Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 487: Shadow Lugia!

A quiet night. Beneath the seemingly peaceful surface of the sea, dark currents surged.

Schools of Remoraid, Corsola, and Qwilfish darted away from their familiar waters. Instinct told them this place was about to erupt into chaos.

Wrapped in Caitlin's psychic shield, Johan and the others quickly descended beneath the waves.

Watching the scattering fish, Johan's aura signaled a sense of looming danger.

"A final showdown, huh..." he muttered.

Adjusting his hat, Johan stayed calm.

Come on. With Cynthia on his left and Caitlin on his right—even if they hadn't reached their peak—few could match this team.

Especially not a bunch of Pokémon Hunters.

Hunters relied on deception, stealth, and traps to capture high-value targets fast. Direct combat wasn't their strong suit.

"Hunter J has a petrification gun. Watch out. As for Ghost, he's outfitted with an exoskeletal suit—super strength, on par with elite martial artists."

He casually explained the threats to Cynthia and Caitlin.

"And don't forget—they'll do anything to win. Even ambush trainers directly."

In open combat, whoever protects their trainer best gains the upper hand.

As if J could throw a net and catch all three of them—what are they, Suicune?

"Understood," Cynthia nodded solemnly.

With her experience in ruins and battle, she had a clear sense of what was at stake.

"Annoying," Caitlin muttered, unimpressed.

As a psychic rival to Sabrina—perhaps even more talented—she wasn't concerned about being ambushed, not even by a petrification gun.

Buzz—

Caitlin's psychic barrier passed through the Temple of the Sea's shield without resistance, bringing the three straight inside.

And what greeted them was—

"Water Gun!"

A cold command, followed by dozens—no, hundreds—of pressurized jets.

Not just one. A deluge.

A torrent of attacks surged toward Johan's team.

Clearly, Hunter J and Ghost weren't working alone. The crews from their submarines had joined the fight.

A numerical advantage sometimes meant nothing in the face of raw power.

But there's also the theory that enough quantity leads to quality—if you stack enough weak force, it becomes strong.

That's how military units in Kanto and Johto's Leagues worked—because even Team Rocket had paramilitary arms.

But there was one flaw—

None of these grunts had professional combat training. They were just Pokémon Hunters. They could coordinate but lacked precision.

Their water attacks, though numerous, were riddled with gaps.

Even a command like "Water Gun"—the delay between issuing and executing it varied. Different angles, different timings—there was no sync.

That's the difference between trained and untrained.

So...

"Gothitelle! Artificial Cell Egg!"

Caitlin's feet lifted off the ground. With Gothitelle and the Egg by her side, a powerful psychic barrier formed.

To her, the incoming storm of water was full of holes.

"Urshifu!"

"Milotic, Gastrodon!"

Johan and Cynthia exchanged a glance. Their teamwork didn't need words.

"Garruu!"

With a flash of red light, Urshifu emerged. It took a deep breath, narrowed its eyes...

And then—

"Garruu!"

It tensed, read the water currents—and punched!

Trained at the Tower of Waters, water was the heart of its style. Read it, control it, wield it—

Bam!!

Urshifu struck like a rock breaking waves, splitting the torrent through its weakest point!

Milotic and Gastrodon flanked it, their bodies coiling.

Aqua Tail. Hydro Pump.

Boom!!

The three attacks clashed with the enemy's wave and shattered it into mist and scattered drops.

The grunts stared, dumbfounded.

That strong?!

Suddenly, black mist crept among them. Something sinister was emerging.

They turned—

And saw Gengar, grinning in the shadows, red eyes gleaming.

"Ka-kaah~ (≦☆)"

Dark energy swirled in its palms, consuming water and forming tiny shadow balls.

"Dodge!"

Hunter J's face twisted—too late.

The orbs hit their marks—not to damage, but to ensnare.

When they faded, the victims had fallen into sleep.

Hunter J's expression darkened.

When did League trainers become so devious? Ambushing trainers directly? That's villain behavior!

If Johan had heard her, he'd have scoffed. That's nothing.

"Heh," Johan chuckled. "Gengar, Perish Song!"

Everyone: Σ(дlll)

"Drapion! Abyssal Lunge!" J shouted.

Drapion lunged forward, claws cloaked in darkness, racing toward Gengar.

If it started singing, it'd be over!

But Johan and Gengar had planned this.

Gengar flashed a toothy grin, didn't sing—and vanished into a rift.

Like heck he'd sing for you losers.

Johan grinned and took temporary control of Garchomp.

"Dragonite, Garchomp—Dragon Dive!"

"Draaa~!"

"Garrr!!"

No more bickering now. The two dragons soared, then crashed down in tandem, clearing out the remaining grunts with Gengar.

And finally, Johan saw the main players behind it all.

Hunter J—no surprise.

But behind her, Saturn and Jupiter?

Johan's eyes narrowed.

Galactic involvement?

But Ghost was nowhere to be seen.

Johan glanced toward the temple.

Flowing water, lush green accents, ancient preserved halls, towering spires—this was Samiya.

So Ghost must've gone after the Sea Crown.

Then what did J and the Galactics get?

Wait—

Where's Lugia?

Johan's eyes darted to Hunter J.

She sneered, holding up a pitch-black Poké Ball.

A Dark Ball.

Johan recognized it instantly. The same kind used by the Marauder in Celebi's forest.

Why did J have one too?

Well, the Marauder had been a hunter—probably shared tech with J in exchange for profit.

Johan's heart sank.

"Where's Lugia?" Cynthia asked quietly beside him.

Caitlin landed gently, gaze locked on the Dark Ball. "I sense pure darkness. Fear."

"I'm afraid Lugia's been captured," Johan said grimly.

Cynthia and Caitlin stared.

Lugia—legendary guardian of currents and storms—captured?

This had escalated beyond control.

Hunter J smirked.

"Looks like you figured it out."

She shrugged. "Let me show you."

She tossed the Dark Ball.

Crackle—

Purple lightning flared. Black mist surged forth.

Within it—crimson eyes opened.

Inky wings unfurled. A massive form cast its shadow over the hall.

"Gaaaargh!!"

One flap of its wings and the mist cleared—revealing its true form.

Identical to the baby Lugia—but its once-silver body was now an eerie black.

Shadow Lugia.

"Gaaaargh!!"

The monstrous aura it radiated whipped up howling gales, filling the temple with oppressive force.

Johan and the others could barely breathe.

"Ka-kaah!"

"Garrr!"

"Goth!"

Gengar, Dragonite, Urshifu, Garchomp, Gothitelle, and the Artificial Cell Egg rushed forward, protecting their trainers with stern expressions.

Johan's heart roared.

Shadow Lugia?!

Even J, Saturn, and Jupiter looked surprised.

"Anomalous mutation?" J murmured.

The temple waters beyond its barrier churned violently.

Then—she laughed.

"Perfect!" Her eyes gleamed under her sunglasses. "It's worth even more!"

Lugia was rare. But sightings had occurred—like once a year in Altomare.

But Shadow Lugia? Unseen. Unheard of.

Its value—immeasurable.

No prize could excite a hunter more.

Meanwhile...

Above the sea—

The clear sky darkened.

Black clouds, like velvet, spread across the sky. Moonlight vanished.

Waves crashed violently against the sailboat. Thunder rumbled.

Inside—

The baby Lugia bolted awake, tears welling.

It had dreamed its mother was in pain—turned black—couldn't hear it anymore. A mindless monster.

"Yoji?"

Tyrunt, shaken, bumped into the wall and woke up. Seeing baby Lugia crying in a ball, it ran over.

"Yoji!"

It smacked Lugia on the back, startling it. A red mark rose.

"Bwooo?"

Stung by the hit—or the shout—baby Lugia blinked at Tyrunt.

Tyrunt grinned and hugged it.

"Yoji~~"

Nightmare? No sweat! You got me, bro!

"Bwooo..."

Lugia explained its dream, trembling.

Tyrunt scratched its head.

Shadow Lugia?

No clue what that meant.

But after hanging with Johan and Gengar, it knew one thing—grinned and patted Lugia hard again.

"Yoji!"

Scared? C'mon. You've got Johan! Gengar! Ninetales! Everyone's got your back!

It listed their whole crew like a roll call of legends.

"Bwooo?"

Lugia looked at Tyrunt's bright trust, unsure where it came from—but feeling it anyway.

It nodded firmly.

Yeah!

It wasn't alone.

Johan would help.

And right now, Johan was—

"Dragonite, Urshifu, dodge!" Johan shouted, sweat beading on his brow.

They narrowly evaded Shadow Lugia's winged air slash.

The pressure was immense.

But as a psychologist, Johan kept calm.

He'd seen something—

A nearly invisible, faintly glowing red chain binding Lugia.

The Red Chain!

Different from his—but unmistakable.

Johan glanced at J, Saturn, and Jupiter.

So, Team Galactic managed to replicate the Red Chain?

Likely like in the anime—using meteoric material instead of the Musketeers' relics like his version.

It wasn't perfect.

They were testing it.

On Lugia.

Why?

Maybe Ghost found Lugia but couldn't capture it, so he traded with J and Galactic.

Lugia, with a child, had a weakness.

And during capture—

The Red Chain was used but failed to fully restrain it.

Lugia sent its child away, fearing it might lose control and hurt it.

Then fled into Samiya to suppress the chain's power.

That explained why it hadn't searched for its baby.

Then Ghost found Manaphy's egg, unlocking the temple.

Only here could J throw the Dark Ball.

And perhaps Ghost lured Lugia here on purpose—so J and the Galactics would help him in exchange for access.

Johan's mind raced. The pieces fit.

And regardless of details—

They now had to face Shadow Lugia, Hunter J, Saturn, and Jupiter.

The tides had turned.

But—

"It's not hopeless," Johan muttered.

Everything hinged on Lugia.

If he could reach its mind—even enough to make it hold back—

J frowned. She could sense its resistance too. That's why her earlier attacks were dodged.

"Hmph. Useless struggle."

Even a semi-obedient Shadow Lugia could crush them.

And she had more.

"Salamence! Drapion!"

J released her aces.

Saturn and Jupiter exchanged glances and summoned theirs.

"Toxicroak!"

"Skuntank!"

"Lugia—Waterfall!" J ordered coldly.

Johan's mind raced. They needed a way to break this standoff—

"Garchomp, Dragon Roar! Dragon Dive!" Cynthia barked, steely-eyed.

"Garrr—!!"

Garchomp roared defiantly.

Who said it couldn't Dragon Dance?

"I'll hold them. You find a way," Cynthia said with a calm smile.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is freewebnøvel.coɱ.

Even facing Shadow Lugia, she showed no fear.

Johan blinked—then smiled too.

"No need. We've got help."

Whoooosh—

Samiya's barrier collapsed. Water flooded in.

J, Saturn, and Jupiter were stunned.

But Johan knew—

Their "good teammate" Ghost had triggered a temple mechanism.

What a guy.

----------

Powerstones?

For 20 advance Chapters: patreon.com/michaeltranslates