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To accommodate over sixty Lapras, Canalave City had temporarily cordoned off a stretch of beach, exclusively for them to rest.
Nurse Joy from the Pokémon Center was on-site, personally overseeing their treatnt.
With her Chansey assisting, she moved swiftly from one Lapras to another, checking their conditions, administering sprays, soothing pain.
Sinnoh wasn't known as a natural habitat for Lapras.
Their sudden appearance in such numbers—rare and gentle sea Pokémon—had stirred up quite a commotion.
Crowds flooded the boardwalk and dunes overlooking the beach.
People stood on tiptoe, held phones above their heads, trying to catch even a glimpse.
"Whoa!"
"This is insane! I've never seen so many Lapras in my life!"
" neither! It's like a sea parade or sothing!"
Caras clicked. Drones buzzed overhead.
Children clung to fences with wide-eyed wonder.
Near the restricted zone, Officer Jenny and her team had set up barriers.
The beach beyond was now a protected area, and only authorized personnel were allowed near the Pokémon.
Even from a distance, the sight was breathtaking.
Dozens of Lapras, so larger than a car, lay resting near the water's edge.
Their shells glead wet under the sun, and their lodic calls echoed across the coast.
"Anyone here know why they suddenly showed up?" a man asked, his eyes still fixed on his phone screen.
Soone nearby chid in, "Word is they ca from the deep sea near Canalave. But they were ambushed by a poaching group."
"Poachers again? Damn them!"
"Yeah," soone else growled.
"Catching Pokémon just to sell them? Scum of the earth. If I had a Sharpedo…"
"I heard," another voice cut in, lowering their voice conspiratorially, "that a Trainer predicted their ambush. Tracked them down, fought them, and wiped out the whole group."
"No way," soone scoffed.
"One Trainer? Took out a whole poaching group?"
"Get real."
"I'm serious," the first person insisted.
"Even took out their boss—Hunter J."
The na hit the crowd like a thunderclap.
Hunter J. That na was known far beyond Sinnoh.
Ruthless, cunning. A true nace.
Before anyone could argue further, the air shifted.
A soft, high-pitched hum rolled in from the beach.
"Woooo~..."
"Woooo~..."
Dozens of Lapras sang in unison.
Their haunting voices rose and fell like the tides of the ocean.
Even those who didn't understand Pokémon could feel a sense of gratitude.
A wave of emotion passed over the crowd like a warm breeze.
...
Down on the beach, Sam approached slowly.
His shoes sank into the sand as he walked, hands in his pockets, gaze calm.
The mont he stepped onto the shore, the Lapras stirred.
Several flapped their flippers excitedly and swam closer.
Others craned their necks in recognition.
The little one at the front—injured days ago, now fully recovered—lifted her slender neck and gently nuzzled him.
Sam crouched and placed a hand on her head, stroking gently.
"You're looking much better now."
The other Lapras gathered around, forming a semicircle.
Their eyes, large and kind, all fixed on him.
After a mont, Sam stood and spoke in a clear voice.
"You're all safe now. The poachers who were hunting you... They've been dealt with."
His voice carried a calm, resolute tone.
"The League will help you find new waters, a safe place to live. And they'll send patrols to keep watch. No more running."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"You're free."
For a beat, there was silence.
Then, a deep call rang out from behind.
A particularly large Lapras swam forward, the leader of the pod.
She raised her head high, gave a single nod, and let out a mighty cry.
In perfect unison, the others followed.
A series of Water Guns shot upward in coordinated streams, fine jets soaring high into the sky.
Sunlight pierced through the spray, refracting into a shimring rainbow that arched over the entire beach.
...
Back among the crowd, jaws dropped.
Gasps rippled through the onlookers, and the sea of phones raised again to capture the mont.
"That—!" one woman suddenly shouted.
"I read about this in a field guide!"
"This is what Lapras do for soone they revere!"
"A Lapras tribute... their highest honor!"
All eyes turned back to the boy on the sand.
"That Trainer… It's him! He's the one who saved them!"
The waves continued to crash gently against the shore.
The rainbow lingered above.
And for a mont, ti seed to stand still.
After finishing the arrangents for the Lapras, Sam and Cynthia returned to the hotel.
The mont they stepped into the room, Cynthia suddenly pushed Sam backward onto the bed.
With surprising force, she climbed on top of him, her soft hands pinning him down as she stared straight into his eyes.
"Talk," she demanded, her voice sharp but not angry, curious, intense.
"Just what happened while you were gone?"
"You've gotten way too strong out of nowhere."
"You actually defeated Hunter J."
"Are you hiding sothing from ?"
Sam, pinned under her, smirked.
Using a bit of finesse, he rolled them over, flipping Cynthia beneath him instead.
Now looking down at her, he changed the subject with a sly grin.
"When did I beco powerful?"
"I've always been great."
"You know that."
Cynthia's cheeks flushed slightly.
She gave a half-hearted struggle, then let her arms relax, her golden hair spread across the pillow.
Her large, glistening eyes looked up at him, pouting slightly.
"That's not what I ant~"
"Oh?" Sam leaned closer, playfully.
"Then what did you an?"
"Hmph." She huffed softly.
"I'm not playing with you anymore…"
Her voice trailed off as she blushed even deeper, clearly not aning it.
Then, as if rembering sothing, she perked up a little.
"By the way…"
"You said sothing on the phone last ti."
"That would surprise ."
"You still rember that?" Sam asked, brushing a strand of hair from her face and planting a light kiss on her flushed cheek.
Cynthia gave a small, mischievous smile.
"Let go," she said sweetly.
"I'll show you the surprise~"
"Alright then~" Sam grinned, easing off and lying back on the bed, hands behind his head, watching her with amused curiosity.
Cynthia stood up, brushed herself off, and slowly slipped off her coat.
Beneath it, she was wearing—
A T-shirt with a giant Squirtle on it.
The cartoon Squirtle stared out with eyes comically wide, like brass bells, and a goofy smile on its face.
Cynthia twirled once and gave a playful wink.
"Well?" she asked with a smirk.
"Cute, right~?"
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