"Doctor, the submarine suddenly can't move forward! There's a powerful suction pulling us upward. We're at 2,500 meters below the surface, and still rising!"
Inside Group A's submarine, panic spread rapidly.
Ever since Ash activated his enhanced state and used the power of the Rinnegan, the entire vessel had been forcibly dragged upward through the ocean.
There was no need to guess.
Dr. Namba immediately realized who was responsible.
"Stay calm! Activate the thrusters. The ocean is our domain. No matter how strong that brat is, he can't breathe underwater. That's why he's trying to drag us to the surface!"
Despite being in his sixties, Dr. Namba remained composed and issued orders instantly. His experience far surpassed that of the younger members.
And he wasn't wrong.
Ash was undeniably powerful, but underwater combat limited him significantly. More importantly, he couldn't breathe underwater, which restricted his fighting ability.
At that moment, the submarine's rear propulsion system shifted. The propellers transformed and merged into a larger thruster unit. A powerful jet burst through the water, pushing the submarine downward with immense force.
The upward pull from Banshō Ten'in began to weaken.
"What?! Damn it… if this distance were shorter…"
High above the sea, Ash's expression darkened.
He could clearly feel it, the submarine he was pulling was starting to resist more and more.
The range of Almighty Pull had limits. At a depth of over 3,000 meters, even with his chakra, maintaining such power forced him into his enhanced state. The consumption was enormous.
Now, with the submarine actively resisting, the strain on him increased sharply.
"Huh… this presence…"
Just as Ash prepared to increase his chakra output, he suddenly sensed an overwhelming force rapidly rising from the depths below him.
Boom!!!
The sea exploded upward.
Ash's eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, he released his technique and leapt into the air.
The ocean surface surged violently, and from beneath it emerged a massive figure.
A colossal Lugia burst out of the sea, its immense body sending waves crashing in all directions.
"So it shows up now…"
Ash clicked his tongue in frustration. If he wanted to locate and pull the submarine again, he would need to start over, and now it was already too late.
"ROAR!!!"
Lugia let out a deafening cry. The soundwave alone distorted the air, sending a shockwave that struck Ash midair.
At the edge of the island, Oliver and the others stared in shock.
"That's Silver's mother! She must be furious because Silver isn't here. We need to bring Silver over quickly!"
Ash steadied himself in the air and flew forward, stopping in front of Lugia.
"Calm down. Your child is safe. Do you want me to prove it to you?"
Even as he spoke, Ash couldn't help glancing toward the sea below with lingering frustration.
"Just wait… next time, you won't escape so easily."
After muttering under his breath, Ash refocused on Lugia.
He could tell that this Lugia's strength was only at the peak of a third-tier Legendary Pokémon.
Lugia hovered in the air, staring at Ash without moving.
She could clearly sense it, the human in front of her was far stronger than her.
"Who are you… and where is my child?"
Despite the fear in her heart, a mother's instinct drove her to question him.
"My name is Ash Ketchum. Your child is nearby, it should be arriving soon…"
"Damn it, how could I trust you… using my child as bait!"
Just as Ash was explaining Silver's situation, the enraged Lugia suddenly interrupted him.
Wrapped in a surge of blue energy, she charged straight at him.
Her opening move was already a full-force attack, Dragon Dive.
"Tch… I told you your child is fine. Calm down."
Already irritated, Ash's expression turned cold.
"Almighty Push."
The power of Shinra Tensei erupted instantly, blasting Lugia backward more than ten meters in a single moment.
"ROAR!!!"
The repelled Lugia showed no intention of listening. She immediately launched another attack, firing a powerful water cannon toward Ash.
"So you really want to fight… fine, I'll entertain you. Because of you, I've already lost track of them again."
Facing the incoming attack, Ash snorted coldly and began forming hand seals.
At that exact moment, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Stop! This is all a misunderstanding!"
A second Lugia appeared, even larger than the first. It positioned itself between Ash and Lugia's mother, intercepting the water cannon head-on.
Ash's eyes narrowed slightly.
This one was stronger.
"It really is you, Ash. So the power I sensed earlier wasn't a mistake."
The newly arrived Lugia spoke, then turned toward the furious mother.
"Calm down. The child is safe. This human is someone I met before in the Orange Islands… he can be trusted."
At the same time, Oliver and the others finally arrived, carrying Silver into view.
They had rushed over the moment they saw Lugia attacking Ash, realizing it had to be a misunderstanding. What they hadn't expected was the appearance of another Lugia.
"Mi… mic~!"
The moment Silver saw her parents, she cried out happily.
Lugia's mother froze for a second, then immediately flew forward, ignoring everything else. She gently pressed her head against Silver, nuzzling her with clear relief and affection.
The tension in the air disappeared almost instantly.
Watching the reunion, the male Lugia turned back to Ash.
"I'm sorry. My mate was too worried about our child."
Ash exhaled slowly, the irritation in his eyes fading slightly.
If the other Lugia hadn't arrived in time, that battle would have escalated far beyond this point.
Still… the chance to capture those people had already slipped away again.