With Aster's assistance, Summer challenged the Mossdeep City Gym using the new multi battle format. Though it was a tough battle against Tate's Solrock and Liza's Lunatone, Olive and Aster's Flygon, Athebyne, were able to defeat them despite their short time as teammates. The two each got their own badge, and the Draconid was able to obtain the information she requested from the Mossdeep Space Center. With it in hand, the three explore the sea-based routes but run out of leads. Will they be able to find anything related to Rayquaza's resting place in time?

Chapter 51- A Starry Mirage

After traveling on our Pokémon for a few weeks, we found temporary refuge on a small shoal along Route 130. It would have been quicker to take a ferry to Pacificdlog Town, the nearest place where the strange ozone readings were recorded, but Aster wanted to do a thorough search from Routes 126 to 130 to find any other clues. Unfortunately, that meant we kept running into some very abnormal weather.

I wiped my brow as I stared at the partly cloudy sky. I can't believe we finally found a place where the weather is normal. We've been traveling through alternating heat waves and heavy rain so often, I almost can't tell if it'll be sunny or rainy soon.

I looked at Yuki, who was healing Aurora, Momo, and Tiayi. "Do you need any help?"

She looked at me with a smile. "No, I'm okay. Thanks for offering though. How are you doing, Summer?"

"I'm fine. Though the sudden weather changes are not what I expected. Based on the latest update from Trinity, it seems Groudon and Kyogre are now trying to gain control over the region. I hope their next plan works."

The Sinnoh native twirled her wet hair. "Though it is strange that we're not experiencing it here."

"Actually, it is not strange at all," Aster replied as she approached us.

"What do you mean, Aster?"

She scanned the papers we received on Mossdeep Island. "With the calm weather here, likely due to Rayquaza's ability, Air Lock, which negates any weather… We are likely near its resting place, and this is confirmed with the ozone data."

"Oh, good!" I exclaimed. "Should we look around from the air?"

"Hm. That is an excellent idea, Summer. I recall my ancestors constructed a tower for Rayquaza, but its exact location has been lost to us."

Yuki and I were about to send out our Flying types when we noticed something strange in the air.

"Is that…fog?" Yuki asked.

The Draconid frowned as our previously clear surroundings became shrouded. "I am afraid so. It is so thick, we cannot safely travel by air or sea."

As we thought of our next move, I felt Kitakaze's presence in my necklace. She didn't speak to me, but I could make out the Suicune's silhouette amongst the low clouds.

I switched Aurora with Errol and got onto his back.

"Summer? What are you doing?" Yuki inquired.

I pointed to the shadow in the fog. "Kitakaze wants me to follow her. I…I think she knows where we need to go."

The two were startled at first, but they nodded.

"Lead the way," Aster replied as she climbed onto her Altaria.

After Yuki switched her Pokémon to Ume, we followed the running Legendary Pokémon west until we reached an island bordered by the fog. We landed on the beach, and to my surprise, Kitakaze's silhouette disappeared.

Thank you, Kitakaze.

Aster glanced around. "How strange… There is no tower here, but the fog is not covering the land. Could it be…?" Unfurling an old map from her bag, she scanned its contents. Then she gasped. "Oh my! We must be on Mirage Island!"

Yuki was confused. "Mirage Island?"

That sounds familiar… Wait… "I remember learning about it in my Hoenn Mythology class in Trainer School! It's an island that only few people have ever seen, let alone visited."

The woman nodded. "Correct, Summer. It is also known to have a wild population of Wynaut, the only one in the world, and is the original source of Liechi Berries."

"Liechi Berries?!" Yuki squealed. "They're some of the best Berries for Contests! They're sweet and spicy, with a hint of sourness."

I stroked my chin. "Uncle Alberto has always wanted to try growing rare Berries. Maybe we'll find some if we're lucky."

Suddenly, a sea of small blue Pokémon appeared on the slope above the beach. They were strange, with long flap-like arms, bulbous growths on their foreheads, and black tails with a single round eye.

[Wynaut, the Bright Pokémon. A Wynaut loves to eat sweet fruits. It cleverly picks fruits using its earlike arms. They gather in fruit gardens, drawn by the fragrance.]

"Oh my! There are so many of them!" Aster said with a shocked expression.

"Humans!" they chanted simultaneously. "Welcome!"

"Hi, Wynaut," I said, volunteering myself to be the translator. "We're looking for the ancient Pokémon Rayquaza and were led here to this island. Do you know anything about it?"

The Bright Pokémon whispered amongst themselves until their leader, a purple Wynaut wearing a wreath of vines around his head, emerged from the group.

"You must be talking about the green sky protector, young human. Our ancestors have seen him fly amongst the clouds, though his visits have been less frequent as of late. Your friend, the one with hair the same color as me, appears to be related to the ancient humans who visited our clan many moons ago."

Thinking his response was strange, I conveyed the leader's words to Aster.

The Draconid stoked her chin. "So the Draconids have visited Mirage Island before." She then asked the Wynaut leader, "Have my ancestors left anything on your island?"

The shiny Pokémon nodded and motioned us to follow him. We followed the Psychic types to a cave at the center of the island. The leader whispered something to a fellow Wynaut, separated from his clan, and led us inside. It was dark, but the Wynaut used Mirror Coat as a light source, allowing us to see our surroundings.

There was a carved altar with statuettes of a serpent-like creature and polished emeralds dotted around it. What caught Aster's attention was a tablet with etched writing and a picture of a tower under some dots.

"We have tried to decipher those strange things on that rock since those ancient humans left it here, but our efforts have been fruitless," said the exasperated Wynaut leader.

"Can you read it, Aster?" Yuki asked.

"Yes, though some of the symbols are faded…" After carefully translating the symbols onto a piece of paper, her eyes widened. "I-Is this true?"

My heart skipped. "What does it say?"

Aster cleared her throat. "'After the battle between — Groudon and — Kyogre, we, the Draconids, have discovered the resting place of our savior, who we now call Lord Rayquaza. It is a lonely island, unfit for the Pokémon who saved our home from ruin. So, to pay our respect and appreciation to Lord Rayquaza, we have constructed a tower where he can rest closer to the sky. We have named it: Sky Pillar.'"

"That must be the place we've been looking for!" I surmised. "Does it say where the tower is located?"

Aster frowned. "Unfortunately, no. It must be because they wanted to keep its location a secret. Still, I wish they left us a clue."

As we scanned the tablet, I felt a cold sensation coming from my necklace. I rubbed the beryl stone, and I caught a sparkle of light on the carved stone.

"The dots…" I murmured. I traced the etching pattern and gasped.

"What is it, Summer?" the Draconid asked.

"This pattern… It has the same orientation as the Teddiursa constellation, which contains the Little Dipper."

"The Little Dipper… Wait, are you saying that…?"

I nodded. "That constellation includes the North Star, which means it's telling us to use the stars to obtain the directions."

"But it's still daylight," Yuki pointed out. "It'll be another couple of hours until nighttime."

"That's right… But I wonder…could the Draconids have found another way for us to chart our path using the stars?"

The Wynaut leader's mouth dropped. "I…I know the answer!"

He hopped onto the platform and created a stronger Mirror Coat. The room instantly flashed with light as the holes dotted on the ceiling absorbed the energy. Then, only the dots remained illuminated, revealing a map of the starry night sky.

"Incredible…" Aster said in amazement. "I know my people are skilled in astronomy, but this is still quite extraordinary." She found the Little Dipper amongst the carved Teddiursa constellation and said, "So that's north. And those orbs on the cave walls must be the sun and moon, corresponding to west and east, respectively… In that case…"

The Draconid then noticed a Wynaut-shaped carving on the ceiling. "If that's where we are, then the tower should be…there!" She pointed to a constellation with strange indentations.

I recognized it and said, "The Rayquaza constellation…I guess that should've been obvious."

Aster chuckled. "Indeed, although the stars have shifted since this map was created."

"Will we be able to find Sky Pillar then?" Yuki asked.

"I have an idea where it is, but we will need to wait for nightfall."

The Wynaut leader said, "Then at least stay with us until then. My clan has been gathering fresh Liechi Berries for all of us to enjoy."

Smiling, I replied, "Thank you, Wynaut. That's very kind of you."

After letting Aster know of the leader's offer, we had dinner with the wild Pokémon until the first stars appeared in the darkening sky. The Wynaut allowed us to keep the remaining Berries before they disappeared into the forest.

"All right, Summer and Yuki. We need to find the Rayquaza constellation. Once we do, I can then calculate the approximate location of Sky Pillar."

We looked up at the emerging constellations and after about ten minutes, I shouted, pointing to the northwest. "There it is!"

"Excellent! Then let's travel slightly more to the west of the constellation."

We ran to the beach and were about to let out our Pokémon when we saw the stars being covered by dark clouds.

"Oh no!" Yuki exclaimed. "Is it going to rain?"

The sudden downpour answered her question. To add to our bad luck, heavy gusts of wind slammed into us. We tried to brace ourselves by getting closer to the ground, but the flying sand made it hard to focus.

Suddenly, I was tossed into the water by a powerful wind. I tried to swim back to shore, but something was pulling me away. I turned around and, to my horror, saw a large whirlpool. I struggled to stay afloat, but the last thing I could see before falling into the watery depths was Aster trying to save me.

Summer's Pokémon:

Blaze (Blaziken, male): Brave Nature, Blaze Ability, moves: Fire Punch, Flamethrower, Blaze Kick, Sky Uppercut

Errol (Noctowl, male): Rash Nature, Keen Eye Ability, moves: Psychic, Hypnosis, Air Slash, Heat Wave

Aurora (Dewgong, female): Calm Nature, Thick Fat Ability, moves: Water Pulse, Ice Beam, Aqua Tail, Signal Beam

Lightning (Raichu, female): Adamant Nature, Static Ability, moves: Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Thunder Punch, Grass Knot

Rocky (Steelix, male): Lonely Nature, Rock Head Ability, moves: Stone Edge, Crunch, Dragonbreath, Iron Tail

Olive (Grovyle, female): Timid Nature, Overgrow Ability, moves: Fury Cutter, Double Team, Leaf Blade, Quick Attack

Yuki's Pokémon:

Momo (Wartortle, male): Quiet Nature, Torrent Ability, moves: Water Pulse, Rapid Spin, Blizzard, Aqua Tail

Ume (Swellow, female): Adamant Nature, Guts Ability, moves: Steel Wing, Wing Attack, Double Team, Swift

Ichigo (Minun, male): Sassy Nature, Minus Ability, moves: Discharge, Encore, Helping Hand, Rollout

Kiui (Jumpluff, female): Jolly Nature, Chlorophyll Ability, moves: Sunny Day, Silver Wind, Solarbeam, Giga Drain

Mikan (Quilava, male): Bold Nature, Blaze Ability, moves: Facade, Flame Wheel, Brick Break, Smokescreen

Koko (Vaporeon, female): Rash Nature, Water Absorb Ability, moves: Rain Dance, Haze, Iron Tail, Water Pulse

Questions for the Chapter:

What did you think of Mirage Island?

What are the obscured symbols referring to?

Will Aster be able to save Summer in time?