Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 492: Treasure Island!

Seaside City.

A secluded and hidden warehouse.

Buzz—

Saturn and Jupiter appeared simultaneously, kneeling slightly, along with a completely unconscious Alakazam.

It had executed a long-range Teleport while carrying two people. Even with Alakazam's psychic strength, it had been utterly drained and could no longer fight.

Saturn and Jupiter didn't feel much better either.

If Saturn's Alakazam hadn't undergone special teleportation training, and if not for the support of the Charon's tech, it wouldn't have been possible for them to return directly to Sinnoh from so far offshore.

"Hah..."

Saturn exhaled deeply and slumped to the ground. Jupiter wasn't doing much better.

"Cynthia..." Jupiter muttered her name with a dark expression and clenched teeth.

"Forget it," Saturn said. "She's not someone we can deal with."

Even together, they could barely hold out against her. That Garchomp, in its unstoppable form, was seared into their minds.

Too strong.

And worse yet, this time they'd lost a lot.

Fortunately, their mission was still considered complete.

Jupiter's resentment faded as she thought about Cynthia's Garchomp. Her desire for revenge dissipated instantly.

"A shame... if we had just a bit more time, we could've activated the Red Chain. Then Shadow Lugia would've gone completely berserk. They'd have paid dearly for that..."

But things were too rushed.

Faced with a choice between revenge and survival, they had chosen to escape.

"We stay any longer and once Johan returns, we'd be finished too."

Saturn spoke as he took out a device. The data transfer had completed.

It contained information gathered from using the Red Chain on Lugia—data that would help Charon further improve the chain's functionality.

Seeing this, both Saturn and Jupiter breathed another sigh of relief.

Jupiter pulled out her phone and called Cyrus.

"Hello." Cyrus's emotionless voice came through.

"Boss, data secured. As for Hunter J and the pirate... they're probably done for," Jupiter reported respectfully.

She was implying that J and the ghost pirate might spill the beans on Team Galactic.

And the only one with a public face who could possibly deal with the fallout was Cyrus, shielded by his "Sinnoh elite" persona.

"Understood," Cyrus replied indifferently.

He understood what Jupiter meant, of course.

But...

The world was going to be destroyed eventually anyway. Let J and the pirate "go" to the new world ahead of schedule.

At that moment—

A voice beside Cyrus exclaimed, "Damn! You've been compromised—there's a tap—"

Before the sentence could finish, the call with Saturn and Jupiter was abruptly cut off.

Huh?

They recognized that voice as Charon's. But what did he mean by "tap"?

Bang!

The warehouse doors slammed open!

A man in a burgundy suit with lavender hair closed a hardcover book and gently pushed up his glasses, smiling as he said,

"Apologies. You're under arrest."

Looker?!

Saturn and Jupiter locked eyes in shock.

How was this happening?

They turned to escape through the windows—but a dark-skinned man with an afro agilely vaulted up, blocking the exit with stunning ease.

"Trying to run without a fight? That's not very sporting."

The Firestarter!

"Ah, found you~" A strand of wire descended from the ceiling as Aaron, with his signature ahoge, slowly rappelled down—his reaction a few beats slow, but his entrance still complete.

"Mhm."

In a corner of the warehouse, a secret mechanical passage opened, revealing Volkner with his Raichu beside him.

"There are three escape tunnels in this warehouse. I've sealed two. Only this one is usable. Want to try it?"

"Rai rai!"

Volkner raised a finger. "Oh, and thanks for the call."

As the "Thunder of Seaside," he had essentially built the entire city's power grid. Tapping the call wasn't exactly ethical, but necessary for catching criminals.

Looker, Firestarter, Aaron, and Volkner.

Against that lineup...

Saturn and Jupiter looked at each other again, both seeing nothing but resignation in the other's eyes.

What did we ever do to deserve this...?

—

The sky was a brilliant blue. Gentle waves lapped the shore, white foam blooming with each roll. The soft hush of water made the perfect white noise.

On the shore, Shadow Lugia was fast asleep, its breathing deep and calm.

It was likely the most peaceful sleep it had had in a long time.

And Johan?

He was dozing too, leaning against Lugia's side with his eyes closed.

He'd been up all night keeping watch, then got swept up in the events of the Sea Temple and Shadow Lugia—now that peace had returned and Lugia was calm, he finally had a chance to rest.

"Ka-kaah..."

Gengar tiptoed over, cautiously placing its hand in front of Johan's nose.

Sensing his breath, it turned back and gave the watching little ones an "OK" hand sign.

They looked at him, unimpressed.

You were supposed to check if he was sleeping, not if he was dead.

Suddenly—

Johan muttered in his sleep:

"In the northern night, you got stabbed in the waist... while I was raking it in down south..."

Gengar jolted like it'd been zapped, retreating instinctively.

Who's getting stabbed in the waist now?!

It didn't dare move. All the little Pokémon stood frozen too.

Eventually, Gengar realized—Johan was just talking in his sleep.

"Ka-kaah..."

Gengar sighed and patted its chest.

But still...

Singing in his sleep? This man is my idol.

Someday, I'll master that too!

Just wait.

Gengar giggled darkly, proud of its plan.

"Gengar..." Johan muttered again. "Your dimension's too small... come on, open up... try stuffing the whole submarine in there..."

Gengar: Σ(дlll)

That massive submarine?!

The one from the ghost pirates?!

You can't blame me for not being able to swallow that whole!

That's not something a Pokémon can just inhale!

Gengar shook its head furiously and retreated.

"I once steamed a Kun fish in a pot... and grilled a Peng on twin racks..."

"Bwooo?! Σ(дlll)"

Little Lugia nearly fell out of the sky.

Even in his dreams, he's cooking?!

But... I'm small enough. Maybe he's not talking about me...

Gengar clamped its ears shut and ran.

Nope. Not listening anymore. If I keep going, Johan will ask me to stew Arceus next.

"Ka-kaah!" it shouted, rallying the others. Time to sneak off and explore!

As for Johan...

"Oowoo~"

Ninetales yawned gently and took the blanket Gengar had left, laying it over Johan before curling up beside him.

And so, Gengar took the lead in exploring the island—with their "inside source" Little Lugia showing the way.

Little Lugia had lived here as long as it could remember—either swimming with Lugia in the sea or resting on the island. It knew the place pretty well.

Well... kind of.

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"Yoji!!"

Just off the beach, Yoji (the Larvitar) spotted something it deemed delicious and immediately began digging.

Soon it popped back up, muddy and beaming with a chunk of ore in its paws.

Then it bit right into it. Crunch, crunch. Its eyes sparkled.

Delicious!

That's how it started.

To Gengar and crew, you hadn't really explored until you dug thirty feet underground.

In their hometown, finding a mineral-rich stone underground was a badge of honor.

"Bwooo..."

Little Lugia blinked, watching the scene, its eyes widening.

Wait—you can do that?!

Soon Yoji and Tinkaton were gleefully exploring.

Honestly, though...

The island wasn't big.

But since no humans had ever come here, and the Pokémon population was light, plus the calming influence of Lugia—it was mineral-rich to an absurd degree.

And not just minerals.

"Ka-kaah!"

Gengar held up a golden-green seed, polished it against its fur till it sparkled.

A Miracle Seed!

[Miracle Seed: A life-giving seed. Boosts Grass-type move power when held.]

Sure, no one here uses Grass moves—but maybe one day.

Or...

We could sell it. It'd fetch a great price!

Gengar and Rotom had already looted the ghost pirates' vault. It wasn't as grand as hoped, but still fruitful.

Now, here they were on Lugia's island.

Island? No—it's a gold mine!

Slurp...

Gengar openly drooled. Nearby, the Cherrim line shivered in the trees.

Bandits are here! And the village idiot is leading them! Help!

"Garruu!"

Urshifu sniffed the air, crouched in a bush, and found something.

A revival herb!

Perfect for tea!

"Bwooo~"

Little Lugia fluttered above, delighted at everyone's joy and laughter.

They had helped so much. It had been worrying about how to repay them—but now...

The island's resources weren't useful to it anyway.

And every year, the island grew more treasures. Losing a little wouldn't matter.

To be fair, Gengar and friends weren't stripping the place bare—they didn't have time. Once Johan woke up, playtime was over.

Still, it didn't dampen their treasure-hunting spirits.

A treasure island.

A real treasure island!

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Powerstones?

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