Chapter 447: The Battle-Hardened King: Blood Moon Ursaluna!

Inside the tent, Shari sighed softly.

"It's so quiet."

Luo Mu, who had been intently observing the sleeping Pecharunt, paused mid-motion as he stood up, gave her a peculiar look, and said out of the blue, "You'd better say that less often in the future."

Shari looked utterly confused: "Why?"

Luo Mu waved his hand, showing no intention of explaining, "Just remember it, that's all."

At that moment.

The calm cry of a Serperior suddenly rang out from outside the tent.

"Gah-lok."

Only then did the two shift their attention to the outside world.

One glance revealed that not only was it exceptionally quiet outside, but at some point, a thick fog had drifted in, completely enveloping the entire Eternal Forest.

Luo Mu and Shari exchanged a glance; as if guessing what was happening, they both stood up and walked toward the tent's exit.

The Growlithe, who had been sticking close to Shari, followed them out as well.

The commotion was loud enough to wake the Pecharunt, which had been tightly clutching its mask in deep sleep; even though it felt a rare sense of safety here with Luo Mu, days of surviving in the wild had ingrained in it the habit of waking at the slightest disturbance.

After hesitating for a second, it too followed Luo Mu and Shari out of the tent.

Best to see what was going on first.

Stepping outside, the air was suddenly several degrees colder than inside the tent, but that was merely an appetizer.

It was only when Exposed to Outside that Luo Mu and Shari truly realized how bizarre the environment had become.

An endless sea of fog, like a gigantic maw, had swallowed the vast Eternal Forest whole.

Red light poured down from a cloudless sky, emanating from a chilling blood moon, bathing the entire mist in a crimson hue.

Let alone the terrified Pecharunt, cowering with its head in its hands and trembling.

Even Luo Mu and Shari felt a jolt of alarm in their hearts, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.

This scene would fit perfectly into any horror movie or horror game! After the initial shock, Shari's mood quickly turned to excitement; clutching the camera hanging around her neck, her eyes gleamed slightly.

Could what Luo Mu said be true!?

Meanwhile, after reuniting with his Serperior, Luo Mu was pondering a different matter.

Was this Blood Moon Ursaluna truly just an ordinary Pokémon?

Setting aside its grand entrance, the very fact that it possessed legends circulating in Kitakami, much like other Legendary Pokémon, meant it couldn't be classified as an ordinary Pokémon.

Even the wild Pokémon that usually fought over territory had vanished without a trace.

At this moment, Luo Mu felt a mix of anticipation and excitement, growing even more interested in the Blood Moon shrouded in mystery.

With this treatment and presence, it might not be a Legendary, but it was close enough.

Luo Mu and the excited Shari didn't have to wait long; a few minutes later, amidst the eerie silence of the Eternal Forest, heavy footsteps rang out.

The sound was like a continuously beating war drum; every strike hit directly at the heart's door, causing even the ground to tremble.

As tree branches and vegetation rustled with the creature's movement, a massive black shadow soon emerged from a gap in the forest.

Standing nearly three meters tall, it looked like a colossal wall from the front.

As it walked, its heavy breathing spread rhythmically across the sky above the Eternal Forest.

Suddenly, its steps halted, and a pair of eyes glowing with green light stared directly at them.

Under that profound gaze, Shari instantly shivered; the Growlithe beside her also felt fear, tucking its tail and hiding behind her.

Clutching her pounding heart, Shari shot a look of disappointment at the Growlithe: "You rascal, how can you be even more cowardly than me!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Shari scooped up the cowering Pecharunt, picked up its mask, and darted to hide behind a tree by the riverbank, shouting encouragement to Luo Mu: "I'll leave the fighting to you!"

Speechless, Luo Mu ignored her, simply standing alongside his Serperior, locking eyes with the entity before them.

Although the fog severely limited visibility, thanks to the illumination of that red full moon overhead, he could clearly make out the appearance of the Ursaluna known as the "Blood Moon" through the somewhat eerie crimson light.

Its muscular upper body, legs, and tail were covered in hardened gray mud, while outside the range of this mud coverage lay fur of a slightly dull brown luster.

Its face was almost entirely covered in mud, with only a small patch on the upper right side exposed.

But the most striking feature was a circular pattern resembling a blood moon firmly embedded in its forehead, giving it a slightly sinister appearance.

Looking closely, its left eye appeared darker than its right, with mask-like patterns distributed around it.

If not for that soul-piercing green light still glowing in its left eye, Luo Mu might have thought it was blind.

"So this is the Blood Moon?"

Luo Mu let out a sigh; so that was it, indeed very similar to an Ursaluna, yet possessing extremely obvious differences.

The most prominent distinctions were the Blood Moon Ursaluna's blood moon versus the Ursaluna's full moon, and the Blood Moon Ursaluna's upright stance versus the Ursaluna's quadrupedal posture.

"..."

Seeing that Luo Mu and the Serperior still showed no desire to turn and flee, the Ursaluna narrowed its eyes slightly; since its left eye could see through darkness, it would not miss the expressions of that rare human and Pokémon.

How unusual; it had settled in this forest for countless cycles of sun and moon, yet this was the first time the Ursaluna had encountered beings who were completely unafraid of it.

It couldn't recall how long ago it had crossed the ocean and traversed natural barriers to reach this forest; no matter how severe the trials along the way, none had broken it, and after undergoing countless trials, battles, and struggles, by the time it realized it, it had already become what it was now.

In terms of strength, the difference was like heaven and earth.

Even those Kings who inherited the blessing power of the Great Sinnoh Ancestor, the current Ursaluna was confident it could defeat them in a direct confrontation.

Precisely because its strength was so overwhelming, no Pokémon in this forest dared to provoke it whenever it appeared; during its occasional activity periods chosen based on weather and mood, as soon as it arrived by this lake, the area would be completely cleared, not even aquatic Pokémon below the surface daring to show themselves.

This was the first time the Ursaluna had encountered beings unafraid of it.

To put it bluntly, Luo Mu and the Serperior had successfully caught its attention.

The Ursaluna decided to test Luo Mu and the Serperior once more.

"Aow-hou—!"

A flash of sharp light appeared in its eyes as the Ursaluna opened its bear mouth; a fierce roar instantly echoed throughout the entire Eternal Forest, causing many wild Pokémon hiding in their nests to silently curl up a little tighter.

It was truly terrifying.

This roar was not merely loud in decibels; the powerful sound waves created an effect akin to a raging wind sweeping through, even overturning tents that were firmly staked into the earth nearby. Yet Luo Mu, who had borne the brunt of such a roar, simply removed his hands from his ears and walked toward the Moonlight Bear alongside his Serperior.

He wanted to test the mettle of the legendary He He Yue Moonlight Bear.

Seeing that Luo Mu and the Serperior still showed no intention of fleeing, the Moonlight Bear began to regard them seriously.

"Roar roar! Not only did you not flee, but you're actually walking toward me? In that case, let me put you to the test!"

Having made its decision, the blood that had lain dormant within the Moonlight Bear for many years grew scorching hot, and its instinct for struggle began to revive; it scraped the ground with its sharp claws and nodded in satisfaction.

"Very good, my sharp claws remain keen!" "Is war about to begin!?"

Peeking out only half her head from behind a large tree, seeking a sliver of comfort, Little Sha Li stared intently at the two opposing sides.

Mimikyu and Feng Su Gou imitated her posture, looking exceedingly sneaky.

On the other side.

When the two parties closed within a certain limit, the Moonlight Bear struck first.

While roaring skyward, it slammed its right leg heavily onto the ground, transmitting vast energy into the earth that surged straight toward Luo Mu and the Serperior!

Feng Su Gou spontaneously emerged from its Poké Ball, loaded Luo Mu onto its back, and leaped backward to evade the attack's range; in the next instant, the ground beneath the Serperior suddenly trembled, cracking open as intense orange-red energy erupted like a volcano.

A Ground-type move: Earth Power!

The Serperior did not even glance down, holding its head high and casting a taunting look at the Moonlight Bear; though it appeared motionless, once the Earth Power had erupted, its figure seemed to teleport, appearing further ahead.

"Leaf Blade."

Before the Moonlight Bear could react, the Serperior used its tail as a blade, approaching with agile grace; in an instant, the unmatched sharpness of Leaf Blade slashed down upon the Moonlight Bear's shoulder!

Given the Serperior and Luo Mu's extensive experience fighting bears, they knew that besides their massive bodies, the force of those Xiong Zhang could not be ignored; thus, if an opportunity arose, naturally one should first neutralize its pair of paws.

Yet when this Leaf Blade struck the Moonlight Bear's shoulder, a crisp sound resembling metal clashing against metal rang out.

The Serperior's Leaf Blade seemed to have hit something extremely hard, leaving only a clearly visible slash mark without injuring the Moonlight Bear's body in the slightest.

"What the hell!?"

Little Sha Li, watching the battle from the side, was instantly bewildered; was the Moonlight Bear's defense really this high? Meanwhile, a thoughtful expression surfaced on Luo Mu's face.

"Is it hardened mud? It appears even harder than that of a Mudsdale."

Having failed to land a hit, the Serperior retreated smoothly, not giving the now-alert Moonlight Bear a chance to embrace it.

Both sides looked at each other with some astonishment.

The Moonlight Bear was astonished by the Serperior's speed, which it hadn't even been able to react to, while the Serperior was surprised by the Moonlight Bear's thick hide; although there was no sun currently and it hadn't had time to warm up, the Moonlight Bear's defensive power was still somewhat absurd.

Regaining its composure, the Moonlight Bear refused to miss another initiative opportunity, pouncing directly into close range and swiping a paw at the Serperior! Its response was a cold snort from the Serperior.

Although it was not daytime, being in a forest was currently to its advantage.

The tip of its tail pierced the underground, causing a tree root thicker than the Moonlight Bear itself to burst from the soil, colliding directly with the Moonlight Bear's incoming right paw! Instantly, a fierce shockwave erupted, causing many trees to sway precariously.

That first root was merely an appetizer; as the Serperior continuously injected energy, tree roots resembling wooden dragons kept bursting from the earth, lashing toward the Moonlight Bear under its control.

How could the Moonlight Bear allow these roots to entangle it? Igniting its right paw with fire, it tore through the roots before it, then opened its mouth again to emit a sky-shaking roar.

"Roar—!"

The initial roar was completely incomparable to this one.

The nearly solidified sound waves acted like a gigantic blender, shattering the Serperior's Frenzy Plant inch by inch, with terrifying power that seemed as if it intended to flip the very heavens upside down.

Once again evading the attack atop Feng Su Gou, Luo Mu narrowed his eyes.

"Is that the Normal-type move Hyper Voice?" Luo Mu keenly sensed something amiss; this Moonlight Bear seemed more proficient in energy attacks than physical ones.

While Luo Mu was pondering, the Moonlight Bear, having dispelled the Frenzy Plant, charged through the Serperior's Leaf Storm, its flaming massive Xiong Zhang reaching out to grab the Serperior! The Serperior's expression remained unchanged; it twisted its serpentine body smoothly to dodge the Moonlight Bear's grab and the wind-up for its throwing technique, then unleashed another Leaf Storm that slammed into the Moonlight Bear.

This time, having learned from previous lessons, instead of targeting those armor-like hard spots, the Serperior chose the unprotected abdomen.

Facts proved that this super-effective attack exploded with impact, causing the Moonlight Bear to let out a painful roar immediately.

Yet, contrary to the expectations of Luo Mu and the Serperior, an attack that would absolutely render any ordinary wild Pokémon temporarily immobile for a few seconds due to pain was endured by the Moonlight Bear through sheer force; apart from a pained roar, its movements showed no distortion whatsoever as it fiercely pounced at the Serperior once more.

Since the Earthly Throw failed to connect, then it would be a Flying Press!

Evading the Moonlight Bear's attacks by a hair's breadth with smooth footwork, and blocking the Hyper Voice released by the Moonlight Bear without any wind-up using an energy pillar formed by Grass Pledge, under this rhythm of deadly strikes, the Serperior and Luo Mu finally sensed something slightly off.

It was no longer a matter of strength or physique.

This Moonlight Bear's battle experience, intelligence, and even the coherence of its move combinations and its momentum—every single aspect exceeded their expectations.

It was simply like an existence born from the sublimated evolution of an ordinary Moonlight Bear!

To describe it with accurate adjectives, it was—Veteran King Moonlight Bear! "Interesting...!"

A glint of excitement flashed in Emperor Yan Di's eyes; from the start of the battle until now, this Moonlight Bear known as He He Yue had continuously brought him surprises.

It made one unable to resist wanting to explore further just how much power and surprise this Moonlight Bear still had hidden.

On the other side, the Moonlight Bear also rarely felt somewhat carried away.

Originally, just like those who had witnessed it in the past, it had intended to let Luo Mu, the Serperior, and the others go.

Compared with those people it had let go in the past, the only difference was that it intended to test Luo Mu and the Serperior before releasing them.

Who would have known that the more they fought, the more frustrated it became.

The combo moves that were originally a sure thing couldn't even touch the Serperior's tail; instead, it was repeatedly hit by moves that even it found painful.

The calm, water-like state of mind cultivated over years of seclusion was directly cast aside by the Moonlight Bear.

Now, with its temper flaring, it thought of only one thing—

Fight! "Aowu—!"

The Moonlight Bear roared toward the sky, then suddenly fixed its gaze on the Serperior as nearly solidified sound wave attacks erupted once more; the Serperior, just as before, either used Frenzy Plant as a physical wall or a Grass Pledge energy wall to directly block the Hyper Voice.

But once the walls were withdrawn, it discovered that the Moonlight Bear's figure had vanished directly! Before its aura-sensing ability could activate, Luo Mu's reminder came faster.

"It's above!"

The Serperior quickly looked up, only to see the Moonlight Bear leap into the air with agility unfitting its size, pouncing directly toward them!

(End of Chapter)