My Name Is Society. Just Changed It

"Whoa, that Salamence is way too arrogant!"

While Xu Mu was busy losing himself in Cynthia's beauty, a Salamence flew low over their heads.

Xu Mu made a passing complaint and thought that was the end of it.

But the Salamence actually turned back and stopped beside them.

"Hey, kid. Did you see that pillar of fire just now?"

A middle-aged man in a black cloak sat on Salamence's back.

"Don't know. Didn't see it. No idea."

Xu Mu fired off three refusals without even looking at Salamence. He took Cynthia's hand again and headed toward the hollow tree.

All right, he just wanted to hold her hand...

Finding a chance to hold her hand was what really mattered.

"Hm?"

Xu Mu's response caught the man off guard. Then he flew into a rage!

"You dare disrespect a Semi-King?"

"Kid, you're asking for it!"

Picking a fight out of nowhere just to show off. Xu Mu rolled his eyes at the man on Salamence.

"Mister, whose chain came loose and let you out to beg for attention?"

Xu Mu stopped and stepped in front of Cynthia, shielding her before firing back.

What kind of otherworlder couldn't talk back?

Give me a break. I'm Xu Mu. I could make you cry a hundred different ways without saying a single dirty word!

You want to act tough with me? Who the hell do you think you are?

An Elite Four member?

"You!"

The man was so stunned that he opened his mouth, hesitated for ages, and still couldn't think of a comeback.

It was true. He had thought Cynthia was pretty and wanted to get her attention...

And given their ages, there was nothing wrong with Xu Mu calling him "mister"...

"Greninja, I'll leave this attention-seeking mister, who can't back up his attitude, to you."

Xu Mu called over Greninja, who was sitting nearby applying a Potion to himself, and chuckled.

"Greninja!"

[Another fight? Greninja reporting for duty!]

Greninja instantly unleashed the power of an Elite Four-level Pokémon. He looked up at Salamence and grinned.

The man was stunned all over again.

This kid can't even be as old as my son, can he?

Where did he get an Elite Four-level Pokémon?

"Ahem. If you didn't see it, forget it. I have things to do. No time to fool around with a child like you."

The man forced himself to play it cool, found another plausible excuse, and prepared to flee.

What else could he do? The kid was too strong. He was helpless!

Forget it. I must have picked an unlucky day to go out. Better leave for now.

The middle-aged man tugged helplessly at his cloak and prepared to depart.

But Xu Mu wasn't having it.

What, you can come and go as you please? Show off, then run? And throw out a threat on your way out?

Do you think I'm a stress ball you can squeeze whenever you like?

"Don't go, mister."

"The sun's gentle, the breeze is perfect. Why not have a nice battle with my Greninja?"

To the middle-aged man, Xu Mu's lazy tone sounded like a death knell.

In the wild, the weak had to respect the strong. That was the rule.

Inside a Secret Realm, electronic devices stopped working. Strength was everything.

Disrespect someone stronger, and the consequences went without saying.

"Well, there's no need to fight. My friends are waiting for me. We have a mission."

Cold sweat broke out on the man's forehead. He tried to bring up his backing: his Mercenary Squad.

The strong in this world could settle in one place, enjoy fame and fortune, and gather resources. It made for a dependable living.

After all, being a Trainer was not only dangerous but expensive.

But there were always people who were either too ugly, not clever enough, or had a death wish.

Those who refused to settle down—or whom no one wanted around—could only form Mercenary Squads, explore Secret Realms, and complete missions to make a living.

The middle-aged man now caught between a rock and a hard place was one of them.

"Even now, you'd rather suffer than lose face, mister."

Xu Mu's words cut straight to the heart of it. He tightened his grip on Cynthia's hand.

So soft~

"Is saving face that important? You still aren't respectful or honest enough when dealing with someone stronger."

"Your friends? Tell them to come. I'll take them all on."

Xu Mu wasn't set on fighting the middle-aged man. He just couldn't stand his arrogant attitude.

People could be vicious, and pride was worth less than anything.

The man was this old and still hadn't learned that. Even after provoking Xu Mu, he was trying to save face. He was only making things worse.

In the end, the man had looked down on Xu Mu because he was young.

So Xu Mu didn't mind playing the villain and teaching him a lesson: that attitude would get him nowhere, and sooner or later, someone would make him pay for it.

"I..."

Xu Mu had seen right through him. The man fell silent and shot Xu Mu a spiteful look.

"I'm sorry, sir. I was wrong. I shouldn't have spoken so arrogantly."

Faced with superior strength, the man finally bowed his head.

He had Salamence land, then stepped onto the ground and apologized meekly.

But Xu Mu raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

"Mister, you still don't get it!"

With a sigh, Xu Mu continued, "Could you at least hide that resentful look?"

"Do you think I'm stupid? Or blind?"

"I honestly don't know how someone like you survived this long. In a TV drama, you'd die in the first episode!"

"Do you even know what you did wrong?"

"And you call that an apology? 'Spoken arrogantly'? Aren't you embarrassed by that excuse?"

Xu Mu finished speaking and shook his head in disappointment.

What an idiot. With a brain like that, he's lucky he ran into someone as kind as me.

Otherwise, sooner or later someone would sell him out, and he'd smile and ask if they needed help counting the money.

"Forget it. No need to act so surprised. Who knows what you're calling me in your head?"

Seeing the middle-aged man's astonished expression, Xu Mu gave a cold laugh.

Some people just needed a good knocking into shape.

What can I say? I'm a kind soul.

And knocking people into shape is my favorite kind of work.

"Cynthia, let's rest inside the hollow tree. Charmander says he's hungry."

Charmander looked puzzled, but when he caught Xu Mu's eye, he understood.

"Char!"

[That's right, I'm hungry!]

Cynthia had no idea what was going on. Her wide eyes were full of confusion.

"What about this man?"

Xu Mu chuckled and led her by the hand toward the hollow tree.

"As for him, I'll let society teach him a lesson. It's out of my hands."

With that, he led the bewildered Cynthia into the hollow tree.

Greninja stayed where he was until Xu Mu had gone inside. Then he bared his teeth in a grin.

"Greninja!"

[Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Society. Just changed it.]

[My young master said he'd leave you to me. I'm supposed to toughen you up a bit.]