Chapter 70: The Black Rayquaza?

Hu Yang listened with great interest from the side.

Black, with a pair of eyes like rubies, emerging from the sea and soaring into the stormy sky. Such a description—could it be the legendary Dark Lugia?

For a time, tales of Dark Lugia were all the rage in the Pokémon community. Even bootleg trading cards featured the mythical Dark Lugia, and methods for capturing the Gold and Silver version of Dark Lugia were enthusiastically circulated. Yet, it was all mere rumor; there was no Dark Lugia in the actual Gold and Silver games.

However, Dark Lugia was not a fabrication. Its origin lay in the 2005 spin-off game “Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness” released for the GameCube. But who could say whether Dark Lugia might exist in this world?

Hu Yang wanted to sketch the Dark Lugia from his memory and ask the old sailor if that was what he’d seen. Unfortunately, his drawing skills were abysmal, so he could only imagine it in his mind.

After discussing sea monsters, the conversation turned to pirates. Speaking of pirates, Hu Yang couldn’t help but recall Pirates of the Caribbean and One Piece from his previous life.

“In recent years, the League has maintained much better order. Fifty years ago, pirate ships often roamed the Hoenn seas,” someone said. “They were a band of madmen who robbed passing merchant vessels. Pirates were so rampant that no one dared go to sea back then.”

“It wasn’t until the League intervened and drove them off to the outer seas that things quieted down. Strangely, even the number of pirates has dwindled in recent years.”

These were all stories Hu Yang had never heard before. The more they talked, the livelier the group became. Some expressed longing to become trainers, others yearned to witness the mysterious beings in the depths of the ocean.

At the height of excitement, the old sailor who’d told the Dark Lugia story glanced at the camera hanging from Hu Yang’s neck and remarked, “It’s much easier now with cameras. If we ever encounter something like that again, we’ll be able to capture it on film.”

Hu Yang looked down at his camera. He’d brought it out that afternoon to photograph the seascape. Yet, the old sailor’s words opened up a path he’d never considered.

For example, the time he’d unexpectedly seen Ho-Oh with that photographer—if only he’d had a camera then, he could have sold the photographs. With mass printing, he could sell them to those in Ecruteak City who longed to see Ho-Oh and make a tidy profit.

See also: Ho-Oh and the Photographer.avi
Price: 100 League Coins per copy
...

After leaving the tavern, Hu Yang returned to his lodgings with Gengar. Since he hadn’t brought the little nests his Pokémon used for sleeping, he didn’t let them out at night, allowing them to rest in their Poké Balls instead.

Gengar was about to return to its orb to rest. At its request, Hu Yang had brought along the scarf he’d bought for it the first time. Gengar said that if it ever revived, it wanted to experience wearing a scarf as soon as possible.

Hu Yang pictured the scene in his mind, a smile of anticipation curling his lips.

“Good night, Gengar,” he said.

“Good night,” Gengar replied, then slipped wholly into its orb.

The weather at sea was ever-changing. One moment, the sky was clear; the next, dark clouds gathered.

In the second half of the night, a peal of thunder startled Hu Yang awake. He snapped his eyes open and looked out the porthole.

The entire sky was shrouded in thick clouds, white lightning crackling madly within. Outside, torrential rain poured down. In the distance, gale-force winds swept across the sea, raising a terrible, towering wave. The ship began to lurch violently.

From the deck, he could hear the sailors cursing:

“Damn this weather!”

“Everyone, attention! Helmsman! Helmsman! All hands—prepare for emergency maneuvers!”

A flurry of hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor.

At some point, Gengar had drifted out of its orb, pointing out the window and mumbling, “Didn’t your human weather forecast say it wouldn’t rain?”

Hu Yang: “...”

He suddenly realized the key detail: the weather forecast in the newspaper was only for the Rustboro City region. By now, they had long since left Rustboro City, and were deep in the Hoenn Sea.

Before setting out, this had been his greatest worry. Now, at last, it had come to pass.

Murphy’s Law: If you fear something might happen, it becomes all the more likely.

Hu Yang was panicked, wanting to pack up and run—only to realize he was surrounded by endless ocean, with no escape possible.

Though the sailors outside were also anxious, they remained at their posts. The old sailor who had told the sea monster story knocked on Hu Yang’s door, reassuring him that they could handle the situation.

Hu Yang: “...”

He was no hero.

Before his journey to this world, he had just been an ordinary person. This was his first time facing such a crisis; the fact that he could remain calm and not fall into complete panic was impressive enough.

After giving some instructions, the old sailor turned and left.

Hu Yang stood beside Gengar, bracing against the wall to avoid being toppled by the rolling ship.

“Gengar, I’m a little scared,” Hu Yang admitted honestly.

Gengar could sense his genuine fear. It wanted to reach out and steady him, but its hand simply passed through his body.

Click! The lights went out.

The thunderstorm had caused a blackout.

In that instant, Hu Yang’s fear reached its peak.

But suddenly, in the darkness, a beam of white light shot from his backpack, coalescing in the air into the form of an Ancient Murkrow.

“Caw!”

The Ancient Murkrow called out to Hu Yang, then turned and soared outside.

Hu Yang was stunned, instinctively following.

The Ancient Murkrow sped along the corridor, and by the time Hu Yang reached the deck, it had already vanished from sight.

At that moment, a furious flash of lightning illuminated the surroundings. Rain poured in sheets as Hu Yang lifted his head, catching sight of the Ancient Murkrow soaring in the sky.

The lightning faded and darkness returned. But in the next instant, a deep blue beam of light pierced the heavens. The terrifying energy blasted aside the rain, forming an indescribable pillar of light that shot skyward.

All the busy sailors on the ship froze, their gazes riveted upward in shock.

The deep blue beam pierced through the darkness. As it cut through the thick clouds above, all sound vanished.

In the next instant, a dazzling white light streaked across the sky.

The storm clouds were torn apart by an overwhelming force.

The rain ceased. The wind stilled.

Far off, the sea became calm once more.

At that same moment, in the upper atmosphere, an ancient creature sensed the surge of energy and snapped open its eyes. Golden, serpentine pupils turned toward the source, and its black body writhed as it dove downward.