"…"
After N's words, the atmosphere became awkward for a while.
The ponytailed girl lowered her head and poked at her fingers, question marks practically filling her mind. Every now and then, she glanced at Liam and N, who were obviously quite close to each other, but she simply couldn't figure out what their relationship was.
Liam had just said that N was his son, only for N to immediately deny it. On top of that, one of them had come from the Kanto region while the other was a native of Unova…
The ponytailed girl's mind raced as she tried to make sense of it all. Finally—
"There's way too much information to process!"
The ponytailed girl covered her forehead, her eyes spinning as she mentally screamed in frustration.
Just as the ponytailed girl was feeling utterly bewildered—
"Beep~ Beep beep~"
The train, which had been speeding along, gradually began to slow down before finally coming to a complete stop.
"Hm? What's going on? Have we arrived?"
Liam, sitting beside the window, was the first to notice something was wrong. He looked curiously at the pitch-black scenery outside.
And just as Liam finished speaking—
"Crack!"
A thunderbolt suddenly tore across the sky! The silvery-white lightning illuminated the entire landscape for an instant!
"Rumble—BOOM!!"
A deep peal of thunder followed immediately afterward!
Still puzzled, Liam opened the window and leaned his upper body outside. Then, he saw it.
On the vast plain ahead of the train, two enormous masses of clouds were continuously colliding with each other in the sky!
As the two clouds crashed together, the surrounding weather began to deteriorate rapidly. Howling winds accompanied torrential rain, while lightning mixed with furious thunder. The scene before him looked almost like the world was about to end!
At the same time, just as Liam got a clear view of what was happening ahead, the train's announcement system came to life.
"Dear passengers, due to abnormal weather conditions ahead of the railway, this train will temporarily suspend its journey in order to ensure the safety of all passengers and their belongings. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding and cooperation."
"…"
So it really was because of the weather ahead.
And it made sense. The train was essentially made of steel. If it recklessly entered an area filled with such violent lightning and storms, the consequences could be disastrous.
"There's nothing we can do. We'll just have to wait. I wonder how long this thunderstorm will last."
There was little Liam could do about a natural weather phenomenon like this. For now, all he could do was wait patiently.
"By the way, Miss Lan, I haven't asked you yet. Are you a local? Why are you traveling to Anville Town alone?"
Since they had nothing else to do, Liam struck up a conversation with the ponytailed girl.
"Me? Actually, I'm not from Unova either. I came to Anville Town to visit some relatives. My uncle and aunt just had a daughter. They finally had a child despite having them so late in life, so naturally I had to come and congratulate them."
The ponytailed girl also craned her neck to look outside the window. Upon hearing Liam's question, she smiled and answered.
"Oh, I see. In that case, congratulations in advance."
Liam nodded thoughtfully.
After that, the train remained stationary.
Half an hour passed.
The thunderstorm ahead not only showed no signs of weakening, but appeared to be growing even stronger!
Meanwhile, inside the train's driver's cabin, a female conductor was anxiously shouting at an elderly man whose hair had already turned partially gray.
"Chief! We can't wait any longer! At the rate the storm is spreading, if we wait any longer, it'll be too late!"
The female conductor sounded extremely anxious as she looked at the approaching thunderstorm, her eyes filled with worry.
But the elderly man she called the chief conductor looked hesitant, seemingly unable to make up his mind.
Just as the old conductor was hesitating—
A gigantic ball of wind mixed with lightning suddenly shot out from the clouds overhead!
It slammed directly into the ground not far from the train's driver's cabin!
BOOM!!
A violent explosion erupted instantly!
The raging winds and lightning intertwined and spread wildly through the air. Because the impact occurred so close to the train, the windshield of the driver's cabin was shattered by the shockwave almost immediately!
Countless shards of glass rained down upon the driver and the old conductor inside the cabin!
"Cough, cough! This… this is terrifying! Hurry! Tell the passengers to evacuate immediately! Hurry!"
Finally experiencing the true might of the storm, the old conductor shouted at the female conductor, his face covered in tiny pieces of glass and blood.
"Yes!!"
"Attention, all passengers! The thunderstorm is now spreading toward the train! The situation is extremely dangerous! All passengers must immediately leave the train and evacuate! I repeat, evacuate immediately!"
As the announcement echoed through the train, the entire carriage erupted into chaos.
The explosion near the front of the train had already attracted the attention of many passengers. Now that the danger had been officially confirmed, everyone aboard the train quickly descended into panic.
People shoved and jostled one another as they desperately rushed toward the exits.
But Liam remained seated in his place, making no move to leave.
Since Liam wasn't moving, N naturally wasn't going anywhere either.
And because neither Liam nor N showed the slightest sign of panic, even the ponytailed girl remained calmly seated in her original spot, watching the chaotic crowd around her with great interest. There wasn't the slightest hint of concern on her face.
"Alright, that should be enough. N, you and Zorua wait here on the train. Zorua, take good care of N. I'll be back soon."
Only after everyone else had evacuated did Liam finally stand up. He reached behind himself, took out a PokeBall, and released Lolo before speaking to the two of them.
"Miss Lan, you stay here too. Don't worry about the storm outside. Just stay here and wait patiently. I'll go take care of the thunderstorm."
Liam gave the ponytailed girl the same instructions before quickly stepping off the train.
Originally, Liam had assumed that the abnormal weather ahead had formed naturally. If that had been the case, then even he would have had little way of dealing with it without bringing out Rayquaza—a Pokémon capable of controlling the weather, but one that wasn't particularly obedient.
However, just as the thunderstorm began approaching Liam's location, he suddenly received a notification from the system!
[Ding!]
[Emergency Quest issued]
"Emergency Quest: The Willful Pokémon Stirring Up the Storm!]
[Quest Description: Across the vast plains, the furious Cyclone Pokémon is venting its rage! Discover its true identity! You must obtain an identifying sample from Tornadus—blood, fur, scales, or any other suitable material will suffice.]
[Quest Reward: 1,000 Exchange Points and one Mysterious Gift Pack.]
[Note: This quest carries no penalty. The host may choose to ignore it, and doing so will have no effect on the host.]
[Ding!]
[Emergency Quest issued]
[Emergency Quest: The Unyielding Pokémon Wielding Lightning!]
[Quest Description: Across the vast plains, the Lightning Pokémon is unleashing its limitless electrical power as it battles its mortal enemy! Discover its true identity! You must obtain an identifying sample from Thundurus—blood, fur, scales, or any other suitable material will suffice.]
[Quest Reward: 1,000 Exchange Points and one Mysterious Gift Pack.]
[Note: This quest carries no penalty. The host may choose to ignore it, and doing so will have no effect on the host.]
With the appearance of these two emergency quests, the true culprits behind the thunderstorm ahead were immediately revealed.
There was no need to think about it.
It was obviously those two guys who could never stand each other—Tornadus and Thundurus!
And now that Liam knew the storm wasn't a natural phenomenon, he became confident.
He stepped off the train and walked directly into the howling wind toward the thunderstorm.
At this moment, the two enormous masses of clouds that had originally been clashing in the sky had already merged together, forming a gigantic storm cloud many times larger than before!
Powerful gusts of wind and bolts of lightning continuously shot out from the enormous cloud. Many of them struck the ground, leaving the entire plain in a state of extreme danger!
"You two really are a pair of troublemakers! And now that I've run into you today, before Landorus comes out to teach you a lesson, let me deal with you properly first! Come out, Deoxys!!"
"Deoxys!!"
With Liam's shout, a white light burst out from behind him.
A moment later, Deoxys floated into the air, hovering behind Liam.
Deoxys raised its head and stared at the enormous storm cloud overhead, sensing the two powerful auras emanating from within.
Having just learned several new moves, Deoxys was already feeling eager to test them out!
"Go, Deoxys! Let's start with a greeting! Use Aura Sphere!!"
"Deoxys!!"