Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game.

Gritting his teeth, Xia Chen decided that he still couldn't betray Deoxys.

The task of communicating with Rayquaza can be left to Shiga, who will arrive later. She is the successor of this generation and will definitely be fine.

Thinking this, Xia Chen was about to find an excuse to conceal the existence of Deoxys when Rayquaza suddenly said meaningfully, "I have no ill intentions towards it."

It already knows?

Xia Chen's heart skipped a beat, but after thinking about the meaning behind Lie Kongzuo's words, he gradually relaxed.

Given its strength, if it truly harbored any ill intentions, it would have simply attacked directly; there was no need for it to chatter on and on with Xia Chen.

Despite this assessment, before taking out the crystal core, he still used his aura to ask Deoxys for his opinion.

"Liekongzu seems to want to see you. Would you like to meet it?"

The energy core responds with a short wavelength, representing a mood or meaning that is roughly "calm" or "yes".

In that case, Xia Chen took out the crystal core that emitted an aurora green light.

Deoxys hovered in front of Rayquaza, the dragon and the crystal silently facing each other, perhaps communicating in a unique way.

…………

With nothing else to do, Xia Chen beckoned to Cynthia, who was admiring the majestic figure of the Sky Chaser from afar below the altar, to come up.

Cynthia was somewhat surprised by Xia Chen's actions, and even more unusually, she showed a hesitant expression.

Even a champion might lose their composure slightly when facing a legendary Pokémon like Rayquaza.

To be honest, if it weren't for the unreliable red giant lizard by his side that made him lose his awe of legendary Pokémon, Xia Chen's performance in front of the "Hoenn Three Fools" he was talking about wouldn't have been much better.

After a slight hesitation, Cynthia couldn't resist the temptation of getting up close to the legendary elves and stepped excitedly onto the altar.

Rayquaza merely glanced at her and then at Guleton, who had come up with her, before ignoring them and continuing to exchange what might be cosmic secrets with Deoxys.

The Dragon God Altar wasn't large, and Rayquaza's enormous body occupied most of the space.

Shirona and Xia Chen were pressed close together. When she turned to whisper to him, strands of her golden hair brushed against Xia Chen's cheek, making his nose tickle.

"Is that crystal the legendary spirit from the universe that you mentioned before?"

A warm, fragrant scent wafted past my ear.

Xia Chen awkwardly touched his nose and nodded, saying, "That's right, its name is Deoxys. This is its energy core. Because of its injury, it can only appear in this form."

Cynthia nodded thoughtfully; this statement contained a lot of information.

Since it can only appear in this form at present, what about the form that appeared before?

As if guessing what Cynthia was thinking, Xia Chen confessed, "The Deoxys that appeared in the East Padia Sea and Lake Daguo were formed by it possessing me."

Although she had a vague suspicion that this was the case, when she actually heard Xia Chen say those words, Cynthia's expression was predictably fascinating.

If I had to describe it, it would probably be a cute and silly version that combines the two major meme phrases: "elderly people's cell phones on the subway" and "I don't understand, but I'm very shocked."

"Yes, it's fine."

Cynthia was speechless for a moment and could only say this.

Xia Chen had expected Cynthia's shock, after all, the union of humans and elves was, in some ways, even more shocking than the union of humans and elves.

Xia Chen added, "I only told you."

Some of the childish words touched a soft spot deep in Cynthia's heart. She understood how much of a sensation such an extraordinary thing would cause in the outside world.

If it were me, I probably wouldn't tell anyone, but I would also choose to tell Xia Chen.

This feeling of being in perfect harmony is wonderful.

Of course, it would be even more wonderful if we weren't hundreds of meters above the ground where cold air currents were blowing all around.

…………

While Xia Chen and Cynthia were whispering to each other, Rayquaza and Deoxys also finished their conversation.

The crystal core, flashing with wavelengths representing elation, returned to Xia Chen's pocket.

What did you talk to it about?

Xia Chen couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

Rayquaza replied, "I promised it that if it encounters other Deoxys, I will call its companions to Earth to help it."

After a brief silence, Xia Chen said, "Your character is truly admirable."

The golden pupils were unimpressed. "No morals, just boring."

Well, it seems quite normal for eternal life to have these kinds of troubles.

Xia Chen suddenly had another question in his mind, "By the way, you didn't know Deoxys before, so who beat it into this state?"

Lie Kongzuo pondered for a moment before asking, "Where did you encounter it?"

Xia Chen replied, "My home... uh, I mean, Zhijiang City in the Donghuang region."

"There? Then it can only be that guy."

Lie Kongzuo murmured, "That black guy who rules the Eastern Huang airspace, only it has such strength and such a domineering personality."

Xia Chen was surprised. Judging from the words of the Rayquaza, it should also be a Rayquaza, but the description said it was a black one.

"Is the one that rules the skies of the Eastern Empire a uniquely colored Sky Throne?"

Xia Chen asked directly.

"Different colors?"

Lie Kong nodded. "A very apt description."

Xia Chen's eyes flickered. Sure enough, there was more than one Sky-Siding in this world.

And what occupies the Donghuang region is actually a black Liekongzuo. Could this be the reason for the pre-Qin veneration of black?

Xia Chen thought to himself with a touch of wicked humor.

However, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst, and no matter how powerful Donghuang's Liekongzuo is, it cannot be found in a short time, so Xia Chen quickly brought the topic back to the main point.

"Lord Dragon God, Groudon and Kyogre down below are going berserk! Go and stop them!"

Lie Kongzuo remained unhurried. "I know. I sensed it when I came down. No rush. Let them fight for now. Before that, we have something else to do."

Xia Chen asked curiously, "What is it?"

Liekongzuo did not answer, but instead soared into the air, its body suddenly growing larger and longer in a beam of emerald light.

In just a few moments, it expanded to almost ten times its original length, and its gentle temperament transformed into unparalleled majesty under the influence of its size.

"Come up!"

The roar of the dragon echoed at the top of the Sky Pillar, its loud, bell-like sound conveying a gentle meaning.

Xia Chen hadn't expected there to be a Rayquaza ride today. Afraid that Rayquaza might change its mind, he didn't hesitate to pull Cynthia along to ride the Gulton "transfer" and then climb onto Rayquaza's broad, flat back.

"Sit tight!"

After a thoughtful reminder, the Sky Train, like a long aerial train, swept through the whistling air currents and suddenly set off amidst Xia Chen and Cynthia's soft exclamations.

…………

Although it wasn't Xia Chen's first time riding a legendary Pokémon, his excitement remained undiminished.

The truth is, Guleton usually doesn't act like a mythical beast, so Xia Chen hardly treats it as a legendary elf anymore.

Cynthia behind her did the same.

Although she tried her best to maintain a calm and silent demeanor as a senior in front of Xia Chen, the slight trembling of her tightly pressed body revealed that her inner self was not as composed as she appeared.

This Rayquaza has a very good personality, and thoughtfully activates an energy barrier similar to that used by Guruton to shield the two passengers from strong air currents.

Otherwise, the strong winds alone would have been enough to freeze them both into ice pops.

Perhaps due to the difference in strength, Rayquaza was even faster than Gullardon. Xia Chen and Cynthia hadn't experienced Rayquaza's flight for long before their speed and altitude both suddenly decreased.

Passing through the clouds, Xia Chen mustered his courage and looked down, only to find that he had moved from the south of Liuli Island to the north.

What is Liekongzu doing here?

Estimating that he would get an answer soon, Xia Chen didn't rush to ask Lie Kongzuo. Instead, he followed it to an island.

There were hardly any people or elves on the island, and there wasn't even much vegetation; it looked utterly ordinary.

Without putting Xia Chen and Xilona down, Rayquaza hovered in mid-air, about several tens of meters above the ground, its dragon head slightly lowered.

Immediately, a beam of brilliant golden energy, imbued with a terrifying aura, suddenly poured down, bombarding the very center of the island.

Judging from the energy it exudes, this seems to be a dragon-type move, perhaps dragon breath?

But looking at the island that had been blown into a giant crater, Xia Chen suddenly fell silent. If it was just dragon breath, then it was far too terrifying.

Ignoring the smoke and intense heat from the explosion that filled the island, Liekong carried Xia Chen and Xilona to the giant crater.

Then, Xia Chen understood why Lie Kongzuo had descended upon this place.

Beneath the giant crater lay a massive meteorite shimmering with seven-colored light!

"Keep that little pebble for yourself; it doesn't even have enough energy to fill a tooth gap."

Xia Chen actually detected a hint of arrogance in Lie Kongzuo's voice.

Xia Chen retorted, "If it's not enough, just ask me. I have more. I even had someone bring more over. I guarantee there will be plenty."

Lie Kongzuo replied, "If I enter that state, I will instantly drain all the energy from the meteorite. Are you willing to do that?"

Xia Chen was surprised. Could the energy of the keystone be completely drained?

This was the first time he had ever heard of such a thing; perhaps it was another example of the disparity between two worlds.

"There aren't many meteorites with this kind of energy. I only know of two or three. I have to use it every time those two idiots fight. It's such a hassle."

Rayquaza was unusually complaining about Kyogre and Groudon, but Xia Chen had no time to pay attention to that and instead inquired about something else.

"From what I understand, besides the Key Stone, completing Mega Evolution also requires a stone that corresponds to a Pokémon. Does the Dragon God know where that stone is?"

Without Mega Stones, Key Stones are useless to humans. Xia Chen wanted to ask Rayquaza about Mega Stones.

It rules the sky and, theoretically, possesses information about all special energy meteorites. If even it doesn't know, then perhaps no one else in the world knows.

Lie Kongzuo gave Xia Chen a meaningful look, "You seem to know quite a lot."