Mesagoza City

Three days flew by. The pasture in the Ranch Area had grown ankle-high after being nourished by a light rain, and Luo Mu figured that once the grass grew even lusher, he could consider bringing in some suitable Pokémon.

Serperior and Whimsicott were looking after the Farming Area, while Swampert was taking the Poliwag to water the crops right on schedule. Luo Mu felt fairly confident leaving the day-to-day care to them.

In a few more days, the five test plots would be ready for harvest. Once he confirmed the crops were good quality, he could plant them on a larger scale and plan out an area for fruit trees as well.

But all that could wait a few days.

Today, Luo Mu had to step away from his leisurely routine and put on a suit he'd bought especially for the occasion at Ordi Clothing Store—for a small fortune.

More specifically, it was a black hoodie under an army-green utility jacket, paired with cargo pants and casual sneakers.

He'd considered buying a casual suit, but in the end, Luo Mu had abandoned the idea.

The reason was simple: he was only eighteen. He didn't want to start dressing like an office drone so soon!

The outfit he'd chosen didn't make him look old-fashioned, and its darker colors also brought out his steady, dependable side.

Standing in front of the old-fashioned mirror, Luo Mu checked that there were no obvious problems with his outfit, then tapped his toes to make sure his shoes fit. After admiring his own handsome reflection for a while, he left the washroom and opened the door.

Outside the little house, all the Pokémon were waiting, like a harem of concubines awaiting an ancient emperor's choice.

Luo Mu looked around and first named the Pokémon who needed to stay behind and watch over the farm.

"Serperior, Whimsicott, and the Hoppip will look after the Farming Area until I get back. Swampert and the Polliwag will help them."

The new arrivals, Whimsicott, the Hoppip, and the Polliwag, readily accepted their assignments. Swampert didn't mind either; it had been wanting to sleep in at its new home, Thunderclap Lake.

Serperior, on the other hand, was rather displeased. For the past few days, Luo Mu had spent every day with that thieving bird while caring for Growlithe, leaving his "faithful wife" to tend the measly patch of farmland all by itself.

"Next are the Pokémon coming to work with me. First, Dragonite. You're the reason I can commute every day and still get home on time."

"Bwoom!"

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

"Then there are Ceruledge and Growlithe. Today we're only going to take care of the onboarding paperwork, so we can use our free time to continue your basic training."

Ceruledge stepped forward when called. Its armor-clad face showed little emotion.

Growlithe, meanwhile, cheerfully hopped down from Moltres's back. As Moltres watched with some concern, Growlithe wagged its tail and bounded over to Luo Mu.

"The rest of you, whose names I didn't call, will be responsible for keeping the farm safe." Luo Mu clapped his hands to show that was all the assignments. Then he looked at Luxray, who stood quietly and steadily in place, and smiled. "I'll be counting on you to keep an eye on things at home."

Luxray nodded solemnly. It was a tacit understanding between him and Luo Mu. As Luo Mu's Starter Pokémon, Luxray wouldn't sulk just because Luo Mu occasionally left without him.

After all, they had plenty of time ahead of them.

Mesagoza City was the largest city in the Paldea region, as well as the home of one of the world's oldest schools, Naranja Academy/Grape Academy.

After Poppy invited him to become a Battle Teacher, Luo Mu had looked up information about Naranja Academy online.

That was when he stumbled across something he hadn't expected.

Generally speaking, in the games, the academy's name in Mesagoza City depended on whether you were playing Scarlet or Violet.

But from what Luo Mu had learned, Naranja Academy and Grape Academy here changed according to the seasons.

In spring and winter, the school was called Naranja Academy and had the corresponding architectural style.

In summer and autumn, it was called Grape Academy and had a different architectural style.

Luo Mu found it baffling.

The way this Worldline Fusion—or whatever it was that made everything fit together—worked was pretty strange.

Dragonite's base Speed of 80 was often criticized in the games. It was even slower than Garchomp after Mega Evolution lowered its Speed.

But the real world was a different story. Dragonite could still rank among the fastest fliers of most Pokémon.

It had taken only fifteen minutes to fly from the farm on the outskirts of Pingdie Town to where Mesagoza City came into view.

Riding astride Dragonite's back, Luo Mu held Growlithe, who was fascinated by everything it saw, and smiled. "This is our destination. Isn't it huge?"

"Woof, woof!"

Growlithe stuck out its tongue to feel the breeze rushing past and replied with two excited barks.

When they seemed to be in the right spot, Luo Mu freed one hand to pat Dragonite and spoke emphatically. "Get ready to land. Be a little more ladylike, and don't cause too much of a commotion!"

"Bwoom~"

Dragonite sighed. Reluctantly giving up on the idea of taking Luo Mu and Growlithe into a Sky Drop, it flapped its tiny wings with a bored look and landed smoothly on the ground.

They had landed at the highest point in Mesagoza City, right in front of the main entrance to Naranja Academy.

School didn't start until tomorrow, but plenty of students had already returned to the mostly boarding school with their luggage, accompanied by their parents.

Dragonite's landing drew plenty of curious stares, both open and discreet. Luo Mu and Growlithe, riding on its back, became the focus of everyone's attention as well.

His arrival had also caught the eye of a boy who had been waiting outside the academy gates.

Pina wore Naranja Academy's Spring Uniform and looked about fifteen or sixteen. He studied Luo Mu several times, as if matching him to the image in his mind.

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

Nervous, Pina carefully straightened his appearance. He was preparing for his first assignment as Student Council President, and wanted to be thoroughly ready before stepping forward to greet him. "Hello, teacher."

"Woof~?"

Before Luo Mu could answer the boy, Growlithe at his feet spoke first.

Pina: "????"

"You were only born a few days ago, and you already want to be someone's teacher?" Luo Mu helplessly flicked Growlithe on the forehead, then turned to Pina with an apologetic smile. "Sorry. This little one only just hatched, so it probably misunderstood what you meant."

Pina stood frozen in place. This new teacher seemed like a pretty easygoing person?