Lugia's flight was not only incredibly stable, but its speed was also no slower than Pidgeot's at full power.
Silas's photography session ended before it had even begun.
A silver-white streak flashed across the skies above the Whirl Islands, yet the people below remained completely unaware, continuing their bustling daily lives.
Before long, the human and the three Pokémon landed on a remote, isolated islet.
"Luugia~"
The young Lugia couldn't wait to dash toward the sea.
Smack.
With a gentle flap of its wing, Lugia effortlessly pinned the little one in place.
"This location is pretty good. Most people probably wouldn't come here unless they had a reason."
Silas looked around and gave his assessment.
In the anime from his previous life, Silver had appeared on an island called Navel Island, but Silas honestly couldn't remember its exact location.
After all, the Whirl Islands contained countless tiny islands, far too many for even maps to label completely.
Besides, many of those islands were known only by names passed down among local residents.
Two families living only a few hundred meters apart might even call the same island by completely different names, making them impossible to distinguish.
The island they were currently standing on lay between Red Rock Isle and Silver Rock Isle, though it wasn't particularly close to either.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't even considered part of the Whirl Islands.
Further north stood an enormous mountain range, serving as a natural shield for the young Lugia.
At the very least, until the Battle Frontier was officially established, very few Trainers would venture recklessly into those mountains.
Lugia nodded.
As a Psychic-type Legendary Pokémon, it obviously hadn't chosen this place at random. It knew this area extremely well.
"This island was one of the few places my power didn't affect back then. Because of that, the people of Whirl Island still hold this place in high regard and rarely come here.
"Furthermore, Silver Rock Isle still contains a considerable amount of my lingering power. I deliberately cut off the route connecting the two islands, making access here even more difficult.
"That way, I won't have to worry too much about my child's safety."
In short, this place had long been reserved as one of Lugia's personal sanctuaries.
Although it wasn't hidden from the world like Suicune's secret resting places, it was still nearly impossible for ordinary people to reach.
Trainers with Pokémon capable of flying or crossing the sea had little reason to waste time on such a barren island.
Compared to the waters near New Bark Town, this island also provided more than enough room for a young Lugia to play.
Pinned to the ground, the little Lugia's eyes sparkled with excitement.
This is amazing!
It could hardly wait to run wild around the island.
"If a human ever captures you," Lugia said helplessly, patting its child's head, "I'll have no choice but to keep you by my side."
By all rights, members of the Lugia species were supposed to be calm and elegant.
Why had its own child turned out so lively and restless?
"Luugia~"
The little Lugia proudly lifted its head and cried.
Its growth period was long, but that certainly didn't mean it was weak.
Compared to pseudo-Legendary Pokémon, the Lugia line which had neither evolutionary stages nor pre-evolutions was born powerful.
Combined with a Legendary Pokémon's innate mastery over energy and moves, this young Lugia, currently only around the Normal Rank, could already contend with certain Advance Rank Pokémon.
That was simply natural talent.
There was no point being jealous.
Which meant that, although Prinplup desperately wanted to become the young Lugia's big brother, it was almost certainly no match for it in an actual battle.
After all, a second-stage Water-type Pokémon trying to challenge the offspring of the "Guardian of the Sea" was hardly a fair comparison.
And that was only in a one-on-one fight.
In reality, as a member of the Lugia species, the young Lugia could effortlessly gather numerous powerful Water-type Pokémon to act as both protectors and companions.
The vast ocean was filled with strong Water Pokémon eager to follow it.
As Lugia had once explained:
"Those powerful Pokémon all have things they must protect. Our Lugia clan exists to protect them. If they had to protect us instead, we'd hardly deserve the title of 'Guardian of the Sea.'"
There had been unmistakable pride in Lugia's voice when it said that.
Silas couldn't argue.
After all, countless examples throughout history proved that the Lugia species truly were guardians of the seas.
To name just one example, every year, a significant number of people rescued from maritime disasters owed their lives to Lugia.
When viewed across the entire world, the significance of the Silver Wing far exceeded that of the Rainbow Wing.
"Go on."
Lugia no longer restrained the eager youngster, giving it a gentle flap with its wing and sending it into the sea.
The little Lugia happily dove beneath the waves.
"Prin..."
Prinplup glanced at Silas before immediately jumping into the ocean as well.
"I'm sorry. My little guy can be a bit mischievous."
Silas scratched his head awkwardly.
Lugia chuckled.
"He's a good child. I'm rather looking forward to seeing him recruit my child as his, what was the word.
'Little brother?'
That's what you humans call it, isn't it? Your expressions are quite amusing."
For once, the human and the Legendary Pokémon simply chatted.
Perhaps because this was its first time raising a child, even Lugia wasn't entirely sure how it should do it.
"When I was young, humans weren't nearly as widespread as they are today. Growing to my current strength in the oceans was quite easy."
There was a faint hint of complaint in Lugia's tone.
"Well I'm sorry about that."
Silas rubbed the back of his head.
"Some people simply have darker hearts than others. We humans aren't exactly happy about that ourselves."
Lugia smiled and shook its head.
"I wasn't blaming humanity. From my perspective, humans have undeniably brought new vitality to Pokémon. That much is true. It's simply inevitable that problems arise during development."
Across Lugia's immensely long lifespan, humanity's history occupied only a relatively short chapter.
From fearing Pokémon to living alongside them in harmony, Lugia had actually developed a fairly positive impression of humans.
Otherwise, it never would have lived so openly among them all those years ago.
Had those two kingdoms not gone far beyond acceptable limits, it might still be living openly alongside humanity today.
In truth, most Legendary Pokémon thought much the same way.
The reason people rarely saw them nowadays was largely because ancient humans had gone far too far.
They constantly sought to control Legendary Pokémon by force.
Any intelligent being would eventually choose to disappear.
What made matters worse was that ancient civilizations had been remarkably ingenious.
They had created numerous special tools capable of affecting even Legendary Pokémon.
Even today, many of those manufacturing techniques remained lost.
Of course, the Pokémon League also intentionally suppressed research in that field.
After all, provoking a group of first-tier Legendary Pokémon into anger would be a catastrophe.
The countless ancient ruins buried beneath the earth served as enough of a warning.
"If the little Lugia stays here, its world will still be rather limited."
Watching the two Pokémon happily playing in the ocean, Silas sighed.
In that respect, being the child of a Legendary Pokémon didn't seem all that wonderful.
Living in constant caution couldn't be much fun.
"Only five or six years. After five or six years, I'll recover completely and bring it back to my side.
"At that point, it'll begin learning what every Lugia should learn.
"For now I'd rather let it enjoy its childhood."
Resting atop a rock, Lugia watched its child with eyes filled with affection.
"By the way, would you mind telling me how many Lugia exist in the world? That way, if I run into another one someday, I won't mistake it for you."
Silas casually tossed a pebble toward Prinplup.
The only response was a weak Water Gun splashing against his face.
Lugia thought for a moment.
"Including my child there should be six no, five."
"Five?"
Silas nodded thoughtfully.
As for why Lugia had corrected itself.
It was probably referring to Shadow Lugia, the mysterious Lugia he had only ever heard about in his previous life.
He still wondered how Shadow Lugia had come into existence.
Given the normally gentle nature of the Lugia species, such a violent individual shouldn't have existed.
Perhaps humans were responsible once again.
"Well, it's about time I left."
Facing the setting sun, Lugia lazily flapped its wings.
"I've enjoyed talking with you. If fate allows until next time."
Without waiting for Silas to respond, Lugia shot into the sky and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Hey—"
Silas froze with his outstretched hand hanging awkwardly in midair.
Wait you're just leaving?
Then how am I supposed to get back?
"Prin!"
Prinplup's panicked cry interrupted his thoughts.
He immediately looked toward the sea.
On the crimson ocean illuminated by the setting sun, Prinplup's body was surrounded by countless pale-blue particles of light.
The young Lugia floated around it in circles, occasionally letting out playful cries that sounded suspiciously like laughter.
Prinplup carefully examined itself.
Nothing seemed different.
Growing embarrassed, it suddenly leaped into the sea and dragged the young Lugia underwater.
The pale-blue light gradually dispersed.
Silas watched thoughtfully.
He had once read an ancient record describing something similar.
"Lugia's blessing, no. More accurately the blessing of the sea?"
Zero's status display showed no changes whatsoever in Prinplup's data.
But Silas knew that was only temporary.
Prinplup hadn't yet evolved into an Empoleon, so it couldn't properly absorb or display the blessing's effects.
"Looks like I need to spend some money soon and get the little guy a top-quality Water Stone."
Silas sighed while watching the carefree Prinplup.
Or Maybe I should have it pluck one of the young Lugia's feathers and sell it instead.
Out in the ocean, the young Lugia suddenly froze.
It felt an inexplicable wave of malicious intent directed straight at its head.
Splash!
"Prin!"
Seizing the opportunity, Prinplup fired a Water Gun directly at the distracted young Lugia.
"Luuugia!"
The little Lugia instantly forgot about the strange feeling and roared angrily at Prinplup.
"Prin~ Prin!"
Floating proudly on the water's surface, Prinplup waved one flipper at the young Lugia in blatant provocation.
The next moment, an enormous wave surged into existence.
Of course, plucking Lugia's feathers for money was only a joke.
Although Silas wasn't particularly wealthy at the moment, in just over a month his next royalty payment would be deposited into his bank account automatically.
By then, buying a 95-quality Water Stone shouldn't be a problem.
The only real issue was finding someone willing to sell one.
At worst he could always ask Steven Stone or Brock.
Steven's collector's obsession meant he almost certainly had plenty of high-quality Evolution Stones, while Brock could ask around at the Cerulean Gym to see if they had one available.
While he was at it, he could also show Steven the Mystery Crystal he had bought earlier and see if he could trade it for something useful.
If not for this, Silas would have almost forgotten he even owned the thing.
"Prinplup, we're leaving."
Brushing the dust off his clothes, Silas called out toward the sea.
Since he was already in the Whirl Islands, there was no point flying all the way back across the region in the middle of the night. He might as well stay somewhere nearby.
Bluepoint Isle, the centerpiece of the Whirl Islands, was an excellent choice.
Its harbor city, Inland City, was bustling and prosperous.
"Prin!"
Hearing his Trainer call, Prinplup cheerfully waved goodbye to his new friend before becoming a white streak as it swam back to shore.
"Luugia~"
The young Lugia reluctantly followed behind.
Silas crouched down in front of it and gently rubbed its head.
"Don't worry. I'll bring Prinplup back to play with you again."
The young Lugia gazed into the human's eyes with its pure, innocent stare before happily nodding.
Prinplup grinned and waved one wing enthusiastically.
"Luugia~"
The little Lugia proudly tossed its head before diving back into the sea.
Prinplup's expression immediately froze.
"Heh, looks like your little brother doesn't respect you very much."
Silas twisted the knife a little deeper.
"Prin——!"
Prinplup angrily flapped its wings and smacked Silas repeatedly.
"Alright, alright, enough fooling around. Come back, Prinplup.
Pidgeot, you're up."
"Pidgeot!"
Under the cover of night, two red beams flashed in succession as a massive silhouette soared into the sky, heading toward the brilliantly illuminated island in the distance.
Whirl Islands – Inland City, Bluepoint Isle
Stepping out of the Flying Pokémon landing station, Silas raised an eyebrow at the brightly lit city.
"So the Whirl Cup hasn't started yet?"
Listening to the conversations of Trainers passing by, he couldn't help feeling a little surprised.
The Whirl Cup was held once every three years, but "three years" was only an approximation.
Three years and one day counted.
Three years and 364 days also counted.
The exact schedule depended entirely on the shrine maidens and priests of the Whirl Islands.
According to the people around him, the shrine had suddenly announced that very afternoon that this year's tournament would officially be held.
"Could it be because Lugia finally woke up?"
Silas wondered.
If he remembered correctly, the tournament champion would receive the title of Hero of the Sea, along with the legendary Blessing of the Sea Spirit.
It was said that Trainers blessed in this way were especially beloved by Water-type Pokémon.
The timing was simply too coincidental to ignore.
Looking at the festive streets decorated with colorful lights, Silas smiled and shook his head.
Even if it really was related, it didn't matter.
He walked toward the heart of the city.
Inland City Pokémon Center
As usual, Silas used the privileges attached to his Pokédex to secure a luxurious private room.
While checking in, he also asked Nurse Joy for a Whirl Cup Participant Guide.
The Whirl Cup was one of Johto's most prestigious traditional competitions, every bit as famous as the Rising Dragon Trial.
Because of the region's unique geography, the waters surrounding the Whirl Islands were home to an enormous number of Water-type Pokémon.
Naturally, the tournament focused entirely on Water-type Pokémon.
Simply put, it was an elite single-type competition.
Unlike ordinary mono-type tournaments, however, the Whirl Cup enjoyed enormous prestige.
To Water-type enthusiasts and Trainers, it was an event that simply couldn't be missed.
For some dedicated Water-type specialists, the Whirl Cup was even more important than the regional League Conference.
Over the years, many Trainers had even skipped the regional conference just to participate in the Whirl Cup.
"So the tournament is being held on Red Rock Isle."
Reading the guidebook, Silas nodded in understanding.
The format was straightforward.
Every registered Trainer would compete in single-elimination matches until only sixty-four remained.
From that point onward, battles would become Double Battles (2 vs. 2) until a champion was crowned.
Compared to a League Conference, the structure was much simpler.
Silas actually preferred it that way.
The only problem was.
"You only have one Water-type Pokémon, don't you?"
On the other end of the video call, Brock calmly pointed out the obvious.
Silas held his forehead.
"Yeah looks like that's the case."
Among all his Pokémon, he could field two Dragon-types if necessary.
But Water-types were one of the few exceptions.
His original team composition had never really included many Water Pokémon.
There were really only two suitable choices.
Empoleon and Swampert.
Coincidentally, both belonged to starter Pokémon evolutionary lines and were rather uncommon.
"Forget it," Silas sighed.
"If it comes down to it, I'll just register Alolan Vulpix. I guess Ice counts as half Water, right?"
Unable to come up with a better solution, he gave up thinking about it.
After all, he wouldn't need to register two Pokémon until reaching the Top 64.
He could worry about it later.
Who knew? Maybe he'd get eliminated before then.
After a brief silence, Brock spoke.
"So you're planning to continue challenging Gyms instead of coming back?"
Silas nodded.
"Yeah. I'm only missing the Olivine Gym and Cianwood Gym badges in Johto. Since they're both nearby, I might as well finish them. No point wasting time traveling back and forth.
After the Whirl Cup, I plan to visit Jasmine in Olivine to discuss Ampharos with her, then head to Cianwood to see my senior brother, Chuck."
"I see."
Brock didn't object.
"In that case, I'll head back to Pewter City.
Dad's been urging me to come home for days. Sounds like he and Mom have completely lost control of my younger siblings, so I should probably go take a look."
Originally, the two of them had planned to return to the underground caves beneath Mt. Mortar after finishing the Ocean Research Institute's commission and continue training under Nobuhiko.
But plans rarely survived reality.
"Wait a couple more days."
Silas said, "I'm worried the institute might still need someone around. Stay there and cover for me."
"No problem."
Brock nodded.
"By the way, Researcher Naomi here is an incredibly elegant and beautiful woman.
It's a shame you never got the chance to meet her."
"Hah! Isn't that perfect for you?
If I were there, would you even stand a chance?"
"Not to belittle you, but when it comes to courting women, you've got nowhere near as much experience as I do."
"Courting?
You mean awkwardly forcing conversations?
Besides, every woman you go after is either a Nurse Joy or an Officer Jenny."
The two continued teasing each other back and forth.
For traveling Trainers, parting ways was simply part of life.
Everyone had their own path to follow.
Still, after spending nearly a month together, the unexpected separation felt rather sudden.
"Good luck at the Silver Conference."
"Don't worry. I'm the man who's going to become Champion. The Silver Conference?
Just watch me take first place."
Silas declared confidently.
And honestly, he had nothing to fear.
This wasn't the anime.
There wouldn't suddenly be some ridiculous Trainer using legendary Pokémon.
Even if there were he'd just beat them.
"Time for bed."
The next moment, Silas lay down and closed his eyes.
Before winning the regional conference, maintaining a healthy sleep schedule was absolutely essential.
Beep...
Beep...
On the bedside table, his wrist communicator continued ringing nonstop.
An elderly gentleman's profile picture kept flashing over and over again.
Professor Oak
A small, chubby paw reached over and pressed down on the communicator, silencing it completely.
The Next Morning
Still half asleep, Silas casually grabbed the communicator.
"What the heck?!"
The 99+ missed calls instantly woke him up.
Seeing Professor Oak listed as the caller immediately reminded him what had happened the night before.
"Oh no... oh no..."
He hurriedly returned the call.
"Professor Oak—"
"Silas this is an incredible discovery! How did you manage to take those photographs?!"
Professor Oak's exhausted yet exhilarated voice burst through the speaker.
"...Professor Oak you didn't stay up all night, did you?"
Silas felt a little guilty.
After all, he'd gotten so caught up talking with Brock that he'd completely forgotten about it.
"How could I sleep after seeing something like this?!
Quick! Do you have any more photos?"
Professor Oak completely ignored the question and eagerly demanded more pictures.
Silas sighed helplessly.
"That's all of them. I already sent you everything yesterday. Why don't you get some sleep first?"
"Sleep can wait! Research can't!"
Professor Oak declared without hesitation.
"With these photographs, I can complete so much missing information!
Silas, you've done something amazing!"
Listening to Professor Oak becoming increasingly obsessed, Silas suddenly felt that Pikachu's presence beside the Professor was more necessary than ever.
Smack!
..
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