Regarding the 'fat fish' and the 'flightless lizard', Hakuya himself didn't harbor much awe or reverence toward them.
After all, he had encountered and violently elbowed them quite a few times in the randomized world.
However, reality was different from a game.
No one knew exactly how strong Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre would be in reality.
It was true that Hakuya could currently crush Champion-level Trainers, but those two super-ancient Pokémon could also casually wipe the floor with Steven. Their mighty strength as gods, coupled with their divine authorities—ruling the ocean to bring torrential rain, and ruling the land to bring severe drought—meant that even if three or four Champions banded together, they wouldn't stand a chance against them.
Therefore, this was the reason Hakuya specifically came to the Sky Pillar to find Rayquaza.
If Floragato and the others could beat them, great. If they couldn't, he could let the Mega-green-caterpillar clean up and suppress them.
But now, you're telling me Rayquaza has disappeared?!
Hakuya sighed, momentarily at a loss for words.
At this moment, in the very center of the Dragon Altar, Zinnia was kneeling on the ground in a W-sit. Gazing up at the twilight sky, a mournful whimper like a small, wounded animal escaped her lips, and her pupils had completely lost their usual vibrant light.
Her already wild outfit became even more erotic due to this posture.
Her plump, round, slender, and lustrous thighs were dirtied by the dust on the ground. Her fair, tender leg flesh, stained with dirt, actually carried a uniquely alluring charm. Hidden beneath her dragon-shaped cape, her youthful, peach-like hips—as full and ripe as a full moon—pressed against the ground, outlining an incredibly fleshy, voluptuous curve.
For a Draconid, there was nothing more terrifying than the disappearance of Rayquaza.
After all, through generations of inheritance over thousands of years, Rayquaza had become the spiritual totem of faith in the hearts of every Draconid. For Zinnia, a young girl who devoutly worshipped the Lord Dragon God, this was especially true.
"Ugh..."
The girl covered her face with her hands and let out a wail of despair.
Without Rayquaza, everything would unfold exactly like the legends.
No, it might be even worse.
The battle between Groudon and Kyogre over energy couldn't be stopped, and the Hoenn region would only be forced to endure the baptism of disaster time and time again.
The impending meteor crisis in the near future also couldn't be resolved. A meteorite more terrifying and massive than any mentioned in the legends would crash down. If it wasn't destroyed in advance, the entire world would be completely annihilated by the impact.
"What's wrong? Just because the Lord Dragon God's aura disappeared and you can't sense it, you feel like the sky is falling?"
Right at this moment, a familiar, gentle voice rang in her ear.
Hakuya could fully understand Zinnia's devotion to Rayquaza.
Although he wasn't a Draconid, he understood that the sudden disappearance of a spiritual totem they had worshipped for so long would inevitably be hard to accept, let alone the fact that Rayquaza had always existed as a savior from the Draconids' perspective.
"There's no need to be so pessimistic. Maybe Rayquaza hasn't disappeared. Maybe it just flew to some other corner of outer space and is secretly observing us from there..."
Hakuya patted the wild girl's shoulder.
"And right now, facing Groudon and Kyogre—who are about to awaken again and bring severe destruction to the Hoenn region—even an ordinary Trainer like me is running around and fighting. So shouldn't you be doing the same, Zinnia?"
"Mhm..."
"As a Draconid who proudly calls herself a descendant of Rayquaza, you can't possibly be so weak that just because the so-called 'Lord Dragon God' isn't here, you think all is lost, that nothing can be stopped, and that you can't even go on living, right?"
"If that's the case, then I think even if Rayquaza does return, it highly likely wouldn't acknowledge a believer like that, right?"
"Hah~"
Zinnia's cheeks flushed slightly red from Hakuya's words.
It had to be said, this provocation tactic was highly effective against this wild girl.
Indeed, rather than wallowing in despair here because of the Lord Dragon God's disappearance, it was better to use her own power to protect the place she loved. Whether it was stopping the battle between Groudon and Kyogre or dealing with the future meteor crisis, she had to take action.
The Draconids were never idle dreamers who merely sought the protection of so-called gods. They were pragmatists who took saving the world as their duty, willing to charge forward and try no matter how dangerous the path ahead was.
"I understand."
Zinnia bowed slightly to thank Hakuya, saying, "Thank you. What you said is absolutely right, Hakuya."
She was inherently a complete pragmatist. She was only temporarily unable to accept it because of the sudden news of Rayquaza's disappearance. Now, after Hakuya's guidance, she had regained her usual vitality.
"Rather than wallowing in self-pity, it's indeed better to take action! For the upcoming operation to stop Groudon and Kyogre's battle, relying solely on you League people probably won't be enough, right? Let me and Salamence join in too!"
"Alright."
Looking at the newly revived girl, Hakuya secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness Zinnia hadn't reached the level of madness depicted in the Pokémon Adventures manga, otherwise it would have been a real headache.
And learning that this wild girl also planned to join the interception against Groudon and Kyogre, he sincerely welcomed the idea from the bottom of his heart.
Although they hadn't found Rayquaza, recruiting a Trainer whose strength nearly rivaled the Elite Four to join the battlefield against Groudon and Kyogre—plus the group of Elite Four members and Gym Leaders Steven was gathering—would significantly increase their final odds of winning.
"By the way, is that something you dropped just now?"
Reaching out to pull the wild girl to her feet, Hakuya suddenly noticed a cylindrical object on the ground.
By the looks of it, it seemed to be a scroll that had accidentally fallen off Zinnia when she collapsed to the ground earlier?
"Ah... this is the move scroll passed down through generations by us Draconids. It records the text that allows Rayquaza to learn the move Dragon Ascent." Zinnia bent down to pick it up. As if recalling something, her fingers unconsciously traced the edges of the scroll.
Treating it like a deeply cherished treasure, she held it for a long time before continuing her explanation.
"Legend has it that Dragon Ascent has a special effect against the two super-ancient Pokémon, Groudon and Kyogre, allowing Rayquaza to maximize its inherent authority of suppression and balance. A thousand years ago, the Lord Dragon God used this move to force the two super-ancient Pokémon back into a deep slumber..."
"It's just a pity... now that the Lord Dragon God has disappeared, this scroll has also completely lost its purpose."
Finished speaking, Zinnia dejectedly handed the scroll to Hakuya, whose face was full of curiosity.
Dragon Ascent was an exclusive move that only Rayquaza could learn.
And now that Rayquaza had disappeared, not only had the faith the Draconids built over nearly a thousand years collapsed, but this Dragon Ascent scroll instantly went from being a treasured heirloom to a completely useless piece of scrap paper.
Hearing the girl's explanation, Hakuya nodded thoughtfully.
Regarding Dragon Ascent, he only knew that in the games, learning and using it allowed Rayquaza to enter its Mega Evolution form.
He didn't know that in reality, this move actually possessed a special suppressing and balancing effect against Groudon and Kyogre.
Kyogre governed the expansion of the oceans with [Primordial Sea] and Origin Pulse. Groudon governed the expansion of the land with [Desolate Land] and Precipice Blades. And Rayquaza governed the skies and balanced the former two with [Delta Stream] and Dragon Ascent. It truly was a perfect, closed loop.
Just as Hakuya curiously took the scroll and unrolled it in his hands, a notification box from the randomized system popped up.
[Dragon Ascent Scroll (Modified Version): A move scroll modified by Arceus. Its power and effects are identical to the original, but it can be learned by ANY Pokémon capable of flight. Note: Only effective for the player, Hakuya.]
Seeing the text description, Hakuya couldn't help but blank out for a moment.
He remembered the last time he obtained a modified TM was before challenging the Rustboro Gym in the randomized world, when a balding middle-aged NPC in a town house shoved a [Poltergeist] TM into his hands.
It was a pity he had never encountered a Ghost-type Pokémon that met the learning requirements in the randomized world, so that [Poltergeist] TM had been sitting in his backpack gathering dust ever since. And now, he had gained another modified item: the Dragon Ascent scroll.
Hmm... You Alpaca, have you already extended your reach from the randomized world into reality this quickly?
—Then next time, if you whip up a Dragon Dance scroll, will Garchomp finally be able to learn it?
Holding the scroll, Hakuya routinely roasted Cynthia's ace Pokémon in his mind. Then, he looked at the wild girl before him, who was once again immersed in sorrow over Rayquaza's disappearance, and spoke.
"It's not scrap paper. My Pokémon can learn the Dragon Ascent recorded on this as well."
"Although the effect highly likely won't be as strong as Rayquaza's, it can at least play a certain role when we battle Groudon and Kyogre in the future, increasing our chances of winning."
"Huh?!"
Zinnia lifted her head, looking at him with a face full of utter astonishment.
"H-How is that possible?! Don't joke around like that, Hakuya!"
Frantically waving her slender hands, the girl—who deeply believed in the legends—had the immediate thought that Hakuya was blaspheming Rayquaza's sanctity.
If it had been anyone else, and not this black-haired young man she already considered a soulmate from the bottom of her heart, she would have long since darkened her face and had Salamence blast him with a vicious [Dragon Pulse].
To this, Hakuya just smiled and shrugged, choosing not to say anything more.
Verbal explanations were naturally useless. Only truly demonstrating it would make this wild girl believe him.
Although Latias's base Attack stat wasn't very high, she at least had the [Contrary] ability. The high-power [Dragon Ascent] move would not only hit Bug-types hard but also conveniently boost her Defense and Special Defense stats.
Not to mention, it would be the perfect tool to deal with Groudon and Kyogre shortly. Learning an extra move never hurt anyone.
"La-woo~"
Latias felt her Trainer tap her head. Immediately after, a massive wave of information flooded into her mind.
Even though they couldn't read the ancient text on the scroll, with the help of the randomized system, the little jet plane was able to grasp the basics of Dragon Ascent.