The Psycho Boost that had been knocked away flew straight toward Deoxys. Deoxys merely tilted its body slightly and dodged it. The Psycho Boost soared into the sky before exploding with a tremendous force, scattering all the dark clouds that had covered the night sky!
"Phew… phew… Land…"
After knocking away Psycho Boost, Landorus was breathing heavily, but there was a faint smile on its face. It then turned around and looked toward the equally exhausted Tornadus and Thundurus, letting out a cry.
And then—
"Land!!"
Bang! Bang!
Landorus suddenly raised both fists! Red light surrounded its fists as it viciously slammed them down onto the heads of Tornadus and Thundurus!
The two were knocked unconscious by Landorus immediately. Their swaying bodies were then tucked under Landorus's arms. The next moment, Landorus glanced at Liam from a distance before transforming into a golden streak of light and rapidly flying away from the area.
"Deoxys…"
Seeing Landorus flee with Tornadus and Thundurus, Deoxys did not pursue them. Instead, it slowly descended beside Liam.
With Tornadus and Thundurus gone, the weather in the area gradually began to improve. The torrential rain had stopped, and the raging winds were slowly dying down as well.
Liam looked up at the direction in which Landorus and the others had disappeared and shook his head slightly before sighing.
"Ah, they got away. Oh well, let them go. After all, they're symbols of the region. Capturing them would probably cause some trouble anyway. You worked hard, Deoxys."
After hearing Liam's words, Deoxys first returned to its Normal Form before communicating with Liam telepathically.
"Deoxys. (It was nothing. I thought it was quite enjoyable fighting opponents with decent strength like them. I hope I can encounter some even stronger opponents in the future.)"
"Decent strength."
That was Deoxys's evaluation of the Forces of Nature trio from Unova.
Liam smiled after hearing what Deoxys said.
"There'll be plenty of opportunities. Don't worry, Deoxys. Our journey isn't over yet. We'll definitely encounter even more powerful Pokémon in the future. There are also plenty of interesting adventures waiting for us. We've got plenty of time."
"Now that everything's settled, I estimate those tourists will be coming back soon. Come back for now, Deoxys."
The crisis on the tracks had been resolved. Liam took out a Dream Ball and recalled Deoxys into it before heading back toward the train.
As soon as he returned to the carriage's vestibule, the ponytailed girl rushed toward him with an expression of complete admiration, her eyes practically sparkling.
N was still sitting in his previous seat in the passenger carriage, playing with Zorua. When Liam came back, N merely glanced at him. After confirming that Liam was unharmed, N secretly let out a sigh of relief before continuing to play with Zorua.
"Mr. Liam! I saw the whole battle just now! That was absolutely incredible! And I've never seen that Pokémon you used before! It was so cool!"
The ponytailed girl stared at Liam with admiration.
Her top and hair were still somewhat damp. Clearly, this was because she had stuck herself out of the carriage earlier to watch Deoxys battle the Forces of Nature.
The weather was quite hot now, and the girl wasn't wearing much. As mentioned before, she was dressed in a light-colored sports outfit made from fairly thin material. And now, after being soaked by the rain…
"Ahem. Step back a little. Come out, Volcarona!"
"Volca~"
Feeling his nose getting a little warm, Liam first asked the ponytailed girl to move farther away. Then he released Volcarona, whom he had captured in the ancient castle.
"Ah! It's hot, hot, hot! Mr. Liam, what are you doing?!"
The moment Volcarona appeared, the temperature inside the entire vestibule rose considerably. The ponytailed girl, who had been standing relatively close, immediately cried out and jumped aside.
"Don't run around. Your clothes are wet, so be careful not to catch a cold. Volcarona, give us some warm air. Keep the temperature low and dry our clothes."
Liam himself was soaked from head to toe. His shoes were practically full of water and could have been poured out if he took them off. The sensation was extremely unpleasant.
"Volca~ Volca~"
Upon receiving the command, Volcarona began gently beating its wings. Tiny fiery particles drifted through the air, and the entire vestibule was soon enveloped in a warm, steamy breeze.
"Mmm~ That's pretty good. The temperature is just right. It's like a sauna. Nice work, Volcarona."
Volcarona was exceptionally skilled at controlling the temperature of its attacks. The warm air it was producing now was perfectly regulated. Although it was somewhat hot, it was also extremely comfortable, almost like being in a sauna—albeit a dry one.
Before long, Liam felt that his clothes were almost completely dry.
Since all of his clothes had dried, he figured the ponytailed girl's clothes must have dried as well.
Hmm?
"Hey! What's wrong?! Don't fall down! Hang in there, girl!!"
Liam turned around and looked at the ponytailed girl, only to discover that her face was flushed bright red. Her eyes were closed as she leaned against the glass door of the carriage, her body swaying as though she could collapse at any moment.
Seeing this, Liam hurriedly recalled the completely innocent Volcarona into its PokeBall. He then quickly opened the glass door and supported the girl, helping her into the passenger carriage.
Liam helped the ponytailed girl sit beside the window. N immediately opened the window, allowing the cool breeze from outside to flow inside.
The dazed girl seemed to notice the gentle breeze. With her eyes still closed, she instinctively began crawling toward the window like a cat that had caught the scent of prey.
Liam broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly pushed her back into her seat.
Gradually, the heat faded from the girl's face.
"Am I… alive again?"
Finally regaining consciousness, the ponytailed girl touched her face with both hands. Remembering the frightening sensation of everything going black before her eyes, she spoke in lingering fear.
"It wasn't that serious. You just got overheated and nearly passed out. Honestly, if you couldn't take it, you could've said something. You nearly scared me into thinking someone was going to die."
Liam stood nearby with a helpless expression.
"I thought I could handle it! Who knew that by the time I realized I couldn't, I couldn't control myself anymore? That feeling of my body and head being completely disconnected was terrifying!"
The girl shook her head vigorously, as though trying to physically fling the memory out of her mind.
"Ah, well, at least you're fine…"
Faced with the girl's inexplicable confidence, Liam could only sigh.
Then—
"Ms. Lan, the tracks ahead are clear now. But aside from us, there isn't anyone else left on this train. I plan to take advantage of the fact that it's still not too late and head to Undella Town as soon as possible. What about you, Ms. Lan? Are you coming with us, or are you going to stay here and wait for rescue?"
It had been quite some time since they departed, and after everything that had happened, it was now only a few minutes before eight in the evening.
However, Undella Town wasn't particularly far from here. If they traveled by air, they could still reach it fairly quickly.
Therefore, Liam decided to head to Undella Town during the night.