Chapter 282: The Flopped Dark Iron Triangle, Fireworks, and Viewing the Sea

"Dragonite, I'm leaving this battle to you."

Luo Mu calmly sent out Dragonite, equally renowned as a pseudo-legendary, causing Calista's eyes to shine with unprecedented brilliance.

Not only Swampert, Luxray, and Serperior, but Luo Mu actually has a Dragonite as well; this is wonderful!

The surrounding audience cooperated by letting out several cheers, focusing intently on what kind of collision would occur between these two Dragon-type Pokémon.

Facing Dragonite, Hydreigon emitted a hoarse, low hiss; three pairs of wings swirled with terrifying, gruesome black energy, its fierce eyes seeming ready to devour anyone in sight.

Facing this pressure directly, Dragonite remained unperturbed, flapping its wings to maintain the same flight altitude as Hydreigon; conversely, the invisible Victini hovering above Luo Mu's head was thoroughly frightened.

A trace of brutality flashed across Hydreigon's face; Dragonite flying at the same height as itself was a barefaced provocation!

The Dark Iron Triangle had been caught just like that; even Luo Mu, who had made fully comprehensive preparations, hadn't expected them to flop in this manner.

With the great stone in everyone's hearts finally settling, the Battle Festival concluded as Mo Mo Mengduo announced its end with a broad smile.

Immediately, intense cheers erupted; looking at Luo Mu's familiar face and this outrageous display of strength, they finally remembered that this person was actually the expert who had defeated Champion Alder.

In that instant, Victini slowly opened its eyes wide; within its gaze, after hundreds of years, brilliant fireworks were once again reflected.

Ah well, tonight I'll cheat just a little bit.

At that moment, a peculiar golden aura rose from Vulpix's petite body; Vulpix felt it possessed endless strength and energy, so it confidently stepped forward, puffed out its cheeks, and began gathering frosty power.

Little Vulpix's Ability is the extremely rare Snow Warning; Victini's infinite energy activated this Ability, thereby altering the weather for a period of time.

Vulpix, the cause of all this, proudly lifted its small head, accepting the words of praise from Victini, which had realized the crisis was averted.

Victini cupped its cheeks as if it had just sipped some sweet nectar, its dual cheeks turning slightly red.

Helplessly, Calista handed the wooden tag hanging around her neck to the referee, revealing a wry smile.

Amidst the panicked shouts of the onlooking crowd, three nearly imperceptible sounds of wind targeted Luo Mu's direction with clear intent, accompanied by cold blades filled with killing intent swinging down toward Luo Mu and Calista.

This was the best opportunity they could seize: the relaxation after the battle ended, combined with the helplessness of having just recalled their Pokémon and being unable to release them in time; to capture Victini beside this young man who had defeated the old Champion, now was the time!

Calista covered her mouth and nose; her eyes, which she had intended to squint, widened slightly upon seeing the motionless Hydreigon in the crater amidst the smoke and dust.

They had specifically used machines to confirm that neither Luo Mu's nor Calista's shadows contained any Ghost-type Pokémon before choosing the right moment to strike with lightning speed within a few seconds, aiming for a one-hit kill.

"Mew!"

It wanted to see the ocean once.

Luo Mu looked at Vulpix and Victini, then looked at the Dark Iron Triangle frozen into ice sculptures and the crowds that Dragonite had evacuated far away, daring not to approach, and slowly typed out a question mark.

Exiting the crowded throng and arriving at a remote, open spot where the view was completely blocked by trees, Luo Mu summoned Dragonite.

Having Alcremie, Comfey, and Dragonite each hold several Poké Balls, Luo Mu held Vulpix in one arm and Luxray's Poké Ball in the other, finally completing his preparations.

She... hadn't even issued a proper command, yet Hydreigon had already lost the ability to battle?

In the next instant, a biting cold wind howled forward, freezing everything in its path under a thick layer of ice; the charging Dark Iron Triangle, Bisharp, Banette, and Durant were no exceptions, all turning into lifelike ice sculptures standing beneath this blazing sun.

This was also what she had requested of Luo Mu, asking the other party to go all out so she could understand just how great the gap between them was.

At this moment, a red-and-white painted Poké Ball appeared in the center of Victini's line of sight, which had dropped due to unease.

This way, Luxray and the others could also watch tonight's fireworks show together through their Poké Balls.

Even the fireworks could not suppress the sound of Luo Mu's voice at this moment.

Facing the incoming attack, Dragonite merely shook its claws; accompanied by a falling emerald trail, the Tri Attack imbued with terrifying energy was easily torn apart by it.

As the vanguard troops under Ghetsis, the de facto leader of Team Plasma, the Dark Iron Triangle possessed not only inhuman agility and strength themselves, but their Pokémon were also so powerful that ordinary Gym Leaders would find them difficult to defeat.

Calista, who only had the single Pokémon Hydreigon, hid behind Luo Mu, worriedly watching Vulpix's petite figure; suddenly, Calista's eyes widened as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing, and she rubbed her eyes.

Their withdrawal technique, honed through countless trials, was something a Trainer who had only just arrived in Unova could never react to.

As the wind pressure bent the tree crowns slightly downward, amidst the night, Luo Mu rode Dragonite, coming to a direct halt high up in the night sky.

As the agitated air currents swept in all directions, the smoke generated by the smoke bombs set by the Dark ones was completely blown away, exposing the three's ragged figures to the eyes of the tourists and spectators who were still screaming in unease.

Victini paused, its gaze following the fireworks illuminating the night sky to look beyond Nimbasa City, toward that calm and mysterious ocean.

In the fourth second of the unexpected incident, Luo Mu, reminded by the system at the critical moment, picked up Dragonite's Poké Ball again and pressed the button.

Hydreigon's pupils contracted; it saw only a dragon tail rapidly approaching itself, and in the next instant, it was slapped down to the ground by immense force.

After shielding Calista behind him and entrusting his back to Mimikyu's protection, Luo Mu was just about to release Luxray to sanction this group of individuals robbing Pokémon in broad daylight when Vulpix, using strength from who-knows-where, broke free from Luo Mu's arm.

Vulpix, why are you glowing?

Upon completing all this, less than three seconds had passed.

Taking a deep breath, Luo Mu, who had already organized his words, spoke to draw Victini's attention to himself, smiling gently as he said, "Victini, how does it feel to enjoy fireworks together with friends and companions?"

The little ones were simply too playful, causing him to arrive late; fortunately, Hearing Nimo and the others should have already secured the best spots.

Victini froze for a moment, then Dragonite, wrapped in flowing wind, flew toward the direction of the ocean.

Regarding this point, Luo Mu actually had some ideas; during the time he went out to participate in the Battle Festival, the invisible Victini had made physical contact with Vulpix more than once, and perhaps Victini itself hadn't realized that, due to its own unease, it had subconsciously transmitted infinite energy to Vulpix.

Below, brilliant light shone upon the faces of Hearing Nimo and the others gathered together; although they felt some disappointment at not being able to watch the fireworks with Luo Mu, gazing at this exceptionally splendid scenery, they still displayed expressions of utter enchantment.

Victini's smile seemed to possess magic, causing Luo Mu to unconsciously curl the corners of his mouth as he followed his heart and asked, "You... do you have any wish you want to realize?"

No, you little kid, why are you joining in the fun when facing such vicious, evil bandits...

Before Luo Mu had time to scoop up Vulpix, three vicious Pokémon and the Dark Iron Triangle launched an attack toward this side.

That's right; nowadays, it is no longer alone.

Since that's the case, then we'll just snatch it by force!

The three exchanged glances and made a joint decision; anyway, the worst-case scenario was simply retreating.

The Dark Iron Triangle broke through the smoke they had released; two of them targeted Luo Mu and Calista, while one, wearing restraint claws brought from Team Plasma, reached with clear intent toward Victini, who had become flustered upon discovering its invisibility had failed.

Immediately following this, more fireworks ascended into the sky, continuously blooming and unfolding.

Victini stared absentmindedly at Luo Mu's profile, and as if having made up its mind, it patted Luo Mu, who was focused on admiring the fireworks.

He didn't understand; how had Luo Mu reacted in time?

Wait, shouldn't this be my moment to show off?

It was fine that all the spotlight had been stolen by Vulpix.

In the end, Hearing Nimo claimed the championship of the Battle Festival; it was a pity that Carlita was defeated by Luo Mu himself, otherwise he really would have liked to see how Hearing Nimo and Pawmi would fare against Carlita's Hydreigon.

Perhaps the fireworks tonight were simply too brilliant and dazzling.

Vulpix, Alcremie, Morelull, and even the Luxray inside its Poké Ball, along with the Sandslash, all wore expressions of rapture.

Success!

This thought simultaneously arose in the minds of the three members of Team Dark.

The referee, having confirmed the outcome, blew the whistle at that moment and shouted, "Hydreigon is unable to battle; Dragonite wins!"

Luo Mu shook his head, and just as he was about to return the handshake, a voice suddenly ringing in his mind made his expression instantly turn serious.

Before Hydreigon could regroup, Dragonite became enveloped in a roaring giant dragon of energy, carrying terrifying energy fluctuations and radiating an imposing aura as it charged straight at Hydreigon!

Boom!!!

Only a deafening explosion echoed through the sky; a terrifying shockwave carrying dust and smoke immediately swept over the surroundings, causing pedestrians and spectators alike to sway left and right.

In silence, Luo Mu guessed the reason for Victini's lukewarm reaction.

Just before the fireworks were about to begin, Luo Mu turned to look at Victini standing on his shoulder, noticing its expression was unusually flat, completely unlike the excitement shown by Vulpix and the others seeing fireworks for the first time.

But... the Harvest Festival was still continuing.

As a result, Victini had now gone to cling to Vulpix.

A nameless sense of desolation suddenly rose in Luo Mu's heart, and the snowflakes drifting down from above seemed to perceive his emotions as well, becoming even more bleak.

"Tri Attack!"

However, they were instantly defeated by Vulpix's "Powder Snow"; looking at it this way, Victini's power was far more absurd than he had imagined.

Having captured Team Dark, Luo Mu lost all interest in participating in further battles; he indicated his forfeiture to the referee, handed over the wooden tag, and acted as if he had merely encountered something trivial.

Even when Miss Miss Junsha arrived to take custody of this notorious trio and asked Luo Mu about the situation, she wore an expression that was hard to describe.

The next instant, accompanied by mist rising from all around the small square, Carlita, standing opposite Luo Mu, constricted her pupils, while Victini, who had been invisible above Luo Mu's head, inexplicably revealed its form.

The cold wind extended all the way to the edge of the square, curling upward where blocked by the walls, freezing into ice cascades that resembled works of art.

Luo Mu lowered his gaze to look at the three Pokémon showing expressions of anticipation, then smiled helplessly.

At some unknown point, light snow had even begun to fall from the sky.

The leader of the group lowered his gaze to look at the many wounds blasted onto his body; the pain stimulated his brain, yet he still maintained absolute rationality.

Patting the Dragonite beneath him, which shared a tacit understanding with him, he said with high spirits, "Let's go; let's go see the sea together, to watch the sparkling ocean under the sunrise!"

Defeated in an instant by a delicate, pampered little Vulpix that had likely not even been born for half a year.

Originally, he had hoped to make a handsome rescue, radiate his charm, and attract Victini to cry and clamor to follow him.

This was merely a prelude.

By the time they arrived, the terrace was already packed with people; looking at the surging crowd, Luo Mu rarely showed a hint of difficulty.

Luo Mu, accompanied by his Cute Quartet—Morelull, Alcremie, Vulpix, and Victini—walked through the streets of Opelucid City, moving with the flow of people toward the terrace with the best view.

The next instant, Dragonite closed the distance at a speed Hydreigon couldn't even react to; its tail glowed with fluorescent green light, slicing through the air like a long whip to strike Hydreigon fiercely!

At eight o'clock in the evening, night had long covered the firmament, yet Opelucid City remained brightly lit; lanterns rich with ethnic characteristics hung above various stalls, for the nightlife had only just begun.

Subsequently, Mimikyu leaped from the shadow; a Shadow Ball, long charged and ready, whistled out toward the device in the hands of the third member of Team Dark that made it feel something was amiss, and accompanied by a dazzling energy explosion, the dark figure was blown away by the shockwave, crashing heavily to the ground!

The shadow beneath Luo Mu began to churn like a frenzied sea, and a pair of giant Shadow Claws instantly appeared, ruthlessly slapping away the two members of Team Dark holding daggers.

These three Pokémon were the sharpest blades in the hands of Team Dark, having helped them complete numerous tasks along the way; even ordinary Gym Leaders would need to be extremely vigilant to deal with them!

Luo Mu gave Dragonite a glance; it quickly flapped its wings and flew into the sky, for Dragonite's mission was to protect Pippa and the masses.

Yet he hadn't expected that facing Dragonite, Hydreigon was like a chick facing a giant dragon, completely powerless to fight back.

Under Luo Mu's gaze, an unprecedented brilliance ignited in Victini's eyes; it made its signature "V" sign and once again wore a brilliant smile.

For Victini, the annual fireworks were more like a reminder that it had been bound for another year, sitting atop the Sword of the Earth Tower amidst biting cold winds, watching the passage of years day after day, familiar things constantly departing.

Beneath Victini's optimistic facade, it still hid a sensitive and lonely soul.

Suddenly, noisy cheers erupted from below; several beams of light shot straight into the clouds, and accompanied by several booming sounds, several huge fireworks bloomed in the night sky.

"Timi~!"

With the booming sounds of exploding fireworks in his ears, Luo Mu had been observing Victini's expression the entire time.

But if things remained this way, they wouldn't be able to enjoy tonight's fireworks from the best vantage point.

As for the snowflakes falling from the June sky, Luo Mu had roughly figured out the cause.

Looking at the invisible wall binding it, which drew ever closer, Victini displayed an expression of unease.

Pippa stood to the side, clicking her tongue in wonder; Teacher Luo Mu's Dragonite was, as always, achieving miracles through brute force—the Hydreigon she and Annihilape had struggled against was being completely suppressed by Dragonite, remaining so beyond standard specifications.

Recalling Hydreigon, Carlita covered her face and walked toward Luo Mu through the lingering dust and smoke swirling nearby; upon reaching him, she extended her hand and said gratefully, "Thank you for your guidance..."

For a moment, overwhelming cheers and applause erupted within the crowd; while a back-and-forth exchange is good, occasionally witnessing a pure display of strength crushing the opposition is also a form of entertainment.

So the gap between herself and the Champion was truly this large... as vast as the distance between heaven and earth.

Luo Mu coldly watched the three white-haired individuals before him, their faces covered with black cloth; one performed a carp leap to stand up, they each leaped backward, and immediately released their Pokémon!

Accelgor, Banette, and Bisharp!

For Victini, during the millennium it had been imprisoned, it did not know how many times it had witnessed the spectacle of fireworks blooming.

Under Carlita's command, Hydreigon's three heads simultaneously opened their jaws, unleashing triple beams of fire, lightning, and cold air!

This wave of victory was incredibly delicious!

But, the next instant, they were completely dumbfounded.

Powder Snow!

This was what enabled Vulpix to unleash a "Powder Snow" move capable of instantly defeating Team Dark and their Pokémon, comparable to "Sheer Cold" or "Blizzard."

Luo Mu asked, "Are you willing to trust me?"

Victini paused, then followed his heart and reached out to press the button.

(End of Chapter)