Chapter 30

Heavenly fire fell upon the earth, igniting the wild grasses of the wasteland with ease; the searing flames turned the surroundings into a hell on earth, and black smoke rose from the burning.

Such commotion, even out in the countryside, would eventually draw attention from people in Pingdie Town; soon enough, they’d hear the sirens of Officer Junsa’s police car.

We must end this quickly.

Mimikyu stayed by Luo Mu’s side, its massive Shadow Claw tearing through sheets of flame; Luo Mu looked up, unafraid, locking eyes with the blazing red pupils of the Firebird and shouted: “Dragonite!”

A gale rushed toward it, but the Firebird merely blinked—and Dragonite already hovered silently before it.

The Firebird’s pupils tightened instantly; ignoring its wildly pounding heart from Dragonite’s speed, it realized Dragonite was flying higher than itself—and felt its authority challenged. It let out a piercing cry, unleashing a scorching wind streaked with fiery sparks toward Dragonite.

“Boooh!”

Dragonite flapped its wings rapidly; in an instant, the air churned into a domain of howling gales that nullified the heatwave entirely, while countless tiny wind blades carved by the airflow etched their victories across the Firebird’s body.

While controlling the storm, Dragonite let out a thunderous dragon roar; thick clouds gathered instantly, and raindrops fell like waterfalls.

Rain Dance and Hurricane formed the perfect synergy: raindrops met the Firebird’s flames, vaporizing into white steam that clung to the battlefield above. The Firebird endured the assault through sheer, bottomless stamina—but only just.

To escape the cage Dragonite had forged with its strength alone was too difficult.

The Firebird had tried matching Dragonite’s Hurricane with its own, and had attempted to blast a path open with its signature Flamethrower—but all were effortlessly countered by Dragonite.

Mimikyu’s Shadow Claw shielded Luo Mu from the rain above his head; the wind tugged at his sleeves as he observed the Firebird’s move power, posture, and experience—and already formed his judgment.

This Firebird was young; its mindset and the unmistakable immaturity in its technique use revealed its shallow battle experience and lack of wisdom.

Dragonite’s Hurricane and Rain Dance were not unbreakable—for example, during the Paldea League Champion Test, Aici’s General Pao Dao had shattered them through sheer brute force.

In the few seconds Luo Mu pondered, the Firebird seemed to finally find its key: its flight energy coalesced into a blazing, radiant sky-blue bird, wrapping its body. At the cost of several deeper wounds, it unleashed all its strength in a hawk-like dive and tore through the wind domain.

Dragonite blinked, unbothered by the breach of its domain; it simply maintained its flight posture, watching the Firebird gasp for breath, battered and exhausted.

Noting how quickly the Firebird’s wounds were healing, Luo Mu marveled at the divine beast’s immense reserves and its innate, extraordinary talent: it had swiftly identified the synergy’s weakness and decisively broken through, even at the cost of injury.

His thoughts ended. Remembering the need to end this quickly, Luo Mu raised his right hand and shouted to the sky: “Thunder!”

Dragonite responded instantly: thunder rumbled deep within the clouds, lightning snakes writhed across them, and in an instant, vast golden currents slashed across the heavens like divine judgment from the Thunder God, exploding violently over the Firebird’s body in a raging sea of electricity.

The deafening roar continued without pause; Raichu’s golden eyes gazed skyward and nodded in satisfaction.

Dragonite’s Thunder carried a hint of Raichu’s flair.

At Pingdie Town Police Station, Officer Junsa opened her window upon receiving the report, staring at the thick thunderclouds gathered only over the outskirts—while above her head, the sky remained clear and blue.

Beside Junsa, Cottonee trembled violently, tail tucked, yet still barked threateningly at the sky.

Junsa gripped her police car keys tightly and muttered: “If I die on duty… there should be a pension, right?”

Farm, lake area.

Luo Mu watched the massive crater rapidly forming under Dragonite’s relentless assault and asked Mimikyu beside him: “Once the lake fills, shall we name it Thunder Lake?”

Mimikyu, always following Luo Mu’s lead, naturally nodded in agreement.

The roar of Thunder lasted a full minute.

Thunder faded; the sea of lightning dissipated. Slowly, the Firebird’s form reappeared.

Most of the Firebird’s feathers were now charred black; the flames burning on its body had dwindled to near nothingness; even its instinctive flight wobbled precariously.

Undeniably, the Firebird was at its last breath.

Even in this state, the Firebird kept its dilated pupils open, forcing itself to remain airborne rather than fall.

“Geez, divine beasts really have insane stamina,” Luo Mu exclaimed, a flicker of respect rising in his heart—the Firebird’s performance had been worthy of its noble birth.

Somehow, the Firebird’s unfocused gaze drifted to Luo Mu’s figure on the ground—dry despite the rain, as calm and composed as when he had arrived—as if trying to etch his image into its soul.

Filled with respect for the Firebird’s unyielding resolve, Luo Mu spoke to end this battle, whose outcome had been sealed from the start: “Dragon Pulse.”

A pale blue dragon-shaped phantom let out a piercing roar, then shot through the air under Dragonite’s command, completely engulfing the Firebird’s body.

Dragonite vs. Firebird—Dragonite wins!

When the Firebird awoke, night had fallen.

Officer Junsa, sent to investigate, had been sent away with fabricated excuses by Luo Mu; its battered body had been properly treated, and even the deepest, bone-exposing wounds had healed mostly.

“Awake?”

Luo Mu sat on a small chair, adding another log to the crackling fire before him.

The Firebird turned its pupils, letting out a weak cry—as if wondering why Luo Mu was healing it; it felt no restraint from a Poké Ball.

Though young, the Firebird still knew most common truths.

For instance: divine beasts like itself were the ultimate prizes for Trainers. During its unconscious, wounded state, it had no strength to resist a Poké Ball’s pull—capture success rate would have been 100%.

Luo Mu tilted his head. Whether due to some divine beast ability or not, he somehow understood the Firebird’s meaning. To its confusion, he replied: “Why would I capture you? Do you want to be captured?”

The Firebird felt it did not want to be captured. If it awoke inside a Poké Ball, its most likely reaction would be to fight desperately—or refuse all commands.

“Then that’s settled,” Luo Mu brushed the ash from his palm, leaned close to the Firebird, and smiled: “Besides, your power isn’t strong enough yet for me to be desperate to capture you.”

The Firebird awkwardly turned its head away. Though Luo Mu’s words were true, now that its rage had cooled, it realized every Pokémon beside him was stronger than it could ever hope to be.

But why, beyond frustration, did it feel a faint pang of disappointment?

The Firebird found this emotion strangely unfamiliar.