Chapter 654: Giant Poison Sting Jellyfish

“Sacred Fire?”

Hovering in midair, Lugia lowered its head and pondered for several seconds—intrigued, yet genuinely surprised to hear the name of this move from Luo Mu.

Once, it and Ho-Oh both resided for a time on towers built by humans who worshipped them, receiving offerings.

But due to certain accidents, humans angered them, and after delivering punishment, both it and Ho-Oh flew away from the towers.

One vanished without a trace; the other slumbered deep in the ocean.

When it suddenly heard the name “Sacred Fire,” it was momentarily dazed.

They were now very close to the Kanto waters; finding a small island at sea, Lugia and Ho-Oh landed on it, while the massive Dragonite remained submerged.

Not only could its current size not take flight, but the island itself could not bear its weight.

It could only bubble as it floated, its thick, bulb-sized eyes—far larger than any lightbulb—fixed on Luo Mu, Lugia, and Ho-Oh like a giant scaling a wall.

Once anchored on the island, Lugia had only one thing to do.

—It deployed its universal Psychic power, like Regigigas, attempting to probe the rainbow-colored ember within Ho-Oh’s body.

“It is indeed pure Sacred Fire.”

Lugia gave the most important—but already confirmed—conclusion first.

Then, it began to gently touch the slightly agitated ember with its psychic energy.

“You mean this ember was given to your Ho-Oh by a living flame that transformed into a Ho-Oh?” Lugia asked Luo Mu, as if verifying again while examining.

“Yes.”

Luo Mu nodded slightly and recounted the events once more.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, Lugia’s face broke into a human-like smile, and the blue membrane covering its body as it channeled psychic energy vanished.

“Then there’s no need to probe further.”

Under Luo Mu’s puzzled expression, Lugia suddenly spoke these words without context.

But it quickly explained.

“The one who left that ‘living flame’ was the previous Fire God—the Ho-Oh that once dwelled on Fire Island.”

Luo Mu was stunned, his voice thick with confusion, “The Fire God… had a predecessor?”

“Why not?”

Lugia was even more puzzled, but continued:

“Still, there’s no need to dwell on the predecessor. You only need to know that after stepping down, it lived among humans for a time; when that human’s life ended, it left behind some of its own power and vanished somewhere unknown.”

“Due to certain past events now irrelevant, it learned ‘Sacred Fire’ from Ho-Oh.”

“The reason this flame reacts unusually to your Ho-Oh is half because of shared species, and half because after that event, Ho-Oh received partial favor and blessing from nature, acquiring a corresponding aura.”

Lugia paused here.

“It’s like an elder’s gift to a younger one—just like Dragonite. When your Ho-Oh grows stronger and gains better control over its power, it will naturally master ‘Sacred Fire.’”

It's merely a transmission of a transmission, so its power and effect may be slightly weaker than the original.

Lugia’s explanation was thorough; though Luo Mu was curious about why the former Fire God had abdicated and how it learned “Sacred Fire” from Ho-Oh,

he knew that if Lugia chose not to speak of it, he should not pry further just to satisfy his curiosity.

Luo Mu’s perfect sense of boundaries made Lugia sigh.

Though it preferred Ash’s type—humans with pure, earnest hearts,

spending time with someone like Luo Mu, a “master of human nature,” wasn’t unpleasant either.

Moments later.

After resolving one small issue, under Luo Mu’s precise guidance on flight direction, they continued toward the sea area where the Giant Poison Sting Jellyfish resided.

Eventually, they halted high above the sea, just beyond the golden beach of Lamplur, a famous Kanto resort.

Honestly, when the system led them here, Luo Mu was still dazed.

Especially when he gazed across the sea at the crowded, golden beach, he had no idea what to say.

Well, so after nearly a year, you’re still hanging around here?

Lamplur isn’t far from Yucheng Pier, the scene of the incident, meaning the Giant Poison Sting Jellyfish had lived nearby all along—and Kanto seemed to have reacted nothing.

If Jiang Ta had known about this, she would’ve been unable to eat or sleep, and would’ve at least sent someone to negotiate with this colossal creature beyond level classification.

Perhaps Kanto already had intelligence on it, hence its hands-off approach.

The origin of the Giant Poison Sting Jellyfish was absurd, yet heavy.

It began when an old woman named Jin Po Po, occupying the coral reefs where Garnet Jellyfish lived, turned the area into a luxurious seaside resort.

The construction severely damaged the Garnet Jellyfish’s habitat, causing many to retaliate against humans.

As tensions escalated, Jin Po Po, the instigator, didn’t admit fault—instead, she spent money hiring skilled individuals to drive the Garnet Jellyfish away.

Team Rocket’s trio were among those drawn by the news.

But during their actions, a normally ordinary Garnet Jellyfish was struck by their barrel-shaped “domestic triple vinegar.”

Stimulated, that Garnet Jellyfish evolved instantly into the Giant Poison Sting Jellyfish and began leading its kind in revenge and counterattack against humans.

In the anime’s ending, no one defeated or drove off the Giant Poison Sting Jellyfish—instead, Ash’s Kanto companion, Misty, and the Pokémon’s verbal persuasion convinced the Jellyfish its revenge was sufficient, and it halted further destruction.

After Meowth declared, “We’ll spare you this time,” the Giant Poison Sting Jellyfish turned and led its group back into the sea.

Luo Mu made no judgment on the events themselves, but after confirming something, he spoke to the massive Dragonite, half-submerged in seawater and trailing thick fog as it moved: “In this sea area, there exists a being as large as you.”

“But its species is Poison Sting Jellyfish, not Dragonite—would you consider it the companion you’ve long sought?”

Upon hearing this,

the massive Dragonite blinked its thick eyes, fixing its gaze on the sea ahead.

Its gaze seemed to pierce the water, revealing what lay beneath.

Lugia flapped its wings, expression startled.

Clearly, it too had detected the colossal entity hidden beneath the waves.

It was also astonished that this world truly harbored two gigantic Pokémon of such size.

Though Luo Mu’s group had only just arrived, the massive Dragonite’s presence in the sea had already drawn the attention of the Poison Sting Jellyfish, the undisputed ruler of this sea area.

First, countless dense Garnet Jellyfish rose from below, appearing as oceanic bullies with overwhelming pressure.

But the true source of dread was the Giant Poison Sting Jellyfish, slowly rising amid the Garnet Jellyfish’s protection.

Though not as terrifyingly massive as the Dragonite, up close it appeared taller than most skyscrapers.

Its gaze was cold—it clearly viewed the Dragonite as an intruder, directing its nearly eighty venomous, massive tentacles toward it.

Simultaneously, the garnet crystals on the Garnet Jellyfish’s heads glowed with eerie red light.

Had it not been for the Dragonite’s natural fog, this scene would’ve terrified returning fishermen to death.

Conflict was imminent.

But before Luo Mu could intervene, Lugia descended between the two sides.

A majestic, powerful whale cry rang out.

“Woo—” (Cease this conflict—)

Though Lugia’s size was negligible compared to the Giant Poison Sting Jellyfish, the moment it appeared, the Jellyfish’s pupils shrank—it instantly felt overwhelming pressure.

Pressure it could not resist, even after its accidental mutation granted it this powerful form.

—The dignity of a god!

Over the rough seas of the Hoenn region.

It was proven.

The lure of food is boundless.

At this moment, Nimo and the others sat atop a Pokémon that resembled a floating island—spacious and sturdy.

The Pokémon’s name was Whiscash, the largest known Pokémon in the world.

Carrying three tiny humans was effortless for it.

Nimo’s group had connected with Whiscash thanks to a playful Whismur.

After a night of patient waiting and rest, at dawn they began considering which wild Water-type Pokémon to lure for aid.

Lapras, ideal for riding, was best—but despite Hoenn’s abundant water, Lapras rarely lingered here.

Sharpedo was also suitable for riding, its speed rivaling a speedboat granting them flexible control on the sea.

—But only if the Sharpedo was well-trained and fitted with a saddle.

Not only were wild Sharpedo, among the ocean’s top bullies, unlikely to cooperate, but sitting directly on their “Rough Skin” trait would grind their buttocks raw.

Fortunately, luck always favored children traveling far from home.

As Nimo and the others moved along the beach, waving Pokémon food emitting a peculiar fragrance,

Suddenly—duang~duang~duang—a large blue ball bounced before them, its tiny black eyes, like mung beans, fixed on their food with desperate longing.

A wild Whismur.

Though Jingxiang might be slow in battle, her knowledge of Pokémon ecology was worthy of the name Joy.

Instantly, seeing this Whismur begging for food, she recalled its species’ behavior.

A young Whismur is always accompanied by an adult Whiscash; in deeper waters, even multiple Whismur and Whiscash form “family pods.”

Her guess proved correct: by bonding with the Whismur through food, they successfully hitched a ride on Whiscash.

Whiscash was highly intelligent; after the three described their goal, it quickly understood.

As free-roaming aquatic Pokémon, they knew every anomaly in the sea.

Especially since Team Aqua’s operations, though avoiding the Hoenn League, left wild aquatic Pokémon virtually unguarded.

The abstract description—“a water giant made of iron, devoid of life energy”—prompted Whiscash to immediately link it to the submarines it and Whismur avoided at night.

Add to that Hoothoot’s extroverted personality, which had already established good relations with many Water-type Pokémon, and they had avoided countless detours by asking for directions.

Around two in the afternoon.

An island not recorded on any map came into view.

The island was enormous, with a massive volcano spewing thick smoke rising from its center.

Clearly, unlike the dormant Chimney Volcano and Liuli Volcano, this volcano was still active.

“Team Aqua’s submarine is docked at the edge of the island!”

Shinnosuke spoke after sending out his fastest and least conspicuous Pokémon, Iron Mask Ninja, to circle the island and scout.

“So this is their hideout?”

Standing on the slightly smooth back of Whiscash, Nemo’s eyes flickered with eagerness.

Shizuka and Shinnosuke could not let her rush out recklessly; they said, “Don’t land on the island yet. We’re still within a signal-shielded zone. Let’s move away first and contact Officer Jenny in Green Ridge City.”

As a former Joy, Shizuka certainly didn’t want Nemo to take risks and preferred to notify the Hoenn League first.

Though Nemo was the strongest of the three, Shizuka’s older-sister aura was strong in daily life; constrained by it, Nemo could only hang her head in disappointment and abandon her plan to storm Team Aqua’s hideout.

——Yet just as they asked Whiscash to turn and leave the signal-shielded area, a somewhat conspicuous figure suddenly appeared in their line of sight over the sea.

It was a completely red Gyarados!

Upon closer look, three people on the back of what appeared to be a shiny Gyarados were frantically waving at them, having noticed they were on Whiscash’s back.

Coincidentally, both sides recognized each other as acquaintances!

(End of Chapter)