"I have to get this information out," Sabrina whispered. A Poké Ball slid down her pant leg, rolling unnoticed across the cavern floor. Once Damalanchi's group had vanished into the darkness of the tunnels, the Pokémon inside burst forth.
It was a Smoochum—a small, large-headed Pokémon with golden hair, pink skin, and prominent, thick lips. It glanced around cautiously before using its psychic power to vanish, teleporting toward the coordinates of her allies.
The Convergence
On the opposite side of the sprawling undersea labyrinth, Lance, Lorelei, and High Priest Shamiao were advancing.
"High Priest, can you sense her yet?" Lance asked, frustrated by the endless, winding stone paths.
"I can feel her presence, but her state is... unstable," Shamiao replied, his face etched with worry. "This way."
As wild Pokémon began to swarm them, Shamiao held up a shimring Silver Wing. The feather radiated Lugia's divine authority, causing the hostile creatures to bow and retreat into the shadows. The wing acted as a compass, pulling them deeper into the earth.
anwhile, Feng Che and Lt. Surge were making their own way. They passed through a cavern shimring with rare Sea Crystals.
"wtwo, I sense them," Feng Che whispered.
Shamiao and Lance are approaching from the east, wtwo confird. Shamiao is using a Silver Wing to track Lugia.
"Good. I was wondering how we'd find the nest in this maze."
Minutes later, the two groups sensed each other's presence through the gloom.
"Wait, soone's ahead," Feng Che said, feigning caution for Surge's benefit.
"I've got this. Go, Electrode!" Surge released six of the spherical Pokémon. "Hide in the shadows and use Flash on my mark. If they're League, we blow them sky-high."
As the Silver Wing drifted around the corner followed by the sound of heavy footsteps, Surge barked the command. "Electrode, FLASH!"
The six Pokémon erupted in a blinding white light, turning the dark tunnel into the surface of the sun. Lance, Lorelei, and Shamiao cried out, shielding their eyes. Even Dragonite recoiled, throwing an arm over its snout.
"Is that... Elite Four Lance and Lorelei?" Feng Che's voice called out, sounding surprised.
Once their eyes adjusted, the tension broke. "Surge? Feng Che? What are you doing here?" Lorelei asked, breathless.
"We intercepted the League's true plan," Feng Che explained, stepping forward to introduce the groups. "This is High Priest Shamiao of the Bell Tower. And this is Lt. Surge, the Vermilion Gym Leader—and a man of justice."
"Feng Che, thank gods you're here," Lance said, relief washing over him. "If you hadn't co, I don't think we could pull this off."
At that mont, Sabrina's Smoochum materialized in Surge's arms. It touched their foreheads, projecting the images Sabrina had witnessed.
The Ancient Orbs
"It's worse than we thought," Shamiao gasped, his voice trembling. "Damalanchi found the Ancient Orbs."
"The Ancient Orbs?" Lorelei frowned. "What are they?"
"Tools forged by the ancients specifically to enslave gods," Shamiao explained. "There are four: Fire, Earth, Gale, and Sea. Each is a legendary artifact capable of unleashing catastrophic moves like Fire Blast, Earthquake, and Hurricane. But their true terror is the Stasis Net. They create a barrier that slowly shrinks, crushing the target's will. Even at full strength, Lugia couldn't break it from the inside."
"To stop it, we have to destroy the stone pillars controlling the Orbs. Damalanchi will have them guarded by his best n. But first... we must reach Lugia. Her condition is critical."
As the group's anxiety and fear peaked, faint wisps of black energy—negative emotions—began to seep into Feng Che's backpack. Inside, the Darkrai Egg pulsed, greedily drinking in the distress.
The Corrupted Birth
They finally reached the heart of the Seafoam Caverns. The sight that t them was haunting.
Lugia lay in the center of a massive grotto. Her body was a battlefield: one half was her natural, saintly white, while the other was stained pitch-black, as dark as ink. A black mist—Sky Miasma—was visibly fighting for control of her form.
Floating just above her was a single, obsidian-colored Pokémon egg, radiating waves of malevolent energy. Blood seeped from Lugia's side where the miasma was strongest.
"The Sky Miasma has infected her," Shamiao whispered in horror. "The corruption is trying to turn her into a mindless puppet—and it's using the birth of her child as a gateway."
Feng Che looked up. A layer of seawater hovered miraculously above the cavern ceiling, held in place by Lugia's fading psychic grip. If she lost consciousness, the ocean would co crashing down, burying them all.
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