Chapter 40: The Connection Between Lapras and Lugia
[VIP Chat Group]
[Cynthia]: The People of the Sea God... Only a few fragments in Sinnoh’s ancient texts mention that name, and most scholars classify them as mythology. If this book can connect those mythical fragments to actual history, it could overturn many existing research conclusions.
[Steven]: If a document of this significance were discovered in our world, the Devon Corporation would be willing to fund all subsequent research.
[Lorelei]: This method of preserving knowledge across several centuries reminds me of my family’s secret Ice-type techniques... Although our family’s inheritance cannot compare to something three hundred years old.
[Acerola]: Do you think Gastly knew from the beginning that Raina would come~? Ghost-type Pokémon perceive time differently from humans. It may have waited for a very, very long time before Raina finally arrived...
[Fantina]: When you put it that way, it does sound rather romantic~
Within the video, the elderly Gastly’s mist gathered together again.
Its gaze fell upon the ancient book beside Raina’s hand. It used a claw formed from mist to gently turn the pages, stopping at a particular section.
The page depicted a vast ocean dotted with countless points of light.
Upon closer inspection, those lights came from the glowing backs of individual Lapras, gathering together to form a luminous route across the sea.
At the end of that route was a soaring silver Pokémon.
Lugia.
The elderly Gastly rested its claw upon the image of Lugia, then upon the Lapras depicted beneath it.
Finally, it gently tapped the Poké Ball belonging to Lapras at Raina’s waist.
Raina froze.
"Are you saying... there’s a special connection between Lapras and Lugia?"
The elderly Gastly’s mist churned before forming another image in midair.
A lone Lapras swam across an endless ocean.
There was no sign of Lugia in the sky.
The waves surged around it as Lapras raised its head and released a long cry, but no answer ever came from beyond the horizon.
The image dispersed.
The elderly Gastly slowly nodded, then used its misty claw to write a line of words across the ancient book’s cover.
The Sea God departed, and the ocean path was lost. The People of the Sea God were left to wander without a home.
Raina’s eyes widened slightly.
Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the ancient book.
Eevee lay silently atop her head, its tail completely still.
The elderly Gastly floated closer. Its misty claw gently touched the back of Raina’s hand before pointing toward a line of ancient writing on the book’s title page.
Ghostly fire illuminated the inscription, transforming the characters one by one into recognizable modern words.
When the Sea God reappears, the ocean path shall open once more. The bearer of this book shall guide the People of the Sea God home.
Raina stared at the words, gently tracing them with one finger.
"’Guide them home’... Does that mean I’m supposed to help Lapras find Lugia?!"
"Gastly, Gastly."
The elderly Gastly’s voice drifted through the archive room.
Then it vanished completely between the pages of the book.
Raina remained standing before the now-silent bookshelf.
After a moment, she bowed deeply.
"Thank you for protecting this book for so long."
[VIP Chat Group]
[Leon]: The illusion created by that elderly Gastly appears to be the effect of some ancient Ghost-type technique. Displays of illusion on that level are exceedingly rare in the modern age.
[Lance]: It wasn’t a simple illusion. It was a memory projection. That Gastly recreated something it personally witnessed three hundred years ago. Even among the primary Pokémon of Ghost-type Elite Four members, very few possess that ability.
[Leon]: As expected of Lance. You recognized its true nature immediately.
[Lance]: You flatter me. I merely thought the technique resembled one used by the ace Pokémon of a Ghost-type Trainer I know.
[Agatha]: Hehehe...
[Fantina]: Grandma Agatha has been called out~ One of the Pokémon on your team can use memory projection too, can’t it?
[Agatha]: Those are matters from the distant past. They aren’t worth mentioning.
[Dawn]: So that elderly Gastly really was a ghost from three hundred years ago? It waited inside the tower for three centuries just to give the book to Raina?
[Professor Oak]: More precisely, it wasn’t waiting specifically for "Raina." It was waiting for someone capable of achieving Aura resonance with the People of the Sea God. That person simply happened to be Raina three hundred years later.
[Bill]: Professor Oak is right. According to Aura theory, Gastly may have sensed long ago that a special individual would emerge among the Lapras herds. It only needed to wait for a human capable of resonating with that Lapras.
[Professor Sycamore]: In other words, Gastly may have known from the moment Raina caught Lapras. The reason it remained here instead of actively searching for her could be that it was incapable of leaving this tower—or perhaps its lingering attachment bound it to the place where the ancient book was kept.
[Lorelei]: If Raina truly finds Lugia, and there really is a special connection between Lugia and the Lapras herds, then the responsibility she carries will extend far beyond an ordinary journey.
[Daisy]: ...Misty?
[Misty]: I’m fine.
[Violet]: You haven’t said a word for a while.
[Misty]: I was only thinking... She’s just ten years old. When did she become someone expected to carry such a heavy responsibility?
[Delia]: Misty, children always grow up when their parents aren’t paying attention.
[Johanna]: That’s true. I thought the same thing when Dawn first left on her journey—when did she become so independent?
[Dawn]: Mom! Why are you getting sentimental too?!
[Johanna]: Because it’s true.
[Norman]: Speaking of that, I was worried when May first left as well. In the end, her journey through Hoenn went far more smoothly than I expected.
[Caroline]: Hehe. Then why were you nowhere to be found on the day May left home?
[Norman]: Caroline!
[May]: Dad?! Were you secretly following me?!
[Norman]: I... I was only worried. I followed you for a short distance, that’s all.
[Steven]: Secretly following your daughter is admittedly rather undignified.
[Wallace]: Steven, you’re hardly one to talk. You once spent ten entire days camping inside Meteor Falls in search of a single stone. That wasn’t particularly dignified either.
[Steven]: That was different.
[Wallace]: Whatever you say.
[Raihan]: Hahahahaha!
[Leon]: What are you laughing at, Raihan? You once spent half a month living in the Wild Area while trying to catch a Sandaconda.
[Raihan]: That was to make myself stronger! How can you compare it to Steven’s stones?!
[Leon]: From his perspective, they’re exactly the same.
[Raihan]: Leon, shut up!