Ogi Isle.
On the beach, Green and Marnie were busily preparing lunch, while Ilene stood at the side lending them a hand.
Since childhood, Ilene had been trained as a crown princess, groomed in every aspect of noble etiquette, poise, and refinement. She had mastered those lessons completely, yet cooking was one skill she had never learned.
But now that she was engaged to Lucas, she had recently begun earnestly practicing how to become the ideal wife.
Meanwhile, by the shoreline, Little Lugia played happily in the surf with a Blastoise, splashing water back and forth in excitement.
"What a joyful little one. Judging by its demeanor, it must not be very old, right?"
Sitting upon a reef, Lucas watched as Little Lugia squinted its eyes into cheerful crescents, its face filled with pure happiness. Smiling himself, he voiced the question aloud.
"That's right. Little Lugia only just turned eighty this year."
A soft, gentle female voice responded by his ear—it was Lugia's mother, lying leisurely on the beach, resting.
Eighty years old…
Lucas froze upon hearing that. This "little" Lugia was already eighty?
Good heavens. He himself was only eighteen.
Truly, he felt as though he had intruded in the wrong way.
"Hehe… our growth cycle is not the same as you humans. If we develop naturally, a Lugia takes two thousand years to reach full adulthood."
Guessing at the thoughts running through his head, Lugia's mother explained with a kind, amused tone.
Indeed, this was the natural rhythm of their species. High-tier to Top-tier Legendary Pokémon possessed lifespans so long they drew envy from all living things.
But correspondingly, their maturation process was far lengthier than that of other Pokémon—let alone humans.
"I see… that makes sense."
Lucas nodded thoughtfully. Truly, this aligned with what he already knew. For instance, his 'shiny' Rayquaza—thousands of years old before reaching maturity, and even now, it had yet to master something as important as the "Dragon Ascent."
"Lugia… what about its father? Is he not here?"
His gaze shifted curiously toward Lugia's mother. In the original story, the father of Little Lugia had never appeared, so Lucas had long been intrigued about it.
When the topic of Little Lugia's father came up, a shadow flickered through the mother's eyes. She sighed faintly, her expression touched with sorrow.
Clearly, for her, those memories were far from pleasant.
Seeing this, Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly. So there was more to the story, then?
"If it's a sensitive matter, you don't need to say anything. But if it's trouble of some kind… personally, I would be willing to help your kind." Lucas smiled gently after pausing in thought.
The Lugia species, after all, were truly one of the most benevolent races in existence. No one knew where they had originated, but as far back as records stretched, Lugia had always been close to humanity.
Through countless centuries, they had quietly aided mankind.
Even after being disappointed by humans again and again, the line of Lugia had never abandoned them.
Even now, if humans were to face shipwrecks at sea, Lugia would still intervene to save lives whenever it passed by.
Beautiful, kind, gentle, tolerant…
All of these glowing words could be applied to Lugia without exaggeration.
Because Lugia truly deserved such praise.
And so, Lucas genuinely admired them. Even though he had been weighing the possibility of how to obtain Little Lugia in the undersea base earlier, that did not diminish the genuine respect he felt for the species.
Lucas was not what one would call a "good man." In fact, to the eyes of most ordinary people, he might even seem like a mercurial villain, someone whose temper and actions were unpredictable.
But he was no petty man.
Who had ever decreed that a so-called "villain" could not appreciate beauty?
In many stories, it was precisely the true antagonists who showed the deepest respect for those noble souls who devoted themselves wholeheartedly to building a better world.
By contrast, it was the hypocrites—the petty schemers—who sneered at such goodness and stabbed the righteous in the back.
And besides… if he could help the Lugia species and earn their goodwill, wasn't that something to be valued?
"I can tell—you really are a very unusual human," Lugia's mother murmured softly, her clear eyes flickering as she turned to glance at him.
Indeed, unusual.
Back in the undersea base, she had been so overwhelmed by the relief of regaining her child that she had not looked closely at Lucas. But now, with her emotions calmed, she could sense the aura that clung to him…
One, two, three Legendary presences—plus Mew, casually following this human.
If this man wasn't special, then who in the world could be called special?
"Lucas, have you ever heard the legends about us Lugia that circulate in this land?"
After a brief hesitation, her gentle telepathic voice sounded in Lucas's mind. This time, the link was directed solely to him.
"In Johto, you mean? I've heard a bit. Back in Ecruteak City and the Whirl Islands, there are tales of Lugia." Lucas thought for a moment before replying.
"Yes. Back then, I lived in these very seas. And Little Lucas's father—my mate—was none other than the Lugia spoken of in those legends."
Her voice grew low, her mood clearly heavy.
"I see… and that Lugia, where is he now?" Lucas asked quietly, though his mind was already forming a guess.
The Lugia from the Whirl Islands was famed for splitting the island with thunderous strikes from the heavens. That kind of power was certainly beyond the gentle mother before him.
Yet now, that Lugia was nowhere to be seen.
"Our kind has a duty—to guard the seas. It was not imposed upon us by anyone. It is simply who we are, for we were born of the ocean itself.
We love these vast waters. But our numbers are few. Even after countless generations, Lugias remain exceedingly rare."
Instead of answering him directly, she spoke first about her people's origin and responsibilities.
"…"
Lucas stayed silent. Of course, wasn't that obvious?
For a species like Lugia, the fact that they even had a functioning lineage was already remarkable. If there were too many of them, how would the other Pokémon survive?
And while they were naturally gentle, just as humans had both good and evil among them, who could say there would never be outliers among Lugia?
Such was the nature of intelligent life. Nothing remained eternally unchanged.
Perceptions shifted as experience grew, and with it, personalities and hearts would inevitably transform.
What the future held for anyone—no one could predict.
"Because our numbers are so limited, we must do our utmost to maintain our duty. Until now, we have been active in two separate oceans."
Lugia's mother continued, not noticing Lucas's private musings.
"But… a century ago, the Lugia who guarded the other sea began to change."
Her telepathic voice grew heavy.
"Change?" Lucas echoed, startled.
"Yes. We never discovered the exact cause. But… it was corrupted."
At this, Lucas's brow furrowed tightly. Corrupted?
Lugia were top-tier Legendaries, their very existence almost the pinnacle of this world's life forms. By simply growing naturally, they could reach the summit of power.
And such an existence… corrupted?
Industrial pollution? He thought briefly of Lorelei's Dewgong, which had nearly died from contaminated water as a pup.
But Lugia? Don't be ridiculous. From the tone of her words, it was clear this was not some young one—it was a fully grown Lugia.
Could a mature Lugia really be harmed by mere industrial pollution? Impossible.
No—this was not the pollution of the body.
It was more like a corrupted of the heart.
"Unbelievable, isn't it?" Lugia's mother noted his expression and continued.
"But it is true. Our chieftain was corrupted. And in that sea, the humans revered it as the God of the Sea." She sighed.
"The so-called 'Sea God' of the Orange Islands…?" Lucas muttered, surprised.
"Yes. I do not know the true nature of this corruption. It was my mate who told me of it. That is why he left—he went to seal and purify our chieftain."
Her telepathic voice quivered faintly with worry. "Only once, ten years ago, did he return. Since a hundred years ago, he has forbidden me to go near that sea."
Indeed, she was deeply worried about that Lugia. But with Little Lugia in her care… how could she take the risk?
"A seal and purification… sounds rather serious." Lucas murmured. Clearly, this was no simple matter.
And that Lugia who had returned ten years ago…
Most likely, it was the very same one once captured by Pryce, which had later escaped and returned to the Orange Islands.
"Was the pollution's effect truly that severe?" he asked after a moment's thought.
"I do not fully know. Only that a century ago, our chieftain grew violently aggressive. It was then my mate realized the truth—that something was gravely wrong." She shook her head again.
"But I fear… so if the time comes, I hope you humans will lend us your aid."
Her eyes turned to Lucas, a trace of hesitation lingering.
It was precisely because of his extraordinary nature that she had revealed this secret to him. With so many Legendaries at his side, his strength could not be denied. She could not shake the premonition that someday, the fate of their leader would demand his involvement.
"Rest assured. If anything happens, you may reach me anytime." Lucas smiled faintly, setting aside his thoughts.
Though he did not yet know the true source of this "pollution," it had certainly piqued his interest. Something capable of corrupting even Lugia… fascinating indeed.
"Thank you, human. Here—take this feather. With it, you can call to me at any time. And through it, I can also find you."
From her body drifted a beautiful, silvery plume, floating gently into Lucas's hands.
The Silver Wing!
Lucas raised his eyebrows. As expected—it was Lugia's Silver Wing.
So, it was true: once your strength reached a certain level, earning the recognition of a Legendary was no longer so difficult.
"Then I'll accept it." He tucked the feather away, then glanced at Lugia's mother before letting his gaze fall to Little Lugia.
Now, he could better understand why she was so protective. With worry over her mate already weighing heavily on her, her emotions would naturally be sensitive when it came to her child.
"If you're that worried, you could always go check on things yourself," Lucas suggested.
"Little Lucas still needs my care. It is too young to survive on its own. And…" Her telepathic voice grew weary.
Of course she wanted to seek her mate. But the situation in the other sea remained uncertain. How could she dare bring her child there?
And leaving it alone here was unthinkable.
They were Lugia!
The number of humans coveting them was beyond counting. With Little Lugia still so young, how could she possibly leave it unattended?
Hadn't she just been gone a short while gathering food, only to return and nearly find her child stolen?
"…Wait a moment!"
Suddenly, Lugia's mother froze. She turned her gaze sharply onto Lucas.
Indeed—she could not bear to leave Little Lugia unattended. She knew her child too well.
So young, so innocent, endlessly curious about everything. In no time, it would wander into human waters and risk being captured.
But if…
"What is it?" Lucas felt uncomfortable under her intense stare.
After a long silence, her expectant voice sounded in his mind:
"Lucas… why don't you help me take care of this child for a while?"
(End of Chapter)