Chapter 52: Escape

Chapter 52: Escape

A thunderous roar erupted, fierce and overwhelming, as a wave of pressure from a creature atop the food chain crashed down upon the three people in the cave.

The three-headed evil dragon, discovering its nest had been invaded, was consumed by fury.

It would tear these insects to shreds!

Ah Zhe was drenched in sweat, holding out his hand, not daring to move a muscle. Yet in his eyes, where despair had taken root, a spark of hope began to flicker as the three-headed dragon appeared.

Xiao Zhu, too, seemed to sense a chance at survival. Body tensed, her eyes regained a glimmer of vitality as she glanced at Ah Zhe, ready to seize any opportunity.

Perhaps from a sudden shock, Noel’s reaction was strangely abnormal. His body was stiff, trembling violently, eyes rolled upward revealing pale sclera, and a trickle of froth gathered at his lips.

The blood-red eyes of the three-headed dragon, cold and merciless, swept across the cave.

Suddenly, its pupils contracted sharply.

The dragon egg it had placed in the center of the nest was gone!

A formless storm erupted from the three-headed dragon, carrying a heart-stopping power that swept through the cave with irresistible force. Howling gales spun, lifting stones high into the air.

A deafening dragon’s roar shook the air.

Within the cave, across the mountain peaks, through the dense forests—even at the edge of the island’s sea—countless Pokémon froze in their tracks.

High above, a proud Pidgeot folded its wings and perched on a branch, bowing its crested head toward the mountain.

In the jungles, swarms of Ledyba, once surging like a tide, now stood petrified, transformed into lines of stocky wooden posts.

Out at sea, the surface shimmered as countless Magikarp and Wishiwashi rolled their eyes and floated belly-up, fainted.

All of Eagle Island seemed to freeze in a single moment, time itself suspended in silence.

The crimson glow of the three-headed dragon’s eyes, like six lanterns in the darkness, sent chills down the spine.

“Aaahhhhhhh!”

Under unbearable tension, Noel’s mind snapped. Veins bulged in his neck as he screamed wildly.

“Why… why does everyone have to stand in my way?!”

Convulsing violently, nearly mad, Noel howled.

Sensing its trainer’s intense emotions, the battered Noivern in the corner struggled to its feet, fighting the urge to submit to the three-headed dragon.

A blue-violet light gathered in its gaping mouth, and with a thunderous blast, a dragon-shaped energy missile shot toward the three-headed dragon.

“Dragon Pulse!”

The blood-red eyes of the enraged dragon turned. Its rage flared, igniting like powder struck by a spark.

It roared, each of its three heads gathering the same blue-violet energy.

The energy pulsed with a familiar aura—akin to Noivern’s Dragon Pulse, but faster and far more powerful.

Concentrated dragon energy, as tangible as fierce fire, gathered in the gaping maws.

“Dragon Pulse!”

Boom—

Three beams of blue-violet energy converged in the air, their mystical force weaving together in ways the naked eye could not see.

In the cave, they formed a lifelike miniature three-headed dragon, its translucent body gleaming, every scale distinct.

Wreathed in dazzling flame, the energy dragon, borne by a whirlwind, charged straight for Noivern.

On its path, it met Noivern’s own Dragon Pulse. The energy dragon ignored it as one might ignore a worm, shattering it with the chaotic energy overflowing from its body.

Boom—

Blinding blue-violet light illuminated the pitch-black cave. Violent tremors shook the ground; massive stones crashed from the ceiling, burying the fallen Noivern deep below.

Ah Zhe stood in silence, head bowed, body rigid in the cave’s corner, terrified of drawing the dragon’s gaze.

Yet in his eyes, staring at the ground, a flash of insight appeared, as if considering some plan.

The three-headed dragon, lost to rage, had shed all reason. Its pupils vanished, replaced by a fierce crimson glow.

Boom—

Boom—

Relentless, the three-headed dragon unleashed wave after wave of Dragon Pulse upon the corner where Noivern had fallen.

“Aaahhhh!”

Noel clutched his head, squatting low, screaming hoarsely as if something inside him was unraveling.

To the three-headed dragon, his cries were nothing but the grating buzz of an insect.

The leftmost head swung, firing a blue-violet energy cannon straight at Noel.

But Noel, mind wracked with pain, could not react.

The overwhelming Dragon Pulse was about to consume him when, suddenly, the Pokéballs on his belt trembled violently.

Click—

With a sharp snap, three beams of red light shot into the cave.

Noel’s Pokémon, sensing their master’s mortal peril, could bear it no longer. They broke free from their Pokéballs and rushed out.

A translucent shield of white light formed before Noel, blocking the Dragon Pulse sent casually by the three-headed dragon.

Seeing its attack fail, the enraged dragon felt its dignity insulted by these ants. It turned its fury toward Noel, preparing to unleash another barrage.

“Now’s the time!”

Suddenly, Ah Zhe, who had stood motionless in the corner, shouted. He hurled the backpack containing the dragon egg toward Noel, then, without looking back, sprinted for the exit with Xiao Zhu.

The three-headed dragon, roaring, saw the black backpack arc through the air, landing precisely where it was about to attack.

Within it, a familiar aura stirred.

A trace of reason returned to its blood-red eyes. Dragon energy surged within the cave; unwilling to let the two fleeing insects distract it, the dragon pooled its strength and fired yet another Dragon Pulse from its jaws.

It was even faster than before.

This new blast overtook the previous one, overtaking it in midair.

Boom—

The resulting explosion unleashed a tremendous force, and under the dragon’s exquisite control, the two attacks neutralized each other.

Thud.

The backpack tumbled to the ground.

Seeing its egg unharmed, even the iron heart of the three-headed dragon could not help but relax.

Crimson light flickered in its fierce eyes as it turned back to the squatting Noel.

Outside the cave, Ah Zhe and Xiao Zhu pumped their arms, wringing the last drops of strength from their bodies as they raced down the mountain.