Reuniting With an Old Friend
The next morning, Yugi and his friends boarded the ferry to the Whirl Islands. "I bet we're going to see lots of amazing Pokémon," said Joey. He saw Emily standing near the ledge as she stared at the ocean. "Hey, Em, you okay?"
"I just remembered something," she was saying. "The Whirl Islands is said to be the home of the legendary Pokémon Lugia."
Her friends remembered the same thing. Joey spoke up and said, "That's it! Maybe we'll be able to meet our old buddy from Atlantis. And when we do, maybe he can help us find the Cobalt Star shard."
Kaiba had his doubts. "What are the odds of it being the same Lugia from back then?"
"Maybe Kaiba's right," said Yugi. "If we do manage to see Lugia, I don't think it could be our old friend. Let's not get our hopes up."
Suddenly, the ship began rocking. Kaiba could see that they were getting closer to the Whirl Islands because of the nearby whirlpools. As they got closer, the ship began rocking violently. They tried to hold on to the rails, but the heroes ended up getting tossed off the ship. It was impossible for them to swim because the current was too strong and they were getting pulled into the whirlpools. They got pulled under, but weren't spinning around violently. Something in the water grabbed them and carried them away.
The mysterious being brought the heroes to the surface of an underwater cave. Kaiba was the first to come to and began coughing the water out of his system. As his friends started doing the same thing, he took out the map and looked at his surroundings.
"Now where are we," Joey asked.
"I don't know," Kaiba answered. "None of this is on the map."
"A Pokémon must have rescued us and brought us here," Yugi wondered.
"You are correct," said a voice. A Pokémon lifted his head out of the water and approached the heroes. It was the legendary Pokémon Lugia.
But was it the same Lugia who helped the heroes rescue their world? The only way to find out was to ask. Joey faces Emily and requests, "Ask him if he remembers us."
Lugia was silent for a few seconds, then answered, "Of course I remember you. And I wondered when the Gods would open the door to this world for you, Heroes of Millennia."
None of them could believe it. It was their old friend. Yugi approached Lugia and said, "Pardon me, Lugia, but I don't think we've officially met. I'm Yugi."
"Yes, the boy who shared his vessel with the spirit of the great pharaoh," said Lugia. "I have heard of you and I know you very well. And I must say, it is remarkably pleasing to see you again, my old friends. How have you all been?"
"We've been doing well, thank you," said Emily. "What about you?"
"I have been just as well," said Lugia. "It has been wonderful living among the Magical Creatures you call Pokémon again. I have traveled the oceans and seen the wonders of this world from the skies as well and it is as fascinating as I dreamed it would be. I have returned home."
It was amazing to hear about Lugia's adventures and the heroes agreed with him based on their experiences. Joey didn't want to forget, so he spoke up and wondered, "Hey, Lugia, do you think you can help us?"
"For you, my heroes, anything," he replied. "But before you ask, I believe I may know of your needs. Recently, I have felt the presence of the Millennium Star; a force I have not felt since our last stand against the Great Leviathan. You have been brought to this world by the Great Goddess herself."
"Yes, yes, you're right," said Joey. "We're looking for a Cobalt Star shard and we think a Pokémon may have it."
Lugia knew and that was the point he was getting to. "When I came to the world of Pokémon, I met a divine Pokémon known as Arceus."
"I've heard of Arceus," Yugi was saying. "He's considered a Pokémon sovereign."
"Pokémon sovereign?" Joey echoed.
"A divine entity," Kaiba clarified.
"I know what a sovereign is," said Joey.
Emily told her friends to keep quiet and let Lugia speak. He continued by saying that Arceus welcomed Lugia home, but alerted him that one day, the Gods would open the door to this world again and their chosen warriors would soon arrive. "Arceus knew you would come here," Lugia told the heroes, "and he is expecting you. I believe he may have what you seek. But if he does, claiming the Cobalt Star shard will be a difficult task."
"Finding Arceus will also be hard for us," said Yugi. "He lives in a world separate from our worlds."
"True," said Lugia, "but there is a temple inside a mountain in the north. Arceus knows of the bonds I forged with you heroes and decreed that if I should meet you again, I must take you to the temple to meet him."
"Can you take us there now?" Joey wondered.
"I can, but not now," Lugia answered. "Arceus will be expecting you, but he wants to wait until you are ready."
"When will that be?" Kaiba asked.
"Right now, Arceus is resting in his own world. I will know when he is ready for you when I am able to sense his arrival."
There was no point in questioning that sensation. The arrival of a divine entity or supernatural force is often easily sensed by animals and other inhuman creatures.
