Cain's expression turned serious.
Even Regice, always unchanging, showed a slight reaction.
The two rows of yellow dots forming a cross on its face began flashing with intermittent red light.
Cain sensed in Regice a feeling of wariness, fear... and a hint of respect.
Respect?
Suddenly, an idea lit up in his mind.
Cain turned to look at the other two mountains.
In the sky, a badly injured Zapdos and an equally battered Articuno flapped in the air, crying out toward the sea.
The only one who hadn't appeared was the Moltres from his own mountain.
Meanwhile, the sea grew more and more turbulent.
"Fwoooooosh!"
A thunderous and strange call erupted from the depths of the ocean.
Hearing that sound, Cain confirmed what he suspected.
He couldn't believe he would encounter that Pokémon here as well. He wasn't sure if its appearance would bring negative consequences for him and his allies.
A massive shadow over five meters long emerged beneath the water.
Slowly, the silhouette became silvery as it rose toward the surface.
"FWOOOOOOSH!"
A powerful, resonant cry echoed through the skies.
Lugia!
The god of the sea, Lugia!
Cain watched as it ascended toward the sky amidst a gigantic tide rising with it.
With each flap of its wings, the thunder roared louder and rain poured down as if the sky had burst into endless tears.
If it wished, Lugia could bring forty days of continuous rain to a single place.
A power capable of destroying entire ecosystems.
Such a Pokémon... could only be described as a Legendary Pokémon.
A Level One Legendary Pokémon!
At that moment, both Tenebris and Umbra, stationed on the mountains of Zapdos and Articuno, were surely pale-faced.
Cain already understood: the three legendary birds of this Island — even if not true divine Pokémon — were under the direct protection of Lugia.
And now that their "big brother" had arrived, after seeing his "younger siblings" injured, it was natural for him to demand answers.
What to do now?
Lugia frowned at the wounded Zapdos and Articuno. Its aura grew increasingly intense.
Then it turned its gaze toward the volcano peak where Moltres lived... but didn't see it appear.
With a light flap of its wings...
In the blink of an eye, Lugia, with its enormous body, appeared above the mountain peak.
Its presence and power were so overwhelming that it was impossible to look it in the eyes directly.
"Kuuu—"
Even Regice, always stoic, let out a sound for the first time.
And, as if by instinct, bowed respectfully to Lugia.
Although Regice was a guardian of Mew, before Lugia's power, its respect was inevitable.
Lugia returned a slight nod, and its expression softened a bit.
But when it turned to see the badly wounded Moltres, its energy burst out instantly.
Hurricane winds rose, and rain began to lash forcefully in the direction of Cain and his Pokémon.
Cain reacted immediately, deploying his psychic barrier. Slowking, Gengar, and the others stepped in front of him, standing firm to protect him.
Although they knew they couldn't do anything against a Pokémon of Lugia's level, if their trainer was in danger, they would stand in the way without hesitation.
Lugia looked at them... but did not attack immediately.
"Human! Explain this situation immediately."
A powerful voice echoed inside Cain's mind.
It watched him sternly.
Cain knew that message came directly from Lugia.
And at moments like this, if he showed fear, he would be at a complete disadvantage.
He took a deep breath, stood tall, and held the gaze of the legendary Pokémon, using all his psychic power.
He responded mentally: "Lugia, look at the wounds on Moltres' body. Although I've already bandaged them, I'm sure you can identify the energy left behind."
Lugia looked at him in astonishment. Not many humans could withstand its spiritual pressure in a state of rage.
Even so, it focused its psychic power and analyzed the wounds on Moltres' body.
Indeed, there were traces of Electric-type energy embedded in its flesh.
Following that trail, its gaze landed on the bottom of a crater where Ampharos' corpse lay.
The residual Electric energy from that Pokémon matched perfectly with Moltres' injuries.
But Lugia also detected other wounds on Moltres, caused by various Pokémon.
It identified them one by one... all now lying unconscious on the ground.
They were the Pokémon of Brannis and Rox. Rox's Pokémon had already been returned to their Pokéballs, so Lugia didn't investigate them much.
After all, Rox's Pokémon had barely done any real damage to Moltres.
But Brannis' Pokémon, on the other hand, were still out in plain sight.
Lugia's fury erupted: a series of psychic orbs of varying sizes formed around it... and crashed down forcefully onto Brannis' unconscious Pokémon.
Cain shuddered inside.
He'd lost several hundred million!
Even though Lugia appeared peaceful, it was still a top-tier legendary. How could someone like that be truly "reasonable"?
Why did that legend say Lugia could summon 40 days of storms with a single flap of its wings?
Because it had actually done it.
Perhaps a bit exaggerated, but it showed that when Lugia was angry, it stopped being a gentle Pokémon.
Brannis' Pokémon, including Charizard, were wiped out before Cain could even collect them.
It hurts the soul!
But he couldn't protest. One wrong move and he could be next.
"Human! State the reason for your presence on this island. Otherwise..." Lugia's voice boomed again.
It didn't seem satisfied with only punishing the Pokémon; its fury remained intact.
However, just then, it was interrupted.
A figure appeared beside it.
It was a small Lugia!
And Cain recognized it.
That little Lugia, who had gone exploring with the big one, immediately flew over to Cain when it saw him and greeted him cheerfully, completely ignoring its father's mood.
Then it began looking around for someone...
It was searching for Ralts.
"Fwooh—"
Lugia let out a deep sound.
Upon hearing it, the small Lugia remembered something, stuck out its tongue clumsily, and flew back to the big one's side.
The two began talking in low tones.
Cain, standing still, exhaled quietly.
Lugia's anger had already dissipated for the most part. If it learned that Cain had even treated Moltres' wounds, perhaps it wouldn't retaliate.
But Tenebris and Umbra... that was another story.
(End of chapter)