Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 665 - 663: Airship

"Pokémon get da ze!"

Li Ang subconsciously raised the PokeBall and struck a pose.

Seeing this purple-and-white PokeBall, the eyes of the other three players lit up.

They were all familiar with Pokémon, the world's biggest IP, and naturally recognized this renowned item.

However, weren't items from this world not supposed to be taken out...?

"Wow, using a Master-level PokeBall to exchange for a companion's health."

Li Ang blinked. He deliberately didn't say the item's full name to prevent the other three players from searching Game Square for its specific effects based on the name. "That's quite a generous move," he remarked.

"It's just a PokeBall." Ash shook his head. If he could return to his home world, he could have as many as he wanted—with his connections and relationships, getting a few Master Balls would be no problem at all.

Money talks, business integrity.

Li Ang placed his hand on Brock's forehead, and the flesh on the latter's brow writhed. After a few seconds, the wound healed completely.

"I've also repaired and reinforced the bone structure beneath the skin. Now your friend Brock has a skull as hard as iron. He could crack walnuts with his forehead or smash reinforced doors with his head without worry.

"Suggested name change: Brock 'My-Head-Is-Hard'."

Li Ang casually quipped.

Ash examined Brock's forehead for a while. After making sure his companion and best friend was alright, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The three teammates standing by didn't know that aside from saving Brock's life, Li Ang had a backup plan—his Title Skill, Mystery Delver, allowed him to see through the hidden secrets of others' hearts. If he hadn't seen that Ash valued Brock's life even more than his own, he wouldn't have chosen to cooperate with him.

Moreover, throughout their journey, he had been using Mystery Delver to peek into the hearts of the others, especially wary in case Ash suddenly changed his mind—the nuclear button on the driver's seat was set for this very reason.

"Ahem, could I also ask about the origin of this PokeBall?" Li Ang shook the purple-and-white sphere and asked Ash, "It seems a bit different from the Master Ball I remember. Or maybe I'm mistaken?"

"I don't know." Ash didn't elaborate. From his expression, he seemed genuinely unaware. "It was given to me by someone else," he added.

Could it be the person mentioned in the notes, Professor Elm? Li Ang raised an eyebrow, contemplating a possibility. "When you fell out of the gaming world with this ball, did you encounter anything strange...?"

"Strange things?" Ash frowned, recalling. "No, nothing. I just walked out of the Kanto Region and on the road, I met a Poliwhirl... Wait a second..."

A light flashed in Ash's eyes, as if he too had realized something, and he fell silent.

There seemed to be a problem here, he thought.

Li Ang remained silent for a moment, not prying further. His peripheral vision scanned his three teammates. The mission is over, and the System prompt has appeared, Li Ang thought. So why haven't they teleported away yet?

Faced with Li Ang's unspoken question, the Dusk Knight stood woodenly, seemingly waiting for the five-minute timer to expire for automatic teleportation. The Sunset Gold Smelter blinked, as if to say this world seemed interesting and waiting another five minutes wouldn't hurt. As for the Witch, she leisurely took out several vials of potions, mixed them on the spot, and drank them; the dragon scales on her face gradually receded.

Trying to rush me? Not so easy, she thought.

The three teammates didn't say it outright, but their thoughts likely ran along similar lines: 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

This PokeBall is probably Li Rising's reward, in conjunction with Ash, for helping him be the first to cross the finish line and also saving Brock. If the System rewards collaboration with Ash like this, what about with other game characters? If we had allied with Ryu, we might have received a Rising Dragon Fist Scroll after completing the mission. Moreover... the awards ceremony hasn't even started yet.

Though the game was winner-takes-all, that didn't stop players from brainstorming, fantasizing that runners-up might also receive some additional reward.

At this moment, Shou Margot finally came to her senses, taking up her responsibility as a live broadcast journalist. She hoisted the camera tripod and microphone, rushed in front of Ash, and hurriedly asked, "Ahem, Mr. Ash, what are your thoughts on winning the competition?

"Do you think the act of forming alliances to ultimately win the championship is in line with the ethics of competition?

"Are you worried that this behavior might be judged as a violation by the competition's judging committee?

"Do you have anything you'd like to say to the audience in front of the television?"

Shou Margot, true to her profession as a tabloid journalist, bombarded Ash with questions non-stop, leaving him with his mouth agape, unsure which to answer first.

Meanwhile, countless hovering vehicles approached from behind the racetrack. Each vehicle had the logos of TV stations, newspapers, and radio stations painted on its exterior. It seemed they had finally arrived, ready to interview the champion of the race.

The end of the Bloody Racetrack was only the finish line, with no spectators or event staff lining the path to welcome them, likely to prevent the enraged combatants from causing unnecessary casualties with indiscriminate area-of-effect attacks.

Ash was immediately surrounded by event staff and reporters. Li Ang, seeing this, wasn't upset. He weighed his PokeBall and backed away, making room for the champion's convoy.

HUMMM—

A resonating sound echoed in the skies.

A gigantic airship, red and yellow with a ferocious, fanged mouth painted on its front, slowly descended from the white clouds, carving a hollow in the cloud layer.

The Kirov Airship, the ultimate weapon sowing death across the mortal realm.

The airship's immense size was incredibly imposing, especially when its vast shadow fell over everyone below.

Clearly, the only passengers worthy of traveling on this unique airship were the two leaders of Central City.

The four players instinctively squinted. They saw four metal rods extending from beneath the hovering airship, connecting to form a metal platform. Two figures stood on it as it slowly descended.

Yuri, Gandalf.

The reporters below instantly abandoned the newly-crowned champion Ash, lifting their cameras to focus on the two figures on the platform.

Yuri and Gandalf looked down, waved, and smiled. As the platform descended to fifty meters above the ground, they pushed open its railing and stepped out.

They did not fall to their deaths. Gandalf, the white-robed Wizard holding a Magic Wand, seemed to have used some Spell to create an invisible staircase in midair, allowing them to walk down step by step, leisurely approaching the crowd.

"Congratulations, Ash. You and your companions have proven yourselves, using strategy to overcome strong opponents and achieve the qualification to ascend," Gandalf said with a smile from a distance.

His smile was warm and benevolent, his voice like a resonant bell. Though lean, his figure was imposing, and the wooden Magic Wand in his hand looked substantial. Despite his thin white robe, no one would mistake him for an ordinary, frail old man.

Upon seeing the creators of Central City, Ash's face inevitably showed a hint of youthful excitement. He was about to speak when he suddenly froze.

It wasn't just him. Everyone—Shou Margot, the reporters, the event staff, all of them—stood rooted to the spot, staring wide-eyed, their mouths agape.

Falling droplets of sweat hung suspended in the air.

The kicked-up dust hovered motionless.

Time had stopped.

The four players' internal alarms blared. They clearly saw the game characters around them frozen in place, locked in time.

Subconsciously, the four simultaneously opened their mission logs, ready to click the "Teleport Immediately" option to escape the contentious site.

However, the next second, the words uttered by Gandalf struck them with an even greater shock.

The white-robed Demigod Wizard slowly turned his head. Looking at the four players with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, he said calmly, "Congratulations to you too, visitors from the Different World.

"Or rather,

"Players."