"Go fight above the clouds. I can mask your battle waves up there, and the people of Shamouti will sleep soundly."
Mewtwo, whose mindset had subtly shifted under Lugia's words, suddenly spoke.
Although it had been contemplating philosophy, Mewtwo was still aware of the outside world.
Naturally, it hadn't missed Lugia gifting Lucas the Silver Wing and proposing a fight to teach Dragonite.
Lugia, Dragonite, and Lucas looked toward Mewtwo. Lugia raised a brow and nodded.
"Then I'll trouble you."
Its use of psychic power leaned more toward controlling weather and storms; Mewtwo could do many finer things it couldn't—like masking battle aftershocks.
If Mewtwo was willing, all the better.
"Drago~…"
Dragonite drooped. So it couldn't avoid a beating after all?
Its senses were keen. It felt a looming threat from Lugia—power equal to or greater than Mega Swampert's.
Even so, Dragonite didn't refuse.
It wanted to improve—to become stronger.
Opportunities are fleeting, and this one was right here. How could it not seize it?
Because Lugia wasn't at the Fire Guardian's level, Dragonite needed full focus. It couldn't take Lucas along; Mewtwo also needed total concentration to suppress the aftershocks.
Meanwhile, the three birds had fallen into a temporary slumber, seemingly digesting their Nature's Blessing.
With that, there was no one to carry Lucas aloft to watch.
Though a bit disappointed, Lucas didn't force more burdens onto Mewtwo and the others.
He watched as Dragonite, Lugia, and Mewtwo rose and broke through the clouds.
Then he pitched a tent on the beach with his Pokémon and started camping on the spot.
Several times, Dragonite descended covered in wounds. After Comfey healed it, it silently flew back up. Lucas felt both heartache and pride.
Under Mewtwo's interference, the sky looked eerily calm—no sign of a fierce battle above.
During the day, ships and helicopters flocked to Shamouti due to the aftermath of the incident, but under Mewtwo's power, no one discovered Lucas on the beach or knew what was happening in the sky.
The battle lasted a full day and night.
In the end, Mewtwo carried Dragonite down with Telekinesis. Serperior gently took Dragonite with Vine Whip and laid it on the only thin mat spread on the sand.
Lugia had a deft hand in battle—never striking Dragonite to the point of losing the ability to fight. It had merely fallen asleep from exhaustion.
After all, a day and night of high-intensity combat is draining. Even Comfey was tired from repeated healing, let alone Dragonite, which bore Lugia's legendary pressure head-on.
After Dragonite and Mewtwo came down, Lugia followed and landed on the beach. It folded its wings and peered at Dragonite to confirm its condition, then turned to Lucas with a reminder.
"I've taught it storm control, how to sense wind and airflow through what you humans call the Ability 'Multiscale,' and the principles behind my signature techniques."
"Though it's still a ways from fully mastering and internalizing them, I can foresee its future. In this path of wind, if not unmatched, it will have precious few rivals!"
This was the confidence of a legendary with many divine epithets.
Save for a few extremely rare flying legends, once Dragonite digested everything, on the way of wind, few would shake its status.
Seeing Lugia's slightly proud tilt, Lucas naturally voiced his thanks.
But Lugia waved a wing—like a great hand—preempting him, as if it knew what he'd say.
"Unlike that old fossil Ho-Oh, the three birds on those islands aren't strictly my subordinates. I can't help much there. So I chose to teach Dragonite a few things."
Since Lucas had accepted the Silver Wing—though there's no binding contract—he was half a representative. Some benefits were in order.
Mewtwo, too, felt richly rewarded.
Watching Lugia and Dragonite fight, it grasped the gap between itself and legends of Lugia's tier.
Lucas had been right: there's always someone stronger. Its "strongest" had been defined within a well it dug for itself.
It still had far to go.
To protect itself and the cloned Pokémon, Mewtwo resolved to keep digging into its untapped potential and become stronger.
"Then I truly take my leave."
Lugia spread its wings, ready to dive into the sea. Before that, it gave a teasing reminder.
"When you need to summon me, remember to factor in travel time. The deep ocean is far vaster than you imagine."
After all, it can't Teleport—just as some Dragons can't learn Dragon Dance, bearing the world's malice.
With that, and under the gazes of Lucas, Dragonite, Delibird, and Mewtwo, Lugia dove like a fish into the boundless sea.
"Drago~."
Dragonite was reluctant. Though "Teacher Lugia" had beaten it ragged, it had learned a lot.
Lucas stared at the sea for a long time, recalled Dragonite, then turned to Mewtwo. "Then I'll trouble you to send me back to my ranch in Paldea."
"As for Delibird—you still plan to travel, right?"
Though he'd already said goodbye, Lucas couldn't help asking again.
"Deli~"
Delibird flapped its wings with a smile. Its ambition was to train while flying across the world, seeing mountains and rivers, and making many Pokémon friends.
Its journey was far from over.
A Poké Ball at Lucas's waist trembled—Victini seemed inspired by Delibird's aspirations.
Seeing Delibird so decided, Lucas had nothing to add. While hosting Mewtwo at the ranch, he'd heard Delibird's travel plans.
First, it would tour the Orange Archipelago; many local tales intrigued it.
Like Pinkan Island's pink Pokémon; Golden Island with its Meowth cult and giant golden Meowth statue; and the Crystal Onix legend on Sunburst Island.
After seeing those, Delibird would head to Johto. Dodging around with Mewtwo last time, it hadn't properly enjoyed Johto's scenery.
Delibird planned to watch Lucas get teleported away—but before that, it noticed Mewtwo staring at it.
Delibird tilted its head, puzzled.
What's it staring at me for?
"Did you forget to give him something?"
Seeing Delibird's blank look, Mewtwo rubbed its brow and prompted.
Something?
Delibird blinked. After a beat, it suddenly recalled, eyes lighting up with shiny exclamation marks.
Right—the thing for Lucas!
It flipped open its tail and rummaged around, finally producing two pitch-black spheres, a bit larger than tennis balls. It handed one to Lucas.
"For me?"
Lucas took the black sphere. First impression: cool, smooth, perfectly round. It seemed made of some material unknown to nature, yet showed no sign of artificial tooling.
"Deli~"
Delibird glanced at Mewtwo, signaling it to do the explaining.
Mewtwo frowned slightly and sent a private telepathic message: "Weren't you going to explain yourself?"
"Deli!"
Delibird akimboed proudly—no telepathy for it. Whether explaining firsthand or relaying the message, Mewtwo couldn't dodge this one.
Mewtwo: …
Outmaneuvered by a mere Delibird!!
Face dark, Mewtwo floated to the confused Lucas and explained, businesslike:
"This is a two-way locator—so you and Delibird can know each other's current position."
"It can also do directional item teleportation between you, as long as you supply it with power. Large-mass items cannot be sent."
"Like this."
Somehow, the nearly invisible seams on the black sphere lit up. With a soft hum of mechanisms, the sphere unfolded into a disc like a CD or record.
Delibird's sphere did the same.
Mewtwo levitated a stone slightly smaller than the disc and set it atop. The disc glowed strangely—
And in the next moment, the stone vanished soundlessly and appeared atop Delibird's disc.
Lucas: !!!!
Bro. What kind of ridiculous black tech is this?!
Mewtwo still looked displeased, as if considering further improvements. "Short range is fine. But considering the distance between Kanto and Paldea, one teleport will drain its energy."
"As for charging, electricity is fine. Given Delibird's situation, I enhanced its electrical resistance. Natural lightning or Electric-type moves will do. Just hit it in sphere form; it'll auto-stop when full. Excess won't harm it."
"If you don't teleport, a full charge lasts over a year."
"You can use it to exchange curios from your travels—or send food, whatever."
Mewtwo looked at Lucas, who stood frozen and silent. It put on an impatient face. "Understand? I won't explain twice."
Shock—
Lucas's mind was pure astonishment.
Never mind outclassing his ranch's massive power and storage grid—this thing could safely absorb natural lightning?
And the cross-half-the-planet, electricity-only, item teleportation? Absurd.
At least Poké Ball transfer was based on converting Balls and Pokémon into a special signal, sending it through the network, then reconstituting—there were papers and a framework for that tech.
This black tech was… unscientific.
Even so, Lucas's keen eye caught Mewtwo's tail swishing with its mood—something even it didn't notice.
That angle and cadence—restless, wanting recognition!
Add Delibird's winks and nudges—
Lucas put it together.
These two black-tech spheres—let's call them Black Orbs—were custom-made by Mewtwo for him and Delibird.
Otherwise, with Teleport at its disposal, why build an inferior substitute?
Looking moved, Lucas unleashed every compliment he could think of in a rapid-fire barrage at Mewtwo.
At first, Mewtwo lifted its chin modestly. Though pleased inside, it kept a stern face, brows knitted tight enough to catch a fly, looking serious.
But the longer it listened, the more off it felt. Finally, it scowled, tossed the Black Orb to Lucas, and growled, "Get lost!!"
Space rippled again, whisking Lucas—and his endless prattle—away.
Only then did Mewtwo lower its arms, look at Delibird, and complain, "He's annoying."
Delibird nodded in agreement.
Lucas was a chatterbox. But knowing it came from a place of care, Delibird could now listen to it all.
"Hmph."
With a cold snort, Mewtwo rose under telekinetic lift.
It looked down and said to Delibird, "We may never meet again. You're strong enough to handle most dangers. So… enjoy your journey."
With that, Mewtwo flew into the sky and vanished into the clouds.
"Deli~"
Staring at the empty sky, Delibird shook its head.
"Never meet again," huh? It had heard from Venusaurtwo about a hidden third function of the Black Orb—
And the location of a third sphere.
Remembering Venusaurtwo's worried complaints about Mewtwo's tsundere habit, and that it had made a third orb to warn of danger and mark Teleport coordinates for their safety—
Honestly. After months together, they were already friends.
Delibird sighed, spread its wings, and flew toward the vast seas of the Orange Archipelago.
A new journey was about to begin!