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They say that when death approaches, a person's survival instinct pushes them beyond their usual limits.
Li Xiang thought there was some truth to that, because he was gradually regaining control of his body, breaking free from the influence of those Ghost-type Pokémon.
But… it was useless.
He couldn't fight those Pokémon alone, let alone deal with the two terrifying Malamar and that enormous Trevenant.
The more Li Xiang thought about it, the more hopeless he felt.
No matter what he did, there was no way to escape this situation. Maybe he could try stalling with words, buying time—
But more likely, the moment he spoke, the Malamar would seize control of him again.
Li Xiang could sense the malice radiating from those two seemingly indifferent Malamar. At first glance, they didn't seem to notice he had broken free, but in reality, they had been watching him for a while.
Given how they had forced the New Sun cultists to kneel before their trainers earlier, this kind of Pokémon was absolutely capable of such things—just for the sake of their own twisted amusement.
He bit his lower lip hard, not even noticing when he broke the skin, his mind racing for a solution.
'I can't die here. Torracat hasn't evolved yet. We haven't gone to the advanced academy, haven't stepped onto the stage of the Youth Tournament. There's still so much left to do—'
The stone forest.
The towering pillars supporting the ceiling continued to drain the life force of the Snow God cultists. The glowing patterns on their surfaces flickered, and in the blink of an eye, another person's vitality was completely absorbed.
In just a few minutes, dozens had lost their lives.
Afterward, their lifeless bodies were carelessly tossed aside, dragged into the corners by smaller Pokémon and piled up with other dark, indistinct shapes.
Without a doubt, those were the remains of Pokémon that had also been drained of their life energy.
All the controlled people trembled in terror. Some lost control of their bodily functions, filling the air with the stench of fear.
'Between life and death lies the greatest terror—no one is spared.'
Li Zhehan and Yin stood behind Li Xiang, their breathing heavy and panicked.
Clearly, the situation had spiraled far beyond what they had expected.
Death was knocking at their door—
"Huh? Is it just me, or did it suddenly get colder?"
The larger of the two chubby overseers frowned.
The smaller one waved a hand dismissively. "This damn place is always like this—scorching during the day, freezing at night. It's almost sunset. Totally normal."
"I guess you're right," the larger one muttered, scratching his head.
"No!"
Lu Zhong, who had been adjusting the machine, suddenly looked up, then quickly checked a screen. "The temperature's dropping too fast! Something's wrong! Someone's here! Where's the Snow God's corpse? Why hasn't Trevenant's root network detected anything?"
The smaller chubby man blinked. "It's in the storage compartment of the drill. As for Trevenant—"
They turned to look at the massive Trevenant by the steps, only to find it already covered in a thick layer of white frost, its single eye dimmed—completely unconscious!
And the source of the cold?
The frozen Trevenant itself!
"An attack? When?!"
The larger man's scalp prickled. How had such a massive Trevenant been taken down without a sound? Without them even noticing?!
"Alert! Something's coming! I'll contact the captain above ground!" Lu Zhong barked.
Originally, they had entrusted the temple's internal security to Trevenant—its roots could spread through every corner, acting as a surveillance network.
They called it the Root Network.
Yet, this "eye" had been the first to fall!
Which meant the New Sun cultists guarding the outside must have been dealt with too—otherwise, they would've heard something.
"You! Go check outside!" The larger man pointed at a cultist.
"Yes!"
The cultist obeyed and headed for the exit.
But before he could get far—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted from an empty corner of the hall!
Rocks of all sizes shot outward as a visible wave of icy wind, mixed with snowflakes, surged from the newly formed black hole in the wall.
In the blink of an eye, thick frost spread from the opening, rapidly covering the surroundings!
The temperature inside the hall plummeted, chilling them to the bone!
A blast of freezing air shot toward the Ultimate Weapon at the ceiling—only to be blocked by a purple barrier.
"What the hell is that?! Psycho Cut!"
The two chubby men shouted in unison. Their Malamar narrowed their eyes, their squid-like tentacles launching two pink, crescent-shaped blades the size of dinner plates straight at the hole!
Whoosh—Whoosh—
The blades sliced through the air with a sharp whistle—only to vanish into the darkness without a trace!
No feedback. No impact. Nothing.
The two men paled as their Malamar frantically relayed what had happened. "How?! They just disappeared?!"
If Psycho Cut had hit, the target would've been marked by psychic energy.
Even if it missed, the flying blades should've allowed the Malamar to scan the area with their psychic senses.
But for them to vanish entirely?
That meant either something had devoured the psychic energy—or the intruder's mental power was so overwhelming that the Malamar couldn't even detect it!
Either way, it proved how terrifying their enemy was!
On the throne meant for a god, the old archbishop remained eerily calm. With a slight wave of his hand, a Dusclops—a towering, one-eyed giant with a yellow button on its head—emerged from his shadow and charged toward the hole!
The cultists below didn't just stand by either. Without waiting for orders, they released a chaotic array of Pokémon, sending them on a suicidal rush toward the breach!
For a moment, attacks of all colors and elements poured into the dark opening—
Only to be doubled and reflected straight back at their senders with pinpoint accuracy!
"Mirror Coat!" the smaller chubby man yelped, his bulky body dodging a Thunderbolt with surprising agility. "What the hell is this thing?! A guardian of the Snow God?!"
As he spoke, the icy wind and snowflakes from the hole intensified, transforming into shimmering auroras of pale blue light.
Like gentle ribbons, they swept over every Pokémon and cultist near the breach—
Including the charging Dusclops.
In an instant, their bodies were encased in ice, turning them into frozen statues.
"Attack! Keep attacking! Block it! Use Taunt! Toxic! Will-O-Wisp!"
The larger man barked orders while forcing his Malamar to expand their psychic senses, trying to locate the intruder's true form.
Meanwhile, the smaller one released several Shuckle—their red, shell-like bodies dotted with holes, thin yellow necks extending from within—and ordered them to guard the machine and the giant egg at the center of the stone forest.
In just moments, the once-silent hall had descended into chaos.
"The captain and the guards outside… they're not responding. No way. With their strength, how could this happen?"
Lu Zhong, still at the computer, narrowed his eyes and pulled out a Poké Ball.
Click.
A snarling Obstagoon—black and white stripes, a mohawk-like crest—landed on the ground with a growl.
"Guard this spot! Have the mind-controlling Pokémon hide!"
After issuing the command, he turned to the two chubby men. "I can't reach the captain! But whatever that thing is, we can't let it in! Find a way to seal the hole!"
"No shit!" the larger man snapped, growing more frustrated as his Malamar repeatedly reported their psychic probes being blocked.
Even though some Pokémon had used Taunt, it seemed to have no effect—the intruder could still use Mirror Coat at will. Toxic and Will-O-Wisp had vanished without a trace.
When they tried illuminating the hole with light-based moves, the icy mist scattered the beams.
'Does it have a stockpile of Mental Herbs? Or is it under Safeguard?'
Inside the hole, the blizzard intensified.
The temperature in the hall dropped rapidly, soon falling below zero. White mist rose, obscuring vision. The Pokémon attacking the breach were either taken down by their own reflected moves or frozen solid by the storm.
Then—
A flash of movement.
A violet-and-blue phantom leaped from the darkness, landing silently in front of the controlled Snow cultists with inhuman speed.
It stood between them and their captors, its presence alone a silent challenge. And as the mist cleared, its form became visible to all.
A crystalline, azure crest shaped like a hollow diamond. Long, flowing indigo hair.
A majestic, wolf-like body of blue and white, and two ribbon-like strands floating around it.
—Suicune. The North Wind's Incarnation. Guardian of the Sacred Ash.
"Wha—Suicune?! Why is it here?!"
The larger man gasped. "Is it the one blessing the Snow God? And this ice power—it's too strong! This doesn't match the records!"
"Since when does Suicune have strength like this?!" the smaller one echoed. "Psychic abilities, ice control, and defensive prowess—is this Suicune special or something?!"
"Who cares about that now?! It's setting up Aurora Veil to protect them! If that goes up, it'll interfere with the 'flower'! Stop it! We still don't have enough human life energy!"
Lu Zhong, who had been observing Suicune closely, roared in frustration. His Obstagoon lunged at the legendary beast—
Only to be met with a concentrated blast of freezing wind, instantly encasing it from head to toe!
Obstagoon—one-shot KO.
Seizing the moment, Suicune crossed its ribbons in front of itself, standing eerily still as if channeling some unseen power.
Among the crowd, Li Xiang glanced around, hesitation flickering across his face.
'This is the best chance to escape.'
The Pokémon controlling them had all hidden. The three leaders were busy fighting Suicune.
But he couldn't carry both Li Zhehan and Yin with him. After all this time, his father could barely turn his neck and arms, while his mother could only manage slight movements.
'What's the point of running alone?'
Then… should he stay and wait for Suicune's Aurora Veil?
Li Xiang knew Suicune could create near-indestructible, translucent crystal walls—similar to the crest on its head. The barrier would only break if Suicune moved too far away or willed it to drop.
But the inside of the barrier was an airtight space. If Suicune fell here, everyone inside would suffocate.
The only way in or out was with the Clear Bell, said to summon Ho-Oh itself.
So the Aurora Veil wasn't a perfect guarantee of safety.
After two seconds of deliberation— Li Xiang gritted his teeth, turned, and hoisted his parents onto his back.
'If Suicune got in, that means the outside must be clear of enemies, and mind control has a range limit. If I can carry them out of the hall, they'll break free on their own! I can't just sit here and wait to die!'
Run!
Only by running was there a chance!
Grabbing his parents, Li Xiang pushed through the crowd, inching toward the exit.
Others who had also broken free saw what he was doing and began dragging their own loved ones away.
From a distance, Lu Zhong noticed—but couldn't stop them. Any mind-controlling Pokémon that showed itself would be instantly taken out by Suicune, freeing everyone.
"What are you waiting for?! The captain's clearly in trouble! So what if we're short on energy?! This was just an experiment anyway! The 'flower' was already calibrated, right?! Adjust the angle and fire! Without the absorption disk, there's no way it can block the shockwave from a full-power discharge!"
The smaller man's face twisted into a snarl as Suicune, despite appearing strained, continued effortlessly freezing every Pokémon that approached.
The larger man roared, "We can hold out a little longer with Number 3! Stop hesitating!"
As he spoke, he pulled out an Ultra Ball and released an enormous Gengar.
The giant Gengar cackled, its eyes glowing as it unleashed a thick bolt of crimson lightning straight at Suicune!
Lu Zhong hesitated, his expression conflicted.
Seeing this, the smaller man shoved him aside with a curse. "Useless coward!"
His fingers flew across the keyboard. Above them, the flower-like Ultimate Weapon tilted slightly, adjusting its aim.
Once it was locked onto Suicune, the man grinned savagely.
"Die, you so-called Guardian of the Sacred Ash!"
Beep.
The button was pressed.
A one-second charge—
Then a beam of energy, so bright it was impossible to look at directly, blasted downward onto the metal egg!
The deafening roar of the discharge shook the entire hall!
The resulting shockwave, shaped like a fan, slammed straight into Suicune—which had just barely managed to complete its Aurora Veil!
Li Xiang had assumed the Snow Gods's energy had all been absorbed by Volcarona.
He was wrong.
Every ounce of energy, including reserves from past sacrifices, had been stored inside the Ultimate Weapon.
So even the aftershock of its firing was beyond anything an ordinary Pokémon could withstand!
Among the crowd, Li Xiang—dragging his parents—was just one step from the exit.
His tense nerves began to relax—
BOOM.
The shockwave hit.
All three of them were sent flying through the air. As his consciousness faded, Li Xiang's last thought was—
'I should've run sooner…'