Dubious Disc

Unfortunately.

Baimu had made the trip for nothing.

He had been prepared for that possibility, but finding out he had chased the wrong lead still stung.

What now?

Did he really have to go to Kalos and ask Hoopa for help? The events of "Hoopa and the Clash of Ages" probably hadn't begun yet. He had kept an eye on news online, and even "Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction" likely hadn't started.

If those events hadn't begun, he wouldn't be able to find Hoopa. There wasn't a trace of the Valley of Origin anywhere online.

And without knowing where the Valley of Origin was, how was he supposed to find Hoopa?

For now, Baimu could only keep watching for news of Lugia online and resume his journey through Hoenn.

Strictly speaking, though, this brief trip hadn't been a complete waste. Silver was still growing, and he shed more feathers than Baimu could ever need.

When Silver saw how happy Baimu was to find one of his feathers, he dove straight through the curtain of water and brought back a huge pile.

Even Big Lugia shook loose two feathers for him.

"I don't need that many, I don't need that many—huh? What's this?"

Baimu hurried to stop Silver from diving back through the waterfall for more feathers. As he reached out, a crystal-clear, teardrop-shaped gem fell from the pile.

"A Mystic Water?"

He looked at Silver. Silver peered at it curiously, then lost interest and pulled his head back when he saw it was just a stone.

Big Lugia clearly knew what it was, but he generously nudged Baimu's outstretched hand, indicating that Baimu could keep it too.

"Then I'll take it. Thank you."

Baimu stroked Big Lugia's neck, then Silver's.

Big Lugia's feathers felt a little coarser. Silver's were