Elf: Re-employment of retired champion of Padiya

Chapter 824 Zoroark and Zoroark Washing Green

On the vast expanse of white frozen earth, the biting wind howled like a knife, swirling up tiny ice crystals that shimmered dazzlingly in the sunlight.

This vast ice field seems to have remained unchanged since time immemorial, only occasionally covered with a new layer of silver by a blizzard.

Whether due to natural geological movements or the influence of external forces, a complex labyrinthine world has formed beneath this permafrost.

Countless enormous icicles, like natural beams, support the deep, dark cavities.

The surface of the icicles is covered with peculiar patterns, as if recording the traces of time.

These ice caves are home to many Pokémon adapted to the extreme environment. They thrive in this icy kingdom, forming a unique ecosystem.

The images Luo Mu received were set against this environment, and it was unclear whether they depicted events in the present, the past, or the future.

In a relatively spacious ice cave, a gray fox demon was raising its head and letting out a mournful howl.

Its voice echoed back and forth between the ice walls, producing an eerie sound, and its white and red mane writhed wildly as if it were alive.

Behind it, an even smaller fox cub was huddled in a corner, trembling. The fox demon used its body to create a barrier for its cub.

Tears welled in the little fox's eyes, and its tiny paws clung tightly to the fox demon's fur, as if this was its only support in its desperate situation.

The icicles on the top of the ice cave trembled slightly from the fox demon's cry, and fine ice shards fell like snowflakes, shimmering with a sorrowful light in the dim light.

The fox demon's eyes, which seemed to be painted with red eyeshadow, stared intently at the threat ahead with its yellow vertical pupils, burning with an almost tangible resentment and determination.

The next moment, the writhing hair suddenly swelled and stretched, like a ferocious creature, casting a twisted shadow in the ice cave.

An invisible energy wave suddenly spread out from it, carrying a chilling aura, more like a collection of countless grudges, making people shudder.

Wherever the energy reached, spiderweb-like cracks spread rapidly across the ice surface, as if even this land frozen for countless years could not bear this heavy resentment.

The patterns on the surface of the icicle began to twist and deform under the impact of energy, emitting a faint cracking sound.

Twisted phantoms, seemingly composed of thick malice, began to appear in the air.

It wasn't a specific form, but rather a composite of countless pained faces, mixed with tearing whispers and wails, pouring directly into the mind.

The already dim light inside the ice cave was further swallowed up, and the surrounding ice walls reflected ever-changing, distorted shadows filled with hatred, as if countless invisible hands were trying to reach out from the shadows.

It was a truly humiliating scene.

The fox demon's figure became blurred in this illusion formed by resentment; only its wildly dancing white hair, like a banner summoning souls, exuded a terrifying aura that shook the mind.

Luo Mu not only observed from this perspective, but also from the perspective of the little fox being protected by this demon fox.

The illusion, which displayed terror to the extreme in the face of an unknown enemy, was full of warmth and gentleness for the little fox.

The flashback was very short. After experiencing two different perspectives, Luo Mu's thoughts returned to reality.

And in his mind, at some point, a short phrase began to echo.

With your wisdom, reverse that tragic future!

"A tragic future?"

Exhaling a breath of stale air, Luo Mu pondered to himself.

It seems that my test this time is still related to Pokémon.

The first time was Goomy, the second time was Arcanine, and the third time was a green-looking Zoroark, or perhaps it also included the green-looking Zoroark that was protecting Zoroark?

Compared to the standard Zoroark and Zoroark, which are single Dark types, the green-looking Zoroark and Zoroark have a Normal and Ghost type combination.

At the same time, the ability to alter one's own illusions has also transformed into the ability to further influence the environment and create illusions.

Luo Mu wasn't quite clear on the situation. In any case, he would have to go over and check it out after this was over.

Seeing that the spacetime rift in the distant sky seemed to be stirring again, Luo Mu couldn't care less about the test anymore.

He immediately tossed the Poké Ball he was clutching and called out to Xenical, who was already numb from digging through the stone slabs, "Please—"

In no time.

The two stone slabs, representing different attributes, had been cleansed and were now in Luo Mu's hands.

"Ice pillar slabs, and blue sky slabs?"

Looking at the two stone slabs in his hand, one ice blue and the other sky blue, Luo Mu handed the sky blue stone slab to Dragonite, according to the previous plan.

It wasn't that Luo Mu was unwilling to give the Flamebird the stone tablet.

Even though he has both the Blue Sky Slate and the Dragon Slate, Luo Mu will still choose to give the Blue Sky Slate to Dragonite.

With the ability to control airflow and storms learned from Lugia, it can be said that Dragonite's mastery of the Flying type is actually greater than its Dragon type.

In contrast, even though Moltres is classified as a legendary bird, in the first generation it was the only Flying-type Pokémon that could learn the move "Legendary Bird Slam" by leveling up.

However, its mastery of fire attributes far surpasses its mastery of flight attributes.

This is also why Luo Mu didn't consider letting the Flamebird use the Blue Sky Slate.

As for the Ice-type Icicle Slab, it's not used because there are no Ice-type Pokémon in the main team, nor are there any non-battle Pokémon like Alcremie.

Luo Mu planned to give this thing to Snowstorm Horse when he returned to Zhuqing Village.

At that time, his trump card will be the Rairen King (riding a white horse), which is empowered by the two stone tablets and can be called the nemesis of dragons!

Giratina, Palkia, and Dialga all have to sit down obediently!
Standing atop a rocky outcrop as high as a small hill, overlooking the vast expanse of pure white permafrost, Luo Mu could sense that he was very close to the end of his journey to Xicui.

"Phew, it's finally over."

"I was quite terrified watching from the sidelines."

"Let's go, let's head to Wise Lake now, maybe we can be back before dark."

Zhu Bei, riding a valiant eagle, arrived on the ice rock where Luo Mu was and said with a smile.

She had already overestimated Luo Mu's abilities as much as possible, but he still managed to subdue the two raging kings almost simultaneously, far exceeding her expectations.

This saves them enough time to travel to and from Wise Lake today.

"Yes, I never expected that the Snowfield King, whose size had increased to that extent, would be defeated."

At this moment, a deep male voice suddenly rang out from below the edge of the ice rock where Luo Mu and Zhu Bei were standing.

Immediately afterwards, a strong, naked arm suddenly emerged from below.

With the exertion of the muscles in that arm, a man with short blue hair, who was shirtless in the freezing cold and whose cold resistance was more absurd than that of a pearl, climbed up with his bare hands.

Several question marks immediately popped up above Luo Mu's head. Seriously, what kind of good person could climb to the top of an iceberg-sized rock formation with their bare hands without the help of Pokémon?

are you human?

"Master Bin!"

The moment she saw the man appear, Zhubei exclaimed in surprise.

This man was none other than Hama Ren, the manager of the Pearl Team responsible for taking care of the Snowfield King.

He has already settled the Snowfield King, who has shrunk back to his original size.

He came here specifically to have another look at Luo Mu, who had pacified the Snowfield King.

"Hey! Little Zhubei!" Binlian greeted Zhubei first, then turned his gaze to Luo Mu. "This is the last test, right? If you pass it, you'll have a way to deal with the spacetime rift."

"Wow, that's amazing! It seems the era of young people has arrived."

"Do you still recognize the way to Wise Lake? Do you need me to show you the way?"

Binlian pounded his chest muscles with his fist and smiled as he volunteered.

"Of course I remember!" Zhu Bei showed a slightly dissatisfied expression, but was more inclined to act coquettishly towards her elders.

Although he didn't want to interrupt their conversation, Luo Mu still felt he had to make things clear, so he said, "It seems there's no need to go to Wisdom Lake."

The two looked at him with suspicion, but Luo Mu remained calm and recounted what had just happened to him.

"Just now, it seems that the gods of Wise Lake have taken the initiative to put a test on me."

The moment his voice fell, all that remained was the howling of the wind and snow.

"ha--?"

Zhu Bei and Bin Lian looked at each other, stiffly turning their necks to look at Luo Mu.

They seemed unable to believe that their revered lake god would so eagerly send Luo Mu a test, almost at his own expense.

Luo Mu didn't even need to go to Wisdom Lake in person!
No, why? It seems Luo Mu really deserves this treatment?
Zhu Bei and Bin Lian's expressions immediately turned strange.

Especially for Zhu Bei, the memory of her first meeting with Luo Mu, when he was shouting like a charlatan that he was the messenger of the Great Lord of the Divine Realm, resurfaced in her mind.

Over such a long period of time, the value of the other party's words seems to be constantly being proven along with the progress of the pacification efforts.

Could it really be true?
Zhu Bei dared not think any further.

Compared to Zhu Bei's wavering mind, the experienced Bin Lian quickly composed himself after the initial shock.

He asked, "So, are you clear about the details of the test? Is there anything we can do to help you?"

Binlian has a very clear way of thinking, which shows that he is not the kind of person who only has muscles but a sharp mind.

"some."

Luo Mu nodded slightly and stated his needs without any hesitation.

"The test site seems to be a very large underground ice cave, like a maze, supported by many ice pillars."

"The test subject seems to be a Pokémon that looks like a fox."

"An exceptionally large ice cave." Binlian fell into deep thought, searching his memory.

"Could it be the icicle cave beneath the avalanche slope?"

Zhu Bei, quick-witted as ever, tentatively asked.

"Probably."

Binlian snapped his fingers, his voice paused for a moment, and his expression became serious.

"But... the Pokémon you're talking about, it's not Reno, is it?"

"Demon fox?"

Because Binlian used a nickname that was not a racial name, Luo Mu did not react immediately.

"Yes, that's roughly what it looks like."

Binlian took out a paper roll from his satchel and slowly unfolded it in front of Luo Mu.

A terrifying figure was drawn on it.

Sharp claws and teeth, a body that resembles both a human and a fox, scarlet eyes, and wildly thrashing fur that writhes like a living creature.

Although the drawing is terrifying and sanity-degrading, Luo Mu can roughly tell that the Pokémon in the picture is probably Zoroark with a greenish appearance.

Bin Lian spoke slowly, as if telling a story to scare a child: "Whether on this pure white frozen land covered in ice and snow, or in the pure white forest outside Zhuqing Village, there are legends about fox spirits."

"That's a Pokémon called Zoroark. It's said that they were reincarnated after being persecuted and killed by humans."

"They roam between snowfields and forests, harboring deep-seated hatred for humans and their enemies, using their eerie magic to create illusions and lure lost travelers into the abyss."

"Legend has it that their resentment can change the color of ice and snow and dim the moonlight. Those who have seen their true face either disappear forever in the wind and snow, or return as madmen, muttering insane things like 'white hair is dancing' and 'red eyes are staring' all day long."

"An even older legend mentions that the illusions of fox spirits are not simply deception, but can materialize the deepest fears in people's hearts. They will read your memories, making you relive your most painful past in the illusion, and eventually cause you to have a mental breakdown in despair."

"It harbors malice towards any human being, and once a human encounters it, they will inevitably experience boundless terror."

"Gradually, the name 'Demon Fox' became more widely known in the Xicui region than 'Zoroark,' and was enough to stop children from crying at night."

"Are you sure the Pokémon you're testing is that kind of Pokémon?"

Binlian's expression was quite solemn.

Even though he was once a child, the thought of being kidnapped by a fox spirit if he didn't sleep well was a childhood trauma for him.

Even now, when he revisits this memory, he can still vaguely feel the fear he felt as a child.

But compared to Binlian's seriousness, Zhubei looked confused.

She couldn't remember what her parents looked like when she was little, so naturally she had no memories of being frightened by such stories.

In addition, since she took over as the leader of the Pearl Team, she had never encountered anything similar, so she didn't really feel the reality of it and instead had a sense of not knowing what was going on.

Luo Mu carefully "chewed" over this story, which was different from a game and more like a ghost story, a thoughtful expression flashing in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)