Communication with Raging Bolt couldn't exactly be called smooth—at best, it was like talking at cross purposes.
Raging Bolt could understand what Lucas was saying, but that didn't mean Lucas could grasp the meaning behind its sounds.
Originally, they could rely on the Serperior, who could write a bit, to act as a translator. But the Serperiors all expressed that they simply couldn't communicate with Raging Bolt at all, completely unable to understand the meaning behind its calls.
This left Lucas speechless. He couldn't make heads or tails of this world's language system—it was just absurd.
At this point, the contribution of Moru, whom Lucas had brought along, became apparent. The fact that Moru could join Sada's research team at such a young age was proof of his extraordinary intelligence.
Luckily, Raging Bolt could understand Lucas's words and could nod or shake its head. Through a mix of wild guesses and hints from the four Pokémon, Lucas and Moru managed to piece together a bit of Raging Bolt' purpose and its reasons for not destroying Observation Station 4.
According to Raging Bolt, it came from much broader lands. The environment around Zone Zero was utterly unfamiliar to it—it wanted to return to where it used to live.
And the first people it encountered before being brought to Zone Zero were Sada and Turo.
The moment it met Sada and Turo, it found itself in this unfamiliar land called Zone Zero.
The attack it launched to intimidate Sada and Turo ended up hitting the unmanned Observation Station 3, while Sada and Turo were injured by flying debris from the building.
It was also wandering near Observation Station 4 because it wanted Sada and Turo to hurry up and send it back.
After summarizing Raging Bolt' story, Lucas and Moru exchanged glances and fell into a dead silence.
Is it really possible to play like this?
Did Sada and Turo actually go to Raging Bolt' original habitat?
Weren't they supposed to have built their research base in the deepest level of Zone Zero?
All these suspicious details pointed in one direction—that Sada and Turo had once visited the era where Raging Bolt lived.
After this unexpected reconciliation, Lucas took out some healing medicine from his backpack and began treating Raging Bolt' injuries.
At first, Raging Bolt was a bit uncomfortable. It had never let other creatures climb onto its body, let alone have Lucas spray it with some strange stuff that sent a cool shiver through its body.
Even so, Raging Bolt dared not make any sudden moves—it didn't want to get beaten up by those four watchful Pokémon.
Fortunately, after Lucas sprayed all the healing medicine he had, Raging Bolt actually felt a tickling sensation at its wounds and its stamina was returning.
Raging Bolt was very familiar with this feeling—it meant it was already recovering.
Raging Bolt began to think that this self-identified human called Lucas was really quite amazing. Sensing that Lucas was about to get down, Raging Bolt even lowered its body a bit more deliberately.
After getting off Raging Bolt, Lucas looked at the dozen or so empty bottles on the ground, deep in thought.
The larger the Pokémon, the more medicine it needs. No wonder so many ordinary families choose to raise smaller Pokémon.
Moru crouched to the side, eyes shining, regretting that he hadn't brought his camera.
That scene just now might have been the first time a human peacefully coexisted with a Paradox Pokémon—it was such a precious moment, and he hadn't captured it!
Raging Bolt was already quite strong. Combined with Lucas's liberal use of healing medicine, it recovered significantly in no time.
Now that it was confirmed that this rare and communicative Raging Bolt was essentially harmless, Lucas's mind started turning.
Should he have Raging Bolt give Roaring Moon a little electrotherapy?
He decided to act immediately. Since the two professors hadn't woken up yet, Lucas wanted to get everything done while he had the chance. He explained his idea to Raging Bolt—
See if they could communicate with Roaring Moon. If not, try to tame it. If that didn't work either, they'd have to release it.
Raging Bolt was utterly confused. Roaring Moon? What was that supposed to be?
As for Moru, he even dashed back into the lab to get his camera, determined not to miss recording the next precious scene of humans interacting with Paradox Pokémon.
With Roaring Moon, Lucas was much more cautious than he'd been with Raging Bolt.
First, he sent Swampert to a vantage point, ready to intercept Roaring Moon if it tried to escape. Then, he had Serperior weave a large net of vines, ready to restrain Roaring Moon's movements at any time, and ordered Mimikyu to lurk in the shadows near where Roaring Moon would be released.
Finally, Dragonite and Raging Bolt stood by his side, ready to act depending on Roaring Moon's state. Lucas unlocked the Ultra Ball, releasing the ever-struggling Roaring Moon—
The first thing the battered Roaring Moon did upon emerging was to unleash a hate-filled dragon roar at Lucas, gathering fiery breath in its mouth!
Lucas narrowed his eyes. Dragonite immediately fired a water cannon, not only dousing Roaring Moon's weakened Flamethrower, but also soaking it head to toe.
"Roooooar!!"
Roaring Moon, now in a sorry state, was even angrier. Its crimson dragon eyes glared at Dragonite, and it kept roaring.
Lucas had no doubt that if Roaring Moon ever got the chance, it would tear Dragonite to pieces.
Looks like they had to go harder to get Roaring Moon to behave.
Lucas snapped his fingers. Raging Bolt looked at him speechlessly, then let electric currents flicker from its mane, sending several bolts zapping straight at Roaring Moon.
Zzzzzzt!
Raging Bolt was already much stronger than Roaring Moon, not to mention that Dragonite had just soaked Roaring Moon, making the electricity even more effective. The Thunderbolt instantly knocked the once-energetic and vengeful Roaring Moon flat.
Charred and weak, Roaring Moon lay on the ground, its ferocious gaze unchanged.
Lucas tried to communicate several times, but all attempts ended in failure. He even tried to make it submit through pain, but Roaring Moon's savage, man-eating glare never wavered.
In the end, Lucas could only conclude—
Some Paradox Pokémon really can't be tamed, filled as they are with an unextinguishable wildness. Even if you forced them to submit, one day they'd explode. He could never take such a ticking time bomb back to the ranch.
In comparison, Raging Bolt really was an outlier among outliers.
Raging Bolt felt a bit uneasy being stared at by Lucas as if it were a rare animal. When it saw the red-winged creature, it realized—so that's Roaring Moon.
Back in their era, these guys were extremely fierce. It was totally normal that communication failed.
Even with some of its own kind, Raging Bolt had trouble understanding their thoughts.
Raging Bolt bent its long neck down and gave Roaring Moon another Thunderbolt at close range, finally knocking it out.
After this, Raging Bolt glanced at Lucas out of the corner of its eye, expecting him to use that strange ball to recall the creature.
But Lucas didn't move—instead, he locked eyes with Raging Bolt.
Raging Bolt: ?
Lucas: (ω)
Come to think of it, Raging Bolt could be considered a Paradox form of Raikou. Its neck was a little long, but its body was still covered in a thick layer of fur.
Raikou is basically a big cat, which means Raging Bolt is, in some sense, a big, fluffy cat.
That thick golden fur must feel wonderful to the touch.
Lucas's eyes gleamed slightly.