Back then, after being betrayed by humans and disgusted by their ignorance, Lugia chose to distance herself from them and returned to the sea. Ho-Oh, meanwhile, wandered the world.
The fact that Ho-Oh had spent all these years observing from the shadows, no longer maintaining contact with humanity, was proof enough that she had never truly forgotten what happened. So when Ho-Oh suddenly appeared with a human in tow, Lugia's mind almost failed to process it.
As she watched Ho-Oh carefully settle Luther inside the cave, Lugia stopped Silver from running over to investigate and observed from a distance.
After so many years apart, the first thing Ho-Oh said to Lugia wasn't '"It's been a long time"' or '"Since when did you have a child?"' Instead, it was: '"After I leave, please look after Luther for me."'
---
Darkrai and the others anxiously cared for the unconscious Luther. The moment Silver approached the cave entrance, Azumarill stepped forward and blocked the way.
Luther's Pokémon could naturally sense the relationship between Ho-Oh and Lugia, so they merely prevented Silver from causing trouble rather than treating her as a threat. At Ho-Oh's signal, she and Lugia flew farther away, landing where they could talk in private.
"Has the wound from the Bell Tower incident healed?" Lugia asked, occasionally glancing back to monitor Silver's movements.
"As before. Never forgotten," Ho-Oh's voice remained calm. "Whenever I look back, I can still see the raging flames and those numb, ignorant faces."
"Then what about this human?"
"He's different. Just like the people who first drew us to humanity all those years ago, he possesses an exceptionally strong heart. With nothing but the strength of his spirit, he resonated with me through a Rainbow Wing that never acknowledged him. He's not from this world. An outsider. But I can feel it, his love for this world is genuine. He was willing to give up recognition from this world to save another person's life. His heart is pure. I admire him."
Lugia fell silent for a while. She seemed to be remembering the day she left Ecruteak City.
"Are you going to forgive them?"
"I have not forgiven them." Ho-Oh smiled. "But when I met Luther and saw that Rainbow Wing, a feather that must have fallen somewhere in Sinnoh long ago, I suddenly realized something."
A hazy aura of fire seemed to surround Ho-Oh, and rainbow-colored mist drifted around her like a dream.
"Our lives are too long. Nearly eternal. Humans are fragile."
An image appeared before Lugia, showing the scene inside the cave.
Luther's Pokémon were gathered around him, all wearing worried expressions as they watched over him. Azumarill was making an ice pack to cool his fever. Mismagius and Gardevoir took turns using Psychic to adjust his position so he could rest more comfortably. Houndoom and Chansey had gone out to search for fresh water and Berries.
Darkrai, meanwhile, was entertaining Silver, who kept trying to get into the cave. To keep her from disturbing Luther's rest, Darkrai had once again become a kindergarten teacher and playmate.
"Compared to us, they're like stained glass, beautiful, colorful, and so easily broken. Time leaves irreversible scars on them, and before long, it takes them from this world." Ho-Oh looked quietly at the scene. "Lugia, they are not like us. Our pain feels as though it happened yesterday. For them, it lasts an entire lifetime. The repentance we never received may not have never existed. It may simply be that we missed it."
"During the three hundred years we spent confused, angry, hurt, and disappointed... the world has changed again and again." The image froze on the sleeping faces of Luther and Mira. "This is the Luther we see. Perhaps after one long sleep, all that will remain before us is a gravestone."
Lugia sighed. "Maybe he is special. Maybe his heart is pure and brave. But after spending so much time around humans, have you forgotten? Because their lives are short, their hearts are quick to change. They covet power. They become greedy. They are easily manipulated, becoming ignorant and blind."
Ho-Oh's gaze remained unwavering. "I would rather believe in the good and kindness within humanity. Perhaps that makes me foolish. But we were drawn to humanity because of those virtues in the first place."
Lugia closed her eyes and let out a weary sigh. "You always manage to exhaust me. Until he recovers, I will protect him." After a brief pause, she added, "Also, both of the recent hurricanes were caused by clashes of energy. Yet I couldn't trace the source of that energy. Can you sense anything?"
Ho-Oh smiled bitterly. "The boundaries between time and space are becoming blurred. Compression and collision are inevitable. This is only the beginning. But it has nothing to do with us."
Ho-Oh's words continued to echo in Lugia's mind. Even as she rested in the deep sea, recovering her strength, she remained lost in thought.
---
Meanwhile, Silver had brought a group of Mantyke and blocked the entrance to the cave, specifically demanding that Darkrai come out and play.
It was the first time Luther had gotten a good look at Silver. Compared to Lugia, whom he had seen earlier, Silver was almost two sizes smaller. If she stretched herself out, she was probably about the same height as Luther.
Darkrai's face darkened. Ever since he had played with Silver once, she simply refused to leave him alone. He grabbed Azumarill, who was sneaking bites of fruit nearby, and tossed her toward Silver, indicating that Azumarill could be the one to play instead.
Azumarill didn't mind. She had already figured out that whenever Silver came looking for Darkrai, one of two things happened: either Darkrai became a punching bag for practice, or they picked hard-shelled Berries and tossed them around. Either way, playing hide-and-seek with Darkrai was the dumbest possible idea; Silver had once been reduced to tears trying it.
Silver carefully examined the blue, rabbit-eared, egg-shaped Pokémon in front of her. She poked Azumarill's belly with a wing. As for Darkrai's claim that Azumarill was really strong... Silver was highly skeptical.
"How about you hit me with everything you've got?" She gestured for Azumarill to show her what she could do.
Azumarill immediately grabbed a nearby Mantyke. The poor Mantyke panicked and struggled desperately, looking on the verge of tears. Silver hurriedly rescued the Mantyke and clarified that she didn't mean 'hit the Mantyke', she meant 'hit her'.
Not only was Azumarill shaking her head, but Luther was too. Just from Silver's posture and expression, Luther knew exactly what she was trying to do. If Azumarill actually beat her up, would Lugia really be happy about that? More likely, they'd end up trapped on the island by another endless storm.
Luther simply hoped he could recover soon and return to Sinnoh. After disappearing for this long, everyone back home was probably worried sick.
No matter how much Silver insisted, Azumarill refused to attack. Growing impatient, Silver suddenly smacked Azumarill with a Steel Wing.
Years of battle training kicked in instantly. Azumarill reacted on pure instinct.
She grabbed Silver's wing. A memory flashed through her mind, countless battles dragging Dragon-type Pokémon out of the sky.
Twist. Slam.
Before anyone knew it, Silver was pinned to the ground, and Azumarill was sitting triumphantly on top of her.
As a Legendary Pokémon, Silver's raw power was undeniably impressive. The problem was that she had never truly learned how to use that enormous strength. Against Azumarill, she instantly lost any ability to fight back.
A miserable scream echoed across the island.
Luther hurriedly grabbed his Rainbow Wing and held it tightly. He was already trying to think of an explanation for this scene.
A short while later, the ocean surface bulged upward. Lugia burst from the sea.
(End of Chapter)
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