Pokemon Paldea [291-292] (Patreon)

Chapter 291: Victini and the Poké Ball, the Disruption of Nature's Balance!

Paldea region, a small back alley in Levincia.

The figures of Lucas, Victini, and Mewtwo appeared out of thin air in the deserted alley.

Using Mewtwo's psychic power, they could cross the distance between cities in an instant. In Lucas's impression, even powerful Psychic-type Pokémon couldn't achieve teleportation over such long distances—let alone warp across half the planet.

Legendary Pokémon really are on a different level.

What a convenient mode of transportation. I want one.

Lucas glanced at Mewtwo, whose whole body was hidden beneath a black robe, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

He exchanged a look with Mewtwo—who had no idea Lucas was eyeing it like a coveted ride—and headed for the street.

This was one of the most prosperous cities in Paldea. Giant screens lined the streets, playing ads for the latest luxury goods. In a sense, it felt more like the human cities buried deep in Lucas's memories where he once lived.

Victini lay sprawled atop Lucas's head, curiously taking in everything around.

Victini felt that neither Eindoak Town nor Los Platos could compare to the bustle here. Only Castelia City and Nimbasa City, which it and Lucas had once hurried through, could rival this.

Occasionally, passersby glanced curiously at the Victini on Lucas's head. They just thought it was very cute; no one screamed about spotting a rare Pokémon and crowded around.

Naturally so. This world keeps discovering new Pokémon. An ordinary person might only recognize a few dozen to a few hundred species in their entire life.

Even authoritative Pokémon Professors wouldn't claim to know every Pokémon, let alone ordinary folks who aren't even Trainers.

Compared to Victini, Mewtwo drew more attention—there aren't many people who go out swaddled tight in a black cloak. Some thought it was cosplay, gave it a look, and moved on, muttering inwardly how odd it was to dress like that in broad daylight.

Lucas and Mewtwo shared an understanding: being looked at was better than revealing their true forms on a crowded street, getting filmed by someone, uploaded to the internet, and then discovered by Team Rocket—who would come to Paldea like sharks smelling blood.

Uneventfully, Lucas brought his two very not-ordinary Pokémon into Levincia's largest department store.

On the second floor lay one of Lucas's goals for this trip, a shop named Delibird Pouches.

Seeing the sign, Mewtwo commented through telepathy, face cool, "You humans come up with such strange names."

As if remembering all the even weirder shop names from the way over, the face hidden under Mewtwo's hood tightened further.

Lucas gave an awkward smile and, under the curious yet hesitant gaze of a sales clerk (hesitant because of Mewtwo), headed straight to the Poké Ball counter.

Not just the standard red-and-white Poké Balls, Great Balls, Ultra Balls, and Luxury Balls—there were all sorts of specialty Balls here too, including Apricorn Balls.

According to the descriptions, these were procured specially from Azalea Town, which explained the markup.

But even then, prices could only go so high. There are Poké Ball factories all over the world, and the market is already set. Only a few specialty types run pricier.

Lucas told Victini, "Pick one you like."

Victini's eyes lit up. It fluttered its little wings, excitedly making its choice.

But the dozen-odd types made Victini's eyes spin—it thought they all looked good.

Seeing its indecision, Lucas just smiled and didn't interfere, browsing on his own.

There really were a lot of types.

Beyond the standard Balls and Luxury Balls, there were Apricorn Balls from Azalea like Level Balls, Moon Balls, Lure Balls, Friend Balls, Love Balls, Fast Balls, and Heavy Balls in stock.

Regardless of their effects, Lucas thought the Moon Ball's look really suited Umbreon, while the Love Ball fit cute Fairy-types—like Sylveon. Same for the Love Ball next to it.

Heavy Balls were for a man's romance—big-bodied Pokémon. In the anime, Lure Balls somehow paired well with Totodile.

As for Friend Balls, Lucas remembered they helped Pokémon bond more closely with their Trainer.

On a whim, Lucas picked up a Friend Ball. He didn't intend for Victini to use it.

It was just a strange intuition telling him he might need it someday.

Standing to the side quietly observing the environment and the passersby and Pokémon, Mewtwo suddenly sensed a strange fluctuation.

It turned toward the source—only to find nothing, just Lucas admiring a fresh green Poké Ball in his hand.

A false alarm?

Mewtwo knit its brow, puzzled.

After agonizing a while, Victini finally chose the Ball it liked.

It pointed at a Ball half white on the bottom, black on top with gold below, and a red V-shaped emblem, calling out to Lucas.

"V-Vi~ Vi-ni!"

"That's… a Level Ball?"

Lucas followed Victini's little finger, then froze—yet also found it quite reasonable.

As if on impulse, Mewtwo translated, "It says the emblem on that Ball looks like it, so it likes that Ball."

As if to prove Mewtwo's translation, Victini flashed its signature V gesture and beamed a radiant smile.

"Alright, I get it."

Lucas nodded gently, rubbed Victini's head, and picked up the lone pristine Level Ball, then took it and the Friend Ball to the register and paid.

A bit pricey, but no big deal.

Leaving the shop, Lucas headed down to the basement and bought a lot of ingredients.

Now switched into its new Ball, Victini hugged the Level Ball the whole way, face full of excitement and joy.

This was V-kid's very own Poké Ball—one of a kind!

 At that moment, Mewtwo spoke: "Let's head back."

Lucas paused, looking at Mewtwo in confusion. "That's it? Not going to browse a bit more?"

Mewtwo shook its hooded head. "You've done what you came for. I've confirmed what I needed to. There's no point staying. Besides…"

Mewtwo glanced toward a corner, where two people—probably mall security—were peeking at them, likely thinking the outfit was inappropriate and discussing how to politely ask them to leave.

Since Mewtwo put it that way, Lucas didn't insist. "Alright, so how do we get back?"

Mewtwo pointed at a bend. "No cameras there, and no one around. You're carrying a lot—let's just teleport over there."

Lucas nodded without objection.

The moment they rounded the corner, a faint spatial ripple spread, and Lucas, Victini, Mewtwo, and a pile of paid-for groceries vanished.

At that moment, from a little ways off, a streamer named Iono approached, selfie stick in hand. She froze mid-step, shark-like little teeth showing as she stared blankly.

She looked at the empty corner, full of doubt. "Huh, was that the new Champion…?"

Before Iono could think further, her chat exploded, scrolling by like crazy—mostly asking who the "new Champion" was.

With Nemona's help, Iono's channel had surpassed six digits of followers in no time, and it was still growing.

Realizing her slip, Iono panicked inwardly—but then thought better of it. That champion battle video buried among her thousand uploads hadn't been deleted. Didn't that mean the League tacitly approved her discussing it?

["If you want to know who the new Champion is, check Iono's post, video No. 405~"]

["Iono's relationship with the new Champion?"]

["He's the new Champion, duh, of course Iono lost~"]

["You want Iono to battle the new Champion again?"]

["Don't make Iono do that~!"]

…

Night draped over the sky, and the farm that had just hosted a raucous party fell quiet.

With Politoed and the others' Bubble Beam helping wash up, Lucas quickly finished the greasy dishes, stacked them neatly in the kitchen, wiped sweat from his brow, and muttered.

"Feels like the parties are getting a bit frequent… better dial it back a little…"

Then, like a ghost, Mewtwo drifted up behind Lucas and suddenly spoke. "Are you free? There's something I want to discuss."

Lucas's heart leapt, then he relaxed seeing it was Mewtwo. He complained, "Don't sneak up on people without a sound—you'll scare them."

"I see. Understood."

Mewtwo's telepathy was very flat; it was hard to tell if it took that to heart.

Lucas and Mewtwo sat in the living room lit by a single lamp—and found Delibird already waiting there.

Lucas: ?

 Facing Lucas's questioning look, Mewtwo calmly explained everything: how it and Delibird reached Shamouti Island, sensed an unknown danger, met the sage Slowking, and learned the island's prophecy.

They came back to ask Lucas what he thought—after all, Lucas was the only human Mewtwo trusted.

After a long silence, Lucas, face oddly solemn, asked, "When you scanned the island, did you spot a boy wearing a Pikachu hat?"

"A boy wearing a Pikachu hat?"

Mewtwo frowned. The question rang a bell, but why was Lucas asking about that boy? What was special about him?

Though it didn't understand, Mewtwo still shook its head. "At least during the time I and Delibird were on Shamouti, there was no sign of him."

Hearing that, Lucas fell into thought.

As a Psychic-type, Mewtwo had strong danger intuition. What could make its nerves tighten like that—likely only that person's presence.

But by Mewtwo's account, the seas around Shamouti were calm for now, and the three Legendary Birds were staying home—no signs yet of a nature imbalance.

So… had the plot not reached the starting point?

 Lucas wasn't sure, but he knew the root cause—that was enough.

Was there any need to hide it?

Lucas felt that to protect this world where everyone could live in peace, sometimes you had to be decisive.

"Can you track down Lawrence III? He's a crazed collector. If we can find him, we can stop this from the very beginning."

Mewtwo's expression was placid. "Why are you so certain, when you're half a planet away?"

Lucas didn't dodge Mewtwo's gaze. "Does that matter?"

Mewtwo looked deeply at him, recalling that fleeting sense of déjà vu, and chose to believe Lucas.

Mewtwo nodded. "It doesn't. But if I have to search remotely for that guy's trail, infiltrating Kanto's surveillance will be difficult. There won't be results tonight. You should sleep."

"Alright."

…

Not long before this.

On the other side of the planet, shortly after dawn.

A massive airship was flying above the skies around Shamouti Island.

Lavishly decorated and filled with countless collectibles, the ship's onboard AI announced in an emotionless female voice:

"Moltres, Zapdos, Articuno—detected life signatures of three special-species Legendary Pokémon. Please advise."

A green-haired man with elegant movements pondered a moment, then smiled. "Capture Moltres. As the source of the Sacred Flame for the Kanto and Johto League Conferences, I'm curious to see its performance."

His name was Lawrence III, a somewhat famed collector in Kanto. Because his tastes were a bit unusual, he was ostracized by others.

But for a man of immense wealth who had even built this gigantic airship, that was nothing.

"It's only collecting living Pokémon to appreciate up close. Such a bunch of philistines who don't understand art."

Lawrence III shook his head, clearing those thoughts.

Now, he was stepping into the climax of his career as a collector.

The Fire Guardian, Ice Guardian, Thunder Guardian, and the Sea Guardian—he would collect them all as his treasures!

Others' opinions didn't matter. If someone wanted to visit his collection and behaved politely, he'd be happy to oblige.

Arms spread in intoxicated delight, Lawrence III gazed at Fire Island drawing ever closer, face full of certainty.

And as he expected, after just a few minutes of engagement, Moltres was trapped in a special electromagnetic cage, its face twisted in pain.

Looking down at Moltres from above, Lawrence III smiled faintly. "However special, it's still a Pokémon. And being a Pokémon, it can't defy this technological marvel of an airship."

"But my ultimate goal is the Sea Guardian said to dwell in the ocean's deepest depths. You three are merely along the way."

Shaking his head, Lawrence III turned the airship back up to altitude and, with AI assistance, began preparations to capture the Thunder Guardian.

At the same time, with Moltres captured, the exquisite balance among the three islands began to falter.

Deep beneath the sea, a noble being sleeping soundly snapped its eyes open.

Starting from Shamouti, the surrounding seas grew shrouded in dark clouds. Gale winds howled, as though heaven and earth themselves were enraged.

The boat carrying Pikachu, the boy, and his companions had no choice but to make landfall on Shamouti Island.

Chapter 292: Just a Passing Farmer

As Ash and friends docked at Shamouti, went to the Big Tiki Hut, heard the Festival Maiden's ethereal flute melody, and listened to the yearly custom, a terrifying storm soon engulfed the seas around Shamouti Island.

Melody looked anxiously outside and murmured, "This weather… probably isn't suitable for going to sea."

"Pika…"

Pikachu's ears drooped, face downcast.

Its Trainer Ash wore the same look. In some ways, this Trainer-Pokémon pair was remarkably alike.

The orange-haired Misty cautioned, "Heading out in this weather is unrealistic. For safety, let's wait until the storm and sea calm down."

As a Water specialist, Misty knew well what terrifying power the ocean was brewing.

Nearby, Pokémon watcher Tracey stroked his chin, brows tightening.

The sea is fickle and ever-changing, sure.

But this shift was far too sudden, carrying a whiff of something abnormal…

 Not long after they decided to postpone going out to sea, the meteorological centers across several Orange Islands simultaneously received anomalous weather alerts from their monitoring stations.

Torrential rain, tsunamis, cyclones—even earthquakes.

As if the world itself were weeping over something.

Staff facing this for the first time were stunned, not knowing where to begin.

Worse, the phenomenon wasn't confined to the Orange Archipelago. According to sensor data, the climatic rampage was spreading outward!

At this rate, it would reach Kanto's vicinity in a few hours, wrap Johto within half a day, then Sinnoh, Unova… and after a day or two, the other half of the planet as well!

 In the weather centers, some greenhorns who'd never seen anything like this, with fragile nerves, covered their faces and began to sob quietly.

On Valencia Island, a shapely, intellectual woman in a lab coat—Professor Ivy—had just helped her assistants rescue a few Oddish shivering in the storm.

Soaked to the bone, Brock asked in confusion, "Professor Ivy, wasn't the forecast for clear skies these next few days? How did this happen so suddenly?"

Ivy frowned at the sky, the clouds looking heavy enough to crush it, and recalled a glimpse of odd behavior from Water-type Pokémon earlier—all rushing in the same direction.

As a professor who researches regional forms, she knew the Orange Archipelago well. That direction pointed only to Shamouti and a few islets.

She'd gone to survey it briefly and heard some legends from the islanders.

The Fire Guardian, Thunder Guardian, Ice Guardian, and the Sea Guardian…

 After a moment's silence, Ivy ignored how her rain-soaked clothes clung uncomfortably to her skin.

She strode to the phone and dialed an important contact listed beside it—Professor Oak!

 Perhaps only the authority of the Pokémon research world, Professor Oak, could answer her doubts.

…

At the source of the incident, on Thunder Island and Ice Island, two pairs of sharp eyes suddenly opened. Moments ago, they had sensed the disappearance of the Fire Island guardian's aura.

After but a moment's hesitation, the two guardians made different choices.

With a rumble of thunder from the clouds, Zapdos flapped, electricity crackling, golden wings seeming cast from light, and sped toward Fire Island.

If Moltres's aura had vanished, then it should claim that island!

 Articuno, however, chose to remain on its own island. For some reason, a vague sense of danger lingered in its heart.

Dense lightning fell ceaselessly from the cloudtops. The deafening booms pressed down on the soul. In a cliffside cavern at Shamouti's edge, Slowking watched the world with its hands clasped behind its back, looking troubled.

"This is… rather tricky."

In this weather, would the "conductor" appear?

Slowking pictured Mewtwo. If it was that special Pokémon, it might stop this disaster—but it happened to leave right before this began.

At the storm's eye, the massive airship ignored nature's howls. Lightning poured over it like floodwaters through a dam. Countless turrets flared, firing Ice missiles—super effective against Flying-types.

Zapdos twisted through the skies, weaving and rolling with agility beyond even the greatest fighter pilots, dodging the Ice rounds.

But under such dense fire, it could not avoid being grazed. A thin layer of frost formed over its shining wings.

Ordinarily, that wouldn't matter—only slightly affecting maneuverability. Zapdos could simply amp its output and shatter it.

But its opponent wasn't a human or a Pokémon. It was an AI that calculated everything and never missed fleeting chances.

The instant Zapdos's movements slowed, the same capture ring that had snared Moltres launched, chasing Zapdos down and trapping it in a special magnetic field, forming a cage it could not break.

Inside the ship, the emotionless voice continued:

["Thunder Guardian captured. Ice Guardian location locked. Mr. Lawrence III, proceed to Ice Island?"]

"Depart when preparations are complete."

Leg over leg, Lawrence III smiled and gave the order.

He was in a good mood. With Fire and Thunder captured, once he took Ice, the Sea Guardian would certainly appear.

With Zapdos captured, the relentless lightning and storm over the Orange Archipelago finally eased a bit—enough to make going to sea possible.

Ash and friends took a speedboat toward the three islands—and ran headlong into Articuno, whose triangulated balance had lost two points. Tied to the balance of nature, it too was affected, its heart growing violent until it lost rationality!

 From Valencia's direction, a helicopter lifted off—Professor Ivy, Professor Oak, Delia (worried for Ash), and, urgently arriving to protect her native Sevii Islands from spillover, Kanto's Ice Elite, Lorelei!

…

Paldea region, Los Platos.

Late night.

The upheaval on the other half of the planet hadn't reached here yet. Lucas's rural corner didn't even have a computer, let alone a high-end rig capable of infiltrating the Orange Archipelago's surveillance network.

Mewtwo teleported to Los Platos, collected a heap of what looked like scrap, and—using micro-control with psychic power—somehow hand-built a supercomputer in short order.

By the time it finished, it was near midnight.

Mewtwo had considered teleporting back to its base to use existing gear.

But to shake off Team Rocket's relentless pursuit, it had destroyed anything that could expose it. Besides, even for it, teleporting back and forth across half the planet wasn't trivial.

In terms of raw reserves, Mewtwo's mental power was actually less than Mew's—but it could continue to grow, and its control far exceeded a Mew that didn't even train.

A couple round trips would drain it. With what would it face potential imminent crises?

Mewtwo's vigilance wouldn't allow it to burn through its power carelessly.

While infiltrating systems to trace Lawrence III, Mewtwo also checked for strange incidents in the Orange Archipelago—and suddenly spotted a live broadcast surging in popularity.

It was simulcasting a TV news segment, featuring big names. Mewtwo clicked in.

["Numerous Pokémon capable of crossing the sea are moving toward Shamouti Island. Those who can't are massing on the nearest shores."]

["On this phenomenon, let's consult Professors Oak and Ivy."]

["Legend says Shamouti is home to the Fire Guardian, Thunder Guardian, and Ice Guardian. Their balance keeps deep ocean currents flowing gently, birthing the first life on this planet. In other words, the heart of those currents is where life began."]

["At this moment, an unknown factor has disturbed the balance. Pokémon seem to sense something…"]

When the professors finished, the camera cut to aerial shots outside. You could see, in sea and sky, countless Pokémon moving in one direction.

Then Lorelei, who'd been silent, spoke gravely: ["Regarding this incident, I will represent Kanto to investigate. Citizens, please don't panic and stay in safe places…"]

Mewtwo closed the stream.

Its infiltration of Kanto systems paused. This was no natural incident. Mewtwo frowned, recalling the trio and their balance.

Had something happened in the mere day it was gone?

 After a brief silence, Mewtwo chose to wake Lucas from his sound sleep.

The moment Lucas saw the broadcast, his drowsiness vanished.

From the bottom of his heart, Lucas exclaimed, "No way!"

So Lawrence III's operation had already begun—or was about to—when Mewtwo came to him?

 Because of the distance between regions, Mewtwo hadn't sensed the imbalance yet. It'd take days for the disturbance to reach Paldea.

A chain of coincidences and near-misses—and other factors—meant the stream had already reached this point. Lawrence III was likely halfway to success.

There was no more time for sleep. Intuition told Lucas that subtle changes were afoot. At the very least, Lorelei hadn't appeared in his memory!

If it were a purely local issue, Lucas might not stick his neck out. But this imbalance clearly radiated worldwide.

Even if, in the best case, other Legendary Pokémon would intervene once the disturbance crossed into their domains—Lucas couldn't bet on Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza, or the spacetime trio Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, or Zygarde—who, in the same hemisphere, might already be in trouble.

Even just for the farm's safety, he felt he had to go—just in case.

He made preparations based on his memory, cradled Delibird, and looked to Mewtwo, indicating he was ready to head to Shamouti.

But Mewtwo didn't move. Instead, it gazed toward the true triad of birds, roused by the commotion and peeking in.

"Bring them too. They might be useful."

Mewtwo's telepathy sounded in everyone's mind.

Moltres immediately bristled. Might be useful? What do you mean might!?

But faced with Mewtwo's Luxray-tier pressure, Moltres could only sulk.

Articuno and Zapdos looked bewildered. Why bring them?

 Weren't they here to work and enjoy good food?

As if reading Mewtwo's mind, Lucas thought for a moment and looked at Zapdos and Articuno.

Moltres wasn't a worry. The question was how to persuade Zapdos and Articuno to come.

"If we make it back, I'll double the luxury of your meals compared to before. How's that?"

Zapdos & Articuno: !!!

Zapdos, having no concept of restraint, waddled over like a land-chicken, while Articuno, after a moment of coy hesitation, was ultimately conquered by desire and came over too.

Yet Mewtwo still didn't move.

Glancing at the birds still outside—and absolutely not admitting that teleporting too many at once would drain a lot of mental power—Mewtwo said blandly, "Return them to their Poké Balls. If they don't have one, catch them on the spot and release them when we're back."

Lucas: …

Zapdos & Articuno: !!!!

 In the end, Zapdos and Articuno entered the standard red-and-white Balls Lucas produced. They could break out anytime if they wanted—no big deal.

Definitely not because Mewtwo threatened to crumple them into balls if they didn't cooperate!

Under Oranguru's gaze, light flashed, and Lucas, Mewtwo, and Delibird vanished.

Oranguru murmured, "A crisis for the world…"

…

"Screee!!!"

Dragging its beautiful tail feathers, the usually elegant ice-blue bird had lost all reason. Frigid beams that could freeze anything swept out, and the gusts from its wings made it feel like the far north.

Under Articuno's rampage, swathes of ocean froze into solid ice, halting the currents and further destabilizing the world's balance.

On the endless ice, tiny figures fled in panic.

They were Melody and Ash's group.

Articuno's indiscriminate, wide-area attacks had frozen their speedboat in the sea, and they could only run on the ice to avoid its sweeping blasts.

Misty's orange hair was frosted white. Hugging a shivering Togepi, she couldn't help but complain, "What is even happening—!"

It was supposed to be a routine outing after a storm—just going through the motions—so why did it turn into this!?

 Melody gripped the flute that was said to soothe the three birds' rage, face grave. "The prophecy… it's all coming true. The world is heading for destruction!"

Tracey's face contorted in fear. "The world's ending? You've got to be kidding!"

Dodging another lateral sweep of Ice Beam, Melody said in a low voice, "We have to follow the prophecy: gather the three treasures, place them on the temple altar, and play the flute to calm the gods' fury!"

"Charizard, Flamethrower! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Ash hurled his Poké Ball. Charizard, now willing to obey, aimed at a branch of the Ice Beam sweeping toward them, throat swelling, and unleashed a torrent of flame.

Pikachu released golden lightning on the other side. Fire and electricity together collided with the icy ray.

Charizard and Pikachu gave it their all—but that only nudged the beam's path, causing the energies to interfere so it exploded early behind them.

And that was just a branch of the Ice Guardian's Ice Beam. If it focused on them with a targeted attack, how terrifying would that be?

 Perhaps provoked by Charizard and Pikachu's counter, the wrathful Articuno focused on Ash's group. Murky, furious eyes fixed on them as brilliant light gathered in its beak.

This time… Sheer Cold!

Tracey cried out, "We're done for!"

Even as a non-Trainer, he knew that locked-on move from Articuno was terrifying.

Not to mention the killing intent suffusing it!

Misty stopped running and hugged Togepi tight. Water and Ice are related—she knew how vast Sheer Cold's range was.

They couldn't outrun it on foot.

Even the ever-optimistic Ash felt a pang of despair—but more than that, stubborn resolve. He clenched his gloved fists and shouted, "Pikachu, Charizard—again! Thunderbolt and Flamethrower!"

The others, moved by Ash's tenacity, sent out all their Pokémon to resist.

In the next instant, a brilliant torrent roared forth. Compared to it, the light from their combined moves was like fireflies before the moon—instantly frozen by Sheer Cold.

At that desperate moment, a woman's voice rang out: "Lapras, Sheer Cold! Slowbro, Protect!"

A smaller—but still massive—ice torrent met Articuno's head-on and canceled it out. Meanwhile, red light flashed in front of Ash's group.

Slowbro planted itself before them, a barrier bolstered by psychic power absorbing the residual force that broke through Lapras's Sheer Cold.

Then the whir of rotors sounded overhead. A red-haired woman leapt from a hundred meters up without any gear, landing in front of them thanks to Slowbro's psychic support.

Recognizing her, Misty cried out, excited, "Elite Lorelei!"

At the same time, the helicopter descended. Professor Oak, Professor Ivy, Delia, and reporters disembarked. Cameras trained on the wrathful Ice Guardian in the sky, everyone stunned.

Staring intently at Articuno, Lorelei said gravely, "I'll hold it off. Professors Oak and Ivy, please find a way to stop this collapse of nature's balance!"

No sooner had Lorelei spoken than a deafening explosion thundered from farther across the sky. Flames shot up so high they were visible even here.

What happened over there?

…

 Over Ice Island, Lawrence III's airship had just arrived when he noticed the Ice Guardian's presence had vanished.

The AI chimed again.

["Mr. Lawrence III, Articuno's energy signature has appeared 25 kilometers away in the sky. It may have masked its aura and flown there in one burst."]

Frowning, Lawrence III said, "Change course. Target—contain Articuno."

["Affirmative."]

Just as Lawrence III turned to return to the controls, a faint spatial ripple spread through the ship.

Red warning lights flared, and shrill alarms blared.

Lucas, Delibird, and Mewtwo appeared right in front of Lawrence III.

["Intruder detected… Intruder detected—"]

"Silence! I see them!"

Lawrence III showed no panic. Instead, he looked at Mewtwo with great interest, brow arching. "An unfamiliar Psychic-type. Teleported here?"

"This should be ten thousand meters up, right?"

A normal Psychic-type couldn't teleport to this altitude.

Lucas and Mewtwo ignored him. Upon reaching Shamouti, Mewtwo immediately sensed the imbalance. After speaking to Slowking and accepting its request, Mewtwo—prompted by Lucas—quickly found the airship hidden above the clouds.

Lucas glanced at the trapped Moltres and Zapdos—no sign of Articuno. Fortunately, they weren't too late.

He also noted that Ash and Team Rocket weren't here despite the birds being present. The story had changed.

"Got a way?"

Lucas looked at Mewtwo, asking with his eyes.

Mewtwo nodded slightly. Though this was tech that could capture the Fire and Thunder Guardians, as a wholesale dealer of black tech, Mewtwo knew that pushing any single performance to the limit came with flaws.

Like these cages: inside, the birds couldn't use their power at all—no chance of escaping on their own.

But from the outside, a little force would break them easily.

Being ignored, Lawrence III was unbothered. He even chuckled. "I don't like uninvited guests who lack manners, but since you brought a housewarming gift, I'll forgive you."

"Now then, please introduce yourself. For instance—how should I address you?"

"Lucas. Just a passing farmer."

Looking at the man who wanted to destroy his peaceful life, the Poké Balls in Lucas's hand flashed red.

In the next instant, before Lawrence III's clearly stunned face, the figures of Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos appeared one after another.