CIATB Chapter 172 Rayquaza's Trail and Summoning
Chapter 172 Rayquaza's Trail and Summoning
Chapter 172 Rayquaza's Trail and Summoning
Pillar of the Sky.
Although it's an "island" in the sea, the ground here is covered in yellow sand, devoid of any greenery. A gust of wind blows, raising clumps of sand that make Gu Niu Niu at Xi Jiana's feet sneeze several times.
It made its eyes blurry, and even its rabbit-like ears stood on end in surprise.
"Twist... twist!"
"We've finally arrived... at the Sky Pillar!"
Higana stared wide-eyed at Nie Li's only building on this "island".
It was a tall tower with a triangular prism and a capital "Delta" symbol at the base. It looked quite old, with stacks of ancient bricks on its exterior, occasionally missing a section, from which a few broken bricks would be shaken down by the wind high in the sky.
This is the Sky Pillar built by the ancient Meteor People to provide a dwelling place for Rayquaza.
"It's still an unfinished building." Ze Shu noticed this.
"What...?" Higana blinked. Although she didn't understand the meaning of "unfinished building," it was undoubtedly a bad word. She immediately shouted, "This is the most solemn place for us Meteor Clan! It's the most important building!"
"And it's also the building I'm closest to, you're not allowed to say that!"
Ze Shu asked in confusion, "The most important building? But why aren't you Meteor Clan repairing it? It looks terrible."
Higana retorted, "That's called rustic! Rustic!"
"The Sky Pillar is blessed by the Dragon God's power; every brick and tile inside is unshakeable. It's not like the 'unfinished building' you described!"
Just then, from afar, a "snap" was heard.
A brick fell from a great height.
It fell to the ground and turned into powder.
Ze Shu silently glanced at the location where the bricks had been "thrown down"—the top of the Sky Pillar obscured by clouds—and then at Xi Jiana, who was arguing anxiously, without saying anything.
But it also seems like everything has been said.
Higana's face turned even redder:
"This, this!"
"This is definitely an accident!"
She said palely.
Xiao Lan covered her mouth and chuckled, then urged, "Alright, alright, since we're already here, let's hurry up and get there. Higana, are you familiar with this Sky Pillar?"
Higana raised her head and said, "Of course I know it. Let me tell you, my sister and I used to come here often when I was little. The starry sky at the very top of the Sky Pillar is beautiful. I often looked up at the stars from there!"
Xiao Lan said, "Then please lead the way, Xijiana."
Ze Shu suddenly asked, "If you come here so often, why do you still need Mikoli to lead the way?"
Higana said, "The environment outside the Sky Pillar is constantly changing, precisely to prevent outsiders from entering and disturbing Lord Dragon God's rest."
"The people of the Glass have mastered the method of calculating the road based on the external environment, but they are not proficient in it. The first time they led us astray, and it wasn't until now that they successfully brought us here."
However, only the Meteor People and those with permission are qualified to enter the Sky Pillar. Although the Glass People are tasked with guarding the entrance, they too were not granted permission to enter the tower.
Therefore, after successfully leading the way, Mikoli voluntarily took his leave.
Ze Shu blinked: "Oh."
He couldn't understand how such cumbersome and ineffective "rules" came into being and have been maintained to this day.
Heading towards the Pillar of Sky.
The Sky Pillar has no gate, and you can see right into its dusty interior.
Higana confidently took the lead:
"You'd better stick close to me! The path to the roof is complicated, and if you don't follow me, someone who knows this place very well..."
I'm afraid... Ugh!!!
All that could be heard were "click" and "boom" sounds.
The floor beneath Higana's feet suddenly shattered and collapsed. Caught off guard, she was startled and let out a short scream. Two seconds later, she was about to fall.
"Help, help... Sawaki, help me!!!"
Ze Shu: "..."
Sure enough, whatever kind of accident happened to Xijiana was exactly what was going to happen to her.
Thinking it over, he acted quickly. He released Psyduck, which covered its head with its claws and made a confused "quack" sound. Together with the Espeon that Blue released, their psychic powers surged and "scooped" Higanbana up.
Higana remained standing on the ancient floor of the Sky Pillar until she was pulled up.
They all looked breathtaking.
"Whew...I'm saved..."
"Didn't you say..." Ze Shu smirked, "that every brick and tile of the Sky Pillar is unshakeable, protected by the power of the Dragon God? And that you are the person most familiar with this place?"
+
Higanbana: "!!!"
Her face flushed red with anxiety, her mouth opened and closed, panting from the near-death experience, but she couldn't utter a single word.
She could only hang her head dejectedly and say:
"I don't know... This place was protected by the power of the Dragon God before!"
"This is the dwelling place we built for the Dragon God in ancient times. The Dragon God acknowledged it and bestowed blessings upon it, granting the pillar of the sky its sturdiness."
"But...but...ugh! Why is the Sky Pillar so fragile now!"
Ze Shu said, "Then there's only one explanation."
Higana asked in confusion, "What?"
Ze Shu said, "Your Dragon God has stopped blessing this place for some reason. Perhaps it's because after Rayquaza was captured, even you Meteor People no longer trust him."
Higana exclaimed, "Impossible!"
"Don't worry," Ze Shu said helplessly. "There could be other reasons."
He looked at Higana's incredulous face and said:
"No matter what, we have to go up there, right?"
Along the way to the Sky Pillar, there are many ancient murals.
These murals record that period of history from a thousand years ago.
"A thousand years ago, a meteorite struck the Earth, causing a burst of natural energy. Groudon and Kyogre, who were transformed into their 'Primal Reversion' state by this energy, have been locked in a constant battle."
"Ouch! It collapsed again! That was close!"
"Phew, where was I? Oh oh—"
"The arrival and battle of Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon caused devastation to the world, leaving people helpless. But people also began to pray, praying for the legendary Pokémon, the Dragon God, who radiates a grassy green light!"
"And because of the people's prayers, Lord Dragon God... has taken on a new form!"
"This is what it looks like now called 'super evolution'!"
"Even Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre couldn't withstand this form of the Dragon God! They were driven to the ends of the earth and sea, and peace was restored to the world."
"Later, in memory of Rayquaza and its source of power—the Rainbow Stone."
"My ancestors, the first group of people who gathered because of their faith in the Dragon God, built this tower—the Pillar of the Sky!"
"?!"
At this point in the introduction, Higana suddenly paused in surprise.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she turned to Ze Shu and exclaimed:
"Seven... a seven-colored stone?!"
"Ze Shu, you you you you one—"
Ze Shu blinked and said, "A seven-colored meteorite?"
Higana's eyes remained wide open, staring unblinkingly at Ze Shu: "Maybe that's the source of the Dragon God's power... Hmm! No wonder it looked familiar back then!"
Ze Shu shrugged: "I know you're shocked, but don't block the entrance to the 'rooftop,' or we won't be able to get up there."
Xijiana gave a wronged "Oh".
Unbeknownst to them, they had already reached the 49th floor of the Sky Pillar. The entrance to the 50th floor, the top, was a structure resembling a skylight, which left Higana stunned and speechless.
She realized what was happening and quickly got up to go upstairs.
"Hmm...come on up!"
"Is this the top floor of the Sky Pillar?"
A sudden, fierce high-altitude wind lashed at your face, making it impossible to open your eyes and even stinging your face; looking down from the edge of the Sky Pillar, Ze Shu could only see layers upon layers of clouds.
The sun hung high in the sky, illuminating the area above the sea of clouds with a golden glow.
Higana pointed to the specially raised platform in the distance and said, "This is the residence of the Dragon God, which we Meteor People call the 'Dragon Summoning Altar'!"
Xiao Lan covered her head, her eyes half-closed, and said, "But there's no Rayquaza."
Higana let out a low "Mmm" and looked at Ze Shu for help.
"Didn't you say you had a way...?"
Ze Shu hummed in agreement.
He slowly walked towards the Dragon Summoning Altar, looked around, and then said, "Rayquaza was here not long ago. We should be able to detect his presence."
Higana was stunned for a moment, then rushed over:
"How did you know?!"
Ze Shu gazed at the blinding sun, then looked at a section of the "Dragon Summoning Altar" where a corner was missing, and said:
"With such a biting wind and scorching sun, new marks will quickly fade. But you see this gap, don't you? It's so fresh."
"It must have been accidentally broken by your Dragon God when he left."
"Okay, you go away, I'll give it a try."
Sagara left, and Zeju took out a disc; this was a "Scent Detection Compass," capable of detecting the scent of a specific Pokémon.
It indicates the location of the detected Pokémon and locks onto it for life.
Aside from street hustlers like Dream and Celebi, the only ones who can truly exploit its usefulness are the street hustlers and Celebi.
That can only be Rayquaza, which flies around everywhere.
Ze Shu raised the compass, and the pointer inside kept ringing out, as if it was drawing in a lot of the surrounding air. Then suddenly, a green, dragon-shaped phantom that Ze Shu remembered rose up and disappeared into it.
And then, with a crisp "ding" at the end!
The compass needle suddenly turned and then quickly settled in a certain direction in the northwest!
Ze Shu said, "It seems we succeeded in locating Rayquaza's trail."
Higana immediately leaned forward, asking nervously, "Where is the Dragon God...?"
"Um""
Ze Shu paused, looking at the trembling compass, and after comparing it, said, "It's flying everywhere. It flew from the direction of Green Town to the direction of Lily City in an instant, and it's still darting around randomly. It's very fast, and really... lively."
"Then, then..." Higana cried out anxiously, "What should we do?"
Ze Shu: "Don't rush."
Unlike Kyogre and Groudon, Rayquaza doesn't stay in one place. If it flies around randomly, even with a compass to know its location, it's difficult to catch up with it.
We need another way.
"Where's your big sack?" Ze Shu suddenly asked.
Higana was taken aback: "What?"
Ze Shu said, "The sack, the sack you have containing the Super Stone and the Key Stone."
Higanbana hesitated before pulling out the sack, saying, "We had an agreement: you had to let me see Lord Dragon God before I could give you all the Mega Stones your Pokémon need. I haven't seen him yet, I can't, I can't..."
"Can Keystones summon Rayquaza?" Ze Shu asked abruptly.
"Huh?" Higana was taken aback.
"It should be possible," Ze Shu added.
"Is it possible?" Higana was confused again.
"I think so," Ze Shu said.
He recalled the original storyline, specifically the scene where Sidana summons Rayquaza with several Key Stones in hand. He figured she should be able to summon it using Key Stones, right?
Thinking of this, he patted Higanbana on the shoulder and said, "The time has come to test your compatibility with the Dragon God. Good luck, take these Key Stones and summon Rayquaza."
Higanbana: "?!"
She looked bewildered as Ze Shu took the keystone out of her sack and put it into her hand, feeling somewhat at a loss.
"What should we do?" Zhixin asked anxiously.
"Belief," Ze Shu said solemnly, "It depends on your own heart."
A sharp wind was blowing.
Sigana stood alone on the Dragon Summoning Altar.
She held the keystone high in her hand, looked up at the sky, and kept shouting things like, "Dragon God, answer my prayers!"
Even after she had shouted herself hoarse and her face was flushed from lack of oxygen at high altitude, she still couldn't see a trace of the Dragon God.
"Your method is completely useless!"
Higana's face flushed red, and she said angrily to Ze Shu.
Ze Shu pondered, "Is it possible that you are not truly devout to your Dragon God?"
Higanbana: "Absolutely impossible!"
Ze Shu then asked, "So, your Dragon God doesn't want to talk to you?"
Higana broke down, exclaiming, "Y-no...it can't be!"
Despite shouting "Impossible!", her eyes dimmed slightly, and she secretly thought that it might really be true. Because when she was praying just now, she could indeed feel a strange connection to the keystone in her hand.
But suddenly, her hand felt heavy.
Looking down, she saw the rainbow-patterned meteorite that Zeki had previously obtained from Solans, which she suspected was the source of Rayquaza's power.
"Why don't you try this? Maybe it'll be more powerful," Ze Shu said with a smile.
"I...I..." Higana gritted her teeth, "I'll give it a try!"
She held the seven-colored meteorite firmly in her hand, cradling it along with the other keystones in her palm before slowly walking towards the Dragon Summoning Altar. She raised her hand high into the air, her eyes gleaming, and then shouted:
"Dragon... Dragon God! Please answer my prayer!"
"Please, please answer my prayer!"
"Yeah...it's useless too..."
Higana lowered her head in disappointment, her face pale and bloodless after the initial flush.
"It's not useless." Ze Shu looked down at the compass and said, "Rayquaza seems to be... on its way."
Higanbana: "?!"
"What...what should we do?!"