Chapter 33: Classmate Shen Mu's Request
Because of Bai Feng and Popplio's attack, all the Ariados surrounded them.
"Popplio, Disarming Voice," Bai Feng continued to command.
"La la la~"
As Popplio's song rang out, the air around the few Ariados vibrated intensely, and even mist filled the area. Before long, all the Ariados were knocked out.
Poison-type Ariados should have had high resistance to Fairy-type Disarming Voice, but Popplio's Ability, Liquid Voice, changed Disarming Voice's type to Water type, which is why the Ariados were instantly affected.
After dealing with the Ariados, Bai Feng quickly walked up to Classmate Shen Mu and asked, "Classmate Shen Mu, are you okay?"
"I... I'm fine," Classmate Shen Mu said, patting his backside with an unnatural expression.
"That's good," Bai Feng breathed a sigh of relief. "Were you trying to catch that Spinarak? Next time you catch a Pokémon, you should use a Pokémon Battle. You could easily get hurt doing it like that."
At this moment, the little Spinarak had quickly run to its parents, anxiously circling the few fainted Ariados.
"I... I understand, thank you," Shenmu's cold expression returned, but judging by his tone, he seemed to just be bad at communicating with people.
Then, as an afterthought, he asked, "How did you know my name is Shenmu?"
Uh... Could this guy not remember that I'm his classmate? There are only a dozen or so students in our class.
"My name is Bai Feng, and we're classmates."
Hearing Bai Feng's words, Shenmu's expression completely cracked. He never expected his embarrassing situation to be seen by a classmate he would be seeing every day.
He had thought he'd just run into a passerby and they would go their separate ways after a while, never to see each other again!
"Ah... Is that so!" Shenmu's face looked awkward. "I have a bit of face blindness, it's hard for me to recognize people."
"Oh, I see," Bai Feng said with a look of sudden understanding, though he wasn't sure if Shenmu was truly face blind or just pretending. "Right, I'm going home for dinner, what about you?"
"I'm going home too," Shenmu said, lowering his head. In fact, he didn't want to go home, otherwise, he wouldn't still be wandering around outside.
Bai Feng nodded, then asked again, "Are you still going to catch that Spinarak?"
Hearing this, Shenmu looked at the Spinarak, which was almost crying from anxiety because its parents had fainted. After a few seconds of thought, he shook his head and said, "Let's not."
Bai Feng then walked up to the Spinarak and the Ariados, took out a few Berries from his Space Backpack, and offered them to the Spinarak, saying:
"It's okay, the Ariados just fainted. They'll wake up soon, don't worry. Also, I'm really sorry for suddenly attacking you just now. These Berries are for you, as a thank-you gift."
Sure enough, a few seconds after Bai Feng finished speaking, the Ariados started waking up one after another. They accepted Bai Feng's apology and left contentedly with the Berries and the Spinarak.
Seeing that Bai Feng could actually communicate with Pokémon, Shenmu's eyes widened in surprise: "You can understand what Pokémon are saying?"
Bai Feng scratched his head modestly and said, "I can understand a little."
Shenmu was immediately overjoyed upon hearing this. He suddenly grabbed Bai Feng's hand and said, "Then can I ask you for a favor?"
"What kind of favor?" Bai Feng was taken aback. So sudden? We don't seem to be that close yet! "Tell me about it. If it's not too much trouble, I might be able to help."
"Can you come to my home after school this afternoon?" Shenmu requested.
It turned out that before his Grandfather passed away, he left Last Words for Shenmu. However, when his Grandfather passed away, only a Luxray was present, so his Grandfather had to verbally tell the Last Words to the Luxray.
Unfortunately, Luxray cannot speak human language. Even if it remembered its Grandfather's Last Words, it couldn't express them completely, so the Last Words became a mystery.
Shenmu's Father and Mother weren't concerned about these Last Words because their relationship with his Grandfather wasn't good. But Shenmu couldn't ignore it, as he was raised by his Grandfather single-handedly.
So, Shenmu wanted to ask Bai Feng to help him find out the content of the Last Words from the Luxray.
After understanding the details of the request, Bai Feng readily agreed: "Oh, so that's it. Of course, no problem. I'll go with you after school this afternoon!"
"Thank you so much!" Shenmu said excitedly.
After parting ways, the two went home to eat.
After school that afternoon, the two went to Classmate Shen Mu's home as agreed.
According to Classmate Shen Mu, his Grandfather was also a Pokémon Trainer back in the day. It was precisely because he was often adventuring outside and rarely home that his relationship with his son wasn't good, and he wasn't even by his wife's side when she passed away unexpectedly.
It was also because of Classmate Shenmu's Grandmother's sudden death that Shenmu's Father and Grandfather's relationship rapidly deteriorated, eventually leading to a situation where neither wanted to see the other.
Not long after Classmate Shenmu's Grandmother passed away, his Grandfather retired from the Pokémon Trainer profession. All the Pokémon by his side also left him, except for one Luxray that still remained at home.
The reason those Pokémon left was that Classmate Shenmu's Father was unwilling to raise them.
The Luxray was the Pokémon that symbolized Shenmu's Grandfather and Grandmother's bond, which is why his Father reluctantly agreed to let it stay at home. Other Pokémon didn't have this layer of relationship.
Classmate Shen Mu's home was even further from Fourth Middle School than the Blue Bird Orphanage. His family was well-off, living in a large villa. While it couldn't be called luxurious, it definitely had the setup of a wealthy family.
When the two arrived at Classmate Shen Mu's home, his Father and Mother weren't there. Only the Nanny came out to greet them.
"Come on, I'll take you to see Luxray." As soon as they entered the house, Shenmu eagerly pulled Bai Feng towards his backyard.
Shenmu's parents had built a small house for Luxray in the backyard, where it usually stayed. Classmate Shenmu usually took care of Luxray's daily life.
"Luxray, I'm back!"
Upon reaching the backyard, Shenmu shouted happily. His demeanor and expression were completely different from how he was at school. Bai Feng could tell at a glance that his bond with Luxray was very deep.
"Awoo~"
As Shenmu's voice fell, a shadow suddenly darted out from the small house not far away and instantly tackled Shenmu to the ground.
The black shadow was a Luxray. Its physique wasn't bulky, but its lines were very smooth, showing it had clearly undergone training.
The Luxray affectionately rubbed its cheek against Shenmu's head and occasionally licked his face, making Shenmu laugh heartily. It was then that Bai Feng felt this was a normal, lively, and cheerful big boy.
"Hahaha~" Shenmu's joyful laughter echoed in the spacious yard.
However, at this moment, the Nanny following behind the two suddenly spoke up: "Young Master Shenmu, Master doesn't like you acting like this, it's very improper!"
Shenmu's laughter came to an abrupt halt. He reined in the smile on his face, slowly sat up from the ground, brushed off non-existent dust from his clothes twice, and then said to the Nanny without changing his expression:
"I understand. You don't need to help here, you can go."
The Nanny didn't say anything else, just bowed to Shenmu and retreated.
But with the Nanny's interruption, Shenmu's good mood completely vanished.
Bai Feng thought to himself: No wonder Classmate Shen Mu developed such a personality. This family atmosphere is a bit stifling!
After the Nanny left, Shenmu said with a slightly dejected expression, "My Father doesn't like me being overly intimate with Pokémon."
Perhaps because of a hang-up regarding his Grandfather, Shenmu's Father initially didn't even allow him to pursue a profession related to being a Pokémon Trainer. Later, it was his Mother who strongly helped persuade his Father, who then only agreed to him enrolling in the Breeding Major.
To rebel against his Father, Classmate Shen Mu secretly ran away from home before school started, planning to travel alone. Unfortunately, he was caught before he even left Biyi City and was beaten.
Perhaps his Father felt that if he pursued the same profession as his Grandfather, he would also become as irresponsible as his Grandfather.
However, in Classmate Shen Mu's view, his Father was the irresponsible one. To be busy with work, he left him, who was born not long ago, to be raised by his Grandfather. Only when his Grandfather got old and couldn't take care of him anymore did his Father think about bringing the Grandfather and grandson back to live with him.
Bai Feng really couldn't comment on their family matters, so he could only give an awkward laugh.
Of course, Classmate Shen Mu was just complaining casually and didn't expect Bai Feng to counsel him. After sorting out his emotions, he said to Luxray:
"Luxray, this is my classmate Bai Feng. He can understand what Pokémon are saying. You can tell him Grandfather's Last Words, and then he can relay them to me."
Luxray looked at Bai Feng in surprise upon hearing this, then nodded towards Bai Feng.
This Luxray had an excellent memory. Before long, it told Bai Feng its Grandfather's Last Words word for word.
It turned out that Shenmu's Father had hoped his Grandfather would release all his Pokémon back into the wild. However, Pokémon raised by humans would suffer greatly if they returned to nature, so Shenmu's Grandfather couldn't bear to do it.
But to avoid upsetting his son, Shenmu's Grandfather finally told a lie.
He secretly entrusted his Pokémon to his Old Friend and would secretly transfer a sum of living expenses to the Old Friend every month, then tell his son that those Pokémon had been sent away.
Who knew that his Grandfather would suddenly pass away from a heart attack, and that there happened to be no one home when it happened? So, he had to tell Luxray about it.
His Grandfather hoped that after he was gone, Shenmu could take care of those few Old Friends of his on his behalf. He left Shenmu a card with a sum of money stored in it. That money would be used for the Old Friends' living expenses in the future.
The card was secretly hidden inside the backside of the Luxray plushie in Shenmu's room.
After hearing Bai Feng's explanation, Shenmu quickly ran to his room, found the Luxray plushie, dug around in its backside, and indeed pulled out a savings card.
This card was tied to Shenmu's identity. After asking Luxray for the password, he checked it via online banking and found that there was a full eighty million inside.
The moment he heard this number, Bai Feng's eyes widened in surprise: "Huh?"
Damn rich people! Inheriting an inheritance so casually was more money than he could earn by working himself to death farming for several years.
The card also had the contact information of Shenmu's Grandfather's Old Friend attached. Shenmu immediately made a phone call.
The person who answered the phone was not Shenmu's Grandfather's Old Friend, but the Old Friend's wife. After learning Shenmu's identity, she immediately demanded that Shenmu come and pick up his Grandfather's Pokémon!
It turned out that after Shenmu's Grandfather passed away, no one had been sending living expenses to that side. Shenmu's Grandfather's Old Friend had to spend his own money raising those few Pokémon.
But raising Pokémon is expensive, and that Old Friend's family wasn't as wealthy as Shenmu's family. So gradually, his wife became dissatisfied.
Later, after learning that Shenmu's Grandfather had passed away, the Old Friend's wife became completely unwilling to continue raising those few Pokémon. Knowing some of Shenmu's family's situation, she felt that Shenmu's Grandfather's death meant no one would give them money anymore.
Before, she could still earn a little from the food expenses Shenmu's Grandfather provided. Now, not only did she not earn anything, but she had to pay out of pocket. Who would be willing to do that?
Hearing the other side's cursing words, Shenmu originally wanted to say that he could transfer the living expenses, but thinking about the other party's attitude, he felt that they might not take good care of his Grandfather's Pokémon. So, he could only say:
"I understand the situation. Give me two more days, and I will pick them up as soon as possible. I will also settle the fees you are owed."
Hearing Shenmu's words, the other side's attitude finally improved. They stopped cursing and even praised Shenmu for being a sensible and good child.
After hanging up the phone, Shenmu said to Bai Feng, "Thank you, Bai Feng. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to fulfill Grandfather's Last Words. Oh, right..."
At this moment, he suddenly thought of something. He then rummaged through the cabinet in the room for a while and soon came over holding a box.
"This is for you."
"What is this?"
Bai Feng opened the box in confusion, only to see ten colorful and exquisite Poké Balls neatly lying inside. They were a Speed Ball, a Friend Ball, a Heal Ball, a Heavy Ball, a Lure Ball, a Love Ball, a Moon Ball, a Dive Ball, a Dusk Ball, and a Quick Ball.
"These Poké Balls are ones I collected before. They aren't particularly valuable things, just consider them my thank-you gift for you," Shenmu explained when he saw Bai Feng's surprised expression.
"Alright, then I won't be polite," Bai Feng didn't refuse and accepted the thank-you gift.
These Poké Balls were different from the standard Poké Balls sold in stores. They were handcrafted Poké Balls. Because they took time to manufacture and had unique effects, they were much more expensive than regular Poké Balls.
But they weren't outrageously expensive, within Bai Feng's acceptable range.
Things like Lysandre and Calyrex's Space Backpacks, which were too valuable, Bai Feng had mailed back to them.
Having helped Classmate Shen Mu, Bai Feng saw that it was getting late and planned to go home. Just then, voices were heard from outside.
"It sounds like my Father and Mother are back..."
Indeed, before long, the Nanny came to inform Shenmu that Master and Madam were back and asked him to come downstairs.
(End of Chapter)