The journey, however, wasn't smooth.

  Dragonite's first destination was the open sea where it had first glimpsed Rayquaza. The night sky was dotted with clouds, the full moon hung high above, and the o stretched out, calm and serene. Occasionally, ripples disturbed the water's surface, but peace quickly returned.

  There was no typhoon here. No sign of Rayquaza, either.

  Dragonite squinted, recalling the breathtaking image of Rayquaza s through the skies. Determined, it fpped its wings harder and climbed higher.

  The dragon asded past the clouds, reag the vast and quiet dome of the atmosphere.

  Flying swiftly, Dragonite scoured the skies, hoping to catch even a hint of Rayquaza's presence. But after what felt like cirg half the phere was still no sign of the legendary Pokémon. Frustration began to seep in.

  "Awoo…" (Where could Rayquaza-senpai be?)

  Just as Dragonite was ready to abandon the seard return to the ranch, a sudden gust of wind sparked an idea.

  Storm buns!

  After eating it, Dragonite had learo sehe world through the flow of air currents. Could that teique help locate Rayquaza?

  Eagerly, Dragonite closed its eyes and focused, letting the breeze guide its senses. Minutes passed. Then hours. The night began to wane.

  Suddenly, Dragonite's eyes shot open.

  The wind carried a distind powerful aura from the northeast—familiar and unmistakable. Dragonite's heart raced as it set its course, wings beating with renewed determination.

  As daroached, the sky began to blush with hues of red while the other half remained cloaked in darkness. Flying through thick clouds, Dragonite emerged uhe vast blue dome of the upper sky. The silence was almost deafening.

  Ahead, an expanse of white clouds stretched endlessly. And on one of those clouds, curled up and motionless, was a sleek, pitch-shiny dragon-like figure with eyes shut tight.

  It was Rayquaza—the legendary savior of the world.

  Dragonite's eyes sparkled with awe aement. It hurried forward, eager to greet the hero.

  Sensing an intruder, Rayquaza stirred. Its golden eyes opened, log ontoh a pierg gaze.

  A surge of energy radiated from Rayquaza, and its overwhelming presence filled the air like a thuorm. The pressure was immense as if the skies themselves bowed to Rayquaza's might.

  Dragonite hesitated, trembling uhe weight of the aura, but it gathered its ce and spoke in a shaky but respectful tone:

  "Awoo?" (Rayquaza-senpai? Don't ynize me?)

  Rayquaza was now fully awake. It gazed at the Pokémon before it, tilting its head in mild fusion at Dragonite's words.

  Dragoepped forward eagerly and began to expin: "Awooo awooo!" (I'm Dragonite! We met st year during the typhoon! Remember me?)

  Rayquaza paused, its golden eyes narrowing slightly as it sifted through its memories. After a moment, an image emerged—a determined Dragotling fiercely against the eye of a raging typhoon, its body battered and bruised by the violent winds, yet refusing to give up.

  At the time, Rayquaza had been impressed by the Dragonite's perseverance, enough to linger and observe it for a while.

  After recalling the moment, Rayquaza nodded and asked, "Rayyq?" (Why have you e to see me?)

  When Dragonite realized it had been reized, its excitement bubbled over. It quickly nded on the mystical, swirling cloud below Rayquaza and began expining its purpose.

  "Awooo awooo!" (Naoki told us the story of how you, Rayquaza-senpai, defeated Groudon and Kyogre and saved the world! So we came here to meet you!)

  Dragonite's voice was filled with reverend admiration.

  "Awooo!" (Rayquaza-senpai is the hero who saved the world!)

  Rayquaza blinked, momentarily stunned. It hadn't expected this.

  Still, it could sehat the Pokémon before it had no malicious i. Their presence wasn't an invasion but rather an i desire to meet it.

  Before Rayquaza could respond, Dragonite rummaged in its delivery bag and pulled out three Poké Balls. With a series of fshes, three more Pokémon appeared above the clouds: Ogerpon, Butterfree, and Cyclizar.

  The group collectively turheir gaze toward Rayquaza, standing tall and majestic against the backdrop of endless sky. Thoughts of the great hero from Naoki's tale filled their minds, and their expressions overflowed with awe.

  "Oge?" (This is Rayquaza, the dragon who saved the world? Incredible!) Ogerpon's eyes sparkled as it added, "Pon!" (You're so amazing!)

  Cyclizar raised its head, staring ily at Rayquaza. Its voice was filled with quiet admiration: "Gaaao…" (So powerful…)

  Butterfree, overwhelmed by Rayquaza's anding presence, could only hover silently, its wings quivering.

  Dragonite joined ihusiastically: "Awooo!" (Yes, it's really incredible!)

  The flurry of admiration and the wide-eyed stares made Rayquaza pause. For the first time, it felt a warmth it had never experienced—pure, unfiltered adoration. These Pokémon gehought it was amazing.

  Rayquaza's stern demeanor softened, and it let out a tented growl. Its grumpiness dissipated as it happily said:

  "Rayq." (That was a long time ago. I merely answered the humans' prayers and stepped in to stop Groudon and Kyogre.)

  "Wow!" The group gasped in unison, their admiration reag new heights.

  Enced by their response, Rayquaza let out a hearty ugh. Ohe barrier of formality broke, it began reting its past in vivid detail, much to the delight of its audience.

  Dragonite and Cyclizar listened with rapt attention, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

  Dragohoughts raced: Rayquaza-senpai is incredible! Even Groudon and Kyogre together couldn't match its power. One day, I'll bee a dragon just like Rayquaza-senpai!

  Cyclizar, who usually stayed posed, couldn't hide its amazement: Rayquaza is so incredible… truly unmatched.

  Butterfree, the most timid of the group, stood at the back, uo speak. It listened silently, entranced by every word of the legendary Pokémon's tale.

  Ogerpon, bolder and more outgoing, occasionally interrupted with curious questions. "Pon?" (What move did you use to defeat Groudon and Kyogre?).

  Rayquaza patiently answered each question the Pokémon asked, expining its teiques with pride. For example, its most powerful move was called the Dragon Ast.

  "When I unleash this move," Rayquaza expined, "my body bees a bzing green streak that pierces the heavens."

  Not tent with just describing it, Rayquaza decided to demonstrate for its audie shot through the sky with astonishing speed, leaving a radiant trail that split the m clouds. The Pokémon watg below were awestruck, their faces refleg pure admiration.

  As the sky began thten, the Pokémon became so engrossed in Rayquaza's stories and demonstrations that they pletely fot about returning to the ranch before dawn.

  Paldea Region, Kosaji Town, Naoki Ranch.

  With the first rays of sunlight spilling over the horizon, Naoki stirred awake, ready to tackle another day of work. However, as he stepped outside, he was greeted by an arming sight: several Pokémon were missing!

  Panicked, Naoki quickly sed the rand began ting. His heart sank as he firmed the missing Pokémon: Dragonite, Cyclizar, Butterfree, and Ogerpon.

  "Oh no!" Naoki excimed, his mind rag with possibilities. "Could some terrifying Pokemon have snuto the ranch st night and stolen them?"

  Standing nearby, Koraido out a quiet sigh, clearly unimpressed. "Raao…" (You're overthinking it.)

  Naoki caught Koraidon's expression and immediately suspected it knew something. Grabbing a handful of transtion seeds, he munched on them and turo Koraidon. "Alright, spill it. What happened?"

  Koraidon rolled its eyes but finally relented: "Raao… Raao." (They went to find Rayquaza.)

  "???"

  Naoki froze, staring at Koraidon in disbelief. "They… went to find Rayquaza?"

  Koraidon nodded relutly.

  Naoki's mind immediately fshed to the story he had shared about Rayquaza the previous night. "Those Pokémon…" He groaned, pressing a hand to his forehead. "They actually believed it and ran off to find it!"

  He paused and asked, "Who started this? Who vinced even Cyclizar to go along with such a wild idea?"

  Koraidoated, clearly torween loyalty and hoy.

  Naoki squinted suspiciously. "It was Dragonite, wasn't it?"

  Based on the personalities of the Pokémon involved, Naoki deduced the truth. Cyclizar, ever loyal, would never have left on its own. Butterfree wasn't brave enough to lead su escapade. Koraidon was still here. That left only one culprit.

  With a resigned sigh, Naoki turned and ied the Poké Ball raside the house. Sure enough, three Poké Balls were missing.

  "Smart little troublemaker," he muttered. "Used Poké Balls to carry the ones who 't fly."

  ...

  Above the Clouds.

  As the sun climbed higher into the sky, Cyclizar finally snapped out of its excited daze. The realization hit it all at once, and it blurted out: "Gaaao?" (Shouldn't we be heading back by now?)

  Its words brought the others back to reality. They g the bright sun and exged worried looks.

  Dragonite, visibly relut, stood up and sighed. "Awooo!" (We should go baaoki must be worried!)

  Rayquaza, who had been quietly , tilted its head. "Raaay?" (Naoki?)

  Dragonite nodded enthusiastically. "Awooo awooo!" (That's right! Naoki is our trainer! He told us all about you st night!)

  Rayquaza's eyes softe the mention of Naoki. It hadn't realized the story of its heroic deeds had made su impression. The thought that a human saw it as a hero warmed its heart.

  As the Pokémon prepared to leave, Rayquaza hesitated. It gazed at the group, then reached into its body with its massive cws, pulling out an object.

  It was a jet-bck dragon scale, shimmering with a mystical luster.

  Rayquaza held the scale out tonite, who took it carefully. The scale felt both warm and powerful in Dragonite's grasp.

  Dragoilted its head in fusion. "Awoo?" (What is this?)

  Rayquaza rumbled, "Roar." (This is one of my shed scales. If you need me, you use it to call, and I will e.)

  ...

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