socalfunplaces Chapter 427 Explosions are Everyone's Romance
Chapter 427 Explosions are Everyone's Romance
Chapter 429 Explosions are Everyone's Romance
A deafening explosion erupted from inside the destroyer, causing the entire ice cave to tremble slightly. Along with the bang, Vio's communicator emitted a piercing alarm, and the channel instantly filled with the chaotic shouts of his subordinates: "Control room out of service!"
"The power compartment is in disarray, and the power generation system has failed!"
"The corridor in Area A is blocked, and further reinforcements cannot arrive!"
At the same time, the situation on the battlefield had already turned around—Cario and Snorlax used the "Earthquake" move together, making the ice layer, which had already been punctured by the destroyer, even more precarious.
Under their cover, Alakazam, Espeon, and other Pokémon that had been holding off Team Plasma suddenly vanished. The intense battle scene from just moments ago seemed like a dream, leaving only bewildered enemies on the ice, staring at Snorlax and the others as they turned and retreated out of the cave.
Izumi stood a few meters away on the ice, lightly tapping his temple with his fingertips, his brow furrowed slightly: "It seems Golduck's mental link has been severed. Looks like we underestimated that detective."
"Hey, is this what you call 'absolutely foolproof'?"
Vio, who had muted his communicator, glared at Izumi.
The former sage, known as the "opportunist," lowered his voice, but every word was still as sharp as an ice pick from a clamshell—"I'm telling you, the surveillance cameras the cult set up near the cave have detected traces of the intruders—those police! They outnumber us at least three to one, so they don't even bother to cover their tracks!"
He strode up to the Navy Fleet officers. The situation before him had crossed the line for even a sage like himself; he couldn't maintain his composure and calmness in such a moment.
"The destroyer's control center has been blown up, and we're stuck here, waiting to be surrounded by the police outside."
Even if a small group manages to break through at all costs, that sealed spirit will inevitably fall into the Alliance's hands! At that point, we'll be utterly defeated!
"What's the panic?"
Quan stood with his arms crossed, letting the white mist from his breath condense between the two of them. "A ship is never driven by a computer, and a bomb can't sink an entire ship—that's why I saw that detective enter the ship without any rush."
She calmly used a Poké Ball to recall Sharpedo and Cloyster from the ground, then turned and walked towards the stern of the destroyer at the edge of the ice cave.
"Although you unromantic folks dismantled the bridge a lot during the ship's conversion, thankfully the emergency steering station inside was preserved."
"So, you can restart the destroyer?" Vio's eyes lit up with renewed hope.
"Of course." The officer of the water fleet tossed his black hair. "Although the central control system has been destroyed, I'm here. Even if the control system is completely paralyzed, I can still restart the ship manually."
Vio stood still, ice crystals from the previous battle condensing at the hem of his priest's robe. "You'd better be really confident this time."
Quan suddenly stopped and turned half of his face to the side: "I think the one who should be worried is me."
The contempt in her eyes was palpable: "The number of people I brought off the ship was actually less than half of what was on the destroyer. In the same situation, the fleet would never allow a single enemy to break through the ship's defenses."
"Killer Feather Stream" ground the ice beneath his waterproof boots. "You bunch of grand-talking sages," he said, "seem to have little talent for training subordinates. This makes me very worried about our future cooperation. Team Aqua and your Plasma Team are ultimately two different organizations, yet until now, I haven't seen any value from you as allies."
After a moment of silence, Vio spoke: "I know that you boarded the Order's destroyer alone on this trip, and it couldn't have been just to help. The Fleet of Water may also have its own purposes."
He placed a hand on his shoulder, his hawk-like eyes lowered: "But now, I ask that you help us resolve this crisis at any cost. In the process, whatever these eyes see, I will remain silent to Quixote and the other high-ranking members of the Plasma Group."
"Oh."
Ice crystals, shaken from the top of the ice cave, rained down like rain. Quan's laughter was particularly clear in the cold wind. "You're really shrewd. If it were Ah Chao, he probably would never have said something so clever in his entire life. Don't worry, I never intended to surrender to the police. Of course, I'll do my best to help you with this. As for now—wise sage, you either come with me to restart the ship, or you stay here and wait for the police to close the net."
When Lyra and Alakazam appeared at the scene of the explosion using the "Teleport" technique, the control room in front of them was already a mess.
Between the twisted metal frames, only the charred control console was still emitting wisps of smoke—the destroyer's plasma cluster control system had been completely destroyed.
Alakazam was indeed unable to pinpoint its location inside the sealed destroyer, but the energy ripples from the violent explosion acted like a lighthouse in the night, guiding the superpowered individual to its location.
As soon as she landed, Lila's purple pupils suddenly contracted.
Amidst the billowing smoke, she saw the handsome man trapped between two twisted steel plates and the wreckage of the control panel.
Although the two perpendicular steel plates didn't fall directly on the handsome man, and even cushioned most of the impact of the explosion, the detective's back was already soaked in blood. Beside him, the delinquent frog lay limp on the ground, its dark blue skin covered in burn marks.
This loyal Pokémon is particularly afraid of the high temperature of an explosion because of its "Dry Skin" ability, but in the critical moment, it still tried to shield its trainer from the damage with its body, and has now completely passed out.
Unexpectedly, the waterproof bomb developed by this research department possessed such destructive power. Outside the control room, the Plasma Team members lay sprawled on the ground like wheat ears swept by a hurricane. The collapsed equipment formed a natural barrier, isolating the Plasma Team's reinforcements. Due to the high temperature of the explosion, sparks occasionally flew in and out of the indoor alarm, casting flickering light on 'Fallen Wave's' somber profile.
Lila immediately had Alakazam use its telekinesis to move the two steel plates pressing down on the handsome man, but just as her hand was about to touch his shoulder—
"Cough cough, don't worry about me." The seriously injured detective suddenly opened his eyes. Although his vision was blurry, he accurately recognized Lila's footsteps.
"There might be a backup manual operating system on this ship," he said, struggling to pull a recently confiscated crew manual from the inside pocket of his blood-stained jacket. "Quick—stop them."
"Okay, I understand."
Without further ado, Lila immediately understood the seriousness of the situation. She stuffed the first aid kit and the Spirit Shard into the hands of the handsome guy and the rascal, while simultaneously unfastening the Raikou Poké Ball from her waist.
In a flash, the Interpol expedition leader left only a brief command: "Lightning speed!"
In an instant, golden lightning ripped through the dimly lit corridor inside the ship, and the figures of the man and his pet vanished, leaving only arcs of electricity dancing in the air.
The simple map in the crew manual did not mark the location of the backup system, but Lila's years of experience as a criminal investigator allowed her to immediately determine the direction of the backup control room—such facilities must be laid out diagonally opposite to the main control room, that is, on the other side of the ship opposite to this location.
She immediately rode Raikou at breakneck speed along the tilting cabin. When she encountered Team Plasma, she even used static electricity to fly upside down from the cabin ceiling. She encountered no significant obstacles along the way, only the metal floor making a crisp clanging sound under the feet of the legendary Pokémon.
Just as they rounded the last bend, the detective's pupils suddenly contracted—before the slowly opening emergency exit door at the tail, Vio's priestly robes and Izumi's black hair came into view. The three of them looked up almost simultaneously, and time seemed to freeze at that moment.
"Alas, it's all fate," Vio sighed.
"Stop her! I'm going to start the engine!" Izumi shouted sharply. Before he finished speaking, he had already rushed towards the emergency control pod behind him. The original Sage threw several Poké Balls without hesitation. At the same time, a large number of Team Plasma members surged in like a tide, instantly blocking the narrow passage.
"Quick reaction." Lila's eyes turned slightly cold as she said in a low voice, "But unfortunately, I've already seen you."
The next second, Alakazam's figure flashed behind her—the "Instant Transmission" move was activated!
Lila, Raikou, and Alakazam all vanished simultaneously, their target being Izumi behind the human wall. However, just as the spatial rift distorted by "Instant Teleportation" dissipated—"Crunch!"
Just above where Lyra landed, Sharpedo's gaping maw suddenly tore through the air, its sharp fangs precisely aimed at Alakazam, which had just appeared.
This emergency control station turned out to be a trap hastily set up by the "Murderous Feather Stream"!
click!
Alakazam, already exhausted from continuous long-distance teleportation, completely lost consciousness under this fierce "Crunch" and collapsed to the ground.
"The cheating teleporting Pokémon have finally quieted down a bit; now it's time for one-on-one cage battles."
Deep inside the room, a cold smile crept across Quan's lips. He pulled a lever to activate the destroyer's backup hydraulic system, then slammed his hand on the control panel in front of him, switching the engine room's operation from automatic to manual.
"Now—this ship is my home turf!"
As soon as Quan finished speaking, a grass-green figure shot out from the shadows—it was the cheerful and talented Lucky Kappa.
The sprite suddenly started a comical dance, and the strange rhythm involuntarily attracted the Thunder God's attention, plunging him into a state of temporary confusion.
In another direction, the shell of the Spiny Shell suddenly opened, and sharp "ice spikes" carrying "rock blasts" poured down like a torrential rain, completely blocking Raikou's escape route.
At the same time, thick mud poured down from the ceiling, and a catfish king was turning the entire cabin into a mud pit by "playing with mud," while the lightning around the Thunder God became dim and lost in the mud.
However, the siege by the Navy's officers showed no signs of abating—
Almost simultaneously, a sharp, piercing "bug chirp" rang out, the sound waves slicing through like blades, causing Lila's newly summoned Espeon to collapse. Behind the detective, a Mothro spread its dazzling, eye-like wings, the oppressive aura of its "Intimidate" ability causing the air to momentarily freeze.
Two more gray tentacles rose up at Lila's feet. As they touched the detective's legs, the paralyzing poison entered Lila's body along with a stinging sensation, and the detective immediately bent over weakly.
It's the "poison sting" attack of the stinging jellyfish.
"Did you think I would take only six Pokémon across the ocean from the Hoenn region?" Izumi's cold laugh carried a hint of regret that no one else could detect.
As a veteran member of Team Aqua, Izumi had previously scattered different Pokémon throughout the destroyer, so that if needed, she could control the entire destroyer single-handedly, bypassing Team Plasma. This was a perfect contingency plan she had secretly laid out, but at this moment she wished she could turn back time—if all these hidden forces were concentrated in the control room, that other despicable detective would never have succeeded.
Behind Lila, the Plasma Team's reinforcements had recovered from the chaos and were closing in again.
Looking at the Ludicolo, King Catfish, Rainwing Moth, and Tentacruel that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere beside Izumi, Vio's expression was grim, as if he were calculating something—but at that moment, Izumi clapped her hands in delight: "It's done!"
A tremor seemed to awaken something beneath my feet, and the entire destroyer seemed to be roused from its slumber. This destroyer, which had just lost its "brain," was regaining its vitality.
The previously dormant electrical system restarted, and the power collected from the Pokémon in the power room was restored to all parts of the ship. Emergency lights went out one by one, replaced by bright cabin lighting. The roar of the engines gradually grew stronger, the turbines vibrated the deck, and heat spread through the pipes, the steam beginning to further melt the ice layer between the destroyer and the underground river.
Click-click—
The sound of ice breaking pierced through the thick hull and reached the steering station clearly.
Quan's hand was already on the massive rudder. With just a twist, this steel behemoth would break free from its icy shackles and speed away through the wide underground river, completely shaking off the curse of the Giant's Cave.
"Change course!"
Quan shouted happily. Seeing that all the Pokémon she held were restricted, and even that she herself had been hit by Tentacruel's "poison sting", a bright smile appeared on her face.
However, this smile froze on her face when Lila held up the spherical object.
"I'm not like that handsome guy; I don't carry around any portable explosives that would be confused with Poké Balls—but that doesn't mean I can't make the same kind of noise as him."
Even with poison in her leg, Lila's voice remained calm and firm.
"Retreat! Back up!" The moment Vio saw what was under the translucent material of the spherical object, he decisively ordered his men to retreat, but—it was too late.
"Whether you turn the steering wheel's needle or not, the outcome will be the same."
Quan gritted her teeth, struggling to turn the heavy steering wheel, trying to start the destroyer before Lila could retaliate. Seeing her stubborn resistance, Lila couldn't help but chuckle.
The next instant, a bluish-gray four-legged metal monster was launched from the red and white Poké Ball.
It was the Metagross that had been knocked down by Genesect earlier, but had regained a sliver of strength using the Spirit Shard while Lila was in hiding.
And now is the time for it to play its role again!
"Now!"
Before any of the Pokémon on the field could attack, the detective had given the final order.
""big Bang"!"
Another deafening explosion came from inside the destroyer, causing the entire Ice Chapter to tremble slightly once again.