Chapter 196: The Rascal Zapdos

Well, it's time to get back to business.

Moltres's gaze fell upon Growlithe, whom it was protecting from the encroaching lava while the little Pokémon exerted every ounce of strength to absorb the ubiquitous fire and rock energy within the magma; though Moltres's heart was filled with worry, it did not let its emotions show, lest they distract Growlithe.

Moltres carefully sorted through the energy flowing within the lava, tempering its ferocity before adjusting it to a level Growlithe could endure, though certainly not without great effort.

Watching Growlithe grit its teeth and continuously absorb energy it had never encountered before, Moltres made an estimation and concluded that this method should work.

In truth, several other volcanic craters where it resided frequently produced Fire Stones.

While resting in the sea of magma to pass the time, Moltres often silently observed wild Pokémon and humans risking everything for those Fire Stones, then witnessing the Pokémon evolve under the stones' effects.

It understood why Fire Stones could trigger evolution in certain Pokémon; the principle was quite simple.

Fire Stones sealed within them a strand of extremely pure Fire-type energy; through the impact of this energy, a Pokémon's inherent potential was released, and evolution naturally followed.

All it needed to do now was replace the Fire Stone with magma energy that was better suited to Growlithe, as well as purer and more advanced, thereby helping it achieve a more perfect and superior evolution.

Since this Growlithe was its acknowledged good son, everything given to it had to be the best!

That was what Moltres thought.

However, exactly how much magma energy could be absorbed and whether a qualitative transformation could be achieved depended entirely on Growlithe itself; in the end, Moltres could only assist from the sidelines.

It was not of the same kin as that legendary Fire God, lacking such miraculous power.

On the edge of the volcanic island, Luo Mu plopped down onto a massive rock, looking down from above at the Zapdos lying wretchedly inside a huge crater.

"I know you're awake; no need to pretend. Let's talk."

Zapdos did not move.

"Let me think... how should I deal with you?"

Luo Mu raised an eyebrow, stood up, and walked toward the pit where Zapdos lay playing dead; Swampert dutifully followed at his side, acting as a guard and staying alert for any sudden attack from Zapdos.

"Right now, you're probably wondering why Swampert and I suddenly targeted you, correct?"

"First, let me clarify one point: judging by your appearance, you definitely came here to cause trouble for Moltres, but did you know that Moltres has already been caught by me and is now my Pokémon?"

Zapdos:!!!!

At this, Zapdos stopped pretending altogether, propping itself up with its wings and lifting its head with a look of utter shock.

What kind of joke was this? With Moltres's explosive temper and its nature of viewing most ordinary Pokémon as mere ants, how could it possibly be caught by a human?

Zapdos knew Moltres's character all too well, because it was exactly the same itself.

Even if defeated, their spirits would never yield; besides, they had plenty of time, and after enduring a few more decades, who would be stronger remained uncertain.

With such superior conditions, they were always filled with aversion toward being caught; thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of Hexi—you may be strong now, but wait until you grow old and see whether they'll finish you off.

This human and Swampert were indeed powerful, but if Moltres could actually be caught, then Zapdos would dare to stop raiding power plants for free meals for the next few years.

Seeing Zapdos's incredulous expression, Luo Mu chuckled and said, "Whether you believe it or not, Moltres is indeed my partner now; we just happened to come here temporarily to handle some business."

"You've already been defeated and probably have little strength left; given your current state, a Poké Ball would definitely catch you. Do you have anything to say about that?"

Zapdos froze for a moment, then shook its head frantically.

No! I haven't had enough fun yet! Being caught? Absolutely not!

The biggest difference between Zapdos and Moltres was that Moltres could absorb energy simply by staying in the remote sea of volcanic lava, whereas Zapdos had to seek out naturally occurring lightning or directly raid human power plants for free meals.

Having grown accustomed to eating free meals, Zapdos had actually learned a bit of the essence of being a rascal.

Seeing Zapdos on the verge of throwing a tantrum and rolling on the ground, Luo Mu decided not to make things too difficult for it; after all, it had already received a thorough beating from Swampert.

Thus, he proposed a plan: "How about this: I'll let you off the hook for today, but in exchange, you owe me a favor. In the future, if I need your help, you must come and lend a hand."

Luo Mu had already planned it out: if, during the future construction of the farm, a large amount of electricity was needed at some point, he could temporarily draft this Zapdos as a laborer; although its lightning power was far inferior to that of Luxray, the quantity was abundant, and Luo Mu simply couldn't bear to exploit Luxray.

Zapdos also knew there was no room for bargaining at this point; wasn't it just a promise to help? Could it possibly tire itself to death?

It certainly wouldn't involve fighting; that Swampert was so much stronger than itself, so where would there be any chance for it to fight?

Thus, under the watchful eyes of the glaring Swampert, Luo Mu and Zapdos reached an agreement, and he even plucked a feather from Zapdos—which felt tingling and numb to the touch—as a token of their pact.

After resting on the spot for a while to recover enough strength to ensure it wouldn't crash mid-flight, Zapdos, which had arrived with such dominance, departed in a wretched state, having been forced to sign a one-time contract.

Watching Zapdos flee the volcanic island as if escaping, intending to return to its Thundercloud Island to recuperate, Luo Mu stroked his chin and did not bring up the matter of going to the neighboring Snow Peak Island again.

After all, before leaving, Zapdos had mentioned that Articuno wasn't even on Snow Peak Island recently, so going there would likely result in a wasted trip; it was better to return to the volcanic crater and wait for Growlithe's transformation.

Swampert was carrying Luo Mu and had only just climbed halfway up the mountain path when suddenly, the concentration of Fire-type energy in the air surged rapidly, mixed with a significant amount of Rock-type energy.

A faint yet distinct smell of sulfur drifted out from the volcanic crater, accompanied by a resonant roar that seemed capable of scattering the clouds above, shooting straight into the sky.

Luo Mu suddenly realized something and quickly looked up at the sky.

There, Moltres soared skyward, clad in magma and blazing fire; with a flap of its wings, it easily shook off the flames clinging to its sides, its fiercely burning plumage as dazzling as sunlight.

But Luo Mu's attention was not on Moltres at this moment; following that resonant roar, something broke through the sea of magma, leaped onto the rock layer above, and with vigorous, heavy strides, charged directly toward his position.

The creature's running speed was extremely fast; within a few breaths, a rolling wave of heat swept over, and a Pokémon possessing a majestic aura and an incomparably agile posture sprinted from the volcanic crater right to Luo Mu's front.

Paying no heed to the scorching heat wave hitting his face, Luo Mu widened his eyes, and upon clearly seeing the newcomer, exclaimed with delight: "Feng Su Gou!!!"

(End of Chapter)