Boom—!!!
Roaring thunder instantly swallowed the dim cavern, erupting into blinding brilliance that lit everything in its wake.In that moment, Nami seemed like the deity of this space itself, grasping lightning in her hands and delivering divine punishment upon her enemy.
Yet things did not unfold as easily as she had imagined.
Because this time, Nami's opponent possessed a power that could also be called "divine."
Boom!
Within the lightning, a scorching fireball suddenly surged forth, rapidly expanding and swelling like a raging tidal wave. It spread in all directions, devouring the power of thunder as it went.
Even though the Clima-Tact had elevated Nami to a level where she could fight beyond her usual limits…
Her opponent this time was anything but ordinary!
After all, it was the one of the legendary Pokémon of the Let's Go region—its strength far surpassed that of ordinary Level 50 Pokémon.
"So it really won't be that simple, huh!?"
A sharp glint flashed through Red's eyes.
At the same time, a faint but razor-edged spark of electricity flickered across his palm as he prepared to step in at any moment.
No matter how special Moltres was, it was still a wild Pokémon.
Which meant that within this battle domain, Red was fully capable of intervening in the fight between it and Nami.
He hadn't acted earlier only because Luffy and Sanji had no need for his help.
But Nami…
"Hopefully I won't need to step in~"
Red muttered softly to himself.
After all, quite some time had passed since the challenge against Articuno.The Straw Hat crew's strength had improved across the board—otherwise, Red would never have casually allowed Nami to challenge a legendary Pokémon clearly stronger than herself.
Whoooom—!!!
Flames like surging waves swept through the cavern, igniting the vegetation clinging to the walls and turning them into flickering torchlights that illuminated the darkness.
"Just as I thought—this isn't going to be an easy opponent!"
Floating in midair, Nami smirked and waved away the ice wall shield in front of her, which had already begun to melt.
Though it was merely a simple function created using Sky Island dials, it proved surprisingly effective against Fire-type moves.
The collision between flames and lightning resembled a fleeting fireworks display—beautiful, thunderous, and gone in an instant.
After neutralizing Nami's Thunder, Moltres no longer charged about recklessly as before.
Instead, it calmed itself, its blazing eyes locking firmly onto Nami.
Clearly, it had realized that this "Pokémon" before it was on a completely different level from the weaklings it had encountered in the cave earlier.
A surging aura rose from Moltres's body, forming an oppressive pressure that bore down on Nami's mind.
"This is… the same Ability as Zoro's?!"
Nami's eyes lit up as she sensed the familiar suppression.
There was no denying it—the effects of the Pressure Ability were nearly identical to Conqueror's Haki in the pirate world.
And just so happened…
Earlier, to prevent the Straw Hats from being casually wiped out as mere fodder, Red had specifically trained everyone to resist the shock of Conqueror's Haki.
Coupled with Nami's own build—frail body, powerful spirit—the pressure had little effect on her.
Only now did the true battle seem to sound its horn.
A fiery gleam flashed through Moltres's sharp eyes.
The next moment, it beat its wings and soared upward.
Though the cavern's limited height restricted its Flying-type mobility, Nami—also a Flying-type combatant—was similarly affected.
In that regard, they were evenly matched.
But when it came to other attributes, Nami's electricity dealt overwhelming double damage to Moltres!
That was precisely why Red believed she truly had a chance to win.
Blazing flames erupted once more, completely evaporating the lingering moisture in the air and rendering Nami's Rain Dance useless.
Immediately after, a brilliant white glow surged across Moltres's wings.
A Psychic-type move—Agility.
Its body grew lighter, its aerial movement sharper and more fluid.
Compared to that, Nami—who only had Fly—was clearly at a disadvantage in maneuverability.
With its full power unleashed, a ring of fiery energy rippled around Moltres's body. In the next instant, it launched itself at Nami without the slightest warning!
Flying-type move—Brave Bird!
Though its base power of 120 fell short of Sky Attack's 140, its shorter charge time and lower energy consumption made it far more practical in real combat.
Whoosh—!
A streak of flame-wreathed light tore through the darkness of the cavern sky, piercing straight toward Nami!
Its speed was astonishing—comparable even to Sanji using the Speed-Speed Fruit—showing just how much power Moltres had poured into this strike.
Yet just as Moltres thought the motionless Nami had been frozen by fear…
A sly smile suddenly curved across her face.
"Heh…"
"If every enemy I met were like Pokémon and didn't have Observation Haki, life would be so easy."
Whoosh—!
Moltres did not slow down in the slightest, ramming forward at a speed beyond naked-eye perception!
The next moment, its sharp beak pierced straight through Nami's body, punching a gaping hole through her before crashing into the rock wall behind her!
Boom—!!!
The deafening impact echoed endlessly through the cavern.
But the Nami struck head-on began to twist and distort, her form dissolving into illusion.
"What a shame~"
Her voice echoed again.
Bubbles drifted in from unknown directions, rapidly transforming midair into countless Nami figures of varying shapes and sizes, shimmering under layers of light.
"Gah?!"
Moltres let out a confused cry.
Within the system-generated battle domain, its legendary intellect told it this resembled Double Team.
Yet it was certain—there had been no energy fluctuation indicating a Pokémon move when Nami was struck.
At that moment, Nami laughed openly.
"Charged Cool-Air · Mirage Tempo · Phantom Fairy!!!"
"Thanks for your flames—they turned the rainwater on the ground back into mist. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have known how to use this move!"
"So now—consider this my return gift!!!!"
"Witness the power of natural science!!!"
Boom—!
A thunderous crack split the air.
Dozens of Nami figures raised their Clima-Tacts in unison, releasing powerful currents of electricity—held taut, ready but not yet unleashed.
The next second, endless mysterious bubbles erupted from both ends of every Clima-Tact, racing upward and converging high above.
"Gah?!"
Moltres's eyes flashed with confusion.
It didn't understand what Nami was doing—but the growing sense of danger told it it could not afford to wait.
Whoooom!
Flames surged from Moltres once again.
This time, it did not use Brave Bird.
It knew full well that none of these Nami figures might be her real body.
Against such deception, a wide-area attack was the correct choice.
Battle instinct took over.
Facing the aerial illusions, Moltres opened its beak and unleashed a vast torrent of searing fire, rolling like a blazing tsunami toward every phantom!
The entire cavern was bathed in crimson light.
And then—
Nami's suppressed giggle echoed through the air.
"I knew it."
"Friendly reminder—electrolysis of water releases large amounts of hydrogen and oxygen."
"And when hydrogen concentration in the air reaches a certain level…"
"…meeting open flames causes a massive explosion~!!!"
Whoosh.
The mist on the cavern floor shifted, revealing Nami leaping backward toward the rock wall.
At the final syllable of her words, the airflow above Moltres abruptly froze.
For an instant, time itself seemed to stop.
Then—
A terrifying explosion of fire erupted from above the cavern.
A single spark can start a prairie fire—And this time, the ignition came from the full-force flames of a Fire-type legendary Pokémon!
Everything happened faster than thought itself.
By the time Moltres realized the danger, the cataclysmic shockwave had already engulfed it, shaking the entire cavern like the end of the world.
Countless shards of rock flew faster than bullets, smashing into the walls and disintegrating into dust.
Behind a massive boulder, Nami carefully weathered the shockwaves. Once she was certain she was safe, she chuckled softly.
"Natural Weather · Mini Hydrogen Bomb…"
"First live test—perfect success!!!"
"Though with this level of power, it's still nothing compared to the hydrogen bomb I told you about."
At that moment, Red's voice suddenly sounded beside her.
Nami looked up sharply. "Red?!"
He had summoned a Hyperspace Hole, holding it like a shield in front of them, nullifying almost all of the explosion's impact.
Smiling, Red said,"While it doesn't really have much to do with the hydrogen bomb I mentioned… being able to apply scientific principles I explained in such a short time…"
"It really shows that this combat style suits you perfectly."
"Though now, your nickname probably can't just be something simple like Weather Queen anymore. What a pity~!"
"Oh, come on!"
Nami rolled her eyes calmly despite the raging aftermath.
"Don't lump me together with idiots like Luffy."
"It's just a title—anything's fine."
"But… the battle domain hasn't disappeared yet."
"That means Moltres hasn't lost its fighting capability, right?"
With the Hyperspace Hole as protection, Nami stood freely and peeked toward the front of the boulder.
The cavern floor had collapsed into a massive crater.
At its center stood Moltres—the very source and victim of the explosion.
But it no longer carried its former divine majesty.
Its once-sleek fiery feathers were ragged and torn, and multiple wounds marred its body.
"As expected of a legendary Pokémon—still able to fight?!"
When the explosion finally faded, Nami and Red moved to the edge of the crater and watched Moltres struggle back into the air.
Seeing this, Red immediately used Teleport to retreat from the battlefield.
From Moltres's condition, it was clear—it was already at its limit.
Meanwhile, Nami had barely used any moves beyond initial probing.
She had relied almost entirely on her Clima-Tact and terrain advantage.
The victor of this battle had long since been decided.
Red had no reason to disrupt its conclusion.
...
...
A few minutes later.
Just as Red expected, the battle's outcome held no surprises.
Though Moltres still unleashed several impressive techniques in its final stand…
Against a nearly unspent Nami, everything it did was futile.
With an Ultra Ball, the unconscious Moltres was successfully captured.
A faint glow flashed across Nami's body as her level surged dramatically—rising straight to Level 44.
At the same time, Red's backpack gained a new item:
A TM — Burn Up.
The drop reward for capturing Moltres with an Ultra Ball.
All of that was reward enough—but there was more.
From the system itself, Red received an achievement bonus.
And to his surprise…
At the instant Moltres was captured, a brand-new achievement appeared before his eyes.
[Congratulations! You have successfully captured Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres. Achievement unlocked: Three Legendary Birds!]
(End of Chapter)