The Mysterious Zhang Li and Little Lugia's "Background"

Chapter 100: The Unexpected Return Gift and Little Lugia's "Background"

Ze Shu looked at the crumpled, grassy letter in front of him.

The letter had spots of varying shades on its surface, which gave Ze Shu the feeling that... water droplets had been spilled on it? Perhaps it was raining there when the letter was delivered?

But regardless.

"Let's open it and take a look..."

Zeshu held the blushing Eevee in his arms and then took the grass letter in his hand, spreading it out on the table.

The scene in the letter then came into Ze Shu's view.

Ghost Mountain, in the terrifying cave.

"Bonnie...."

Recalling the letters that had gradually drifted away, Egui's face showed a mixture of reluctance and anticipation.

I hope the other person will see the feelings I sincerely want to express, and I also hope they will receive my most precious gift. Perhaps then they can even send the letter back, and I can talk to it again...

What it will miss is the loss of the letters; it will never again see the words of comfort and encouragement they contained.

This is the first time in hundreds of years that someone has said they want it to be happy...

But just as the letter said, it was very happy to receive the letter and feel the warm greetings and gifts from the other party. It was the happiest thing for it, which wanted to be with the other party but could not get them!

But now the cave is pitch black again.

"Bonnie!"

Sitting with its knees tucked in the dark cave, Ergui was not discouraged, because the letter wished it happiness.

It picked up the dark gray rice cake next to it and carefully took a small bite.

Savoring the sweetness on its tongue, in this dark and deserted cave, its golden eyes narrowed slightly in bliss.

"Bonnie."

I'm really looking forward to their reply...

Among the green grass and letters, the first thing Zeshu saw was some scattered little things wrapped in the letters—a few colorful crystal stones and a small pink branch with dew dripping down its back.

"Is this... a return gift?"

Ze Shu first looked at the crystal fragments that emitted a multicolored luster, and then touched the small branch.

"Fragments of Taijing? And...::...secret sweetener?!"

Crystal Shards are items that can change the type of a Pokémon Crystal, but they don't have any practical use for the current Zephyr. However, they can be kept as collectibles, since they are colorful and very pretty.

But this secret sweetener...:

Ze Shu never expected that the letter he sent out casually would receive such a "return gift".

In the game's storyline, this is a treasure that can restore the power of the legendary Pokémon Milton or Groudon. Even the chronic injury that the Pokémon Center couldn't cure, the godfather of Padia Batman, could be cured with just a few of these seasonings.

Is this all he has now received?

It is indeed a means of saving one's life or dealing with emergencies.

"This really is..."

With amusement, Ze Shu shook his head and set the two props aside, then looked at the somewhat crumpled letter itself.

There was no text on it.

Instead, the lines were drawn with some rough, uneven lines, perhaps using some crude charcoal? This might have caused damage to the letter in some places.

Yet these simple lines form a series of sincere pictures:

"This scene is......holding the food I brought over, looking very happy? Haha...there's even a smiley face drawn next to her."

"Is this introducing me to the uses of a secret sweetener? That it can heal injuries...?"

then:

The last picture depicted two little figures holding hands, looking equally happy. Despite its simple nature, Ze Shu inexplicably understood its meaning—"This is...wanting to be my friend?"

"That's certainly possible, but... I don't know where the other person is either."

Judging from the gifts they sent, it must be from the Parthian region, right?

Perhaps we can visit Padiya sometime...:: After all, Ze Shu is quite interested in that place.

Furthermore, judging from the fact that the reply can only be in the form of drawings, it must be a Pokémon, right? It is able to understand the meaning of the text, but I don't know if it's due to the function of the letter or if it can read.

He thought about it.

He took out the second paragraph of the letter from Qingcao and began writing his own. He wrote some very ordinary greetings, but at the end he added, "[If possible, could you please include your address? Or draw a landmark? Perhaps I could come to see you. Um... also, your gift was wonderful, thank you! I hope you're happy every day!]"

After finishing writing, he casually stuffed some food into the letter and sent it out.

The green light flickered, and the grass letter seemed to spread its wings and fluttered in the air before gradually disappearing from Ze Shu's sight.

"Bu-i?"

Seeing that Zeki had finished his work, the Glaceon in his arms finally showed a curious expression, "Glaceon...:"

"It's a gift from a friend," Ze Shu said with a smile, casually picking up a piece of ice-blue crystal that had just broken into a heart shape. "Little Eevee, don't you like sparkly things? Perhaps...:..."

"Bu...bu-ee!"

"Does this crystal feel cool? Okay, okay, I'll put it on you."

Shiny heart-shaped crystal fragments appeared on its ice-blue ears, which intrigued Glaceon. It would shake its ears from time to time, allowing the mirror opposite to reflect its appearance from different angles.

Do you like it?

"Buee~"

afternoon.

on the beach.

The sea was calm and still, with gentle waves lapping against the beach, and the warm sunlight making the water sparkle – a truly beautiful sight.

"Chirp chirp..."

Lugia, having recovered from its afternoon nap, was full of energy, flapping its wings and circling around the Ze Tree, radiating a comfortable aura.

Across the waves, the six-tailed fox still piled up its unfinished sandcastle;

Li Yang finally got off the spaceship and stared intently at the calm sea; nearby, Bubble Squirrel led Sudokoy and Psyduck to pick up the trash floating on the beach.

The doll stood there blankly, somewhat at a loss;

But then, the Snow Fairy appeared in her true form, taking its little hand and saying something to it...

"Little Lugia, do you remember that... black state this morning?" Ze Shu asked.

He held in his hand the medical report for Lugia from Oak's lab. Although it was premature, perhaps because of Shiny...

Due to its relationship with Ho-Oh, all its physical characteristics and indicators show that it is extremely healthy.

That's why Ze Shu asked this question; he wanted to explore the secrets of Lugia's body.

"Sing..."

But little Lucia was confused.

What state? Does it have a black state...?

Ze Shu: "...—"

Could it be that his Lugia has a "split personality"? Probably not.

"It's... well, during battle, using that Dark Whirlwind state."

"Screech...!"

When Ze Shu mentioned this, little Lugia understood.

It not only understood, but it also immediately showed it to Ze Shu.

With a flap of its pure white wings, the surrounding environment instantly changed... The peaceful scene on the beach suddenly came to life.

The blackness of the wind, visible to the naked eye, gradually increased.

Lugia's body also unknowingly turned from white to black, its eyes turned bloodshot, and a rough voice, different from its soft cry when it was pure white, suddenly burst forth:

"Naraka!!"

From the moment it cries out.

The peaceful blue sky and white clouds of Pallet Beach changed with the fog, as if the air and wind were drawn by Dark Lugia, turning the entire sky into a tapestry of leaden and pure black, with a tangible black storm continuing... and gradually spreading from the center of Dark Lugia's body.

It gradually formed a storm with a radius of about four or five meters.

The intense wind pressure also caused the tides to surge, and many Water-type Pokémon were swept to the surface to breathe due to this sudden change, staring in fear at the dark figure in the black storm:

at the same time.:

This brutal wind pressure also caused the sandcastle that the Six-Tails was about to build to collapse once again.

The Six-Tails' aggrieved voice broke down: "O-O-O-Mahakashi?!"

"...Stop!" Hearing the Six-Tails' pitiful cries, Zeki quickly called out, "Come to my side!"

He was also taken aback.

This situation was caused by this newborn Lugia! It's only been half a day since it was born, yet it can instinctively create such a powerful storm... It truly lives up to its name as the "Sea God" Pokémon.

"Mingyi"

Although it didn't understand why it had to stop, Lugia in its dark form quickly carried out Ze Shu's orders. The black storm receded, and then, like a reckless husky, it charged headlong into Ze Shu's arms.

puff!

With a not-so-small thud, Ze Shu managed to catch the little Lugia.

"you...."

"Chirp, hoo!"

Before Ze Shu could finish speaking, the little dark Lugia frantically licked Ze Shu's cheeks, and its pair of black wings, as thick as arms, tightly hugged his body. It seemed that in this form it was unusually bold, doing things that it would not dare to do when it was pure white.

"Stop...stop."

"Wu Yi"

It wasn't until Ze Shu repeated it several times that it obediently stopped, quietly looking at Ze Shu's face with its red-rimmed eyes, tilting its head in confusion.

Ze Shu: "...—".

Normally, Dark Lugia belongs to the Dark Pokémon category. In the games, it appears in the spin-off "Dark Cyclone" and is also from the Orei region. It should have lost its emotions like Pawn.

Fortunately, its Lugia did not lose its emotions.

But isn't its "Dark Lugia" emotion a bit too intense?

"So... Lugia, do you feel any discomfort in this position?"

Then, to Ze Shu's surprise, little Lugia nodded:

"Naraka!!"

It shook its head, making a slightly uncomfortable expression, as if something was trying to overflow from its head. But it couldn't find the source of this overflow; it could only feel its head swelling...

"Like this..." Ze Shu frowned, gently stroking Lugia's dark head. "Does it hurt?"

"Chirp... Chirp!"

It doesn't hurt... but it's very uncomfortable. Little Lugia thus transmitted its thoughts to Zeju's mind through its mental power. And then... what it inadvertently transmitted were also scenes...

It was completely unaware.

But after a slight pause, Ze Shu's pupils constricted slightly:

"This is... something your mother left you..."

In a daze.

Many images flooded his mind.

The sea was calm and the sun shone down.

A pure white Lugia emerged from the seabed, its eyes half-closed, basking in the sun in a rare moment of leisure—if it continued to sleep deep in the ocean, it might not be good for the newborn child in its womb.

Sunbathing is good for children.

This is something Lugia's mother forgot to have heard from some creature called "human"...:

On what was supposed to be a typical, relaxing day for her pregnancy, Lugia's mother was still diligently basking in the sun, occasionally touching her slightly swollen, white belly, her eyes filled with happiness.

And so the days passed one by one...

Lugia's mother didn't remember how many times she had basked in the sun, but she did remember that the life force of the child in her arms was growing stronger and stronger, and perhaps soon, a new member would be born into their Lugia clan.

However, one day, an unusual intruder suddenly appeared in the otherwise ordinary scenery.

A massive, pitch-black cruise ship, countless black nets, and an overwhelming barrage of attacks... Before Lugia could even react, she was bound to an equally dark space.

It tried to resist, but its body couldn't muster any strength.

I could only drift off to sleep...

As I lay down to sleep, I vaguely heard what sounded like an arrogant voice: "It's worth the long wait. The plan was a success! We've finally caught this strange Lugia! Hahaha... Why does Lugia, which lives deep in the sea, come out to sunbathe at regular intervals?"

And when it opened its eyes again...

It found itself surrounded by desert and sand dunes, and was soon confined to a room where humans were using massive and crude machinery to transform it.

The body gradually turned black...:

Consciousness gradually faded...

An unusual power surged through his body...

Then... it rebelled.

For the sake of the baby in my womb.

It unleashed a black storm over the steel-like base in the desert.

Then, relying on instinct... it successfully escaped the desert and ascended to heaven.

Can.

A voice kept urging it to go back, back to the base that had transformed it... It knew these were seductive words.

But its consciousness was gradually fading, its mind was gradually going blank, and it didn't know how long it could hold on.

Need help...:

The child in her arms needs to be delivered safely.

Its first thought was of its relatives living on Whirlpool Island...

So it took action.

Guided by its memories, it flew over tropical archipelagos with their guardian deities, over snow-covered plains with towering mountains, and over the tower known as the "Pillar of the Sky"...

My mind is very foggy, and I've gotten lost many times.

But it finally found the right direction.

Even so... it's a bit late.

It may have already reached Whirlpool Island—the power within its body was becoming increasingly uncontrollable, causing it to involuntarily stir up numerous sea storms wherever it passed.

It could even feel that this power was flowing into the body of the child in its womb... which made it extremely uneasy.

When we were almost at the Whirlpool Island.

It finally couldn't hold on any longer.

It could only choose one underwater ruin it knew of, which was said to have been used to worship the Lugia race and was hidden very deep inside.

It searched for a long time above the sea before finally finding it.

Although the baby in her womb is not yet ready for delivery.

But it was too late...

In the very end, it weakly plucked the most precious feathers from its body, representing the Lugia race, and carefully laid them on the eggs... This was the last thing it, an incompetent mother, could do for its child.

"Sing...."

The image then disappeared.

Immersed in the scene, it felt as if one were actually there. Ze Shu was filled with indescribable emotions and stood there dumbfounded... Even Liuwei, who had originally wanted to run up to him with a pitiful expression to ask for some cookies, froze, sat on the ground, and hesitated to make a move.

"Ou Ming?"

"It's nothing..." Ze Shu shook his head, looked at the concerned Pokémon surrounding him, and smiled. "I just saw some scenes and was affected by the emotions in them. Go back to playing."

He looked back at Lugia in his arms; it had now returned to its pure white state.

The little head looked at him timidly: "Mmm..."

She then extended her pink tongue and gently licked Ze Shu's cheek.

It could sense that it was its mental power that made Ze Shu freeze in place. Although the uncomfortable feeling that had been filling its head was removed, it still felt guilty and remorseful.

"It's alright..." Ze Shu said thoughtfully.

Looking at the little Lugia in front of him, it was clear that it was unaware of what he had just experienced.

Looking back at what just happened, it's not hard to summarize two points.

1. His Lugia's mother is a Dark Pokémon.

That desert region was undoubtedly the sparsely populated Ore region. And the organization that transformed it was likely the "Shadow Organization" mentioned by the squad leader when he pulled out the dagger.

2. So... Lugia's mother left this "video" probably so that Lugia, her relative on Whirlpool Island, would know the details when the commotion happened, and perhaps she also had a plea for help in mind.

But obviously:

Lugia from Whirlpool Island still hasn't come. I don't know if it's because she's a "homebody" or for some other reason.

So much so that Ze Shu came here, giving this little Lugia a new lease on life...

So why can this little Lugia switch between Dark Lugia and regular Lugia? There are some guesses. It is because its mother was transformed into Dark Lugia, and the "dark energy" flowed into its womb and merged with it.

But despite this.

Premature birth and the corrosive influence of dark energy made it extremely difficult for this little Lugia to hatch...

It was only because he used the rainbow feather to lure Ho-Oh and obtained the "Holy Ash" that Lugia was able to be reborn and completely integrate dark energy into its body, thus gaining this ability to transform.

Ze Shu thought his guess was probably accurate...

Because one—

[Good Deed: Little Lugia, please help!]

[Good Deed Reply: What a tragic past for little Lugia... Without you, this egg, piled high with negative buffs, would never have hatched and would have simply perished in the ancient ruins. Congratulations! Your efforts and kindness have given little Lugia a new lease on life, and you have gained a reliable companion.]

Squeezing the little Lugia nestled in his arms, Ze Shu casually tapped "Good Deeds Settlement".

Stare!

A treasure chest appeared, its surface shrouded in the phantom image of a raging storm. The chest lid opened, and in the surging water... a heart-shaped object quietly appeared above.

[Heart Scales]

These are exceptionally precious scales with beautiful appearances. The bond between a Pokémon and its owner is one of the most beautiful qualities in the Pokémon world. Giving this to a unique Pokémon and forging a bond with it might garner a different kind of affection.

"What...is this?"

Looking at the scales that had appeared in his hand.

Ze Shu twitched the corner of his mouth. Scales from a friend's trade? But since they weren't useful for the time being, he put them away.

"Ouming..." Seeing that Zeshu finally started to pay attention to his surroundings, Liuwei's aggrieved voice finally rang out.

"What's wrong? Oh... the sandcastle collapsed again. And you want some cookies, right?"

Liuwei's eyes lit up: "Ouming!"

Ze Shu: "No way."

"Ooh...Ooh!"

Six-Tails stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning.

After a long while, tears welled up in her eyes.

But then...

Zeshu then scooped up its snow-white body and shook it, causing piles of small cookies to fall from its fluffy tail.

"Hmph... I haven't even bothered about you secretly hoarding so many cookies! Tell me! How did you get them? Did Little Blue give them to you?!"

"Ooh...Ooh!"

Rokuro no longer felt aggrieved, and his eyes became firm.

It won't betray Little Blue!

Ze Shu:

6

But Xiao Lan betrayed you long ago... She even secretly told you that you had cookies on you.

He shook his head with amusement. He didn't punish Six-Tails; instead, he picked up a small cookie from the ground and said:

"It's been confiscated!"

"Ooming...!"

This is the greatest punishment for the Six-Tails!

Its eyes welled up with tears.

Pulling at Ze Shu's trouser leg, hoping to save a dollar or two...

Well, although it seemed fun to bully the Vulpix, seeing its cute, tearful, and aggrieved little face, Zeju ultimately softened.

"If you can..." Ze Shu thought for a moment, "...clean up more trash on the shore than the foam squirrels do, and I'll give you a small cookie."

Six-Tails was stunned for a moment.

Cleaning up more trash than a foam squirrel? That's impossible!

That's just a way of deliberately preventing it from eating the cookies!

But after thinking about it, it still mustered up its courage and agreed:

"Ooh, oh my!"

For the little cookies!

Six-tailed creature ran away, its fluffy tail swaying.

It will strive to "compete for first place" with the foam squirrel!

Ze Shu looked at the surging sea and remembered that Lugia's precious feather was still there in the previous scene.

In Atlantis.

After giving some instructions to the Pokémon around him, he put on his diving suit, borrowed Professor Oak's Dragonite, and took Lugia with him, planning to go there again.

This time, I can say I've mastered it.

With Lugia's assistance, it's no wonder they are the "sea god" living in the deep sea. They manipulated the water flow and created wind pressure, and easily returned to Atlantis below in less than an hour.

They didn't stay long.

After all, Ze Shu's only goal was to help Lugia find the silver feather that Lugia's mother had shed. At most, he took some photos of the murals in the shrine using the deep-sea camera, and then...:

I casually sent it to Sinnoh Champion Cynthia.

A reply came instantly.

【Bamboo Orchid: ? ? ? 】

[Zhu Lan: Where are you?!]