Chapter 383: Heroes Always Appear at Critical Moments

East of Goldenrod City and west of Route 32, rated as the number one place girls in the Johto region most want to visit, the beautiful green meadow was now shrouded in panic.

Even though the night was already deep, the stream of people and convoys leaving the small town still filled the road to the brim.

Most residents living in the Green Meadow, along with tourists who had arrived, began fleeing in panic due to the crystalline tower standing at the edge of the Green Meadow and the domain composed of crystals, which was still continuing to expand.

Even with Miss Miss Junsha and police officers from the station soothing the public's emotions, their flight remained reckless.

The Green Meadow was not far from Goldenrod City; although the nearby Ruins of Alph also made one somewhat concerned, Luo Mu still rode Feng Su Gou and rushed to the Green Meadow immediately.

"Awooo..."

Beside the congested road, Feng Su Gou stopped, looking somewhat surprised at the huge crystalline tower standing in the distance.

Has things blown up this big?

Luo Mu's eyesight was far inferior to Feng Su Gou's, so he could only barely make out the silhouette of the crystalline tower in the night.

But even just the silhouette looked sufficiently awe-inspiring.

"Is this the power of the Unknown Unown? Truly a force full of mysteries, full of the unknown."

Murmuring to himself, Luo Mu engaged his brain, recalling information about the Unknown Unown.

The Unknown Unown looked like Latin letters, possessing twenty-six forms corresponding to the Latin alphabet, as well as forms representing question marks and exclamation points.

Generally, Unknown Unown lived only within spacetime rifts, and almost no one was able to make contact with them.

Thus, possessing as many as twenty-eight forms, the different abilities held by Unknown Unown of different forms were known to no one; the Unknown Unown resembled the text recorded on ancient stone slabs very closely, possibly indicating a certain connection.

A single Unknown Unown could hardly accomplish anything, but if more than two Unknown Unown appeared, a mysterious power would arise between them.

Within that crystalline tower, there were probably hundreds or even thousands of Unknown Unown existing.

The power generated by such a large number of Unknown Unown was something even Luo Mu could not afford to take lightly.

What needed to be done now was to find Professor Oak and understand the current situation inside the crystalline tower.

Luo Mu remembered that, thanks to the help of a certain supporting character in the movie, Professor Oak should currently possess a communicator capable of contacting those inside; finding him was the fastest way to understand the internal situation.

Perhaps Luo Mu's luck today was quite good; just as he began thinking and trying to recall where Professor Oak was, someone came to find him.

A young male police officer wearing a police cap crossed the congested road and arrived before Luo Mu and Feng Su Gou, who were standing on a small hill.

While curiously sizing up Feng Su Gou, the male officer kindly reminded Luo Mu: "Trainer, the area ahead is a danger zone; please do not rashly enter."

"Mr. Officer, I am looking for Professor Oak; do you know where he is?"

Instead of turning away as the officer had imagined, Luo Mu asked the officer very seriously.

The male officer paused, withdrawing his gaze that had been stuck on Feng Su Gou, and carefully sized Luo Mu up, feeling inexplicably that he looked somewhat familiar.

But in order to strictly adhere to his duties and the orders issued by his superiors, the male officer still stated rigidly: "For the safety of you and your partner, please do not proceed any further."

Before the male officer could finish speaking, a dignified female voice carrying a heroic air rang out.

"Let him pass; I will take him to find Professor Oak myself."

Hearing this voice, the male officer paused and looked behind him.

He discovered that his superior, Miss Miss Junsha, had approached at some unknown point and was staring straight at Luo Mu.

"Miss Miss Junsha..."

"You go evacuate the masses."

Miss Miss Junsha patted the male officer on the shoulder, signaling him to step back so she could communicate with Luo Mu herself.

Since it was an order from his superior, the male officer could only obediently retreat.

But before he could turn around, he witnessed a surprising scene.

Miss Miss Junsha kept her legs together, standing perfectly straight, her heroic face revealing a sense of seriousness and respect as she saluted Luo Mu: "Thank you for coming to our aid, Mr. Luo Mu!"

Luo Mu slid off Feng Su Gou, looking at Miss Miss Junsha with some surprise: "You know me?"

Miss Miss Junsha nodded seriously and said: "The Miss Junsha in Goldenrod City is my older sister; after the Team Rocket robbery incident last time, our superiors demanded that we must recognize your appearance to avoid any discourtesy."

Powerful trainers were already respected by all, let alone a powerful trainer like Luo Mu who had stepped forward to stop the anomaly in the Orange Islands.

If previously Miss Miss Junsha had only heard of that incident and thought the person who accomplished such a feat was remarkable,

now, with the Johto Elite Four and Champion all carrying out missions elsewhere, and the nearest person to the Green Meadow requiring at least one night to arrive, for Luo Mu who appeared like timely rain, Miss Miss Junsha sincerely respected this strong individual who had come to provide assistance.

"You've said all my lines for me."

Luo Mu scratched his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed to meet Miss Miss Junsha's respectful gaze.

After all, he truly hadn't planned to come before; even coming now was merely because he wanted to be willful for once.

"I will formally apologize to you later; please follow me; Professor Oak and Professor Shuli's assistant are currently in the Pokémon Center."

Miss Miss Junsha intended to personally guide the way for Luo Mu.

"That won't be necessary."

Patting Feng Su Gou to make it follow him, Luo Mu trailed behind Miss Miss Junsha.

At this moment, the stunned male officer came to his senses, looking at Luo Mu's departing back with a face full of shock.

He finally knew why Luo Mu looked so familiar.

It turned out he was the hero from the rumors who had stopped the three Legendary Birds of the Orange Islands from going berserk.

With him here, things would surely be resolved smoothly.

"Xiao Zhi! Xiao Zhi!"

In a certain room of the Pokémon Center, facing a communicator shaped like a children's smartwatch on a desk lined with several computers, Professor Oak kept calling out anxiously to the other side.

But there was no response from the other side; there was only the occasional roar of dignity, along with the sounds produced by fierce battles.

This was the scene Luo Mu saw when brought here by Miss Miss Junsha.

Listening to the beastly roars echoing within the room, Luo Mu frowned slightly.

Was Xiao Zhi already battling Entei?

Was it Pikachu, or Charizard?

Reminded by Professor Oak's assistant, Professor Oak, who had been anxiously monitoring the situation, finally noticed Luo Mu and Miss Miss Junsha's arrival.

Upon seeing Luo Mu, a flicker of surprise flashed in Professor Oak's eyes; his gaze then lingered on the Arcanine beside Luo Mu for quite a while before he forced himself, through sheer willpower, to shift his attention elsewhere.

True to his reputation as a world-renowned Pokémon Professor, Professor Oak, as if he already knew the purpose of Luo Mu's arrival, gave a brief and concise explanation of the current situation.

Inside the Crystal Tower, an Entei seemingly created by the power of Unown had intercepted Ash, who had found Hanako on the tower's top floor, and had launched an attack against him.

"Ash and Pikachu seem to have been blocked by that Entei, which was born from Mi's dreams through the power of the Unown; after Ash shouted 'Charizard,' there has been no response from that direction."

"Could it be that the Charizard from Charicific Valley has rushed over? Or perhaps, within the dream world inside the Crystal Tower, Ash and the others can freely manipulate the dream itself?"

Frowning, Professor Oak pieced together the fragmented information coming through the communicator and made his guess.

Filtering out Professor Oak's incorrect guesses, Luo Mu seized upon the keyword "Charizard" and clarified the current situation.

The old Charizard, having rushed over from Charicific Valley, was currently engaging in a one-on-one duel with the phantom Entei.

This timing was just perfect!

Relieved that he hadn't arrived too late and missed the optimal moment, Luo Mu said to Professor Oak, "Leave the rest to me."

"I'm troubling you again, Luo Mu."

Professor Oak nodded; with Luo Mu's arrival, he finally felt a sense of relief.

On this trip, he happened not to have brought his old partner, and the Poké Ball transmission device at the Pokémon Center was broken; even if he had asked Tracey to instruct his old partner to fly over to Greenfield, given the distance between Pallet Town and Greenfield, by the time his old partner arrived, dawn would likely have already broken.

Luo Mu's arrival was like a timely rain nourishing parched land, easing Professor Oak's worried heart slightly.

Under the trusting gazes of everyone at the Pokémon Center, Luo Mu remounted his Arcanine, released his Delibird, and sped straight toward the Crystal Tower, which continued to generate crystals and expand outward.

Soon, even with the night obscuring visibility, as the distance closed, Luo Mu could clearly make out the terrain surrounding the Crystal Tower.

Whether it was the soil, the green grass and trees, or the vibrant, dew-laden flowers, as well as the man-made houses and vehicles, everything had been crystallized by a mysterious power, and this crystallization was still spreading.

As the origin of it all, the Snowdon mansion at the center point was enveloped by crystal structures resembling flower petals.

From within, the sounds of fierce battle could faintly be heard.

Considering that with Charizard's current strength, he might not be able to hold out for long against an Entei modeled after the Legendary Pokémon "Entei" and created by numerous Unown.

Luo Mu decided he needed to make his move slightly more dramatic.

"Stop sleeping, get up and work!"

Luo Mu poked Victini, who had remained invisible, was sleeping soundly on his shoulder, and had gone unnoticed by both Miss Miss Junsha and Professor Oak.

He clearly remembered the danger of these crystals; if one came into contact with them, unexpected situations could very well arise.

In the movie, Ash and his group had slipped into the Crystal Tower via a stream that hadn't been crystallized, but that would require taking too many detours; it was better to choose a simpler, more straightforward method—

To break through forcibly with brute strength!

"Victi~"

Woken by Luo Mu, Victini opened his hazy eyes, yawned, floated drowsily to the top of the Arcanine's head, and began to sway with a golden aura.

In merely an instant, the Arcanine sensed power surging within its body to the point of explosion, along with an overwhelming sense that anything was possible.

Meanwhile, Luo Mu shouted within his mind: "Navigator, come out and work!"

【System Navigator at your service, please set the destination!】

"The area where Charizard and Entei are fighting."

【Planning route for you... Route planning complete!】

In Luo Mu's field of vision, an extremely clear marker appeared.

Furthermore, the marker was constantly changing as time passed, revealing just how fierce the battle between Charizard and Entei had become.

Squinting his eyes, after confirming the direction, Luo Mu patted the Arcanine beneath him, which was already impatient to make a dashing entrance, pointed to a spot, and said in a deep voice: "Overheat!"

"Awooo—!"

The excited Arcanine howled up at the sky, and a bright light immediately ignited in its mouth, rivaling the brilliance erupted when an ordinary Pokémon uses a Z-Move.

The surrounding air began to grow scorching hot, the crimson glow nearly illuminating half the sky.

A terrifying sphere of intense fire continuously gathered before the Arcanine; condensing energy to such a degree meant the Arcanine currently could not fully unleash the move while simultaneously protecting Luo Mu's safety.

Therefore, the Delibird currently in Luo Mu's arms would serve a purpose.

The Delibird began manipulating Ice-type energy, using the moisture in the air around itself, Luo Mu, and Victini to condense into frost, forming layers of a frost shield that melted and reformed, resisting the high temperatures.

Fortunately, a heavy rain had fallen over Greenfield not long ago, providing ample moisture for the Delibird to use, while the Arcanine was also striving to ensure the fireball did not affect the area behind it.

Only thus could the frost shield constructed with the Delibird's full effort withstand these crimson heat waves, which weren't even considered mere aftershocks.

The next instant.

As the flames were compressed to their limit, infused with strands of gold from Victini's infinite energy, a golden-red fireball, under the Arcanine's control, transformed into a terrifying tidal wave of fire; carrying power brewed to its peak, akin to a volcanic eruption, it mercilessly destroyed everything in its path, including those crystal formations.

Boom—Crash!!!

Towering dust clouds were swept up by the sky-piercing flames; a terrifying "Overheat" comparable to, or even far surpassing, a "Max Flare" truly lived up to its name, burning everything along the path to ashes.

The flames raged like a mad dragon; with the crystals destroyed, the bare earth was exposed, red as a forge, a stretch of scorched land extending endlessly, while even the night sky was illuminated by the firelight, appearing somewhat eerie.

In the distance, within the Crystal Tower's area, even those massive petals had been pierced through, leaving huge, ferocious holes.

Looking at the devastation before him, having already confirmed that there were no people or Pokémon along the route, Luo Mu lightly patted the Arcanine beneath him, urging it to rush at full speed through the newly opened passage.

Having unleashed one awesome ultimate move and feeling physically and mentally refreshed, the Arcanine let out a howl and shot forward like a ball of burning flame.

All that remained was Luo Mu's muttering fading away on the spot.

"Luckily I'm a professional at planting; after this is over, I should be able to restore this place to its original state, so I won't get arrested for damaging the scenic environment."

Luo Mu had caused such a huge commotion that it naturally could not escape the notice of the people currently in Greenfield.

Pokémon Center.

Professor Oak and Miss Miss Junsha quickly ran out of the room and came outside, looking at the sky-piercing firelight and clicking their tongues in amazement.

"This is truly exaggerated."

Inside the Crystal Tower, a short while ago.

Satoshi commanded his Charizard, whose stamina was beginning to wane after a prolonged fierce battle, to engage Entei.

This Entei's stamina seemed endless; it was simply the strongest opponent Satoshi had encountered since becoming a Trainer.

Although Charizard held the aerial advantage, the crystal pillars constantly protruding from the Crystal Tower appeared at the perfect moment beneath Entei's feet, even enabling the flightless Entei to completely overwhelm Charizard in mobility.

Not to mention that once the fatigued Charizard approached the Crystal Tower, those crystal pillars would suddenly emerge, thrusting toward Charizard's most vulnerable and least protected abdomen.

Even the unwilling-to-lose Satoshi knew that the longer the fierce battle continued, the lower their chances of victory became.

Misty's and Brock's Pokémon had all been defeated by the crystallized Pokémon of Adult Mi and Young Mi, Pikachu had suffered severe injuries, and now the only combatant remaining was the Charizard that had arrived to assist.

"Damn it... Charizard!"

Just as Satoshi was about to go all-in, perhaps due to the long battle pushing Charizard's fatigue to a certain limit, its spirit relaxed for an extremely brief instant.

Or perhaps Satoshi's voice had diverted Charizard's attention.

Charizard failed to notice the crystal pillar suddenly thrusting from behind, immediately suffering a heavy blow; it let out a pained roar and fell powerlessly onto the pillar.

Although Charizard quickly realized the danger and tried to endure the pain to force itself up, Entei had already appeared before it, gathering terrifying heat in its mouth for "Fire Blast," clearly intending to drag Satoshi on Charizard's back into the attack as well!

Just then.

A violent tremor struck the entire Crystal Tower; a terrifying explosion hammered the outer crystal petals protecting the tower, causing even the countless crystal pillars protruding from the tower's body to snap from the intense shaking.

Among the shattered crystal pillars was the very one where Entei and Satoshi's Charizard were located.

The moment the sensation of weightlessness hit, Entei immediately canceled the release of "Fire Blast"; born from Mi's dreams and the power of the Unown, it did not care at all about any backlash.

It looked furiously toward the area where the explosion had occurred, its voice brimming with sky-high rage ringing out along with its roar.

"Roar— Who is destroying mine and Mi's home!"

Seizing the moment Entei was distracted, Charizard finally regained its ability to move; flapping its dragon wings, it landed before Brock, Misty, Pikachu, Mom Delia, Mi, and the Team Rocket trio, who were all startled by the explosion.

"Satoshi! Are you okay!"

Hearing the concerned inquiries from the several people behind him, especially from Mom Delia, Satoshi merely nodded to indicate that both he and Charizard were fine, his gaze fixed tightly on the area where the terrifying explosion had blown a huge hole; his intuition told him that something was coming.

If Satoshi relied on intuition, Entei clearly perceived several unfamiliar auras rushing toward this location at extreme speed.

Enraged, it once again condensed scorching flames and blasted them in that direction.

Anyone disturbing Mi, her own daughter, was an enemy!

"Extreme Speed!"

Facing Entei's power, which resembled a volcanic eruption, a steady male voice rang out.

The next instant.

Satoshi and the others only saw a dazzling green light flare up within the dust and smoke; a massive figure, comparable to Entei, charged forth at an unimaginable speed, directly dodging the "Fire Blast" and slamming Entei to the ground!

(End of Chapter)