Time rewound to shortly after Kyogre and Groudon departed.
Lucas had been asking Politoed—quietly positioned in a safe viewing area—whether it had gained any inspiration from the torrential rain Kyogre had summoned.
Once their conversation ended, Lugia—now free of Terastallization—sighed that the strange power had even worked on itself, then urgently announced it wished to leave with the giant Dragonite and giant Tentacruel.
They disliked human contact. The giant Dragonite was an exception, but both Lugia and the giant Tentacruel had suffered at human hands before. They had no desire to become entangled with anyone except Lucas.
Lugia actually liked Ash from that day, but since Ash hadn't been central to the battle's outcome, there was no need to linger.
Without Lugia's help, Lucas's team would have struggled greatly against Kyogre at sea. Luxray's close-range prowess was nearly useless without solid ground, and even Mega Swampert would have had a difficult time against a type disadvantage.
Lucas respected their wishes. He simply arranged to meet again in a designated sea area once his own affairs were settled.
It was then that the giant Dragonite, through Lugia's telepathy, extended an invitation: when they next met, it would take Lucas to a special island.
Time returned to the present.
"So… what kind of island is it?"
After Moltres landed on a small sea island, Lucas—now standing on solid ground—asked the giant Dragonite, whose massive head alone broke the surface of the water.
Lugia, acting as translator, established the telepathic link.
—In this world, the utility of Psychic-type Pokémon truly could not be overstated.
"Roar~" The antennae on the giant Dragonite's head wiggled. Incapable of keeping secrets, it immediately spilled everything.
It wanted to take Lucas to an island inhabited by many Pokémon just like itself—only much, much smaller.
In other words… the Dragonites' island!
On the afternoon island, coconut palms unique to Hoenn's tropical waters grew at wild angles, heavy with the favorite fruit of a certain "king" who looked wise but was actually quite foolish.
Beneath the palms, Lucas was on a video call with the farm's central console.
"Yes, just send Dragonite over. Have it follow Lugia's aura and it'll find us."
The slightly static "Yare yata" from the other end confirmed that Oranguru understood. Lucas ended the call.
Although Psychic-types and certain Pokémon possessed excellent telepathy, phone calls still required workarounds—unless Oranguru had its tablet for typing and playback.
Lucas had barely hung up when Lugia glided over.
"Finished?"
"Yeah. At Dragonite's speed it should arrive within half a day at most."
Lucas nodded while suppressing the urge to pet Lugia's feathers. He had already taken full advantage while riding earlier; doing so again now would be presumptuous.
Lugia gazed toward the horizon, its deep, magnetic voice echoing in Lucas's mind.
"This time when I return, I believe I'll sleep for quite a while."
Having confirmed that Kyogre's anomaly originated from humans, Lugia had no further reason to remain active. Its natural state was resting in the deepest ocean trenches, drifting with the currents.
It stayed now only to serve as a beacon for Dragonite.
Seeing Lucas's calm profile, Lugia chose not to mention that without the Silver Feather's summons, it might sleep for centuries.
Lugia was long accustomed to farewells and preferred they remain unemotional.
(If Lucas had known what it was thinking, he would have laughed and said that in roughly a year Lugia would be dragged out to battle the Ultra God—and probably lose badly. Kyogre might even be awakened again by Manaphy, and it might not even be the original one.)
After a few seconds of thought, Lugia spoke again through telepathy.
"If Dragonite's mastery of air currents is progressing well, why not let it learn Aeroblast while we have the chance?"
Just as Ho-Oh could teach Entei Sacred Fire, if Dragonite met the conditions, Lugia could grant it Aeroblast.
The foundation had been laid at Shamouti Island more than half a year ago. Lugia wasn't sure how far Dragonite had come, but judging by Moltres's rapid growth, the results might be promising.
"…You're serious?"
Lucas didn't react with the excitement Lugia expected. Instead he looked puzzled.
Hadn't Lugia itself said Dragonite would eventually master Aeroblast on its own?
Why the sudden change of heart—and why offer to teach it personally?
"Don't worry. It won't take much time."
Lugia raised one wing in a casual gesture, misunderstanding Lucas's hesitation.
"What I'm worried about isn't the time… Never mind."
Although Lucas still didn't understand Lugia's sudden shift, he had already sworn off needing legendary-exclusive moves. Since Lugia was offering on a silver platter, refusing would be foolish.
While Aeroblast's power in games was lower than Hurricane, the version Lugia had used to defeat Groudon revealed its true terrifying potential in reality. It was a genuine Flying-type finisher—the ultimate trump card.
Combined with Extreme Speed and Terastal, Dragonite might finally keep pace with Luxray and Swampert.
After a bit more casual conversation, Lucas wandered over to the Pokémon relaxing on the beach.
Politoed, Comfey, Victini, and Terapagos sat in a row, faces full of admiration, listening to their "senior"—the Delibird—recount its epic travels.
"Dee lee~ Dee lee!"
(In that romantic city that coexists with water, there exists a little-known sibling legend. A pair of phantom-thief sisters targeted them and tried to capture them~
The Pokémon disguised as human girls were rescued by a traveling boy. A story tinged with romance blossomed between them.
But good times never last. The brother was captured, the precious Heart Drop was stolen, and the entire Water City faced imminent destruction by tsunami.
At that critical moment, this bird and the companions I met at sea rose up together. We gathered the power of countless wild Pokémon and halted the tsunami's advance!)
The Delibird puffed out its chest like a proud Piplup, face glowing with self-satisfaction.
Victini and Terapagos clapped excitedly, eyes sparkling.
Politoed—another "veteran" who had joined the farm around the same time—simply smiled and clapped rhythmically, providing background music for the "epic saga."
Comfey smiled while weaving flower garlands and gently placing them on the two enraptured listeners.
Suddenly the Delibird's proud expression collapsed. Silence and sorrow washed over its face.
"Dee lee—"
(But the hindrance was only temporary. The power of the Heart Drop, corrupted by greed, was too immense. The frozen ice shattered. The escaped brother gave everything to stop the tsunami—even willing to sacrifice his own life—)
"Ba go…"
"Vi mi…"
The two little ones immediately lowered their heads, too frightened to hear the rest.
Fortunately, the ending was happy.
According to the Delibird, the brother burned his life force to block the tsunami, but the united power of the wild Pokémon—summoned by the bird—had slowed the wave enough for him to survive. With help from arriving kin, he was finally reunited with his sister.
Lucas understood none of it. He possessed neither Aura to communicate telepathically nor the Viridian Force that supposedly let one understand Pokémon speech. He was simply a "little Kalosian" whom the Calyrex, Lugia, and Mewtwo had all judged to have zero Psychic talent.
Once everyone's emotions settled, he walked over.
"Dee lee?"
The Delibird raised a wing in cheerful greeting. Politoed and the others gathered around.
Ignoring the hot sand, Lucas sat down cross-legged and turned to the Delibird.
"Any places left in Hoenn you still want to explore?"
The bird blinked, then thought seriously.
It had already flown across most of Hoenn and made many friends. There really wasn't anywhere else it longed to visit.
It shook its head honestly.
"Then come back to the farm with me and rest for a while. Our next destination—Sinnoh—has plenty of environments perfect for you. Rest first, then set out again. Besides… you've been away from home a long time, haven't you?"
Lucas gently rubbed the fluffy head.
Home…
The Delibird's eyes unexpectedly stung. Although it hadn't stayed long at the farm before setting off to train, one truth remained: the farm had given it a sense of belonging as strong as the flock it once led. With so many powerful family members shielding it from the storms, the bird that had once protected others finally experienced what "safety" felt like.
"Dee lee!"
No more hesitation. The Delibird flapped its small wings and threw itself into Lucas's arms.
After traveling for so long, it really was time to go home.
Dragonite didn't keep them waiting long. Not long after sunset it descended onto the nameless island, guided by Lugia's aura and the bright beacon of Luxray's Flash.
After nearly half a month apart, the first thing the big dragon did upon landing was scoop Lucas into a crushing hug, expressing all its longing in one powerful squeeze.
Video calls were nice, but nothing compared to being together in person. No matter how strong Dragonite was, it was still just a baby a little over a year old. Comforting it took Lucas quite some effort.
Thinking of the horde of Pokémon waiting for him back at the farm, he could only sigh helplessly.
What a sweet problem to have.
Dragonite had already met the giant Dragonite, so no introductions were needed.
When Lucas explained that the giant one wanted to take them to a Dragonites' island, Dragonite's eyes lit up with pure excitement.
Seeing that eager expression, Lucas realized—Dragonite had actually met very few of its own kind. The ones it knew could be counted on one hand: the mother it had never met, three Haxorus "godmothers," Lance's Dragonite, the big Dragonite from the Dragon Sanctuary, and now this giant one.
His decision to call it over had been the right one.
Lucas chose not to travel through the night. Instead they camped on the small island, giving Lugia the perfect opportunity to pull Dragonite aside for an all-night training session.
Although this wasn't combat training, it proved even more grueling for Dragonite than the previous session. Lugia's standards were terrifyingly high compared to its usual gentle demeanor.
Hearing the constant roar of wind outside the tent, Lucas could only offer silent condolences.
Tomorrow he would let Dragonite rest inside its Poké Ball and have Comfey give it a thorough massage.
The giant Dragonite's enormous size meant Moltres could easily keep pace during travel.
With that comforting thought, Lucas closed his eyes and drifted into peaceful sleep.
His final conscious thought was simple:
I wonder if the Dragonite island the giant one is taking us to is the one I already know… or an entirely different one?
…