Chapter 443: Lugia's Fury

"Wait a little longer…"

"Wait a little longer…"

Gilbert sat on the back of Zapdos, muttering repeatedly; his previously hunched body could no longer be restrained, and he slowly straightened up, the fervor around him almost spilling over.

He raised his hand holding the Master Ball high above his head, his eyes locked onto the Lugia ahead, his breathing quickening, waiting only for that final moment to arrive.

Zapdos flapped its wings to accelerate, deftly soaring over a bolt of lightning, wrapped in gale and rain, and in an instant brushed past Lugia—so close it seemed one could reach out and touch.

"Now's the time!"

Gilbert's eyes suddenly flashed with a chilling light, the long‑suppressed excitement exploding fully; the Master Ball in his hand, bearing his resolve, was hurled hard at Lugia's dorsal fin, certain to succeed.

But the instant the Master Ball was about to strike Lugia's dorsal fin, a deafening roar of sound waves erupted behind Lugia, the raging energy sweeping outward; the seemingly indestructible Master Ball was shattered on the spot by the wave, its fragments falling into the sea with the downpour.

"Who?!"

The sudden turn of events sent Gilbert's emotions plummeting from peak exhilaration to a valley of raging fury; he snapped his head around, barked harshly, his eyes blazing crimson—just one step away from catching Lugia, the taste of failure driving him near madness.

Through the rain curtain, a dignified figure slowly emerged; Huo La rode steadily atop the Origin Forme Dialga, faint spacetime ripples swirling around him, his cold gaze fixed on Gilbert atop Zapdos.

Dialga's massive body shielded part of the wind and rain, its low growl echoing over the sea, bearing the unique pressure of the god of spacetime.

"Dia… Dialga!"

The moment Gilbert saw the figure clearly, his pupils snapped shut, the rage on his face instantly giving way to shock; but in a heartbeat, the shock turned into extreme fervor, and he burst into laughter: "Great, great! Truly heaven aids me! Palkia, Dialga, Giratina, the Space‑Time Trio gathered, hahahaha!"

His gaze swept over Lugia on the sea surface, then turned to the Three Legendary Birds locked in distant melee; his laughter grew more manic: "Add Sea God Lugia, and the Three Legendary Birds, hahahaha! Let them all become my collection! This time, I will have an entire lineup of legendary Pokémon!"

Huo La furrowed his brows, looking at Gilbert's wild frenzy, his tone full of contempt and indifference: "You must be foolish, what wind are you drawing!"

Not to mention that Sea God Lugia is already unruly and impossible to capture easily; as for the Space‑Time Trio, they are currently his own Pokémon—unless one employs special high‑tech means, they cannot be snatched away.

And at present, Gilbert clearly lacks such ability and confidence.

Gilbert gradually restrained the madness on his face, his gaze turning sinister, and he looked at Huo La, speaking slowly, his tone tinged with temptation and pressure: "Kid, let's make a deal, as long as you will…"

Before the words finished, Huo La had no patience to listen further; Dialga let out a majestic roar, a ferocious Time Roar instantly coalescing, bearing twisted spacetime power, hurtling straight toward Gilbert and Zapdos.

Gilbert's complexion changed abruptly, and he hurriedly ordered: "Zapdos, dodge quickly!"

Zapdos reacted instantly, flapping its wings and rolling, taking an extremely sharp angle to barely evade the Time Roar; the raging energy brushed its wings, struck the sea, raising towering waves.

After steadying himself, Gilbert roared at Huo La again, "Are you crazy? You won't even listen to my terms?!"

"Not interested." Huo La's gaze hardened, his tone cold and firm, without hesitation, he commanded Dialga in a low voice, "Dialga, Flash Cannon! Blast them away!"

Dialga responded, its body interwoven with Spacetime Energy, a dazzling Flash Cannon suddenly coalescing, hurling fiercely at Zapdos and Gilbert, granting them no chance to breathe or counter.

An unexpected event suddenly occurred.

At the instant Dialga's Flash Cannon was unleashed, two massive whirlpools materialized out of nowhere, one in front of Gilbert and one before Huo La; the swirling water, bearing immense force, acted as two indestructible barriers, abruptly cutting off the Flash Cannon's trajectory.

The raging energy collided with the whirlpools, instantly shredded and melted, turning into countless tiny light particles that dispersed within the storm.

Immediately after, a deep, majestic bird cry rang across the sea, piercing the storm and thunder, bearing an unyielding fury that made eardrums tremble.

Huo La and Gilbert both felt a jolt in their hearts, their gazes snapping toward Lugia's direction.

At this moment, Lugia hovered steadily above the sea, its pure white wings slightly spread, enveloped by dense Psychic energy, its gaze icy and piercing like a blade, staring dead at the two, the surrounding pressure so low it was suffocating.

Watching Lugia's movements and stare, Huo La was momentarily speechless, silently muttering inside: had I known, I wouldn't have given Deoxys to Luo Yi; now I don't even have a teammate who can translate Pokémon language, so I have no clue what Lugia is thinking.

But whether there's a translation now is irrelevant.

Just by looking at Lugia's icy gaze and its earlier move to block the Flash Cannon, the answer is obvious—it clearly regards both itself and Gilbert as enemies to be expelled.

However… Lugia, which had been circling the Three Legendary Birds, Palkia, and Giratina, suddenly chose to expel them, which is rather odd.

Just as Huo La's thought formed, two luminous white Weather Balls suddenly coalesced from Lugia's wings, bearing raging energy, sweeping straight toward him and Gilbert.

Above the sea at this moment, lightning, thunder, storm and snow already intertwined; when the Weather Balls appeared, they instantly merged with the harsh weather, their power surging, engulfing gale, lightning and ice, stirring the storm sky; wherever they passed, the air twisted, the spectacle terrifying to the extreme.

"Dodge quickly!" Gilbert's complexion changed abruptly, the earlier madness gone, only panic remained; without hesitation he barked at Zapdos to evade, fearing the terrifying Weather Ball would hit.

Huo La's expression grew solemn, his eyes fixed on the approaching Weather Balls, wrapped in world‑shattering momentum; without a hint of retreat, he said firmly, "Dialga, Dragon Pulse!"

He clearly chose not to dodge—the situation had spiraled out of control, evasion would only lead to passivity; only a direct confrontation could stabilize things and possibly stop Gilbert while calming Lugia's wrath.