Let you make a game, what the hell is Pokemon?.

Chapter 252 New Intelligence and Clues!
The deafening explosions and screams still echoed in the hall, and metal fragments and energy debris rained down like raindrops.

The Crystal Lamp Spirit hovered in front of Ling Feng, its eerie blue flames dancing as if they were alive, forming an invisible barrier that blocked all the flying debris.

Its attack was as swift as lightning. Several iron necks and arms that charged at the forefront lost their fighting ability almost the instant they came into contact with the flames. Black scorch marks were left on their massive metal bodies, and they lay on the ground, unable to move, and unable to fight.

However, the cracks in the dome continue to widen, and more Future Species Pokémon are pouring in through them.

Their target remained clear: ignoring the fleeing crowd, they relentlessly attacked the most crucial energy crystal pillar in the center of the hall.

The League's guards and their Pokémon fought desperately, with Magneton's electric beams and Magnetic Bombs flying through the air, but they could hardly stop these powerful mechanical Pokémon.

Colonel Walker's Electrifying Beast roared and unleashed a barrage of 100,000 volts, temporarily forcing one Iron Warrior back. However, more Iron Bundles spewed out freezing rays, instantly freezing another guard and his Naughty Thunderbolt into an ice sculpture.

The difference in strength between the two sides is simply too great; the alliance is unable to offer any physical resistance.

The situation remained chaotic. While Ling Feng's Crystal Lamp Spirit was overwhelmingly powerful, it was clearly impossible to instantly eliminate all the intruders and seal the rift while protecting Ling Feng and Alicia.

After all, Chandelure is not a Pokémon that excels at area control and defense.

Ling Feng quickly assessed the situation and grabbed Alicia's wrist, who was still somewhat shaken.

The latter's face was pale, and her icy blue eyes still held shock, but the composure she had cultivated from years of holding a high position prevented her from losing her composure. She simply leaned towards the most powerful being beside her—the mysterious Pokémon that had instantly turned the tide and its trainer.

"We have to get out of here."

Ling Feng's voice came through the mask.

"This place is too conspicuous; your guards won't be able to hold out for long."

Alicia nodded immediately. She glanced at the guards who were still fighting hard and the retreating Alliance army, and gritted her teeth.

"Go to my emergency shelter! It's located in the basement of this building, with its own energy and defense systems!"

"Go, go."

Ling Feng's words were concise and to the point.

"Crystal Chandelier Spirit, clear the way and help me block them."

The flames in the Crystal Lamp Fire Spirit's eyes suddenly intensified, and a more condensed, dark blue fire ring spread out from it, forcing back several Iron Warriors that tried to approach.

It floated in front of Ling Feng and Alicia, and any Future Species that dared to approach were either burned by the flames it casually swung out or interfered with by the strange light, temporarily losing their ability to move.

Ling Feng, holding Alicia's hand, quickly crossed the chaotic hall under the cover of the crystal chandelier spirit, rushing towards an inconspicuous emergency exit entrance.

Metagross followed closely beside Alicia, its powerful psychic energy forming a protective shield that deflected some of Chandelure's attacks.

After the two entered the passage, the heavy alloy door closed behind them, temporarily isolating them from the chaos and danger outside.

The passageway was dimly lit, with only emergency lighting available.

The two people and their two Pokémon walked silently for a distance, then took an elevator that required special permissions to activate and descended to the underground area.

As the elevator doors opened, Ling Feng was greeted by a safe house that was simply furnished yet fully equipped.

The air purification system was running quietly, and soft lighting illuminated the small space. Ling Feng noticed that there was a simple rest area, communication equipment, and reserve supplies inside.

Only then did Alicia seem to breathe a sigh of relief, her body swaying slightly as she braced herself against the metal wall beside her.

She looked at Ling Feng with an extremely complex expression, filled with gratitude, doubt, and deep shock.

"Thank you for saving me...you..."

Her voice carried a hint of lingering fear after surviving a close call.

She paused again, her gaze falling on Ling Feng, who was still wearing the iron mask, and then on the crystal lamp spirit floating quietly beside him, its flames swaying gently.

"This Pokémon, and you... who exactly are you?"

"I have never seen such power."

Alicia swallowed hard. Based on the opponent's performance just now, even the Alliance's top combat power seemed to be no match for it.

Ling Feng did not answer her question directly. He reached out and removed the iron mask from his face, revealing his true face.

Alicia was slightly taken aback by his true appearance beneath the mask. She hadn't expected that a Pokémon trainer with such terrifying strength would look so young.
It was even much smaller than me!

"It doesn't matter who I am."

Ling Feng walked to a chair in the rest area and sat down, getting straight to the point:

"The important thing is the Genesis Engine."

Alicia suddenly stood up, her pupils contracting slightly as she looked at him warily.

"You...you know about the engine? Who told you?"

"I come from the Watchers."

Ling Feng answered truthfully.

“I know the Friendshipists want to destroy the surface, the Preservationists just want to maintain your luxury, and you want to find a safer path.”

"But Miles should have told you as well that forcibly starting the engine has a more than 97% chance of failure. At best, most of the lower city will collapse, and at worst, you'll all perish together, right?"

Alicia's face grew even paler. She leaned weakly against the wall and rubbed her temples.

“I know, of course I’ve read the report.”

“But…” She looked up, her eyes filled with helplessness and pressure.

"But time is running out! Walker and his men are pushing too hard! The threats on the surface world are like these monsters you see today! Their existence gives the pro-war faction even more reason to take risks."

“If we can’t find a safe way to use the engine, or if we can’t solve the threats on the ground, even if I strongly oppose it, the test run of the engine on ‘Purification Day’ a month from now is inevitable. I’m already almost unable to control them on my own.”

Her tone revealed exhaustion and a deep sense of powerlessness.

Looking at this nominal supreme leader of the alliance, Ling Feng could understand his emotions quite well.

Indeed, there's nothing that can be done about it.

But once the problem is solved, there's always a way out.

"Therefore, the root of the problem is still in the earthly world."

Ling Feng picked up the unopened juice bottle on the table and shook it.

"If the surface world poses no threat to humanity, allowing us to return to the surface, then there's no need to rush to activate the Genesis Engine, right?"

Alicia gave a wry smile.

"It's easy to say! But as you've seen, those powerful Pokémon are too aggressive. Our army is no match for them. The surface world is now impossible for us to return to."

Ling Feng opened the juice, took a sip, and then asked:
"So, you really did a thorough investigation, and all Pokémon in the surface world are aggressive? Aren't there any friendly ones?"

Alicia was taken aback by the question.

"That's not it. Our reconnaissance operations suffered heavy losses and we obtained limited information. Most of the encounters were very intense. Those Pokémon, especially the metallic monster you just saw, were only aggressive and couldn't communicate at all."

"As for friendly ones," she shook her head, indicating that the alliance had never seen any.

Ling Feng immediately fell into deep thought.

The appearance of ancient species was strange enough, but now an even more aggressive future species has emerged. There must be other reasons behind this; it's too abnormal.

He always felt that the situation on the ground was probably more complex than what the Alliance had scouted, or even more complex than what he had seen during his last hasty trip.

He thought for a moment, then looked up and said to Alicia.

"Give me some time. Delay starting the engine no matter what, until I get back, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Alicia frowned immediately.

"Time? Where are you going? What are you doing? I can't risk the alliance's disintegration just because of a stranger's words."

Ling Feng didn't offer any further explanation, but instead took out the Seed of the World directly from his system inventory.

A gentle yet powerful life energy instantly filled the entire safe house, and the soft, vibrant green light dispelled the stuffiness of the underground space.

Alicia suddenly stood up straight, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

She stared incredulously at the seed in Ling Feng's hand.

This energy is so pure and so powerful.
As the president of the alliance, she had seen countless strange energy sources, but she had never experienced such exhilarating and intense energy fluctuations.

"If I ultimately can't find a solution..."

With that, Ling Feng put away the Seed of the World, and the radiance of life energy disappeared.

"This should be enough to stabilize the energy of the Genesis Engine, right?"

"So, just wait for me to come back."

Alicia stared blankly at Ling Feng, then at his empty hands, as if she hadn't yet recovered from the energy she had just experienced.

The young man in front of her was giving her one shock after another, which was beyond her comprehension.

His calm, confident tone, and the incredible object he casually produced, made her realize that this might be the only hope to break the current deadlock.

She took a deep breath, finally made up her mind, and nodded heavily.

"Okay, I believe you. I'll do my best to buy you time. But please, you must hurry."

"Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help you."

After leaving the safe house beneath the Starry Sky Hall, Ling Feng put his mask back on and, under the cover of the Crystal Lamp Spirit, silently returned to a relatively safe area.

He found a quiet corner and began to sort out his thoughts.

He had already grasped the key information, including the origins of the Genesis Engine and the power struggles within the alliance.

Now, it's time to check on that progress.

With a thought, he opened the panel. Sure enough, the progress bar for [Current World Background Exploration Progress] had reached ninety percent.

Clearly, only one question remains—the reason why those paradoxes occur.

Why are there ancient species and future species?

Why are the future species so aggressive?
Is there any connection between them and the catastrophe that forced humanity to live underground?
Thinking of this, Ling Feng took out his communicator and contacted Dr. Lila.

The call connected quickly, and Dr. Lila's face appeared on the screen. The background seemed to be her laboratory, and she looked worried, clearly having heard about the banquet.

Ling Feng briefly recounted what had just happened, omitting the specifics of his conversation with Alicia, and then asked about the great disaster.

You mean that disaster?

Dr. Lila paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile.

"People at the top and in the scientific community basically know that it's not that complicated. It's just that the overexploitation of land resources by humans in the old era led to a global ecological collapse. Dramatic climate change and geological activity made the earth's surface no longer suitable for survival in the short term."

"After the alliance was established, in order to stabilize public sentiment, it deliberately covered up some of the truth, obscured the cause of the disaster, and emphasized the dangers on the surface. Hmm, why are you suddenly asking this?"

"It's nothing, I just feel something's a bit strange." Ling Feng didn't say much, thanked him, and hung up the phone.

Does overexploitation lead to ecological collapse?
While the explanation sounded reasonable, Ling Feng felt it was too simplistic.

Especially considering the emergence of paradoxical species, he instinctively felt that there might be some connection between the two.

But Dr. Lila does seem to genuinely not know any more information.
It seems that to find the answer, we'll have to go back to the mortal world.

When the surface world is mentioned, the image of Po Kong Yan Na naturally comes to mind.

By the way, the Pokémon Encyclopedia mentions that Flareon is extremely disgusted by the sounds made by Future Species.

Perhaps it knows some things about these future species?
However, since the Ho-Oh feathers are not fully charged yet, going directly to the Skybreaker Flame still carries some risk.

But recalling their first meeting, Po Kongyan didn't show any hostility; instead, he was more scrutinizing and curious about her.

In addition, I have the Mythic Resonance ability that I drew from Cynthia, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?

After a brief moment of thought, Ling Feng made a decision.

Give it a try.

However, since we're going to find a legendary Pokémon, it doesn't seem appropriate to go empty-handed.

It's customary to bring gifts when visiting someone's home; this is a basic social etiquette.

Ling Feng recalled the detailed information about the Sky-Breaking Flame from the Pancreatic Cancer Divine Beast Encyclopedia.

—It has a strong sense of territory, a proud and aloof nature, and an extreme aversion to chaotic and disorderly metallic noises and pollution from unnatural energy.

There are also those who "have a preference for consuming molten crystals and items containing pure earth energy".

Molten Crystal is an item containing pure earth energy.
Ling Feng began rummaging through his system inventory.

I have a lot of items that I won in the lottery before, which I plan to use as game rewards.

I did find a few fire-type evolution stones and attribute gems; perhaps Blaze would like these.

But after searching the entire backpack, Ling Feng couldn't find anything that clearly contained earth energy.

This is a bit troublesome.

Should we try our luck with another lottery draw?

But then I thought, I'm not fighting alone anymore.

The world's alliance chairman, research minister, and underground resistance organization are now all on his side.

Perhaps they have such rare energy items?

(End of this chapter)