Chapter 598: Song of the Ocean Current

On the cruise ship.

Miss Liuqi rode atop Swablu, returning smoothly and steadily.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Brock and his Chansey approached carrying a medical kit, while Ash thoughtfully offered a dry towel.

Miss Liuqi, who had flipped down, waved her hand to indicate she was fine, took the towel and briefly wiped her water-beaded face and hair, gazing worriedly at the raging storm.

She sighed: "The wind seems to be resisting me, not letting me in."

Brock fell into thought at her words. "So it's really like Baimu said—a Pokémon he knows?"

"Definitely no problem!"

Ash had extraordinary confidence in Baimu.

Swablu hopped to an empty spot, rapidly flapping its cotton wings—which had shrunk from the gathered moisture—and splashed the neighboring Piplup with water.

"Juluulu~"

Piplup: "Bogaja…"

It stared rather speechlessly at Swablu, which had bent its neck sideways to gently peck at both wings, fluffing them back up.

The captain ran out of the captain's cabin, shouting excitedly: "The cloud mass has stopped approaching! We're safe! Huh? Wait, hasn't young Baimu come back yet?"

He counted the deck over and over, and only three people were present.

"Yes, please wait a little longer."

Brock raised his voice slightly and shouted.

Suddenly.

A thunderous rumble that shook the air came from the distant sky. The group instinctively looked over and saw lightning flashing within the rain-pouring clouds, like a ferocious, clawing evil dragon.

Then the massive black clouds, which had spread for several kilometers, gradually crumbled and dispersed, revealing a sky as blue as if washed by water.

"The rain stopped?"

The captain was stunned.

Brock raised his binoculars to search for Baimu and the storm-making Pokémon, but after looking for a long time found nothing. "The person is gone?"

"Gone?"

"Could he have been taken to the bottom of the sea!"

Miss Liuqi and Ash spoke over each other.

The words had barely fallen.

Boom!

Two white giant figures, one large and one small, burst out of the water not far from the luxurious cruise ship, spread their enormous pure-white wings, and let out a melodious long cry.

"Chiao-woo—"

Everyone on the ship was utterly astonished, staring in disbelief at the large and small Lugia, behind which a resplendent halo seemed to be born, as if deities had descended.

The biggest reaction came from Brock.

He half-doubted his own eyes and instinctively shouted: "Lugia? Silver?"

"Woo~"

The small Lugia also recognized Brock on the deck and happily flew at him, its body—only a little bigger than a person—successfully pinning him beneath it.

Brock first let out a wail, then helplessly soothed the excited small Lugia. "Silver! Long time no see!"

The large Lugia looked down at Brock and the small Lugia, its gaze especially gentle.

Baimu and Hydreigon poked their heads out from behind it, waving to Miss Liuqi and Ash. "Yo! Let me introduce you to this big friend and this little friend."

The two girls: "……"

Although they had already made many guesses during their earlier discussions, they had never imagined that Baimu not only knew legendary Pokémon, but two of them—one large and one small!

The captain's jaw worked open and shut, unable to speak for a long while.

A long time later.

The boundless sea.

The cruise ship gave up changing course and continued cruising at a steady speed along Water Route 127.

The captain gripped the wooden helm, but his gaze unconsciously drifted to the two Lugia that occasionally appeared beside the ship, seemingly accompanying them. Faintly, he could hear the girls' giggling and laughter.

Lugia—and two of them, no less.

Before setting sail, he had never imagined he'd have the chance to get close to legendary Pokémon.

"Now I'll really have something to brag about when I get back."

The captain was so delighted he couldn't close his mouth, completely forgetting how desperate he had been when he couldn't escape the storm earlier, feeling only that accepting this job was incredibly lucky.

He imagined Yuuto would be very happy too when he saw the photo of him with Lugia, right?

He pulled a wallet from his pocket, inside which was solely a photo of a boy hugging a Magikarp.

The stern deck.

Baimu and Brock sat by the railing chatting casually, their gazes fixed on Miss Liuqi and Ash, who were riding the large Lugia and surfing and playing together with the small Lugia and other Pokémon.

The former spoke while recalling the many things that had happened when he met the large Lugia and Silver during his travels with Ash and Misty, while the latter listened quietly.

Of course.

The unpleasant parts weren't mentioned much—mainly the happy days spent with Silver, and Shuichi, who had formed a deep bond with it yet had to part ways.

"Looking back, these things feel like just yesterday."

Brock laughed, then placed his right hand on the head of the Chansey beside him. "But seeing Chansey grow up from Happiny all this time, I think 'ah… it's already been four years.'"

Baimu nodded in agreement, his left hand stroking Hydreigon's three heads.

"Time always slips away when you're not paying attention."

The cute Pokémon that once clung to his calf like a puppy had now grown large enough for him to ride.

The Three-Headed Dragon affectionately nuzzled back against his palm, "Shaao~"

"Woo~"

The small Lugia swam over at just the right moment, seeking pets from Baimu and Koichi, then opened its mouth and bit the Three-Headed Dragon's tail, trying to get it to come play in the water.

The Three-Headed Dragon's tail lashed out with sudden force, sending the small Lugia flying, then turned its head toward its trainer with eyes full of eagerness to try.

"Can you even swim before you jump in? Aggron can surf, but you can't."

Baimu was all smiles.

The Three-Headed Dragon felt it was being looked down on, and without another word plunged straight into the water.

The small Lugia gave a happy cry and sank down along with the Three-Headed Dragon, trying to play with it on the sea floor.

Baimu watched the rolling waves behind the cruise ship, the smile still lingering on his face, but as the two failed to surface for a long time, worry crept into his heart unawares.

The ship was still moving, after all…

Boom!

A spray of water shot up in the distance.

The Three-Headed Dragon burst out of the sea, leaping in and out like a dolphin, in and out, soaked all over while its three heads took turns catching their breath.

After resting like that for a little while, it glared indignantly at the sea surface, as if it had seen something, and plunged back into the water once more.

Baimu watched the distance between the two grow wider and wider, and couldn't help calling out: "Three—"

"Chirwoo~"

The large Lugia carrying the two girls let out a low growl, signaling to him that it would keep a good eye on the Three-Headed Dragon, so he didn't need to worry too much.

"Alright then."

Only then did he set his mind at ease.

At the same time.

Miss Liuqi and Koichi seemed to have played enough, jumping from the large Lugia's back into the ship to replenish fresh water and rest.

The former asked: "Are you planning to bring Lugia to the League Conference?"

"How could that be? They just want to escort us, and then make some wind and rain on the way to wrap things up." Baimu shook his head in denial.

He'd been guarding against a second Lance this whole time, only to become the Legendary Pokémon Man himself? That just wouldn't do.

It's not like they couldn't win without the help of Aggron and the others.

Whether it was dynamiting fish or an evenly matched fight.

Only by fully displaying their strength on the battlefield would they not waste the tireless training these Pokémon had put in day after day for so many months.

"Going to Sootopolis Island to make it rain? When?"

Koichi asked eagerly.

Baimu said: "We'll make it rain as soon as we arrive, and leave once it's done."

The people chasing the Lugia mother and child had indeed been driven off by the earlier storm, but it couldn't be ruled out that they were still waiting for an opportunity somewhere; unpleasant situations should always be avoided in advance.

And without the storm blocking the way.

They could reach their destination by afternoon.

He walked to one side of the ship, gazing into the distance at the horizon.

——

Sootopolis Island.

Located at Water Route 128, the easternmost point of the Hoenn region.

When Baimu could faintly make out that small black dot symbolizing the island, the Lugia mother and child no longer lingered on the sea surface, flying straight up into the clouds.

This both kept them from being spotted by nearby ships, and allowed them to summon a light rain along the way.

With the League Conference about to begin, Sootopolis City's docks were likely very busy; popping up carelessly would definitely not be a good idea.

And unlike the Lugia mother and child waiting to "do business."

At this moment, the Three-Headed Dragon was listlessly sprawled inside the ship's cabin.

This fellow had played too wildly with the small Lugia; even with the large Lugia watching over it, it had swallowed a good deal of seawater. It had been quite worked up right after, but now it was finally starting to feel the strain.

"You're pretty impressive too — that seawater wasn't drunk in vain; you actually learned Surf just like that."

Baimu patted the Three-Headed Dragon's middle head, deeply moved.

Truly the most gifted Pokémon in the team, the one that had once learned Dragon Dive the fastest — after playing in the water with the small Lugia for a while, it had naturally grasped 【Surf】.

Was his earlier "taunt" just too effective? Had its competitive spirit with Aggron turned into motivation?

Or was it some other reason entirely.

He couldn't figure it out.

The Three-Headed Dragon itself hadn't figured out how it had learned Surf, only realizing it after its trainer pointed it out.

"Shaao…"

Its demeanor was slightly listless; it raised its head and called out worriedly — it really had played a little too wildly today, and was starting to worry it would affect the matches in the coming days.

Baimu pressed down on its head, patting it lightly like tapping a melon: "What's there to fear? You're tougher than a Bouffalant — one night of rest will do it."

Only then did the Three-Headed Dragon set its mind at ease.

Not long after.

"Sootopolis Island is in sight!"

The captain's voice came through the broadcast, followed by the cries of Miss Liuqi and Koichi.

"Come quick, Baimu!"

"Look! It's Sootopolis City!"

All Baimu stepped out of the cabin, and the previously tiny black dot of Caiyou Island had suddenly grown large enough to make out the island's only city—Caiyou City.

As the city closest to the tournament venue, Caiyou City was extraordinarily bustling.

More than enough to stand alongside great cities of Hoenn like Kaina City and Mizushiro City.

"This year's Caiyou Grand Festival will probably be livelier than any before." Xiaogang said with a smile, glancing up at the clouds.

The legendary Pokémon had appeared to bring rain.

Even though it had little to do with the Caiyou Grand Festival itself, many would still take it as an auspicious omen.

All Baimu glanced at his phone screen and said, "A bit more liveliness is a good thing."

In Yamatsumi's entire regional publicity plan.

The buzz of the Caiyou Grand Festival was a very important piece—indeed, to a certain extent it decided how much buzz the future Orei Grand Festival would have.

The appearance of the mother-and-child Lugia was not part of Yamatsumi's plan.

But it would undoubtedly help elevate the tournament's hype.

"Honestly, the second time we meet and I'm already owing you another favor." He gazed up at the two Lugia occasionally visible through the clouds, full of emotion.

Wooo—

A horn sounded from the far distance.

Everyone looked over and saw a passenger cruise ship a hundred times larger or more approaching Caiyou City's port from another direction, visibly packed with countless people and Pokémon.

"The St. Flower!"

Xiaogang spotted the name on the hull, his tone full of nostalgia. "Back when I was traveling with Ash and May, we took this very ship—only back then we were headed to Kaina City for the Grand Showcase."

All Baimu heard his words, and the plotline involving the St. Flower surfaced in his mind as well.

In short, it was the story of a former Team Magma member who turned to thievery, calling himself some kind of phantom thief and acting all impressive, only to run into Ash's group and end up caught.

Pitiful.

Of all the people to mess with, he had to pick Ash—fated to have this tribulation!

While he silently complained to himself, the captain wisely slowed the ship's speed.

The tonnage difference between the two vessels was far too great; forget about speeding up to overtake the St. Flower and dock first, he didn't even dare approach—setting aside whether they could survive a collision, the very act of bumping into it would be terribly inauspicious.

All Baimu wasn't in a hurry either, so he went back to the cabin to rub the belly of his whining Hydreigon.

The most direct consequence of the gap in size and age was that giant beasts acting cute tended to happen—sights that hurt the eyes—though thankfully Pokémon all had some cute element to them.

And as the cruise ship drew closer to the port.

The white clouds in the sky gradually gathered and blocked out the sun, while a gentle sea breeze stirred the hems of everyone's clothes.

The elder Lugia certainly wouldn't conjure a violent storm, but it didn't want the affair over in two or three minutes either; so it ceased wielding its own power and instead gathered the rain clouds above.

Preparing to deliver a natural rainfall.

"Is it starting?"

Miss Liuqi and Hikari both looked up at the sky in eager anticipation.

Because this was not merely wind and rain—it also symbolized the friendship between humans and the legendary Pokémon.

Even though she had personally heard the hymn of Arceus that was enough to soothe the gods, and faced Arceus who commanded seventeen different sources of elemental life, Hikari still couldn't help but be moved.

Xiaogang, needless to say, had known the mother-and-child Lugia far longer than All Baimu; judging by this reunion, the friendship the two sides had forged was quite solid.

All Baimu said nothing.

When the cruise ship docked, the mechanical gangway connected to the concrete ground.

The instant he slowly stepped onto land.

Whoosh~

A breeze blew from behind him, as if it had been waiting a long time, steadying him with an extremely gentle force.

A fine, drizzling rain dampened his shoulders.

"It's here!"

Miss Liuqi delightfully reached out a hand to catch the raindrops.

All Baimu took a deep breath.

"Chiruu—"

A melodious, long cry suddenly came from above the white, boundless sky.

Continuous and unending, like a song.

Soon what began as a single low cry became two, their calls together like the surging of great ocean currents.

The few people on the cruise ship all looked up; the many tourists disembarking from the St. Flower in the distance were also drawn by the continuous cries and looked up as well.

Immediately after.

They spotted the two Lugia rolling through the clouds, appearing and disappearing, and couldn't help but cry out in astonishment.

"It's Lugia!"

"Two of them! Their sizes are different! Are they relatives?"

"Look, Mom! Lugia! A legendary Pokémon!"

The dock grew somewhat noisy, as countless people pulled out their phones trying to capture this astonishing scene.

Hikari murmured, "The Lugia…"

"They're singing, and also saying goodbye." Miss Liuqi answered her confusion, then turned to look at All Baimu, who stood silently with his face upturned, letting the raindrops fall on his face.

Without using the Heart of the Gods.

The Lugia's thoughts were clearly transmitted along with the rain.

"A breeze for you, a rain for you, and lastly a song for you—"

"A song of blessing."