"Or could it be, Dr. Granba, that you are imagining capturing Lugia and then running away with it?"
"Not long ago, Vicious already betrayed us. I really have to question your loyalty to Team Rocket, Dr. Hamba."
Lucas leaned his body slightly closer to Dr. Namba, his lips carrying a faint smile, and his eyes staring directly into the man's.
Lucas's face was exceedingly handsome, and that subtle smile of his was so pleasant that, if some inexperienced young girl were to see it, she would probably have stars flashing in her eyes.
But as for Dr. Namba…
This guy was downright terrifying, damn it! And also—what the hell was with calling him Dr. Hamba? You're the Hamba! Your whole family are Hambas!
My name is Dr. Namba!
"T-that's all just a misunderstanding! Absolutely a misunderstanding!" Dr. Namba quickly wiped away the sweat covering his face with his sleeve.
"My loyalty to Boss Giovanni is unwavering. I would never harbor a second heart! The reason I concealed information about Lugia was only because I wanted to capture Lugia first and then present it directly to Boss as a gift!"
"Mr. Lucas, please, you must believe me!"
Dr. Namba explained in a hurry, even switching to the honorific you—his survival instinct going through the roof.
Damn it, if he didn't explain himself clearly, he was afraid Lucas might just finish him off on the spot.
After all, Lucas's strength was something absolutely beyond doubt. In Team Rocket, Dr. Namba's personal relations were decent—at least "five-zero" good—but that was because, as one of the rare top-level researchers of Team Rocket, his abilities naturally made others want to get on his good side. Even though he was stationed in the Johto region, Dr. Namba was very well aware of Lucas's recent battle records in Kanto against the League.
He had no doubt at all that if Lucas wanted to deal with him, it would not be difficult in the slightest.
"No need to be nervous, no need at all. Dr. Namba, you are one of Team Rocket's pillars. Naturally, I believe you."
Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Dr. Namba for a long while before finally speaking again with a smile.
"Yes! Mr. Lucas, you truly have a discerning eye!" Dr. Namba secretly exhaled a sigh of relief.
"So then, what traces of Lugia have you discovered here that give you the confidence to think you can capture it?"
Lucas's voice carried a trace of curiosity as he questioned.
"Speaking of that, please come with me, Mr. Lucas." Dr. Namba steadied his emotions once more, gesturing toward the command room ahead.
The two of them walked forward together, approaching the large central screen.
"This old man was practically scared half to death by Lucas just now."
Seeing Dr. Namba being so obedient, Green couldn't help but roll her eyes and mutter sarcastically.
Clearly, in his current state, Dr. Namba wouldn't dare go against Lucas at all.
After all, Lucas had seized on the fact that he had failed to report Lugia. Whether or not Dr. Namba was truly loyal didn't matter—the leverage was real.
And since Lucas's standing was already higher than his, Dr. Namba would have no way to explain himself even if he tried.
"Lucas is really amazing."
Ilene's eyes sparkled with starry admiration. Here was a man who could make even a high-ranking Team Rocket research doctor, someone who commanded an entire branch squad, shrink back like a quail.
As expected of her fiancé!
"This one's already beyond saving."
Green cast a glance at Ilene, muttering another complaint under her breath.
But she didn't dwell on it further, instead turning her gaze toward the holographic display that was just appearing.
"Mr. Lucas, please take a look."
Meanwhile, over at Lucas and Dr. Namba's side, the doctor was busy operating the instruments, and at last he pressed the confirmation button.
The projection lit up, revealing a stretch of deep ocean—beautiful marine plants swaying gently, fish and shrimp drifting leisurely—but what drew everyone's attention most was that white figure!
"Lugia! And there are two of them?"
Green's eyes widened slightly, staring at the screen where two white Pokémon appeared.
Ten years ago, she had been snatched away from Pallet Town by Ho-Oh and brought to Johto, and because of that incident, she had even developed a fear of birds.
Although that ornithophobia had more or less faded with time, she could never forget the two bird Pokémon that had left the deepest mark on her memory.
One was Ho-Oh.
The other, which she had seen after Ho-Oh set her down on the ground, was none other than Lugia.
But now, she was seeing Lugia once more—and not just one, but two of them!
"This Lugia is so small."
Marnie's eyes also locked tightly on the video, especially on the smaller one.
Yes, what the footage showed was indeed Lugia—but one was large, the other tiny.
That little Lugia, as Marnie quickly judged, wasn't even as big as the other Lugia's wings.
"Because that one is a juvenile Lugia. Based on my observations, this small Lugia should be the child of that other Lugia."
Dr. Namba explained, and this was the primary reason he wanted to remain stationed in this sea.
Originally, he had chosen this remote, quiet location as a convenient base to continue his research on the Rage Device. But unexpectedly, he had stumbled upon this pair of Lugia. And from all appearances, this sea was their habitat.
This discovery thrilled Dr. Namba. Not long ago, Giovanni had issued an order to investigate clues concerning Lugia and Ho-Oh.
At first, Dr. Namba hadn't taken that task seriously at all. Lugia and Ho-Oh?
What a joke. Heaven be my witness, he had lived in Kanto for decades and had never once seen either of those two legends.
But now…
"These really are a mother and child Lugia. But this adult Lugia's size seems off."
Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly, studying the Lugia in the footage again and again.
On screen, the Lugia picked up some seaweed and gently fed it to the smaller one, a vivid picture of tender maternal love.
But undeniably, the adult Lugia's size did not appear particularly robust.
Most likely, this was a female Lugia—and perhaps her physique had been affected by giving birth to the child.
Ten years ago, Lucas had personally witnessed Lugia, and that one had stood at least six meters tall. But the one in this video looked barely five meters at best.
If he recalled correctly, the standard height for Lugia was over five meters. But "standard" only meant the baseline. Generally, any Pokémon that grew up healthily would end up larger than the baseline. That was why Lucas found this Lugia's smaller size suspicious.
Don't tell him this mother Lugia had given birth before even reaching adulthood?
If so, then what kind of deranged father would that make the other Lugia?
"Indeed, something isn't right…" Green frowned after hearing that, taking a closer look before speaking up.
"Wait, Mr. Lucas… you've seen another Lugia before?"
Dr. Namba was stunned. Could it be that the Lugia he was planning to capture was one that was underdeveloped?
"Yes. Though I don't know where that other Lugia is now." Lucas nodded, then sank into thoughtful silence.
Clearly, if this one was the mother, then there had to be a father somewhere as well. If they acted recklessly, they risked provoking the fury of the entire Lugia species.
Who knew how many Lugia actually existed in this world…
If the legend of the Whirl Islands was to be believed, then there was definitely a very powerful Lugia there—the one said to have descended with thunder, splitting the Whirl Island into four separate isles with a single strike.
Such a level of power was no joke, and certainly not something this mother Lugia in the video could have accomplished.
And over in the Orange Islands, there was also an ancient legend of a Lugia worshipped as the Guardian of the Seas.
In this world, the only higher legendary Pokémon confirmed to belong to a distinct species were Lugia and Rayquaza. If one were to target Lugia, it would require extremely careful planning.
"Dr. Namba, how exactly do you plan to capture these two Lugia?" Lucas asked after some thought.
Truth be told, although he knew there was risk, he was tempted. Because…
On the video, the little Lugia chewed happily on the seaweed its mother had given it, its expression radiating innocent joy.
Who wouldn't want to have such a precious creature?
Of course, that wasn't the main point.
The main point was that this was a baby of a top-tier legendary!
Baby meant its mind was still a blank slate—it could be trained from the ground up.
The mother Lugia didn't interest Lucas that much, but the little one… that one stirred a powerful desire within him.
As a Trainer, it could be said that one who didn't desire to capture a legendary was not truly a good Trainer!
Because the potential of a legendary's species was far greater than that of ordinary Pokémon. A full-grown legendary was already enough to drive people mad.
And now, here was a juvenile legendary.
If this little Lugia appeared in the outside world, it would cause a worldwide sensation!
Even people like Giovanni, Leon, Cynthia—yes, even Lance—would go wild over it.
Well, Lance especially—since he was the Flying-type Champion, and Lugia was a Flying-type after all.
What? You say Lance only trains Pokémon with "dragon" in their names?
But don't you think Lugia looks quite a bit like Reshiram? Both are white, both have wings—that's close enough to a dragon. Good enough reason, isn't it?
"That Lugia mother protects the little one very carefully. They're basically inseparable."
Dr. Namba frowned. He had observed the pair for quite some time, but there were almost no moments when the mother and child were apart.
As for using brute force…
What, was he supposed to fight a mother Lugia head-on? With just his branch squad of Team Rocket grunts? And in the middle of the ocean, no less?
"You mean you haven't devised a proper plan?" Lucas raised his brows. It seemed that was the case.
In the original story, the reason Dr. Namba had succeeded in capturing the mother Lugia was because he had used the little Lugia as lure for a trap. Overly protective of her child, the mother Lugia had fallen for it and been captured.
"I already have a plan! Please rest assured, Mr. Lucas. After my professional calculations, the probability of success is at least eighty percent!"
Dr. Namba spoke with full confidence. A little Lugia? That was no problem at all!
"Then I'll be waiting to see it with my own eyes." Lucas cast him a sidelong glance, his tone showing genuine interest in the doctor's methods.
"Little Lugia…"
Lucas's gaze lingered on the small Pokémon in the footage, his eyes flickering with thought.
(End of Chapter)