Just as Lucas expected, Wailord was looking for Wailmer.
At first, it was very wary of Lucas, Dragonite, Swampert, and Finizen. But with little Wailmer's lively antics, that wariness turned into gratitude.
Wailord is modeled after a blue whale, which are already highly intelligent, and as a Pokémon, it was even more so.
As thanks for rescuing Wailmer from the Sharpedo, Wailord wanted to express its gratitude to Lucas.
Though Wailord's eyes were tiny compared to its body, to Lucas, each was bigger than his own head.
Such a large eye fixed straight on Lucas, as if waiting for his reply.
Lucas thought for a moment, glancing at the two aquatic Pokémon playing under Swampert's watchful eye.
Maybe, as a resident of the Paldean sea, Wailord knew where Finizen's pod was. He should return Finizen first.
Lucas voiced his idea.
Wailord pondered, then focused on Finizen, running through its memories.
Finally, an island appeared in Wailord's memory.
It remembered there was a group of small dolphins just like this little one living there.
"Wail~"
Wailord nodded, intending to show Lucas it could help, but forgot its enormous body. Its movement caused massive waves—if Swampert hadn't protected them, Wailmer and Finizen would have been swept away.
Realizing it'd almost caused trouble, Wailord looked embarrassed.
Lucas saw everything. No matter how big it was, Wailord was still a simple, honest Pokémon.
On the boundless sea, the massive Wailord swam purposefully.
At its side, an adorable dolphin leapt high above the waves, looking excitedly at Swampert swimming alongside.
"Fin~!" ("Falafin Hero, can you do that move again? The one where you blast the bad guys away with that heroic Aqua Jet!")
Swampert was getting annoyed by this kid. He'd explained countless times he wasn't Falafin Hero, but Finizen just looked at him knowingly, as if saying, "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret identity!"
Swampert hadn't felt this frustrated in ages.
Leaving the suffering Swampert aside, Lucas and Dragonite were having a relaxing time.
Wailord's back was wide and accommodating. For Lucas, who couldn't swim freely, Wailord kept to the surface for his sake.
Lucas and Dragonite could rest on Wailord's squishy, springy back. How to describe it? Lucas thought it felt just like a waterbed at a hotel.
Elastic, soft, perfectly molding to the body, relaxing like lying on a cloud.
Dragonite hugged Lucas, lost in a bubble of happiness.
Lucas hugged Wailmer, humming contentedly.
Wailmer's soft, springy body was like a giant plushie—perfect for cuddling.
With the gentle sea breeze blowing, aside from the faint salty smell, Lucas almost felt like he was cruising on a luxury yacht.
If Thunder Lake could support a Wailmer, he'd want a Wailord of his own—but it just couldn't provide the right environment for one so big.
Despite its size, Wailord was fast.
Before long, a whale song brought Lucas out of his nap. He yawned sleepily as he woke.
Once he was alert, Lucas scolded himself for letting his guard down in such a comfortable setting—he was still on the unpredictable ocean, after all.
Chiding himself, Lucas looked into the distance and saw an island covered in lush vegetation, with a huge beach meeting the sea.
The island was like a Mediterranean in the ocean—with a vast saltwater lake and sandy shore visible even from afar.
Finizen's pod was here?
For Lucas, this was a pleasant surprise. His goal was to find Damp Rock, and since it was a Rock-type item, it would form only where there were rocks—likely on an island or undersea.
Islands were easier to search than the sea floor.
So if this island was home to Finizen's group, he could return Finizen and then look for Damp Rock.
Wailord soon reached the waters near the island.
The island's lagoon and inner waters were too small for Wailord to enter, so it stopped, sadly singing a farewell to Lucas with Wailmer.
"No need to be so sad. I'm sure we'll meet again somewhere in the sea, my friends."
Lucas smiled at Wailord, patted Wailmer—whose eyes were brimming with tears.
Wailmer broke into a smile, cuddling in Lucas's arms for a while before reluctantly following Wailord back into the sea.
As Wailord and Wailmer swam away, Lucas felt a bit bittersweet—he hadn't expected to make two Pokémon friends on his trip.
"Drago~"
Dragonite gave Lucas a gentle hug, then set him on its back.
Lucas knew Dragonite was promising to stay by his side forever.
Feeling much better, Lucas looked at the lush island and said quietly, "Let's go, let's return Finizen home."
Dragonite nodded, and Swampert turned to swim into the island's lagoon.
Just then, Finizen, slow to realize, recognized the familiar surroundings. Elated, it squealed and dashed toward the island, forgetting all about its Falafin Hero fantasies.
Finizen swam so fast that it vanished in an instant.
Lucas, Dragonite, and Swampert exchanged a resigned glance. They were used to Finizen's impatience.
Since Finizen's pod should be on the island, there was no real danger in it rushing ahead.
Smiling, the group headed into the island.
Inside the island—
Dozens of Finizen were tangled in a giant net, struggling desperately and covered in wounds, weakly crying out.
Five people in black, sitting on a small ship, grinned wickedly.
They were the support crew left behind by Hunter J. Unfortunately, not long ago, J and her entire poaching gang had been caught by the Paldea League and Interpol.
With no choice, these five planned to leave Paldea and regroup, but by chance, they found the Finizen pod on this island.
A bold idea came to mind.