Chapter 694: Underground Waterways, The Ferocious Walking Water!

The newcomer was naturally Lei He, whom no one had seen for some time.

Two nervous police officers followed closely behind her, sticking to her side as if worried she might make some shocking statement in public.

In fact, when they had accompanied Lei He back to Grandma Ju Zi Academy to consult records, they had witnessed firsthand this teacher's fervor regarding "unknown Pokémon."

Indeed, after finally locating the corresponding data, she had immediately rushed back here without delay.

With an agitated expression, Lei He did not look at anyone in the conference room, naturally missing Luo Mu, who had just arrived.

She walked straight to the whiteboard and slapped her palm heavily against the photograph.

"In some ancient exploration books, the existence of this ancient Pokémon was described indirectly."

"Unlike the elegant Bringer of the North Wind from the legends of the Kanto and Johto regions, the Walking Water depicted in ancient texts has a far more ferocious temperament and cannot be communicated with."

"But that is merely what the records state."

Lei He paused, her gaze finally shifting to the crowd below.

Her eyes swept across the group, pausing when they reached Luo Mu's direction, a hint of surprise floating in her eyes.

However, Lei He quickly adjusted her emotions; she took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "At least based on my personal experience interacting with that Walking Water, and judging by its series of actions..."

"I personally believe we can start by addressing its needs, attempting to make it voluntarily leave the reservoir within the underground automatic water circulation system."

"—It does not necessarily require the application of Wu Li."

After stating all her conclusions, Lei He obediently sat down in an empty seat.

A pair of silver handcuffs, personally fastened onto her by Miss Miss Junsha, clicked shut around her wrists once more.

After all, this incident was ultimately caused by her in the first place, not to mention she had secretly stowed away into the Paldea Crater, compounding her crime.

Yet Lei He showed no awareness that she was about to enjoy a multi-day stay at the police station; instead, she flashed a smile at Luo Mu.

"Hehehe, but with you here, I suppose neither suppressing it with Wu Li nor resolving things peacefully through communication will be a problem, right?"

From Lei He's perspective, Luo Mu was likely reinforcement requested simultaneously from the League because Miss Miss Junsha and the Mayor of Bottletown did not trust her ability to find a solution.

"Why must you be so impatient?" Luo Mu helplessly pressed his forehead, adding casually by way of explanation, "I just happened to pass by and came over to join the fun."

Lei He naturally knew what Luo Mu meant by "impatient"; the corner of her mouth curved upward even more as she said in a flippant tone:

"That won't do, Teacher Luo Mu~"

"I possess an extraordinary fervent curiosity for legends passed down through history; I am the type completely unable to endure waiting."

"If one waits too long, one naturally cannot help but do something else alone, just as you know I used to do in the past."

Luo Mu: "."

So you were a professional grave robber back in the day, huh? I haven't forgotten.

In fact, Lei He was originally recruited by Geeta during her talent search before she finally hung up her hat.

However, there was no need to discuss these matters during this meeting.

"Walking Water, Walking Water... Meng Lei Gu."

"I see—"

Repeating the name of that "Suicune" from the photograph several times in a voice only he could hear, Luo Mu suddenly realized the truth.

Not only were the names similar, but so was the label of "ancient creature."

As expected, Walking Water was also an ancient Paradox Pokémon similar to Meng Lei Gu, and in all probability, like Meng Lei Gu, it was not a ferocious individual bent on fighting, but an intelligent being possessing something called "sentience."

Viewing it this way, the original plan of charging in, beating it into submission, and throwing it back into the Paldea Crater would have to be cancelled.

Having made his plans, Luo Mu looked up at the crowd, who were clearly waiting for his statement.

Without hesitation, he said in a low voice, "Then... let's depart."

"Resolve this incident as quickly as possible."

"I will have someone arrange it immediately!"

The Mayor of Bottletown decisively stood up, his face beaming with joy as he walked toward the door.

In his view, with the addition of a Champion-level trainer like Luo Mu, regardless of whether the data Lei He found was true, the incident could be resolved swiftly, preventing the impact from expanding further!

With hope restored, everyone naturally became more efficient.

Beside Luo Mu, Master Master Haidai stretched his body, looking eager to try, "I'll go again as well; although it's regrettable that I couldn't defeat that fellow, it would still be good to observe."

"Do your best~"

Lei He was even more relaxed; propping her elbow on the table, she smiled and waved her hand, acting as though she would not bother joining the excitement.

That pair of brand-new silver bracelets reflected the overhead lights as they swayed.

However, things often do not go exactly as one wishes.

Miss Miss Junsha, who had appeared behind Lei He at some unknown moment, grabbed her arm and said in an annoyed tone, "You are coming too!"

"Huh? Isn't it inappropriate to bring a criminal like me?"

"Stop talking nonsense! Perhaps we will need you to communicate with that Pokémon, Walking Water, later?"

"Alright, alright, I'm going!"

Lei He helplessly raised her hands in surrender, displaying a familiarity with the motion as if it were not her first time doing so.

Under the arrangement of the Mayor of Bottletown, although the water vapor outside grew increasingly dense and the unrest felt nearly uncontrollable...

... Luo Mu and his group still successfully reached the location of the underground automatic water circulation control system.

Looking at the heavy iron door before them and the numerous police officers stationed around to guard and seal off the area...

... Luo Mu instead felt amazed that such a structure existed beneath Bottletown.

Indeed, when human technological development reaches a certain level, it can even achieve feats comparable to legendary Pokémon, directly altering the environment.

In Luo Mu's mind, Lei Guan Wang also marveled at the power humanity now commanded.

Taking into account the internal environment, and since the team did not need to be so bloated...

... unlike the first operation which Luo Mu had not participated in, where a dark mass of people had surged in, they chose to streamline the personnel as much as possible.

As the main combat force were Luo Mu and Lei Guan Wang, with Master Master Haidai as the second-in-command, an engineer responsible for handling various mechanical and equipment issues, plus the culprit Lei He and Miss Miss Junsha, who was guarding her while providing assistance.

The heavy gate opened, revealing a slightly dim corridor filled with water vapor, where only dim yellow light illuminated the path ahead.

The first challenge lay before everyone.

—How could they accurately locate the reservoir within these corridors, which were designed to be intricate and complex, spreading throughout the underground of Bottle City?

The engineer usually moved around down here frequently while maintaining equipment, but under the current conditions where water vapor obscured vision and made it difficult to confirm positions using landmarks, he too found it troublesome.

Luo Mu had intended to lead the way directly; anyway, even if he didn't explain, someone would automatically fill in the blanks regarding how he found the path.

But at this moment, Lei He stepped forward.

"My Zoroark remembers the way; as a master of manipulating illusions, it won't be confused by mere water vapor."

"Don't try any other tricks."

Although she didn't quite trust Lei He as a person, Miss Miss Junsha knew that Zoroark, which belonged to Lei He during their first operation, had led the way, so she allowed her to release her Pokémon.

A flash of red light passed.

A gray fox standing upright on two legs, with a slender build and deep red mane covering its back, appeared before everyone.

The Fox Pokémon, Zoroark, a pure Dark-type.

Like Lucario, although not a Legendary Pokémon, it possessed its own theatrical movie.

Its treatment was quite high, and its popularity was also fairly good.

In this world, Zoroark was considered a relatively rare Pokémon, all thanks to its special Ability.

However, this time Zoroark was only coming out to guide the way, with no intention of showing off its unique specialty.

Since Zoroark was leading the way, Luo Mu stopped speaking and instead followed Lei Guan Wang, advancing deep underground under Zoroark's guidance.

Along the way, Lei He behaved honestly and did not strike up a conversation with Luo Mu.

Probably she felt there were too many outsiders, so matters concerning the Treasures of Ruin should be spoken of less.

After all, in the game, this woman was the type who, if she weren't unable to break the seal herself—otherwise the protagonist wouldn't have gotten the chance to control it—would personally go and claim the Treasures of Ruin for herself.

To put it plainly, she was somewhat possessive of her food.

No one present believed that the Treasures of Ruin, which were the reason Lei He committed her crime, were real.

They only felt that Lei He might be a bit crazy in the head, causing such a huge incident just to find something that might not even exist.

This situation was probably something she would be happy to see; otherwise, she wouldn't have confessed so honestly.

Compared to the water vapor lingering above the city, likely due to getting closer to the source, the water vapor here was not only much denser, but the temperature was also rising sharply.

After walking for a while, not only did breathing become somewhat difficult, but the skin exposed to the water vapor also began to feel a slight burning pain.

"Is someone boiling water in here?"

Luo Mu complained with a remark.

A long period of time had passed since the previous operation.

Back then, the human body could still endure the water vapor in the corridor, even standing before that Pokémon called Walking Wake.

But judging by the current situation, if they really were to approach it, they would probably feel as if scalding boiling water were repeatedly touching every inch of their exposed skin.

Not to mention Pokémon; at the very least, humans could not withstand this.

One careless moment could result in severe burns.

They could only follow the engineer's requirements, putting on thermal insulation suits prepared for each of them, and carrying oxygen tanks placed at fixed locations on their backs.

Even Zoroark and Lei Guan Wang each received a set.

This was done even though they could actually protect themselves.

Fully equipped, the group set out again, advancing deeper into the city's underground under Zoroark's lead.

Gradually, apart from the occasional roaring sound of water rushing through pipes, and aside from the gear noises and braking sounds of operating machinery, there was almost no other noise around them.

A low breathing sound, as if from a wild beast, also drilled into their ears.

The face of Miss Miss Junsha, hidden inside her thermal suit, became serious, and she said in a deep voice: "We are very close now."

"Just pass one more bend, and we will reach the reservoir directly connected to other water areas."

The engineer also explained in a low voice.

"Good."

Luo Mu nodded lightly and looked at Master Master Haidai beside him.

Unfortunately, his line of sight could not penetrate the thermal suit; otherwise, he would have seen that Master Master Haidai, usually so bold and straightforward, now wore a rare expression of tension.

Only Master Master Haidai, who had personally fought against that opponent, knew how powerful that "monster" named Walking Wake truly was.

But despite the tension, the moment he thought of Luo Mu standing right beside him, this bald burly man suddenly felt a surge of confidence.

According to their prior agreement, Luo Mu and "his Pokémon" Lei Guan Wang would take the lead, while Master Master Haidai followed behind, ready to provide assistance at any time.

Lei He, on the side, would see if she could communicate with Walking Wake to resolve the issue peacefully.

Lei He's side was taken care of by her Zoroark, while Miss Miss Junsha was responsible for protecting the engineer's safety.

With preparations complete, the group did not hesitate; they walked quickly around the corner and proceeded straight into a more open space.

Here stood a reservoir built like a water tank, but the water inside the reservoir currently displayed an unnatural state.

In short, it was boiling!

Looking at that reservoir bubbling with a gurgling sound and constantly discharging massive amounts of water vapor, Miss Miss Junsha and the others felt their hair stand on end.

Even if they didn't want to think about it, they couldn't help but subconsciously wonder.

—What would happen if one fell into that?

And now, judging by the water replacement cycle of the city's automatic circulation system, this boiling water would soon travel through the pipes to every part of Bottle City.

By then, it would cause harm that was difficult to estimate!

—We must stop Walking Wake first, and then regain control of the system!

Through the water vapor obscuring his vision, Luo Mu's gaze immediately locked onto a certain spot within the reservoir.

There, a Pokémon resembling Suicune, yet more like a dinosaur infused with Suicune's elements, floated within the reservoir.

Since most of its body was submerged in the boiling water, further features could not be clearly seen.

But none of that mattered anymore.

For just as Luo Mu had discovered it, Walking Wake, at the very moment everyone appeared, also noticed their presence.

"Roar—!"

A roar akin to a dragon's echoed through the space; as if discovering intruders in its territory, Walking Wake unhesitatingly displayed its hostility toward everyone.

Tri-colored light coalesced into a ferocious energy dragon that erupted from its mouth, targeting Luo Mu and the others!

"—So it really turned out like this!"

Luo Mu muttered in complaint.

He vaguely remembered that during their first encounter with Raging Bolt in the Paldea Crater, the latter had also launched an attack without saying a word.

And this move, Dragon Pulse; Walking Wake truly was like Raging Bolt, having gained an additional Dragon type!

The reason Luo Mu could still think so calmly was, of course, because he had a highly reliable presence by his side.

The heat-insulating suit, meaningless to Lei Guan Wang, was instantly peeled away by telekinesis, while the surrounding scalding hot water vapor could not even approach it.

It merely lifted a hand slightly, and terrifying psychic energy surged forth as telekinetic power, constructing an invisible telekinetic barrier before everyone.

The next instant.

Dragon Pulse struck the telekinetic barrier head-on; the violent explosion even temporarily swallowed the surrounding water vapor.

Yet even so, after the dust settled.

Before Miss Miss Junsha, Master Master Haidai, and Seeing Lei He, Lei Guan Wang hovered unscathed in mid-air, as if Walking Wake's attack was not even enough to make it frown.

"So amazing."

Master Master Haidai, who had personally experienced the power of Walking Wake's attack, widened his eyes and couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

(End of Chapter)