Chapter 283: Capturing Victini: Beyond the Sea Lies Freedom!

Right now, Victini wanted to follow its heart and trust Luo Mu.

It was truly marvelous; having known each other for merely a single day, this man and his Pokémon had already made Victini feel a deep sense of closeness from the bottom of its heart.

Therefore, Victini was willing to trust Luo Mu, believing he could help it escape this cage that had bound it for a thousand years.

Victini transformed into a red light and merged into the red-and-white painted Poké Ball; the ball did not shake but immediately lit up with the glow of capture.

In the next instant, Dragonite swept past the Guardian Stone Pillars floating in midair; the purple patterned barrier that had blocked Victini's departure in the movie never manifested from start to finish, fireworks exploded overhead, and Dragonite flew out of Eindoak just like that.

The night breeze brushed against his hair; Luo Mu turned to look at the gradually shrinking Eindoak, an expression of surprise appearing on his face as he murmured, "It actually worked."

Previously, while pondering how to let Victini break through the seal, although Luo Mu had considered whether he could use a Poké Ball to help Victini break out of prison, he still leaned toward the belief that it wouldn't work.

After all, in the movie, even the collaboration between Reshiram and Zekrom could not break the barrier formed by these Guardian Stone Pillars; in the end, it was only when Victini unleashed its hidden potential that it broke through from the inside.

He had still been inclined to find other methods to try breaking the barrier, until the System popped up, telling him to try capturing Victini with a Poké Ball, which would allow him to take Victini away.

It seemed Victini's special abilities offered him significant help, which was why that fellow System had jumped out to offer him advice and strategies.

Victini looked full of longing yet was quite dissatisfied with Luo Mu's act of keeping things secret; puffing out its cheeks, it plopped down on top of his head and tugged at Luo Mu's hair.

Shuang Nai Xian, Comfey, Vulpix, and Victini began chasing and playing in the sand, their joyful laughter carried into Luo Mu's ears along with the sea breeze, causing the corners of his mouth to lift involuntarily.

That night, Victini ate grilled fish specially prepared by Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, tried the unorthodox method of pouring Shuang Nai Xian's cream over the grilled fish, and sat around the bonfire on the beach, listening to many stories of their adventures with Luo Mu from Luxray and Serperior.

Victini knew when to stop and didn't pull hard, so it didn't hurt, just felt a bit ticklish.

Approaching Victini, who was staring blankly at the sea, Luo Mu smiled lightly and said, "This isn't its most beautiful state yet."

Serperior, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, and Mimikyu ran into the nearby forest to gather firewood, while the married couple of Sandslash dug a small pit for the upcoming fire under Luo Mu's watchful eye.

A faint golden hue gradually appeared on the horizon; the first ray of sunrise dyed the sea surface gold, and the shimmering waves continuously lapped against the beach, as if the water had been sprinkled with crushed diamonds.

Wave after wave crashed onto the beach, washing away the footprints of the playing Pokémon and leaving behind white foam; Victini gazed at this scene for a long time.

Just like that, time passed, and dawn and sunrise arrived right on schedule.

Watching the sea draw nearer, Luo Mu wore a strange expression; it seemed modern cutting-edge technology had triumphed in its collision with ancient techniques—Poké Balls were truly a great invention!

However, in his urgency, he had chosen the red-and-white ball he carried with him; if there was a chance later, he would let Victini pick its own favorite Poké Ball.

Neither Luo Mu nor the Pokémon asked for Victini's opinion on this matter; this decision had to be made by Victini itself.

The moment it left the Poké Ball, Victini looked around nervously, but upon seeing the sea before it, with tides rising and falling under the moonlight's reflection, Victini's eyes couldn't help but turn red.

Luo Mu directly set up a camp and tent, while Dragonite and Swampert leaped straight into the sea to catch sea fish for grilling.

No matter how much Victini acted shamelessly, Luo Mu firmly refused to describe what the sunrise looked like; for such a memorable first time, Luo Mu felt Victini must witness it with its own eyes, so until then, it could imagine whatever it wished.

Having heard so much, Victini couldn't help but begin to ponder what to do about its own future.

Victini even forgot the motion of flapping its wings, looking at Luo Mu in shock; was this vast sea still not the most beautiful state!?

Luo Mu smiled and said, "The sea at sunrise possesses a beauty that seems capable of taking one's breath away; as for the rest, let your imagination run wild."

However, before that... the sea was right before its eyes!

At an unnamed seaside beach, Luo Mu released all his Pokémon from their Poké Balls, including Victini.

And also, that farm far away in the Paldea region, belonging to them, their home.

Only at this moment did it finally gain some sense of reality; it had finally escaped the cage that had imprisoned it.

Should it stay in Eindoak, or follow Luo Mu back to that farm on the other end of the planet?

At this time, Luo Mu also contacted the people in Eindoak, informing Hearing Hearing Nimo and the others to return to the Sword of the Earth Castle to rest after watching the fireworks, as Luo Mu himself would be camping on the beach tonight and would not return.

The sea breeze carried a salty scent, gently brushing against Victini's cheeks, bringing a trace of morning coolness that made it feel as though both body and soul had been cleansed in this very moment.

Sunlight gradually spilled onto the beach, dyeing even the sand grains gold.

At this moment, gazing at the rising sun, Victini's heart was filled with awe; just as Luo Mu had said, the seaside at sunrise was truly breathtakingly beautiful.

At this very moment, after a night of contemplation combined with this soul-shaking scenic beauty, Victini finally made its decision thoroughly: it wanted to follow Luo Mu and leave!

Unlike merely eating and drinking for free at the King of the People of the Earth's place, this time it would leave as Luo Mu's Pokémon, living together with good friends like Vulpix and eating the most delicious food!

Beyond the sea lies freedom!

After quietly appreciating the sunrise, Victini floated before Luo Mu under the tense gazes of the other Pokémon who were hiding and watching.

Victini grinned, made a "V" sign with its fingers, and asked with a brilliant smile, "Bimi~ Tini?" (Is there anything delicious to eat at the farm?)

Luo Mu strangely understood the meaning of its sounds, a smile appearing on his face: "There is quite a lot of that; I couldn't finish listing it all in a short while, but in the future, you will have plenty of opportunities to try them one by one."

In that instant, even the sea breeze brushing against their faces became much gentler.

Luo Mu and Victini's small hands clapped together, and he couldn't help but feel troubled.

Having temporarily used a red-and-white ball to capture Victini in order to break through the barrier, he now had to start agonizing over which Poké Ball to switch to.

He didn't know which Poké Ball would suit Victini, or perhaps he should let it choose for itself?

Bringing Victini back to Eindoak, this time it openly lay on Luo Mu's shoulder, garnering countless glances along the way.

This time, even knowing clearly that a barrier lay ahead, Victini no longer felt fear, calmly watching its body re-enter this former "cage."

Now its state of mind had changed; the nightmares of the past had long since vanished.

Luo Mu first took Victini to the orchard, where Victini occasionally revealed its form to play with the wild Pokémon inside, as it needed to bid farewell to these little companions.

After saying goodbye, Luo Mu walked straight along the path, returning to the Sword of the Earth Castle.

At this time, Hearing Hearing Nimo and the others were eating a delicious breakfast made by Jiang Ta.

"Bini~"

Victini let out a cheer, flew to the dining table, picked up a piece of buttered bread, and began tasting it directly, while Luo Mu was stared at by the several people whose eating motions had frozen, their gazes filled with eagerness and questioning.

Not intending to hide anything from them, Luo Mu nodded slightly and said, "Victini has already been captured by me."

Boom—!

In everyone's minds, emotions instantly exploded!

Hearing Hearing Nimo instantly stood up, her face full of excitement: "Teacher Luo Mu actually captured Victini? So amazing!"

Peony pushed up her glasses and pondered for a moment.

Legend has it that Victini possesses infinite energy; if Uncle Rose were to learn of this...

Penny and Geeta immediately broke into applause.

Mo Mo Mengduo's eyes widened; how should he respond now?

Although a native mythical Pokémon of Eindeoc had been abducted, what standing did he have to stop it?

Setting aside the fact that he had leaked Victini's location to save his own life—enough to earn Victini's resentment—even tracing history back a thousand years, Victini was never the king's Pokémon.

The other party was merely like the wild Pokémon now inhabiting the orchard, simply happening to live within this castle.

What right did he have to ask Victini to stay?

Carlita's eyes bulged round; she was the one who had seen most clearly the extent of Victini's power.

That Vulpix, which would surely have been instantly killed by Hydreigon, under Victini's aid, instead instantly slew those terrifying Dark Triad and their three Pokémon in one go!

Luo Mu was already extremely strong; now, with Victini's help, Carlita dared not imagine how powerful he would become in the future, nor how much time she would need to catch up to his pace.

Jiang Ta offered a gentle smile, handed Victini another cup of steaming hot milk, and said softly, "Very good, very good..."

As one of the People of the Earth, Jiang Ta, who understood the past history, actually harbored a certain sense of guilt toward Victini.

The sins of their ancestors had ultimately been borne by Victini, an innocent Pokémon; this was simply too unreasonable.

Victini was an exceedingly kind Pokémon; otherwise, it would not have rushed heedlessly to aid the king merely upon hearing his request, saving many of the People of the Earth.

Alas, the king exhausted his strength and passed away before he could unlock the Guardian Stone Pillars, leaving Victini trapped in Eindeoc for a thousand years; whenever Jiang Ta thought of this, she felt sorrow for Victini.

Now that Victini had found a Trainer with the strength to shelter it, who cared for its well-being, and whose kindness toward Pokémon even made her feel ashamed by comparison, Jiang Ta felt there could be no better outcome.

She was genuinely happy for Victini.

At the same time, a question arose in the minds of everyone present.

How had Luo Mu and Victini bypassed the barrier erected by the Guardian Stone Pillars, left Eindeoc, and even gone to see the sea and the sunrise?

In response, Luo Mu smiled slightly, took out a Poké Ball, and completely baffled the several people.

There was such a maneuver!?

After breakfast, Luo Mu led Penny, Hearing Nimo, Momo, and Geeta to bid farewell to Jiang Ta, Carlita, and Mo Mo Mengduo, thanking them for providing two days of free lodging in the Castle of the Sword of the Earth and for preparing many delicious meals.

Escorted by the others, they reached the edge of the barrier; Luo Mu took out a Poké Ball to recall Victini, and then, to the astonishment of the onlookers, simply walked straight through.

As Luo Mu and the others walked along the mountain path away from Eindeoc, Victini found everything novel and could not stay still for a moment, flying up to trees to tug at leaves, darting into bushes to sniff the fragrance of flowers, frolicking with passing Patrats, and playing together with the four students.

Penny suddenly asked curiously, "Brother Luo Mu, are we heading straight back to Paldea next?"

Hearing Nimo and the others also turned curious gazes toward him; clearly, they too were wondering where they would go next.

Luo Mu smiled slightly, waving the mobile phone from which he had just sent a message and received an immediate reply: "Although we will still board a plane in Nimbasa City, before that, we must make a trip to Castelia City."

Momo frowned slightly: "Why Castelia City?"

Luo Mu replied, "Because Champion Alder's ace, Volcarona, is currently receiving treatment at Castelia City's most advanced Pokémon medical facility; we are going to lend him a hand."

"I imagine you must have sensed it as well; Champion Alder's strength seemed somewhat below your expectations. That is because his ace, Volcarona, suffered severe injuries and is now in a critical, life-threatening condition."

Hearing Nimo and the others were momentarily stunned; so there was such a secret...

Momo, who had already known, was not surprised; instead, she asked, "So, how can we help his Volcarona? Even the most advanced medical technology in all of Unova has been unable to do anything."

Luo Mu gave Momo a peculiar look; surely she hadn't hacked into the Unova League's system, had she?

Clearing his throat, Luo Mu spoke: "Regarding this matter, I already have a plan; this trip is not intended to completely cure Volcarona."

Beckoning with his hand, Luo Mu caught the returning Victini in his arms, held it up, and indicated to Momo and the others: "What we must do now is go see that Volcarona, then use Victini's ability to replenish some of the primal energy it has lost, allowing it to hold on longer while awaiting further treatment."

Momo and the others immediately understood, turning their gazes toward Victini; this child's power was truly formidable.

Meanwhile, in Castelia City, Unova region, inside the Most Advanced Medical Technology Research Institute, Alder put down his phone, his face brightening with joy as he stood up and looked toward the medical capsule.

On the other side of the special glass, Volcarona floated quietly within the life-sustaining solution; merely looking at it made clear how utterly weak it was, likely with little time left.

Fixing his gaze upon Volcarona, Alder's stern and upright features unconsciously softened, and he whispered, "My old partner, you must hold on; hope is on its way."

"I truly wish to breathe the same air with you once more, to run together across the green fields."

(End of Chapter)