At this moment, Dr. Nambo's heart was in chaos—utterly flustered, beyond anxious.
After all, Lugia had already broken straight into the base. Even the reinforced energy barriers that were supposed to withstand extreme assaults had been shattered in an instant. To Dr. Nambo, a Lugia capable of tearing apart such defenses was nothing less than a terrifying existence, a calamity-class being whose danger level was completely off the charts.
This creature could easily destroy the entire colossal undersea base!
And what about them—fragile, insignificant humans? How could they possibly resist in the face of such overwhelming might?
What unsettled Dr. Nambo even more was that, after personally witnessing Lugia's terrifying power, he no longer held the slightest confidence in the traps he had carefully prepared. Could those mechanisms really work against Lugia? Deep down, he strongly suspected the answer was no.
The power Lugia had revealed was far too shocking.
Indeed, greed was the most terrifying of sins. If only he hadn't been blinded by his own greed in the beginning… If only he had immediately reported Lugia's whereabouts to Boss Giovanni upon discovering its traces—none of this disaster would have come to pass.
"So that's how it is," muttered Lucas, his eyes narrowing slightly after hearing the man's words. As expected, this guy was unreliable.
In the anime, Dr. Nambo had indeed succeeded in trapping Lugia's mother by using the little Lugia as Lucast.
But this reality was different. Such things weren't so simple. To ensnare a Legendary Pokémon, the trap had to be prepared with utmost care and precision. How could anyone expect to bring down a Legendary so easily?
"If I were to handle it myself… this child would likely never willingly follow me either," Lucas frowned faintly.
Many Pokémon already possessed intelligence comparable to humans, and Legendary Pokémon even more so.
As lifeforms standing at the pinnacle of the world's hierarchy, Legendary Pokémon were near perfection in both intellect and strength.
Little Lugia might still be young, its mind pure and innocent, but that did not mean it was foolish.
Right now, its intelligence was probably on par with a two- or three-year-old human child—genuine, untainted, yet not devoid of awareness.
Even if Lucas secretly took it away now, Little Lugia's deep attachment to its mother would surely cause it to rebel and stir trouble.
And if he forcefully defeated Lugia and snatched away the child, then that trauma would forever become a barrier between him and Little Lugia, an unhealable scar. Worse, he would earn the eternal enmity of the entire Lugia species.
After all, top-tier Legendary Pokémon were on a level of life far above the ordinary. For them, bringing forth a new life was immensely difficult.
Originally, Lucas had intended to let Dr. Nambo play the villain's role in his place. But now the fool had failed completely, unable to even save his own skin.
"Mr. Lucas…"
"What is it?" Lucas pondered quietly, his mind turning over how he might secure Little Lugia.
"Or… perhaps we should return Little Lugia to its mother after all?" Dr. Nambo suggested hesitantly, biting his lip in frustration.
This was his base, his painstakingly established headquarters. He had struggled so much to secure approval for its construction. To see it on the verge of being destroyed now—he was simply unwilling to accept it.
"Now you want to return it? Far too late for that," Lucas sneered. "And do you think that just by giving the child back, Lugia will simply forgive everything and leave quietly? Do you really believe its rage is so easily soothed?"
"..."
Dr. Nambo fell silent at those words, because indeed…
Even if they returned Little Lugia now, Mother Lugia might still destroy the entire base out of wrath. At most, perhaps they humans could escape with their lives. After all, the Lugia species were ultimately benevolent—they would not casually slaughter humans.
"Withdraw for now. I will handle Lugia. Whether this base survives or not will depend entirely on Mother Lugia's mood," Lucas said faintly.
Leaving those people here was meaningless. Their strength was worlds apart. Though this Lugia mother's development seemed somewhat incomplete, it was still a Lugia. Upon reaching maturity, it naturally possessed the full might of a top-tier Legendary—this was no joke.
Wasn't it true that with no restraints, Lance's Dragonite could destroy an entire city like Celadon? Who would dare doubt the destructive potential of a true Legendary?
Given enough time, any one of them could erase a bustling city with ease. Destroying a massive base like this would be child's play.
"I understand." Dr. Nambo wasted no further words.
Remaining here was far too dangerous. Who knew when Lugia's next attack would land? The earlier he escaped, the better his chances of survival.
Without hesitation, he ordered his subordinates to gather the research data and evacuate the undersea base through its many hidden escape passages.
"So, they're just going to run off like that? Then what story are we supposed to give?"
Green blinked in astonishment when Lucas ended the call. She truly hadn't expected him to let Dr. Nambo and the others retreat at such a time.
Just one Lugia—was it really that big a deal?
Lucas was the kind of man who had gone head-to-head with Kyurem, Groudon, and Kyogre.
"They would only be a burden if they stayed," Lucas replied casually. Of course, it wasn't that he feared Lugia—he simply needed someone else to take the blame.
"Little one, shall I take you to find your mother?" Lucas bent down with a warm smile, gently rubbing Little Lugia's head.
"Wuu? Awuu!"
Little Lugia, chewing on a large apple, blinked adorably, then understood. It nodded vigorously with joy.
"Woo-woo!" The little one pressed its head against Lucas in affection, brimming with happiness.
This pure-hearted child—given delicious food and the promise of reunion with its mother—how could it not like him?
"Goodness, Lucas… truly worthy of your reputation," Marnie and the others were stunned at first, but quickly grasped his intent. Green sighed in disbelief.
Too shameless!
He had been the one to push Dr. Nambo into hastily carrying out the capture plan, yet now that things had gone wrong, he had washed his hands of it completely, shoving all responsibility onto Nambo while keeping his own image pristine.
Look at Little Lugia—it already thought of Lucas as a good person!
"This is called adapting to circumstances. You wouldn't understand," Lucas said without a hint of shame.
With that, he led Green and the other two women out of the sealed chamber, while Little Lugia waddled behind on clumsy steps.
Yes, the little one couldn't even fly yet. Though it swam skillfully, walking on land was clearly difficult.
Fortunately, its learning ability was strong, and it quickly adapted.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the base—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Down a corridor, Lugia's mother stormed forward, crimson eyes blazing as violent explosions shook the walls.
It was searching for its child. Very soon, it seemed to sense something. Whipping its head in one direction, it launched a devastating Aeroblast. The resulting blast tore open a massive passageway, and Lugia's mother strode through.
Here inside the base, flying was difficult, so it could only move on foot.
"WOOO—!"
Its cry echoed sharply as it advanced.
"Awuu! Awuu!"
Before long, a tender, familiar reply reached its ears.
Its pace quickened instantly. And then—it saw.
Little Lugia stood ahead.
The blood-red fury in its eyes faded, replaced by boundless joy.
"Awuu!"
The little one's stubby legs pumped as it ran eagerly into its mother's embrace.
Bending down, Lugia's mother wrapped it tenderly in her great wing-arms, radiating warmth and love.
"Such excessive motherly affection…" Lucas shook his head at the touching sight. For this Lugia mother, Little Lugia was clearly more precious than her very life.
So, it had been in the anime as well. For the sake of its child, Lugia had shown limitless doting affection. Heartwarming as it was, such overindulgence would not necessarily benefit Little Lugia in the long run.
Then again, perhaps it was only because the child was still too young, and the mother did not yet wish to let it grow independent.
"Wuu…"
Reunited with her child, Lugia mother raised her head slightly, glaring warily at Lucas and his companions. Anger still flickered in her eyes.
She knew very well—it was humans who had taken her child.
Even though her little one was back, her heart still seethed with fury.
"Awuu! Awuu!"
But just then, Little Lugia raised its head, calling out to its mother while flapping its tiny wings and pointing at Lucas.
Though its constant "awuu-awuu" was incomprehensible, the meaning was clear enough—it was trying to explain on Lucas's behalf.
Hearing her child's words, Lugia's hostility slowly diminished. She looked at Lucas in puzzlement.
"We came here originally as guests. But when we discovered these people were capturing Lugia, we refused to be complicit. So, we rescued this child," Lucas explained with a smile. "As for those people… they seem to have fled already."
Different from the simple-minded Little Lugia, this Lugia mother possessed mature wisdom. Naturally, his explanation had to be clearer.
Her eyes softened, gratitude flickering within.
"Thank you for saving my child, human."
Her voice resounded warmly in their minds, gentle yet dignified. Unlike other Legendaries whose telepathy often sounded neutral or deep, hers was distinctly feminine—like a mature woman in her thirties.
"You're welcome. This child is truly adorable. I believe anyone who found it would have chosen to help," Lucas answered smoothly, his face utterly calm.
Ilene glanced sideways at him, the corners of her lips curving into a smile. She did not think him despicable—after all, methods were just means to an end.
Adults knew better than to expect the world to be clean and simple.
Today's events had given her a deeper understanding of Lucas. And for her, that was enough.
"Still, this is their base. Who knows what other tricks they've left behind. Lugia, I suggest we leave this place quickly," Lucas added, glancing into the deeper parts of the base.
After all, he had already set Dr. Nambo up once. If the base remained intact enough to be of use, it would be best left to him.
Colleagues, after all. And though a portion had already been destroyed by Lugia, with repairs, it might still serve…
(End of Chapter)
TN: Won't Lugia be able to read their minds? Well, let's just go with it.