Chapter 215. Let's See Who Goes Down First!
A creature shaped like a Pokémon egg suddenly appeared, and Lawrence III's breath hitched as shock froze on his face.
What is that thing?
While Lawrence III was spacing out, he abruptly sensed a gaze staring openly at him.
He looked back and saw Natsume inside the Regulation Field.
With a smile, Natsume gave Lawrence III a thumbs-up.
Since you scraped out a win against Ash Ketchum, it's time you faced me.
In that instant, Lawrence III understood.
The strange Pokémon before him, and the meteor just now, were probably Natsume's doing.
"Zapdos, you can do it!"
Ash cheered for the Zapdos egg.
Its already high fighting spirit swelled even higher.
Zapdos was brimming with fighting spirit, and the entire egg couldn't help but bounce lightly, as if trembling with excitement.
"Zapdos?" Lawrence III shot the Zapdos egg a suspicious glance.
"I don't care what you are.
I don't believe you can't be knocked down!"
[???'s Competitive Heart marked Moltres as its rival.]
Inside the Regulation Field, a voice sounded by Natsume's ear.
He raised an eyebrow, a little surprised as he looked down.
During the group battle, when he sent his Pokémon elsewhere, it seemed he could still see their status.
"Natsume!"
Mewtwo's heavy voice rang out, and Natsume understood, then nodded.
"That's enough.
Data collection is complete."
Hearing this, Mewtwo didn't hesitate.
Two Psystrike attacks later, the spent Zapdos and Articuno were knocked unconscious.
"Professor Ivy, I'll leave them to you!"
Using telekinesis, Natsume lifted the two fainted Legendary birds and sent them to Professor Ivy's team.
[Zapdos Divinity logged.
S-rank Scratch-Off +1.]
[Articuno Divinity logged.
S-rank Scratch-Off +1.]
The system messages came one after another.
Natsume had no time to check them.
In a flash, he and Mewtwo arrived on the island.
"Damn it, what is this thing now!"
[Zapdos's Competitive Heart took effect.
Zapdos refused to go down!]
[Moltres's Competitive Heart took effect.
Moltres refused to go down!]
The system's broadcast and Lawrence III's terrified, resentful shout sounded almost at the same time.
"Huh?"
Hovering high in the air, Natsume held back Mewtwo, who was about to act.
Moltres's Divinity trait—just like his Zapdos—was Competitive Heart?
Natsume arched a brow, finding it a little unbelievable.
He'd been wondering why this Moltres just wouldn't fall.
"You jerk, make Moltres stop right now!"
Seizing the moment, Ash lunged forward and shoved Lawrence III to the ground.
"Y-you—how did you get over here?"
Terror spread across Lawrence III's face.
That kid had been at least a hundred meters away!
Natsume and Mewtwo took a step and were on the ground below.
Ash had already snatched the Dark Ball from Lawrence III's belt and raised his hand to recall Moltres.
A jet-black beam struck Moltres.
Its body paused, then suddenly twisted and shook the light to pieces.
"What's going on?
Moltres won't come back!"
Ash stared in panic at Moltres on the island, locked in a standoff with the Zapdos egg.
"Impossible!
This Moltres already lost its will!
Give me the ball back!"
Lawrence III stared, heartsick, at the Dark Ball in Ash's hand, thinking Ash had broken it.
Crack!
Ash squeezed, and the Dark Ball shattered, arcs of electricity bursting out.
"You—thud!"
Lawrence III tried to say more, but a brick flew into his face, and he was knocked out cold.
Natsume drew the brick back, dusted off his hands, and turned, expression sobering as he looked into the field.
Moltres's assault was getting fiercer, and the Zapdos egg was about to be unable to hold out.
"This won't do, Natsume!
We've got to stop it now!"
Ash looked anxiously at the Zapdos egg.
It was shrouded in pitch-black flame, and its own thunder-fire was suppressed to only a thin layer on the eggshell's surface.
Most important of all, by the time Natsume arrived, the Zapdos egg had already triggered six broadcasts!
Its limit was six!
Boom!
Bird and egg collided, and both fell at the same time.
Whoosh!
Pitch-black flame surged upward.
Moltres spread its wings and stood again.
It didn't launch a frenzied attack like before.
It just stared blankly at the Zapdos egg.
It seemed Moltres also knew the Zapdos egg had reached its limit.
[???'s Competitive Heart took effect.
??? refused to go down!]
At the seventh broadcast, Natsume faltered for a moment.
With sharp eyes, he noticed fine cracks appearing on the Zapdos egg—as if the eggshell, battered by Moltres's strikes, had begun to split.
"Natsume, how about we recall Zapdos?"
Ash looked worriedly at the two Pokémon facing off in the field.
Clear fluid seeped from the cracks in the shell.
Countless threads of thunder-fire sprouted from it, forcibly burning away the pitch-black flames on its body.
"Kraa—"
Though wracked with pain, Zapdos's high cry still rang out.
"The egg liquid's getting beaten out, Natsume!"
Ash pointed at the Zapdos egg, but found Natsume's eyes fixed on Moltres.
In that instant just now—when Zapdos exceeded its limit and stood up for the seventh time—Natsume caught a fleeting ripple of emotion on Moltres's body, which should have had no will of its own.
It felt like an instinct.
"Kraa—"
Like the groaning hull of an old ship, Moltres threw back its head and let out a loud, hoarse cry.
"Screee—"
A clearer, more powerful birdsong drowned it out.
The next moment, both figures vanished from where they stood, and the battle reignited in a flash.
"How can this be?
We already knocked Lawrence III out!"
Ash stared, utterly baffled, at the two Pokémon still fighting in the field.
"Because now it looks like Moltres is fighting on its own.
It wants to battle the Zapdos egg."
No sooner had Natsume spoken than the two exhausted Pokémon crashed together again and both fell weakly to the ground.
"Screee—"
[???'s Competitive Heart took effect.
??? refused to go down!]
For the eighth time, the Zapdos egg stood up.
"Kraa—"
Moltres stood as well—but this time, a bright crimson competitive flame blazed to life across its body, burning all the pitch-black fire away.
A torch-like crimson crystal appeared out of thin air on its forehead.
The torch rose higher and higher—up into the sky.
Beneath the crystal torch, a stone statue slowly emerged.
The statue raised the crystal torch high!
Flames flowed across the statue and spread, dyeing the entire space a vivid red.
In an instant, shadows of countless people seemed to flicker within the red light, and rows upon rows of spectator stands appeared.
In the blink of an eye, it was as if everyone stood within a grand tournament venue!
Fire swayed, and a tidal wave of cheers erupted—every single voice cheering for Moltres.
[Moltres used the Divine Skill—Hall of Competition!]
[Hall of Competition took effect.
???'s battle will shall be greatly reduced!]
The crystal torch descended and set upon Moltres's brow, making even its hollow eyes seem touched by a hint of spirit.
[Moltres's battle will shall greatly increase!]
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