Lugia was dreaming. Images flashed through its vision behind its closed eyes—a dark storm boiling over the sea, waves rising high into the heavy rain, a battle, a dark shape darting over the stormy water…
Then a voice came into its mind, saying, "The Masters of the Sky will stop this. They will save the world."
Who were the Masters of the Sky? Ho-oh and itself? That didn't sound right. Lugia ruled the sea. Even so, how would it be able to stop the storm and the battle?
The images misted and Lugia's mind returned to its dreams of the sky.
Both of the gym leaders held on to Pelipper's tail as it swam away towards the glare.
"Why there?" Falkner asked. Then as he thought about it, he finally realised what Winona must have been thinking.
Finally, he was going to see the legendary which had meant so much to his family! It was a pokémon of which his father often spoke of, the pokémon which had inspired him to become such a great gym leader. His father had told him about it one night, but he just could not remember his words…
Now was not the time for a flashback, he told himself sharply. Here he was, stuck with an over competitive, fierce, stubborn person by the name of Winona, and it was going to be night time very soon, meaning they would be unable to see a thing.
As they drew closer in the dimming water, Falkner began to see a large glass wall, curved over like an ovoid bubble, the images within misty and unclear, distorted by the refraction of light by the glass. They would have to find an entrance fast.
"Quick, Winona, we've got to find an entrance. Before it gets dark!" Falkner urged her on.
"Why must I take orders from you?" she hissed.
"Because I know we have to," he replied angrily. Did Winona have any sense?
"Pelipper, take us around the glass cavern!" she finally shouted, after a moment's hesitation.
Pelipper began to circle the huge glass structure. The last dying rays of sunlight filtered through the surface, into the water, casting light upon the entrance, almost invisible behind tangles of seaweed. Pelipper brushed the seaweed aside and swam in through the little hole in the glass, and immediately, a powerful radiance overcame their vision. Holding out his hands to block the light, Falkner shouted, "What is that? Lugia?"
"Do not fear," The calm, omnipresent voice replied, freezing them to the spot with awe. "You have come for help, and help you'll get. I choose to pass control over myself to you, masters of Flying pokémon."
Suddenly, the whole cavern was drained of water. Falkner and Winona fell to the cold, hard ground, as well as Pelipper. The two got up.
"Return, Pelipper," Winona commanded, returning Pelipper to its pokéball. Then she went silent. For a few seconds all was silent.
"Lugia?" Falkner asked. His voice echoed around the cavern.
The glow dimmed , and there lay the figure of the legendary pokémon, wings folded, neck and tail curled gracefully round its body. The pokémon raised its head slowly, and opened its eyes. "Come here," it called, its voice still seeming to come from all around. Falkner could hardly believe his eyes. Here he was, before the great legendary of which his father had spoken so reverently of. It was true—Lugia was in a glass cavern under the sea. Without hesitation, he began to walk forward towards Lugia.
Soon he was there, before Lugia, staring into its silver-white fur—or was it feathers?
"Don't hesitate," Lugia's unworldly voice told them. "I am your equal now. Get onto me. I will help you."
Both gym leaders glanced at each other. Then wordlessly, soundlessly, they climbed onto Lugia's back.
"Hold on tightly," Lugia warned. Then with a powerful beating of its mighty wings, it rose into the air and broke through the glass ceiling, into the dark sea. They were safe in a bubble of air Lugia had made, and Lugia sped steeply up to the surface.
Everything rushed by in a blur. And in a moment, Lugia had broken through the surface into the clear night air. The water below rippled violently for a few seconds, before they vanished in the shining waves.
The full moon clothed everything in white, the milky light spilling over everything—the stars, the sea and the three of them.
Lugia sighed happily. "Ah…I miss the beautiful moonlight… the sound of waves and the caress of the wind. All this is even better than the grandest dream, beyond dreams at all." Lugia rose up into the air, towards the moon. "Just such a pity I have to help you do a job."
"The job won't be too hard for a legendary like you," Falkner said.
"Oh, really? Sometimes even non-legendary pokémon can defeat what a legendary cannot," it replied wisely.
"Well, Mewtwo made Pacifidlog City sink by somehow releasing the Ocean Stone's power over it. Now it is using the energy of the Ocean Stone to gain more energy for itself," Winona explained. Lugia flew back to the island and landed.
"So you want me to defeat Mewtwo in battle, get Pacifidlog back to the surface and let the Ocean Stone anchor it back? A hard task," it said.
"If you want to do it," Falkner said.
"Alright, I'll try," Lugia replied, flying back towards Hoenn.
"And you should hurry," Winona added. "Mewtwo is capable of a lot we do not know."