Moltres and Fang Yuan began a silent stare-off that lasted for 30 seconds.
Fang Yuan was "full of confidence."
But Moltres just wouldn't speak, as if it were a mute.
"Let's just start fighting," Mewtwo suggested.
It saw that this Moltres simply didn't want to give up the tablet.
After all, the Fire Tablet embodies the most pure origin force of the Fire Type and is an extremely precious treasure for Fire Type borderline Legendary and Legendary Pokémon.
Ordinary Pokémon might not grasp the power of the tablet, but for those close to or already in the Legendary Realm, these corresponding attribute tablets can undoubtedly play a crucial role in enhancing their strengths.
Having previously possessed a tablet himself, Mewtwo knew its mystery.
It was just a pity that the tablets Fang Yuan asked it to keep didn't include a Psychic Tablet, otherwise its strength could have advanced further long ago.
"Bimi!" Victini clenched its fists, ready to power up Mewtwo.
It was prepared for a battle with Legendary Pokémon.
"Eh... don't stoke the fire..." Fang Yuan said with a dark line on his forehead.
Leave the negotiation to him, Fang Yuan, and there would be no problem.
"Bwoo!" Eevee also glared at Victini, better not to fight if possible, especially since there were three of them on the other side.
Relying on Mewtwo alone definitely wouldn't be enough; eventually, it and Monferno would have to fight desperately.
It would be fine, but could that little rascal think about Monferno for a second? After this fight, Monferno would probably be laid up for another decade.
"Bwoo...?" As Eevee thought about it, its expression suddenly turned grave, as if considering that the outcome... might not be too bad?
As it turned out, Moltres was not mute at all; after its silence, it communicated through Mind Induction: "Sorry, I cannot let you take the tablet away."
Is that so???
Fang Yuan was startled, did it truly not want to give it up?
Buddy, are you trying to rebel here, daring to swallow what even the big brother Arceus has laid claim to?
Even if it was to be swallowed, it would be him and Arceus swallowing it when the time came, not left to them.
"You don't believe what I'm saying?" Fang Yuan said helplessly,
"No, your power to overcome is real, but still, I can't," Moltres looked at Fang Yuan.
"Why???"
In his mind, Fang Yuan cursed and wondered if Moltres was truly disrespecting Arceus, knowing that it was the true being asking for it and yet still refusing.
"Why don't you go to the neighboring islands? There should be another two tablets there," Moltres threw back the question.
Fang Yuan: "..."
Damn, this Moltres was actually selling out its teammates, passing the buck.
Why does he always encounter peculiar Legendary Pokémon?
What could Fang Yuan say? That he coveted its flame feathers?
"I will go later. Besides, collecting the tablets concerns the stability of space and time. Fire God, you wouldn't want the destruction of space and time, would you?" Fang Yuan looked directly at Moltres.
Moltres was silent.
It shook its head and said, "You mentioned the World Tree earlier; then you should know that Fire Island, Ice Island, and Thunder Island, the three interconnected islands, along with the God residing on them, maintain the natural balance of the region just like the World Tree does."
"When the natural balance of this region is disrupted, the climate of the entire world will undergo drastic changes, leading to catastrophic consequences and potential world destruction."
"A hundred years ago, three tablets fell from the sky. With the power of the tablets, we further stabilized the natural balance of this region. Now, these three tablets have become the core of the three islands, and that's why, in the past century, the world has not seen any severe climate changes."
"The three tablets have coexisted stably with this region for a century. If you suddenly take them away, it will lead to an instantaneous natural imbalance in the Orange Archipelago, which could cause a certain climate disaster worldwide."
Fang Yuan's mouth twitched as he said, "Isn't your job to adjust the natural balance of this area? If we take away the tablets, it would just be like before, right? Can't you handle it?"
Moltres shook its head and said, "The natural balance of this region is more stable due to the tablets' influence, but the opposite extreme is a harsher instability. The difficulty of restoring balance far exceeds the past, and with our strength, it is hard to adjust."
Moltres indeed wasn't making things up. With the help of the three tablets, it and the other two Divine Birds had nearly slacked off for a century. They could slack off and practice with the help of the tablets—it was pure joy.
Now that Fang Yuan wanted to take the tablets away, although it wouldn't refuse, the prerequisite was that Fang Yuan had to resolve the consequences of removing the tablets.
Moltres was very firm in its attitude, saying, "Taking away the tablets is possible, but you must have enough power to assist us in maintaining the natural balance the moment the tablets are taken."
"I get it; you want to awaken Sea God Lugia to assist you, right?"
Fang Yuan said.
Ice God, Fire God, Thunder God, and Sea God—these four gods maintained the natural balance of the Orange Archipelago's environment. With the combined efforts of the four Pokémon, everything should be fine, just like in the movies.
"Um... Even with the power of Sea God and the three of us, we could have completely quelled any disorder in the natural balance of the Orange Archipelago, but this time is different. Even with the Sea God involved, we can't ensure there will be no impact."
Moltres said apologetically, "Having the Sea God control the ocean currents isn't enough; you should call Ho-Oh, who controls the atmospheric currents as well. With that, we should be completely secure."
Fang Yuan: ???
Where on earth am I supposed to find Ho-Oh for you?
"The one residing in the ozone layer can also easily control the climate imbalance in the Orange Archipelago," Moltres gave another suggestion.
Fang Yuan: "Rayquaza? Why don't you just ask me to summon Arceus?"
Moltres helplessly continued, "If you don't believe me, you can go to Thunder Island and ask Thunder God or to Ice Island and ask Ice God. They should give you the same answer."
"Unfortunately, I cannot stray too far from Fire Island... You'll have to search on your own."
"However, if I remember correctly, Ho-Oh's dwelling should be at a place called Azure Mountain."
"As for Rayquaza... I don't know," Moltres said.
Fang Yuan stood silent, exchanging glances with Mewtwo.
They both had a feeling—this Moltres was really slacking off.
Call Ho-Oh and Lugia, and what are you three Divine Birds going to do? Stand aside and cheer "666"?
"Fine!" Fang Yuan said, almost helplessly, "I'll go find Ho-Oh."
"Take good care of the Tablet."
Yunying Mountain Range, Azure Mountain—wasn't that where Xiaozhi became The Brave of the Rainbow in "It's Decided, It's You!"?
Ho-Oh's dwelling...
If everything goes smoothly, for him, who has the Rainbow Feather, finding Ho-Oh would take merely two days.
Maybe, he could even have a fight with Ho-Oh and earn himself the title of "The Brave of the Rainbow."
Thinking about it this way, it wouldn't be a loss to make the trip.
For the sake of the Tablet, Fang Yuan endured.
But looking at the big red bird in front of him, he shook his head. Just you wait—once I team up with Lugia and Ho-Oh, I'll make sure to pluck out all your feathers.
"Uhh..." Watching Fang Yuan's eyes gleaming, Moltres suddenly had a bad premonition.
Never mind that; it had to train hard while he was looking for Ho-Oh and Lugia, or else it would no longer have the tablets to rely on.