"What the heck is this?"
"Why did Lugia run the moment it saw you?"
Chen Shi stared at Mew in complete confusion.
No matter how he thought about it, he never would have expected Lugia's first reaction upon seeing them to be running away.
Just how unpopular was this black-hearted cat?
Beside him, Cynthia and Diancie both looked at Mew with strange expressions.
Mew laughed awkwardly.
[It's fine.]
[It hasn't gone far yet. We can still catch up.]
As it spoke, Mew immediately used Teleport in the deep sea and chased after Lugia.
Very quickly, the fleeing Lugia found itself wearing a completely lifeless expression.
Because somehow...
Several humans and Pokémon had suddenly appeared on its back.
Including the one it least wanted to see.
Mew.
"Mew."
"What exactly do you want this time?"
Lugia asked helplessly.
Mew crossed its arms and puffed out its chest.
[What do I want?]
[You're the one acting suspicious!]
[Tell me—why did you run the moment you saw me?]
Lugia was speechless.
Seriously?
You don't know why people run when they see you?
Doesn't your reputation speak for itself?
And now you're acting justified?
After a moment, Lugia sighed.
"Forget it."
"Stop changing the subject."
"Just tell me why you came."
"What do you want from me?"
"And once you're done, leave."
At the mention of its purpose, Mew finally became a little more serious.
Though only a little.
[I'm actually here to help you, you know.]
[One of your clan members is in trouble.]
The moment those words left its mouth, Lugia's gaze sharpened.
A clan member?
In trouble?
Could it be that Lugia?
The one that had recently laid an egg?
Aside from that individual, all the other members of the clan were extremely powerful and unlikely to encounter problems.
The more Lugia thought about it, the more anxious it became.
There were already so few Lugia left in the world.
Now that one of them had finally produced offspring—
Nothing could be allowed to happen to it.
Just as Lugia prepared to rush toward the Orange Archipelago to check on its fellow clan member, Mew continued speaking.
[The problem isn't that.]
[That Lugia has been infected by the darkness.]
Lugia froze.
Its expression instantly became extremely ugly.
Three thousand years ago, when Xerneas had been infected by the darkness, countless Legendary Pokémon had been completely helpless.
No one understood the terror of that thing better than Lugia.
When Xerneas awakened recently, Lugia had secretly observed it from afar.
But by then, Xerneas had already returned to normal.
Lugia had assumed the matter was finally over.
Yet now Mew was telling it that one of its own clan members had become infected.
"How do you know?"
Lugia asked coldly.
It didn't believe Mew would joke about something like this.
But if one of its own clan members had encountered trouble—
How did Mew know before it did?
Mew pointed toward Chen Shi.
Chen Shi immediately understood.
He pulled the box containing the corrupted Silver Wing from his backpack and opened it.
"This feather was given to my teacher by one of your clan members many years ago."
"When we checked it yesterday, it had already become like this."
Lugia glanced at the dark feather.
Its eyes immediately became solemn.
There was no mistaking it.
The feather belonged to one of its kin.
And the darkness covering it was identical to the darkness that had once infected Xerneas.
Its clan member really had been contaminated.
[See?]
[I wasn't lying to you.]
[I kindly came all the way here to warn you.]
[And you actually ran away when you saw me.]
[You've hurt my feelings.]
Lugia didn't even bother responding.
Its mind was completely occupied by thoughts of the darkness and concern for its clan member.
The darkness was terrifying.
Even Xerneas, the God of Life itself, had nearly been destroyed by it.
Countless Legendary Pokémon had failed to find a solution.
Its fellow Lugia almost certainly couldn't resist it.
The most likely outcome was complete corruption.
The darkness would consume its consciousness and replace it entirely.
And Lugia would lose one of its precious clan members.
The thought alone filled it with sorrow.
Seeing its expression, Mew immediately became irritated.
[Why are you still sitting there feeling sad?!]
[Did you forget how infectious that darkness is?!]
[The priority right now is finding your clan member and isolating it immediately!]
Those words instantly snapped Lugia out of its grief.
It had been so focused on mourning that it had completely forgotten one of the darkness's most frightening properties.
Contagion.
Only now did it realize how severe the situation truly was.
If mishandled—
The consequences could be catastrophic.
Chen Shi also spoke up.
"Can you locate the owner of this corrupted Silver Wing?"
Lugia immediately nodded.
"Yes."
"I remember it staying in the waters near Cinnabar Island."
"It liked sleeping there."
"It should still be nearby."
[Then what are we waiting for?]
[Let's go find it!]
Mew immediately urged.
"Agreed."
Lugia nodded heavily.
Then it burst out of the ocean with everyone on its back and sped toward Cinnabar Island.
Chen Shi sat excitedly on Lugia's back.
He immediately pulled out his camera and started taking photos nonstop.
He'd struck gold again.
Not long ago, he'd ridden Rayquaza.
And now he was riding Lugia.
Life really was full of surprises.
Meanwhile—
In a primitive forest elsewhere in Kanto.
Perched atop a giant tree, a certain rainbow-colored Pokémon slowly opened its eyes after sensing the disturbance caused by Lugia.
It looked confused.
Hadn't they agreed not to appear so openly unless absolutely necessary?
What was Lugia doing?
...
Lugia was even faster in the sky than it was underwater.
In roughly twenty minutes, it had already crossed over Cinnabar Island and arrived above a vast stretch of ocean.
After carefully sensing its surroundings, however—
It failed to detect its clan member's aura.
Had it already left?
Chen Shi asked curiously,
"Well?"
"Is your clan member here?"
Lugia didn't answer.
After a brief silence, it released a strange call from deep within its throat.
This was the method the Lugia clan used to communicate with one another.
Under normal circumstances, any nearby Lugia would immediately respond.
Even one asleep could be awakened.
Yet after several minutes of calling—
The ocean remained completely calm.
Not a single response came.
Just as Lugia was beginning to give up—
The sea suddenly erupted.
Without warning, the previously calm surface began churning violently.
Massive waves surged in every direction.
Then—
A tremendous explosion of water burst upward.
A gigantic black Lugia shot out from the raging ocean like a bolt of darkness.
"ROOOAAARRRR!!!"
The moment it appeared, it released a roar that shook the heavens.
Everyone froze.
Because even from far away—
They could clearly feel the terrifying evil aura radiating from its body.
Its eyes burned like black flames.
Filled with madness.
Violence.
And pure malice.
The next moment—
Dark Lugia slowly turned its head.
And locked its gaze directly onto them.
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