The alternate-colored Rayquaza landed at the top of the Pillar of the Sky.
Baimu climbed down and thanked it, "Thank you for bringing me back... Should I head down now?"
He kept an eye on the expression of the alternate-colored Rayquaza as he spoke, to avoid the possibility of it preventing him from leaving after reaching the destination.
Fortunately, the alternate-colored Rayquaza didn't seem to resist his departure.
Silence.
Plus observation.
The standard setup of the alternate-colored Rayquaza.
As much as Baimu felt relieved, an inexplicable minor melancholy arose in his heart, yet this little emotion came and went quickly, like a thought surfacing with the wind and vanishing just the same.
He shook his head, released Hydreigon, and swiftly descended down the outer wall of the Pillar of the Sky, avoiding an encounter with those Ghost-type Pokémon inside.
Reaching the bottom of the tower.
Xijana surprisingly hadn't left; she was sitting on a tree stump with a monocle on her nose, holding a Whismur with one hand and reading a book.
Salamence was coiling nearby, taking a nap.
For Dragon-type Pokémon, long periods of sleep are quite usual; spending a day and night asleep, or even a year if the conditions are right, is nothing uncommon.
The instant Baimu approached, Salamence lifted its head, and Xijana turned her head to look as well.
"Oh! You're finally back!" Her eyes suddenly flashed with light before calming down.
"I was only gone for one night... were you originally nearsighted?"
He was quite surprised by her attire; the glasses softened Xijana's originally wild aura, even adding a bit of scholarly vibe.
"Just a mild astigmatism."
Xijana didn't want to talk more about this and turned her gaze to the top of the Pillar of the Sky, "Is 'it' still there?"
Baimu replied, "It should be. It approached me out of curiosity, and without clarifying what it wanted to know, it likely won't leave."
Xijana's brows instantly furrowed.
It was evident she was displeased with the behavior of the alternate-colored Rayquaza, considering it was inappropriate to intrude. The Pillar of the Sky was built by the Meteor People as gratitude to the Hoenn Rayquaza, so how could other Rayquazas just reside there?
"Uh, I apologize, I'll try to get it to leave soon."
Baimu took the blame on himself, yet the other party shook her head.
"I know it's not your fault, it's just a pity you barely passed the fundamental test..."
"Who wouldn't agree?"
He sighed along, thinking if the Rayquaza didn't acknowledge him, it's understandable, but spending all that effort with the examiner absent seemed pointless.
There ought to be some reward for the effort spent.
The two exchanged a few simple words.
Xijana shifted the topic back to the test, and said, "In that case, let's come back next time — when you've shaken off the alternate-colored Rayquaza, and I've confirmed the Dragon God Rayquaza is up there."
Clearly, she still hoped Baimu would become an Inheritor and share the responsibility of continuing the lineage of the Meteor People with her.
This insistence made the latter raise an eyebrow, and after some consideration, he did not refuse, "Alright! I'll wait for your notification!"
Since Xijana didn't mind him interacting with the "Outer God," becoming an Inheritor didn't seem like an issue; after all, an extra title wouldn't hurt.
When he returns to Ore, whether he wants to or not, once he begins to spread roots there, he'll surely be deemed as half an Inheritor.
After all, he's doing it anyway.
Might as well make it official.
"..."
Xijana didn't expect Baimu to agree so quickly, feeling an unexplainable relief, thankful that the latter wasn't bewitched by the distinctive-colored guy and bore any disrespect toward the Dragon God Rayquaza.
Being willing to meet the Dragon God Rayquaza a second time was already a clear statement.
"Let's conclude the test here, please... try to persuade the alternate-colored Rayquaza to leave soon, as this sky ultimately belongs to the Dragon God Rayquaza."
Xijana was also worried about the two Rayquazas meeting and realized she needed to rely on Baimu to drive away the alternate-colored Rayquaza, so she mentioned it.
Baimu nodded upon hearing this and said, "I was thinking the same, I'll go now."
Xijana: "Alright."
He bid farewell to Whismur and Salamence, mounted Hydreigon again, and returned to the top of the tower, just in time to come face to face with the alternate-colored Rayquaza peeking over the edge.
The way it stood on its hind legs, peering over the wall, reminded him of the past Hydreigon.
"!?"
Divine beasts acting cute, this is over the top!
Baimu landed to the side, took a deep breath, and prepared for a second heart-to-heart interaction.
Verbal persuasion was too inefficient; by directly opening up and showing it his concerns, the alternate-colored Rayquaza likely wouldn't be too hard on him.
He placed his hand on the approaching alternate-colored Rayquaza.
The Divine Heart doesn't particularly require touching the head; other parts are fine, though touching the head helps with eye contact.
In the golden consciousness space.
He communicated again with the alternate-colored Rayquaza, and the latter was extremely delighted, seemingly waiting for this moment for quite some time.
And when their communication ended, the Rayquaza exhibited a look of mild disappointment, as if delving into his past and thoughts was particularly amusing.
Oh well.
Admittedly, observing stories could be interesting, but being perceived as mere entertainment is less enjoyable.
"Phew..."
The alternate-colored Rayquaza exhaled a puff of air, slightly lowering its head.
Baimu watched its polite gesture of inviting him aboard, and he was momentarily silent.
Question:
Is it normal for the alternate-colored Rayquaza to actively invite people onto its back? Waiting online, quite urgently.
Answer:
Whether it's normal or not, just hop on.
Being someone who cherishes every opportunity to ride a dragon, Baimu decisively climbed onto Rayquaza's back, although unsure of where this creature intended to take him, there was still some time before the Mikoli Club.
Once they arrive, he planned to find a chance for Milotic to practice.
He made up his mind secretly, and as customary, the alternate-colored Rayquaza raised its head and roared, soaring into the sky like a diving dragon, accelerating to a hundred kilometers per hour in just a few seconds.
At the bottom of the Pillar of the Sky.
Upon hearing the roar, Xijana sighed in relief, yet she still didn't leave.
She intended to wait for the return of the Dragon God Rayquaza, to see if the alternate-colored Rayquaza's lingering presence would provoke it, and, if needed, remind Baimu.
To her fellow kin, the latter, she felt somewhat helpless.
To be entangled by the alternate-colored Rayquaza to this extent—hard to say if that's a blessing or a curse.
——
High above.
Baimu found himself almost getting accustomed to this mode of transportation.
But what puzzled him was that the alternate-colored Rayquaza didn't seem to plan to leave the Hoenn Region, as if something on the Hoenn Continent still captivated it.
What's up?
Do you really intend to pick a fight with the Hoenn Rayquaza?
Baimu thought he had made it quite clear in their heart-to-heart communication, hoping the alternate-colored Rayquaza wouldn't clash with the Hoenn Rayquaza... if the latter doesn't listen, he really wouldn't be able to help it.
Rationally speaking, the alternate-colored Rayquaza doesn't seem like the type of Pokémon that likes to provoke others recklessly.
But looking at it another way, if it finds battling the Hoenn Rayquaza an intriguing thing, especially when he constantly mentioned wanting to avoid conflict during the heart-to-heart.
It might just pick a fight for fun.
If so, that would be a huge mistake on his part!
"..."
Baimu slightly twitched the corner of his mouth, leaned back, and squeezed into the embrace of his clinging Hydreigon, using its middle head as a hat to keep warm.
He decided to calm down a bit.
Things might not be as he imagined; the reason the alternate-colored Rayquaza didn't leave could be due to some other purpose.
He persuaded himself silently.
After half an hour.
In the skies over a sea area near Hoenn.
Baimu gazed in amazement as the terrifying thunderstorm drew closer, hearing not just thunder but also roaring from within, and a quirky thought popped into his mind.
This guy...
Could it be searching for the Legendary Giant Stone?
His heart skipped a beat, but thinking about it, considering Rayquaza's ability to Super Evolve on its own through the Emperor's Organ, it seems finding the Legendary Giant Stone brimming with latent energy would be the only thing attracting it.
However.
Looking for the Legendary Giant Stone isn't a problem.
The problem is that more than one Rayquaza is searching for it—the territory owner is looking too!
Baimu stared at the thunderclouds ahead, his sense of unease reaching its peak.