are Ceruledge and Growlithe. We're only going to complete the onboarding procedures today, so we'll use our free time to continue basic training."

Ceruledge, whose name had been called, stepped forward. Its armored face showed little emotional fluctuation.

Growlithe, on the other hand, happily jumped down from Moltres's back. Under Moltres's somewhat worried gaze, it wagged its tail and bounced over to Luo Mu's side.

"The rest of you whose names I didn't call will be responsible for protecting the farm." Luo Mu clapped his hands, indicating that those were all the arrangements. Then he looked at Luxray, which stood steadily in place without making a sound, and said with a smile, "I'll leave things at home to you. Keep a closer eye on it."

Luxray nodded steadily. This was the tacit understanding between it and Luo Mu. As his Starter Pokémon, it would not sulk just because Luo Mu occasionally did not bring it along.

After all, they still had a long life ahead of them.

Mesagoza, the largest city in the Paldea Region, was also home to Naranja Academy/Uva Academy, one of the World's few ancient schools.

After Geeta invited him to become a battle instructor, Luo Mu had specifically looked up information about Naranja Academy online.

That was when he discovered a fact that had been beyond his expectations.

Generally speaking, the academy's name in Mesagoza was determined by whether the game was the Scarlet or Violet version.

Yet according to what he had learned, Naranja Academy and Uva Academy here changed according to the seasons.

During spring and winter, the school's name and architectural style were those of Naranja Academy.

During summer and autumn, the school's name and architectural style became those of Uva Academy.

Luo Mu was rather speechless about this.

The way this timeline had fused together—or been rationalized—was kind of strange.

Although Dragonite's base 80 Speed was much criticized in the games, even losing to Garchomp after Mega Evolution reduced its Speed—

Reality was a different matter. At the very least, Dragonite's flight speed could rank among the top tier of most Pokémon.

Taking off from the farm outside Los Platos, it took only fifteen minutes before Mesagoza's outline came into view.

Riding on Dragonite's back, Luo Mu held the Growlithe in his arms, which found everything fascinating, and smiled. "That's our destination. Isn't it huge?"

"Woof, woof!"

Growlithe stuck out its tongue to feel the breeze rushing against its face and answered excitedly with two barks.

Feeling that they were roughly in the right position, Luo Mu freed one hand to pat Dragonite, stressing, "Get ready to land. Be ladylike about it, and don't cause too much of a commotion!"

"Bo Wu~"

Dragonite sighed. Left with no choice, it gave up on its plan to take Luo Mu and Growlithe into free fall. With a bored expression, it flapped its little wings and landed smoothly on the ground.

They landed right at Mesagoza's highest point, before the main gates of Naranja Academy.

Although school would not begin until tomorrow, quite a few students were already returning to the largely boarding-school Naranja Academy with their luggage and their parents.

Dragonite's landing attracted many overt and covert stares. For a moment, Luo Mu and Growlithe on its back became the focus of everyone's attention as well.

At the same time, his arrival caught the attention of a boy who had been waiting before the academy gates.

Pina wore Naranja Academy's spring uniform and looked around fifteen or sixteen years old. He studied Luo Mu several times, seemingly matching him against the image in his mind.

Only after Luo Mu calmly took out a Poké Ball and recalled Dragonite beneath the crowd's watchful gaze did Pina confirm that Luo Mu was the person he had been waiting for.

A nervous look appeared on Pina's face. He meticulously straightened his appearance, making thorough preparations for his first task after becoming Student Council President, before finally stepping forward and greeting him. "Hello, Teacher."

"Growl~?"

Before Luo Mu could respond to the boy, Growlithe at his feet spoke up first.

Pina: "????"

"You've only been born for a few days, and you already want to be someone else's teacher?" Luo Mu helplessly flicked Growlithe's little head. Turning back to Pina, he gave an apologetic smile and said, "Excuse me, this little one only hatched recently. It may have misunderstood what you meant."

Pina stood there in a daze. This new teacher seemed quite easygoing?