Pokémon: Master Pokémon has a fish-frying system.

Chapter 21 The Mural of the Moltres

Looking at the empty space behind him, devoid of Lu An, Gangjie felt a chill run down his spine and reached out to grab Mutou's arm again:

"Lu, Lu An must have been scared, so he ran away immediately, right?"

Just then, Lu An's helpless voice came: "Is this how you see me?"

Horio quickly shone his flashlight in the direction from which the sound came, and Lu An's figure slowly appeared.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but Gang Jie was furious: "Lu An, what were you doing just now?"

Lu An looked aggrieved: "Everyone has to go to the bathroom sometimes."

Horio, relieved that it was a false alarm, was also displeased.

"Next time you do something, please let us know in advance so as not to cause unnecessary alarm to everyone."

"Actually, I was the one who was scared," Horio thought to himself.

"Okay, okay, it won't happen again next time."

Lu An shrugged.

So the group made some adjustments and set off again toward the ruins, with Lu An lagging behind.

No one noticed that at the very back of the line, where Lu An stood, there was actually nothingness.

And on Seiya's forehead, the red bead once again emitted a soft glow.

......

The real Lu An was walking through the ruins with Umbreon, oblivious to everyone else.

The scare that the third squad just suffered was actually his doing.

As a Psychic-type Espeon, if it wanted to play a prank, it wouldn't be any less capable than Gastly, which is known for its mischievousness.

Illusionary rays can cause people to experience hallucinations without them even realizing it.

Whether it's the fake Ohno just now, or Luan who reappeared after disappearing, both are exquisite manipulations of reality and illusion by Espeon.

This series of frights was all created to free Lu An from the third squad, allowing him to move freely.

After all, only in this way could he break free from the constraints imposed by Gosuke and Keiko.

Of course, if they were observant enough, they would be able to spot the flaws in the illusion created by Espeon.

But at this moment, they were too busy paying attention to the environment of the ruins to notice any unusual behavior from someone in the group.

Espeon was left in the third group, both to create the illusion that Lu An was still there and to protect them effectively.

After all, Espeon, a Psychic-type Pokémon, is very sensitive to its surroundings. If Team Rocket were to be hiding, it would take action on its own.

As for Lu An, he led Umbreon to catch up with the two groups that had already entered the ruins.

Because the second group entered only three minutes earlier than the third group, and two students in the group were very scared, their progress was not much faster than that of the third group.

Lu An guessed that the two teams would soon reunite.

Aside from being overly frightened, everything seemed normal to them, and it appeared they hadn't encountered the Rockets.

Therefore, Lu An didn't interfere much and let Umbreon use Spectral Light.

Although Umbreon is not as skilled as Espeon in this regard, it still managed to slip away from them unnoticed.

......

On his way to find the first group, Lu An took a few glances at the ruins.

Indeed, as Horio described, one can see clear traces of commemorating the dead.

However, compared to the dilapidated buildings, the sacrificial objects and murals have a sense of temporal distance.

However, Lu An didn't pay too much attention to it; he was only concerned about the Rockets in the shadows.

"Eebu!"

Just then, Lu An heard a hurried cry from Umbreon.

"What's wrong, Yuebu?"

Lu An approached Yue Bu and saw it push aside a rock, its blue fur beginning to glow, illuminating that nook and cranny.

It is a small mural.

This mural is distinctly different from the others.

Differences in painting style, level of artistry, and subject matter.

The main character in this painting is not an ordinary Pokémon, but one of the three legendary birds, Moltres!

The firebird is painted so realistically that the fiery feathers on its wings are burning brightly.

The disdainful look in his eyes was incredibly lifelike.

It seems ready to take flight at any moment.

This is a mural depicting people worshipping a firebird!

Mooncloth's gaze was fixed intently on the firebird.

Clearly, it had only called for Lu An after discovering the firebird that looked almost alive.

Lu An touched the mural and fell into deep thought.

Ancient buildings, yet murals of vastly different styles; Moltres buried in rubble; Team Rocket...

Lu An had a flash of inspiration.

Is it possible that this ruin is not a place to commemorate the dead elves at all, but an altar to worship the firebird?

Moltres, one of the three legendary birds, is a legendary Pokémon from the Kanto region, possessing power far exceeding that of ordinary Pokémon.

The sacred flame of the Pokémon League is taken from the eternal flame of Moltres.

In the special episode, Team Rocket searched all over Kanto for traces of Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos, the three legendary birds.

They not only successfully tracked down the three sacred birds, but also captured them one by one.

Finally, in the grand finale at Silverford in Goldenrod City, Team Rocket's three executives used a mysterious technique to combine the badges of the Gym Leaders from the Kanto region.

A powerful, mysterious energy was created, fusing the three legendary birds into one, creating a brand new, powerful Pokémon.

It was this mysterious technology possessed by Team Rocket that allowed them to create Mewtwo, the only man-made legendary being in the world.

Of course, this forbidden technology cannot be without a price.

In order to master this technology, Team Rocket conducted inhumane experiments on many Pokémon.

Among them, Eevee, a Pokémon that is said to have unlimited evolutionary potential, is the subject of their most enthusiastic experiments.

Lu An's expression was so gloomy it was almost frightening.

"Eebu~"

Umbreon seemed to sense Lu An's emotions and, unusually, rubbed against Lu An's trouser leg.

Lu An was jolted out of his reverie by Umbreon's actions.

"I'm fine, Mooncloth, I just thought of something unpleasant."

Lu An stopped thinking about the past and began to observe the mural in front of him.

Logically speaking, Moltres, as one of the legendary Pokémon of the Kanto region, should be extremely difficult to find.

Even just being able to see their true faces is a stroke of good fortune.

However, the Rockets managed to capture all three of the legendary birds.

Could it be that this ruin not only describes the process of sacrificing to the firebird, but also records the traces of the firebird?

Team Rocket discovered the ruins early on and disguised most of the murals, pretending it was a place in Lavender Town to commemorate deceased Pokémon.

These conclusions cannot be drawn from just one covered mural.

After all, the Moltres possesses an inextinguishable flame and is known as the Phoenix, so it cannot be guaranteed that this is a kind of sentiment of the ancients regarding death and rebirth.

However, knowing part of the plot and knowing that Team Rocket was lurking in the shadows, Lu An found it hard not to have suspicions.