Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 481: Setting Sail! The Man Who Will Become the Pirate King!

Chapter 481 - Setting Sail! The Man Who Will Become the Pirate King!

A small Lugia hatchling!

Looking at the tiny creature inside the cage, Johan was both shocked and baffled.

Originally, when he saw the Little Marina Circus and the Ghost Pirate Pokémon Hunters, he instinctively assumed that what Looker had rescued was an unhatched Manaphy egg.

To say he wasn't surprised would be impossible.

In fact, he was even a little terrified.

Not for himself—but for what this would lead to.

Because if they had already captured a Lugia hatchling...

Then where was the parent Lugia?

"Johan, sir?" Looker called out, noticing Johan's momentary loss of focus.

To be fair, Looker completely understood his reaction.

When he first found out that the Ghost Pirates had captured a legendary Lugia hatchling, his reaction was even worse than Johan's.

It was precisely because of this that he had to cut his infiltration short, risking his life to steal the little one away.

"Ka-kaah?"

Gengar and Ceruledge weren't nearly as shocked as Johan.

After all, they didn't know what a Lugia was.

They didn't know what it represented.

All they saw was—

A plump, silver bird in a cage.

...Roast pigeon?

Gengar licked its lips, eyes gleaming as if recalling the crispy, golden-brown skin and juicy, tender meat of a roast pigeon dish.

It was hungry.

As if sensing Gengar's predatory gaze, or perhaps understanding its words, the Lugia hatchling trembled violently inside the cage.

Tears welled up in its big red eyes, and its small body shook uncontrollably.

"Bwooo... ohhh..."

I-I'm not tasty...!

As if to prove its point—

The tiny Lugia glanced at its own silver wings, hesitated for a moment, then bit down hard on itself.

Halfway through the bite, it froze.

Pain.

It hurt.

Tears immediately spilled from its eyes.

"Bwooo ohhh! (Ｔ▽Ｔ)"

IT HURTS!

The tiny Lugia sniffled, forcing a wobbly smile as it turned toward Gengar, as if desperately trying to convince it:

"See? I really don't taste good...!"

Gengar blinked.

Then turned to Johan.

"Ka-kaah? (｀)σ"

Johan.

This baby bird...

Is it stupid?

Who bites themselves like that?

Johan snapped out of his daze, resisting the urge to facepalm.

He knocked Gengar on the head.

"Stop scaring it."

Then, he took the cage from Looker.

Regardless of whether Lugia would come for its child, whether it would take days or hours, this little one...

Needed to be taken care of.

Johan smiled gently, his voice soothing.

"Don't be scared."

The Lugia hatchling blinked, seemingly feeling a bit safer.

"Ka-kaah~~" Gengar suddenly poked its head out from behind Johan.

"Yeah, yeah, don't be scared. We're not bad guys."

A sinister grin stretched across Gengar's face.

Cold, eerie shadows swirled around it.

"Bwooo! (つд⊂)"

The Lugia hatchling squealed, covering its eyes with its tiny wings.

Its entire body trembled.

It muttered under its breath:

"You can't see me, you can't see me, you can't see me..."

Johan: "..."

Yep.

This Lugia hatchling...

Might not be very bright.

"Stop messing around, Gengar!" Johan scolded.

But he knew Gengar's nature well.

The more afraid someone was, the more mischievous it became.

Even though it meant no real harm, it just enjoyed messing with others.

Right now, the most important thing was to calm the little one down.

After all, it had just been kidnapped and thrown into a cage, probably terrified out of its mind.

Johan was about to use his Aura to ease its nerves...

But then—

A faint glow flickered inside his coat pocket.

A soft silver light radiated outward, carrying a gentle, familiar warmth.

The Lugia hatchling's shivering stopped.

The Silver Wing.

The ancient feather he had received after winning the Indigo League, always kept alongside the Rainbow Wing.

Unlike the lively, responsive Rainbow Wing, the Silver Wing had always been silent—

Absorbing his Aura but never reacting.

Until now.

The Lugia hatchling's big red eyes widened, staring at the glowing Silver Wing in awe.

It felt familiar.

It felt... safe.

"Bwooo..."

Its expression softened, blinking curiously at Johan.

Johan took the chance.

With a nod, Ceruledge unsheathed its blade, slicing open the metal cage.

Johan gently reached in, lifting the plump little Lugia into his arms.

Not heavy.

Soft.

Warm.

That was his first impression.

The tiny Lugia flapped its wings, hesitating slightly.

But then, Johan sent a wave of Aura, a comforting warmth spreading through the hatchling's body.

It relaxed.

Eyes fluttering shut, the Lugia leaned into Johan's chest, sighing in relief.

Johan stopped channeling Aura.

The little Lugia's eyes fluttered open again, gazing up at him.

Then—

With no hesitation—

It nuzzled against him affectionately.

"Bwooo~!"

Johan's body went rigid.

Behind him—

Gengar collapsed onto the ground, clutching its stomach, laughing so hard it rolled around.

Dragonite and Ceruledge exchanged looks.

They were trying very hard to keep a straight face.

Because—

The tiny Lugia had just called Johan...

"Mama!"

In a rented seaside villa in Azure Town, a tiny Lugia hatchling flapped its small wings, did a half-circle in the air, and then gleefully dove back into Johan's arms—perching itself comfortably on his shoulder.

"You mean to tell me... you went out for a little while... and just happened to pick up a Lugia hatchling?"

Caitlin folded her arms, her expression screaming disbelief.

This was absurd.

As a powerful psychic, her affinity with Psychic-type Pokémon was extremely high.

By all logic, if a Lugia hatchling were to get attached to someone—

It should be her, not Johan.

"Believe it or not, it happened."

Johan sighed as he peeled the tiny Lugia off his shoulder and gently tossed it upward.

"Bwooo~~!!"

"Mama! Mama!"

The Lugia hatchling cheered happily, spinning midair before gliding back down to perch on Johan's shoulder again.

Its tiny feet clutched his jacket, rubbing its smooth silver head against his cheek.

It was... utterly glued to him.

"You said you wanted a kid, right? Congratulations." Gengar grinned wickedly.

"Ka-kaah~~ You're a mom now."

Johan's eye twitched.

The thought of being called "Mama" by a Lugia was already bad enough.

But now even Gengar was making fun of him?!

He glared at it.

"One more word, and you're training against Ceruledge today."

Gengar's grin froze.

It shuddered, then slowly floated away, pretending it hadn't said anything.

"It really likes you, huh?" Cynthia smiled, resting a hand against her chin as she observed the scene.

Unlike Caitlin, she wasn't surprised at all.

Ever since she met Johan, she noticed that even the rarest of Pokémon seemed to gravitate toward him.

That included this tiny Lugia.

Johan rubbed his temple.

"The problem isn't whether it likes me or not."

If it were any other Pokémon, he wouldn't mind.

But this was a Lugia.

A legendary Pokémon.

A guardian of the sea.

And now...

It was clinging to him like a baby chick.

"Bwooo~~"

The tiny Lugia chirped happily, then snuggled into Johan's chest, wriggling around like a spoiled child.

Cynthia let out a soft chuckle.

"Well, whether you like it or not... looks like you're its new guardian now."

Johan sighed heavily.

There was no arguing against that.

It wasn't like he could just throw the Lugia back into the ocean.

Especially not at this size.

At best, it would struggle to survive.

At worst...

It would get eaten by something like a Sharpedo or a Gyarados.

Not to mention—

If these Ghost Pirates had already captured it once, what if they came back?

"Then... should we wait for Lugia to come find us?" Caitlin asked.

Johan frowned.

"And what if it doesn't? Or worse—what if it does, but it's already in a rampage?"

Lugia was notorious for its destructive potential.

Merely flapping its wings could cause storms lasting 40 days.

If it was angry...

An entire town could get flooded in seconds.

Instead of waiting for that to happen—

It would be better if they found Lugia first.

That way, they could return its child peacefully before things escalated.

"So... how do we even find Lugia?" Caitlin questioned.

It wasn't like Lugia left an address behind.

Johan smirked, reaching into his coat pocket.

He pulled out a small, glowing feather—

The Silver Wing.

"We have this."

Caitlin blinked.

Even Cynthia raised an eyebrow.

"The Silver Wing?"

Johan nodded.

"It reacted when I picked up the hatchling. That means it's connected to Lugia in some way. If we follow its resonance, we should be able to track where the parent Lugia is."

Cynthia's eyes glimmered with interest.

"So... we're setting sail?"

Johan gave her a knowing look.

"You in?"

Cynthia smiled.

"Of course."

Caitlin huffed, crossing her arms.

"I'm only coming because Cynthia is."

Johan smirked.

"Sure, sure."

He could tell—

Despite her attitude, Caitlin was just as interested as the rest of them.

The next morning.

March 22nd.

Azure Town Port.

A medium-sized sailboat glided out of the harbor, heading into the open sea.

On the deck—

Ninetales played with the tiny Lugia and Larvitar, tossing them gently into the air.

"Oowoo~~"

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"Yoji~~!"

The two little ones squealed with joy, enjoying the game.

Meanwhile, in the wheelhouse—

Dressed in a full captain's outfit, Looker gripped the steering wheel with a confident grin.

Johan leaned against the doorway, arms crossed.

"So... you know how to drive a boat?"

Looker grinned wider, tipping his captain's hat.

"Sir! I have been professionally trained in all forms of transportation! There is nothing I can't pilot!"

His Toxicroak stood beside him, copying his confident pose.

Johan raised an eyebrow.

"...Except battling?"

Looker's grin froze.

Toxicroak looked away awkwardly.

Johan sighed.

"Rotom, help with navigation."

"Understood, Rotom!"

The navigation Rotom cheerfully projected a holographic map, using the Silver Wing's glow to determine their course.

Johan turned to Gengar, who had been lurking in the shadows near the wheel.

"Gengar, quit lurking. Go play on the deck."

"Ka-kaah..."

Gengar reluctantly floated away, sneaking a last glance at the steering wheel.

It really wanted to spin it for fun.

Johan rolled his eyes, stepping out onto the deck.

Bright morning sunlight reflected off the endless blue ocean.

Gentle waves lapped against the hull.

Above, a flock of Wingull soared across the sky.

Johan inhaled deeply.

"Setting sail!"

He grinned.

"Time to become the Pirate King!"

Beside him, Cynthia tilted her head.

"Pirate King?"

Johan coughed.

"Ah... just something random I said."

Cynthia chuckled softly.

Then, she unfolded a piece of ancient parchment—

A weathered sea chart.

Johan blinked.

"What's that?"

"A map," Cynthia explained, tracing a route with her finger.

"If this is correct... the location of the Sea Temple is in the same direction as where the Silver Wing is guiding us."

Johan narrowed his eyes.

Coincidence?

Or...

Were the Ghost Pirates still after the Sea Temple?

More importantly...

Why had they captured a Lugia hatchling in the first place?

Something wasn't right.

He exhaled slowly.

"Well then... let's find out."

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Powerstones?

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