Maps & Descriptions

Upon the far reaches of the Northern Sea rise three immortal peaks — Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou. For as long as mortal memory stretches, the bards have sung of the Three Masters of Music who dwell upon these sacred isles. It is told that to win the favor of even one is to awaken within the soul an unending river of song and the boundless gift of creation.

Yet the path to these peaks is forever barred. Many have braved the sea in hope of their blessing; none have returned. For there is a guardian power unseen — when the prow of a ship draws near, the heavens blacken, thunder rolls from the horizon, the sea rises into mountains of water, and the vessel is cast into the abyss.

Eighteen centuries past, a tempest unlike any other swept the breadth of the Northern Sea. And in that storm, amidst the splitting light of the sky, a witness beheld above Penglai a mighty bird, straining to spread its wings, chained fast by lightning itself. From that day forth, it came again and again with the wrath of the storm, and men named it the Undying Bird.

But on the day of that tempest, hunters of Pokémon had come upon Penglai, seeking to claim both the Bird and its master. Driven to the brink, the master chose a cruel salvation: to bind the Bird deep within a cavern by a chain, that it might not burst forth to defend him. Alone, he faced the hunters, and from that hour his fate was lost to the winds.

The Bird’s wings could have borne it over ten thousand leagues. Yet upon the chain lingered the scent of the one who had once given it light and direction. Thus it stayed, unwilling to depart, watching and waiting for that beloved radiance to return. Long years passed. The strength of its wings waned, and the voice of the thunder grew thin. It didn’t know that the storm in its veins was born of its wings, not of the chain. True, the chain could swell its lightning, but each strike drew away more of its lifeblood, leaving less with every storm.

At times, a lone cat would appear on the peak— summoning the thunder, driving the clouds, and turning the waves against all who dared approach. Yet in these latter days, the rhythm of the lightning falters, the march of the clouds shifts. And the sailors murmur in the dark:
Perhaps the heart of the Undying Bird has been stirred anew… by a light that calls from far beyond the horizon.

Original Chinese Version

蓬莱、方丈、瀛洲——北海上的三座仙山，长久以来流传着三位音乐神仙的故事。凡得其一者之赐，便可得无尽的乐声与才华。

世人多有前往，皆无功而返，因为有无形之力守护着仙山。每当船只逼近，乌云便自天边卷来，海面骤起狂涛，摧折桅帆，击沉来者。

一千八百年前，一场大风暴席卷北海。在狂雷之中，有人看见在蓬莱上空，有一只巨鸟奋力想展翅冲出闪电的锁链。此鸟后来常现于雷霆之间，被世人称作“不死鸟”。

它的翅膀本可带它穿越万里，但铁链上残留着主人的气息——那曾经给予它光与方向的人。它久久不肯离去，等待那道熟悉的光辉重临。岁月流逝，翅膀渐渐衰弱，雷声也不再如昔。

偶尔，还有一只猫会现身于海面，她能引动雷霆、驱使云潮，将船只逼退。但近日，雷的节奏与云的流向都在改变。海上的人们低声私语：也许，是那只不死鸟的心，再一次被远方的光所唤动…