Chapter 454:
Dragonite soared into the sky, vanishing above the town in the blink of an eye. Kaede sat on its back, unable to resist looking back. But the moment he turned, a figure caught his eye.
At that moment, on a towering coastline, a dark figure stood there, waving at him.
Despite the distance, Kaede recognized it at a glance.
*Bewear?*
Kaede was taken aback, unsure what it was doing standing there. Could it have smelled his Alolan Ninetales' scent?
And it was waving at him.
That was genuinely a bit creepy.
Kaede shivered. Luckily, Dragonite was fast. In an instant, the figure was gone without a trace.
Just as Kaede thought the rest of the return journey would be smooth, trouble arose again not long after leaving the Alolan islands.
Dragonite's flight through the sky suddenly halted, the surrounding clouds disturbed as a massive figure landed some distance away—white, giant hand-like wings and a huge body.
Clearly, it was Lugia!
Seeing it, Kaede was startled.
"What the..."
Immediately, the other being spread its wings and flew over.
"Lugia!"
Facing the colossal creature before it, Dragonite stopped, clenched its jaw baring sharp teeth, its expression turning fierce.
"It's alright, it's alright, Dragonite."
Sensing Dragonite's tension and unease, Kaede quickly soothed it with Veridian Power while also sizing up the Lugia before him.
The Sea Guardian Lugia's reputation needed no explanation. Although he had seen Giratina and Rayquaza's sizes before, upon seeing Lugia, Kaede couldn't help but marvel.
*So big!*
Unlike the game data stating only 5.2m, the real Lugia's size was in no way inferior to the Renegade Pokémon's, standing dozens of meters tall. With each beat of its wings, the gusting wind seemed capable of blowing Dragonite away.
[Pokémon: Lugia]
[Gender: Genderless]
[Ability: Pressure]
[Aptitude: Divine]
[IVs: HP (31) Attack (31) Sp. Atk (31) Defense (31) Sp. Def (31) Speed (31)]
[Level: ???]
[Moves: Dragon Rush, Ancient Power, Mist, Safeguard, Recover, Extrasensory, Rain Dance, Aeroblast, Future Sight, Sky Attack...]
[Happiness: 0]
[Friendship: 0]
Its azure belly shimmered faintly under the sunlight. Looking into its eyes, each larger than his head, Kaede took a deep breath and prepared to ask its purpose with a friendly smile.
But it spoke first.
[Human, are you its Trainer?]
*It actually knows about Trainers?*
Feeling the telepathic voice, Kaede raised an eyebrow.
For a Legendary Pokémon, knowing this concept was rare.
"Yes," Kaede immediately nodded in reply, also bringing up the previous incident. "If I'm not mistaken, the Salamence that challenged you last time was also my Pokémon."
Lugia let out a low hum, its gaze towards Kaede growing even more curious.
This human seemed to know of its existence.
And seemingly could grant its Pokémon power belonging to it.
Yet strangely, its own unique mastery over the natural energy of ocean currents, the sea, and the wind hadn't diminished at all.
[Thou art aware of Our existence?]
Curiosity finally led Lugia to ask.
Understanding that this Lugia was merely curious, Kaede's initial tension eased.
He nodded. "Mhm, I've heard of you from Mew." Though he knew about Lugia even without Mew's tales, one needed a plausible source. Mew had been involved in the "Lugia's Explosive Birth" incident, which made it a suitable excuse.
[Mew? Thou knowest it as well?]
Lugia's telepathic voice paused. It seemed about to ask more when its eyes suddenly sharpened, looking towards the sea.
At that moment, within the vast ocean, an equally massive, bright white silhouette appeared beneath the water's surface, then broke through, sending huge sprays into the air.
Once it broke the surface and flew into the air, one could see.
Lugia was stunned.
Because the figure before it was identical to itself.
In both size and the energy fluctuations it emitted.
Kaede was also taken aback, but upon seeing the slight upward curve and mischievous grin on this "Lugia's" mouth, he immediately understood.
Clearly, this was Mew, whom they had just mentioned.
But Lugia seemed not to know. Its expression instantly turned grave. Looking at this Pokémon identical to itself, the frequency of its wingbeats increased.
And, as if to make matters worse, the "Lugia" transformed by Mew let out a roar, "Lugia!"
As if it enjoyed stirring up trouble.
This provoked the already alert Lugia to begin mobilizing the energy within its body. Instantly, wind and clouds shifted; the once clear sky became overcast with dark clouds, and the calm sea turned turbulent and wild.
"No, no, no! Mew, change back quickly, don't cause a misunderstanding!" Kaede hurriedly shouted.
Goodness, if you two started fighting, this entire sea area would be done for.
And if it happened because of him, that would be even more troublesome.
"Lugia?"
The "Lugia" flying beside Kaede paused, then its form changed. Its massive, hill-like body rapidly shrank, instantly transforming into the shape of a kitten, then flew in front of Kaede.
"Mew~?" (I have Victini with me, I can take it on!)
"Huh? Victini is here too?"
Kaede instinctively asked.
The next moment, a transparent bubble encasing Victini rose from the sea's surface.
Kaede came back to his senses and shook his head. "No, that's not the point. Whether you can win or not isn't the issue; your battle would cause a lot of trouble for many people."
Mew circled in the air, blinking at him.
"Mew~..." (But I saw it blocking your way. It looked mean.)
"Huh?" Kaede hadn't fully processed this.
Mew, as if remembering something, suddenly sounded cheerful. "Mew~!!!" (And, and, this time you finally didn't notice me! Kaede!)
"Ah? You've been following me all along?" Kaede was genuinely confused now.
"Mew~!" (Yes, yes! We even waved at you earlier, and you didn't notice!) Mew said happily.
For it, this was one of the few pleasures in its feline life. Someone who could always find it had finally been defeated by its stealth this time!