Chapter 644: I

“Alarm! Alarm!”

Inside the laboratory, instruments connected to the Larus City municipal system emitted piercing alarm sounds continuously.

But at this moment, Dr. Rendo and the others had no time to care—they all turned their gazes toward the meteorite at the center of the lab.

Just now, they had discovered that their team’s efforts over the past four years had not been in vain.

Even though its bodily regeneration function had not yet been activated, miraculously, Deoxys’ consciousness had awakened first—and had become friends with Dr. Rendo’s son, Xiao Chao!

This meant their research direction was correct; all that remained was to put it into practice.

“Bii?”

Placing her small hand on the exposed part of a device resembling an interface, Victini tilted her head, as if asking whether releasing energy here would be enough.

“Exactly. When we give the signal, charge it there!”

Dr. Rendo nodded quickly, his gaze sharpening further.

A considerable time had passed since Larus City’s external quarantine was lifted; natural winds had returned to bless the city, and external wind power facilities had accumulated sufficient electricity to activate the awakening device at maximum load.

After calculations and estimations, two full-load laser irradiations should be enough to activate Deoxys’ regeneration function.

—But now, every second counted; the continuous explosions outside made it clear to them that fierce battles were underway.

Luo Mu was holding back both Rayquaza, dubbed the Sky Dragon, and another Deoxys that had descended from outer space—all by himself.

To break the deadlock, they had to do as Luo Mu said: awaken the second Deoxys.

—Success hinged entirely on whether the energy shared with Victini truly matched what Ash had claimed.

Taking a deep breath, Dr. Rendo unhesitatingly pushed the switch to its maximum setting.

“Laser. Irradiation!”

Four pure blue laser beams shot from the device, striking the green core crystal.

The intense light nearly engulfed the entire laboratory; Xiao Yao and the others instinctively shielded their eyes with their arms, squinting.

The twin sisters held hands, whispering nervously: “. Did it work?”

“No, we’re still nearly fifty percent short of peak output—it’s nowhere near enough to awaken it yet.”

Yuki stared at the screen before her, her eyes reflecting rapidly scrolling data, murmuring softly.

“Victini, please!”

Without hesitation, she turned and shouted behind her.

“Yoshi, go!”

Ash, crouched beside Victini, roared loudly.

Victini nodded; a golden aura rose and poured entirely into the interface.

In an instant, the laser’s output power surged past its previous peak!

“Ooooh—!”

“Wavelengths synchronizing!”

Dr. Rendo’s eyes widened in shock.

He never imagined such an all-purpose energy existed in the world!

It wasn’t just replenishing energy—Victini could, without reason, push the awakening device’s output far beyond its original design limits!

Then it could work!

As if sensing its imminent awakening, the light aggregate carrying Deoxys’ consciousness, resting beside Xiao Chao, grew excited.

Uncontrolled ripples began spreading outward as the awakening experiment continued.

From the laboratory as the epicenter, a brilliant aurora burst into the sky above.

Even though it was still daytime, even from the sea far from Larus City, the aurora was clearly visible.

Naturally, the three Legendary and Mythical Pokémon battling Luo Mu’s Pokémon all noticed the aurora.

Catching Misdreavus’ Shadow Claw with its tentacle-like arms, Deoxys, driven by the force, sank slightly into the ground—then froze, immediately unleashing psychic energy to break free from Misdreavus’ suppression, transforming into Speed Form, ready to rush toward the aurora.

Ho-Oh, now covered in wounds and no longer as composed as before, remembered its original purpose at this moment.

Eliminate the intruders in its territory!

And this time, both signatures had appeared together—this opportunity must not be missed.

“Ssiiiaaang—!”

Letting out a roar toward the sky, Ho-Oh, with its aerial advantage, abandoned its battle with Mega Swampert and flew directly toward the aurora.

“Damn, that direction is—!”

Ignoring her soaked, dripping uniform, Junsa’s expression changed; she instinctively steered the boat toward the direction Ho-Oh had flown off.

Luo Mu’s voice also came through the speaker.

“Mega Swampert, follow it! Don’t let it interfere with Deoxys’ regeneration!”

“Krabby!”

Mega Swampert nodded slightly, riding the waves directly in pursuit.

Soon, they reached the shore.

Although Mega Swampert was amphibious, its land speed was indeed far slower than its aquatic speed.

It would take extra effort to catch up.

Mega Swampert’s eyes flashed with determination; its leg muscles tensed, then it slammed down hard!

As the ground cracked and sank, Mega Swampert’s body shot upward, faintly accompanied by the sharp whistle of air being sucked in and expelled.

That was Mega Swampert using air currents as thrust to propel itself forward at greater speed.

Leaving a trail of afterimages, relying on its terrifying burst power, Mega Swampert chose the energy-intensive method to chase Ho-Oh’s silhouette.

“. So fast!”

Junsa, who had just landed at Port 3, narrowed her pupils in awe at Mega Swampert’s unmatched burst speed.

But she didn’t forget her duty—she immediately threw a Poké Ball.

“Rapidash, take me there!”

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Luo Mu and Raichu were facing off against the Shiny Rayquaza.

Compared to the intense battle at Mega Swampert’s location, since arriving here, Raichu and the Shiny Rayquaza had barely exchanged blows.

The opponent’s gaze shifted left and right, as if waiting for something.

Luo Mu knew the Shiny Rayquaza was searching for Regigigas and Weavile.

It had always been this proud; it had little interest in former underlings it had already crushed, its mind fixed solely on avenging itself on Regigigas.

Seeing this Shiny Rayquaza, Luo Mu chuckled.

“Give up. Regigigas won’t come. Your opponent is only us.”

The Shiny Rayquaza’s bright golden dragon eyes fixed on Luo Mu; its impression of this human was deeply etched.

Whether it was initially commanding Mega Swampert to land a punch, or later instructing Regigigas to find a way to restrict its speed—everything had been orchestrated by him behind the scenes.

Thus, the moment it sensed his presence, it immediately came seeking revenge.

Along the way, it had just happened to encounter that other Pokémon flying toward this direction, a dim-witted junior, wasting precious time in combat.

But no matter what, now it was here, and its target still stood before it—that was enough.

The Shiny Rayquaza had no interest in anything else.

It merely curled its lips, responding to Luo Mu’s declaration with action.

—If I knock you both down, that thing will surely appear!

Brilliant dragon flames erupted from the Shiny Rayquaza’s gaping maw, sounding the horn for renewed conflict.

“Raichu—Thunder Fang!”

Luo Mu gripped the throttle tightly, his heart pounding rapidly, blood seeming to ignite.

Unlike the remote control of Mega Swampert’s battle, from this moment on, he clearly sensed and realized—he was now facing one of the world’s most powerful Legendary Pokémon!

It was exhilarating!

“Miaow—!”

Raichu’s front paws landed on the cracked ground; blinding electric light danced between its sharp fangs, then transformed into massive thunderous fangs that clamped onto Dragon Pulse.

With a flick of its head, Raichu tore apart Dragon Pulse, scattering it into a shower of light.

Simultaneously, Raichu kept moving, accelerating.

“Grrraaang!” Rayquaza whipped its tail, effortlessly severing a massive shipping container midsection, then dove low toward Raichu.

For a former underling, avoidance was impossible!

At the same time, the Shiny Rayquaza began charging its most commonly used move again.

“Hyper Beam!”

A purple-black Hyper Beam pierced through every building and obstacle in its path, melting a clear channel for the Shiny Rayquaza, then surged onward toward Raichu.

“Crazy Volt!”

Raichu’s entire body crackled with wild electricity, like a thunderbolt in motion, charging headlong into the incoming Hyper Beam.

BOOM!

In the violent explosion, a furious shockwave mercilessly destroyed everything around.

Visible was a blazing golden current holding firm against the dark-particle-laced beam, pushing steadily forward against the torrent of energy until the Hyper Beam lost momentum.

Before the Shiny Rayquaza’s slightly surprised gaze, Raichu sprinted to its face and slammed into its dragon body once more!

Not using any move, confident its physical strength could crush Raichu, the Shiny Rayquaza was caught off guard again and was blasted backward,

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three consecutive thunderous crashes erupted from the smoke, shaking the ground violently.

After smashing through three more large shipping containers, the Shiny Rayquaza finally halted its backward flight.

But now, more than physical pain, the Shiny Rayquaza was consumed by another thought.

Being knocked back before could be called coincidence—a surprise attack while it was charging its move.

—But now, that little cat had actually charged through its Destruction Beam and knocked it back?

Even if it relied solely on raw physical strength and not any move, this was psychologically unbearable for the Shiny Rayquaza.

“Roar—!”

If before the Shiny Rayquaza had been playing with the cat like a dragon teasing a kitten, now it was truly enraged.

Soaring from the ruins, its eyes blazing with fury, the Shiny Rayquaza whipped up a vortex of air and transformed into a white streak—a straight, unyielding line of light—hurtling toward the Raichu at blinding speed.

“Quick Attack!”

The Raichu’s pupils shrank. Even though its mind reacted in time, and even as electricity surged wildly through its body, it could not dodge such an extreme-speed strike.

But at this moment, the Trainer’s role became clear.

“Protect!”

At the last possible instant, Luo Mu, his mind always clear, gave the perfect command.

Since the Shiny Rayquaza’s Quick Attack was too fast to dodge,

then don’t dodge!

A thin green barrier rose, absorbing most of the impact from the Shiny Rayquaza’s pass!

Not getting the result it wanted, the Shiny Rayquaza’s fury intensified. With an impossible maneuver mid-flight, it twisted its body and unleashed a Dragon Pulse straight at the Raichu’s defenseless back!

“Protect!”

Luo Mu’s voice rang out again—the hateful green barrier reappeared, shielding the Raichu from the Shiny Rayquaza’s hasty attack.

A flicker of unmistakable shock passed through the Shiny Rayquaza’s eyes as it stared at Luo Mu with deep, terrifying intensity.

This human had thwarted it—again and again!

Two Protects in a row!

Even Luo Mu was stunned by how utterly flawless his luck had been.

While directing his Mega Swampert to chase the Hoenn Rayquaza on the other side, he continued to multitask, commanding the Raichu in fierce combat against the Shiny Rayquaza.

The Shiny Rayquaza was no AI from a game that only stood still to attack, nor was it an opponent in an official League battle restricted to a fixed arena and limited flight height.

Its movements were unpredictable: one moment it grappled with you, the next it soared to the top of a skyscraper and unleashed dragonfire.

Their figures darted constantly through Laurus City—the Raichu shattered the floor-to-ceiling windows of office towers, leaping over dozens of meters of height, unleashing lightning to cancel out the Shiny Rayquaza’s attacks.

Luo Mu rode his unusually high-performance motorcycle, chasing after them and issuing timely commands.

They crossed the Langqiao bridge, leapt over several skyscrapers, and arrived directly beneath the Battle Tower!

The Shiny Rayquaza circled the Battle Tower’s structure, its gaze shifting from initial disdain to solemn gravity.

In its perception, only a short time had passed—yet now the Raichu, under this human’s command, had fought it for so long without yielding.

This rate of growth made it realize: unless it obtained even greater power and form, it might not be able to defeat them anytime soon.

The Shiny Rayquaza began to take its opponent seriously.

“Now comes Round Two. This time, we’ll bring you down!”

Riding up on his bike, Luo Mu issued his declaration to the once-unreachable foe.

“—Roar!!!”

After a brief silence, the Shiny Rayquaza lifted its dragon head, and a mighty, thunderous roar echoed across all of Laurus City. The shockwave shattered glass after glass; falling shards reflected the blazing sun, illuminating the Shiny Rayquaza’s majestic, powerful dragon body.

If you can, then try it!

“Raichu—Terastallize!”

Amidst brilliant Terastal radiance, Raichu’s body shimmered like crystal, and the Electric-type Terastal Crown glowed brightly atop its head.

Perhaps because Tera Blastoise was nearby, this Terastallization was far more perfect than any before.

“Electric Terrain!”

From the start, Luo Mu never intended to use this move—activating a terrain move during a chase was pointless.

But here, at the location he had chosen as the Shiny Rayquaza’s fall zone, there were no more reservations about releasing Electric Terrain.

Under the Shiny Rayquaza’s icy gaze, Raichu’s body erupted with wild electricity surging into the ground.

Amidst the crackling electric field, the Trainer and the cat challenged the arrogant sky monarch!

(End of Chapter)