Chapter 210. Strange Black Rods
Inside the airship was a vast hall, lavishly decorated.
When Ash Ketchum opened his eyes again, he found himself limp all over, confined in a cage made of black rods.
All around him were identical cages.
"Ash!"
From one of the cages, Misty and Tracey Sketchit whispered.
"Guys!"
Ash's eyes lit up, but then he saw Misty pointing in a direction.
Following her gaze, at the highest point of the hall stood a man.
He had jet-black hair draped to his shoulders, wore white mechanical armor, sported gold goggles, and a golden staff hung at his waist.
"That's—!"
Ash's pupils shrank.
Before the man were three cages made of black rods.
Inside, three avian Pokémon lay slumped and feeble.
At that moment, the man stroked his chin, appraising the freshly caught Zapdos as if admiring a work of art.
"Strange, when did you change your hairstyle?"
Lawrence III drew the golden staff at his waist and made some unknown motion, and the once-sealed black rods immediately opened a small gap.
"Click!"
Several black rods slid in, forming a cage around the Pikachu on Zapdos's back.
Strange?
Why give his own Pikachu a separate cage?
Ash looked at the man in puzzlement.
After a moment, he suddenly realized that center-parted was gone.
At once, Ash's eyes brightened, and hope welled up in his heart.
"Tch!"
Lawrence III turned and sneered at Ash.
"What are you laughing at!"
Ash tried to get up in protest, but his legs gave out and he toppled back onto Charizard.
"Darn it, it feels like once we're trapped by these black rods, we lose all our strength…"
Misty and the others, and the three Legendary birds, without exception, were all weak and listless.
Ash immediately caught on.
"Stop struggling."
Lawrence III shook his head and showily raised the golden staff in his hand.
"This item is my proudest collectible—a super-ancient sealing device.
No human or Pokémon can escape from it."
"I don't buy it.
We'll definitely get out."
Ash blew his bangs off his forehead, and center-parted had already slipped out.
He just didn't know where it had gone or what scheme it was hatching.
"Do you even realize this is against the law!"
Off to the side, Misty shouted.
"Against the law?"
Lawrence III glanced sidelong at Misty.
"No problem.
I can pin the blame on you.
Besides you lot, no one has seen what I look like anyway—hahaha!"
"…"
"No wonder you and the others have managed to live this long, Misty."
Ash nodded thoughtfully.
"Hey, hey, hey, are you unhappy seeing me still standing?"
Misty stuck out a fist, but it couldn't quite reach the top of Ash's head.
"Snap!"
Lawrence III snapped his fingers.
In an instant, a massive curtain fell.
Upon the curtain, a huge blue-and-white Pokémon appeared.
Its silvery-white body was sleek and streamlined, a pale-blue belly contrasting with deep-blue dorsal fins, its head birdlike with sharp teeth, its giant hand-shaped wings covered in scale-like feathers, and plate-like protrusions at its tail swayed as it moved.
"That's… Lugia!"
Tracey blurted out.
"You've got a decent eye, then… so I won't introduce it."
As a collector, he was never stingy about showing off his collection.
That included future acquisitions.
With a crazed look, Lawrence III swept his hand, and a beam locked onto the center of Lugia's brow.
"I'll have you know, Lugia is—"
"Hold it, I'd like to hear the introduction."
Ash suddenly spoke, cutting Lawrence III off.
The latter froze, the words stuck in his throat.
Seeing Lawrence III remain silent for a long moment, Ash added in puzzlement, "I really don't have the eye for it.
What is Lugia?"
"Brat, you think this is a museum and I'm your tour guide?"
Lawrence III stepped up to Ash, smiling without mirth.
"Actually, if you change careers now, you might still make it in time."
Ash's voice sounded again.
"Heh…"
A smiling glint flashed in Lawrence III's eyes, but in the next instant his gaze hardened.
The kid in front of him clearly hadn't opened his mouth, yet a voice was coming out.
Reflected in his goggles, he could see the boy in the cage grinning in surprise at something behind him.
"If you won't change careers, you can at least turn around."
Ash's voice rang out, his lips still sealed.
This time, Lawrence III could plainly feel the voice coming from behind him.
He turned his head stiffly—just in time to meet a whistling brick.
"Bang!"
Lawrence III clutched his head and reeled backward, dizzy.
"Who are you!"
He stared in panic at Natsume, who had appeared out of nowhere.
The man was clean-cut and looked friendly at first glance, but Lawrence III didn't dare take him lightly.
No wonder—Natsume's getup was far too eclectic.
A Team Flare mask, a Team Rocket cap, Team Galactic–style hair, Team Magma clothes, and underneath, a glimpse of a skull-print shirt.
Lawrence III brandished the golden staff and pointed at Natsume.
In an instant, several nearby cages of black rods disintegrated, and dozens of black rods shot toward Natsume.
"Natsume, watch out!
If those black rods get close, you'll go limp all over!"
The delight in Ash's eyes faded, and he hurriedly called out.
Natsume remained unmoved, staring fixedly at the golden staff in Lawrence III's hand.
"Could it be that Natsume has a way?"
Seeing this, Misty cried out in surprise.
Off to the side, Tracey—meeting Natsume in person for the first time—looked positively overjoyed.
"Thud, thud, thud!"
The black rods linked end to end, forming a giant cube that trapped Natsume inside.
Under several eager gazes, Natsume reached out and tapped the black rod.
Then—nothing happened.
"Don't tell me you didn't prepare anything at all?"
Misty looked at Natsume, speechless.
"Of course.
How would I know what this thing even does?"
Natsume stared at the black rods in delight.
Being trapped by them really did make him feel a bit drained.
"Natsume, use your telekinesis already!"
Ash hurriedly reminded him.
The next second, several black rods followed up, reinforcing Natsume's cage layer by layer.
"Hey, Ash, don't say it out loud—ahh!"
"Toge—pi!"
Misty hugged Togepi, speaking through gritted teeth.
"Hmph, let's see what you do now!"
Lawrence III's face darkened, cracks crawling across his goggles as he watched Natsume with wary eyes.
A Psychic—he had never dealt with one and didn't know if that would help.
"Maybe reinforce theirs as well?"
Natsume's voice sounded, muffled through the black rods.
"Why, thanks for the reminder."
Once he was sure Natsume couldn't get out, Lawrence III let out a breath.
In the next instant, several black rods spread over Misty's and Ash's cages.
Natsume's sudden appearance had truly given him a scare.
"You just stay put right there!"
With the three cells almost wrapped into three black spheres, Lawrence III gave a cold snort and turned to leave.
"Can you not be useless at the critical moment!"
Misty shouted, but only a thin sliver of sound escaped.
"Natsume, why did you tell him to reinforce ours?
I was going to save up my strength and maybe break out."
Sprawled on Charizard, Ash spoke weakly, his whole body limp.
"Because the explosives are about to go off."
Natsume's voice came, along with the sound of cracking sunflower seeds between teeth.
Not far away, Lawrence III's figure halted, and he turned his head stiffly.
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