With so many Ghost-type Pokémon, even if he sent everyone out, he couldn't beat them, let alone with so many familiar faces from the first to the eleventh-floor gatekeepers all crowding together.
Should he try to blast a path and charge through?
How did Xijana get up there in the first place? There's no reason she was stronger back then than he is now.
"..."
Baimu couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he thought. He stood in the middle of the stairs, pondering for a moment, and then glanced around, wondering if it was a special method to pass, like on the seventh floor, and decided to go back and take a closer look.
Returning to the twelfth floor.
He turned on his flashlight, and swarms of Ghost-type Pokémon piled up together like acrobats, all showing him creepy smiles.
If most Pokémon weren't so cute, this scene would be no different from a hellish illustration.
Baimu waited at his spot for a few seconds, while the Hydreigon behind him had a tense expression, its thick tail wrapped around his waist, ready to flee at any moment. The hidden Dragapult was also prepared to assist.
But just as he expected, the Ghost-type Pokémon did not attack him, only maintained their toothy grins.
Who knows what they're laughing about.
"Uh... what are you guys planning to do?"
Baimu tried to communicate with these guys, even taking out his phone and having Porygon II help with translation, but received no answer. They simply moved to the sides as he stepped forward, creating a path for him.
A path leading to the spiral staircase.
What does it mean?
Did they gather to congratulate him as he passed the level?
He quietly walked forward, his gaze wandering over the faces of the Ghost-type Pokémon on either side. The strange scene felt as if he was caught in some unique illusion, but the occasional tingling sensation from his phone proved he was in reality.
Unless... that Pokémon's illusion techniques were powerful enough to affect the Five Senses.
In a breath's time.
Baimu arrived in front of the spiral staircase, and he couldn't help but turn back to look at the grinning Ghost-type Pokémon, suddenly finding their peculiar smiles somewhat cute.
"...Thank you, here, this is for you guys."
He thought for a moment and pulled out some cans of Poké Block from his bag, placing them on the ground.
Though it's uncertain whether they can go to the outside world, things like Poké Blocks are certainly not a common snack. They can't fill their stomachs but are nice to try for novelty's sake.
Baimu nodded politely and took step by step towards the top of the tower.
The surrounding area was still so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of you.
It seems that after nightfall, the walls lose their ability to emit light, making him suspect that these things might absorb sunlight through outer walls during the day to illuminate inside.
"Good thing I brought a flashlight."
He turned to speak to the Hydreigon, while below in the fully enveloped darkness of the twelfth floor, voices of commotion began to rise.
Are they fighting?
Probably.
Baimu was confident in the Poké Blocks he'd made. Even if they weren't as exaggerated as glowing dishes, causing a bunch of Wild Pokémon who hadn't had good food for many years to scramble was quite normal.
Hopefully, it won't get too crazy, or else the Poké Blocks offered as gratitude would turn into trouble, and that would be really embarrassing.
He raised his flashlight upward and finally could see the faint traces of the tower's top.
What should he say when he sees Rayquaza? Should he follow the words Xijana told him? In case the recent commotion angered Rayquaza, should he run or just take a beating...
While lost in his own thoughts.
He arrived at the top-level exit leading outside the tower.
A faint starlight bathed Baimu's face, with no doubt, the star-studded night sky was already sparkling, and the pale moon hovered over the night above.
Hope Rayquaza hasn't fallen asleep yet.
He gently sniffed, detecting a faint yet existent odor—a smell of ozone.
Rayquaza usually lives in the ozone layer, rarely descending to the earth. Whenever it comes down to rest on the Pillar of the Sky, it always envelops itself tightly with a layer of ozone.
Therefore, this faint smell equates indefinitely with its identification marker.
But when Baimu fully reached the top and laid eyes on the empty scene on the Triangular Altar atop the long steps, he was taken aback.
...Where's the dragon?
Such a massive dragon, where did it go in the middle of the night if it's not home, eating?
The Dragapult gradually revealed itself, its confused gaze colliding with Baimu's and Hydreigon's equally puzzled expressions, "Waddles?"
"You ask me, I don't know either..."
He looked around the night sky speechlessly, confirmed Rayquaza wasn't playing nearby, and then called Xijana below, even deliberately stretching his head out to look down over the edge.
Faintly, it seemed like he could see a bit of firelight.
Click.
The call was connected.
Xijana's voice was crisp and clear, "What happened? During the trial, it's best not to casually make calls, it's very sacred—"
"I'm standing on the top of the tower, getting cold wind blown, and there's no Dragon God."
Baimu interjected.
The other end went quiet all of a sudden.
Moments later, Xijana carefully asked, "Are you sure you're on the top of the tower? Not in an illusion?"
"I can have Hydreigon fly down to prove it." He tightened his coat, as it was really quite cold atop the Pillar of the Sky, combined with the extreme altitude. Rayquaza, who's four times weaker to Ice, should find such cold quite unbearable.
Could it be that ozone has a thermal insulation function?
Xijana on the phone: "..."
Baimu said, "What should I do now? Wait for it?"
Xijana said vaguely, "It doesn't make sense... waiting probably won't work, once the Dragon God leaves the Pillar of the Sky, it's very possible it could fly to other regions and not return for a week or two."
Other regions... went to Alola to play games with Minior, right? Or to fend off invading extraterrestrial Deoxys.
He plopped down on the steps, once again asked, "So what now, am I passing, Inheritor?"
Xijana replied, "...How about this, I'll teach you a way to try and summon it."
"Summon?"
"Yes, you should be on the altar now, right? This place is called the Dragon-Summoning Altar, walk to the center, hold the Key Stone in your hand and follow my chant."
With Xijana's guidance, Baimu walked to the center of the altar, holding the Key Stone, and made a sincere prayer pose, murmuring softly.
"O Sacred Stone and Noble Soul, please grant me strength..."
"I am willing to use my flesh and blood to initiate this sacred ritual!"
Once the words were said.
The Key Stone in his hand immediately emitted a brilliant light, and a mysterious thrill surged into his heart.
It works!
Baimu looked shocked, yet Xijana's voice in the phone hadn't paused, so he just continued repeating.
"May you descend upon the mortal world to save the beings of dawn!"
"Endlessly thankful, I pledge my life to you!"
This is... the prayer once recited by the Meteor People standing on the Legendary Giant Stone asking Rayquaza to stop the battle of the Super Ancient Pokémon?
The content is a bit straightforward, surprisingly it's not in the old, lyrical stylistic phrases.
Holding the glowing Key Stone, he looked up to the sky, his eyes filled with anticipation, because he suddenly recalled that in the game, Xijana seemed to summon Rayquaza this way.
Xijana on the phone didn't hang up, the occasional sounds of tense breathing indicating her uncertainty about whether they could actually summon Rayquaza.
But Baimu believed.
As the emerald light from the sky sprinkled down, he naturally became more excited.
Rayquaza!
It's coming!
As if confirming his call, a small black dot at the horizon rapidly enlarged, even though it was far away and shrouded in the night, he could still see the dragon-like silhouette.
In a daze, his ears picked up the long roar of Rayquaza.
"Aang——"
Xijana seemed to hear the roar too, her breathing immediately became clear and rapid, "Did Rayquaza come?"
"It's here, it's here!"
Baimu responded excitedly, his eyes never leaving the sky, shouting, "Your method actually works! I feel like I'm about to ace my trial... huh?"
"What happened? Something else came up?" Upon hearing his "huh", Xijana quickly asked.
"Nothing really, it's just... I feel like the color doesn't seem quite right."
Baimu whispered, the figure of the "Dragon God" Rayquaza descending with its shadowy form already clear—its golden dragon eyes gleamed down, making him freeze.
"Oh my, summoned the wrong one."