Up until now, Chen Shi had been preoccupied with one thing—what if Groudon and Kyogre clashed? He had been desperate to contact Rayquaza in advance, just in case.
But he had overlooked something important.
Rayquaza was not like Mew.
It wasn't some gentle, playful Pokémon.
It was the sovereign of the skies—one of the strongest legendary Pokémon in existence.
Its temper alone could light a fire.
Chen Shi still remembered an old animated record: when Deoxys descended to Earth searching for its kin, Rayquaza didn't bother listening. It attacked first and asked questions never.
Rayquaza did not reason.
If Chen Shi summoned it merely to confirm its stance…
It was entirely possible he'd be greeted with a Hyper Beam.
That realization left him troubled.
Just then, Mew glanced at him, a hint of anticipation in its eyes.
"Mew~"
(If you promise to keep giving me delicious ice cream—and those energy cubes—I'll take you to the sky to find that big green worm. Deal?)
Chen Shi blinked. "You know where Rayquaza is? You can take me there?"
Mew lifted its chin proudly.
(Ask me about other legends and I might not know. But that big green worm is different. It sleeps in the same place all day. I can take you to it.)
Chen Shi froze.
Then his eyes flared.
"You've been following me this whole time. You know exactly what I've been busy with."
"And you knew where Rayquaza was?"
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"
"I've been running around everywhere trying to solve this!"
Mew turned its head away, slightly guilty.
Of course it knew what Chen Shi had been doing.
It simply hadn't said anything.
Mew had been observing.
It wanted to see how far Chen Shi would go. Whether he was responsible enough.
After all, Mew would need his help eventually.
The World Tree's crisis was approaching—that much it could feel.
If Chen Shi proved unreliable, Mew would have to reconsider its plans.
But after watching him these past few days—running around tirelessly over Groudon and Kyogre—Mew had come to a conclusion.
He was still weak.
But he was dependable.
Perfect to serve as the World Tree's guardian.
Naturally, Mew wasn't about to say any of that out loud.
"Mew~"
(You never asked me.)
Chen Shi: ...
He couldn't argue with that.
It was technically true.
But for some reason, he was still irritated.
Finally, he sighed. "Even if you take me there, you said Rayquaza is sleeping. Won't it get angry if we disturb it?"
Summoning it with the Jade Orb was one thing—that was an item Rayquaza had left behind a thousand years ago.
But flying straight into the ozone layer?
That sounded like trespassing.
Wasn't that even more likely to get him blasted?
Mew rolled its eyes.
"Mew~"
(Relax. If I go, even if that big green worm has a bad temper, it won't attack.)
Chen Shi narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
He had learned enough about Mew's personality by now.
A mischievous foodie with questionable morals.
And it expected him to believe it had that kind of pull?
This wasn't something to take lightly.
They were talking about Rayquaza.
Mew grew indignant under his stare.
"Mew~"
(You dare doubt Lord Mew?!)
Chen Shi remained silent, copying Dragapult's signature shadowy glare.
The human and the pink cat stared each other down.
Eventually, Mew deflated.
"Mew~"
(I coexist with the World Tree.)
Chen Shi blinked.
Of course.
Mew shared a symbiotic bond with the World Tree.
In a sense, harming Mew meant offending the World Tree itself.
With that relationship in place, as long as Mew didn't do anything reckless, most legendary Pokémon wouldn't lay a hand on it.
Not out of respect for Mew—
But out of respect for the World Tree.
That explained its confidence.
Chen Shi gave it a sideways look.
So that's your trump card.
Borrowing the World Tree's prestige, huh?
Still, that was fine.
It saved him the trouble of researching how to activate the Jade Orb.
"When do we leave?"
The thought of meeting Rayquaza stirred excitement in him.
Mocked as the "Flying Green Caterpillar" or not, Rayquaza stood at the pinnacle of the Pokémon world.
An absolute powerhouse.
He had only seen it through records before.
Now he was about to see it in person.
Mew's eyes suddenly sparkled.
Without warning, the world blurred.
In the next instant, both of them appeared outside.
Teleport.
Before Chen Shi could react, psychic energy surged outward, enveloping him.
They shot skyward.
"Whoa—!"
That was all he managed before the ground shrank beneath him.
In the backyard, the rest of the Pokémon and Cynthia stared as Chen Shi rapidly became a tiny black dot in the sky.
None of them understood what had just happened.
...
Within Mew's psychic barrier, they ascended higher and higher.
At first, the moment his feet left the ground, Chen Shi felt intense discomfort.
The sensation of suspension sent a wave of instinctive unease through him.
His body felt out of control.
Wind roared past his ears in sharp, piercing gusts.
It took a while before he adjusted and forced his eyes open.
Clouds drifted around them.
Below, the cities of Hoenn appeared tiny—mere specks against the earth.
Soon, they reached the ozone layer.
Mew stopped ascending and paused briefly, as if orienting itself.
Then it flew in a specific direction.
After some time, Chen Shi spotted something ahead.
A floating landmass, suspended within the ozone layer.
It wasn't large—about the size of a small island.
Fragments of stone littered its surface, irregular in shape and size.
They didn't look like ordinary rock.
They looked like meteorites.
And at the very center of that barren land—
A massive green dragon coiled in slumber.
Chen Shi recognized it instantly.
The reason he had come.
The leader of Hoenn's legendary trio—
Rayquaza.
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL