Chapter 357: The Giant of the Ice River!

"Mogu~!"

The cheerful cry of Cosmog in his arms suddenly rang out beside his ear; Luo Mu, who had been speaking, immediately felt something was wrong, suddenly recalling the only two moves Cosmog could learn.

But it was too late to stop anything; Luo Mu only felt a blur before his eyes, as if the earth turned and the sky spun, his whole body experiencing a complete wash cycle inside a drum washing machine, his brain dizzy and bloated.

Luo Mu knew that Cosmog had most likely just used the move called "Teleport," and moreover, not the ordinary Teleport like Casey's that could only transport itself, but a group Teleport.

One had to say, was this not worthy of being the juvenile form of a Legendary Pokémon? Even this level of feat could be accomplished.

But this was neither like Mewtwo's silent, ultra-long-distance Teleport, nor did it resemble Lei Guan Wang's subtle, nourishing Teleport.

To describe it in more apt terms, it was like an unlicensed black car performing a teleportation.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch."

Weak cries from Mudan and Xiakeya came to his ears; Luo Mu forced himself to stand firm, opening his eyes which had been squinted due to his dizzy, aching brain.

Because they knew and believed their Trainer could hold on.

Therefore, after experiencing the initial dizziness, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui and Swampert relied on their own powerful constitutions to negate the vertigo; following Luo Mu's instruction to protect Mudan and Xiakeya, they each supported the two, who were nearly collapsing to the ground powerless from discomfort.

Luo Mu cast a gaze of appreciation toward them, then immediately lowered his head and eyes to look at the Cosmog in his arms, which had gone still.

At this moment, Cosmog lay in his arms with eyes closed and breathing steady, looking as though it suffered no aftereffects, but rather seemed to have... fallen asleep from exhaustion.

Luo Mu had never been so speechless.

Heaven and earth could bear witness, he had only wanted to test whether Lei Guan Wang would appear to stop him if he attempted to enter the Bingshan Ruins.

But despite calculating every scheme, he had forgotten one of Cosmog's great specialties.

In the Pokémon Sun and Moon anime, Cosmog had demonstrated the ability to read the thoughts of those close to it via psychic power, using Teleport to take them to the place its companion desired.

Luo Mu remembered that in one episode, Ash wanted to battle Gladio with Pokémon; after his Cosmog—also known as Little Nebby—read this thought, it directly Teleported him to Gladio's presence on another island.

And the situation happening now was very likely that the scene inside the Bingshan Ruins had flashed through his mind in an instant.

Reading this, Cosmog had directly exerted its power, bringing them all along to ignore the conditions and teleport straight into the interior of the ruins...

Wasn't this purely a massive failure!?

Luo Mu let out a heavy sigh, cast his gaze around, and surveyed the surrounding environment.

Light coming from who-knows-where showered down from an unseen ceiling; that light was extremely faint, yet sufficient for him to see the surroundings clearly.

The surroundings were constructed from some kind of cyan "bricks," appearing exceptionally hard, reminding Luo Mu of the bronze on Peony's Copperajah, though he did not know if there was any connection.

The ground was composed entirely of some kind of compacted earth, with small circular dots dotting the surface, seemingly serving some crucial purpose.

But if one were to speak of the most eye-catching object within this space, the one with the strongest presence.

Luo Mu would certainly give that title to the stone statue standing deep within, surrounded by "bronze bricks," emitting a chill that seemed to traverse time and space from an ancient ice age, showing no reaction whatsoever.

That must be the Legendary Pokémon sealed within these ruins, the legendary giant, the Iceberg Pokémon Lei Ji!

However, at this moment, Lei Ji was obviously just like Regigigas, the Pillar King who created them, currently plunged into a long "Slow Start"; unless Luo Mu stepped on those small circular dots on the ground in a certain pattern, it would not awaken.

Luo Mu temporarily withdrew his gaze from there, carefully avoided the circular dots on the ground, and walked straight to where Mudan and Xiakeya stood clutching their foreheads in pain, asking with concern, "Do you feel like vomiting?"

"... We're okay."

After recovering for quite a while and finally feeling a bit better, Mudan and Xiakeya shook their heads, indicating they could still hold it in.

"That's good."

Luo Mu nodded slightly; out of caution, he still handed Mudan and Xiakeya a tablet capable of alleviating symptoms of dizziness.

If Comfey were here now, Aromatherapy could largely relieve the symptoms of vertigo; indeed, the team medic was still insufficient.

Thinking of Comfey, who was busy every day using Grassy Terrain to nourish the farm's fields, treating the large number of Pokémon on the farm, and occasionally accompanying him to Grape Academy to serve as the school doctor.

Luo Mu pondered that perhaps after returning this time, he could prepare to find a colleague for Comfey who also specialized in healing.

After swallowing the tablets with clear water, Xiakeya and Mudan finally felt their dizziness symptoms lessen; they opened their eyes and surveyed the surrounding environment.

If Mudan was still somewhat bewildered, then Xiakeya, who had learned considerable relevant knowledge from Peony, was shocked.

She widened her eyes observing the surroundings, unable to believe it: "Could this be the interior of the ruins?"

"I'm afraid so." Luo Mu nodded, gesturing for the two to look into his arms, "Cosmog used Teleport to bring us in; as you can see, it is now so tired it has fallen asleep and likely cannot teleport us out again."

"Impossible..." A trace of astonishment flowed in Xiakeya's eyes, "Logically, ancient or primordial ruins like this almost always have functions to counter Psychic-type Pokémon's Teleport; skipping stages via Teleport is directly prohibited!"

That Cosmog actually possessed the ability to use Teleport to bring the three of them plus three Pokémon into the ruins together was simply too incredible, wasn't it?

Without needing Luo Mu to explain, Mudan suddenly spoke up: "Sister, Cosmog is a Pokémon entrusted to Teacher by the King of Bounty; it likely possesses special qualities unknown to us."

"Rather than dwelling on how Cosmog used Teleport to bring us into the ruins, it would be better to first find a way out."

Hearing the voice of her cute younger sister, Xiakeya first paused, then, as if persuaded by Mudan, nodded slightly: "That's true; let's prioritize finding a way out."

"But my knowledge of ruins is also incomplete; in this aspect, I'm afraid..."

Mudan heard the implication in Xiakeya's words, frowned tightly, and opened her portable computer, only to discover that not only was there no signal, but even the computer screen was flickering like snowflakes due to some strange magnetic interference.

Fearing the hard drive storing important data in the computer would be damaged, Mudan directly powered it off, her expression turning somewhat ugly: "I also cannot use programs to analyze the murals or inscriptions here..."

The two, panicked, looked at Luo Mu with pleading eyes, hoping he could devise some solution.

"... You two wait here for a moment, do not move randomly; Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, keep an eye on them."

Sighing imperceptibly, Luo Mu signaled Swampert to follow him, while walking toward the ancient, thick heavy door behind them.

Meanwhile, following Luo Mu's command, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui drew a circle on the ground with the tip of its sword, then looked at Mudan and Xiakeya, stating calmly, "Si-luo!" (Do not leave the range of this circle!)

Cangyan Cangyan Rengui was confident that as long as Mudan and Xiakeya obediently stayed within the circle—that is, within its defensive range—it had confidence to protect both their safety in most situations.

Although it itself did not care much for humans, as long as it was Luo Mu's order, it would execute it with full effort.

"... Does it want us to stay inside here?"

The two sisters, Mudan and Xiakeya, exchanged a glance; without hesitation, they stepped directly into the range of the circle.

After all, since Luo Mu had ordered Cangyan Cangyan Rengui to guard them, they could only trust Luo Mu; not running around and not causing trouble for Luo Mu was the greatest contribution the two of them could make.

Seeing the two sisters obediently enter the circle he had drawn, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui nodded in satisfaction and turned its gaze toward the direction of Luo Mu and Swampert.

At this moment, Luo Mu and Swampert had already arrived before the ancient gate.

Although even Peony's Copperajah, with its massive build, couldn't kick open the great door, Luo Mu still wanted to test whether Swampert's strength could break it.

After all, being inside might increase the chances of success.

Stepping back several paces to a safe distance, Luo Mu met Swampert's gaze, nodded slightly, and said, "Ten Thousand Horsepower!"

In an instant, a red light brightened on Swampert's body, so intense it seemed capable of scorching the eyes of anyone witnessing it; its muscles bulged, and after charging for a few seconds, it slammed a fist fiercely onto the great door!

Boom—!

For a moment, the entire Iceberg Ruins seemed to tremble; Mudan and Shakhia, unable to keep their footing, fell straight onto their backsides.

Even Lei Guan Wang, who was pacing anxiously outside, clearly perceived the disturbance created by Swampert.

But that was all.

The sturdiness of these ruins was just as Peony had described, extraordinary beyond measure; they likely held a profound connection to ancient humans, and ordinary violence would be completely unable to destroy them.

"Sigh."

Although deep down he had already vaguely guessed the outcome, Luo Mu, unwilling to give up and wanting to try once more, looked at the ancient door before him which remained unmoved and couldn't help but let out a sigh.

It seemed there was only one last path left to take.

"Since forcing our way out is impossible, we have no choice but to follow the intentions of the ruins' creator and clear it through the normal procedure."

After calling Mudan and Shakhia over, Luo Mu directly laid out the current situation.

Shakhia looked somewhat worried and, hesitating to speak, said, "But we..."

Luo Mu naturally knew what Shakhia wanted to say and, wearing a confident expression, stated, "That is not something the two of you need to worry about."

"Since Peony felt safe entrusting you to me, I will definitely lead you out of these ruins."

"And what you two need to do is very simple and plain: just like before, do not panic and ensure your own safety."

Perhaps because he had been a teacher for nearly half a year, Luo Mu's voice gradually carried a certain soothing quality, a magic that made people unable to help but trust him.

Listening to Luo Mu's gentle voice explaining the precautions to them, the lingering confusion and unease in Mudan and Shakhia's hearts gradually vanished, replaced by increasingly determined looks in their eyes.

"Shakhia, if it's you, you should know what that stone statue emitting cold air is, right?"

At this, the question Luo Mu suddenly threw out made Shakhia pause, while Mudan beside her showed a look of curiosity.

After hesitating for a moment, Shakhia, sitting cross-legged, turned to look at the distant stone statue emitting cold air and said uncertainly, "That should be the legendary giant... Lei Ji Ai Si."

Shakhia's major at school was studying this kind of related knowledge, so she was very familiar with legendary Pokémon; naturally, the legendary giants were not strange to her.

Although there existed the "Unit 01," personally created by the Pillar King Lei Ji Qi Ka Si, whose current whereabouts were unknown, the Lei Ji Ai Si within the stone statue before their eyes should have either been sealed within these ruins by ancient humans or placed here by them to guard the ruins.

However, considering the surrounding environment lacked any passages, Shakhia felt it was more likely that Lei Ji Ai Si had been sealed here.

"Correct." Hearing Shakhia's answer, Luo Mu nodded satisfactorily, "Lei Ji Ai Si is a legendary Pokémon; its strength is an unknown variable, so to leave this place, we will likely need to fight it."

"Since our opponent is a legendary giant, to ensure the aftermath of the battle does not affect you two, I will send out Pokémon to protect you."

"And what you two need to do is also very simple: just do not get caught in the aftermath."

Shakhia widened her eyes, not expecting this to be the Xie Fa Luo Mu had arrived at: "Fight the legendary giant."

Mudan, on the other hand, seemed to have thought of something; the corners of her mouth curved upward slightly, as if she were certain Luo Mu would emerge victorious.

A short while later.

Mudan and Shakhia moved directly in front of the ancient door, while Swampert and Dragonite were responsible for protecting their safety.

Considering type matchups, Luo Mu decided to let Cangyan Cangyan Rengui fight Lei Ji Ai Si first, only initiating a group assault if the situation remained unclear.

At this moment, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui beside Luo Mu had closed its eyes and begun to build up power; illusory sword shadows circled its sides, making its aura increasingly fierce.

After all, this was not a battle with rules; before awakening Lei Ji Ai Si, it was natural to let Cangyan Cangyan Rengui stack its enhancements to the maximum to ensure absolute safety.

Meanwhile, Luo Mu, following the prompts from the system in his mind, began running in sequence across the seven circular spots on the ground.

Every time he stepped on a circular spot, that spot would light up with a faint warm yellow glow, making Luo Mu doubt whether the light showering down from above and illuminating the ruins was truly "sunlight."

Unfortunately, he did not have a Serperior nearby to make an accurate and error-free confirmation, so Luo Mu did not dwell on this point and simply stepped directly onto the final circular spot.

The instant the light emanating from the circular spots lit up together, the entire Iceberg Ruins trembled several times, and the stone statue, which had shown no movement until now, also lit up with the same light as the spots.

Hummm—

A strange humming sound echoed throughout the ruins, followed immediately by the appearance of clear cracks upon the stone statue.

From the shaken-off dust and remnants of soil, Luo Mu realized that Lei Ji Ai Si had not turned into a stone statue; rather, during its slumber, this dust and soil had accumulated on its body, causing it to appear as a stone statue before!

Fragments composed of a mixture of soil and dust continuously peeled away; in just a moment, the seven circular spots arranged in a cross pattern on the stone statue began to pulse with light at a specific frequency, the cold air spread further into the surroundings, and in an instant, the area was frozen over with a thick layer of ice.

And at this moment, Lei Ji Ai Si revealed its true form.

It was a body constructed purely of ice; the "+" shaped pattern on its face, composed of seven yellow circular spots, flashed continuously, while the four ice spikes on both sides of its back emitted a frosty cold air even more intense than that of Tie Tie Baofu, proclaiming Lei Ji Ai Si's formidable strength.

Lei Ji Ai Si's conical legs stepped forward, and its cylindrical arms, ending in three crystal-like fingers, lifted up, aiming directly at Luo Mu and Cangyan Cangyan Rengui.

"Beep beep beep giligulu."

Despite lacking any mouth structure, Lei Ji Ai Si emitted a series of mechanical sounds.

On its raised arm, ice-blue light gathered, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into three ice-blue beams that burst forth, their targets pointing directly at Luo Mu, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, and, over by the great door, Mudan, Shakhia, Dragonite, and Swampert.

Move: Ice Beam!

There was no possibility of communication; having just awakened, Lei Ji Ai Si immediately launched an attack.

Rather than being sealed... it seemed more like it was guarding this place!

Among the three split Ice Beams, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui took the brunt of one, meeting it head-on.

Crimson flames surged upon its great sword of fire; empowered by Swords Dance, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui merely launched a single ordinary slash forward, and amidst the mist created by the convergence of cold and scorching heat, the Ice Beam was directly sliced in half by Cangyan Cangyan Rengui!

After accomplishing this, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui did not even glance behind, as if it did not care about Luo Mu, who had been locked onto by Lei Ji Ai Si; moving its legs, its armor clashing with a clanging sound, it charged straight at Lei Ji Ai Si!

As for Luo Mu's side, facing the incoming Ice Beam, he was not in the least afraid.

From within his shadow, a pair of huge and ferocious Shadow Claws suddenly thrust out, slamming fiercely into the Ice Beam attacking Luo Mu!

The Ice Beam and the Shadow Claws collided in the most intense clash; believing that Mimikyu would protect him well, Luo Mu exhaled a mouthful of white mist and turned to look behind him.

Dragonite's Flamethrower collided directly with the Ice Beam, while Swampert created a wall of earth to shield Mudan and Shakhia from the aftermath of the attack.

"It seems there's no need to worry about that side."

Luo Mu followed the momentum and cast his gaze forward; at this moment, even clad in thick thermal clothing, he felt as though he stood upon a vast ice sheet from an ice age.

Legend has it that the strength of Legendary Pokémon lies not only in their combat power but also in their ability to alter the environment, even to change the heavens and earth.

If the battle drags on too long, the surroundings might truly be transformed by Regice into an environment resembling an ice age.

By that time, even wearing cold-weather gear, Luo Mu, Moudan, and Chacoya would likely find it difficult to endure with their human bodies.

Before that happens, they must defeat Regice quickly and decisively.

In Luo Mu's eyes, the figure of Cangyan Cangyan Rengui rushing fearlessly toward the legendary giant was clearly visible; the instant it neared Regice, Luo Mu issued a command: "Spiteful Sword!"

The moment Luo Mu's voice fell, the blue flames on Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's flaming greatsword blazed up even more fiercely; Regice's clumsy movements were no different from a target to Cangyan Cangyan Rengui.

Cangyan Cangyan Rengui nimbly dodged several stone blocks condensed by Regice and filled with primal power, its cold gaze instantly sweeping over Regice's entire body as if searching for a weak point.

The final result was naturally that no weakness could be found at all, but this did not prevent Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's wind-swift flame slashes from exploding upon Regice's body like raindrops!

Although Cangyan Cangyan Rengui is a Fire and Ghost-type Pokémon, when necessary, its flames lack none of the scorching heat that ordinary Fire-type Pokémon can unleash.

Yet even so, Regice's body, constructed of ice blocks, showed not even a scratch, let alone any sign of melting.

This was the first time Cangyan Cangyan Rengui had ever encountered such a situation.

After all, even against Geeta's Avalugg, whose defense was terrifyingly high, its greatsword could leave deep marks.

Not to mention that it had already performed Swords Dance to strengthen itself in advance, yet against this Regice, it could not even leave a trace.

Regice spread its arms, low-temperature cold air spreading out, gathering toward Cangyan Cangyan Rengui under its control.

"Phantom Force!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's eyes; facing Regice's attempt to seal it in ice by spreading its arms to manipulate the cold air, it slipped into another dimension to evade under Luo Mu's command.

The next moment, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui appeared directly behind Regice, its flaming greatsword wreathed in ghost energy slashing down repeatedly heavy!

Clang—!!

The sound of solid object colliding with solid object echoed through the ruins; once again, it was an attack that seemed unable to break through the defense.

Regice's body seemed capable of rotating 360 degrees, smoothly turning to face the direction where Cangyan Cangyan Rengui stood.

At this moment, its raised arm seemed to transform into a cannon, condensing a yellow-and-blue thunderball brimming with terrifying electrical power and firing it at Cangyan Cangyan Rengui.

Probably to prove a point, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui did not intend to dodge this time, and Luo Mu fully respected its opinion, issuing another order: "Shadow Claw."

Ghost energy like a shadow surged onto the flaming greatsword; unlike Mimikyu's Shadow Claw, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's usage was more like a "Shadow Blade," striking down with both swords to slice the Zap Cannon directly into four equal parts!

Boom—!

The unstable Zap Cannon immediately released massive electrical power, causing a violent explosion.

But the effect of this on Cangyan Cangyan Rengui could be said to be nearly nonexistent.

It quickly stepped to Regice's side, plain and unadorned flame slashes continuously ringing out against Regice's surface.

"Chirp... Beep beep beep..."

To deal with the agile Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, Regice chose to use a wide-area Blizzard to block Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's path.

From behind, watching the battle between Cangyan Cangyan Rengui and Regice, Chacoya frowned tightly and said with worry, "Moudan... hasn't Regice taken even a sliver of damage since just now?"

Moudan pushed up her glasses frames, holding a different view on this: "No matter how sturdy a body is, it has an upper limit; otherwise, how could Regice have been sealed?"

"Cangyan Cangyan Rengui is attacking almost the same spots; Teacher Luo Mu is likely laying the groundwork..."

(End of Chapter)