From various details and features, Luo Mu was certain that this large bird was the legendary Pokemon from the Kanto region—Moltres.
But why did Moltres appear in the Paldea region, and how did Luxray and the others manage to “invite” it back with a posture that should have made Moltres feel humiliated?
Luo Mu didn't have time to voice any of his questions; he just saw Luxray getting closer and closer, and Eldegoss and the others were already nervously hiding behind Serperior. Luo Mu looked at the lush green fields behind him, his expression changing as he shouted, “Don’t you dare come over here!”
Fortunately, Serperior was reliable. In this critical moment, two tree trunks, about as thick as two people embracing, burst out of the ground under its control, sweeping directly towards the direction Luxray was charging from.
Having been together for so long, Luxray and Serperior cooperated without needing words, instinctively flicking Moltres's neck from its mouth into the air, causing Moltres’s body to be carried by inertia into the sky.
At this moment, Serperior’s Crazy Plant also seemed to have eyes, reaching upwards and wrapping Moltres tightly. Serperior then forcefully threw Moltres towards the distant, still barren lake area.
Luo Mu instantly understood Serperior’s plan. Since Luxray and the others brought Moltres back in such a manner, the opponent must have been furious. Most likely, they needed to have a battle before they could calm down and talk.
In that case, it would be better to take this opportunity to create the large pit needed for the lake area.
Boom—!
A loud bang came from the lake area. Luo Mu shrank his neck, muttering, “That fall must have hurt like hell.”
Luxray slammed to a stop in front of Luo Mu, with Ceruledge following closely behind, leaping to stand beside Luo Mu, looking very dashing.
Mimikyu slowly crawled out of the shadows and jumped into Luo Mu’s arms, charming for praise.
Luo Mu gently rubbed Mimikyu’s head, making it happily close its eyes, then looked at Ceruledge and Luxray, speaking quickly and urgently: “You all worked hard. Tell me, what’s the situation now?”
Luxray and Ceruledge exchanged glances, not only opening their mouths but also gesticulating to express themselves.
After some conversation, Luo Mu, by guessing and inferring, roughly understood the current situation.
After leaving the ranch, Luxray and the others had been venturing through the wilds of Paldea, finding many Pokemon with Flame Body, but their strength was mediocre, not even as strong as the Gym Leaders they had battled before.
After searching for a few days, they finally encountered this Moltres in a certain volcano. However, Moltres had a rather irritable temperament; upon seeing Luxray and the others who came to negotiate, it launched an attack without mercy.
Luxray and the others didn't tolerate Moltres's behavior and immediately gave it a good beating.
As a result, Moltres seemed capable of quickly drawing power from the volcano's magma to restore its stamina. Coupled with Moltres’s own terrifyingly deep stamina, Luxray and Ceruledge decided to forcibly abduct Moltres from the volcano and bring it back to the farm for Luo Mu to figure something out.
After all, even if their strength was considerably greater than Moltres’s, continuously wearing it down was not a viable solution.
Quickly processing the information, Luo Mu mused for a moment, his expression changing as he thought, “This isn’t good.”
The stamina bars of legendary Pokemon are notoriously bottomless. Just now, Luxray had been continuously paralyzing Moltres with electricity, Ceruledge had been absorbing flames with its Ignition ability, and Mimikyu had been weakening Moltres with Ghost-type energy from the shadows.
Only then did Moltres obediently allow Luxray and the others to bring it back.
Now that Moltres was given time to recover, then...
“Cree—!!”
As if carrying immense fury, Moltres’s high-pitched and sharp cry echoed through the sky. Nearly golden orange flames clung to its wings, sparks glittering with each flap. A crown-like flame blazed fiercely atop Moltres’s head, and its brightly burning tail feathers were breathtakingly beautiful.
Moltres flapped its wings in the sky, and a pillar of fire so intense that the surrounding air began to distort shot out from its beak, directly striking the barren land of the lake area, scorching out a large pit.
Moltres was now, absolutely furious!
“Bwoh!” “Swamp-a!”
Presumably sensing the commotion, Dragonite and Swampert, who had been out adventuring somewhere, also rushed back at this moment, their gazes serious as they looked at Moltres unleashing its fury in the lake area.
All six Pokemon were now back in formation. Luo Mu pondered for a moment, how to resolve the current issue with Moltres?
There were two methods.
One was for everyone to gang up and instantly subdue Moltres. The downside was that Moltres would likely not be convinced.
The second was a one-on-one battle. Even a proud legendary Pokemon, if defeated in a one-on-one situation, would not be too resistant to being caught.
Based on Luxray and the others’ descriptions and its current performance, this Moltres’s level was probably only around fifty or sixty, not too strong.
Luo Mu had no interest in catching Moltres.
So, it was better to thoroughly defeat Moltres first, and then negotiate.
Making a quick decision, Luo Mu looked at the six Pokemon, mused for a moment, and said, “Dragonite can fly, so it will have an easier time fighting. The rest of you, guard the vicinity and make sure the aftermath doesn’t damage other areas of the farm.”
“Bwoh!”
Dragonite, who was called upon, clenched its claws, its usually Honest eyes instantly turning sharp, and a strong fighting spirit rose within it.
Although the other Pokemon were disappointed not to be chosen, they obediently found their positions to guard, both to prevent collateral damage to other areas and to intercept Moltres if it attempted to escape.
As for the possibility of Dragonite losing?
They had never even considered it!
The enraged Moltres continuously rained down its fury on the surroundings. Ever since it gained consciousness, every detail about itself told it that it was nobler than ordinary Pokemon, its power stronger than ordinary Pokemon, and all other beings were mere ants.
Moltres did not reject such thoughts and had lived proudly until now.
But not long ago, its pride was shattered by the beast wreathed in lightning, the 'ant' in its eyes, and its noble and sacred flames were easily absorbed by the humanoid shadow swordsman.
It was even dragged by its vital points and forcibly made to run for an entire day.
Destroying everything around it and making those 'ants' pay the price—these were the only two thoughts in Moltres’s mind now.
Moltres used its seemingly boundless internal energy to spew flames onto the ground. Then, a human voice rang out: “Let’s battle, Moltres!”
Moltres’s bloodshot, crimson eyes instantly Lock-Oned onto the human male walking leisurely on the ground.
Moltres flapped its wings, and heavenly fire descended from the sky!