Chapter 296: The Explosion Born Without Lugia (Request for Monthly Tickets)

Not long ago.

"Controller, you must retrieve the treasures representing the three deities from the shrines on the three islands, bring them to this temple, and only then, when that shrine maiden plays the Song of Soothing, can the wrath of the Fire God, the Thunder God, and the Ice God be calmed."

The Slowking wearing a Shellder Wang Guan on its head looked at the few people who had sought it out and spoke directly, shocking them with its expression.

Professor Uchikido looked at the Slowking as if observing some rare animal, muttering to himself, "Not telepathy, but simple vocal cord vibration... Could this be an ability evolved by the Slowking of Ascorbia Island?"

Casting a helpless glance at his junior colleague suffering from an occupational hazard, Professor Oak pondered as he looked toward the controller mentioned by the Slowking—Xiao Zhi—and also at Hua Zi, whose face had turned pale with fright upon hearing that Xiao Zhi must venture into such danger; she was clutching Xiao Zhi tightly, refusing to let go.

Xiao Xia, Xiao Xiao Jian, and Furura could only stand aside in anxious helplessness, while the accompanying reporter stood quietly to one side, silently broadcasting the team's dilemma.

It was quite miraculous; although the helicopter had crashed due to the Ice God's wide-area attack, the camera in their hands remained completely unharmed.

Looking at Hua Zi and Xiao Zhi like this, reason told Professor Oak that he should follow the Slowking's advice and send the controller to the three islands to retrieve the treasures and quell the anger of nature and the gods.

But emotion made Professor Oak deeply understand Hua Zi's feelings; just as Hua Zi had cried out while hugging Xiao Zhi, "Without Xiao Zhi, there is no world," unrelated to anything else, this was simply a mother's purest worry for her child.

After a moment of silence, seeing the Fire God and the Thunder God flying one after another toward the battlefield between the Ice God and Lorelei in the distance, Professor Oak knew that if things continued this way, the situation would deteriorate further, and Champion Lorelei would absolutely not last long against three deities who could borrow the power of nature to fight.

"We're setting out!"

Hua Zi was also stunned by this Charizard, whose size was considerably larger than her own son's Charizard.

The small Pokémon beside Luo Mu flapped its wings and plunged into the battlefield, riding directly atop the Moltres's head; a golden aura surged upward, and Moltres felt its entire body filled with endless power!

As for their previously grandiose Thunderbolt, Flamethrower, and Ice Beam, they had long been swallowed by the fire storm, unable to even splash up the slightest ripple.

Unlike Xiao Zhi's sharp-edged Charizard, this Charizard kept its momentum restrained and appeared utterly non-aggressive, yet whether it was its sharp claws or the marks of time on its dragon horns, everything testified that this Charizard was far from as simple as it appeared on the surface.

It had likely experienced numerous battles and trials, radiating an aura of "Though I am old, my arrows remain sharp"; it must be a battle-hardened Charizard!

The above were all results observed by Xiao Xiao Jian, the Pokémon Observer.

As the Charizard's broad wings flapped, the wind pressure forced the surrounding flowers and grass to bow low; the Charizard rose steadily into the air, with Xiao Zhi, Pikachu, and Professor Oak sitting on its back, looking down at the crowd remaining in the temple.

But Xiao Zhi was different; after all, he had previously been with himself and his Charmeleon—

Hearing Professor Oak's inquiry, the Charizard looked at Xiao Zhi, leaned forward to sniff his scent, quickly distinguished the familiar aura in its brain, recalled its experiences from youth, and nodded slightly.

"This..."

What the heck is this!?

"The gap in combat power is too huge; why doesn't he send out his own Pokémon, for example, that Dragonite—"

This person and that little yellow mouse can ride on its back.

"Have a safe journey, and be careful!"

At this moment, as if to verify the truth of his statement, Professor Oak took out a red-and-white Poké Ball with chipped paint and said, "I'll be troubling you today, old partner."

Xiao Zhi's Charizard, standing before Professor Oak's Charizard, looked like an undeveloped child compared to a tall adult.

Zapdos, Articuno, Lorelei:?????

Below, Lorelei, who was receiving treatment for her accompanying Pokémon from Comfey, felt a trace of worry rise in her heart upon seeing the grandiose attacks of the Fire God and the others.

"Comfey, go help that person below treat her Pokémon; Delibird, you are responsible for protecting Comfey's safety."

A flash of red light appeared, and a robust Charizard with a vigorous tail flame but exuding an air of twilight years manifested above the flower field.

Now, Hua Zi could no longer find words to stop them.

Victini pointed forward with a face full of excitement.

Moltres sneered, gathering high-heat flames in its mouth; in the blink of an eye, they transformed into a fire storm that nearly enveloped half the sky, sweeping toward the three frenzied legendary birds!

"Xiao Zhi's Charizard has never carried people before and might pose a danger; if it were him, you would be willing to carry him, right?"

Framing the departing figures of Professor Oak and Xiao Zhi within the lens, the female reporter held her microphone and said with a serious expression, "Audiences around the world, the heroes have now set out; perhaps the future of the world is about to be entrusted to them."

Sensing Hua Zi's hesitation, Professor Uchikido, temporarily suppressing his desire to observe the talking Slowking, pressed his advantage: "Miss Hua Zi may not know that in his youth, Professor Oak was an excellent trainer and was even friends with Kikuko of the Ghost Champion; safety will certainly be guaranteed."

Ever since evolving from Charmeleon, Old Partner had gained a bit of arrogance, rejecting everyone except Oak Yukinari from riding it, including Oak's former friend Kikuko.

Zapdos and Articuno looked at Moltres as if seeing a ghost; was that thing really a move Moltres could unleash!?

Lorelei did discern a clue; that unknown petite Pokémon seemed to specialize in support, but Lorelei could not figure it out—even for a Pokémon specializing in support, wasn't the magnitude of this enhancement buff somewhat too terrifying!?

Professor Oak's face showed a look of reminiscence as he asked the Charizard in a low voice.

Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos matched their flight speed and immediately engaged in a melee.

Hua Zi displayed an at-a-loss expression; she did not know whether she should believe the statements of the two men.

A decision had to be made.

The Fire God, the Thunder God, and the Ice God had no intention of suppressing their wrath; emitting high-pitched cries, they blasted toward Moltres and the others with Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, and Ice Beam.

"Bi-mi~ Bi-mi!" (You've been buffed~ Go get 'em!)

Having already experienced Victini's power, Moltres glanced at Zapdos and Articuno, who looked tough on the outside but were panicking terribly on the inside.

At this moment, Hua Zi's heart was filled with worry for Xiao Zhi; when Professor Oak proposed that he would go along as well, Hua Zi was startled, then said in a low voice, "Professor Oak, you are a researcher, a civilian personnel; how can you go along on such an adventure?"

In her estimation, the three legendary birds brought by Luo Mu differed vastly in strength compared to the Fire God and the others; only that Moltres seemed slightly stronger in Lorelei's eyes, while she was confident she could handle Zapdos and Articuno single-handedly.

Just as Lorelei frowned, already foreseeing the scene of Moltres and the others getting injured after losing their beam struggles, in that instant—

Professor Oak stepped forward, placed one hand on Hua Zi's shoulder to draw her attention to himself before withdrawing it, and with gray hair and a serious expression, said, "Xiao Zhi's mother, I will also go with Xiao Zhi; even if I have to sacrifice this old life of mine, I will protect him. Do you think that is acceptable?"

The Charizard lowered its head, enjoying Professor Oak's caress.

After all, since Professor Oak had said this, if she continued to obstruct them, it would be somewhat unreasonable; ultimately, Hua Zi could only repeatedly urge Xiao Zhi to be extremely careful and not to overextend himself.

Luo Mu assigned Comfey and Delibird to assist Lorelei below, who had lost almost all combat capability, and fixed his gaze on the three legendary birds confronting Moltres and the others, feeling somewhat emotional; such a scene was not often seen.

The Fire God, the Thunder God, and the Ice God, trapped within the terrifying fire storm, regained a moment of clarity due to the scorching heat, only to be immediately swallowed again by boundless rage; the energy around them exploded, instantly breaking through the fire storm to soar into the sky.

Three Legendary Birds VS Three Gods!

Moltres unleashed another Flamethrower that transformed into a fire storm to suppress the three deities; at this point, Zapdos, who had been slacking off nearby, could no longer hold back and shamelessly invited Victini onto its head, wanting to try Victini's ability as well.

Accepting all comers and only wishing to taste the victory fluctuations generated when the Fire God, the Thunder God, and the Ice God were defeated, Victini naturally did not refuse Zapdos's invitation.

Under its enhancement, boundless thunderstorms immediately struck down; apart from the Thunder God, both the Fire God and the Ice God were thrown into disarray by the attribute-countering attacks.

Seeing the deities in such a sorry state, Zapdos immediately wore an excited expression; that an ordinary legendary bird like itself could threaten the Fire God, the Thunder God, and the Ice God, who were considered legends within their species, was simply too exhilarating!

Even Articuno could no longer hold back; lowering its dignity, with Victini's aid, it restrained the movements of the three deities with boundless cold currents.

But even with the battle raging like this, the Fire Deity, Lightning Deity, and Ice Deity showed no signs of waking up.

While the fight above raged fiercely, below, Luo Mu wore an expression of "just as I expected."

If beating the Fire Deity and the others could wake them, Lugia in the movie would have done so long ago, instead of spending the entire time defending and protecting Ash.

Luo Mu did not believe Lugia lacked the capability; merely a grazing hit from Lugia's enraged aerial blast (Twister attack) had directly rendered the Ice Deity unable to battle, causing it to faint immediately.

"As expected, we still have to go through the process of soothing them; what a hassle."

Luo Mu looked at Mewtwo nearby, who had kept its eyes closed and taken no action, pinning his hopes on the all-powerful Mewtwo having a solution, and asked, "Have you found a way to calm the climate instability?"

Mewtwo opened its eyes, shook its head, and said thoughtfully:

"No, even if I spread my psychic power to every inch of space around this Asertia Island, I cannot control it to calm down, though adding fuel to the fire is no problem."

Luo Mu: "."

Please, by all means, do not do that.

"Then let's follow the original plan: I will hold off the Fire Deity, Lightning Deity, and Ice Deity, while you go to the three islands to retrieve the treasures and hand them to the Slowking, then go to Asertia Island to kidnap the shrine maiden to play the flute or was it the zither... anyway, just play the melody that can calm their anger."

Luo Mu patted the Dragonite beneath him, intending immediately to fly up and assist Moltres and the others; although it seemed Moltres and its kin were currently suppressing the Fire Deity, Ice Deity, and Lightning Deity, once Victini reached its limit, the situation would instantly reverse.

He also had to join the battle to alleviate Victini's burden.

Unfortunately, the two groups of legendary birds were already fighting over a thousand meters high in the sky, and only Dragonite in their team could intervene in the battle; otherwise, releasing Luxray and the others would have been much easier.

"Wait, someone else is coming."

But at this moment, Mewtwo stopped Luo Mu; it had sensed someone approaching.

Mewtwo shared the scene it saw through its psychic power with Luo Mu.

A Charizard, an old man with gray hair in a white lab coat, a cap-wearing boy, and Pikachu; this combination was...

Professor Oak, Ash, and Pikachu!

Luo Mu's eyes widened; to be honest, he hadn't even expected Ash to appear on Asertia Island, planning to handle everything himself.

Seeing their trajectory heading straight for Lightning Island, Luo Mu knew they intended to retrieve the treasures, and they would likely encounter Lorelei along the way.

If that was the case, then Mewtwo could free its hands to do something else.

In the flash of an instant, a new plan immediately surfaced in Luo Mu's mind; utilizing the psychic power connecting Mewtwo to his thoughts, he directly transmitted his idea: "Then leave the matter of containing the battle's aftermath to you; if Ash and the others' target is the treasures, the Fire Deity and the others might go to stop them."

This time, Mewtwo did not stop Luo Mu; watching his figure and Dragonite soar into the sky, Mewtwo's form instantly vanished, reappearing in an open stretch of sky.

Mewtwo's psychic power, permeating the surroundings, began to operate; since it could not stop the climate instability, it would simply suppress the aftermath of the Fire Deity, Lightning Deity, and Ice Deity's attacks, each of which accelerated the rate of climate instability.

"Champion Lorelei!"

On the way to Lightning Island, Ash keenly spotted Lorelei below, treating Pokémon.

Charizard landed smoothly; Lorelei looked up at the boy calling her name, a trace of surprise flashing in her eyes.

She remembered his name was Ash; he had once challenged her to a Pokémon battle, so why was Professor Oak traveling with him?

"Ah, why is there a Delibird here? Could it be your Pokémon, Champion Lorelei?!"

Having just jumped off Charizard's back, Ash and Pikachu pointed at the Delibird beside Lorelei, their faces filled with shock.

They would absolutely never forget the figure of this unique Delibird; the experience of it crushing Pikachu and then leisurely flying away still left Ash and Pikachu holding a grudge; if the situation weren't so unsuitable for a battle, they would have launched a revenge match immediately.

So it is Champion Lorelei's Pokémon; that explains why the Delibird is so strong.

"Deli?"

Delibird tilted its head; why were this brat and the electric rat here again? Why were they bound to be wherever trouble occurred?

Delibird was somewhat baffled, and the Comfey perched on its head also didn't understand why Delibird was touching its own body.

At this moment, Lorelei, having finished exchanging intelligence with Professor Oak, said in a deep voice: "Three treasures, I understand; my Pokémon have mostly recovered their fighting strength, so let me escort you as well."

Professor Oak frowned and asked, "What about the three legendary birds? Why have their traces disappeared?"

Lorelei smiled slightly: "Regarding them, there are reinforcements more reliable than me holding them back; let us not waste the opportunity created by that Champion, and let's collect all the treasures in one go!"

With their goal confirmed, the group wasted no time; leaving one Pokémon to guard Jirarudan, Lorelei summoned the flying Pokémon the League had provided for her transport, and together with Ash and the others, they flew straight toward Lightning Island.

Probably because Luo Mu was holding back the three deities, they encountered no obstacles along the way.

The moment the three retrieved the round treasure from the shrine on Lightning Island—transparent throughout yet containing lightning within.

In the sky, led by the Lightning Deity, the three deities with blood-red eyes, as if sensing something, unleashed even more terrifying attacks to force Moltres and the others back, diving down toward the clouds below!

At this moment, Dragonite intercepted the Fire Deity with even greater speed; Luo Mu smiled and said, "Your opponent is me; don't think about fleeing the battlefield."

The Fire Deity stared fixedly at Luo Mu, violent Fire-type energy gathering in its beak, spewing a scorching line of fire that distorted the air as it assaulted Luo Mu and Dragonite.

"Hydro Pump."

Luo Mu whispered the two words; Dragonite, now in serious mode, displayed an expression that was fiercely cute, and in the blink of an eye, sprayed a thick column of water that collided with the Flamethrower.

Terrifying energy fluctuations churned the surrounding clouds into chaos; amidst the sky-full of steam, Luo Mu's voice, seemingly deliberately provoking the Fire Deity, rang out: "From start to finish, you've only used this one move, Flamethrower; why not use other moves? Is it that you don't know how?"

The Fire Deity, already angry, now flew into a rage, completely disregarding the little thieves below trying to steal its treasure.

At this moment, the Fire Deity's eyes were filled only with Luo Mu and Dragonite; it wanted to tear them apart, burn them to ash, and make them know the consequences of offending a deity.

A sharp cry echoed through the sky; Moltres raised its sharp friendly claws to attack Dragonite, but Dragonite remained completely unfazed, forming a huge emerald dragon claw from Dragon-type energy, and directly engaged Moltres in battle.

Seeing that Moltres's attention was fully drawn to itself, Luo Mu looked downward.

Considering Lorelei's presence, he had allowed the Lightning Deity and Ice Deity to pass rather than the Fire Deity, which posed the greatest threat to Lorelei; plus, with the aid of Moltres, Zapdos, Articuno, and Victini, they should be able to safely collect all three treasures.

However, the three legendary birds had already been fighting in chaos for so long; why was there still no sign of that deep-sea otaku, Lugia, appearing?

Clearly, if only Lugia joined the escort team, and with Jirarudan already dealt with by Luo Mu, eliminating the root cause of any sneak attacks, clearing this movie would be a certainty.

Why was Lugia, as a key combatant, refusing to show itself no matter what?

Truly damn unreliable!

(End of Chapter)