Chapter 760: Lei Jiaisi

Kanaz City docks.

Baimu rented a yacht at great expense, assisted by Polywhirl II in maneuvering, to head to Waterway 105 in search of Asahi.

Today is the third day since he subdued Lei Jiaisi.

They arrived at Kanaz City yesterday evening; the boat rental shops had already closed, so they spent the night in Meteor Village.

This morning, Professor Suigao suddenly sent word.

He said Jian had obtained a map of the ruins' locations from an excavation team, successfully found the desert ruin that sealed Lei Jiaisi, and opened its gate by correctly interpreting the ancient braille inscriptions.

Unexpectedly, the excavation team had been following him.

When Lei Jiaisi burst out of the ruin and battled Martial Bear Master, the avoided Destruction Beam accidentally struck the hidden excavation team.

Amid the chaos.

Jian and Martial Bear Master struggled to remain calm, avoiding external interference, silently accelerating their battle with Lei Jiaisi to prevent losing the chance to subdue it.

But there was a significant gap between reality and expectation.

The more he tried to speed things up, the more Lei Jiaisi resisted stubbornly, making subduing it difficult—plus his luck was truly terrible…

After five consecutive failed Ball throws, Lei Jiaisi successfully hid its form within the sandstorm it stirred up and escaped.

With the condition of the excavation team unknown, Jian had no choice but to abandon pursuit.

Afterwards,

Jian admitted his mistake to Professor Suigao,

and Professor Suigao naturally did not blame him, since the original goal had been achieved.

Subduing it was merely a bonus; from the start, they only needed to collect relevant data. Besides, it's normal for Legendary Pokémon to be hard to subdue.

If it were that easy, there wouldn't be so few Trainers in the world who own Legendary Pokémon.

Baimu, upon hearing this news, suddenly understood.

He had always wondered why Professor Suigao's team had explored the Notice Stone Chamber this year, while in the original plot, Jian didn't begin collecting the three Legendary Pillars of each region until the Journey arc, nearly next year.

And Lei Jiaisi had slipped away!

So his Butterfree's wings weren't strong enough to trigger a butterfly effect.

If that's the case,

Baimu decided to go there himself, since logically, Asahi's attempt to subdue Lei Jiaisi had also failed.

To be honest,

Losing Lei Jiaisi wasn't a big problem—the rock ruin in Crown Snowfield also held one; they could simply retrieve it before seeking Lei Jiaisi and Lei Doralgo.

In the original plot, Jian's Lei Jiaisi came from the Black Gold Ruin in Crown Snowfield.

The same applies to Lei Jiaisi.

But if possible, it's best to secure it—he hopes his Lei Jiaisi has a companion, believing that meeting an old friend might help its Spirit Heart interact with Lei Jiaisi.

Of course, Lei Jiaisi is Asahi's responsibility; he won't arbitrarily interfere with assigned tasks.

His main purpose in going is to help Asahi locate the island cave, and to provide backup.

To prevent interference from strangers, or repeated subduing failures in a short time, causing Lei Jiaisi to flee.

"The latitude and longitude from our last contact…"

Baimu stared at the nautical chart.

Waterway 105 borders Waterway 106, where Martial Arts Town lies.

Perhaps Groudon once frequently roamed here, leaving behind a multitude of islands scattered like stars.

The larger islands resemble Martial Arts Island.

Villages have been built upon them; the smaller ones have become havens for wild Pokémon.

Asahi's first stop was the largest island, where she tried to gather clues about the ruin from villagers; only after finding nothing did she begin exploring the uninhabited islands.

Professor Suigao mentioned that Asahi had used aerial Lotoom to scan each uninhabited island, analyzing them via computer to identify those possibly concealing ruins.

If she still couldn't find it, she'd have to deploy the Deep Diver.

This made Baimu immensely grateful he'd known the location of the ancient tomb from the start—otherwise, they'd be searching until the end of time.

Shortly after,

A crescent-shaped uninhabited island faintly emerged in the distance.

"Pali!"

Polywhirl II's alert made Baimu drop the comb covered in stray hairs and, alongside his Salamence, gaze toward the front of the yacht.

The first thing they saw was the island; the second, countless black lines surging through the waves.

"Damn!"

He leapt to his feet.

Anyone who played the Sword/Shield Crown Tundra DLC would never forget one thing—riding a bike on the sea, then being frantically chased by torpedo-like Sharpedo.

Sometimes even two of them!

Calling them "Sea Tyrants" was truly fitting.

These creatures typically inhabit waters outside designated shipping lanes; Polywhirl II came here based on the coordinates Asahi provided, clearly deviating from the established merchant routes.

Besides, the nautical chart had warning markers for Sharpedo pods—encountering them wasn't surprising.

Baimu turned and gave Salamence a look, saying:

"Don't let them get close! Scare them off!"

He didn't want to pay for the yacht's repairs out of his own pocket.

"Shasong!"

Salamence flew out from behind the yacht, its wings flaring violently as it accelerated—like a Mobile Suit Gundam launching from a starship.

As it neared the school of giant-toothed sharks, its three gaping maws opened, unleashing ear-splitting roars that formed crimson sound waves mixed with thick black mist.

Boom—!!

A towering spray of water exploded upward!

Though the Three-Headed Dragon's dual attacks were never as devastating as the Super Mega-Mouth's physical power, thanks to its relentless training and superior simulator-tuned innate talent, it had grown remarkably formidable.

Even as a warning strike, it delivered considerable destructive force.

The water splashed down with a swish-swish.

The school of giant-toothed sharks, no longer charging forward with fury, surfaced with their heads, their blood-red eyes appearing cold.

They feared the Three-Headed Dragon, yet glared at it in warning.

"Sah-sang."

The Three-Headed Dragon sneered. If not for its Trainer forbidding it from attacking freely, it wouldn't mind teaching these fools what it meant to take on a whole school alone.

The yacht drew near.

Seeing the Three-Headed Dragon successfully enter a standoff with the giant-toothed sharks, Baimu pulled out a Poké Ball and released a Shiny Milotic.

"Mee-gok~"

Milotic plunged into the sea, its golden scales reflecting beautiful halos in the sunlight.

It flicked its long tail, sending countless pink hearts flying into the bodies of the ferocious giant-toothed sharks.

【Attract】!

"Sah-mie…"

The male giant-toothed sharks' eyes instantly turned into hearts; only a few females remained with blank stares.

Milotic's scheme—

Success!

Baimu gave Milotic a thumbs-up.

Though giant-toothed sharks were ferocious by nature, since they existed in a mostly peaceful animated world, they could be reasoned with.

What was reason?

"Glad I prepared extra before coming!"

He pulled a large jar of ordinary Poké Blocks from his Shiny Haunter and scattered them like fish bait toward the majority of giant-toothed sharks entranced by Milotic's 【Attract】.

Feeding Absol and Snorunt was feeding; feeding giant-toothed sharks was still feeding.

"Sah-mie?"

"Sah-mie!"

At first, the giant-toothed sharks, having never encountered Poké Blocks, remained wary—but once the first one bit into a Crustle's pincer, they were quickly captivated by these tiny, exquisitely delicious morsels.

In an instant.

The ocean's tyrants went mad, frantically fighting over the treats, churning the water in wild surges.

"Let's go!"

Baimu brushed the crumbs from his hands, thinking that now they could sail through this stretch of sea without hindrance.

By the way, that crescent-shaped uninhabited island ahead seemed to have appeared in the anime…

Ah!

He suddenly remembered—these giant-toothed sharks were probably the same ones Ash and company had encountered.

Their leader had even formed a deep friendship with Brock.

And as usual, Team Rocket had helped ease tensions between Ash's group and the giant-toothed sharks after their initial conflict.

After a while, the giant-toothed sharks finished their scramble.

"Sah-mie!"

"Sah-mie sah-mie!"

They watched the departing yacht, no longer pursuing.

First, the Three-Headed Dragon was too dangerous; second, Milotic was beautiful, and the human's scattered treats were delicious.

They decided to let the yacht that had intruded into their territory go free.

Look.

How kind these wild Pokémon were.

Had they been more malicious, they'd never have let Baimu go until they'd drained him dry for exposing his "treasure."

Baimu aboard the yacht had kept his eyes fixed on the giant-toothed sharks; seeing they didn't follow and hearing Milotic confirm they had left, he finally relaxed.

The toll had not been wasted.

They safely neared the crescent island.

On the shore, Baimu spotted what looked like a small boat that had arrived via Chao Ri's ride.

But no one was visible on the island.

He leapt off the boat and ran across the beach, scanning everywhere: "Where did they go?"

The crescent island wasn't small, but it wasn't large either—just this size.

The woods looked dense but were in fact tiny; standing on the beach, he could see the rocky wall at the forest's end.

The cliffs behind looked towering, but "hills" described them better.

Anyone who came here by boat couldn't have gone far.

—On the other side!

Baimu ordered Poliwhirl to park the yacht securely to avoid being swept away by the tide, then leapt onto the Three-Headed Dragon's back and had it leap over the cliffs.

Of course.

Behind Moonlight Island lay another uninhabited islet.

On the islet stood a mound covered in vegetation, where Chao Ri directed her Strike-Flow Martial Bear to attack a rock wall with 【Water Strike Chain】.

Boom—boom.

Large chunks of rock broke loose, revealing a door identical to those of ancient tombs, inscribed with raised ancient braille that miraculously remained intact, unshattered alongside the rock fragments.

"I'm not needed anymore."

Baimu patted the Three-Headed Dragon, signaling it not to approach further; since Chao Ri had found it, let her handle the rest.

He could help drive away any wild Pokémon that drew near, or wait for Lei Jiaisi to intervene.

"Shaaang!"

The Three-Headed Dragon understood and landed atop the cliff, giving the trainer a clear downward view.

Two minutes later.

Having deciphered the text, Chao Ri stepped forward, pressing one hand against the door. After another five minutes, the braille on the door began to glow.

Boom—

With a low, rumbling roar, a dark, deep cave appeared before Chao Ri.

She swiftly retreated with her Martial Bear, assuming a defensive stance.

Baimu, watching from afar on the cliff, could not see clearly, but knew that brilliant ice-blue lightning suddenly shot out from within the cave, missed by the Martial Bear and Chao Ri, and struck the sea.

Squeak—

A vast expanse of churning seawater froze instantly into jagged ice, the frozen area so extensive it reached even the cliffs of Moonlight Island.

He looked down and felt a staggering freeze wind blast against his face.

"Not bad, this ice light."

Compared to Lei Jiqilu's lackluster offensive power, Lei Jiaisi's ice beam matched its Legendary Pokémon status perfectly.

Their Special Attack base stats differed by only twenty or thirty.

Is the gap really this big?

Below, Chao Ri was clearly startled; her Strike-Flow Martial Bear prepared a deep-blue energy ball and hurled it into the depths of the cave.

Boom!

A cloud of smoke exploded, and the islet shook violently.

"Duu-duu-duu—"

A pale yellow cross-shaped dot matrix lit up from within the smoke, accompanied by the mechanical tone Baimu had heard for nearly three days.

But compared to Lei Jiqilu's dull "duu," Lei Jiaisi's "duu" sounded sharper—though the distance made it hard to hear clearly.

The sea breeze blew.

The smoke quickly dispersed.

Lei Jiaisi's body, seemingly composed of pale-blue polyhedral crystal columns, was exposed to sunlight, its astonishing cold aura forming a white mist that clung to its surface.

It stood nearly as tall as Lei Jiqilu, over three meters.

It was said its body was formed from glacial ice, encased in minus two hundred degrees Celsius cold air; anyone who approached would be instantly frozen by that chill.

Chao Ri had evidently done her homework and avoided close combat.

She had her Martial Bear attack Lei Jiaisi's back with 【True Qi Ball】, then, if Lei Jiaisi turned, use Water Jet to circle back around.

This forced Lei Jiaisi to rotate in place while facing the Martial Bear, firing ice beams all the while.

The sea surrounding the islet had turned entirely to ice.

"Hmm…"

This was Baimu's first time watching Chao Ri command a Pokémon.

He had to admit.

This Miss fought far too conservatively; Lei Jiaisi favored Special Defense—its Physical Defense was its weakness.

With the Martial Bear's attack power, charging in for a close-range combo would have sent Lei Jiaisi flying—highly unlikely to be frozen, at most its fists might freeze.

Flame Punch would melt it instantly.

How long would it take to keep spinning and firing 【True Qi Ball】?

Wait for Lei Jiaisi to fall over?

Though Lei Jiaisi's feet were point-shaped and theoretically unstable, it actually stood by other forces—falling was nearly impossible.

She was probably waiting for it to get dizzy.

Baimu rested his chin in his hand, watching the battle between the Martial Bear and Lei Jiaisi.

As expected.

After five full minutes, when the Martial Bear, relying on its Water Spin, suddenly halted, Lei Jiaisi—due to inertia—could not stop its rotation in time, exposing its back to the opponent.

The True Qi Ball shot upward, boom—striking Lei Jiaisi and knocking it forward; the Martial Bear seized the chance and rushed in for a close-range combo.

Boom—boom—boom!

The rhythmic, heavy punches sent Lei Jiaisi flying off the islet, crashing onto the ice.

Chao Ri immediately threw a Great Ball.

Great Ball…

Baimu watched as Lei Jiaisi was sucked inside, and subconsciously felt the first one would explode.

Bang!

It exploded the moment he thought it—extremely fast.

Chao Ri quickly threw a second Great Ball, but the second one also failed to hold long.

Seeing she did not pull out a third, but instead ordered the Martial Bear forward, Baimu understood she believed the capture window was not right.

Lei Jiaisi's stamina still needs to be further depleted.

"Luckily, I was possessed by the One-Ball Hero at that moment." He was relieved that Lei Ji had not kept nagging him about the capture issue.

Could it be that Super Bisharp had been too heavy-handed?

It didn't have time to struggle?

As Baimu pondered, his peripheral vision caught a group of Gyarados approaching the ice from far away.