Elf: Who told him to be an investigator!

Chapter 181 Peony, you didn't want this either...

Chapter 181 Peony, you didn't want this either...

Regarding the option of "whether to rescue the real leader or not," regardless of which leader in the Tianxing team it is, there is only one choice.

Meloco was no exception.

But she has a more straightforward personality.

"You, you, you—you wicked bastard! Where exactly have you locked up our true boss?! Doing such evil things! If the Alliance finds out, we will absolutely make you, make you—" Ze Shu laughed: "You're welcome to try."

"Let's not even talk about how it was your champion Ye Ci who invited me to Padiya, and how the alliance is behind me; if this gets out, you can imagine that your real boss was rescued first."

"—So, your real boss was killed by me first?"

"Then you'll probably never see your real boss again in your lifetime. Oh, and you've never even seen her face yet."

Ze Shu felt that he must be extremely evil at this moment.

Judging from Melok's expression, you could tell it was an expression of...bearing humiliation, extreme resentment, and a desire to devour him alive. This made Melok, already dressed as a biker gang member, look even more like a fiery lion with its fur standing on end but not daring to make a move.

After a long silence, Meloko ultimately decided against devouring Ze Shu whole. Contrary to her usual brute force approach, she suppressed her anger and resentment, clenched her fists, and said:

"Tell me! How...how can we save our real boss?!"

"You... what do you want by appearing in front of me?!"

Ze Shu smiled again and simply said, "This is the right attitude."

Melo was frantic: "Tell me quickly!"

Ze Shu: "You know me, right? I'm a teacher at Orange Academy."

Meloko had no idea, but she remained silent, glaring angrily at Ze Shu like a little red lion with its fur standing on end.

Ze Shu wasn't annoyed and continued, "So... I will face your challenges in class."

"Follow the rules of Team Celestial you mentioned earlier—obey the winner. If you defeat me in a Pokémon battle, then your true leader will be safe."

Meloco: "Defeat you?!"

She couldn't help but recall her battle with Zeki earlier—that small, slightly chubby Alolan Vulpix had so easily and decisively frozen her Torkoal as if it were a game. That kind of power... was enough to make her despair.

There's an even more terrifying theory: the Vulpix that so easily defeated her might not be Sawaki's main Pokémon. If they were to defeat Sawaki, the difficulty would be virtually insurmountable. But regardless, Melok isn't afraid!

Even if it means death, she will bite off a piece of flesh from this evil man in front of her!

"Of course—" Ke Zeshu added:

"Your chances of defeating me are slim. Here's what we'll do: Orange Academy has other subjects besides combat. If you can get first place in your respective subjects, I'll give you a clue as to where the real boss is."

Seeing that Melo remained silent.

"Think it over carefully—you and your so-called leaders of the Tensei Team, think it over carefully, what are you going to do next? Are you going to continue being biker gangs, trying to expand the Tensei Team and hoping for the real boss's return, only to have the real boss die in some corner of Padia?"

"Or should you give it your all, abandon the so-called expansion of the Celestial Star Team, and choose to challenge me in my class, or strive for first place in each subject to obtain that faint clue and 'rescue' your true leader?"

After saying that, Ze Shu waved his hand, ignored Melok's expression, and turned to leave.

But after taking a few steps, he suddenly heard Meloko's voice: "You didn't kidnap the real boss at all! Everything you, teacher, said was a lie! You're trying to get us back to school!"

She was absolutely right.

But Ze Shu didn't turn his head, and a playful voice came out: "You can guess."

Ze Shu walked away, and Merlock's face turned grim.

Guess... This ambiguous statement made her dare not guess no matter how she tried.

I guess she wasn't tied up.

But they dared not bear the consequences of guessing wrong.

That teacher also knew most of the information about the "real boss," even the farewell to their Tianxing team leader—something only the five of them knew!

This is an open conspiracy.

Melo dared not disbelieve.

"Ze Shu, when did we kidnap someone?! I had no idea, and you didn't tell me either! Kidnapping is something like this..."

"I'm good at that too!" After walking far enough, Higana looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping before whispering.

Ze Shu:

"....—."

He patted Higana on the shoulder without saying a word.

Higanbana looked completely bewildered: "What do you mean?"

Ze Shu: "Figure it out yourself."

Having said that, he ignored Xijiana and walked ahead, leaving Xijiana blinking her clear but foolish eyes, trying to figure out what Zeshu was trying to make her understand. The more she thought about it, the more confused she became.

Following closely behind Ze Shu, Xiao Lan covered her mouth and smiled thoughtfully before turning to say:

"Ze Shu, we've pretty much finished exploring Orange Academy. Perhaps we should...:"

Ze Shu continued, "Looking for a house to buy?"

Xiao Lan smiled brightly and nodded, "Yes!"

As if she had been prepared, she took out a tablet that displayed the vast area of ​​the Padiya region. The Frostmoor Mountains to the north, the dangerous Zone Zero in the center like a hollow cave, and the Great Cauldron Lake to the northwest were all quite prominent on the map.

"Because of its vast territory, even the four-season deer and the budding deer exhibit different seasonal characteristics in different regions of Padiya: the southern region is warm like spring, the eastern wilderness desert is closer to summer, the west is like autumn, and the Frosty Mountains in the north are like winter."

"So there are many options, but I've already shortlisted a few good locations!"

Xiao Lan drew several red circles on the tablet.

"Considering that we occasionally need to work at Orange Academy, the place we settle in shouldn't be too far away, so our options are narrowed down to: Tabletop City; Flat Plate Town; Small Spoon Town; Deep Bowl Town; and Round Mold Town. These are the choices."

"Ze Shu, where are we going to settle down?"

Xiao Lan asked expectantly as information about various locations was displayed on the tablet.

Ze Shu watched for a while before seriously analyzing:

"First of all, Table City is out. Although it's prosperous, it's also noisy. Besides, every inch of land there is incredibly valuable."

The Pokémon can't really unleash their full potential for play either.

"good!"

Xiao Lan marked Table City with a red cross.

"Secondly, Roundmoor is also out. Although it's famous for its olives, that also means it's famous for its bugs, and even the gym is a bug gym; although the land is large, it's mostly barren land used for growing olives, and the scenery isn't very appealing."

"good!"

"Next, Shenbo Town is also out. Although it's a flower art town and the scenery is indeed beautiful, it's small and too far away. Even though I only need to go to Orange Academy for two or three classes a week, the commute is still troublesome."

"So, there are only two choices left?"

"—Pingdie Town and Xiaochi Town, one described as a 'peaceful town,' the other as a 'gentle and reserved town,'"

They all seem pretty good.

Xiao Lan was struggling to make a choice.

Ze Shu said, "But Xiao Chi Town is by the sea."

"Then it's decided on Keytown!" Little Blue said decisively, putting a big checkmark on Keytown on the tablet.

It was already afternoon when we left Orange Academy.

Ze Shu and the others first found an "Iberian Specialty Restaurant" in Tsukita City and ate authentic Padina hairy crab claws.

-

- It is said that the Pokémon Crab often sticks upside down to the cliff face in order to attack its prey, so its claws used to maintain this upside-down position are exceptionally well-developed. In other words: delicious.

In addition, the claws of the hairy crab will "time" fall off and then grow back on their own after a period of time, so these crab claws are the preferred food in the Padiya region.

—Yes, this is Ze Shu's teacher appointment letter, written in this "Padia Travel Guide".

The tender, springy crab meat has a fresh and sweet taste that you can feel as soon as you bite into it. Although it is not very juicy—after all, the hairy crab is a Pokémon that lives on steep cliffs—it exudes a unique sweet aroma.

"Hmm, it tastes good."

Ze Shu gave this evaluation after tasting it.

I wonder what that enormous hairy shore crab, known as the "Lord of the Rock Wall," tastes like. After Ze Shu tasted it, he even wanted to find the Lord of the Rock Wall and make it "voluntarily" detach its claws.

Meanwhile, the six-tailed monster in front of him was eating like crazy, crunching and showing off the crab meat, its mouth dripping with oil, its belly swollen and round. Ze Shu patted its belly, making a solid "plop plop" sound.

"Hmm...Is it time to make Six-Tails go on a diet again...?"

Zeki's murmured words of letting the Six-Tails eat abruptly stopped in his dream.

The idea that losing weight equals not being able to eat had already taken root in the Six-Tailed Fox's mind, causing it to immediately scream in alarm:

"Ooooh, oooh!!!"

"Hmph, I originally wanted Six-Tails to exercise more to lose weight, but since you think that losing weight means not eating, then I'll just have to grant our little Six-Tails' wish."

"Oh, oh, oh?!"

Liuwei's eyes were wide open, his face blank.

It, it is...

Did you accidentally drop an ice cube on your own little foot?!

When they came out of the hairy crab restaurant, Liuwei was dejected and was "laboriously" carried out by Zeshu. Because it knew that it would have to lose weight in the future, it treated this meal as its last supper and ate desperately until its belly swelled up like it was eighteen months pregnant.

Ze Shu said with a hint of helplessness, "Why bother?"

Six-Tails just whimpered twice, then pressed itself firmly into Zeki's arms with its full weight, attempting to teach the trainer a lesson by overpowering him with its weight.

But when he stroked the soft fur on the back of the six-tailed fish, Zeki felt that it felt quite nice.

"Let's go to Little Key Town." Ze Shu glanced at the sky. It was not long in the afternoon, so he said, "We still have plenty of time. Maybe we can get that room sorted out today and won't have to use Orange Academy's dormitory."

Little Blue rubbed the chubby boy, who was bloated from eating, and said with a grin, "Okay!"

However, as they approached the South District 1 gate of Tabletop City, just as they were about to head to Little Key Town...

Zeshu encountered a "familiar face"—her fluffy Eevee backpack seemed to be full, and her Sylveon pink and blue ribbon was also struggling to carry luggage. They were walking out of the gate together, and happened to run into Zeshu and the others.

It is a peony.

This woman whose Eevee was just rubbed all over by Ze Shu

Unexpectedly, she had just completed the "leave of absence" procedures and was in such a hurry to leave the Padiyah region that she didn't even want to stay.

"Ah... hello, hello everyone...:"

Peony was startled and greeted them first.

Ze Shu nodded and greeted her, then casually rubbed Sylveon's head again, until Sylveon was breathing heavily and its ribbons became limp and weak, unable to even hold up the luggage it was carrying, before saying:

"What a coincidence? Where are you going?"

Peony hesitated for a moment, but before she could speak...

Ze Shu then continued in a conversational tone:

"I just ran into a girl who claimed to be the leader of the Tianxing Team. She was dressed like a biker gang member and was forcing another student to join the Tianxing Team. Tsk tsk tsk, she's a total bad student. Mudan, you better watch out, don't get forced to join the Tianxing Team."

"Ah—" Peony was startled by Ze Shu's words, "Th-like this—"

Ze Shu nodded and said, "Yes."

"If these 'bad students' continue like this, they'll definitely be expelled."

Peony's eyes widened: "W-Is it that serious?!"

"Perhaps, perhaps... the Tianxing team also had their own unavoidable difficulties!"

She hesitated for a moment, then mustered her courage and said it.

Ze Shu asked directly, "So, Peony, do you know the Heavenly Star Team?"

Peony became nervous:

"Me, me"

"No, I don't know him..."

"I see—" Ze Shu nodded knowingly, "Whether they have their reasons or not, if this group of Tianxing team continues like this and doesn't change, disrupting the school, they will definitely be expelled, the kind that even an alpaca can't save."

"I wonder who can do anything about them."

Hearing these words, Peony's pale fingers clenched into a knot. Although she didn't know who Zeshu meant by "alpaca," she hesitated and said:

"I...I heard, I heard that there's a real leader in the Tianxing team, she's the one who leads the team. This real leader definitely doesn't want the Tianxing team to become bad students, so...I think she should, she should step in to stop the Tianxing team."

"Oh?" Ze Shu looked puzzled and said, "But I wonder who the real leader of this Tianxing Team is? They're really hiding it well. Do you know who Mudan is?"

Peony, her gaze flickering, said, "Yes, yes... The true leader of the Celestial Star Team is very well hidden... Nobody knows who she is, not even the members of the Celestial Star Team... Maybe she's someone very powerful from Orange Academy..."

"Me? How would someone as insignificant as me know who the real boss is...?"

Faced with Ze Shu's direct gaze, she couldn't help but explain a little more.

"If that's what you're saying..." Ze Shu stroked his chin, as if thinking, "I do have a few people I suspect."

Peony seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and said, "...Is that so?"

Ze Shu: "Would you like to hear my guess?"

"If, if you're willing to tell me," Peony readily agreed. After letting out a sigh of relief, she was equally curious about the person Ze Shu suspected.

So, at Ze Shu's prompting, she couldn't help but bring her slightly reddened ear close to his mouth.

Immediately, all Mudan heard was Zeshu say:

"As for who I suspect is the real boss... my primary suspect is a student from Class 3-A at Orange Academy..."

Peony hesitated for a moment and said, "Yes, it's my class..."

Ze Shu nodded firmly: "Yes, he's a very capable person in your class."

Peony couldn't help but ask, "Who...who is it?"

She thought for a long time, and perhaps because she didn't go to school often, she couldn't think of anyone in her class who could be considered capable.

However, all Mudan heard Zeshu say was:

"That big shot in that class, I suspect he's a potential leader..."

"Her name is Peony."

.....

"Huh!" Peony was stunned for a moment, wondering if she had misheard, or perhaps she hadn't known enough about the class to have a classmate with the same name as her. "Who...who is it?"

"The true leader of the Tianxing team is Peony!"

Ze Shu repeated it to Mu Dan in a matter-of-fact tone.

This left Peony feeling completely bewildered, as if a master blacksmith had picked up a huge iron hammer and was smashing it against her forehead, leaving her frozen in place as if struck by a massive shock. She didn't understand why Ze Shu was speaking to Peony in such a casual tone, saying that Peony was the real boss!

This kind of development is as absurd as a suspense novel where the identity of a deeply hidden murderer is casually revealed by a bystander on the street.

So—one.

Looking at the timid girl in front of him, whose entire body was frozen, Ze Shu smiled and said again:

"Peony, you don't want your status as the true leader of the Celestial Star Team to be... "