allendalepharm Chapter 85: 1 vs 7
Chapter 85: 1 vs 7
Inside the Hongcheng athletes' apartment, just minutes before, the atmosphere was filled with jubilation after the league ended. Confetti hung from the lamps, snacks were scattered on the table, and celebratory music was still playing softly.
However, at this moment, all the noise was replaced by a heavy unease.
The party came to an abrupt end, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the huge LCD TV screen in the living room.
On the screen, a serious-looking news anchor with a rapid-fire speech is standing in a windswept studio, with a dark, iron-curtain-like sky and wildly dancing trees in the background.
She gripped the microphone tightly, her voice carrying an unbelievable solemnity through the howling wind.
[...Urgent broadcast! This station has received the latest weather disaster warning! A super typhoon of unprecedented intensity and with an extremely unpredictable path is violently impacting the eastern coast of our province with unpredictable speed and strength! Several major cities, including Linhai City, Qingyu City, and Yanyun City, have issued the highest-level red alert!]
The screen displayed terrifying images: towering waves, like inky walls, crashed violently against the seawall and breakwaters; seawater flooded the beach; sturdy trees were uprooted and swept away like matchsticks by the gale; windows of solid buildings were shattered by the howling wind; and torrential rain turned the world into chaos.
The entire coastline seemed to be being devoured by an invisible, raging beast.
What's even more worrying is...
The host raised his voice, trying to drown out the wind and thunder in the background.
The typhoon's intensity and affected area are still expanding, and its energy source and formation mechanism are completely beyond the scope of current meteorological models. Experts are holding urgent consultations, but so far they have not been able to determine the cause of its sudden intensification and abnormal growth.
Currently, communication and transportation in the disaster-stricken areas are largely disrupted. Rescue teams are making their way through the extreme weather. Residents in coastal areas are urged to remain indoors in absolute safety and not to go outside. This is the highest level natural disaster warning! Residents are urged not to go outside.
The camera cuts back to the studio, where the host's expression is equally grim.
The apartment was deathly silent.
Only the hurried announcements from the television broadcast echoed through the air.
Although Hongcheng is located inland and was not directly affected by the disaster, the names of the ravaged cities shown on television were familiar hometowns to many of the contestants present.
"Linhai... damn it... that's my home..." A boy from Linhai City was pale, his fingers unconsciously digging into the sofa armrest, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly.
A girl with a ponytail next to her bit her lower lip tightly, staring at the familiar streets submerged by floodwaters on the screen. Her eyes instantly reddened. Her companion took out her phone to call her family, but the screen still showed that the call failed.
The air in the hall seemed to freeze, filled with an atmosphere of anxiety.
The smiles on the faces of the contestants from coastal cities had vanished, replaced by deep worry.
They exchanged glances, all somewhat at a loss. Even the contestants from inland cities were terrified by the horrifying sight, and their celebratory joy had long since vanished.
Hou Haiyue stood at the back of the crowd with her arms crossed, her brows furrowed tightly.
Her gaze swept across the catastrophic images on the screen, then landed on the worried coastal athletes. She whispered to Shen Yanqiu beside her, "Something's not right. There shouldn't be a typhoon here, and this thing is unusually strong, unusually fast in its expansion... it's like... something is driving it."
Shen Yanqiu also frowned deeply, her usually calm face now filled with solemnity.
She watched the apocalyptic scene on television and slowly nodded. "This is too abnormal. Even the weather bureau can't find the source. This force feels extraordinary."
Her slender fingers unconsciously curled up, and a strong sense of unease rose in her heart.
Hou Haiyue noticed the change in Shen Yanqiu's expression. "You've had some guesses too, haven't you?"
"The Church of Descent," Shen Yanqiu uttered a name. "Didn't they say they were active over there, and that they even opened the entrance to a secret realm, sucking Luo Yan and your brother inside?"
"Do you think..." Hou Haiyue bit her lower lip lightly, "did they really create a legendary Pokémon?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Yanqiu shook her head slightly without answering.
The entire apartment was shrouded in a depressing silence, with only the continuous roar of disaster news and the anxious reports from the television.
No one knew that the true source of this "mysterious typhoon" that swept across the coast and left experts helpless was the legendary being that was unleashing its raging fury—Lugia.
His unconscious pain and rage are transforming into a destructive storm, mercilessly lashing out at the human world.
And one of the people fighting him at this moment is Luo Yan, who just separated from the others.
The eye of the storm.
The violent air currents, like billions of invisible blades, sliced through the thick clouds. The dark clouds churned like boiling water, with ominous purple-black lightning flashing within them. Large raindrops were accelerated into bullets by the gale, striking the energy shield with dense explosions.
This is the heart of the rampant power of Dark Lugia.
Within this desolate region, seven figures stubbornly flew about, surrounding Dark Lugia from different directions.
The Water-type Elite Four member, Bai Linfei, or rather, Latias who has regained her true form, is currently suspended at the core of the battle formation. Her red body remains as stable as a rock amidst the raging energy turbulence, emanating a resilient yet powerful spiritual fluctuation that forms an invisible network covering the entire battlefield.
A faint blue light flickered in her eyes, and soon, the eyes of all seven of her Pokémon began to glow blue.
This is her mental connection, using extremely powerful mental strength to forcibly link her mind with that of other Pokémon. In this way, she can not only protect them, but also command them to attack without saying a word.
Six powerful Water-type Pokémon of different forms, like extensions of Latias's will, launched a fierce and coordinated attack around the massive, mountain-like dark figure.
Luo Yan rode on Iris's back. They did not join the battle because they knew very well that this was not something they could participate in. Their only task was to wait, to wait for the opportunity created by the White King!
In fact, Luo Yan had considered using a King Ball or Prism Ball to forcibly capture Dark Lugia, but he quickly discovered that the thing surrounding Dark Lugia was repelling everything around it like nightmare energy. In other words, throwing balls at it at this time would have no effect.
Furthermore, if the Pokémon is prepared, they can knock the Poké Ball away, making it impossible to capture it by force.
...