Kanto Region.
In the waters between the Sevii Islands and the Orange Islands, an enormous Pokémon sliced through the depths at incredible speed.
Its underside was light blue, its tail fin a deeper shade of the same color, and the rest of its body pure white. Sharp fangs lined its lower jaw, a blue mask framed its eyes, and its wings resembled a pair of enormous hands.
It was none other than the Flying- and Psychic-type Legendary Pokémon, Lugia.
Lugia normally rested in the deepest ocean trenches. It possessed such overwhelming power that a single flap of its wings could level entire houses.
Because of that immense strength, the peaceful Lugia spent most of its time sleeping beneath the sea, rarely showing itself unless absolutely necessary.
"Ooooh~"
Lugia cried out as it beat its wings, surging even faster through the water.
It had been sleeping peacefully on the ocean floor when it suddenly sensed the world thrown into chaos. It felt a terrifying destructive force, along with the desperate cries of wild Pokémon caught in the disaster.
There was something else as well.
The source of all this carried a trace of power that felt remarkably similar to Lugia's own, a sacred energy capable of commanding the sea itself.
"Ooooh~"
The moment it spotted the giant whirlpool beneath the ocean, Lugia knew it had found the right place.
With another powerful beat of its wings, it became a blazing sphere of energy and shot toward the surface.
"Ooooh~"
As the radiant sphere burst into the sky, Lugia spread its enormous wings, and its cry echoed across heaven and earth.
At the same time, a sacred aura washed across the entire sea.
"It's really Lugia!"
Staring at the giant silver-feathered divine bird, Caster and his four little companions were speechless.
It was the first Legendary Pokémon any of them had ever seen.
"That size... That presence... And here of all places!"
Caster, however, was thinking about something else.
Looking at Lugia's immense form, he immediately reached a conclusion.
'There's no doubt about it. This isn't just any Lugia. It's the Lugia from the movie, the God of the Sea who fought alongside the three Legendary Birds and saved the world.'
"Ooooh~"
Lugia barely spared Caster and the others a glance before flying straight toward the towering waterspout.
It simply gave its wings a gentle flick.
Instantly, the raging waterspout froze in place as though an invisible force had locked it down. It couldn't spin another inch.
With its power gone, the enormous column of water collapsed into towering waves that crashed back into the sea.
A calm psychic force gently lifted the trapped Pokémon and lowered them safely back into the ocean.
"Amazing..."
Slowpoke's mouth hung open in awe.
Controlling energy over such an enormous area with that level of precision was something no ordinary Pokémon could ever accomplish.
"So this is Lugia's power..."
Caster was equally stunned.
Only then did he remember what the Pokédex said about Lugia.
It was said to possess the power to calm even the most violent seas, earning it the title of the God of the Sea.
The Pokédex claimed that a light flap of Lugia's wings could stir up storms that lasted forty days.
If creating a storm was that effortless for it, then calming one would naturally be just as easy.
As the waterspout vanished, the Mega Gyarados hidden within was revealed once more.
"Rrrraaargh~"
Mega Gyarados was still completely consumed by rage.
It had long since lost all reason. Its mind held nothing but destruction and primal instinct.
When it saw Lugia, there wasn't the slightest hint of fear.
Instead, excitement flashed across its face.
The water jets along both sides of its body erupted, launching it forward at incredible speed straight toward Lugia.
"Ooooh~"
Lugia paused for a brief moment, almost amused.
It had been a very long time since another Pokémon had been bold enough to charge straight at it.
How reckless.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Its wings beat rapidly as countless razor-sharp blasts of compressed air formed beneath them, radiating crushing pressure.
Aeroblast.
But at that exact moment, a massive bolt of lightning tore through the storm clouds and struck Lugia as the Legendary Pokémon hovered near them.
Thunder!
BOOM!
The tremendous blast exploded across Lugia's body, leaving every muscle numb and patches of its skin scorched black.
As Lugia folded its wings inward, however, divine power surged through its body.
Moments later, every burn had vanished, leaving its skin flawless once again.
But by the time Lugia spread its wings again, Mega Gyarados had already closed the distance.
With an explosive burst of force, it slammed headfirst into Lugia, knocking the Legendary Pokémon out of the sky as both of them crashed toward the ocean.
BOOM!
The sea split apart once again as the two colossal Pokémon plunged beneath the waves and disappeared.
"Huh?"
Caster stared blankly after watching Mega Gyarados actually knock Lugia down.
'God of the Sea? That's all?'
For a moment, he didn't know whether to feel excited or disappointed.
Excited because Mega Gyarados was unbelievably powerful if it could even knock down Lugia.
Disappointed because if Lugia couldn't stop it, then all they could do was wait until Mega Evolution wore off on its own.
By then, Gyarados's body would almost certainly have suffered severe damage.
It didn't take long for Lugia to prove exactly why legends are legends.
"Ooooh~"
Its deafening cry rang out as a pillar of brilliant light erupted from beneath the sea, piercing straight through the clouds overhead.
The ocean split apart once again.
A gigantic bird-shaped aura wrapped around Lugia as it surged upward with overwhelming force, steadily overpowering Mega Gyarados and driving it high into the clouds.
"That's... Sky Attack!"
Caster recognized the move instantly, his throat tightening.
Then Lugia began calling down lightning.
Bolt after bolt crashed from the sky, striking both Lugia and Mega Gyarados.
Lugia barely reacted.
Mega Gyarados, however, roared in agony as the electricity coursed through its body.
When the lightning finally stopped, fresh scorch marks covered Lugia's body.
With a single flap of its wings, a soft white glow surrounded it, and every injury disappeared in an instant.
Mega Gyarados wasn't so fortunate.
Its body was covered in wounds as it plummeted headfirst back into the sea.
"Gyarados!"
Caster's heart clenched.
He was starting to worry Lugia was hitting it too hard.
"Rrrraaargh~"
Just then, Gyarados's furious roar echoed from beneath the waves.
BOOM!
The sea exploded upward once again.
Wrapped in towering waves, Mega Gyarados charged straight at Lugia.
Empowered by Mega Evolution, the pouring rain, and the Royal Authority of the Sea, its offensive strength had reached an astonishing level.
But against a Lugia that had finally gotten serious, the ferocious Mega Gyarados looked almost helpless.
Lugia folded its wings around itself as divine power flowed endlessly through its body.
Mega Gyarados couldn't break through.
No matter how fiercely it attacked, Lugia stood as solid as a mountain.
Even when an occasional strike managed to leave a wound, Recover activated immediately, healing the damage in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, Mega Gyarados grew more exhausted with every attack.
Its energy reserves were nearly depleted.
It couldn't get through.
No matter what it did, it couldn't get through.
"Ooooh~"
With a cry that shook the heavens, Lugia spread its wings once more.
The terrifying blades of compressed air formed again, screaming across the sky as they engulfed Mega Gyarados.
Aeroblast!
"Rrrraaargh~"
Gyarados screamed again and again as the devastating winds tore into it.
Before long, the cries stopped.
Caster watched as Mega Gyarados's body shrank, its Mega Evolution fading as it returned to its original form.
"Gyarados!"
Caster shouted, his heart pounding with worry.