Chapter 147: Threats

A yellow Zapdos emerged from the clouds with a thunderous roar, triggering a sudden downpour of rain.

Boom!

Lightning struck from the cloud cover directly into the sea below. Countless Water-type Pokémon within the ocean were affected, falling unconscious due to the electrical discharge.

The thunderous rumble mirrored Zapdos's fury, and its appearance caught the attention of Trainers aboard the ship.

Naturally, this vessel heading to the Ellie region had powerful Trainers on board for protection. Sensing the disturbance outside, they rushed out, gazing skyward at Zapdos.

Zapdos repeatedly called out towards the ship, sensing its child nearby—the familiar aura since hatching was unmistakable. Due to their close proximity, it could easily detect its offspring.

Initially believing its child might be lost forever, now filled with hope, Zapdos vowed to reclaim its young no matter what.

Behind Zapdos flew Moltres, both Legendary Pokemon hovering above the ship, emitting sharp cries.

Meanwhile, inside the cabin:

"What's happening?"

Lian noticed that the playful Zapdos suddenly stopped, its small eyes fixed on the window, emitting soft chirps.

"Let's go outside and see what's happening," Kalia suggested, noticing something amiss. It appeared to be pouring heavily with rain outside, accompanied by faint sharp bird calls.

Lian stepped out first, eager to investigate. Upon opening the cabin door, he looked up at the sky and spotted Zapdos and Moltres hovering overhead.

"So they found us already?" Lian exclaimed, surprised. Clearly, Zapdos had arrived for the newly hatched young Lightning Bird, but it seemed remarkably swift—could there be some form of telepathic connection?

Kalia emerged alongside them, understanding the situation upon seeing Zapdos and Moltres.

"Zapdos has come for its offspring. Let's release the young Lightning Bird now; no need to take it all the way to Thunderbird Peak," Kalia proposed.

"They arrived so quickly," Julian lamented, feeling a sense of loss as the moment of separation approached.

While discussing, Trainers assigned to protect the ship gathered outside. Those with flying-type Pokémon mounted their companions and ascended into the sky, ready to communicate with Zapdos.

However, before they could engage with Zapdos, three Staraptors carrying mysterious masked individuals flew towards them from behind.

"Stop! Who are you?" The Trainers urgently demanded, but to no avail. The mysterious figures remained silent and continued their descent towards the ship.

Zapdos let out a piercing cry, recognizing them as the individuals responsible for losing its child, and swiftly pursued. Following closely behind was Moltres.

"Hold off Zapdos and Moltres; prevent any harm to people on the ship, including those three intruders!" shouted the leading Trainer. This ship carried important passengers, and many others had not yet been evacuated. A battle onboard would have disastrous consequences.

However, Zapdos and Moltres were incredibly powerful, further complicated by the mysterious figures drawing attention away from the trainers. With limited strength, they struggled to contain the situation effectively.

In the next instant, lightning struck from the clouds - a Thunder move. One Trainer's flying Pokémon was hit instantly, plummeting into the sea.

Fortunately, these Trainers were trained swimmers, so unless they directly crashed onto the deck, they should be relatively unharmed.

The three mysterious figures appeared intentional in luring Zapdos and Moltres towards the ship, causing chaos.

Some Trainers attempted to intercept the mysterious figures, but each of them promptly threw out Poké Balls, releasing three black Pokémon into the air—revealing Honchkcrows.

The Honchkcrows engaged and held off those Trainers, sparking intense aerial battles. However, two Honchkcrows were clearly insufficient against the group, prompting one of the enigmatic individuals to stay behind for combat while the other, riding on a Staraptor, surged towards the ship.

"Quick, call for backup! We must not let Zapdos and Moltres reach the ship; do everything you can to stop them!" shouted the leading Trainer. Zapdos was visibly enraged, indicating that it wouldn't hesitate to harm anyone in its path—a situation they absolutely needed to prevent.

The head Trainer commanded a flying-type Tropius, essential as a guardian for the cruise ship. On open seas, encounters with various dangers are common, making flying-types crucial for safety.

However, even with assistance from other Pokémon, this Tropius struggled against Zapdos, barely managing to hold its own. Additionally, carrying a Trainer hindered its ability to unleash full potential effectively.

Everyone deployed their flying-type Pokemon to intercept Zapdos and Moltres, preventing them from reaching the ship.

"Everyone, head inside the cabins immediately! Do not come out!"

Onboard, crew members instructed passengers to seek refuge within the cabins. This was no time for spectating; accidentally getting caught in the crossfire of such intense battles could be disastrous.

"Don't go outside!" As Kalia, Sean, and Julian prepared to bring the young Lightning Bird with them to pacify Zapdos, they were stopped by one of the crew members.

"Sir, please let us go. The Zapdos is here because of this little one; only we can stop it!" Kalia pleaded, revealing the young Lightning Bird. At this point, there was no need to worry about keeping it hidden anymore.

"It's a Zapdos hatchling, that explains everything." The crew member, being quick-witted, instantly understood why Zapdos had arrived—it was seeking its offspring.

"We found a Pokemon egg which hatched into this Lightning Bird. If we return it now, Zapdos will surely leave," Kalia explained specifically.

"It's too dangerous outside. You mustn't go. Leave it to me. If Zapdos misinterprets your intentions, things could turn worse," the crew member advised.

"Perhaps you should let me handle this."

At that moment, a mysterious figure wearing a mask emerged from the shadows. Their voice was indistinct, making it hard to determine if they were male or female.

It was the same enigmatic individual who had descended from the sky earlier, accompanied by a black Fire-type Pokemon, Houndoom, and a Staraptor perched on their left shoulder.

"Who are you?" The middle-aged man cautiously demanded, clearly sensing something sinister about this stranger, as there was no innocent reason to conceal one's face.

Boom!

Without warning, the Staraptor launched an attack, swooping like lightning and knocking the man off his feet.

"Hand over the young Zapdos, and I'll ensure it reaches its mother safely," the masked individual said, their eyes fixed intently on the Zapdos cradled in Julian's arms.

However, Kalia and her friends knew they couldn't comply. This mysterious person clearly wasn't trustworthy, especially after injuring the kind stranger. Their intent to take the young Zapdos seemed far from benevolent.

"No way!" Julian realized that the masked individual aimed solely to obtain the young Zapdos, with no intention of returning it to its mother—it was all a lie.

"You're still young; don't waste your precious years. Hand over the Zapdos youngling, let me take it away, and I'll divert Zapdos's attention. This way, you can safely reach your destination by boat. Isn't that a better outcome?" the mysterious figure reasoned.

If they were any other group, they might have complied with the mysterious person's request. After all, their own safety outweighed concerns for the Zapdos youngling. However, Kalia, Sean, and Julian were not selfish individuals.

"Don't entertain such delusions. We can pacify the situation by returning it to Zapdos. Why should we give it to you?" Sean replied coldly.

"Since you won't heed my advice, there's no point wasting more time." The mysterious figure stopped beating around the bush and commanded, "Houndoom, Flamethrower!"

As the attack commenced, Kalia and her friends also took action, releasing their Poké Balls to summon their Pokémon.

Houndoom unleashed a scorching Flamethrower directly towards Kalia at high speed.

"Just as expected from inexperienced young Trainers," the mysterious figure sighed, envisioning them being engulfed and burned by Houndoom's flames.

At this critical moment, Lian intervened by unleashing his own Flamethrower, precisely blocking Houndoom's intense flames.

However, it was evident that Houndoom's Flamethrower was stronger. Although the rain weakened Fire-type moves, it also diminished the effectiveness of Lian's Flamethrower.

Houndoom effortlessly overpowered Lian's flames, clearly indicating its high level.

"Fire-type moves won't affect my Houndoom," the mysterious individual chuckled.

In the next instant, Houndoom ceased its Flamethrower attack. Despite Lian promptly stopping as well, some of the flames still reached Houndoom.

"Oh no." Lian had intended to counter with Flamethrower, but he didn't anticipate Houndoom abruptly withdrawing its flames. Similar to Vulpix, this Houndoom possessed the Flame Body Ability, making it immune to Fire-type moves and even absorbing the flames to become stronger.