As the violent wind slowly died down, Gardevoir calmly retracted the Protect energy shield as if nothing had happened.
But through synchronized resonance, Sato knew exactly how fast Gardevoir's heart was beating[1]…
'…Was it because there was a great danger or a great opportunity up ahead?'
Sato had his suspicions, but he didn't notice the sharp eye-roll Gardevoir threw his way.
Thanks to telepathy, she knew exactly what this dense human of hers was thinking!
…Which only made her even more annoyed! o( ^｀*)o
Soon, Gardevoir resumed leading Sato deeper into the cave, though she no longer held his hand.
Sato didn't mind. He simply assumed she wanted to fully focus on scouting ahead. He even called for Gengar to assist, but the shadow-dwelling Gengar refused to come out.
Fortunately, Sato's night vision was decent, so even without Gardevoir guiding him, he could keep up without trouble.
Before long, another surge of wind blasted from within the cave, and once again Gardevoir slammed Sato against the wall to shield him with a sudden Protect.
Sato: …
Once the wind faded, Gardevoir casually continued forward.
A little while later, another gust came, and once again Sato was forcibly pinned to the wall by Gardevoir.
Gardevoir: …
At last, she seemed genuinely annoyed. Grabbing Sato's hand, she began rapid short-range Teleports, dramatically increasing their pace.
Before the next wind could arrive, they had already reached the innermost part of the cave.
"GIAAA~!"
A piercing, majestic cry rang out. Sato looked toward the sound, so shocked his pupils trembled.
A silver body, a long neck, and a head shaped like a bird's. Above its eyes was a blue mask-like pattern. Blue protrusions lined both sides of its back, and blue tail fins flared behind it.
Its front limbs looked like hands -or wings- and they flapped constantly, as if trying to intimidate Sato.
He recognized it at a glance. This beautiful and powerful Pokémon was none other than the legendary "Guardian of the Seas" from the Kanto Region…
Lugia!
"GIAAAAA!!!"
Another piercing cry followed, along with another intense burst of wind.
Without hesitation, Gardevoir stepped in front of Sato again and activated Protect, which had just come off cooldown.
But this time, they were too close; or perhaps Lugia's power had spiked in its rage. Gardevoir and her Protect shield were slowly being pushed back.
"Gen… Garrr!"
Just in time, Gengar finally stopped slacking.
It jumped out from Sato's shadow and summoned a warped Spatial Barrier directly in front of Gardevoir.
The terrifying wind was split and redirected. Gardevoir's pressure was instantly reduced, and she stopped being forced back.
Sato seized the opportunity to peer out and observe the overwrought Legendary Pokémon in front of them.
Though the wind distorted his view, he could just barely make out something behind Lugia…
A Pokémon egg!
'A Legendary Pokémon… laying an egg?'
For a moment, Sato genuinely wondered if Lugia had been duped into raising someone else's egg…
But Lugia didn't give him time to think. The second wave of that terrifying wind had already arrived!
"Gen~"
With Gardevoir's Protect still on cooldown, Gengar stepped up without being told. Though it wasn't as effortless as before, it managed to barely hold the wind at bay.
Another brief gap. Sato quickly activated synchronized resonance, taking the initiative to try communicating with Lugia.
"HUMAN, GET OUT!"
The moment the link was established, Lugia's roar shook Sato's mind to the core, and the resonance was cut off instantly.
"GARDE!"
"Gen… GAAAR!"
Before Sato could even respond, Gardevoir and Gengar were already furious.
Elite Four level Pokémon had their pride. Even if the opponent was a Legendary Pokémon, they were not without the strength to stand their ground.
More importantly, this fearsome white bird… aside from screaming loudly, it felt strangely all bark and no bite!
Crackling with electricity, Gardevoir didn't hesitate to unleash a Thunderbolt straight at Lugia.
Gengar waved its hand and summoned a barrage of Shadow Balls, hurling all of them at Lugia at once.
"LUGIAA!!!"
Lugia roared again, but made no attempt to dodge. Thunderbolt and Shadow Ball struck in full, and for a moment, it was hard to tell whether it was roaring in rage or pain.
As the lightning faded and the Shadow Balls exploded, Lugia lifted its head in visible distress. With a mighty sweep of its wing-like arms, it launched another violent gust.
No… that wasn't just any wind… it was Lugia's Signature move!
'Aeroblast!'
Faced with the overwhelming threat, Sato immediately changed tactics.
{Double Protect}
Through synchronized resonance, both Gardevoir and Gengar instantly dropped their counterattacks and focused on defense.
At the same time, Sato wasted no time and tossed out two Poké Balls. Zoroark and Sharpedo materialized inside the already-formed double-layered Protect barrier.
The next moment, a deafening explosion rang out. The outermost Protect shield shattered on impact!
Protect -supposedly the ultimate defense- had broken…
Even in the brief moment of shock, Sato wasted no time issuing commands to the newcomers.
"PROTECT!!"
Bzzz…bzzz…
Two more Protect shields were raised, but no sooner had they formed than the second barrier began to crack and disintegrate.
Sato clutched the Poké Balls of Honchkrow and Hydreigon tightly, ready to unleash another round of shields at any moment.
Soon, the third Protect barrier began to shatter. Sato had already raised his hand, but Gardevoir stopped him.
"Toto, it's over..."
"…Huh?"
Sato froze mid-motion and realized the devastating winds outside the Protect barriers were rapidly dying down.
"Whew..." Sato let out a long breath, just about to recall the others and have Gardevoir Teleport them out…
BOOM!
Lugia, who had unleashed the catastrophic Aeroblast, collapsed right there on the spot.
All the Pokémon who had been bracing for an all-out war stared blankly.
They'd been ready to risk it all… and this is what they got?
Still, they all relaxed in unison. This was Lugia, one of the Legendary Pokémon!
That one Aeroblast had shattered not one, but three consecutive Protect barriers, something that should've been impossible.
So if it could be avoided…
The next second, Gardevoir Teleported to Lugia's side and "gently" picked up a silver-white Pokémon egg.
Sato's breath caught. He stared at Gardevoir's face, glowing with maternal instinct.
'S-She… she wasn't seriously going to steal the egg… WAS SHE?!'
[1] CHIIIIIIL BRO~ cough… BRO! GRR