Chapter 295: Three Divine Birds VS Three Divine Birds

On the left stood the Thunder Divine Bird, Zapdos, its feathers as if cast from molten gold, crackling with lightning sparks.

On the right stood the Ice Divine Bird, Articuno, its ice-blue feathers resembling the world's most beautiful thing, exuding a frosty charm with every movement, surrounded by a chilling aura.

Overhead hovered the Fire Divine Bird, Moltres, its wings burning with fierce and bright flames, guarding Luo Mu.

Those were unmistakably beings of the same species as the three Divine Birds Lawrence III currently sought to capture.

"... Who exactly are you?"

After a moment of silence, Lawrence III stared intently at Luo Mu, as if trying to scrutinize a flower out of him.

Even if these three Divine Birds differed decisively from the special Divine Birds he wished to capture, the fact that they belonged to the same species remained unchanged.

Could this man truly be a Trainer of the Three Divine Birds?

Inside the cage, Moltres and Zapdos, their faces contorted in pain, opened their eyes; seeing their kin suddenly appear, their hearts were filled with shock.

"Why can't you understand my words?" Luo Mu shrugged, looking at Lawrence III, and advised in good faith, "Release the Fire God and the Thunder God, then turn yourself in."

Even now, his demeanor remained completely at ease.

In the gaps of the airship's floor, wherever high-tech equipment was stuffed, overheating and short-circuiting began due to Mewtwo's black-technology electromagnetic pulse bomb, causing countless electric sparks to flash and buzz throughout the vessel.

Mewtwo, who had remained silent until now, withdrew its gaze from the stone tablet, and its telepathic voice rang out: "... Capturing the Three Divine Birds is equivalent to personally triggering the collapse of the world's climatic balance; haven't you deciphered that stone tablet placed in the center of your airship?"

Lawrence III stared fixedly at Luo Mu, gritting his teeth as he asked.

Facing the control console, Lawrence III issued an order in a faint voice.

"On the contrary, was that telepathy just now? And you can teleport to this altitude of ten thousand meters; I am very interested in you. Would you like to become part of my collection?"

Looking at Lawrence III, Luo Mu emphasized once more.

The entire airship suddenly swayed; the screens on the control console flickered with static, the AI assistant ceased responding, yet the airship itself seemed unharmed. This was...

"De-li~~~"

Lawrence III shook his head, turned his back, and refused to look at Luo Mu, Mewtwo, or the three Divine Birds Luo Mu had released.

One could only say it was pure technical domination.

"My target is not them; once the other appears, I can easily release them back. Compared to the collection I truly desire, they are not particularly precious, merely Divine Birds occupying titles like 'Fire God,' slightly special, that is all."

"Throw the humans overboard, capture that Psychic-type Pokémon, and capture those three not-so-special Divine Birds as well; they should fetch a good price to subsidize our expenses."

At this moment, Delibird grabbed its own tail and flew back, gazing at Luo Mu with starry eyes, its face full of desire for pets, as if seeking praise.

Lawrence III waved his right hand, his face filled with a madness unable to accept the current situation: "Impossible! I made preparations regarding electromagnetic interference; ordinary electromagnetic pulse bombs cannot—"

"I shall grant you a status within my collection second only to the Sea God."

"Checkmate, human."

Where did this self-talking lunatic come from?

"As for Moltres and the others, I simply released them to strike a pose; you don't actually think my reliance lies with them, do you?"

Why do such arrogant humans always exist in this world? Whether those scientists from Team Rocket, that Sakaki who painted pies for it, or now, Lawrence III.

"Hmph, do you really think I'm stupid enough to rush into your main base without any preparation?" Luo Mu looked at Lawrence III with a strange expression, barely suppressing a laugh. "What detonated above the airship just now was an electromagnetic pulse bomb, which directly destroyed your technological fortress."

"Who said it was an ordinary electromagnetic pulse bomb?"

Lawrence III replied without changing his expression: "I deciphered it, but so what?"

However, the response he received was not from that loyal and reliable AI assistant, but a massive explosion echoing from overhead.

Luo Mu smiled slightly, looking at Mewtwo, whose tail swayed gently; though its face appeared completely calm, it inexplicably made people feel it was currently very proud.

When Luo Mu was preparing to depart and mentioned that Lawrence III possessed an airship fortress, Mewtwo had immediately crafted several black-technology versions of electromagnetic pulse bombs right before Luo Mu using available materials.

"What have you done..."

But the current situation was completely different from what he had anticipated; whether it was the unresponsive AI assistant or the weapon systems that would not activate without receiving signals, everything was rendered useless due to interference from some mysterious power.

To him, Lawrence III posed not the slightest threat.

The targets he needed to guard against were the Fire God and the Thunder God, who would surely go mad upon liberation, as well as the Ice God, whose current whereabouts were unknown.

How to deal with them currently had no definite answer.

Compared to these people, Luo Mu suited Mewtwo's taste far more.

"I refuse."

Upon seeing people like them, Mewtwo could not help but feel a surge of irritability.

Lawrence III sneered: "Why should I turn myself in? Do you take me for a fool?"

It did quite well, didn't it? The timing should be just perfect~

Luo Mu patted its head and praised without stinginess: "Well done."

The reason he could confidently host Luo Mu, Mewtwo, and those three ordinary Divine Birds was that not only was the exterior of the airship equipped with anti-Divine Bird cannons, but its internal defenses and armament deployments were impregnable; it could even be called a fortress stronghold!

Whether it was the Psychic suppressor targeting Psychic-type Pokémon, the energy barriers deployed through the seemingly ordinary floor to cover every inch of space inside the airship, or the laser weapons hidden beneath the floor capable of covering all internal areas of the airship...

One could say that the moment Luo Mu and the others entered the airship, they became turtles in a jar, entirely at Lawrence III's mercy.

Mewtwo stated faintly: "No matter how high-end or precise the technology, it cannot escape its greatest weakness; with just a slight external influence, it can be plunged into an abyss from which there is no return."

Lawrence III extended his right hand, directly extending an invitation to Mewtwo.

"I will repeat this one last time: release the Fire God and the Thunder God."

"Hmm, it seems negotiations have broken down. What a pity; I, in my generosity, even wanted to invite you uninvited guests to become spectators for my collection of the Sea God. Sigh."

Mewtwo looked at Lawrence III as if viewing an idiot, completely speechless.

Due to the lack of control by the AI assistant, the engines driving the airship's flight began to malfunction; it was foreseeable that before long, this aerial fortress, the crystallization of human technology, would plunge into the vast ocean below...

Misfortunes never come singly.

Accompanied by several clanging sounds of objects hitting the floor, before Lawrence III's widening eyes, the rings binding the Fire God and the Thunder God fell to the ground as if deprived of power.

The Fire God and the Thunder God landed firmly on the ground; before they could even thank Luo Mu, Mewtwo, Delibird, and their three kin for the rescue...

The impulses they had suffered, interfered with by the magnetic field Lawrence III used to bind them, burst forth all at once like a volcanic eruption, as if held back for a long time!

A tint of blood-red dyed their eyes; reason was dragged plummeting into the abyss as the Fire God and the Thunder God let out shrill cries, flapping their wings to take flight.

One spewed blazing flames, the other erupted with lightning, directly bursting through the airship fortress's walls to fly out.

At this moment, only one thought remained in their minds.

Fight! Destroy! Vent their fury!

The sky, thick with gloomy clouds, was instantly illuminated by firelight and lightning; Gilbert's airship, lacking control from its artificial intelligence assistant, stood defenseless, as if harbored by the hatred of the Fire God and the Thunder God, taking several brutal hits.

This caused the airship to trail black smoke, plummeting downward at an even faster speed.

With Mewtwo's psychic assistance, Luo Mu barely managed to steady his stance; the Legendary Birds also took flight directly, exchanging a glance, their faces filled with bewilderment.

How could those special kin, whom Luo Mu had just rescued, suddenly go mad like this?

Repaying kindness with enmity shouldn't look like this.

On the other side, Gilbert, paralyzed on the ground by the airship's violent shaking and wind pressure while desperately clutching the railing, was on the verge of losing his mind.

His aerial airship fortress, built with nearly all his savings, was about to crash into the sea; one need only look at the collection chamber housing solely the Fire God and the Thunder God to understand the immense price he had paid to construct this fortress.

"Tsk, as expected, it has turned out this way after all; let's retreat!"

Luo Mu frowned; although he had anticipated this, seeing the Fire God and the Thunder God, whose eyes had been clear and full of gratitude just a second ago, now lose their reason, he couldn't help but want to roar a curse at this damn plot-correction force.

Mewtwo nodded, enveloping Luo Mu with its psychic power, intending immediately to carry Luo Mu and the Delibird in his arms out of the airship through the hole created by the Fire God and the Thunder God's destruction.

Just then, Gilbert's pleading voice rang out: "Save me."

Without the aid of the artificial intelligence assistant, the airship's crash was inevitable; when that happened, he would turn to charcoal along with the soaring firelight of the exploding ship.

Faced with the terror of death, Gilbert simply cast the Sea God to the back of his mind, wanting only to scrape by and survive.

As long as one lives, there is still hope for everything.

Luo Mu originally had no intention of bothering with Gilbert, but when Mewtwo mentioned in his mind that it sensed a powerful aura rapidly approaching from beneath the sea surface, Luo Mu, recalling certain scenes, fell silent for a moment before saying, "Mewtwo, take him along as well."

Mewtwo:?

Although puzzled, Mewtwo said nothing more; its psychic power surged, violently dragging Gilbert straight out of the airship.

Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno flew out through the hole one after another; looking at the airship trailing black smoke as it fell, Luo Mu said to them, "Go and destroy those cannon-like things."

Receiving the order, Moltres led Zapdos and Articuno to circle the falling airship and began the work of destroying those exposed cannons.

Luo Mu's reason for doing this was simple: he recalled how Gilbert had launched a sneak attack from afar against Lugia in the movie; to be on the safe side, not only must Gilbert be denied any chance to control the airship, but the airship itself must be stripped of any means to attack Lugia, the three Legendary Birds, or even himself and Mewtwo.

Every detail of the handling must be attended to!

Finding it troublesome, Mewtwo directly used its psychic power to knock Gilbert unconscious; whether Gilbert would become an idiot under the psychic impact was none of Mewtwo's concern.

Dragging Gilbert with telekinesis, Mewtwo frowned slightly: "The Fire God and the Thunder God are gone; where did they fly off to?"

Within a few kilometers nearby, the auras of the two Legendary Birds had completely vanished.

Just as Mewtwo intended to expand the range of its psychic detection, Luo Mu stopped it; too lazy to hide anything, he pointed in a direction and stated with certainty, "They went over there; the specific coordinates are—"

At a time like this, it was better not to waste Mewtwo's psychic power; besides, the system could only provide directions anyway.

Mewtwo looked deeply at Luo Mu for a moment without saying more; waiting until Moltres and the others finished their destruction, it watched with its own eyes as the airship plunged into the sea surface, exploding into soaring firelight.

Mewtwo closed its eyes, its psychic power surging as space distorted slightly, causing their figures to vanish from this airspace.

Lorelei was currently somewhat disheveled.

Had the opponent been only the Ice God, her Pokémon could barely contend with the foe, who was borrowing the power of nature, and stall it, allowing Professor Oak and Ash and the others to search for a way to soothe the Ice God.

But just a short while ago, the Fire God and the Thunder God had appeared from who-knows-where; skilled in Ice-type and Water-type Pokémon as she was, facing the siege of three Legendary Birds instantly removed more than half of her combat strength.

Even Lorelei, such an intellectual beauty, could not help but discard her dignity at this moment, cursing, "Damn it, this wants me dead!!!"

Lapras and Cloyster successively lost their ability to battle under the cheat-like area attacks of the Fire God and the Thunder God, leaving only her ace, Slowbro, struggling to withstand the assaults from the three Legendary Birds borrowing the power of nature.

Just as Lorelei's face inevitably showed despair, thinking with resentment that if they weren't borrowing the power of nature, she might not necessarily lose—

Intense flames, violent thunder, and frosty cold currents descended upon Slowbro, who was exhausted from fleeing and too late to make a defensive move.

Lorelei gritted her teeth, staring fixedly at the beams shooting toward herself and Slowbro from the sky above.

But the pain she expected did not strike; instead, the three Legendary Birds simultaneously let out angry, shrill cries.

Lorelei's vision blurred for an instant; looking at the scene overhead, she was completely stunned.

Surging psychic power separated the ice, flames, and thunder from the outside; a humanoid Pokémon wagging its purple tail gazed down at the three shrieking Legendary Birds with an overbearing look.

Three Legendary Birds, nearly identical in appearance to the three in the sky, flapped their wings, blocking before them.

A young man riding a Dragonite stood with his back to Lorelei; beside him fluttered a Delibird, a cute Pokémon Lorelei had never seen before.

As for the unconscious Gilbert? Lorelei simply ignored him.

"Was it... you who saved me?"

Looking at the person who had suddenly appeared in the sky, Lorelei asked aloud.

Luo Mu, who had just Teleported over, turned his head and discovered that the one fighting the three Legendary Birds was actually Lorelei; a trace of surprise flashed through Emperor Yan Di's eyes, but it quickly transformed into seriousness.

How had Lorelei ended up appearing here as well?

The corner of his mouth lifting in a confident smile, Luo Mu said, "You've worked hard, Elite Four Lorelei; leave the rest to me."

"By the way, this is a souvenir gift: the culprit behind this series of events."

As Luo Mu's words fell, Gilbert was directly flung by Mewtwo onto the ice surface before Lorelei.

That *duang* sound must have been very painful.

Lorelei: "."

Lorelei felt as though she knew this person; not long ago, she and her colleagues had discussed him together.

She remembered that Chairman Daemarange had specially summoned them to watch a match of an exhibition nature.

That was a battle that could be described as a crushing victory; the opponent's strength had surprised even the proud Dragon Master Lance, and with such a discerning eye, Agatha could not help but praise the Paldea League for producing such a promising talent, while battle-hungry Bruno had wanted to find an opportunity to fight the opponent once and decide the outcome.

With the existence of a reference point, memories surfaced rapidly; Lorelei's pupils constricted, and she instantly remembered who the person before her eyes truly was.

A Champion-level Trainer from the distant Paldea region, the one who had defeated Champion Alder of the Unova region with overwhelming superiority.

Champion Luo Mu!

(End of Chapter)