T/N: Since there are many Pokémon dialogues, I will write the dialogues as if they were regular people.
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Cole felt uneasy under the gaze of the three legendary birds, "Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Articuno spoke, "I hope you can help us with something."
"What is it?"
The three legendary birds exchanged glances before Moltres spoke, "We hope you can help save Lugia!"
Just as expected! When Articuno first spoke, Cole had already sensed what was coming.
"But Lugia is so powerful... I'm afraid..." Cole hesitated, unsure if he could help the legendary guardian.
Articuno's eyes held a pleading look, "Please, human! Just do your best. We three will guarantee your safety, even if it costs us our lives."
That won't be necessary! Cole knew he couldn't possibly remain unharmed in a situation where even the three legendary birds' lives were at risk.
"What exactly is going on with Lugia?" He asked.
"Ah..." The three birds sighed in unison, then began to tell the tale of Lugia and the Sea Spirit's Den.
Hundreds of years ago, catastrophe struck the Kalos region when a human created a terrible weapon, causing devastation across the land and countless deaths of both humans and Pokémon.
Xerneas, the Life Pokémon, looked upon the ravaged land with compassion. Feeling pity for the destruction, it decided to use its power to restore life to the land.
However, another deity had its eyes on this land — Yveltal, the Destruction Pokémon.
Unlike Xerneas, this deity preferred death. The power born from so many deaths had made Yveltal incredibly strong, even surpassing Xerneas's might.
After restoring life to the land, Xerneas's power dropped to an unprecedented low. It was then that Yveltal struck. If it could kill Xerneas, it would gain tremendous power, potentially becoming the most powerful being in existence.
The death force produced by a deity's demise is immense, especially when that deity is the Life Pokémon itself. Life and death have always been opposing yet unified forces.
With its power depleted, Xerneas stood no chance against the strengthened Yveltal and was quickly wounded severely.
Fortunately, Lugia was passing by and intervened in time to save Xerneas. But even Lugia was no match for Yveltal, who had absorbed so much death force.
The world has many Sea Guardians scattered throughout its oceans, each using their powers to balance the marine environment and maintain world stability.
This particular Lugia's power wasn't exceptional among the Sea Guardians. It couldn't even match Yveltal before the death force absorption, and thus was quickly wounded as well.
Only through Xerneas's desperate struggle alongside Lugia did they manage to seriously wound Yveltal.
Filled with hatred for the Lugia who had thwarted its plans, Yveltal used its final attack before retreating to embed one of its feathers — containing much of its original power — into Lugia's body.
Yveltal's power contained multiple negative properties — death, corruption, and chaos — and proved extremely persistent. The severely wounded Lugia had no way to resist or expel the feather.
The equally wounded and depleted Xerneas couldn't help either. With no other choice, it used its remaining power to revert Lugia to its most primitive life form, sealing Yveltal's power within.
Xerneas then called upon Kyogre to build the Sea Spirit's Den to protect Lugia, with the three legendary birds assigned as guards.
The benign energy Cole and the others felt flowing from the Sea Spirit's Den came from Kyogre, while the crimson energy emanated from the corrupted Lugia.
After completing these tasks, Xerneas vanished, too severely wounded and depleted to continue. It was forced to find a place to slumber.
As time passed, the seal containing Yveltal's feather gradually weakened. Lugia became increasingly affected by its power, its fundamental energy nature beginning to change. If this continues, Lugia will eventually become completely corrupted by Yveltal's power and turn into its puppet.
Through the years, the three legendary birds have driven away trainers who came to explore and seek treasure in the Sea Spirit's Den. Though they tried to make it seem mysterious and inaccessible, fearless people like Cole and his group still attempted to enter.
Of those who reached Lugia, some were saved by the three legendary birds, while others perished — especially as Lugia's seal loosened to the point where the birds could no longer rescue intruders in time.
Articuno's hostility toward intruders like Cole stemmed from frustration — one after another, they recklessly entered despite the dangers, showing no regard for their own safety.
The trainers weren't entirely to blame, as this was typical of Pokémon world culture. Their adventurous spirit drove them forward even in the face of clear danger.
After hearing the three birds' tale, Cole noticed something odd. He glanced at Lysandre, who looked back in confusion.
"What's wrong?" Lysandre asked, "What did Articuno and the others say?"
Cole shared the birds' story with Diantha and Lysandre. The latter immediately recognized what was strange about it — his ancestor had caused a similar catastrophe in the Kalos region.
Any mention of Lysandre inevitably leads to AZ, a king who left an indelible mark on Kalos's history.
AZ ruled Kalos 3,000 years ago and was said to have gained immortality, though his ultimate fate remains unknown.
During a devastating war across Kalos, AZ's beloved Pokémon Floette was sent to battle and lost its life. Desperate to revive Floette, AZ created a terrible device — the Ultimate Weapon — and succeeded in bringing Floette back.
Though Floette returned to life, grief and hatred consumed AZ. He turned the Ultimate Weapon against both warring sides, causing countless deaths among humans and Pokémon alike.
Afterward, AZ and Floette, both granted immortality by the Ultimate Weapon, disappeared into history.
This tale survives in Kalos poetry, and while many doubt its truth, Cole — being from another world — knew it was genuine.
AZ had a brother, and Lysandre was that brother's descendant.
Lysandre would eventually become a villain, using his ancestor AZ's Ultimate Weapon in an attempt to destroy the world.
Few knew of Lysandre's connection to AZ — only Cole harbored suspicions.
"Alright, I'll help!" After ten minutes of contemplation, Cole finally agreed to the legendary birds' request.
The three birds rejoiced at his answer.
"Cole, are you certain about this?" Diantha admired his abilities but worried for his safety.
"I'll try, and if things go wrong, I'll retreat immediately." Though reluctant, Cole felt obligated to help after the birds had risked so much to save them.
"But we're the ones who needed saving, and now you're risking yourself alone..." Guilt flickered across Lysandre's face.
Cole patted his shoulder, "Those who can do more should do more — just remember my kindness!"
He hoped this shared brush with death might prevent Lysandre from choosing the wrong path later.
"Well then, I'm off. Wait here for my return!"
With that, Articuno carried him toward the white pillar, Moltres and Zapdos close behind.
'Heh~ I can now say I've ridden a legendary Pokémon!'
Daisy and Popplio had insisted on joining Cole, but he firmly refused. Their current strength was no match for Lugia — they would only burden the legendary birds and risk corruption from the crimson energy.
Watching him fly away, the three Pokémon realized their weakness and silently vowed to become stronger!
During the flight, Cole discussed the plan with Articuno and the others.
Unlike with the legendary birds, he wouldn't need to spend time driving out Lugia's crimson energy — that wouldn't be practical, since the energy within Lugia was far more potent.
The three legendary birds would help Lugia regain consciousness temporarily, allowing Cole to work with it to remove Yveltal's feather.
Once the feather was gone, the crimson energy would lose its source, and Lugia could gradually purge it naturally.
"Let me be clear — if we encounter danger, you need to get me out quickly. I don't want to die here." Cole warned the legendary birds.
"Don't worry, if things become impossible, we'll retreat with you immediately."
The three legendary birds promised.
Cole nodded with satisfaction.
Soon, they arrived at the white pillar's peak, where the formation had suffered even more damage from the previous battle.
These formations were part of Lugia's seal, and in their poor condition, their effectiveness had greatly diminished. Under the crimson energy's erosion, they would likely fail completely before long.
This was why the three legendary birds risked asking for his help — if the seal failed and Lugia escaped the Sea Spirit's Den, it would be catastrophic.
Shortly after their arrival, Lugia's apparition manifested, looking more ferocious than ever.
Only because its physical body was sealed could it appear merely as a spirit — otherwise, the three legendary birds would stand no chance against it.
"ROAR~"
Lugia lunged toward Zapdos, who was closest.
"SCREECH~" — Everyone attack together!
Articuno let out a long cry, then moved to flank Lugia alongside Zapdos and Moltres.
Zapdos's body blazed with golden light, unleashing a thunderwave larger than Cole's entire body.
When Lugia tried to dodge, a pillar of fire appeared, blocking its path.
Bzzt~
The thunderwave struck Lugia, enveloping its body in surging electricity — far more powerful than anything Helioptile could produce.
Success!
If they could paralyze Lugia, the tide would turn in their favor.
But Cole's joy lasted barely three seconds — Lugia merely shook its wings, and all the electricity instantly dispersed.
The three legendary birds had anticipated this.
Bzzt~
Zapdos controlled another thunderwave and shot it toward Lugia. As it tried to dodge, Moltres's flamethrower and Articuno's ice beam struck it in quick succession.
After several rounds of this coordinated assault, Cole noticed Articuno stealthily moving closer to Lugia.
"SCREECH~"
"SCREECH~"
Zapdos and Moltres positioned themselves on Lugia's flanks, drawing its attention away from Articuno approaching from behind.
BOOM!!!
Lugia unleashed its full power, sending Zapdos flying with a pillar of black mist energy. Yet Moltres pressed forward regardless of the danger, refusing to retreat.
"SCREECH~"
Moltres screamed as it dove at Lugia, who now focused entirely on the fire bird before it. When Lugia fired another energy beam, Moltres flew straight into it without hesitation.
Now's the chance!
Articuno, now within striking distance, beat its wings once. A wave of terrifying cold burst from its body, engulfing Lugia completely.
This was Sheer Cold — the one-hit-kill ice-type move!
When the white frost dissipated, Lugia stood frozen solid in ice.
"We need to hurry — my Sheer Cold won't hold Lugia for long!" Articuno's exhausted voice revealed how much the attack had drained it.
"Zapdos and the others..." Cole pointed at the two legendary birds lying nearby, "Are they okay?"
The two legendary birds were once again tainted with the horrifying crimson energy.
"Don't worry about them now, helping Lugia is more urgent." As it spoke, Articuno carried him down to land before the frozen Lugia.
"Lugia, can you hear me?" Articuno asked.
Remarkably, Lugia's terrifying crimson eyes blinked gently. The extreme cold of Sheer Cold had temporarily cleared its confused mind.
"That's wonderful!" Articuno sighed in relief, "Now I'll have this human help you remove Yveltal's feather. You must cooperate with him — we don't have much time."
Lugia blinked its eyes again.
"Please help us, human!" Articuno said to Cole.
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