Lorze had already determined his next strategy: let Ash and the others roam free for a bit, while he confronted Kodai's main forces alone.
However, saying he was confronting Kodai alone wasn't entirely accurate. After all, Zoroark was already holding his hand tightly.
Her soft meat pads and textured palm ambiguously rubbed against his. It was as if this physical contact alone could link their hearts together.
Right now, he had both a new wife by his side and his old wives staying loyally with him. Everyone was tightly connected by deep bonds, so they were invincible!
"That despicable Kodai actually dared to hurt our Zoroark and Zorua. We really need to teach him a good lesson!"
Hearing the young man's words, the gentle and beautiful mother fox nestled her head against the young man's shoulder. Yet from her long snout came words that sent shivers down one's spine.
"Hehe~ Honey, you absolutely must let me properly punish Kodai❤~"
Her trust and love for Lorze were real, and her flames of vengeance against Kodai were equally real: Both for herself and for her daughter, she wanted to return the suffering they endured double or even triple to Kodai!
Lorze could already anticipate what kind of revenge Zoroark would exact, but this was nothing more than Kodai reaping what he sowed; evil begets evil.
As a partner, he naturally had to stand up for his wronged wife and daughter, so Lorze would use his full strength to assist Zoroark.
"Wait a minute, Zoroark. I know where Kodai will go, and I've thought of a great idea! And everyone else, come listen too!"
The group gathered around for a brief strategy meeting. And the trump card for this operation was naturally Zoroark's illusions—since Kodai loved using her illusion abilities to cause trouble so much, why not give him a taste of his own medicine?
His wives all laughed and teased Lorze one after another, saying things like "Hubby is so bad❤~" which sounded like blame but felt like praise, which the young man cheerfully accepted.
All these schemes were meant to deal with bad guys. He was completely sincere when treating his wives—of course, he also needed a little bit of scheming to make them happy~
In short, Lorze led his wives and bypassed Kodai, who was still wandering around the empty urban area. Instead, they advanced triumphantly to the location of the Time Ripple to set up an ambush—that was near a giant tree on the edge of the old town.
On the other side, Kodai was still searching for the Time Ripple like looking for a needle in a haystack. Up until now, he had absolutely no clues, until that severe headache entangled him once again!
In the eyes of outsiders, Kodai's pupils glowed with green light as he bent over and held his forehead in extreme pain. However... on that extremely pained face, he tried his best to stretch the corners of his mouth into a forced smile.
Kodai seemed to be exerting quite a lot of effort; this was his attempt to see the images in the prophecy clearly.
In the images, he successfully led his subordinates to find Celebi. At that time, it was isolated and helpless, seemingly already in Kodai's pocket.
Moreover, he also learned the location of the Time Ripple.
The severe pain suddenly stopped after a short while. This time, Kodai didn't see too many images.
"Excellent, excellent... Hahaha!"
But this was enough, he thought.
Because what he saw were the most, most crucial images: both the location of the Time Ripple and the prophecy of catching Celebi.
But just at this moment, his subordinate Goon sent an urgent communication to Kodai: "Lord Kodai, this is bad, Zoroark has escaped!"
"What!?"
"That's right... The mission to retrieve Zoroark failed, I am truly sorry..."
"What a useless good-for-nothing, tch."
Kodai furrowed his brows tightly: Zoroark ran away, what should we do now? Split our forces to pursue her?
No, right now is the critical moment to concentrate our manpower to find the Time Ripple. We absolutely cannot split our forces to capture Zoroark; that would consume too many resources.
She's nothing more than a stray dog, nothing to fear, Kodai thought to himself.
"Now, everyone follow me to find the Time Ripple!"
"Yes!"
It's worth mentioning that Goon didn't tell Kodai about Lorze. Because he felt that since Kodai possessed the ability to see the future, he must have already known about Lorze's interference.
Furthermore, having so many Pokémon on his side easily defeated was truly too humiliating to repeatedly mention...
Precisely because of this, Kodai could be said to have zero guard against Lorze, which also laid a small foreshadowing for his operation.
On the other side, Lorze had already rushed to the location of the Time Ripple. Even from far away, that conspicuous giant tree could be seen—it looked to be at least dozens of meters tall, and its trunk was extremely thick. Even standing there all alone, it could form a forest by itself.
Arriving at the giant tree in the suburbs of Crown City first, Lorze and his Pokémon wives looked up at the giant tree with gazes carrying a hint of awe. Then, they immediately launched a carpet search.
The Time Ripple couldn't be seen with the naked eye. At least in the movie, Kodai needed Shuppet to use Foresight to reveal it. This wasn't a problem for Lorze; Zoroark alone could do it.
As Zoroark fully released her power, a hemispherical Foresight completely enveloped this area, making it convenient for everyone to search.
Unfortunately, Hatterene and Florges walked rather slowly, so they had to act as Lorze's bodyguards. But for these two girls, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Compared to the other wives who were busy and in full swing, the two of them were sticking close to Lorze on his left and right, being lovey-dovey and affectionate, thoroughly enjoying themselves!
Lorze said he originally wanted to work hard too, but the body scents of the two little goblins were simply too rich, almost sucking his soul away.
Fortunately, they finally found the Time Ripple in the end. Because Meowstic nimbly climbed up the giant tree, and Jirachi also flew high into the sky, utilizing their excellent vantage points, they found the location of the Time Ripple.
That thing looked like a wormhole. As a psychic power cultivator, Lorze could also clearly feel what kind of immense power was contained within it.
Speaking of psychic powers, Lorze reflected on himself with shame: Lately, he had been intoxicated by his wives' carnal lust every day, and hadn't had time to cultivate at all!
Lorze, oh Lorze, how could you become so degenerate! Have you forgotten the cultivation plan you set previously? Confucius said, "I examine myself three times a day." Things can't go on like this!
Just as everyone was admiring the Time Ripple, an immature yet anxious voice transmitted over through telepathy—
"P-Please don't touch that thing!"
Looking back suddenly, who could a Pokémon with such a sweet voice be? Naturally, it was the cute little onion head, Celebi.
Celebi was undoubtedly a pure little sister. Her shyness and sweetness were all taken in by Lorze's eyes.
The young man's lower body unconsciously got a few degrees harder. Putting aside Ralts, Fennekin, Hatenna, Jirachi, Mew, Meowstic, Ponyta, Zorua, and Flabébé, he truly wasn't a pedophile. It was truly because Celebi was too cute that he reacted.
"Mhm! We won't touch the Time Ripple. You are Celebi, right? My name is Lorze, and I want to make friends with you!"
The wives all revealed understanding smiles: Here he goes again, here he goes again. The playboy husband is reaching out his demonic claws towards a new little girl again❤~
"That's great, thank you!"
"But doesn't Celebi need to absorb the Time Ripple's energy to replenish physical strength after time traveling? Why not come absorb it now?"
"Um... because the Time Ripple's energy isn't enough right now. It takes a who~le~ day to fully recharge! So Celebi can play in Crown City for a day today, hehe~"
Lorze sweatdropped. Celebi really is careless. She was clearly caught by Kodai twenty years ago, yet she's still this careless now.
However... after all, she is always shuttling through the past and the future, so her perception of time should be different from his. Perhaps twenty years have passed on the surface, but in reality, who knows how long it has been for her. Forgetting this matter doesn't seem too outrageous then.
So this time, he would be the one to protect little Celebi's smile!
Seeing that Kodai's main force hadn't arrived yet, Lorze and his wives started playing with Celebi.
Among them, Jirachi quickly hit it off with Mew. Recalling when they first met Mew, it was the same. Perhaps it's a natural familiarity between Mythical Pokémon.
But Lorze still preferred to believe: This is the telepathy between shorties. Flat-chested lolis always have a lot of common topics... Ahem.
"Celebi, let's play with Lorze together!"
Jirachi pulled Celebi, intending to drag her towards Lorze, but Celebi was still a bit shy around strangers.
"Ah, Lorze... But, Lorze and I aren't very familiar yet."
"Hehe, it's fine! Lorze is also Jirachi's good friend. He's really su~per~ amazing!"
Unable to withstand Jirachi's enthusiasm, Celebi also adopted a try-it-out mentality and began interacting closely with Lorze.
She was sandwiched between Lorze and Jirachi on her left and right. And behind Celebi's back, where she couldn't see, Lorze's left hand and Jirachi's right hand gave a thumbs up and bumped fists: Keikaku Doori (Just as planned)!
The tacit understanding between them was beyond measure. Lorze truly felt incredibly fortunate to have such a cute and proactive little treasure of a wife by his side. Jirachi was truly... the MVP of this match!
Then, under Jirachi's frantic assists from the side and Lorze's highly masculine yet gentle and refined behavior in their interactions, Celebi predictably couldn't withstand their coordinated husband-and-wife offensive. Gradually, her fondness for Lorze soared, and she quickly dropped her initial unfamiliarity, becoming very enthusiastic.
Even when the little onion was held in Lorze's arms at that time, she felt no discomfort at all. Instead, she thoroughly enjoyed the young man's robust and powerful embrace. Because her good friend Jirachi was also lying in Lorze's arms, Celebi felt there was nothing inappropriate about it.
Moreover, his embrace made Celebi feel incredibly cozy. It truly was warm and safe, simply like a dad or mom's embrace.
Celebi was very happy, and consequently, in high spirits, invited Lorze to play in the tree.
"Ah, but... it's not very convenient for me to climb trees."
"Hehe, then leave it to Celebi~"
"Jirachi wants to help too!"
Several thick vines extended from Celebi's body, tying Lorze up tightly. Then, driven by the two little lolis' telekinesis, they brought Lorze to a thick branch!
The width of this branch even allowed Lorze to lie flat on it, showing just how thick the trunk was.
Thus, Lorze leaned against the trunk, maintaining a lying posture, with Celebi and Jirachi in his arms.
Together, they counted the colorful clouds in the horizon, listened together to the "rustle rustle" sound of the autumn wind brushing through the leaves. Amusing things always made the three of them laugh together.
It was as if Celebi was just like Jirachi, not merely a close friend but a passionate little girlfriend. This natural intimacy was something even Celebi herself hadn't realized.
The three of them enjoyed the tranquil and beautiful time, and eventually, unknowingly fell asleep.
And the rest of the wives also rested under the shade of the tree one after another, enjoying a brief moment of leisure on a short afternoon break.
Lorze felt a "smooch" on his cheek. Waking up drowsily, he found that it was actually Jirachi who kissed him awake.
This trick he usually used had actually been learned by Jirachi.
"Hmm? Jirachi... what's wrong?"
"Lorze, look over there!"
Seeing Jirachi's somewhat anxious appearance, Lorze also hurriedly patted his cheeks to sober up. Following the direction the little cutie was pointing, he found it was actually Kodai's main force.
However, the situation wasn't urgent, because they were still very far away, so there was ample time to lay out a plan.
To think that sleeping in the tree unexpectedly gave them an excellent vantage point by a stroke of luck.
Following Jirachi's lead, Lorze took advantage of Celebi's sound sleep to plant a kiss on her. The groggily waking Celebi hadn't realized she had been taken advantage of by Lorze.
"Celebi, time to wake up."
"Mmh... Lorze~"
Celebi felt her body being gently shaken. Slowly opening her eyes to focus her blurry vision, she then saw the incredibly gentle smile on Lorze's face.
Sunlight passed through the gaps in the leaves, sprinkling onto the young man's hair strands, then quietly slipping away from them, finally arriving on Celebi's face.
Her pupils dilated slightly, and Celebi's cheeks were cutely flushed red.
Her micro-expressions were all taken in by the experienced Lorze's eyes. He truly wanted to kiss Celebi's small mouth right now, pull her aside, and fuck her brains out.
However... with a formidable enemy approaching, it was better to deal with the imminent threat first!
Lorze stroked Celebi's onion-like small head and asked about what happened before: "Celebi... do you still remember what happened twenty years ago? Right here in Crown City, Kodai stole your Time Ripple. The reverse flow of energy caused all the plants in Crown City to wither!"
Lorze's words shocked the sleepy-eyed Celebi awake. Being told this by Lorze, she actually remembered. A long time ago, she indeed seemed to have experienced this incident. That was truly a... nightmare-like memory.
Celebi blinked her large, watery eyes. Looking somewhat aggrieved and somewhat scared, she nodded her head. Her small hands also rubbed together very bashfully.
"Celebi, look. The leader of the people hurrying over here is the culprit from back then, Kodai. This time, he wants to come snatch the Time Ripple again!"
"Wh-what should we do!"
"To tell you the truth, I actually came looking for the Time Ripple specifically to protect little Celebi. So I definitely won't let that guy Kodai succeed. Besides... after we drive the bad guys away later, I also have some things I want to say to little Celebi❤~"
Even though he didn't specify what it was at all, the young man's ambiguous tone still made Celebi's heart pound wildly like a deer caught in headlights.
Innocent as she was, she didn't know what Lorze wanted to say, nor did she know why she was blushing. The scalding crimson flush was beyond her control, even causing her heart rate to accelerate along with it.
Anyway, the top priority is to take down Kodai first. Otherwise, I won't be able to have fun with little Celebi without any worries~
The two Mythical Pokémon flew down gracefully. Lorze also took a flying leap, relying on his exquisite control over telekinesis to land steadily on the ground, looking both chuunibyou and a bit handsome.
"Phew❤, sleepyheads, time to wake up!"
In order to quickly boot up his drowsy wives, Lorze planted a kiss on each person's face. The warmth of lips pressing against theirs and the drops of saliva adhering to them instantly made everyone incredibly wide awake!
What a bunch of little perverts! Lorze thought with a smile.
"So, you all remember the battle plan, right?"
"Mhm!"
On the other side, Kodai was leading his subordinates, gradually approaching the location of the Time Ripple, which was the place where Lorze and his wives were lying in ambush.
Arriving under the giant tree, Kodai felt a bit dazed. Recalling that the last time he absorbed the power of the Time Ripple seemed to be from here too, he couldn't help but let out a burst of hypocritical sighs.
Of course, there was also his old friend Celebi. She was hovering near the Time Ripple. Upon seeing Kodai, she immediately revealed an extremely terrified expression, startled into letting out a series of trilling cries!
"Hahaha... Long time no see, Celebi. Let's catch up properly!"
Celebi was about to dive into the Time Ripple, but Kodai suddenly extended a mechanical arm from his back, controlling the agile mechanical hand to firmly grasp Celebi!
Celebi's somewhat comical cries made Kodai unable to resist revealing a triumphant smile, as if obtaining the Time Ripple was already a certainty—and as of right now, it indeed seemed to be the case.
Ash's group, whom he had seen through the precognition images, had already been taken down by him. They couldn't possibly come to hinder him anymore...
Everything is ready.
As long as he could foresee the course of events in advance and make corresponding countermeasures, he could remain invincible. This was also the reason why his career had always been successful.
Celebi struggled frantically under the mechanical arm, but it was in vain. She was then grabbed and brought before Kodai by the sturdy mechanical arm.
"Hmph, Celebi, your existence is nothing more than..."
Kodai was just about to deliver his victory speech, but suddenly noticed: why was there a small tail with a pitch-black base and a bright red tip growing on Celebi's butt!?
Celebi definitely wouldn't grow such a weird tail. Wait, could this be...
Immense crisis and unease surged into Kodai's chest cavity, but it was too late.
Because Celebi shook her body and transformed into a black little fox baring her fangs!
"Zorua!? Why is it you!? Where is Celebi!?"
"Still want to catch Big Sister Celebi? Go to hell, ee ya!"
Taking advantage of Kodai's distraction, Zorua wiggled her soft, delicate body and slipped out from the mechanical arm's claws. Incredibly nimbly, she raised her small hand, bared her sharp claws, and with a "swish", smashed the control switch on Kodai's wrist, directly rendering the mechanical arm disobedient and useless!
"Fuck!"
Kodai was exasperated and furious, because obtaining the Time Ripple also relied on this mechanical arm!
Flying into a rage out of humiliation, he subconsciously wanted Zorua to pay with her life. He immediately ordered Mismagius to attack—
"Quick, hurry up and kill this little bastard for me!"
Seeing Mismagius had already gathered a deep Shadow Ball in front of her chest, in the nick of time, a cloak breaking through the air rang out "whoosh". An afterimage snatched Zorua away, directly making Mismagius's attack hit empty air!