Chapter 68: The Sea God’s Recognition
The video continued playing.
Raina rode Lapras toward the center of the whirlpool.
Lugia remained bound by the chains, its wings forcibly folded against its body. Its silver-white form emitted a faint glow beneath the moonlight.
When it saw Raina approaching, it released a deep cry from the back of its throat.
Raina stood on Lapras’s back and placed her hand against Lugia’s enormous head.
"Don’t be afraid," she said softly. "I’m here to save you."
Lugia opened its eyes.
At that moment, Raina saw the images reflected within them.
Three hundred years ago, the Lapras herds lost their way during a violent storm. Lugia descended into the depths of the whirlpool alone and used its own body to suppress the uncontrollable ocean currents.
It hadn’t been trapped here.
It had chosen to remain.
"You’ve been protecting this sea all along."
Raina’s fingers touched Lugia’s forehead.
"I don’t know whether I can do what you did, but I’m willing to do everything within my power."
Silver light erupted from Lugia’s body.
The radiance spread to Raina before enveloping the entire sea.
The ancient book flew out of Raina’s backpack, its pages turning rapidly in the fierce wind.
The navigational chart on every page began glowing. Countless silver trails flew from the book and intertwined in the air, forming an enormous nautical chart.
The line of ancient text from the title page appeared in midair.
The day the Sea God reappears shall be the moment the sea route reopens.
The silver light exploded outward.
When the radiance faded, every chain had broken.
The shattered chains transformed into black powder as they fell. A single gust of ocean wind scattered the powder into nothingness.
Lugia spread its wings.
"Lugia——!"
The entire sea trembled.
The whirlpool began rotating in reverse. Seawater surged and churned as the moonlight refracted through the curtains of water, creating countless rainbows.
Milotic also raised its head and released a long, crystalline cry that carried across the distant sea.
Every marine Pokémon simultaneously surfaced and lowered its head toward the center of the whirlpool.
[Regular-Seat Chat Group]
"The red light in Lugia’s eyes disappeared too!"
"So the Iron-Masked Marauder never controlled it in the first place?"
"Lugia stayed here voluntarily! It was suppressing the uncontrollable ocean currents!"
"It waited three hundred years for the People of the Sea God to return! The Iron-Masked Marauder never controlled Lugia at all. Lugia was only waiting, which is why it broke free from those chains so easily!"
"Iron-Masked Marauder: I thought I was the villain, but it turns out I was just a background extra."
"Iron-Masked Marauder: I’ve taken control of Lugia! Lugia: No, I’m just playing along until the real protagonist arrives."
[VIP Chat Group]
[Professor Oak]: Lugia has spent the past three hundred years suppressing the currents around the Whirl Islands. The Sea God’s departure wasn’t an act of escape—it was an act of self-sacrifice.
[Bill]: So when the ancient book said, "The Sea God departed, and the sea route was lost," it didn’t mean Lugia had abandoned the Lapras herds. Lugia exchanged its freedom for the stability of the sea.
[Professor Sycamore]: What interests me more is why Lugia recognized Raina. What exactly are the requirements for becoming one of the People of the Sea God? Bloodline? Aura? Or some particular form of behavior?
[Professor Birch]: We previously speculated that Raina might be one of the People of the Sea God herself. Judging by the current situation, that theory may have been correct. Lugia had been waiting for her to arrive.
[Leon]: That explanation sounds accurate.
[Steven]: In truth, Brother Asher only needed to put in a good word for her.
[Asher]: You *ing little **$&#%&—
[Light Screen]: Excessive language detected from @Asher. Muted for ten minutes.
[Wallace]: Steven managed to drive someone as detached from worldly affairs as Asher into swearing in the livestream. His abilities truly are remarkable.
[Volkner]: He really pushed Asher past his limit.
[Lance]: ...Indeed.
[Phoebe]: Is Steven going to survive?
[Wallace]: He... probably won’t die.
[May]: Come to think of it, what will happen to the Iron-Masked Marauder in the end?
[Bruno]: He has no chance of escaping. He’ll be handed over to the League. He’s probably regretting choosing today to pull in his net.
[Lorelei]: It wouldn’t have mattered which day he chose.
[Koga]: Agreed. As long as Asher was involved, the outcome was already decided.
The video continued playing.
Lugia spread its wings, covering the entire sea in silver-white radiance.
The ancient book closed and fell back into Raina’s hands.
The ancient words on its title page no longer glowed.
The Sea God had returned.
Its mission was complete.
Lugia lowered its head and gently enclosed Raina within one of its enormous silver wings.
"Lugia..."
Raina reached out and stroked its feathers.
"I won’t let you bear all of this alone ever again."
Lugia released a long, low cry. Its body transformed into a streak of silver light and entered the outermost empty Poké Ball at Raina’s waist.
Immediately afterward, every marine Pokémon that had surfaced raised its head and cried out at the same time.
[Regular-Seat Chat Group]
"She caught it! She caught Lugia! I didn’t see that wrong, did I?! Lugia entered her Poké Ball on its own!"
"Lugia: I’ve waited so long for you to arrive. I’ll get into the ball myself."
[VIP Chat Group]
[Professor Oak]: This moment is worthy of being recorded in history.
[Bill]: Recording saved and notes completed. I’m not sleeping tonight. I’m going to analyze this sequence frame by frame.
[Professor Sycamore]: Professor Bill, please take care of your health.
[Bill]: My health isn’t important! The data is important!
[Iris]: The Iron-Masked Marauder received exactly what he deserved. He spent months preparing his plan, yet Lugia never took him seriously in the first place.
[Lorelei]: Speaking of Team Rocket, has Giovanni shown any reaction?
[Lance]: Giovanni isn’t someone who would expose himself so easily.
[Bruno]: Giovanni is an extremely calculating man. Someone like the Iron-Masked Marauder isn’t even worth comparing to him.
[Steven]: @Asher, Brother Asher, why aren’t you saying anything? Lugia has been caught. Don’t you have any thoughts to share?
[Wallace]: Steven? You’re still alive?
[Steven]: Of course. I’m not stupid. I ran away immediately after sending that message.
[Steven]: So why isn’t Brother Asher speaking?
[Wallace]: Your comment made him swear in the livestream, so the livestream muted him.
[Steven]: Holy shit. Good thing I ran quickly. Wallace, tell me when Brother Asher is no longer angry. I’ll return with a bottle of wine.
[Steven]: Hmm? Why is the space beside me cracking open?
[Steven]: Sent a video.
The video began playing.
On an uninhabited island, the space in front of the camera slowly split open.
The narrow crack gradually expanded until it was the size of a doorway.
Asher emerged from the spatial rift alongside a small pink-and-gray Pokémon. It had two curved gray-black horns on either side of its head, with golden rings hanging from them.
Asher then turned toward the camera and revealed a brilliant smile.
The video ended.
[Steven]: Family watching from behind your screens, do you think I’m going to survive?