If Lugia were to lose consciousness at this moment, she would no longer be able to consciously absorb the Dark-type power as her own attribute.
Not only would she be left without a core attribute, but the unstable Dark-type energy inside her would spiral out of control, rampaging through her body.
"Hang in there, Lugia! It'll be over soon!" Ash called out urgently."Absorb that power inside you, make it your own!"
Spurred on by Ash's voice, Lugia forced her eyes to remain open. She endured the indescribable pain tearing through her body as she actively absorbed the rampaging energy.
The empty core within her was finally replenished.
The blue-and-white hues that still lingered on her body gradually faded, until her entire form transformed into a deep pitch-black interwoven with dark blue.
Several dozen seconds later, the violent fluctuations within her finally calmed.
The Dark-type power had stabilized, proof that Lugia had successfully converted it into her own attribute.
However, within that power, there still remained a faint yet terrifying aura of destruction.
This destructive force could not be absorbed.
It was the Power of Death, the Divine Authority unique to Yveltal, as Legendary Ash had described.
Ash turned his gaze toward the Venusaur beside him.
Already prepared, Venusaur gave a low roar and nodded.
In the next instant, countless emerald vines erupted from the ground. They surged upward, enveloping Ash and Lugia together, wrapping both human and Pokémon tightly within.
Frenzy Plant.
The massive plant structure formed a shield-like enclosure bristling with dense thorns, radiating an oppressive and intimidating presence.
Misty clasped her hands tightly to her chest, worry written all over her face.
"Is… is this really okay? That's Frenzy Plant!"
Ash had mentioned that Venusaur's help would be necessary, but he had never said he would be caught inside Frenzy Plant himself!
Even if it wasn't a direct attack, being completely wrapped up like that looked terrifyingly dangerous.
Cynthia's expression was solemn as well, but after a brief pause, she shook her head.
"Trust Ash. He can do this."
Though she hadn't spent much time with him, she believed from the bottom of her heart that this young man was capable of creating miracles.
Otherwise, she would never have entrusted Lugia to him.
Time ticked by.
Ten minutes.
Twenty minutes.
Thirty minutes.
Even Cynthia began to show a trace of concern.
They couldn't ask Venusaur what was happening, the Pokémon itself looked utterly exhausted, its breathing labored, clearly unable to spare the energy to respond.
"Venu…"
After several more tense seconds, Venusaur let out a weak cry and collapsed to the ground.
The massive thorns and vines instantly withered away, revealing what lay at the center.
Misty, Brock, and Cynthia all turned their eyes toward it.
There stood Ash, holding a peacefully sleeping Lugia in his arms.
Seeing their anxious expressions, Ash broke into a brilliant smile."It worked."
"It worked?!
Yay!!"
Misty jumped up in delight, Brock finally let out the breath he'd been holding, and even Cynthia's composed face softened into a satisfied smile.
Coming to Ash had truly been the right decision.
Something even the entire League had been unable to resolve, he had accomplished it.
The future would undoubtedly belong to this young man.
Back at Ash's residence, Brock poured tea for everyone seated on the sofa before sitting down beside Ash.
Lugia was sleeping soundly on the table.
The pain she had suffered earlier seemed completely gone. Only her appearance remained changed, her body still dark, showing no signs of reverting.
"How is Lugia now?" Cynthia asked, studying her with curiosity."Has her physical condition fully recovered? And… can her coloration be restored?"
"Yes," Ash replied honestly.
"Lugia's attributes have changed to Dark and Flying. Her Psychic attribute is gone. After that, Venusaur and I used life-based energy to purge the remaining Power of Death from her Dark attribute."
He paused slightly.
"Her condition is completely stable now. But as for returning to her original appearance… that probably isn't possible."
"Power of Death…"
Cynthia murmured. "Yveltal?"
Ash had only mentioned the term once, but Cynthia immediately connected it to that existence.
Aside from Yveltal, there were almost no Pokémon in the world that possessed the Power of Death.
She never would have imagined that Lugia's condition would be linked to Yveltal.
Did this mean Team Galactic's reach had already extended into Kalos?
Or worse, had Team Galactic and Team Flare already formed an alliance?
Either possibility was alarming.
Cynthia felt a headache coming on just thinking about it.
Had these villainous organizations all lost their minds? Why were they emerging all at once?
Was this a chain reaction caused by the fall of Team Rocket?
Perhaps Team Rocket's destruction had made the others feel threatened, forcing them to abandon hiding and act openly.
Whatever the reason, the burden on the Champions and Elite Four had increased dramatically.
If it were possible, Cynthia truly wished she could gather all those groups together and wipe them out in one fell swoop.
But that was nothing more than a pleasant fantasy.
The reality was that those organizations were powerful and deeply hidden, forcing those in the open to exhaust themselves chasing shadows.
A true head-on confrontation would likely only happen once those groups had amassed overwhelming power.
"Ms. Cynthia… you know about Yveltal?" Ash asked in surprise.
He had only learned about Yveltal through explanations from the seniors in his group.
Yet Cynthia had identified it immediately, just from hearing the name of the power.
"I forgot to mention something," Cynthia said calmly after taking a sip of tea.
"Besides being the Champion of Sinnoh, I'm also a historian. I've studied the history and legends of many regions."
"A historian…?" Ash blinked in surprise. "I didn't expect you to have that kind of background, Ms. Cynthia."
"It's nothing worth boasting about," Cynthia replied lightly. Then her expression turned serious as she set her teacup down.
"Let's return to the main issue, Ash. I hope you can temporarily take care of Lugia."
That single sentence left Ash momentarily stunned.
"W–Wait, what?" he blurted out. "Hasn't Lugia already recovered? Shouldn't she be returned to the sea now?"
Before, Lugia's condition had indeed required protection. But now that she had stabilized, and given her current strength, under normal circumstances no Trainer, unless they were of extremely high caliber, would be able to capture her.
Species: Lugia
Gender: Female
Attributes: Dark / Flying
Level: Mid
Ability: Dark Aura
Moves: Dark Pulse, Aeroblast, Oblivion Wing, Shadow Ball…
Stats:
• Attack: S (S)
• Special Attack: S (S)
• Defense: S (S)
• Special Defense: S (S)
• HP: S (S)
• Speed: S (S)
With Low-High strength, all S-rank attributes, and the innate constitution of a Legendary Pokémon, even a mid-high would struggle to defeat Lugia.
She might look small, but her combat power was undeniably top-tier.
Up to now, Ash had only seen three Pokémon with complete S-rank potential: Ho-Oh, Mewtwo, and Gardevoir.
Lugia was now the fourth.
Before absorbing the Dark-type power, although her six-stat potential had already reached S-rank, her actual attribute values were far from peak, mostly B or A, without a single S.
This ordeal had truly been a blessing in disguise.
Not only had her level risen by two stages, but every one of her attributes had been pushed to the absolute peak of her current tier. It could be said she had undergone a complete transformation.
Although this power was something she had nearly traded her life for, she had ultimately survived, and turned that crisis into her own strength.
With this level of power, she was more than capable of protecting herself.
As long as Lugia returned to the sea and eventually found the god of the sea, who might be resting deep on the ocean floor, Team Galactic would have no chance of targeting her again.
Cynthia shook her head slowly at Ash's suggestion.
"That's still not safe enough," she said. "We don't know whether Team Galactic has people lying in wait around the Orange Islands. More importantly, we don't even know how they managed to capture Lugia in the first place."
"If we release her back into the sea now, what happens if she falls into their hands again?"
Ash fell silent.
"I don't know the full extent of Little Lugia's current strength," Cynthia continued, "but I do know this, any organization capable of obtaining Yveltal's power must possess methods specifically designed to deal with Legendary Pokémon."
"Otherwise, they wouldn't even dare search for the god of the sea."
"I don't believe they can threaten the god of the sea itself," she added, her tone firm.
"But dealing with an existence at Little Lugia's level? That's another matter entirely."
"This is precisely why I sought your help from the very beginning, Ash, because you possess God–level power."
Ash froze slightly.
Cynthia had learned this from Lorelei.
Not the strength of Ash's Pokémon, but Ash himself.
Power at the God level manifesting within a human… When Cynthia first heard it, she had been utterly stunned. If that information hadn't come from Lorelei herself, she would have assumed the speaker was delusional and needed medical attention.
But Lorelei wouldn't lie.
Which meant that, no matter how unbelievable it sounded, it was the truth.
After the incident involving Lugia, Cynthia had quietly observed Ash, evaluating whether he was someone she could truly entrust her to.
Strength alone wasn't enough.
Character mattered just as much, and character revealed itself clearly in Pokémon battles.
After several days of watching him, Cynthia found herself approving of Ash's character more and more. What ultimately sealed her decision was the scene she witnessed yesterday, the way Ash interacted with his Pokémon, filled with genuine care and trust.
In that moment, Cynthia became certain.
Unless they could immediately locate the god of the sea and reunite Lugia Jr. with the Lugia, the safest place for her right now was with Ash.
With villainous organizations lurking in the shadows, nowhere else could offer better protection.
After listening to Cynthia's analysis, Ash thought for a moment, then nodded firmly.
"Ms. Cynthia is right," he said with determination. "Then I'll take Lugia under my protection! I promise I'll return her to her parents safe and sound!"
Of course, it would be a lie to say he didn't want Lugia by his side.
Setting aside attribute values and combat strength, she was a Legendary Pokémon. Anyone would feel a spark of excitement at the thought.
Even Ash wasn't immune to that.
Still, even if he were to officially catch her, he knew that the day they found the god of the sea, he would have to let her go. But being able to travel together for a time, and forge a genuine bond, was already something precious.
More importantly, Ash always placed the Pokémon's well-being first.
If returning Lugia to the sea were truly the safest choice, he would never hesitate to do so.
But under the current circumstances, staying with him was clearly the better option.
Once the Indigo Plateau Conference concluded, he could make another trip to the Orange Islands to help Lugia find her parents. He could travel and help her at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.
Seeing Ash agree, a bright and radiant smile bloomed on Cynthia's beautiful face.
She extended her slender hand and passed the black-and-gold Poké Ball to him.
"The function of this Poké Ball was originally to stabilize Lugia's life by soothing the Dark-type power within her," Cynthia explained.
"Although she has now fully converted to the Dark attribute, this Poké Ball should still be beneficial."
"Living in it long-term will be far more comfortable for her than an ordinary Poké Ball."
Ash nodded and carefully accepted it.
Only now, examining it up close, did he realize just how exquisite it was. It wasn't even comparable to a standard Poké Ball.
That craftsman named Kurt truly lived up to his reputation.
'If I ever go to Johto', Ash thought, 'I'll definitely ask Master Kurt to make custom Poké Balls for all my Pokémon.'
Far away in Johto, Master Kurt suddenly sneezed.
"Huh?"
"Well then," Cynthia said lightly, straightening up. "If there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave."
She tilted her head slightly, smiling warmly.
"I'm looking forward to your performance in the Indigo Plateau Conference's main tournament. I may not be able to attend the later matches in person, but I believe you'll win the championship, Ash."
With that, she waved to Ash and the others and turned to depart.
Leaving Lugia with Ash allowed her to investigate Team Galactic without any lingering worries.
If she couldn't uproot them completely, she would never feel at ease.
This was true, both as an ordinary person and as the Champion of Sinnoh.
Because of that, she wouldn't have time to watch the remaining matches.
Compared to everything else, investigating Team Galactic was far more urgent.
After bidding Cynthia farewell, Ash, Misty, and Brock gathered around the table, along with Pikachu, and even Mewtwo.
All of them looked at Lugia with curiosity.
And just then, Lugia's eyelids twitched slightly.