Inside the ship's hold, in a sturdy iron cage suspended in the air, the captured group was crammed together, with no extra space to move.
Ash rubbed the forehead he had just bumped. "Ouch... is everyone okay?"
"I'm fine!" Tracey was the first to respond, but his face was pressed against the iron bars, his features distorted under the pressure. It was clear he was just putting on a brave face.
"What about you, Natsui?"
"I'm fine too," Natsui's voice was calm. Although he wasn't in as pathetic a state as Tracey, he was currently facing another serious problem.
Due to his position, he was practically surrounded by women. Sabrina was pressed against his front, Misty was at his left, Melody was at his right, and it even seemed like Jessie's backside was against his back!
Although it looked like he was in an enviable position, Natsui could swear he absolutely didn't do it on purpose!
It was just that in the tumbling chaos, he had accidentally ended up in this position!
Just then, feeling something strange in front of her, Sabrina couldn't help but ask, "What do you have in your pocket? Why is it bulging?"
As she spoke, she shifted her body slightly. Seeing this, Natsui quickly said in embarrassment, "Wait! Sabrina... just don't move for a moment. I'm a bit... uh... uncomfortably squeezed..."
Due to her personality, Sabrina clearly didn't understand the meaning behind Natsui's words at first. She just shot him a look and said helplessly, "I really don't understand why you stopped me just now. If I had acted, we could have completely avoided this situation!"
"Don't worry," Natsui said, arching his back slightly, trying his best to make his expression look not-so-comfortable. "Now that they've caught us, they'll have to explain whether they're going to kill us or let us go. Besides, this gives us a chance to see what the people on this ship are really up to!"
Just then, perhaps from standing for too long, Misty and Melody also began to shift restlessly. In that instant, both of Natsui's arms were enveloped in softness.
Oh no, my heart is beating even faster!!
"Ahem..."
To distract himself, Natsui's gaze swept around, taking in their surroundings. However, with just one look, he saw the bound god of thunder, and not far from it, a Moltres, also trapped in a cage!
"It's the god of fire! It's here too!!" Melody said, and to get a better look, she practically threw herself onto Natsui!
But for Natsui, he was now in a position where he couldn't move, nor could he stay still.
How to describe it... this feeling... while wonderful, he couldn't bring himself to refuse...
And while everyone's attention was focused on the god of fire, Natsui made another discovery.
On the floor was a display case about the height of a coffee table, and through the glass cover, an ancient stone tablet could be clearly seen.
"What's that?"
He gently nudged Melody with his elbow. His original intention was just to get her to look at the stone tablet, but he hadn't expected to accidentally touch her on the abdomen!
And because of the earlier chaos, her shirt had ridden up, revealing the smooth skin underneath.
Instantly, a delicate and soft sensation was transmitted through his arm.
But fortunately, at this moment, Melody's attention was completely focused on the stone tablet, and she didn't notice anything amiss.
"...the god of fire, the god of thunder, the god of ice must not be disturbed... This... isn't this the text from the prophecy!? How did it end up here!?"
"There's nothing strange about it," Natsui said, again forcing himself to shift his focus to clear things up for the confused Melody. "It's precisely because of this stone tablet that the god of thunder and the god of fire were targeted for capture."
As a very smart girl, Melody understood immediately.
But even so, she still turned back to look at Natsui and said in disbelief, "The god of fire, the god of ice... are you saying that the next target of the people on this airship is the god of the sea—Lugia!?"
And only after they were face to face did Melody suddenly realize that she was almost completely draped over the man. She let out a small "eep," struggled for a moment to get off Natsui, and her face turned crimson.
On the other side, Misty looked at Melody with a teasing, gloating smile. As if to show off, she didn't let go, but instead wrapped her arms tightly around Natsui's arm, lifted her head at Melody, and looked completely triumphant.
This time, it was Natsui's turn to pretend not to notice anything. As if he hadn't seen Melody's embarrassment, he stared straight ahead and said, "I'm afraid we'll only know that when they tell us themselves."
And as if to confirm Natsui's point, just then, with a slight vibration, an elevator platform began to descend slowly from the top of the hold.
Everyone looked up and saw, beneath a ceiling covered in murals of angels, a man with a somewhat wicked charm, lounging on a sofa, sizing them up with a scrutinizing gaze.
"You are the first people to come here without an invitation." When the elevator landed, the man stood up, his cold gaze sweeping over them. "How does it feel? The god of fire, Moltres; the god of thunder, Zapdos. These are my new acquisitions."
His words could be said to have completely shocked Misty and the others.
"Wait a second, mister!" Misty shouted. "If you're going to catch Pokémon, why don't you do it in a proper battle? Isn't this an insult to them!?"
"I am no Pokémon trainer," the man said in a deep voice. "I am a collector. Capturing rare Pokémon and putting them on display, now that is what you call collecting. Well then, please feel free to tour my collection, but out of courtesy, please do not touch them."
With that, he snapped his fingers. The next second, they heard the sound of gears turning, and the iron cage binding them suddenly split in two!
Instantly, everyone lost their footing and fell from mid-air, landing in a heap.
And just before they hit the ground, Natsui, with his quick reflexes, and also worried that Sabrina might use her psychic powers and expose her strength, wrapped his arms around her and turned, shielding her with his body.
And as he fell towards the ground, a barely perceptible gust of wind caught his body, slowing the impact of the fall.
Sure enough, the collector glanced at them but noticed nothing unusual.
Actually, Natsui had thought about simply taking out the crazy collector right here and now, but doing so would mean he wouldn't get to see Lugia appear!
Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, he had chosen to bide his time.
Just then, a synthetic female voice sounded from beside the collector.
"Articuno's trail has been detected. Commencing tracking... Beep... Tracking successful."
"Excellent," the man said with a smile, sitting back down on the elevator as it began to return to the upper cockpit. "The god of ice, this final Legendary Pokémon, has also appeared. It seems my plan will soon be complete."
------------------------
Support my projects and get immediate access to hundreds of chapters of Bleach, Naruto, Pokémon, and more! ✨ Key Benefit: Your favorite novels, with my quality, and always up-to-date.
Featured Novels (with hundreds of chapters available NOW!):
The Heroine Wants to Join My Harem (1050 caps)
Goddess Training Manual (800 caps)
I Have Caught a Pokémon (700 caps)
Bleach Getting Stronger (330 caps)
Naruto: Saving the Uchiha (300 caps)
And many more!
Why subscribe?
🔥 Immediate Access: Read my new chapters before anyone else.
📚 Huge Library: Access my complete catalog instantly.
⭐️ High Quality: Enjoy the novels with a professional and well-crafted text written by me.