Chapter Summaries

Luo Mu refused Lysandre’s invitation to join his lab and returned to Paldea, where he delivered souvenirs and learned that a fake Professor Oak account had contacted Iono. By the evening of March 27, he was nearing Los Platos.

• Lysandre invited Luo Mu to join his lab, but Luo Mu firmly refused and Lysandre left without pressing him.
• Luo Mu attended the rest of the banquet, made new contacts, and watched Limonene’s Mega Blaziken fall to a single punch from Swampert.
• On March 26, Luo Mu returned to Levincia and delivered Lumiose Galettes to Uncle Yu Ren and Iono.
• Iono told Luo Mu that Nemona had gone home to reflect on her Gym battles and that their edited battle video had boosted her follower count.
• Luo Mu identified a blank account claiming to be Professor Oak as a scam, and Iono deleted and blocked it.
• Luo Mu traveled by truck from Levincia toward Los Platos, which came into view on the evening of March 27.

Luo Mu returned to the farm with Oranguru and souvenirs, reuniting with the Pokémon and introducing Oranguru as the new head steward. The farm welcomed its new companion, while Serperior and Moltres were left wondering whether Mimikyu had seen their quarrel.

• Luxray stopped Serperior and Moltres from fighting after Moltres explained that its poor appetite came from missing Luo Mu’s cooking.
• Luxray caught Luo Mu’s scent and ran to meet him, with Serperior and Moltres following.
• Luo Mu arrived with Oranguru and souvenirs, and the farm Pokémon greeted him enthusiastically.
• Luo Mu introduced Oranguru as the farm’s new head steward, and Oranguru presented itself through Telepathy.

Luo Mu planned to expand and improve the farm while preparing to test Swampert’s Mega Evolution. With their bond resonating through the Evolution Key Stone and Swampert Mega Stone, Swampert successfully Mega Evolved before the gathered Pokémon.

• Oranguru presented Luo Mu with a detailed list of Pokémon that could benefit the farm, and Luo Mu chose Salt Rock Titan, Skiddo, and Miltank as potential additions.
• Luo Mu praised Mudsdale, Comfey, and Eldegoss for improving their care of the Herba Mystica crops, then considered recruiting Landorus or Calyrex to help the farm in the future.
• Luo Mu gathered the farm’s Pokémon to test Swampert’s Mega Evolution, with Dragonite preparing to spar against it afterward.
• Luo Mu and Swampert recalled how he had rescued Mudkip from Pokémon Hunters, strengthening their connection as they activated the Evolution Key Stone and Swampert Mega Stone.
• Swampert Mega Evolved, growing larger and more powerful before roaring and sending its imposing aura across the clearing.

Luo Mu watched Swampert Mega Evolve and demonstrate its overwhelming strength and new Swift Swim Ability in the rain. He paired Swampert with Politoed as a future battle team, leaving the two ready to develop their teamwork.

• Swampert Mega Evolved, summoned torrential rain, and adapted quickly to its new power.
• Mega Swampert used Aqua Jet to strike Dragonite, sending it flying despite Dragonite blocking with Dragon Claw.
• Luo Mu and the other Pokémon reacted to Mega Swampert's strength, while Dragonite recovered from the blow.
• Luo Mu explained that Swift Swim dramatically increased Mega Swampert's speed in rain and identified Politoed's Drizzle as an ideal partner Ability.
• Luo Mu encouraged Politoed and Mega Swampert to fight together in Double Battles, and Politoed eagerly imagined their future victories.

After Mega Swampert’s arrival sparked a training craze, Luo Mu finished harvesting the ranch’s grass and welcomed Officer Jenny, who came with evidence linking Grafaiai’s abandonment to a Naranja Academy student. Officer Jenny asked Luo Mu to help identify the culprit and showed him files on students who had caught Nacli and Grafaiai.

• Swampert’s Mega Evolution overtook Luxray as the team’s ace, but Luxray accepted the change and resumed training with Swampert.
• Luo Mu harvested the ranch’s grass with help from Ceruledge and Oranguru, then considered making grass-based dishes and tea from the Deerling’s flowers.
• Dachsbun brought Luo Mu a note from Oranguru saying a guest had arrived, and Luo Mu returned to find Officer Jenny being served tea and cake.
• Officer Jenny told Luo Mu that Grafaiai’s drawing and the victims’ shared connections pointed to a Naranja Academy student as its abandoner.
• Officer Jenny explained that she needed Luo Mu’s help investigating at the academy and showed him files and photographs of students who had caught Nacli and Grafaiai.

Luo Mu dealt with the fallout from Grafaiai’s abandonment and then welcomed Arven to the farm, where he prepared hay-based treats for Pokémon that would move into the Ranch Area. The chapter left Arven enjoying his visit while Luo Mu wondered whether Mudsdale and Deerling would eat the unusual food.

• Luo Mu worried that the Naranja Academy student who abandoned Grafaiai could cause a scandal and debated whether to inform Chairwoman Geeta or President Mu Fei.
• Arven arrived at the farm, explained that he had messaged Luo Mu, and said Pina had seemed listless at school.
• Arven excitedly recognized the newly evolved Arcanine and rode it around the farm.
• Arven followed Luo Mu into the kitchen, where Luo Mu explained that he was making hay-based food for Pokémon moving into the Ranch Area.
• Luo Mu made Grassy Cake, then began preparing other hay-based dishes while Arven watched and ate cake.

Luo Mu visited Aili Ranch to choose more Pokémon for his farm and helped Nemona look for a Tauros partner. He requested three additional Pokémon lines from Erimos, while Nemona prepared to choose among Paldea’s Tauros breeds.

• Luo Mu had Arven bring Mudsdale and the Deerling to sample the grass-based dishes, then planned weekly menus for the ranch Pokémon.
• Oranguru offered to make feeding troughs, and Luo Mu warned Arven that he would give him a pop quiz when classes resumed.
• On April 2, Oranguru prepared Luo Mu a bento before he left for Aili Ranch.
• Nemona asked Erimos to let her choose a Tauros as her new partner, and Luo Mu agreed to help her select one.
• Luo Mu told Erimos he also wanted to bring back Pokémon from the Naclstack, Skiddo, and Miltank lines.

Luo Mu visited Aili Ranch with Nemona to choose Pokémon, but the Miltank had already sold out. Nemona caught a Tauros, and Luo Mu bought two Skiddo and three Naclstack before discovering that Erimos was his student Erichis's grandfather.

• Erimos told Luo Mu that the ranch had no Miltank available, then showed him the energetic Paldea Tauros.
• Nemona revealed that her home had a long private beach, and Luo Mu used Swampert's Earthquake to single out a bold Aqua Breed Tauros for her to catch.
• Nemona battled the Tauros with Pawmot and caught it, then rested while Luo Mu and Erimos went to select other Pokémon.
• Luo Mu learned that Erimos was Erichis's grandfather, then chose two Skiddo and three Naclstack at the ranch.
• Luo Mu paid Erimos eighty-five thousand League currency for the Skiddo and Naclstack.

Luo Mu accepted Nemona’s help in finding a Miltank and accompanied her to a Pokémon Center, where he discovered Jian Yi and other students bullying Qi Ren over the injuries his Wattrel suffered. He stopped Qi Ren from retaliating, then blocked Jian Yi’s group from leaving and threatened to make them hug Swampert.

• Erimos gave Luo Mu Poké Balls containing two Skiddo and three Naclstack, and Nemona found a Miltank ranch in Alfornada through Sebas.
• Nemona took her Pokémon to the Pokémon Center to recover before Luo Mu’s strenuous afternoon class.
• Luo Mu followed Jian Yi and other Naranja Academy students outside after noticing them crowding around Qi Ren.
• Jian Yi mocked Qi Ren and admitted that he and the others had tricked him into approaching Bewear, leaving Wattrel badly injured.
• Luo Mu stopped Qi Ren from reaching into his pocket, then blocked Jian Yi’s group with a boulder dropped by Dragonite.
• Luo Mu had Swampert crush the boulder and told Jian Yi’s group they would have to hug Swampert to leave.

Luo Mu punished students who bullied Qi Ren, then put Naranja Academy’s students through a grueling Pokémon battle class that revealed their growth and exposed Pina’s isolation. After presenting evidence of bullying and Pokémon abandonment to Geeta and Mu Fei, he prompted Geeta to order a full investigation and purge of the academy.

• Luo Mu had Swampert frighten Jian Yi and the other students who had tried to send Qi Ren against Bewear, then confiscated Qi Ren’s pen and told him to focus on studying.
• Luo Mu called roll at Naranja Academy and noticed Pina was absent before testing the students’ progress in battles against his Pokémon.
• Comfey defeated Erichis’s Meowscarada with Dazzling Gleam, and the students spent the rest of the class battling Luo Mu’s Pokémon until they were exhausted.
• Erichis said Meowscarada had learned Energy Ball from Comfey, Pippa reported progress toward Primeape’s evolution, and Arven complained about Eldegoss’s attacks.
• Pina watched the exhausted students from behind a tree, while a girl with an Eevee backpack passed the field and walked away in silence.
• Luo Mu briefed Geeta and Mu Fei on bullying and Pokémon abandonment at the academy, and Geeta ordered an immediate investigation and a purge within half a month.

Geeta began investigating problems at Naranja Academy, while Luo Mu brought five new Pokémon home to meet the farm’s residents. The Naclstack charmed everyone by healing Ceruledge’s armor with their salt, and the two Skiddo tried to make friends by exposing their bellies.

• Geeta left to deal with corruption and bullying at Naranja Academy, and Mu Fei told Luo Mu that she would use League personnel to investigate.
• Luo Mu told Mu Fei that Ortega had been isolated by his classmates but now had two genuine friends; Mu Fei then blamed himself for overlooking the students’ problems.
• Academy staff and Pokémon searched surveillance footage and the campus for clues overnight.
• Luo Mu returned to the farm and introduced five new Pokémon to the Pokémon living indoors, where the two Skiddo nervously hid behind him.
• The three Naclstack sprinkled salt on Ceruledge’s armor, helping its practice injuries heal and winning the other Pokémon’s affection.
• The two Skiddo walked into the group, rolled onto their backs, and exposed their bellies to try to make friends.

After helping the Skiddo recover from their awkward invitation, Luo Mu woke embarrassed but found his Pokémon grateful for his kindness. Clemont sent word that he and Luxray had reconciled, and the Skiddo began settling into life at the ranch.

• Luo Mu emerged from his blankets the morning after stepping in to drink the Skiddo's milk, while Oranguru and the other Pokémon showed him affection.
• Oranguru showed Luo Mu the carefully made feeding troughs, which Mimikyu and several other Pokémon had helped build.
• Luo Mu read Clemont's message saying Luxray had forgiven him, agreed to return to Lumiose City as his partner, and planned to develop a way for people and Pokémon to communicate.
• Luo Mu introduced the Skiddo to Mudsdale and the Deerling at the ranch; the Deerling welcomed them by licking their faces.

Luo Mu settled the new Skiddo and planned more ranch facilities while Oranguru cleaned up after the Naclstack. Watching Ash win his Indigo Plateau Conference match against Hiroshi, Luo Mu realized the future had changed and worried that Ash might not travel to the Orange Archipelago to stop its coming disaster.

• Luo Mu left the Skiddo with the Deerling and discussed building a Salt House and improving the ranch with Oranguru.
• Luo Mu planned to ask Zapdos to generate electricity and hoped to find Articuno to help preserve food, while Oranguru cleaned salt from the living room.
• Luo Mu called Geeta and learned that she had begun investigating the people disrupting Naranja Academy without needing his help.
• Luo Mu watched Ash defeat Hiroshi and advance to the quarterfinals of the Indigo Plateau Conference, unlike in Luo Mu's memories.
• Luo Mu realized Ash's victory could change whether he traveled to the Orange Archipelago and worried about the disaster there and Delibird's safety.

As Geeta’s Operation Rat Removal exposed bullying and misconduct at Naranja Academy, Botan worried that news of her own mistreatment would alarm her family and strain relations between Paldea and Galar. She asked Luo Mu to keep the matter quiet and revealed that her father was Peony and her uncle was Rose.

• Botan watched academy staff remove students who had bullied her and worried that her family would learn what had happened.
• Botan discovered that Luo Mu was helping drive Operation Rat Removal and decided to ask him to prevent the bullying news from spreading.
• Luo Mu asked Pippa about Pina’s absence and learned that Pina was facing opposition to his new school rules.
• Botan approached Luo Mu in the library and asked him to suppress information about her bullying.
• Luo Mu agreed to speak with Geeta if Botan explained her family connections, and she named Peony as her father and Rose as her uncle.

Luo Mu helped Botan resolve the bullying at Naranja Academy without exposing her background, then welcomed the completion of the Salt House for his Naclstack. He also reassured Serperior about its place on the farm and persuaded it to help reinforce Moltres’s birdhouse, leaving their feud poised to ease.

• Luo Mu told Geeta that Botan was related to Galar’s former Champion and chairman, and Geeta agreed to suppress the matter and punish the students and teachers involved under other pretexts.
• Botan thanked Luo Mu and returned to her dorm, relieved that the bullying would be addressed without reaching her father or worsening relations between the regions.
• The Machop Construction Team completed the Salt House, and Luo Mu showed the Naclstack their new home and gave them soil to eat.
• Luo Mu planned to look for nearby mines for food for his Rock-type Pokémon, then headed to milk the Skiddo with Serperior’s help.
• Luo Mu reassured Serperior that it was irreplaceable to him and persuaded it to reinforce Moltres’s birdhouse, hoping the gesture would ease their conflict.

Luo Mu left his farm with Dragonite and traveled to Alfornada to visit Miltank Home, where he met its owner, Hanzawa, and tasted the ranch’s excellent Moomoo Milk. He began his visit after learning that Hanzawa sold the milk cheaply to local miners.

• Luo Mu milked the two Skiddo, then asked Serperior to help Moltres reinforce its birdhouse.
• The next morning, Luo Mu left Mimikyu asleep and took Dragonite to Alfornada, while Oranguru worried that Ceruledge’s former owner might still be there.
• Dragonite flew Luo Mu to Miltank Home, where miners were buying discounted Moomoo Milk from Hanzawa and several Miltank.
• Hanzawa recognized Luo Mu and had a Miltank guide him inside.
• A Miltank served Luo Mu a warm bottle of Moomoo Milk, and he found it exceptionally delicious.

Luo Mu visited Hanzawa’s ranch to choose a Miltank to adopt and learned why Hanzawa had moved to Alfornada and sold Moomoo Milk cheaply to miners. He picked out a Miltank whose green glow suggested it had the hidden Ability Sap Sipper.

• Hanzawa showed Luo Mu his Johto-raised Miltank and explained that he considered them family, so he would not sell them for money.
• Hanzawa told Luo Mu that he had moved to Paldea hoping to find the knight-like Pokémon that had saved him from a Tyranitar in Alfornada years ago.
• Hanzawa admitted he sold Moomoo Milk below market price to build a relationship with the miners and gain access to the mine where he had met the hero.
• Luo Mu examined the Miltank and chose one that kept eating grass as a faint green glow flickered around its body.

Luo Mu chose a Sap Sipper Miltank from Hanzawa’s ranch and brought it to his farm after Hanzawa agreed to let it go. While walking through Alfornada, Luo Mu remembered how he once worked there to fund his journey and met Kimura, Ceruledge’s former Trainer.

• Luo Mu recognized that one of Hanzawa’s Miltank likely had Sap Sipper and offered it a home with abundant pasture grass.
• The Miltank hesitated out of loyalty to Hanzawa, but Hanzawa approved the move and handed Luo Mu its Poké Ball.
• Luo Mu promised Hanzawa he could visit the Miltank at the farm in Los Platos, then left for Alfornada.
• Walking through Alfornada, Luo Mu recalled that he had once stayed there to earn travel money by taking Pokémon Center jobs to drive away Wild Pokémon.
• Luo Mu remembered meeting Kimura while teaming up on a larger assignment and identified him as Ceruledge’s former Trainer, back when Ceruledge was a Charcadet.

Luo Mu revisited the Alfornada Pokémon Center, where he remembered how Kimura had abandoned Charcadet after giving up on his dream of clearing the seventh Gym. When Trainers arrived with badly injured Pokémon and reported that Kimura was confronting a powerful Tyranitar, Luo Mu offered to handle it.

• Luo Mu recalled meeting Kimura during an Onix mission and learning that Kimura had released Charcadet because it could not evolve into Ceruledge.
• Luo Mu visited Nurse Joy Yumi at the Alfornada Pokémon Center and told her he had cleared all eight Gyms, passed the Champion Assessment, and retired to run a farm in Los Platos.
• Luo Mu and Yumi caught up, and he prepared to leave Alfornada without seeking out Kimura.
• Su En and the other injured Trainers rushed into the Pokémon Center and asked Yumi to treat their Pokémon after a Tyranitar defeated them in one exchange.
• Su En explained that Kimura was keeping the Tyranitar occupied while they sought reinforcements, and Luo Mu asked where the mission was so he could handle it.

Luo Mu flew to Mine No. 41 and sent Ceruledge to stop a rampaging Tyranitar that had overwhelmed the local Trainers. Ceruledge defeated Tyranitar in minutes, and Kimura began to suspect it was the Ceruledge he once knew.

• Joy trusted Luo Mu to handle the Tyranitar at Mine No. 41 and sent him the coordinates.
• Luo Mu arrived on Dragonite and chose Ceruledge to fight while Kimura and the other Trainers struggled to contain Tyranitar.
• Tyranitar knocked Floatzel unconscious and attacked Kimura, but Ceruledge rushed in and cut apart its Stone Edge.
• Ceruledge overwhelmed Tyranitar with its swordsmanship and defeated it in less than three minutes.
• Kimura recognized Ceruledge approaching Luo Mu and wondered if it was the one he knew.