Want to read ahead. You know where
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"Luka!"
Lucario stood his ground, battered and bleeding, his body swaying, but still firmly between Sam and danger.
"Hissss..."
Darkrai, drained and visibly weakened, floated beside Lucario, shadows flickering around him. Though both Pokémon were nearly at their limit, neither retreated.
Sam's heart clenched. He thought it was over.
But then, across Lapras Island, a strange hum began to echo.
"Woooooo!"
"Woooooo!"
Lapras voices. Dozens of them. No, hundreds.
From every direction, the Lapras who called the island home raised their voices in unison.
All of them glowed softly with a blue aura.
The light surged.
It gathered, drawn to a single point, and then expanded outward, forming a vast shimmering dome of energy.
Safeguard.
Blue, gentle, and unwavering.
They were protecting him.
To the Lapras, Sam was their savior.
The one who had once stepped in when no one else would.
And that kindness… it wasn't so easily forgotten.
Even if their opponent now was Lugia, the legendary guardian of the sea itself, the Lapras stood firm.
Their gratitude outweighed their fear.
The shield of combined energy shimmered just in time, barely withstanding the full brunt of Aeroblast unleashed by Mother Lugia.
The blast rippled across the Safeguard, shaking the island, but it held.
Mother Lugia, hovering in the storm-darkened sky, narrowed her piercing eyes.
She had not expected resistance.
And certainly not from Lapras, creatures she usually watched over.
And now, here they were, protecting… a human?
For a brief moment, confusion flickered across her face.
And in that opening,
Baby Lugia burst forward, wings flapping furiously, placing itself directly between its mother and Sam.
"Liliii!!"
"Liliii!!"
It cried out again and again, its voice high and desperate, pleading.
'Please don't hurt him! Don't attack!'
Mother Lugia's eyes widened as she took in her child's distressed expression.
Her rage faltered.
Slowly, cautiously, she moved closer, her glowing body cutting through the wind and rain.
Her eyes scanned over little Lugia from head to tail.
No wounds.
No signs of pain.
Relief softened her sharp features.
And then, baby Lugia began to speak in its way, explaining everything.
With each gesture, each psychic pulse, it told the story.
Sam hadn't harmed it. He had helped. Understood. Listened.
The storm began to quiet.
Lightning no longer danced across the sky.
The winds eased.
The torrential downpour slowed to a soft drizzle.
Thunder still grumbled far above, but it was distant now, retreating.
Huff... Huff...
Both Lugia, the mother, and her child descended gently from the skies.
Lucario and Darkrai immediately tensed, ready to intercept.
"Lucario. Darkrai."
Sam stepped forward, voice calm.
"It's alright."
"They're not going to attack anymore."
He placed a hand on each of his Pokémon, offering them reassurance.
He could feel it. The hatred, the killing intent, it was gone.
"Lili~"
The baby Lugia soared around him once more, then lowered its head and gently nuzzled Sam with its long, sleek neck.
It was an apology—an earnest one.
Sam chuckled and gave it a soft pat.
"It's fine," he said quietly.
"Just a big misunderstanding."
"Let's forget it."
Even as he said it, he couldn't help grumbling internally.
"Big misunderstanding, huh? You nearly blasted me into the afterlife. You've got a serious temper, lady…"
He sighed.
Mother Lugia remained silent, her gaze locked on Sam.
Only moments ago, she had been blinded by fury.
But now, standing there in the rain-soaked quiet, she was aware again, and alert.
And what she saw in this human unnerved her.
There was something… strange about him.
Very strange.
Her crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
She could sense four distinct energies radiating from him, none of them ordinary.
Two of them resonated with the ancient frequency of the Lugia clan itself.
Not imitation, not mimicry, real echoes of the same primordial force.
But the third…
Her wings twitched.
The third energy was different.
Fierce. Vast. Towering.
And unmistakable.
A mark.
A divine imprint etched into his aura.
It belonged to none other than Rayquaza, the Sky Lord who ruled the heavens.
Mother Lugia's mind reeled.
Just who was this human?
After a long, silent stare between them, something suddenly flickered through Sam's mind, like a soft breeze brushing against his thoughts.
A gentle, maternal voice echoed within.
"I'm sorry. I misunderstood you."
"Before I understood the situation, I acted rashly…"
Sam blinked, stunned.
That voice…
Was that… Mother Lugia?
He looked up at the majestic sea guardian, wings outstretched, her enormous form still dripping from the dissipated storm.
She hadn't moved, hadn't opened her mouth.
But the voice… it was clear, calm, and unmistakably hers.
Telepathy.
Of course.
Mother Lugia wasn't just a powerful Pokémon; she was a Legendary, an upper-tier deity of the seas, of both Psychic and Flying types.
Telepathic communication was nothing unusual for beings like her.
Still, Sam exhaled deeply, tension leaving his shoulders in waves.
"You were just trying to protect your child. I get it," he replied aloud, voice low but steady.
"It was a misunderstanding. Let's leave it at that."
A nervous laugh slipped out.
Even if that misunderstanding nearly vaporized me…
His legs still felt a little weak just thinking about the Aeroblast from earlier.
Beside him, little Lugia hovered happily, circling Sam with light flaps of its wings.
Mother Lugia's expression softened as she watched.
"Silver likes you very much…"
Sam's head tilted.
"Silver?"
His eyes widened slightly as the name clicked into place.
Wait… Silver?
He glanced at the young Lugia, then back at the mother.
These two were the same ones from the animated series!
The ones who appeared in Pokémon Chronicles, in that special episode.
Lugia, mother and son.
So that is Silver…
A small, amused breath escaped Sam's lips.
"Huh… So his name is Silver," he murmured.
Mother Lugia nodded gently.
"His father chose the name for him."
Her voice carried warmth, filled with love and pride.
But there was something else beneath it, too, a quiet shadow.
Worry. Hesitation.
Sam caught it.
So even Legendary Pokémon have family dynamics…
His thoughts spun as a new curiosity sparked in his chest.
"If you don't mind me asking… where is Silver's father?"
The question left his mouth before he could think twice.
The moment it did, the air shifted.
Mother Lugia's serene expression paused.
The telepathy cut off. She stared at Sam, not with anger, but something unreadable.
The silence grew thick.
Sam felt his spine stiffen.
Oh no.
That question hit a nerve.
He realized too late that it might've been a painful subject.
Had Silver's father… left them? Was Mother Lugia raising him alone?
Did I poke the emotional landmine of a Legendary beast?
He could already imagine it, her pupils shrinking, the skies darkening again, and a second Aeroblast with his name on it.
He gulped.
"Uh, forget I said anything!" he blurted quickly.
"If it's a sore subject, I didn't mean to! I talk too much sometimes!"
Still, Mother Lugia didn't speak. Her gaze remained fixed on him, but her mind… seemed far away.
Unfocused.
She was thinking. Remembering something.
Then, after a few moments, her voice returned, soft and distant in his mind.
"Silver likes you very much."
"Would you… Be willing to take care of him?"
Sam's mind went completely blank.
"...Huh???"
Wait. Wait, what?
Just now, they were talking about Silver's dad, and suddenly she was offering to give him the child?
Wasn't she just about to blast him into the ocean a few minutes ago for standing near her son?
And now she wanted to entrust him with the same kid?
He stared, trying to process the whiplash.
What kind of logic is this? Is this a beast thing? A Legendary thing??
Do legendary Pokémon operate on completely different brain circuits?!
Silver chirped happily beside him, blissfully unaware of the chaos his mother's offer had just caused.
Sam rubbed his temples, heart pounding.
"Are all divine beings this… impulsive?" he muttered under his breath.