Chapter 597: Reunion with the Lo Bird

An endless expanse of ocean.

Beneath the azure sky, a few long-winged gulls gliding against the wind let out raucous screeches.

"..."

All Baimu sat on the stern deck of a small luxury cruise ship, squinting as he gazed toward Liuqi City, which had long since vanished beyond the horizon.

Though it had only been a few short months.

The Liuqi Gym had clearly become his second home after Huang Tie Town.

Funny, when you think about it.

As a descendant of the Meteor People who had undergone the ancestral-returning ceremony, in the end he was still closer to Adam-sensei and the others of the Liuqi People.

What a pity.

He was destined to be unable to fulfill the unspoken wish of Adam, Mi Ke Li, and old butler Sebastian — to become the next Liuqi Gym Leader.

And beyond that, the only way he could repay these people seemed to be to keep pressing onward toward higher peaks with all his might.

Truly helpless.

Recalling Adam's gentle, lingering gaze as he lightly patted his shoulder before parting, All Baimu took a deep breath and felt the sea wind against his face making his nostrils a little damp.

He was clearly nothing more than a temporary, bargain-basement student.

Yet even in that single short month, Adam had done his utmost to pass on every bit of knowledge and experience that could help him grow quickly.

To teach the Way, impart knowledge, and resolve doubts.

In his eyes, Adam had already achieved a perfect score.

"Life always has its benefactors, yet one is powerless to help them in return..."

He murmured softly, a touch of quiet melancholy creeping in unawares.

Suddenly.

His phone in his pocket let out a series of beeping alerts.

All Baimu pulled it out for a look, the corner of his mouth twitching like a cramp. "You're pulling a Sichuan opera face-change on me? I literally just checked the weather before we set sail."

He quickly stood and walked into the first-level cabin.

At that moment, Miss Liuqi and Xiaoguang were each making alterations to their performance costumes.

Both of them were quite skilled at sewing, and being competitors on the same track, this exchange and mutual improvement was, for the former, no less enjoyable than having trained All Baimu into a top-tier Coordinator.

She had once tried to invite Xiaoguang to form a new-generation Pokémon idol duo with her.

Unfortunately, Xiaoguang had little interest.

Compared to being an idol, she wanted even more to become a pure Coordinator.

Miss Liuqi was deeply regretful.

All Baimu asked curiously, "Where's Xiaogang?"

Xiaoguang looked up and replied, "In the captain's cabin. Did something happen?"

"The weather's changing a bit."

He went up the nearby stairs to the topmost captain's cabin.

It happened that Xiaogang was solemnly studying the electronic nautical chart with its weather display alongside the captain — a massive bank of rolling clouds had invaded nearly half the screen, and at first glance it looked quite terrifying.

"All Baimu! Perfect timing. There's a big storm blocking the way ahead. The captain and I were discussing changing course, and if that doesn't work, turning back."

All Baimu responded at once, "Change course, hurry! I don't think this storm is normal."

He had checked the weather multiple times before departure, so how could a storm suddenly appear once the ship was out at sea?

If the journey from Lulus City hadn't been dead calm the whole way, he would really have suspected there was something wrong with his trio of Xiaogang and Xiaoguang.

Hearing his words, the captain immediately turned the helm and pushed the engines to full power to prepare to detour.

Xiaogang's solemn face was full of puzzlement — he had also checked the weather before boarding. "Why would a storm suddenly appear?"

"Let me make a bold guess — could it be the work of the ancient Pokémon Kyogre?"

All Baimu's words gave the captain a fright.

The latter stammered, "N-no way. I've sailed these waters of Water Route 126 for decades, and I've never heard of any Kyogre."

For those who sail the seas, the legendary Kyogre is regarded as a natural disaster, since wherever it surfaces, storms follow.

The small luxury cruise ship they were on now couldn't compare to an ocean-crossing mega-ton liner, and might not withstand the battering of a storm of this scale on the weather map.

"Just a guess, just a guess."

He hurriedly waved his hands to reassure him.

But for a storm of such scale to appear out of nowhere on the sea, no matter how you thought about it, it had to be related to Pokémon — and in the Hoenn region, the one that could create rain clouds of this scale...

Was most likely Kyogre.

All Baimu could only hope they could successfully detour, and not end up with some S. S. Anne-style shipwreck on his hands; being stranded on a deserted island was never any fun.

Better contact Hu Pa in advance.

He had Porygon2 send a message to contact Mei Mei Yali, who was far away in Kalos.

Xiaogang, upon hearing Kyogre, didn't react as strongly as the captain. Having traveled with Xiaozhi for so long, he'd seen every kind of storm there was — let alone a mere ancient Pokémon like Kyogre, he'd even come face to face with Arceus.

At the same time.

The dark, massive storm clouds on the horizon gradually came into view of the three.

Blue lightning writhed like a ferocious evil dragon; low rumbles of thunder came in short, dense drumbeats, filling the quiet cabin with an atmosphere of unease.

Before the raging, mighty sea, in most cases both humans and Pokémon appear utterly powerless.

Miss Liuqi and Xiaoguang below deck saw the dark clouds and immediately ran up — one to the cabin, the other out to the deck with a telescope to observe the wind direction and rain clouds.

Xiaoguang, holding her Piplup, asked curiously, "Are we detouring or turning back now?"

"Detouring."

Xiaogang turned off the weather display on the electronic chart, pointed at the ship's course, and said, "We're about to swing over to Waterway 130 and head east; if that doesn't work, we'll consider turning back."

Miss Liuqi on the deck leaned over and shouted from below, "Everyone! I think I saw something in the storm! It might be a Pokémon!"

"Really? Kyogre?"

Xiaogang's Meowth's eyes took on a solemn look; the captain beside him gripped 【the rail】 tightly.

Xiaogang was baffled and asked, "Kyogre? Why would we run into Kyogre?"

"Don't rush — it might be a pod of Wailord." All Baimu scratched Pachirisu's head and walked toward the deck.

The little penguin clearly sensed something, and kept looking toward the storm.

He arrived on the deck.

He took the binoculars from Miss Liuqi's hands, fixed his gaze into the storm, and indeed saw a large, bright luminous body hanging in mid-air above the sea surface, slowly drifting toward them along with the storm.

All Baimu muttered softly, "Flying and controlling the storm? That big a body doesn't really look like Tornadus either…"

"*Chirp-woo—*"

"Hm?"

He froze for a beat, lowered the binoculars, and asked Miss Liuqi beside him, "Did you hear something? It sounded a bit like…"

A whale's cry!

Ah!

All Baimu, as if waking from a dream, urgently raised the binoculars again to look into the storm; Miss Liuqi, meanwhile, blankly said she hadn't heard anything.

"Shh, listen carefully."

He pressed a forefinger to his lips; his serious expression forced her to set aside her curiosity and prick up her ears.

"*Chirp-woo—*"

A long, melodious cry, like singing, like weeping.

Like the rhythm of the sea, the breath of the currents.

Miss Liuqi: "!"

Her eyes shining, she looked at All Baimu and couldn't help asking, "Is that Kyogre's cry?"

The latter didn't answer, but snapped his fingers at the air.

*Snap! *

"Come~"

The shiny Gengar leapt sharply out of his shadow, then, like a gymnast, pressed its feet together and spread its claws, sucked in its little belly and tried to stretch its body taller, its small face deadly serious.

Even All Baimu, who had no spare mood right now, couldn't help laughing at its comical appearance. "Alright, alright, you're more professional than that Pokémon on TV yesterday. Good, give me the silver feather."

"Hehehehe~"

Praised, the shiny Gengar happily lowered its head, rummaged around in the vortex on its belly like Doraemon, fished out a pouch, and offered it over like a treasure.

All Baimu patted its head, took the pouch as Miss Liuqi curiously leaned in, and opened it — dazzling silver light instantly filled his entire field of vision.

"Just as I thought…"

"What kind of feather is this?"

"The cloud mass is closing on us! Too fast! We can't dodge it!"

The captain in the captain's cabin cried out in despair.

All Baimu whipped his head around and shouted, "Don't panic! That thing should be an 'old friend' of mine… no, a Pokémon I know! It'll be fine!"

Everyone: "Huh?"

"I'll explain later."

He released Hydreigon from its Poké Ball, leapt onto its back, patted its middle head, and said, "Go!"

"Sha-sao!"

Hydreigon's blade-like wings beat rapidly; utterly ignoring the terrifying might of the storm and lightning, it shot forward at speed.

"Follow!"

The shiny Gengar dove into All Baimu's shadow in time and wasn't left behind.

Xiaogang didn't react for a long moment; only after the latter had flown a good distance did he rush out of the captain's cabin, shouting, "It's too dangerous! Come back, All Baimu!"

"—I'll go after him!"

Without a word, Miss Liuqi mounted the Altaria beside her and chased after him.

Xiaogang was dumbfounded, and shouted in frustration, "Miss Liuqi! Liu— how can those two be so reckless? Xiaoguang, don't you go chasing after them!"

Xiaoguang withdrew his eager gaze and waved awkwardly. "No, no."

In the distant sky.

Racing toward the storm from the opposite direction, All Baimu quickly felt the rain battering his face, but he paid it no heed, only continuing to listen to the cry that even the raging wind couldn't drown out.

As if sensing his approach, a hint of joy mingled into the cry.

*Boom! *

Thunder roared.

Bright blue light illuminated All Baimu's and Hydreigon's faces, marking that they had plunged fully into the terrifying storm.

Far behind.

Altaria, carrying Miss Liuqi, reached the edge of the storm cell; several attempts to fly inward were each blocked by sudden gusts that kept it from advancing an inch, and the pelting rain gradually soaked its wings.

"…Let's go back, Altaria!"

Miss Liuqi bit her lower lip in frustration; she couldn't understand why Hydreigon could plunge in while Altaria couldn't.

Any more rain and it would be dangerous.

"Churu!"

The Qixi Bluebird chirped crisply, turned its head, and flew off at once—it hated the feeling of its wings getting soaked.

Inside the storm.

The hurricane blew the Hydreigon swaying left and right; azure lightning flickered and cracked through the pitch-black clouds, making the heart pound with dread.

"Saaa—"

It screeched loudly, signaling the trainer to crouch and lower his center of gravity so he wouldn't be blown away by the howling gale.

But the next instant—

A crystalline, translucent orb of watery light transformed into a sphere of radiance that enveloped the Hydreigon and All Baimu on its back, drifting slowly toward the eye of the storm.

The last trace of hesitation in All Baimu's heart faded away; he wiped the droplets from his face and let out a breath of relief.

"Didn't expect it really was you."

He looked at the "orb of light" not far away that had revealed its true form, his face showing both joy and puzzlement.

"Chirp—"

A Lugia radiating a pure white glow, like a Kunpeng, let out a long, melodious cry; behind it, a juvenile Lugia—shrunk several times over—excitedly flew up.

It called out in a very lively tone, "Woo~"

All Baimu waved at it in greeting. "Long time no see, Xiao Yin. Why did you come here to whip up a storm? Not staying around New Zi Jin's sea anymore?"

"Woo~" The little Lugia raised its slender neck, circling the Hydreigon while flying and crying "woo-woo," no one knew what it was saying.

It was time to use the Heart of Spirit.

All Baimu rubbed his hands together. He was very glad the Lugia mother and child hadn't forgotten him, and that they had sensed the feather he had given them and deliberately come over to say hello.

Though using the storm to approach was a bit terrifying.

It was just the right time to bring up the matter of Dark Lugia to them—adding their power to the Purification Chamber might allow the former to recover.

It was something that had never appeared in the original games, so All Baimu couldn't be sure.

The Hydreigon slowly flew up to the great Lugia; amid the latter's curious expression, he extended his right hand and said softly, "Hear my heart, open your heart."

"Woo…"

The great Lugia blinked its huge eyes; the friendly aura and thick goodwill emanating from the other party caused it to allow that hand to be placed on its brow.

In an instant—

A faint golden light spilled from his palm, rapidly spreading across the great Lugia's entire body.

Seeing this, the little Lugia curiously flew around its mother, letting out an inquisitive cry at the Hydreigon: "Woo?"

"Saaa…"

The Hydreigon replied with a hoarse roar.

The two Pokémon exchanged calls back and forth.

And in the resplendent, golden spiritual space, all of Baimu's spiritual will flew toward the great Lugia, whose face was full of wonder; the two exchanged their inner thoughts and fragments of memory, and quickly completed the spiritual communion.

The things he wanted to convey were transmitted into the other's heart.

"I see… Xiao Yin was spotted by people while out playing, and they chased you all the way, so you had no choice but to whip up a storm and a thunderclap to jam their instruments."

He showed an expression that said 'just as I thought.'

Legendary Pokémon being persecuted by humans was practically a law of nature. The Lugia mother and child had originally moved to the Hoenn region because of persecution by Team Rocket—he hadn't expected they'd have to move again now.

—In that case, just head straight for the Orange Islands.

The suggestion All Baimu offered won the great Lugia's approval; the more crucial point, though, was that the latter had learned there was a Lugia in the Orange Islands hoping to borrow its power to save itself.

The great Lugia could not stand by and watch one of its rare kin being tormented by dark forces, and without hesitation decided to take Xiao Yin to the Orange Islands.

However—

Before that, it wanted to escort All Baimu, ensuring he reached Sootopolis Island safely, and along the way bring a gust of wind and a rainfall to the place.

A small blessing, of sorts, for his upcoming League Conference.

"Chirp—"

The long cry pulled All Baimu out of the Heart of Spirit communion state.

He looked at the great Lugia, whose eyes burned with spirit, and tugged at the corner of his mouth: "Isn't this a bit over the top?"

"Woo~"

The great Lugia sprayed a puff of mist at him, its eyes full of mirth.