Chapter 643: One Against Three!

Three figures shot forward at high speed, each locking onto their own opponent.

The Mimikyu, having already completed its three-stage Sword Dance, emerged like a ghost from the shadows, wrapped in rolling black mist, directly slamming into Deoxys!

Deoxys’ reaction was no less swift—it switched instantly from attack form to defense form, drawing its arms inward, as a psychic barrier formed atop its rounded head and fully enveloped its body.

——But it was useless.

The innate penetration effect of Shadow Sneak allowed Mimikyu to strike Deoxys’ true body directly, sending it flying far away.

On the other side, the earth trembled uncontrollably.

The Mega-evolved Super Swampert, having already completed its six-stage Bodybuilding, leapt forward with terrifying explosive power.

Orange-red air sacs across its arms opened, frantically sucking in surrounding air; as the rushing airflow emitted a piercing shriek, the swirling white-and-gray streams within the sacs swelled to unprecedented proportions.

The next instant.

Super Swampert’s right arm muscles bulged, a howling cold current covering its fist, and under the thrust of compressed air bursting from the opening sacs, the punch expanded massively before the forehead of Ho-Oh of Hoenn!

BOOM!

Ho-Oh of Hoenn, mid-charge on its stronger “Hyper Beam,” had no time to dodge—it took the punch squarely.

Ho-Oh of Hoenn was knocked senseless, falling like a shuttlecock into the sea!

Over the churning sea, a clear freezing sound rang out, audible to the stunned expressions of those stranded at the harbor.

Aside from Deoxys and Ho-Oh of Hoenn, the Shiny Ho-Oh was naturally also in on the action.

The fully charged Lightning Cat sprinted forward, its bristling mane wrapped in arcs of electricity and flickers of flame, making it look like a majestic lion.

Lightning Cat had few self-enhancing moves; Luo Mu, who never fought unprepared, had only stacked “Howl” and “Charge,” plus the secret item “Flame Orb” to trigger its Ability “Guts.”

Transforming into a streaking thunderbolt, Lightning Cat flashed past like an electrified meteor, instantly slamming its massive body into Port No. 4, already cleared of personnel!

The immediate life-or-death crisis was temporarily lifted!

With the roar of an engine, Luo Mu rode a motorcycle he’d casually picked up from the roadside, executing a perfect drift as he appeared before everyone.

“What are you standing around for? Go!”

Planting one foot on the tire tracks he’d made, Luo Mu pointed to the road leading into the city and shouted urgently.

The situation was far too dire for these people to stand there dazed.

Two furious dragon roars suddenly echoed in Luo Mu’s ears; in his vision, Ho-Oh of Hoenn, having plunged into the sea, broke through the ice and soared back into the sky, glaring fiercely at Super Swampert.

Its head still rang from the impact; had it not been for its thick hide, it might have suffered serious injury.

This thing… is no ordinary opponent!

Ho-Oh of Hoenn had completely forgotten its earlier fight with Shiny Ho-Oh and its plan to deal with Deoxys.

Deoxys’ attacks hadn’t been nearly as brutal as Super Swampert’s punch—it decided to eliminate Super Swampert first, then deal with Deoxys and drive Shiny Ho-Oh from its airspace!

It roared and whipped its tail toward Super Swampert in the sea.

“Dragon Tail!”

On the other side, Port No. 4.

Shiny Ho-Oh, having smashed through several large shipping containers before finally halting its backward flight, pulled itself out of the wreckage as if nothing had happened, now intently studying Lightning Cat.

Clearly, Shiny Ho-Oh had recognized Lightning Cat’s identity.

Wasn’t this the little cat it had mocked and crushed the other day?

Now it dared to bare its teeth and claws at it? Interesting.

Lightning Cat had close ties with Luo Mu and Regigigas; Shiny Ho-Oh, with its intelligence, knew this perfectly well.

It had come for revenge—perfect chance to take care of Lightning Cat along the way.

Lightning Cat noticed Shiny Ho-Oh’s gaze shift, instantly focusing, its spirit tensing.

“Siiiiiaaang—!”

Raising its head, Shiny Ho-Oh unleashed a torrent of blue, red, and purple dragonfire.

“Dragon Pulse!”

It had only gotten slightly stronger than before—how dare it think it could block me?

Only if that big-headed thing showed up might it stand a chance!

Facing Shiny Ho-Oh’s attack, Lightning Cat unleashed its full electric power without reservation; a bolt of Discharge collided with Dragon Pulse, triggering a violent explosion at the center of the clash.

The battles on both sides had begun.

With the destructive power of the two Ho-Oh, the temporary safety of Port No. 3 was doomed.

The sea was out—there, Super Swampert and Ho-Oh of Hoenn were fighting; the original harbor was unsafe too; the only viable escape route was clearly inside Laus City.

The violent explosions finally snapped these terrified people out of their shock—perhaps also because of the three Team Rocket members sprinting ahead, yelling wildly.

The crowd stranded at the harbor surged like a tide toward Laus City; from there, they only needed to present their Laus City access pass to the Guarding Block robots to ensure their safety and be transported to secure locations.

Though not everyone said it, some, as they passed Luo Mu, deliberately turned their heads to thank him.

Even though Luo Mu hadn’t come here to earn their “thanks.”

But he couldn’t deny it—this did bring him joy, a deep sense of accomplishment, and a surge of renewed determination.

Watching the crowd gradually vanish from his sight, Luo Mu finally exhaled a little.

“At least I’ve pulled them out of the fire—though, honestly, this fire probably has something to do with me.”

Even now, Luo Mu couldn’t understand his rotten luck—touring in Ho-Oh of Hoenn’s territory and still running into Shiny Ho-Oh, who’d already clashed with him.

He’d barely flown anywhere lately; he’d even taken a ferry and train to reach Laus City.

Was Shiny Ho-Oh’s nose better than a dog’s? Could it lock onto his scent from the sky?

Couldn’t figure it out—but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.

He’d eliminated the crisis triggered by his arrival: the stranded harbor crowd being drawn into the battle between the two Ho-Oh and Deoxys.

Next, he had to figure out how to rein in this out-of-control plot.

Hoping for a return to normalcy was impossible; only one path remained—

One against three!

Then, wait until Victini and Professor Lando succeeded.

“Laus City’s security system’s a mess, but maybe I can use it. Good thing this isn’t a special episode set—I shouldn’t die of overwork.”

Muttering his own sarcastic remarks to ease his tension, Luo Mu, for the first time handling something this big, patted the bag slung at his waist.

“Hold on tight, don’t get thrown off, Bagoggo!”

Saying this, he twisted the throttle and charged unhesitatingly toward Port No. 4.

The trouble he’d caused? He’d have to solve it himself!

The battlefield between Mimikyu and Deoxys wasn’t much of a problem.

In raw power, Deoxys was completely inferior to Ho-Oh.

As for how Ho-Oh had been toyed with, besides being unfamiliar with Deoxys’ ability to change forms, it had simply relied on its thick hide and never used its brain during that fight.

It had just blindly commanded its body to unleash super strength.

Back on the ice field, Ho-Oh had taken countless hits from Deoxys’ attack form and still bounced around like nothing had happened.

At most, it just looked messy and unseemly.

In contrast, Deoxys got instantly obliterated the moment Ho-Oh got an opening.

Perfectly illustrating the saying: I can afford countless mistakes, but you can only afford one.

Luo Mu’s order to Mimikyu was to use its type advantage to stall Deoxys—no need to defeat it.

Luo Mu had already informed Mimikyu of Deoxys’ specific details on the way here; at least it wouldn’t be caught off guard.

Once his hidden backup succeeded, Deoxys would naturally become his ally.

——The real battlefield was the two Ho-Oh.

His ride, Dragonite, hadn’t come to Hoenn; Flareon had been sent to protect the other site; though he’d borrowed a motorcycle, at least he didn’t have to run on foot.

But he was still only one man, stretched too thin.

He chose to head to the battlefield between Shiny Ho-Oh and Lightning Cat—but that didn’t mean he abandoned Super Swampert and Ho-Oh of Hoenn’s fight.

Over the turbulent sea.

A muscular sea beast rode towering waves, clashing fiercely with a green dragon soaring through the sky.

Each collision sent invisible shockwaves rippling outward, churning the sea into chaos.

Ho-Oh of Hoenn spewed chaotic black Hyper Beams, easily blasting gaping holes in waves dozens of meters high, then plunging into the sea and exploding into temporary hollows.

Water splashed like rain—but Super Swampert had no time to enjoy the boost; a strange fluctuation swept it all away, leaving only ordinary droplets falling.

This was Ho-Oh’s Ability “Air Lock,” brutally nullifying all weather-induced changes—including Super Swampert’s own Ability “Swift Swim.”

Hence, from the very beginning, Luo Mu had never considered bringing in Vaporeon, who was perfectly suited to Super Swampert, to the front line.

Even Groudon and Kyogre couldn’t counter “Air Lock”—Vaporeon was better off guarding the lab.

Ho-Oh of Hoenn twisted its body, whipped its tail, and flew behind Super Swampert; a surge of Dragon-type energy formed a roaring dragon that blasted toward it!

At that moment, a voice suddenly echoed across the sea battlefield.

“Watch your back—Water Pulse!”

Super Swampert instantly turned and punched!

Amid the splashing water, the irrational brute force shattered the Dragon Pulse, turning it into a shower of dazzling light.

The voice commanding Super Swampert belonged to Luo Mu!

But Luo Mu himself was at Port No. 4—how was he commanding Super Swampert?

The answer was simple—

Near the battle zone between Super Swampert and Ho-Oh of Hoenn, a crisp police uniform soaked by waves, water dripping from her hair, Officer Jenny stood on the bow of a boat, gripping tightly a megaphone connected to the vessel’s communication device.

And from the loudspeaker, Luo Mu’s voice kept sounding, precisely directing the Mega Swampert and Hoenn Rayquaza in battle, keeping the Mega Swampert from falling behind.

After communication was restored, Officer Jenny received a call from Luo Mu, who had obtained her contact details from Dr. Londo.

Then, disregarding the danger, she arrived near the battlefield and used her loudspeaker to relay Luo Mu’s commands to the Mega Swampert!

This was the only thing she, as the highest-ranking security officer of Laurus City, could do for Luo Mu, who had saved the civilians stranded at Port Three.

She didn’t understand how Luo Mu, though not present, could issue such precise, high-level commands.

But she knew that to hold the line, no matter how violently the waves battered her, she must stay here until the end!

In terms of raw power, the fact that Hoenn Rayquaza hesitated to close in and engage the Mega Swampert in melee clearly showed the Mega Swampert’s advantage in this aspect.

But beyond that, everything favored Hoenn Rayquaza.

Endless stamina and energy reserves, devastating moves, solid battle experience—only under Luo Mu’s timely command could the Mega Swampert now hold its own against Hoenn Rayquaza without falling behind.

As for defeating the opponent?

The current situation didn’t allow it—or Luo Mu—to consider that yet.

Farther from the turbulent battle zone, across the sea.

A group of multiple balloon-like Whiscash and a massive Whiscash King happened to be passing by.

They had just said goodbye to a pair of Whiscash and Whiscash King from another sea, regretting they hadn’t joined their group, yet still wandered freely across the endless ocean.

At that moment, one of the younger Whiscash suddenly turned its gaze toward the direction where intense sounds were coming, its expression growing visibly excited.

Normally, as wild Pokémon groups driven by self-preservation, they would immediately flee from dangerous waters.

But this time was different.

Even the Whiscash King paused its swimming, its bean-like eyes fixed on the distance.

They saw a green giant dragon soaring through the thick black smoke from violent explosions, and a blue Pokémon riding the waves, locked in fierce combat with it.

Even the figure of Officer Jenny, holding a loudspeaker nearby, came into their view.

“Whiscash!!!” (Isn’t that the Dolphin Hero mentioned by that pair of Whiscash who bonded with humans!)

The young Whiscash pointed with its broad flippers, crying out excitedly, as if witnessing a living legend.

The Whiscash Kings were puzzled; though it did resemble the legend, they had only just heard the story—not so soon after.

Could it not just be a coincidence?

But as the battle between the Mega Swampert and Hoenn Rayquaza grew fiercer, the Whiscash Kings gradually came to agree with the young Whiscash.

Fighting with a mighty fist against a terrifying dragon of destruction, protecting the ocean’s love and peace—human’s partner was its unmistakable hallmark.

Wasn’t that precisely the legendary oceanic hero of justice—

The Dolphin Hero!?

(End of Chapter)