“How’s the water temperature?”
Luo Mu asked, holding a stack of dry and neatly folded Orange Academy uniforms, towards the bathroom from which the dense sound of dripping water could be heard.
Nemo enjoyed the comfortable sensation of the hot water on her skin, and her tense heart also relaxed a little at this moment. She loudly replied from outside the door, “It’s perfect!”
Luo Mu nodded, placed the uniform in the laundry basket by the bathroom door, and reminded her, “Your clothes, Serperior and the others have already washed and dried them for you. They’re right by the door!”
“Okay~”
Hearing Nemo’s energetic reply, Luo Mu smiled and shook his head, then his expression quickly returned to calm, with a hint of seriousness.
The stream was not far from this small villa, only about ten minutes away. Less than half an hour had passed since he rescued Nemo from the water.
Although anxious, Luo Mu could only patiently wait for Nemo to finish washing up and then guide him.
Luo Mu walked out of the small villa, looking at the five Pokemon already gathered before him, as well as Mimikyu, who had always been by his side but had an extremely faint presence. He said seriously, “The first priority of this rescue operation is to ensure the safety of the kidnapped children, no problem?”
“Meow!” “Bo-woo~” “Galo!” “Hiss-lo.” “Growl!” “Mimi~”
The six Pokemon, led by Luxray, all showed absolute confidence. This was a high level of trust in their own strength and a response to Luo Mu’s request.
Luo Mu nodded slightly, one by one putting them into their Poké Balls, only leaving Dragonite outside.
Luo Mu looked at the six Poké Balls at his waist with emotion. Since completing the Paldea Champion League challenge, this was the first time he had brought a full lineup with him.
Stroking Dragonite’s incredibly soft belly, Luo Mu recalled the current situation Nemo had told him about on the way back.
She had chosen to run away from home yesterday after an argument with her family.
The reason for the argument was childish.
Nemo didn’t want to be a Trainer; she wanted to help her family’s company like her sister.
Setting aside why the battle-crazed Nemo didn’t want to be a Trainer.
After running away from home, Nemo hadn’t expected that after just a short time on the beach near Pingdie Town, she would be kidnapped by the abductors without anyone knowing.
When Nemo woke up, she was already in a dimly lit warehouse, surrounded by several other children who seemed to have been captured for some time and were listless.
Some were her age, some were even younger.
During her captivity, Nemo heard the uninhibited laughter of the three abductors outside, as well as their plans for dealing with her and the other children.
The other children would be smuggled by them from the Paldea region to the Kanto region and sold at a high price to Team Rockets, while she would be used to extort money from her family to fund the abductors’ enjoyment on the journey.
They had long been eyeing Nemo, this rich young lady, but had always been unable to act due to the strict security at her home. As a result, Nemo herself ran out.
Next was the scene where Nemo’s ropes were bitten through by a Pawmi that emerged from a hole, and she seized the opportunity to escape.
Although Luo Mu wished for a peaceful and leisurely life, these abductors were clearly here to disrupt his calm and leisurely life. The last time Dr. Olin reacted so strongly was also due to the influence brought by these abductors.
Coincidentally, Nemo knew where the abductors’ hideout was. Those people, after failing their search, would likely return to the hideout to move the kidnapped children. With Dragonite’s flying speed, they would surely catch them off guard.
A few minutes later, Nemo, now dry and refreshed, ran out of the bathroom, her hair not even tied up, and urgently said, “Big Brother, let’s go save them quickly!”
Luo Mu nodded slightly, picked up Nemo and placed her on Dragonite’s back, which was already in a ready-to-fly posture. Then he also sat on, and said with a smile, “It’ll be a bit fast, hold on tight, okay?”
Nemo nervously clutched her collar, carefully nodding.
Feeling that both of them were seated firmly on its back, Dragonite’s gentle and honest expression instantly became sharp, and an imposing aura slowly rose.
As its small wings flapped rapidly, a gust of strong wind swept across the ground, bending the knee-high wild grass under the intense wind pressure.
In the next instant, Dragonite’s figure had already appeared high in the sky. Nemo curiously looked at the rapidly moving buildings and environment below, which looked like ants, and asked curiously, “Why do I not feel any wind even though we’re flying so fast?”
Luo Mu looked straight ahead into the distance and replied, “Dragonite used Flying-type energy to create a shield for us to block the strong winds, otherwise, at its flying speed, we wouldn’t be able to sit on its back at all.”
Nemo nodded, half-understanding.
East of Pingdie Town, in an abandoned warehouse.
Three cursing figures returned here. This was their hideout, and also the temporary warehouse for the kidnapped children.
The bearded man leading them spat a thick wad of phlegm onto the ground and cursed at the short man on the left, “How could you let a ten-year-old girl escape? You’re getting worse with age!”
The short man remained silent, letting the bearded man verbally abuse him.
The tall, thin man on the right couldn’t stand it anymore and tried to mediate, “Boss—”
The bearded man, called Boss, didn’t fall for it at all, panting heavily with anger, and said viciously, “Since we can’t find that little girl’s trace, she’s probably been rescued by someone or drowned in the water.”
“In any case, we should move our base now. First, sell these goods to Team Rockets, then go to a big city like Luminose City to kidnap people!”
The tall, thin man quickly echoed, “Boss is right.”
The short man, who had been silent, took out three Poké Balls, released three Ninjask, and softly said, “I’ll keep watch.”
The bearded man snorted, saying, “Don’t be so useless this time!”
With that, the bearded man took the tall, thin man into the warehouse to prepare to move the ‘goods’ onto the van.
He didn’t see the short man’s fingernails digging into his flesh, nor his cold gaze.
Once the bearded man was far away, the short man gritted his teeth and whispered, “One day, I’ll make you beg me to spare you…”
“You probably won’t live to see that day.”
Suddenly, a faint male voice came from above. The short man’s pupils contracted, and he instantly looked up at the sky.
The man riding Dragonite and that rich girl who escaped, Nemo!
The short man immediately prepared to shout out to warn the two inside the warehouse, but Luo Mu and Dragonite wouldn’t give him that chance.
With five flashes of red light, Luo Mu’s Pokemon rushed into the warehouse, their tasks clearly divided.
At the same time, a vast and boundless Dragon’s Might descended from the sky. The short man, with eyes splitting, was pressed to the ground by this pressure, unable to move.
What about his Ninjask?
His only response was three consecutive thuds. The Ninjask, on which the short man had placed high hopes, were instantly annihilated by the sky-blue air blades that whistled out after Dragonite flapped its wings, in just one encounter.
The short man’s lips trembled as he struggled to utter two words: “Monster…”
He had never had a clear concept of what a strong person was, but in this despair, like the difference between heaven and earth, he understood.
In his meager experience, only great figures of that caliber would possess such oppressive power.
The pinnacle of this world’s pyramid, the embodiment of power, the apex of individual strength—Champion.