Atlantis

Chapter 97 Atlantis

"But actually, Little Blue doesn't need to be afraid."

Ze Shu also made a shushing gesture and winked at Xiao Lan, "Professor Oak won't mind."

"I wasn't actually scared..." Little Blue blinked and whispered, "I was just worried that if Professor Oak found out, it might affect you, Sawaki... After all, I'm your 'assistant' now!"

Although Professor Oak is one of the most prestigious professors in the Pokémon world.

But she dared to steal Pokémon directly from Professor Oak's lab, so how could she be afraid of Professor Oak? What she was afraid of was the potential impact on Zeki's role as an "investigator" if Professor Oak found out about it.

"Hmph. You can release Blastoise in front of Professor Oak and nothing will happen to you."

Ze Shu smiled and said, but he didn't explain further. He just looked at the tall, large wood research institute standing in the countryside in the distance and said, "Let's go."

Compared to the three-story building of Yamanashi Research Institute, Oki Research Institute is a single-story building.

However, the Oak Laboratory was bustling with activity. Researchers in white lab coats were running up and down the stairs, and several superhumans were carrying a large, seemingly brand-new piece of equipment out of the laboratory.

Meanwhile, a Dragonite was flying in the sky, and Professor Oak was directing the Machamp to move things.

As soon as Sawaki approached Oki's lab.

Without him even needing to greet him, Professor Oak happened to turn around, saw him, and his eyes lit up, his voice brimming with delight:

"Sawaki...you're finally here!"

"Well."

"Quickly, quickly... No need for further explanation, you've come at the perfect time. Yamanashi has already told me everything; you're a trainer I can trust. Just follow me, I'll tell you what's going on on the way."

"it is good."

Somewhat confused, Zeki and Blue silently followed Professor Oak's moving team.

On the way, Professor Oak, whose hair was gray but whose body was still strong, also explained the situation.

"About four or five days ago, a violent storm swept across the entire sea area west of Pallet Town, with the ocean currents surging violently."

The disaster spread for dozens of miles across the sea, causing all testing equipment within the area to malfunction.

"We could only see a vague, enormous figure dancing within the storm... It seemed frantic? Or perhaps it was frantically searching for something..."

"If what Yamanashi said is true, then it is the figure of the legendary sea god 'Logia'..."

At this point, Professor Oak sighed, "How could it be so... manic?"

"We can't imagine what happened to it, so I want to explore the past... to find the truth of the matter."

I've consulted ancient texts and discovered that this sea area was a major location for ancient civilizations in ancient times, perhaps related to what Lugia is searching for? I'm not entirely sure, but this is the only starting point for my research.

"After the storm subsided, I went to investigate the airspace above the sea, but unfortunately, I couldn't find any information. After all, the area swept by this storm was too large, and it was difficult to determine its location for the time being."

"So..." Professor Oak looked at Sawaki with a passionate expression, his face filled with excitement.

"Sawaki, you've come at the perfect time!"

MEN M IN

Ze Shu:

Looking at the two doctors bustling about on the beach west of Pallet Town, he smirked.

He thought that Professor Oak's "you've come at the right time" meant he wanted him to help with something important, but it turned out he just wanted the "tail fin" that Professor Yamanashi had given him.

That makes sense...

"Once we obtain the tail fin, we should be able to pinpoint the exact location using this latest technology."

After saying this, Professor Oak immediately began his research with his former student, Professor Sakuragi.

Then for a while, Ze Shu didn't have anything to do.

Blue sky and white clouds, waves crashing against the rocks...

On one side, Zeki and Xiaolan strolled aimlessly on the beach, while on the other side, Professor Oak and Professor Sakuragi were busily fiddling with their equipment.

"Hmph..."

Xiao Lan suddenly laughed, looking at the two lines of footprints she and Ze Shu were gradually leaving on the sand. "Although Professor Oak said it was urgent, and the situation seems serious... there's nothing we need to do right now..."

"That's fine too..."

At the Masked Base, although the base was very close to the sea and the beach, she had never taken a leisurely stroll on the beach with him like this before. Being able to take a leisurely stroll like this was something that could only exist in her imagination before.

Xiao Lan felt that she quite liked this moment.

But then she saw Ze Shu pull out a fishing rod and confidently say:

"Indeed, it's perfect for fishing."

"The bigger the waves, the bigger the catch! I'd like to see just how powerful the waves Lugia is stirring up!"

Xiao Lan: "—"

▣0g of fruit

*Snap. Whoosh.*

With a sudden jerk from Zeshu, the water surface broke open and splashed. A bright red Magikarp stared blankly in the air with dead fish eyes, thrashing about before crashing into a small sandcastle that a six-tailed fish had just built.

Snapped!

Magikarp used Splash.

They completely destroyed the small sandcastle that Liuwei had built on the beach.

"..9

"Oh, oh, oh?!"

Six-Tails stood there stunned, as if struck by lightning.

This is the castle that it painstakingly built up, claw by claw, and is almost finished!

After a long period of stunned silence.

Six-Tails' eyes welled up with tears: "Ouming..."

The trainer is bullying the little fox, and it will never forgive the trainer!

Ze Shu: "My...my...as an apology gift, here, some cookies."

Six-Tails immediately beamed with joy: "Oo Ming!"

It forgave the trainer!

Sitting to the side, hugging her knees, Little Blue: "—"

Is Six-Tails too easy to coax?

"This Magikarp... Sawaki, what are you going to do with it? You've caught it three times already."

"Just throw it back," Ze Shu said, shaking his head helplessly.

"A freeloader."

Bang!

Magikarp struggled, flying through the air, before quickly disappearing into a splash on the sea surface.

Sawaki cast a few more times, and as expected, it was the same Magikarp again. Fortunately, he paid attention to the angle of his cast, preventing the Sandcastle that Vulpix had started building from being destroyed by Splash.

"Go away...don't come here to freeload anymore."

Sawaki threw Magikarp back into the sea with a splash, and was about to cast another swing.

But suddenly... a gust of wind arose.

"Whoosh!"

A bright orange Dragonite arrived at his side with incredible speed, its eyes full of seriousness, its claws pointing at the spot where Professor Oak was working feverishly. "Whoosh..."

This is Professor Oak's Dragonite.

Yeah, she's a bit chubby too.

"Are they here to tell us to go back?"

"Whoosh!"

Dragonite's communication with Sawaki was very simple.

But Vulpix was extremely aggrieved, its resentful eyes fixed on the Dragonite whose small wings were flapping: "Ooh-hoo!!"

The wind pressure generated by the Dragonite flying over directly crushed the sandcastle it had just rebuilt!

"Huff, huff."

It was clearly just the gaze of a young white fox.

Dragonite suddenly shivered.

"Based on the energy emanating from that tail fin, we've successfully located a sea area with similar energy... Perhaps, that's the destination we're looking for!"

"Professor Sakuragi said excitedly."

His research was related to meteorology, and Lugia, known as the sea god or the god of ocean currents, was undeniably important to his research. So when he discovered the abnormal ocean currents during storms in this area, he couldn't wait to contact his teacher, Professor Oak, and they eventually joined the collaboration.

"So..." Professor Oak paused for a moment, "Sakuragi, you stay here and keep an eye on the situation. Sawaki,..."

besides..."

Blue greeted everyone with a smile: "Hello Professor Oak, my name is Blue."

Professor Oak scratched his head sheepishly: "Haha, right... Blue, let's set off to explore our target area!"

He was preparing to put on his diving gear ahead of time.

But Zeki suddenly said, "Hmm... Professor Oak, although you still seem to have a lot of energy, can your body still support diving?"

Faced with Ze Shu's "questioning".

Professor Oak appeared very confident.

"Of course!"

"Don't let my age fool you, I was a very powerful trainer in my youth!"

"No...no."

Professor Oak, clutching his throbbing back, was helped back onto the small boat floating on the sea by Dragonite. Panting, he exclaimed, "Huff...huff, what happened? I just dived down, just started swimming, why does my back hurt so much..."

Ze Shu:

Facing Ze Shu's silent, watchful gaze.

Professor Oak looked a little embarrassed and scratched his head helplessly:

"Haha. Haha. I really am getting old... I guess I'll have to ask you and Xiao Lan to handle the investigation below! Of course,

My Dragonite will come in with you, just in case.

"It's alright, leave it all to us..."

Ze Shu shook his head.

After putting on his diving gear—breathing device, air tank, fins, wetsuit, goggles, etc.—he glanced at Xiao Lan and, seeing that she had also put it on silently, made a hand gesture.

And asked, "Is everything alright?"

Xiao Lan grinned and flashed a peace sign: "Of course, no problem! I know what you mean, no problem!"

She knew that when Ze Shu asked, "Is everything alright?" he didn't mean whether everything was ready or not.

Since it concerns Lugia, this "big bird," he's definitely worried about her "ornithophobia." But Zeshu doesn't have any Water-type Pokémon, and it's inconvenient underwater, so naturally, her Blastoise will have to come.

"Then go down."

Without further hesitation, Ze Shu flipped over and jumped into the water. Little Blue followed closely behind, and with a flash of white light, Blastoise's enormous body appeared on the surface of the sea.

Upon entering the water, Ze Shu saw an unusual sight through his goggles.

This is deep sea, quite a distance from that beach.

All around, it was almost entirely a deep blue expanse. Apart from the faintly visible Pokémon dotted on a blue curtain in the distance, there was no space to be seen or reached. Looking down, there was still an unfathomable abyss.

If he had thalassophobia, he would probably be so scared that he would be like a coward, eager to escape.

Despite having flippers, he wasn't quite used to swimming.

After all, he didn't have a Water-type Pokémon to support him. He had clearly wanted to catch a Water-type Pokémon while fishing to prepare for his underwater work, but unfortunately...

The carp king tricked the fish out of all the bait.

We can't rely on Magikarp's Splash Jump for underwater operations...

Strangely enough, his fishing rod is a "large root fishing rod" that can absorb the stamina of the Pokémon he catches. The fact that Magikarp could be caught so many times and still get free food and drink can be considered a "gift".

Ze Shu was thinking.

But suddenly.

In his vision, in the deep blue sea, he could vaguely see a red creature slowly swimming from afar, getting closer and closer at a fairly fast pace. He could already see its two golden tentacles twitching.

Ze Shu's lips twitched slightly beneath his diving mask.

"No way..."

It really was that Magikarp, heading straight in his direction.

"噗噗"

The Magikarp had already swum right up to him, and Sawaki could actually see a hint of... pride in its dead fish eyes?

It's as if it's saying: No matter how you try to escape, I'll still catch you.

It even swayed its carp tail, looking quite pleased with itself.

Ze Shu:

Okay, since this Magikarp ate so much of its bait...

Then use it to work!

That's perfect, I don't have to swim myself!

Then, in Magikarp's proud, dead-fish eyes, Ze Shu suddenly grabbed the golden crown on its head, held it in his arms, and then aimed at the deep sea below.

"Swim on! When we get ashore, I'll give you even more delicious food... even better than the bait."

"Pfft. Pfft!"

As if understanding Zeki's words, Magikarp, which had been stunned for a moment, began to move, propelling Zeki downwards like a propeller.

I must say, the power is quite strong.

The Ze Shu, clinging to its crown, felt the water beside it flowing rapidly.

aside.

Little Blue, who was just about to let Blastoise hitch a ride with Zephyr: "—"

Similarly, Dragonite, stretching out its chubby but clever body and feeling as if it were home in the water, blinked at this scene without much doubt, and quickly followed Sawaki.

Half a gram of large, not Fu Shi Kuang's, Ren Shuixia An Suo Cong this person's instructions.

In the sea.

They had been infiltrating for quite some time, but all around them remained a vast expanse of blue.

Aside from the occasional sighting of black seahorses, agate jellyfish, and baby sea lions...

No objects were seen.

"So..." Xiao Lan asked doubtfully, following closely beside Ze Shu, "Could it be that the professor and the others scouted the wrong location?"

I didn't see anything unusual at all..."

From the walkie-talkie came Professor Sakuragi's hesitant voice:

"According to the location... there's no mistake, this is where you are. We might have to dive further... but if you feel unwell, don't push yourself. We'll discuss the details before proceeding with the next operation."

"I don't feel any discomfort..."

Little Blue watched as Professor Oak's Dragonite swayed nimbly in the sea, its face beaming with joy, its little wings fluttering comfortably.

"Let's try again..."

Ze Shu then took out a prop from his waist: the [Sea Bell].

This was the reward I got from the treasure chest when I left the Masked Base. It's said to be a bell that can summon Lugia.

However, rather than a bell, it is actually a prop similar to a whistle.

It's all hype.

However, Ze Shu had played it several times on the shore before, but only the melodious, ethereal sound remained; there was no other response.

Lugia, of course, did not come out either.

But now, as soon as Ze Shu took out the "Sea Sound Bell," before he even blew it, a flutter of excitement stirred in his heart.

It seemed as if something was calling to him.

"Isn't this the tool I use to summon other people...?"

Zeshu suddenly smiled, made Magikarp stop, put the bell in his mouth, and blew it.

"A melodious tone resonated out."

"Sing..."

At the same time, a faint, unconscious cry, like that of a young animal, reached Ze Shu's heart, containing emotions...

It seemed to be pleading, weak, and pitiful.

"Over here..."

Suddenly sensing something, Ze Shu pointed in a direction.

The pitiful sound kept echoing in Ze Shu's heart.

Zeshu urged the Magikarp to swim continuously toward it.

The closer they got to the seabed, the further they strayed from the direction Dr. Sakuragi had initially planned. The land beneath the seabed was becoming visible, and they could even see some large tongue oysters and pearl oysters bubbling and gurgling from their shells.

As he swam further, a raised section of the seabed came into view, like a bump on the surface. However, the soil and rocks on it were pieced together from different places, seemingly a mixture of old and new soil.

"This is it..."

"Dragonite, punch a hole in here."

Professor Oak's Dragonite was taken aback, then looked in the direction Sawaki was pointing, its whiskers twitched, and a Hyper Beam shot out!

A thick, intense white light instantly enveloped Ze Shu's vision, stirring the surrounding water and accompanied by a deafening roar, sending pebbles flying.

She steadied herself and the panicked Magikarp in her arms.

"I just meant to make a hole..." Ze Shu smirked, "Why did you just destroy everything?"

Dragonite scratched its round head: "Hoo hoo?"

"never mind."

Ze Shu looked at the huge hole blasted out by the destructive death ray.

What was revealed inside wasn't a layer of rock and soil, but another space, faintly glowing... Ze Shu patted the Magikarp in his arms. In an instant, the Magikarp carried him inside like a torpedo.

Upon entering the cave created by the Dragonite.

In a daze, Ze Shu seemed to have entered another world.

Before me lay a cluster of cities submerged in water.

Numerous houses clustered together, arranged in concentric circles, creating a mysterious scene reminiscent of Atlantis—vast, awe-inspiring, and orderly. Zeshu even spotted an Omanyte, a fossil Pokémon, swimming among them.

"Is this...the ruins of a city?"

Little Blue, who followed closely behind, widened her eyes. Then she remembered what Professor Oak had said on the way, "Or perhaps what Professor Oak said, the ruins of an ancient civilization..."

"I never imagined it would be hidden in such a tiny... underwater bulge?"

Although it is indeed hidden very deep in the sea.

"Whoosh"

"Let's go down..."

Down into the urban area, most of the marble buildings are dilapidated; looking inside through the leaks in the roofs...

You can also see a few sun corals living there.

And around them, many of its molted coral branches had already fallen off.

It is said that these shed coral branches are very popular and expensive because of their beautiful appearance.

But at the moment.

These coral branches almost filled the entire room...

How long has it been since anyone picked it up?

However, Ze Shu didn't pick them up. He swam straight to the center of the concentric circle building complex... It was a building that resembled an ancestral hall, and the call of the sea bell came from inside.

Swam into...—

It is an old, dilapidated marble door:

Ze Shu only touched it lightly.

puff!

The marble door collapsed with a crash, squeezing out the surrounding water and revealing what was inside.

The first thing you see is a long, narrow corridor.

Both sides of the walls are covered with murals, and there are various unintelligible characters on them.

"This is... Lugia?"

Suddenly, Xiao Lan pointed to the very abstract image of a large bird on the wall and described it thoughtfully.

"It seems to be receiving offerings, with many people around worshipping it. Is this the high priest? He's holding a feather in his hand. And Lugia is also... waving its wings? Is it calling for rain for these people?"

She then looked at the mural on the other side.

"Is this... a tsunami? And there are strong winds too."

"The tsunami was about to engulf the city... Then, amidst the people's kneeling worship, Lugia flapped its wings and stepped forward, helping them successfully withstand the tsunami. It earned even greater respect from the people, and finally, a shrine was built in the center of the city to honor it..."

"This is an ancient civilization that worships Lugia!"

Xiao Lan drew a conclusion.

Ze Shu nodded; he thought so too.

Just as the Meteorites worship Rayquaza, the people here may also worship Lugia.

Dragonite looked at Blue in surprise, its chubby round face saying, "You're so smart! How come I didn't think of that!"

It looks like a '.'

"But no matter how these murals depict Logia protecting them from various disasters, now..." Xiao Lan said.

"The entire city is submerged... Isn't Lugia going to abandon them?"

"Not necessarily," Ze Shu said. "Maybe people have moved away."

"Because we didn't see a single human skeleton as we walked through this 'city'."

"but.."

"Let's go inside first."

He could already feel the call of the sea bells getting closer and closer.

Further inside the ancestral hall, you enter another room.

There was a circular platform with a somewhat abstract statue of Logia standing in the center, perhaps due to the limitations of sculpting at the time. Various platforms for kneeling and worship were arranged around it...this was likely a place of offering.

It's very old. Looking up, you can see an unknown totem with the symbol Q hanging on the roof, blinking its big eyes.

Ze Shu did not linger.

He walked straight behind the statue of Lucia, where he saw a marble door.

He pushed it, but it wouldn't budge; it seemed to be controlled by some force, making it extremely sturdy. Since he couldn't move it, Ze Shu's attention turned to the center of the door, to a feather-shaped indentation.

Xiao Lan leaned closer, then suddenly covered her mouth: "This is...that!"

"Silver Feathers..." Ze Shu added, a similarly shaped feather appearing in his hand. "Speaking of which, you gave this to me, Xiao Lan."

He placed the feather into the groove.

As the clouds gathered, the force holding the door in place seemed to loosen, and with a push from Ze Shu, it opened freely inward.

The room inside the door came into view. There was nothing extra in the room except for an altar in the center that resembled the statue that stood in Lugia outside.

And on the altar... there is an egg.

A brand new egg.

Inside this ancient and dilapidated ancestral hall, a lifelike and vibrant egg appeared. Its surface was blue and white, yet faintly shimmered with a dark sheen. Beneath the egg lay many blue and white feathers, serving as materials to create a warm nest for the egg.

What stirred Ze Shu's heart with the sound of the sea bell was this egg.

Needless to say...

Zeshu already knew which Pokémon the egg contained.