On the cruise ship.
Altaria carried Liuqia back steadily.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Xiaogang and his Blissey approached with a medical kit, while Xiaoguang thoughtfully offered a dry towel.
Liuqia, who had turned over, waved her hand to indicate she was fine. She took the towel and briefly wiped her face and hair full of water droplets, looking worriedly at the imposing storm.
She sighed, "The wind seems to be resisting me, preventing me from going in."
Upon hearing this, Xiaogang fell into contemplation, "So it's really like Baimu said, a Pokémon he knows?"
"There's definitely no problem!"
Xiaoguang had a lot of faith in Baimu.
Altaria jumped to a deserted area, quickly flapping its cotton wings that had shrunk due to the gathered moisture, splashing water onto the nearby Piplup.
"Chulu~"
Piplup: "Babi..."
It looked rather speechless at the Altaria, which was bending its neck to peck its double wings, trying to make them fluffy again.
The captain ran out of the captain's cabin, excitedly shouting, "The storm cloud has stopped approaching! We're safe! Huh? Wait, isn't Baimu back yet?"
He counted for a long time and found only three people on the deck.
"Yes, please wait a little longer."
Xiaogang slightly raised his voice to shout.
Suddenly.
A rumbling thunder reverberated through the sky, and everyone instinctively looked over. They saw flashes of lightning in the rain-spilling clouds, like a ferocious evil dragon baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.
Then, the enormous black cloud spanning several kilometers gradually disintegrated and dispersed, revealing a seemingly washed, clear blue sky.
"Has the rain stopped?"
The captain was stunned.
Xiaogang raised his binoculars to search for Baimu and the Pokémon that created the storm, but after a long search, he found nothing, "The person is missing?"
"Missing?"
"Could they have been taken to the bottom of the sea!"
Liuqia and Xiaoguang speculated aloud to one another.
As soon as they finished speaking.
Bam!
Two large and small white shadows broke through the water not far from the luxury cruise ship, unfurling their gigantic pure white double wings, letting out a resonant cry.
"Chuuu—"
Everyone on board was utterly astonished, gazing in disbelief at the magnificent luminescent aura birthed behind the colossal and the little Lugia, appearing as if a god had descended.
The one most taken aback was Xiaogang.
He doubtfully asked, as if questioning his own eyes, "Lugia? Little Silver?"
"Moo~"
Little Lugia also recognized Xiaogang on the deck and joyfully flew over, successfully pinning him down with its much larger size.
Xiaogang first let out a pained cry, then helplessly consoled the excited Little Lugia, "Little Silver! Long time no see!"
The large Lugia looked down at Xiaogang and Little Lugia, its gaze exceptionally gentle.
Baimu and Hydreigon poked their heads out from behind, waving to Liuqia and Xiaoguang, "Yo! Let me introduce this big friend and little friend to you."
The two girls: "..."
Despite having speculated a lot during prior discussions, they never expected that Baimu not only knew the Legendary Pokémon but had two, one big and one small!
The captain's jaw moved up and down, unable to speak for a long while.
Much later.
The endless ocean.
The cruise ship abandoned the detour and continued to navigate steadily along Route 127.
The captain, grasping the wooden ship's wheel, couldn't help but glance at the two Lugia that appeared at the ship's side occasionally, like companions. He could vaguely hear the laughter of girls.
Lugia, not just one but two.
Prior to departure, he would never have imagined the chance to get so close to a Legendary Pokémon.
"Back home, this will be quite the tale."
The captain grinned widely, entirely forgetting how desperate it was when they couldn't escape the storm earlier. He only felt that agreeing to this job was extremely lucky.
He thought, when Yongren saw the photos of him with Lugia, he would certainly be very happy, right?
He pulled out his wallet from his pocket, inside which was a photo of a boy holding a Magikarp.
At the aft deck.
Baimu and Xiaogang sat casually chatting by the railing, watching Liuqia and Xiaoguang ride the large Lugia, playing and surfing along with Little Lugia and other Pokémon.
The latter recounted various happenings after encountering Lugia and Little Silver during travels with Ash Ketchum and Xiaoxia, while the former listened quietly.
Of course.
The unpleasant details were barely mentioned, focusing mainly on the happy days spent with Little Silver and the strong bond formed, though eventually having to part ways with Shuichi.
"Thinking of these things feels like they happened just yesterday."
Xiaogang laughed, placing his right hand on Blissey's head beside him, "But seeing Blissey, who's grown from Happiny, I also think 'Ah... it's already been four years.'"
Baimu nodded in agreement, stroking Hydreigon's three heads with his left hand.
"Time just slips away without you noticing."
Once a cute little Pokémon that leaned against his leg like a puppy, it had now grown so large he could ride it.
Hydreigon affectionately rubbed its head against his palm, "Shaa~"
"Moo~"
Little Lugia swam over just in time, seeking pats from Baimu and Xiaogang, then opened its mouth to bite Hydreigon's tail, attempting to bring it into the water to play.
Hydreigon's tail suddenly exerted force, flinging Little Lugia out before turning to look at its trainer with eager eyes.
"If you knew how to swim, go ahead. Aggron can surf and you can't,"
Baimu said, smiling brightly.
Feeling underestimated, Hydreigon directly plunged into the water without another word.
Little Lugia cheered, diving with Hydreigon, trying to play with it under the sea.
Baimu watched the rolling waves behind the cruise ship, a smile lingering on his face; but as they didn't resurface for a while, worry unconsciously crept into his heart.