An abstract trainer who taught Charmander the Incinerate move

Chapter 317 A Lotus Under the Eternal Azure Sky (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Faced with Groudon's terrifying stomp that harnessed the power of the entire desert's ley lines, Zi Yan's delicate face instantly lost all color.

Her slender arms moved rapidly in front of her, outlining intricate and mysterious silver trajectories.

"Hold on for me! Spatial Barrier - Thousand Layers!"

She shrieked, and the immense spatial power around her condensed into layers of spatial barriers shimmering with water-like patterns in front of her and Xiao Huolong.

However, the gap between a Dou Wang and a Dou Zong is as vast as a firefly vying for the moon's brilliance!

Before Groudon's giant foot had even fully landed, the sheer pressure and fluctuations of its laws caused the layers of barriers to collapse and dissipate at a visible speed.

Zi Yan let out a muffled groan, a trickle of purplish-gold blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. Her petite body trembled violently, clearly having reached her limit.

Just at this critical moment, a sharp screech filled with boundless rage suddenly rang out from beside Xiao Huolong's feet!
A dazzling cyan-green light shot into the sky from the vine snake that Xiao Huolong had been paying special attention to!

The light was not dazzling, but it carried a powerful vitality that nourished all things and brought forth endless life.

In the blink of an eye, the little snake that had been hiding behind the rock and trembling had disappeared, and in its place stood Queen Milotic once again between heaven and earth!
Her lower body is a smooth and noble Milotic form, with long tail fins that spread out like a galaxy, while her upper body, in human form, appears more mature and beautiful.

What's even more striking is that the battle aura surrounding her is no longer a pure light blue, but is interwoven with a vibrant turquoise halo, achieving perfect harmony and unity between the water and grass attributes on her!

"【Water Dragon Devouring Heaven Technique】!"

Queen Milotic parted her red lips slightly, her cold voice carrying supreme authority.

She gently raised her jade-like hand, drawing in the remaining water molecules in the air and her own abundant aquatic and grass-based battle qi, instantly forming a giant dragon composed of extremely condensed cyan-blue water attribute energy.

The dragon's body was even faintly entwined with the phantom images of vines and lotus flowers, exuding an aura that was both supple and explosive.

The water dragon let out a deafening roar, containing some kind of law power of devouring, entangling, and absorbing, and surged upwards, crashing fiercely into Groudon's giant foot covered with dark red carapace!
"Boom——!!!"

The deafening roar of the energy collision caused the entire bottom of the pool to shake violently once again.

The water dragon wasn't directly crushed; instead, it seemed to come alive, tightly binding Groudon's giant foot. The devouring power from the dragon's mouth frantically tore at the condensed earth energy, while the green grass-type light continuously eroded the destructive intent of this attack.

Groudon was clearly caught off guard by this sudden counterattack, especially the intense stinging sensation caused by the type disadvantage. Its massive body staggered involuntarily, taking several steps back, each step leaving a deep pit in the hard rock!
Queen Milotic hovered in the air, her beautiful azure eyes sweeping over the distant temple, now reduced to ruins, and the serpent people who had perished in the aftershocks of the cliff-cutting sword. A chill ran through her eyes.

She shouted angrily at Groudon, word by word.

"You beast! How dare you run wild in my territory and slaughter my people! I think you have a death wish!"

At this moment, her dual-elemental battle aura of water and grass radiated out without reservation, sweeping across the entire dilapidated royal city like an invisible storm, revealing an undeniable terrifying pressure!

The phantom of the Crimson Elder hovering beside Xiao Huolong shuddered suddenly, and an expression of extreme shock appeared on his face beneath the red hat.

[Good heavens! Queen Milotic has actually used the boundless vitality of vegetation contained within the Azure Lotus Core Flame and the creative power born from the destruction of fire to complete a transformation of her attributes, advancing from a pure water-type to a dual water-and-grass type! And she's already stepped into the half-step Dou Zong realm! It seems her soul and new body are rejecting each other after her evolution. Once she fully stabilizes her realm, she'll probably become a true Dou Zong powerhouse immediately!]

Repelled by what he saw as a reptile, Groudon's lava-like pupils were instantly filled with boundless rage.

[You wretched reptile! You've only managed to obtain a trace of the Azure Emperor's remaining aura, yet you dare to be so insolent before me! Today, I will utterly raze this snake's lair to the ground, leaving the Tager Desert devoid of any life! Prepare to die!]

It roared to the sky, and the End of the Land Technique was activated wildly. The power of the earth veins in the entire desert surged forth even more fiercely than before, as if summoned by an emperor.

With its arms outstretched, an even larger [Cliff Sword] suddenly materialized, carrying the will to end everything, and slashed down fiercely towards Queen Milotic!
Where the sword passed, space was not distorted, but rather tiny black cracks appeared!

Queen Milotic's expression was extremely solemn. She formed complex and profound hand seals, and her body was surrounded by a swirling and boiling blue and emerald green battle aura.

[A myriad of snakes pay homage, protected by a blue lotus!]

With a sharp cry, countless miniature waterweed dragons emerged from behind her, roaring as they charged toward the precipice-shaped sword. At the same time, a giant blue lotus bloomed above her head, its petals layered upon each other, protecting her at the center.

"Boom! Boom boom boom—!!"

The continuous explosions were deafening.

The giant waterweed dragons crashed into the cliffside sword one after another, constantly diminishing its power, while the blue lotus shone brightly, forcefully withstanding the strongest impact of the sword's edge.

The double advantage of type advantage was on full display at this moment. Queen Milotic, at the half-step Battle Master level, actually withstood Groudon's full-force attack with her fury!
Although the lotus shook violently and cracks appeared on its petals, it did not break immediately!
However, Groudon is extremely experienced in combat.

[Hmph, attribute advantage? Before absolute power and domain, all is vanity! [Sunny Day Domain], open it for me!]

It stomped down hard, and the bone spikes on its back, which resembled the spine of a mountain range, burst forth with a scorching and dazzling light, like the core of the sun!
In an instant, the rules within the domain were forcibly rewritten!
The already unbearably hot bottom of the pool instantly soared to a terrifying temperature, the air distorted violently due to the high temperature, and visibility became completely blurred.

Queen Milotic's powerful water-attribute battle aura melted and weakened rapidly under the extreme heat and drought, like ice and snow thrown into a scalding stone!
The light from the protective blue lotus above her head also dimmed rapidly, and the speed at which the cracks spread suddenly accelerated!

"Well……!"

Queen Milotic groaned, and an unnatural flush appeared on her face.

Her water-type power, which she relied on to fight back, was greatly weakened, and relying solely on her grass-type fighting spirit, she was immediately at a complete disadvantage.

Groudon seized the opportunity, and Precipice Sword shone brightly once more, pressing down fiercely!
"Crack——!"

The protective lotus finally succumbed to the pressure and shattered with a crash!
Queen Milotic spat out a mouthful of blood, her body flying backward, her aura instantly weakening.

Amidst this chaotic battle, Gudike's gaze remained fixed on the blue lotus flame at the bottom of the pool, which continued to burn quietly, seemingly unaffected by the outside world.

A flicker of struggle crossed his face, but it was quickly replaced by greed and resolve.

"Fortune favors the bold! If not now, when? Afro-haired buffalo, mighty eagle, protect me! Fire moth, go, refine that strange fire!"

The fire moth beneath him let out a long cry, transforming into a golden-red streak of light, avoiding the center of the battle, and heading straight for the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame!

Amidst the chaos, Yunzhu's gaze swept over the plump, orange figure struggling painfully in the blue flames.

She was slightly taken aback at first, then an incredulous light flashed in her calm, beautiful eyes.

"That's... Xiao Huolong?! What's he doing here? And... refining a strange fire?!"

Seeing Queen Milotic retreating, and the aftershocks of Groudon's attack sweeping towards Xiao Huolong and Qinglian Earthfire, Yunzhu acted almost without hesitation.

"Garuda, Lucario, stop it! We can't let it affect that area!" Her voice was clear and firm as she commanded her two strongest Pokémon to bravely face the destructive energy turbulence, choosing without hesitation to protect Xiao Huolong, who was at a critical moment!

[Roar! How dare you, mere ants, stand in my way?! Power of the earth, grant me your might!]

The repeated obstacles enraged Groudon, which abandoned its battle with Queen Milotic and stomped its giant paws on the earth!

The domain power of the [End of the Land Technique] was pushed to its limit, and a terrifying gravity far exceeding the previous one, like an invisible mountain, crashed down on every living being on the battlefield!

"Ugh!"

"Humph!"

"Aaaaah—!"

In an instant, everyone was suppressed by the terrifying power of the earth, unable to move.

[Hahahaha, all of you, die! Shinra Tensei!!!]

Groudon suddenly spread its claws, drawing upon the immense energy of the entire desert, transforming it into a visible, earth-yellow torrent that swept towards all the creatures within its territory that were suppressed by gravity!

The spirits of Yunzhu were violently thrown away by the energy torrent and crashed into the distant rock wall, losing their ability to fight.

Yunzhu herself also spat out a mouthful of blood, half-kneeling on the ground, only managing to stay upright thanks to Garchomp, but she was already at her last gasp.

"cough!"

Gudek was desperately protected by the Afro-haired Buffalo, but both Volcano and Warrior Eagle were severely injured, and he himself was pale and weak.

Zi Yan spat out another mouthful of blood. The power of space was completely ineffective in the face of absolute power. She closed her eyes unwillingly, and her consciousness began to blur.

The water and wood dragon that Queen Milotic had conjured was violently dispersed by the energy torrent. She herself was struck as if by a heavy blow, and was sent flying backward into a pile of ruins, where she transformed back into her Snivy form.

Looking at Yunzhu falling one after another to protect him, Queen Milas fighting to the death for her clan, and Ziyan who was gluttonous but loyal, Xiao Huolong's large Tang-style eyes were filled with endless grief and helplessness.

"Aa ...

It roared furiously, wanting to fight, but it was unable to refine the strange fire and had no fighting power whatsoever. It could only watch helplessly as all of this happened.

[It's over, Fatty!]

Groudon grinned maliciously and raised its giant foot, which was powerful enough to crush mountains and rivers, once again. This time, its target was the immobile Xiao Huolong and the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame!

[You beast! Don't even think about harming my disciple!]

At this final moment, Elder Chi's previously illusory figure burst forth with an unprecedentedly dazzling light!
He didn't hesitate to burn his already limited soul essence!
The crimson-gold light, which condensed his life's cultivation and soul power, transformed into an incomparably solid shield of Xuan Fire, forcefully blocking Xiao Huolong's path!
"Chi Lao!!!"

Xiao Huolong let out a heart-wrenching roar. It could clearly sense that Elder Chi's soul aura was dimming at an alarming rate!

"Thump—!!!!!"

Groudon's giant foot slammed down on the light shield formed by the old man's soul. The light shield groaned under the strain, and cracks instantly spread across it, but it did not shatter immediately!
"Boy... don't get distracted... stay focused... refine the strange fire..."

Old Chi's voice became extremely weak, yet it carried an undeniable firmness.

Remember... the essence of the Burning Technique... lies in willpower... as long as you burn bright enough... one day, even the heavens themselves can be shattered by your flames!

Looking at Elder Chi's figure, which had become like a candle flickering in the wind because of his own actions, Xiao Huolong felt as if his enormous heart had been pierced by countless sharp blades at the same time!

Memories of the past flooded back uncontrollably. In every moment of crisis, Elder Chi always appeared in time to guide him and help him overcome difficulties...

It was he who guided the once-despised and useless little dragon step by step to where he is today, giving him hope of becoming stronger!
But now, I am so powerless that I can't even protect anyone!
The power I once possessed but lost... and now, the strange fire so close at hand...

"It's all my fault... I'm so useless!!! Ughh ...

Extreme grief, self-blame, anger, and resentment erupted like a volcano in Xiao Huolong's simple sea of ​​consciousness!

Just as his emotions reached their peak, Xiao Huolong's vision suddenly went black, only to be enveloped by a vibrant and tranquil turquoise light.

It found itself no longer at the bottom of that desolate pool, but in a strange space.

Here, the water stretches endlessly, and beneath your feet lies a calm, mirror-like surface of emerald green water, reflecting the ethereal shadows of slowly rotating blue lotus leaves in the sky.

The air was filled with the refreshing fragrance of lotus, and pure, gentle energy rose and fell slowly with the breath of the space.

At the very center of this space, a huge cyan lotus platform floats silently.

On the lotus platform, a young man dressed in simple blue clothes sat cross-legged.

His face was ordinary, yet it carried an indescribable sense of vicissitude and tranquility, as if he had seen through the cycles of time.

He didn't emanate any powerful energy fluctuations, but the energy in the entire space seemed to be an extension of his body, gently rippling with his long breaths.

Xiao Huolong was stunned by this sudden change and the unfathomable aura emanating from the other party. With utmost awe, it asked in a trembling voice.

"Um... may I ask who you are?"

The young man in blue slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were clear and bright, yet they seemed to hold the birth and death of stars.

He revealed a peaceful yet mysterious smile, and instead of answering directly, he slowly recited in a voice that seemed to come from countless ages ago.

A single lotus blooms under the eternal blue sky.

Xiao Huolong's massive body shuddered violently!
These words, which seemed to contain the supreme Daoist wisdom, instantly overlapped with a few words that Elder Chi had mentioned when he was telling an ancient legend!

That mysterious, cyan-green being, after defeating and sealing Groudon and Kyogre, ascended to immortality and was later revered as... the Azure Emperor!
Xiao Huolong exclaimed in shock.

"Could it be...you...you are the Azure Lotus Emperor?!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

I suddenly realized that yesterday was the birthday of the Milk Dragon.
(End of this chapter)