After being separated from Yuki during a sudden storm, Summer and Aster found themselves in front of Sky Pillar. They climbed towards the top, and the Hoennese learned more about the Draconids' past. The two reached the Dragonhark Altar, where the Legendary Pokémon, Rayquaza, eventually arrived. But he was infuriated at their presence and demanded the Trainers to leave. Summer and Aster still tried to convince Rayquaza to help by battling him, but their Pokémon were easily defeated. The Lorekeeper is on the verge of giving up, but the Legend Guardian refuses to do so. Will Summer be able to help persuade Rayquaza before the region is destroyed?

Chapter 53- Soaring through the Past and to the Future

"Any final words before I knock you off the tower, humans?" Rayquaza said with a hint of triumph.

I gritted my teeth as I stared at the imposing Legendary Pokémon. We have to do something, but the rest of our Pokémon won't stand a chance against him!

Then, I remembered my necklace. I touched the feathers next to the beryl and citrine stones, hoping he'll come.

Tired of our silence, the Sky High Pokémon shouted, "No response from either of you… As it should be. Now, BEGONE!"

He raised his tail, ready to swat us back to the ground. I ran towards the kneeling Aster, hoping to lessen the blow. But a rose-colored blast of fire halted the Dragon type's attack.

"What the?! Was that…Sacred Fire?"

My heart jumped for joy as I looked northeast, where the attack originated from. Shrouded in a rainbow aura amongst the starry night, Ho-oh appeared and landed on the Dragonhark Altar.

"Master Ho-oh!" I greeted with a bow.

He bowed back. "I apologize for arriving late, Summer. It seems only half of the weather was agreeing with me during my flight."

"YOU!" Rayquaza roared, glaring at his fellow Legendary Pokémon. "How DARE you enter my domain, Ho-oh!"

"It is good to see you as well, Rayquaza… How long has it been now? 2,500 moons or so?"

"NOT LONG ENOUGH! I demand to know why you are here!"

The Rainbow Pokémon gave me a warm look. "Because of my Guardian, of course."

The Dragon type scoffed. "Her? I fail to see what is so special about her."

"It appears you are still out of touch with humans since that incident," Ho-oh responded, shaking his head. "You should listen to Ryūji's descendant, Rayquaza. Maybe you will learn something then."

The green Pokémon growled. "Th-That name…means nothing to me!"

Hearing her ancestor's name snapped Aster out of her trace. The Draconid stood in front of the Sky High Pokémon with a renewed sense of confidence.

"Lord Rayquaza… Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Aster, leader of the Draconids and Ryūji's descendant. I know you have made a pact with Ryūji almost 3,000 years ago. You would stop Groudon and Kyogre in exchange for my people worshiping and caring for you. But the Draconids you met…perished before they returned home, so we never knew about that pact…"

For the first time since we met him, Rayquaza flinched. "No…how could that be? Lorekeeper Ryūji…really intended to keep that promise?"

Sensing he needed more convincing, Aster grabbed my hand and guided me to the center of the altar.

"Aster, what are you-?"

"Summer! Please use your powers as the Guardian of the Legendary Beasts to show Lord Rayquaza the past events of my ancestor!"

"A-Are you sure? I've never done a retrocognition vision that far back in time before. And with more than one being next to me."

Ho-oh offered me a wing. "You have my powers at your disposal, Summer. I can aid you in providing enough energy to do so."

Nodding, I replied, "All right, I'll do it…"

I took a deep breath and touched Aster's brace and Ho-oh's right wing simultaneously. The immense powers coming from both human and Pokémon surged through my body, the force almost overwhelming me. But I was able to project the ancient vision around the four of us.

I was instantly blinded by a mix of salt spray and wind. When I was able to regain my sight, I saw people, dressed like those on the murals in Sky Pillar, trying to fly through a storm over the ocean.

"Ryūji!" a man shouted from his Altaria. "How much further is it to Meteor Falls?"

Ryūji, who looked similar to Aster but with shorter hair, gritted his teeth while trying to stay on his Salamence. "I…I hope not much further! Without Lord Rayquaza's protection and the ocean having not fully receded just yet, I cannot make out any of the landmarks!"

Aster clutched her right hand close to her heart. "My ancestors…they really were trying to return home to fulfill their promise."

"Hmph," Rayquaza scoffed. "I fail to see how that makes any difference."

I then saw a black hooded figure fly on a Pelipper towards the struggling Draconids. What a minute, is that a member of the Ditio Narratus? I can't believe they existed this long ago!

"Pelipper, Twister!"

The Water Bird Pokémon flapped his wings, creating a large twister that trapped the flying Draconids.

Almost all of them fell into the choppy waves due to exhaustion, the humans never to resurface. The only ones able to withstand the water tornado were Ryūji and his Salamence.

The Dragon Pokémon broke the Twister with a Dragon Rush, and his Trainer glared at the man hidden by the cloak.

"Who are you?!" Ryūji shouted amongst a clap of thunder. "Why did you attack us?!"

The stranger sneered. "I'm afraid I cannot let you Draconids return home. The world cannot know about the one you call Rayquaza just yet."

"You have no right to make that decision! Dorako, Dragon Pulse!"

The Salamence shot the beam, which morphed into a purple dragon.

The cloaked man sneered. "How futile. Protect, then use Ice Beam!"

The white Pokémon protected himself and his Trainer with the defensive barrier, then shot the cold blue beam at the Dragon type. To our shock, Ryūji jumped in front of his partner and took the full force of the Ice Beam.

"No!" Aster cried out.

Rayquaza, his eyes widened with fear, zoomed past us and tried to save the man. But it was pointless. The frozen human passed through the Sky High Pokémon and fell into the ocean.

"R-Ryūji!" the Legendary Pokémon screamed, trying to grab onto him floating in the waves.

"It is no use, Rayquaza," Ho-oh pointed out, glancing away from the sad scene. "A vision of what has happened cannot be changed."

The serpentine-like Pokémon roared in anguish as Ryūji's Salamence scooped up his companion. The blue Pokémon tried to fly away with an Altaria and Flygon that emerged from the water, but the ice hampered his movements.

"That's it…" the cloaked man said with an unsettling smirk. "Choose between your life…or your human's."

The Dragon Pokémon winced in pain, but then, he looked at his partner. Realizing what had to be done, he gently placed Ryūji back into the ocean then dashed toward their attackers with tears in his eyes.

"What are you-? Pelipper, stop him!"

The Water type shot another Ice Beam, but the Salamence evaded it and struck the assailant with a Thunder Fang. Pelipper recoiled, and the cloaked man fell into the water. The weather suddenly cleared up, so the Ditio Narratus member was unfortunately able to stay afloat. As the three heartbroken Dragon types continued their trek north, we returned to reality.

I looked at Aster and Rayquaza, who were quiet. Biting my lip, I turned to Ho-oh. "Master Ho-oh… Was this…the right thing to do?"

The Fire type sighed. "The past can reveal the hardest truths, Summer. But confronting that truth is how both humans and Pokémon can forge their way into the future."

"I guess that makes sense. It seems to be having that effect on Rayquaza, at least."

The Sky High Pokémon regained his composure, looking less arrogant. He bowed to Aster and said, "I…I apologize, Lorekeeper Aster… I blamed the Draconids I met in the past for something I should not have blamed humanity for."

"Ahem…" Ho-oh glared at his fellow Legendary Pokémon. "Are you forgetting someone else?"

"Of course not…" he muttered before turning to me. "I apologize to you as well, Guardian Summer. And…thank you for showing me that truth."

"Uh…sure…no problem." It feels so weird to have a Legendary Pokémon change their opinion of me so quickly.

Aster wiped away her tears and took a deep breath. "Lord Rayquaza… Thank you, and I accept your apology. Will you now help us stop Groudon and Kyogre?"

The green Pokémon nodded. "To be honest, I have sensed their awakening for a while. I was so bitter at being abandoned by humans, I was willing to let those two finally destroy the world as revenge. But now, I know that I was manipulated, and I need to re-establish myself as the ruler over the correct entities."

"Then it appears I must take my leave," the Rainbow Pokémon said with a smile. "I would hate to impose on the Guardian of the Ozone Layer."

I hugged the ruler of my Legendary Pokémon. "Thank you, Master Ho-oh. I couldn't have convinced Rayquaza without you."

"My pleasure, Summer. Until we meet again."

After Ho-oh flew back to Johto, Rayquaza knelt down to let us climb on. The Draconid got on, barely able to contain her excitement. I, on the other hand, was more hesitant.

"Is something the matter, Summer?" she asked.

"Well… This will be my first time flying on a Pokémon with no wings. I-I won't fall, will I?"

The Sky High Pokémon chuckled. "Then you better hold on tight."

Groaning internally, I climbed on too. Rayquaza shot into the air, and I gripped onto him with all the strength I could muster. We towered over his home and saw the rising sun cover half of the region. The other half was shrouded by dark storm clouds, except in a small area where it seemed ray of sun was able to pierce through.

He flicked his tail. "So that is where they are. Rune City…"

"R-Rune City?" I whimpered, trying not to stare at our surroundings below.

"Rune City was the original name of Sootopolis City, Summer," Aster answered. "It is the location of the Cave of Origin, where Groudon and Kyogre found the Red and Blue Orbs, respectively. They must have returned to that place to regain the powers they had before."

"Well, we will have to give them a rude welcome," Rayquaza responded. He zoomed towards the volcanic crater containing the historic city.

From above, we saw a chaotic scene. The Land Leviathan and the Basin Behemoth were not only fighting each other, but also three large Pokémon and several smaller ones I couldn't make out. The large Pokémon were human-like and made either of rock, ice, or steel.

Regirock, Regice, and Registeel… Weldon must've been able to find them! But it looks like they're losing.

"Lord Rayquaza!" Aster shouted. "Let us stop them once and for all!"

The Dragon type nodded and descended towards the battleground. The clouds immediately parted, and the surrounding weather became less extreme.

"CEASE YOUR FIGHTING!" Rayquaza roared, his shadow covering the lake below us.

The Ground type and Water type looked up, shocked. "M-Master Rayquaza! W-We did not expect you to return…"

"HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF ABANDONING HOENN! JUST BECAUSE I WAS NOT AROUND DOES NOT GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO DESTROY THE REGION AGAIN! I DEMAND YOU TO RETURN TO YOUR DOMAINS; FROM NOW ON, EXIT THEM ONLY AT MY COMMAND!"

The battling Legendary Pokémon cowered at their master's words. After the rivals glared at each other for what may be the last time, they began their retreat from Sootopolis City. The sky returned to normal, and the weather became more tolerable.

"That was easy enough," their ruler huffed as he landed on an island with a gigantic tree.

After we climbed off, Aster and Rayquaza exchanged some friendly words before the latter left for his home that touched the sky. The Draconid wiped her brow and watched her Pokémon patron off.

"We…we really did it… We saved Hoenn…"

I grinned, finally regaining my balance. "We really did. Thanks to you for convincing Rayquaza."

The Lorekeeper chuckled. "You convinced him better than I did, Guardian of the Legendary Beasts. Thank you, Summer."

"Well, it's the least I could do."

"Summer!" Weldon called out as he ran over.

We exchanged hugs before quickly separating. I tried to cool my flushed face as Samir, Steven, Trin, and Yuki joined us. I hugged my friends, relieved to see they also survived the near catastrophe.

"I'm glad to see you all! And congrats on finding the Regis."

My coach hid a smirk. "Same with you and Rayquaza. I didn't expect you two to arrive on him, but I'm glad you came just in time."

Then, two men, one older than the other, joined us. The older blue-eyed man, sporting a goatee, had very short dark gray hair accented with two white upright tufts, a white ascot, and a blue coat with white trim that covered his purple one-piece suit. The younger man had turquoise eyes, a white cloak and beret covering his purple and white clothes and turquoise hair, respectively.

I gasped. "It's Juan, the Sootopolis City Gym Leader, and Champion Wallace!"

The Gym Leader responded with a bow, chuckling. "It is an honor to meet the human saviors of the second calamity."

Wallace smirked. "Oh, Master Juan. But I echo my mentor's sentiments. On behalf of myself and the Pokémon League Association, I thank you for stopping the Land Leviathan and Basin Behemoth and bringing the Sky Serpent and Legendary Titans back to Hoenn."

Weldon, Aster, and I bowed. Then, I felt something light land on my head.

"Oh my!" Juan exclaimed, looking up.

A gentle shower of blue, indigo, and yellow six-petaled flowers fell from the tree. I grabbed the one that hit me, and I felt a strange power coming from its blue petals.

The Gym Leader saw my perplexed expression and explained, "I see you sense the tree's aura, Summer Scorcher."

"Can you tell me about it, Juan?"

He nodded, gently touching its bark. "This tree was planted by a man who came from a faraway region many years ago. This tree provides the power source for Mega Evolution around Hoenn and the three neighboring regions. Its fruit supposedly provides immense strength to Pokémon who eat it, but no one could prove it since it never bore any. It has only grown leaves and rarely buds. But when Groudon and Kyogre emerged from their slumbering caves, the buds bloomed for the first time. Maybe the presence of the Legendary Pokémon will make this ancient tree finally bear the rumored fruit."

"I certainly hope that it will," Aster replied. "That will definitely be added to our region's lore if proven true."

After watching more flowers blanket the nearby grass, Wallace said, "I have a surprise for you all. As an additional way to express my thanks, I have set up a small feast at the Pokémon Center. I'm sure you must be hungry from the recent events."

Our rumbling stomachs answered him, and we laughed. We headed to that said building, eager to share our stories that will be remembered many years to come.

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

Questions for the Chapter:

What did you think of Ho-oh's involvement with convincing Rayquaza?

What did you think of the vision of Aster's ancestor?

Will Summer be able to win her last Gym Badge?