CIATB Chapter 137 Moltres and Articuno...
Chapter 137 Moltres and Articuno...
Chapter 137 Moltres and Articuno...
Standing at the top of the crater.
After clearing away the thick fog caused by the "smoke," Ze Shu was finally able to see the true form of the flame between them—a large orange bird.
Its beak is straight and sharp, and flames form a streamlined crown and a swirling tail on its body, while bright, burning feathers surge on its wings; the whole bird is enveloped in flames, and if not viewed clearly, it looks like a ball of fire.
But through the flames, Ze Shu could still see the obviously abnormal, bloodshot eyes.
It reveals...
Restlessness and impatience.
"What's going on..."
Did Blaine, the "team rocket scientist who hasn't betrayed us yet," do something?
Ze Shu raised his eyebrows.
But at this moment, Moltres could no longer bear the situation of being attacked from both below and above.
It let out a sudden cry, and the flames on its body struggled to blaze even brighter once more, shooting straight out of the volcano like a cluster of rockets soaring into the sky!
"Wu Li Yi—!!"
Such a sudden change.
Bob let out a startled cry, just like everyone else.
However, he did not instruct the Pokémon around him to stop him.
The little Lugia beside Ze Shu, relying on instinct, hastily swung its wings, which only caused Moltres to pause for a moment. But soon, Moltres's fierce cry suddenly arose.
Moltres then broke through the wind resistance created by Lugia.
Swaying and staggering, like a flame regaining its freedom, it drifted away towards the horizon.
However, the direction it went...
After several deflections, it seemed determined, as if programmed, and suddenly locked onto the southeast direction.
Flying farther and farther—
But that's the direction of the Seven Islands in the Kanto region.
Ze Shu frowned again.
"Sing..."
Meanwhile, the little Lugia beside him let out a somewhat guilty chirp.
After receiving the power of Zeki's "Sea God's Pearl," Lugia failed to keep the flaming bird during its first mission, which made Lugia feel sorry for Zeki.
Ze Shu gently shook his head and said softly:
"There's no need to feel guilty..."
"It's a bit of a shame that it can't stay. But it's a 'legendary Pokémon,' and it was fighting so hard, how can we let it stay so hastily?"
"Sing..."
Little Lugia squinted its eyes and nuzzled against Ze Shu in a small way.
At this moment, Ze Shu's gaze also turned to Xia Bo at the bottom of the crater below.
The so-called master of the Red Lotus Pavilion was still in his forties, wearing a floral shirt, sitting atop a fire-breathing camel. At first glance, he seemed like a strange old man.
He didn't care even if the "land" below was all lava.
Instead, he adjusted his sunglasses and noticed little Lugia next to Ze Shu, causing his pupils to shrink.
But he quickly recovered, rubbed his hands together, and chuckled:
"Haha, buddy, I didn't expect to run into you here!"
"Is that takoyaki place good? It's the shop I exclusively sponsor!"
"That was a close call! If that berserk firebird had gone berserk inside the volcano, the entire Crimson Lotus Town might have suffered the same fate as decades ago—being burned to the ground by a volcanic eruption!"
"Then this is my dereliction of duty as the curator!"
Xia Bo emphasized the word "master".
Clearly, he wanted to emphasize that driving away the Moltres was his responsibility as the gym leader.
If Zeki didn't know about Team Rocket's "Operation Three Legendary Birds" and knew that Blaine was most likely still a member of Team Rocket, he might actually admire this "Gym Leader Crimson."
I admire his courage in venturing deep into the volcano...
All for the sake of protecting the safety of Honglian Town.
What a responsible curator!
But unfortunately, Zeqi knew.
He smiled and said to Xia Bo, who was wiping his sweat:
"That's Moltres, the legendary bird Pokémon that controls fire, right..."
"I heard that as the most active member of the 'Three Sacred Birds,' it frequently flies all over the world, and there have even been sightings in Azure Bay in the Carlos region. But I never expected it to actually appear here at Crimson Lotus Volcano!"
Xia Bo also laughed heartily:
"Yes, yes, I didn't expect that either!"
"However, please don't reveal what's going on here, young man. After all, I've already chased that firebird away. Let's not cause any unnecessary trouble for Crimson Lotus Town!"
"By the way, buddy."
Suddenly remembering something, Blair drove his fire-breathing camel slowly toward Ze Shu, and said kindly:
"Judging from your and your girlfriend's ages, and your strength, you must be a trainer on a journey, right? You've come to Cinnabar Island to challenge the Cinnabar Gym? Hahaha, what a coincidence! Come to my Cinnabar Gym, let me give you a good welcome..."
"I am an investigator."
"Varied..."
"I am an investigator."
Ze Shu repeated himself and took out his identity badge.
Upon hearing his words, Xia Bo paused abruptly, and even with the sunglasses on, Ze Shu could see the look of surprise that flashed across his face.
After a moment's pause, Xia Bo "suddenly" adjusted his askew sunglasses.
"Oh, it's Investigator! I've heard that the dojos are under strict inspection lately. You came here to investigate because my Crimson Lotus Dojo hasn't been open for a while, right? Ah, these old bones of mine are really lacking in energy..."
"However, that makes it even more important for us to invite you to my Crimson Lotus Dojo for a friendly welcome..."
"No need."
Ze Shu shook his head, interrupting him.
Bob paused again.
He was stunned, feeling very puzzled.
Moreover, when Jinghong saw the badge that Zeshu took out, Xia Bo realized that the man in front of him was, was, was a Special Class Investigator!
He's a top-ranking investigator!
This Special Investigator revealed his identity directly, yet refused to visit his gym or pretend to challenge it. What was his reason? Surely he couldn't possibly be unaware of Team Rocket's identity!
this.
That can't be possible!
He felt his reasons were perfectly valid!
Whether it was to drive away the flamingo or some other trace, there was ample reason and evidence.
Even within the Rockets, his identity was kept strictly confidential.
Blaine swallowed hard. The fire-breathing camel had already taken him out of the crater. He looked nervously at Ze Shu, who was slowly walking towards him after speaking.
Although he didn't show anything on his face, he was filled with doubt and unease.
Although he really wanted to leave his identity as a member of the Rockets.
He had even begun to consider ways to break away.
but.
It's not about escaping by being discovered by investigators and taken to the Alliance Prison!
Finally, Ze Shu spoke, saying:
"The Moltres thing..."
"I guess Master Xia won't be involved in anything else after this."
Blaine twitched his facial muscles, forcing a somewhat strained smile:
"Ah...haha, wh, what? I don't understand what you mean, Investigator..."
"What Moltres? It's flown away. I don't care what happened to it anyway. I certainly don't know what happened to that Moltres. If you, investigator..."
Ze Shu interrupted with a smile:
"There's no need to be so nervous, Master Xia."
"Oh, haha..."
Xia Bo laughed a few times.
But inside, I couldn't help but laugh.
"Really? Hahaha, maybe it's because I'm getting old. It's been a long time since an investigator of your caliber has suddenly appeared. You know, I have something to hide—after all, the gym hasn't opened to challengers for so long, I..."
"alright...""
Ze Shu smiled, then took out a slip of paper, handed it to Xia Bo with a smile, and said.
"Master Chapman, this is my contact information."
Xia Bo took the note, but asked with some doubt, "Why...?"
Ze Shu continued:
"If you ever need any help from Master Xia in the future, please contact me. Perhaps I can lend a hand?"
"for example.."
"About the Rockets, right?"
The moment the words "Team Rocket" were uttered, Blaine broke out in a cold sweat.
"this.."
Ze Shu said, "After all, as the most respected elder in the Kanto League, it's inevitable that Gym Leader Blaine would be hunted down by the evil Team Rocket."
"If things get really desperate, maybe I can help Master Xia Bo out of that situation? Right?"
"Yes, yes, yes..."
Xia Bo smiled faintly.
Mingming is an elderly person whom Zeshu described as "highly respected".
But at this moment, he was like a primary school student being punished by standing in the corner, unable to say a word.
Ze Shu patted the shoulder covered by his floral shirt, which was soaked through by the heat of the volcano, and laughed:
"Remember my words..."
"I have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving now, Mr. Xia Bo."
Goodbye.
"I'm stunned," said Xia Bo.
Even at this point, he still didn't know the name of the investigator in front of him; he had only managed to obtain his contact information.
Twin Islands.
Adjacent to Honglian Town, these two almost identical islands in the eastern sea are like twins, hence the name "Twin Islands," where arthropods inhabit.
At this moment, Zeki left the Crimson Lotus Volcano.
They rushed to this place without stopping.
After all, the firebird had flown away, and judging from its condition, something was clearly wrong.
"Sawaki, there are sounds of fighting coming from below, and occasionally a very sharp bird cry. Judging from the sound..."
Wearing a hearing aid, Xiao Lan lay prone on the hard, cold ground inside the Twin Islands, saying:
"At least three people!"
"They've been separated by quite a few open areas, so our initial estimate is that they're on the fourth basement level of the Twin Islands..."
Ze Shu nodded and said:
"Let's go then."
"But Xiao Lan, why don't you..."
These three sacred birds are also birds; however, Xiao Lan has ornithophobia.
Xiao Lan stood up and smiled:
"I can do it!"
"Let's go. Without me using these machines, you might get lost inside these twin islands, Ze Shu!"
She waved the megaphone-like object in her hand.
This is a probe provided by Shiruff Company.
It's similar to how the blind supersonic bat is able to keenly detect terrain.
This device can emit ultrasound waves that bounce and gather information in a closed area, ultimately achieving the effect of accurately mapping the terrain even without a map.
It looks very convenient.
But it's very complicated to use.
Ze Shu smiled and said:
"Let's go then..."
The internal structure of the Twin Islands is extremely complex.
Some parts are even "twins," exactly the same, which makes people have the mistaken feeling of "have I been here before?" thus affecting their judgment.
But with Xiao Lan leading the way, after traversing the extremely slippery ice surface, crossing the icy underground ice lake, and stepping over sharp ice spikes, they finally found the mark left by Naz. Ze Shu and Xiao Lan also heard the sounds of battle.
"hateful.."
"Lady Sabrina, attack quickly! This bird has gone berserk again!"
"The environment inside Twin Islands isn't suitable for this Articuno to fly out and escape. Damn it, why did I have to be assigned this task!"
Following the direction of the sound, after walking a few more steps and passing through a cave entrance, we discovered a wide ice cave that was clearly a "habitat". It was surrounded by frozen frost and ice rocks, and there were ice pillars hanging from the ceiling.
Inside this cave were three people and a bird.
Ze Shu was immediately drawn to the bird; his first impression was...:
"grace"!
The beautiful, soft blue feathers, still shimmering with frost, were crystal clear.
It has a long, colorful, beautiful tail with three beautiful blue-purple wavy feathers on it.
Its beak is short and gray, exuding a cuteness amidst its elegance.
This is undoubtedly Articuno.
Judging from her pale eyes, she was clearly furious. A clear, high-pitched cry came from her short beak, which sounded cold compared to the fierce call of the flamingo.
Nidoking and Rhinoceros, which were solidified into rocks, attacked it.
It was equally unyielding, its body condensing frost, and an extremely cold blizzard raged through the cave, instantly engulfing the two monsters opposite it.
Their trainers were filled with despair, repeatedly calling out "Sarcasm-sama" for help.
"So beautiful..."
Despite displaying a chilling power, Articuno's elegant posture made even Little Blue beside the tree sigh in admiration.
But if only her body wasn't trembling.
Ze Shu sighed and said, "I can handle things here, Xiao Lan, you..."
Xiao Lan forced a smile and said, "I'll hide behind you. Good luck, Ze Shu!"
She knew her situation; with her fear of birds, if she tried to be brave, she would only be a hindrance. So, she decided to stay hidden. She had already fulfilled her role, and as for the rest...
Zeshu will handle it!
Ze Shu looked back at the battlefield:
"Use two Ground-type Pokémon to deal with Articuno...:"
"That's really bold."
However, in this cave with its height restrictions, the disadvantage of ground-based attacks against flying attacks is naturally not as great as it is under the open blue sky where "birds can fly freely".
"Who are you!"
"Everyone who is not involved, please step back and do not get involved!"
But at this moment...
As Articuno's blizzard offensive weakened.
The trainers of Nidoking and Rhyhorn finally discovered Zeki, the new "troublemaker," and immediately shouted at him that ignoring their struggles under Articuno was quite impressive.
They were wearing the Rockets' black uniforms with a bright red "R" on their chests.
However, unlike ordinary players, their uniforms were obviously more upscale, indicating that they were among the "higher-ups" in the Rockets.
Ze Shu shook his head and smiled:
"I'm just here to get involved."
"You yourselves are all struggling to survive, why are you so concerned about a complete stranger like me..."
Hearing this, the two Rockets members became even more enraged, and one of them sneered:
"Looks like they're the Alliance's dogs. Yes, we're too busy taking care of ourselves right now. But, don't you even look at who Lady Sabrina is behind us? Haha, you recognize her now, don't you? Didn't expect that, did you!"
"Now that you've recognized me, you're not going to leave alive!"
"Lady Sabrina, you can't possibly..."
boom! !
Before the man could finish speaking, suddenly, as if struck hard on the back of the head, a loud "bang" was heard, and as if he had suffered a severe injury, his body went limp and he fell onto the ice surface ravaged by the blizzard.
"Ah! This..."
Another Rockets member witnessed the terrible state of his teammate.
His eyes widened instantly, as if he had just realized something, and he wanted to turn his head in disbelief.
But before he could finish turning his head, only halfway through, visible superpowers gathered, and suddenly there was a "bang." He followed in his companions' footsteps, his eyes wide open, but he fell helplessly to the ground.
And when his head hit the ice, making a "thud" sound.
His eyes remained filled with disbelief the entire time!
"Oh."
In the icy fog after a raging blizzard.
Behind them, Sabrina emerged, accompanied by an Alakazam carrying a spoon.
She stroked her long, straight, black hair, gave a cold "heh" to the Team Rocket members on the ground, and said with a playful tone:
"who I am?"
"I'm the official Gym Leader of Goldenrod City in the League, how could I possibly be involved with the evil Team Rocket?"
"You agree, right, Investigator Zeqi?"
"These two are among the elite members of Team Rocket, aside from the executives. They're under Giovanni's special leadership. You can tell by their Pokémon, right? If I take them down, Investigator, you'll have to add a merit to my 'undercover' record."
Naza smiled and said this to Ze Shu.
Ze Shu smiled:
"As you wish."
"but...""
"Let's take a look at this Articuno first."
Naza said, "I've barely made a move; I've been stalling for time, so this guy hasn't been seriously injured yet."
When Sabrina took down the two Team Rocket elites, Nidoking and Rhyhorn, who were distracted and not yet under their trainer's command, were also unsurprisingly taken down by Articuno.
At this moment, the Articuno shook its long, icy blue feathers.
It looked at Ze Shu and Naza's expressions...:
It was filled with defensiveness and impatience.
However, from its pale eyes, Zeki could tell that it had also suffered a similar frenzy as Moltres, but Articuno seemed more restrained and had considerable resistance.
Ze Shu asked, "What's going on? What's wrong with them?"
Sabrina laughed and said, "I don't know either. Team Rocket gave all the officers who carried out the Legendary Birds drive-away operation a fleshy, weird thing. Apparently, it was developed by Blaine's research team."
"Throwing that thing to the three sacred birds will subconsciously give them a command—"
"It's a location on the way to the Seven Islands."
"But this Articuno doesn't seem to be affected much."
Ze Shu asked, "Can it be unblocked?"
Naza hugged her flat chest and said, "I have no idea."
Seeing that the two people were completely ignoring it and talking as if no one else was around, Articuno suddenly let out a loud cry, and the white light in its eyes deepened, as if it was even more affected and could not restrain itself from launching an attack.
Naza laughed, "It seems the influence has deepened further. This state is not easy to approach. I can sense its mental energy is in complete disarray. What do you plan to do?"
Zeshu sighed, "Let's subdue this Articuno first."
This Articuno is quite powerful.
However, while it is said to be very strong, it is not actually extremely strong, especially in this abnormal state, when it becomes even less rational in battle.
We can tell from the fact that Team Rocket sent Gym Leaders like Blaine, Sabrina, and Agatha Christie to "drive them away".
Perhaps due to the terrain of Twin Islands, Articuno's frost creation is simpler, so Team Rocket sent two more of their elite members to help Sabrina, but clearly, they didn't need to.
Not to mention that Ze Shu and Na Zi "joined forces".
There weren't any particularly complicated tactics.
It's simply a matter of overwhelming strength.
Articuno was completely and unilaterally "beaten up".
Lugia's swirling wind pressure surged through the wide cave. Because it had failed to stop Moltres last time, it was putting in tremendous effort this time, churning up the blizzard Articuno was trying to unleash again.
The blizzard's icy energy created a natural "snowy" setting.
The Snow Cloak ability of Glaceon and Froslass also proved useful.
Even Glaceon can often strike Articuno's wing with an extremely sharp beam of ice when Articuno isn't paying attention, causing Articuno to cry out in pain and almost preventing it from taking off.
The Froslass's ghostly figure made Articuno, who had lost his mind after being hit repeatedly, completely unaware of her.
It was also mixed with Gengar's Shadow Ball;
The incredibly brave leaping double-edged hammer of the Growlithe:
"Bonnie!"
Finally, Evil raised its thorny club high, leaped into the air, and slammed it down on Articuno's head. With a loud "thud," the thorns shattered upon impact with Articuno's crest.
Articuno couldn't help but let out a mournful cry:
"Sing..."
Under the "gang-up" of the Sawa Pokémon, it completely lost the ability to fight back.
Its elegant body, which had been above the cave, fell down, the white light in its eyes faded, and its clean, beautiful blue tail feathers drooped to the cold ground, becoming stained with some frozen soil and dust.
Now he was surrounded by Zeju's Pokémon.
It makes him even more pitiful...
It was like a beautiful young woman who had been abused, falling helplessly to the ground.
"How cruel..."
Naz sighed from the side.
But during the earlier gang attack, her Alakazam also joined in, using its psychic powers to control Articuno's body, allowing it to be hit by a precise attack from Zephyr.
"so..."
Naz continued:
"What do you plan to do with this Articuno that you've hurt so badly?"
"What are your plans...?"
Ze Shu stepped forward and observed the drooping, limp Articulated Bird.
Although the frenzied white light in its eye sockets had dissipated somewhat during the previous "gang-up," it was clear that a considerable amount remained, still interfering with the Articuno's consciousness.
"Naturally, we'll investigate whether we can cure this frozen bird."
"What kind of disgusting human-Pokémon stuff has Team Rocket developed...?"
He looked at the Articulated Bird for a while, then suddenly turned his head and said:
"Besides, you can say whatever you want."
"But why are you sneaking up behind me with this ice spike?"
Behind him, Naza held a sharp ice spike in her hand. She was already a meter or two behind Ze Shu, and perhaps a couple more steps closer and the ice spike would pierce Ze Shu's chest.
"Heng."
Naz snorted.
Seeing that she had been discovered, she wasn't annoyed. She casually used her superpowers to crush the ice spikes in her hand, turning them into ice shards that fell to the ground. Then, with a playful and dignified air, she said:
"Just revenge."
"I just wanted you to experience the feeling of a sharp blade piercing your chest."