A Bountiful Farm

Sprigatito was sent flying by Flame Wheel and landed on the ground, gasping heavily. It could not get back up for a long while, and several patches of its orange fur had been singed black.

At that moment, Pepper called out, "That's enough!"

"I lost." The tension around Nemo dissipated, and a dazed look crossed her face. Before she could even dwell on losing her first battle, she hurried over to pick up Sprigatito and said softly, "You worked hard."

Though they had stopped short of a decisive finish, Nemo knew very well that if the battle had continued, Sprigatito would certainly have lost.

"You did well. Let's head back and get something extra to eat." Luo Mu bent down and patted Growlithe, then walked over to Nemo and praised her. "It's hard to believe that was your first Pokémon battle. Your commands didn't contain any fatal mistakes throughout."

"Teacher?" Nemo's eyes widened.

"However." Luo Mu's tone shifted as he examined the wounds on Sprigatito's body. "There are two problems you need to improve urgently."

"First, Sprigatito's Thunder Shock has too much wind-up. It even closes its eyes during the attack and doesn't properly aim at Growlithe, making it far too easy to dodge."

"Second, Sprigatito is seriously lacking in strength. That's why Growlithe could endure its attacks and counterattack."

"Before my lessons begin, you can try training those two areas."

Luo Mu's words plunged Nemo into thought. After only a few exchanges, Teacher had already spotted so many problems?

Luo Mu smiled. "There's no need to understand everything at once. Take Sprigatito to the infirmary first, then think it over slowly after it receives treatment."

Luo Mu's reminder snapped Nemo awake. Looking at Sprigatito's injuries in her arms, she felt deeply guilty.

After a battle, she should have treated her partner immediately. Everything else could wait until afterward!

Nemo gave him a grateful little bow, then greeted Pepper before rushing toward the infirmary in a panic.

Pepper, who had walked over, muttered, "She really is like the wind."

"That's just her personality." Luo Mu walked over with Growlithe in his arms, smiling.

"Brother Luo Mu..." Pepper guiltily looked away.

"At school, you should call me Teacher!" Luo Mu gave Pepper a pat that made him stagger, then ignored his slightly resentful look and asked, "How did things go with your parents?"

"It was... okay, I guess." The downward curve of Pepper's lips lifted slightly.

Pepper recalled how, after he returned home, Dr. Jacq and Friede had unexpectedly slept in his room, sharing the same bed. The two had told him all about their dreams, and promised that even if their busy work in the coming year kept them from returning home often, they would still make time to stay in touch with him whenever possible.

"Oh?" Luo Mu studied Pepper's expression thoughtfully.

It seemed things were gradually changing for the better.

Pepper felt uncomfortable under Luo Mu's gaze and changed the subject. "By the way, Teacher Luo Mu, did this Growlithe hatch from that Pokémon Egg?"

Luo Mu nodded. "That's right. This little guy took quite a bit of effort, you know. It only hatched three days ago."

"Three days..."

The corner of Pepper's eye twitched slightly. This Growlithe had only hatched three days ago and already possessed this kind of fighting ability? Good thing Nemo did not know.

Pepper tentatively held out his hand in front of Growlithe. Seeing that it had no intention of attacking him, he gently stroked it. Feeling the somewhat unusual texture of its fur, Pepper muttered, "It's a little different from the Growlithe I remember."

Luo Mu smiled but did not directly answer Pepper. Instead, he reminded him, "Remember to tell Dr. Jacq and the others that the Pokémon Egg has hatched, so they don't need to worry about it anymore."

Without thinking much of it, Pepper nodded. "Okay. I'll mention it when they call tonight."

As soon as he finished speaking, Pepper suddenly realized what had happened. Seeing Luo Mu's expression of smug satisfaction, how could he not know that Luo Mu had tricked the information out of him?

A sly smile appeared on Luo Mu's face. Freeing one hand, he poked Pepper. "So you've made up, haven't you? And you were still trying to hide it from me."

Pepper's face immediately flushed red, and he snapped in embarrassment, "You tricked me!"

After teasing Pepper for a while and watching him run off in a huff, Luo Mu borrowed several books from the library related to planting and animal husbandry.

According to the staff meeting, his first class had been scheduled for three days later. While most teachers stayed at Orange Academy even when they did not have classes, Luo Mu clearly was not that sort of person.

After leaving Orange Academy with the books, Luo Mu, who kept work and life clearly separate, also took advantage of Growlithe's momentum and had Ceruledge accompany it in some outdoor training.

Growlithe's training was simple. Aside from basic physical conditioning, it had to dodge Ceruledge's deliberately restrained slashes.

Holding the exhausted, panting Growlithe, Luo Mu summoned Dragonite and flew toward Pingdie Town.

The day after leaving Orange Academy.

In front of the Farming Area, every member of the farm had gathered.

"Heave-ho!"

Luo Mu placed five large baskets he had prepared in front of the test fields one by one, then swept his gaze over the fourteen main workers of the day as though inspecting troops.

With a face full of emotion, Luo Mu spread his arms and announced, "Today is the day our farm reaps its harvest, and it is also the day we declare that our farm can truly begin operating!"

More than a dozen Pokémon cried out excitedly and turned their attention toward the test fields.

The five test fields contained bright red strawberries, crisp deep-green cucumbers, plump cabbages, eggplants, and tomatoes.

Under the care of Serperior, Whimsicott, and the others, every crop had borne abundant fruit.

Luo Mu strolled over to the strawberry field, where a rich fruity fragrance greeted him. He picked a strawberry and slowly placed it in his mouth.

It had just the right balance of sweetness and tartness. The pale flesh was juicy, and after savoring it, there was even a faint lingering sweetness.

Luo Mu's eyes brightened slightly. He immediately bent down and began harvesting the strawberries from the small test field.

The other Pokémon followed his example.

Serperior's Vine Whip curled around the cucumbers one by one and gently placed them into the large baskets, while Swampert and Dragonite picked up the cabbages still glistening with moisture.

Every Pokémon's face was filled with the joy of harvest, as well as anticipation for the meals Luo Mu had promised to make using these crops.

With everyone working together, the five large baskets were filled to the brim in just over an hour.

After picking the last eggplant and placing it in a basket, Luo Mu saw that every Pokémon had gotten at least some dirt on them. Smiling, he said, "Everyone, go wash up at Thunderclap Lake first. Leave the cooking to me."

More than a dozen Pokémon let out cheers.