Terastallize, Swampert!

Caller: Dr. Jacq.

"Huh?"

Luo Mu let out a puzzled sound. Dr. Jacq was calling at this hour—had the Terastal Orb already been finished?

His long, slender fingers, knuckles clearly defined, quickly tapped the answer button. A few faint crackles came through the phone's speaker, and Luo Mu sighed. "Come to think of it, I should replace this phone."

When he had first crossed over into this world, knowing all too well that falling behind meant getting beaten, he had spent most of his savings to buy this phone secondhand.

It was thanks to this phone that he and Luxray had met.

"What's wrong with your phone?"

A woman's voice, tinged with amusement, came through the speaker. It belonged to Dr. Jacq.

Luo Mu had been about to get lost in his memories, but Dr. Jacq's voice snapped him out of it. He blinked, quickly refocused, and replied, "It's a little old. I'm planning to find a chance to get a new one."

"I see." On the other end of the call, Dr. Jacq used her long legs to spin her rocking chair around. Getting straight to the point, she said, "The Terastal Orb is ready."

"Oh?" Luo Mu's eyes lit up. This was great news. He immediately asked, "Should I come to the Lighthouse Institute to pick it up?"

"No, a little delivery boy volunteered to help~" Dr. Jacq's tone softened, with a trace of pride hidden deep beneath it.

"...Pepper's coming?" Luo Mu's expression froze, and he sounded uncertain. When Dr. Jacq's silence confirmed it, he couldn't help feeling exasperated. "He's only ten. You're really fine with letting him cross the wilderness of South District 1 all the way to Pingdie Town?"

"Why wouldn't I be? That boy is already ten years old. In other regions, children that age receive their Starter Pokémon, become Trainers, and set off on journeys full of dreams and adventure." Dr. Jacq knew what Luo Mu was worried about, so she explained, "Master Dogue is going with Pepper. With its strength, getting through South District 1, which is geared toward novice Trainers, will be no problem."

"You're right, Dr. Jacq."

Luo Mu admitted that Dr. Jacq had convinced him.

She was right. Because he had already been seventeen when he crossed over, he had subconsciously forgotten one of the most outrageous rules of the Pokémon world.

In this world, children who had turned ten could receive a Starter Pokémon, officially become rookie Trainers, and set off on adventures.

Pepper and Nemo, whom he had rescued not long ago, had both reached this age of "independence."

"Anyway, Pepper set off a while ago, so he's probably almost at Pingdie Town. He doesn't know where your farm is, so I'll have to trouble you to meet him at the town entrance~"

"Sure, I understand." Luo Mu gave a slight nod. As he answered Dr. Jacq, he looked toward Swampert, who was walking over to him.

Dr. Jacq seemed to remember something and suddenly added, "Oh, right. Once you get the Terastal Orb, if you have any questions, try to ask me in the next few days."

"Probably around the time Naranja Academy starts up again, my husband and I will be returning to the Great Crater of Paldea to conduct research. We probably won't have time to take care of these things then."

Luo Mu fell silent for a moment before asking, "If both of you are going into the crater to do research, what about Pepper?"

Dr. Jacq gave him a strange look as she replied, "Naranja Academy is a boarding school. To help Pepper fit in, we'll have him stay at school even when we're home. He may not look it, but he's actually very independent. Recently, he's even started taking an interest in cooking."

"So, New Teacher Luo Mu, I'll be counting on you to look after Pepper during this time~"

"...All right." Luo Mu sighed as he answered.

Dr. Jacq chatted with Luo Mu for a few more moments before ending the call. Luo Mu looked at Swampert, who had come up beside him, and said apologetically, "Come on. We still have to go into town to meet someone."

Swampert nodded and followed Luo Mu with steady, heavy steps, as solid as the earth beneath them.

South District 1, Lighthouse Institute.

After his wife hung up, Friede, dressed in futuristic clothing, said to her, "Looks like once our research makes some progress, we'll have to prepare a special gift to thank that teacher."

Dr. Jacq touched the beast-fang necklace on her chest and nodded. "Ever since I heard the rumor that students at Naranja Academy were bullying one another, I've been worried about Pepper. He's not very shrewd, and if he were bullied, he'd probably keep quiet and let himself suffer. Aside from Poppy, we don't know anyone else at Naranja Academy well."

"Clavell may be planning to join Naranja Academy, but that won't help us in time."

"Maybe it's a wild instinct. I felt that New Teacher was someone we could trust, so I shamelessly asked him to do this for us."

Friede took the Violet Book from where he kept it and stared at its cover as he ran his hand over it. "Shameless? You're right. To fulfill the dreams and wishes we've had for so long, the moment we enter the crater, we'll probably have hardly any time to spend with Pepper all year. And who knows how many years that will go on."

"On one side is the dream we've cherished since we were young; on the other, our responsibility as parents. Reality really is cruel."

Dr. Jacq stood up and patted Friede on the shoulder. In a solemn voice, she said, "But New Teacher Luo Mu's question struck right at the heart of the matter. We're going into the crater to conduct research, but what about Pepper?"

"Will he be sad? Will he be lonely? It's shameful to admit, but I'd never considered any of that before."

Friede put his arms around Dr. Jacq and spoke softly. "Let's work together and try to find a balance between our dreams and our responsibilities."

"Okay."

"Wow~ Is this Uncle Luo's farm?" Pepper was brimming with curiosity, his eyes darting everywhere as he took in the surrounding scenery.

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

Luo Mu forced a smile. "As you can see, most of it is still barren land. We've got a long way to go before we can turn it into a proper farm."

Pepper nodded thoughtfully, then crouched down and took a black crystal sphere shaped like a Poké Ball from the backpack on Master Dogue. Master Dogue seemed a little hesitant to move with Swampert around. Pepper held the sphere out to Luo Mu with both hands.

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

Luo Mu took the Terastal Orb. His first impression was that it was cool and smooth to the touch, seemingly flawless, as though it had been formed as one perfect piece.

The black crystal casing made it hard to imagine just how dazzling a light it could shine when used.

After examining it closely, Luo Mu couldn't help marveling at the skill it must have taken to create such a beautiful object.

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

Luo Mu nodded hesitantly. He still remembered how it was supposed to work; he just had to see if it would actually work.

Then he looked at Swampert beside him. Swampert turned its gaze toward him at the same moment.

Their mutual understanding let them grasp each other's intentions in an instant. Luo Mu's lips curled into a smile. Feeling a long-forgotten warmth stirring in his chest, he called out, "Terastallize, Swampert!"