"Bond… now that's a word I haven't heard in a while."
"Hacchan gets along with you very well, but that's because its species is naturally aggressive. Rayquaza, on the other hand, isn't the same."
Hydrachton's prototype is ultimately Hydreigon, whose temperament matches Kaido's aggressive nature perfectly. Among Kaido's subordinates, the stronger you are, the more respect you earn, and Hydrachton also likes Kaido's personality.
One is basically impossible to kill, the other has many lives and can revive. Under this virtuous cycle, the bond between Kaido and Hydrachton has deepened.
"Not necessarily, I think it's also aggressive."
"Reason."
"Worororo, instincts. So, what's the other method?"
"The other? Simple. Beat it into submission. If you can defeat it honorably, you might be able to make it accept your ideas."
This matter goes back to how humans in ancient times captured Pokémon, and who the first Pokémon ever captured was. Archaeologists could write hundreds of papers on this subject, enough to support an entire research institute without difficulty.
"The procedure should be pretty much the same as Yamato, right? Then let's begin."
"More or less, but there are still some differences. Back then my power was a bit weaker, and Yamato is not the same as you, so her trial was a special trial inside the Dragon Dimension. The dimension you'll need will be larger."
Zekrom and Reshiram are, after all, brothers, so it's fine for them to remain in the same dimension.
At worst, Arceus, the family head, is here to mediate their conflicts. Moreover, they also saw something special in Yamato.
But Rayquaza is different; it isn't suited to being in the same dimension like the twin dragons. Whether in terms of territorial behaviour or preferred environment, it's different.
Arceus's plates began to emerge from his body, with the Draco Plate and Sky Plate naturally at the top.
A sixteen-hued radiance spiraled upward, and at that moment, Wano Country's sky seemed to warp. Altaria and Corviknight, who were flying in the sky, instinctively ran far away.
Pokémon aren't machines; they dodge obstacles on their own, so there's no need for planned flight paths. After a brief tear, the sky returned to normal. Under Arceus's power, a special space appeared above Wano Country.
"Worororo, then I'll depart. This should be a rousing, exhilarating battle, right?"
Kaido instinctively ignored Arceus's mention of acknowledgement. To him, battle seemed more important than gaining power. The process brought him a special kind of pleasure.
Whether their temperaments are compatible is another matter. Fighting first is more important.
"Protest! Dad, I protest, you're discriminating! Back when it was my trial, why didn't you tell me exactly what to do?"
Flying from Onigashima to Sacred Mountain doesn't take long. The no-fly zone around Sacred Mountain only applies to first-time visitors. Pokémon and people like Yamato, who've summited the mountain multiple times, are exempted from this restriction.
Thanks to Yamato's speed, she arrived before Kaido's trial space was fully complete.
But she didn't show herself; instead she kept peeking from the side — a special kind of peeking where both Kaido and Arceus knew where she was, but no one exposed her.
She didn't show her face while Kaido was present because she wanted to minimize any unexpected incidents; if she protested to Kaido's face, he might outright start fighting her.
Kaido had been quiet for a long time, but Yamato didn't believe he wasn't scheming something.
"You two are different. Your father's temperament was already set long ago, so outside forces can't change his thinking, but yours was still at moldable stage back then, and this method would have allowed you to grow.
"But you actually didn't run away to the seas this time, you've gotten courageous."
"Dad, please tell me honestly. How fast can Rayquaza actually fly?"
At the mention of this, Yamato's expression fell. From what she saw on the screen, Rayquaza's strength gave her a headache, but it was its speed that perplexed her the most.
Darting recklessly through the enemy's attacks, there was even a hint of provocation in its movements. If Kaido were to gain such speed...
After a brief analysis, Yamato discovered a new, cruel problem: if Kaido succeeded, fleeing would very likely become a fantasy.
Unable to win or escape—that's a true torment.
"This... I haven't checked it; it's probably roughly the speed to catch up to meteors. Don't worry, Zekrom's speed can compete with Rayquaza, you just need to master its powers well enough."
Arceus hadn't compared whether Rayquaza was the fastest, but if Kaido and Yamato were the carriers, Yamato would probably truly be unable to escape. His decades of experience weren't for nothing.
With the same bloodline, Kaido had trained for decades longer than Yamato. Trying to close that gap wouldn't be easy.
"Then, I'll work hard, Dad. Let's quietly make a deal. How about you slow down Father's pace of success a little?"
Before the training began, Yamato was still trying to weaken Kaido.
Saying "weaken" isn't accurate; she intended to slow Kaido's pace.
"Father picks fights with you at the drop of a hat; it must be troublesome for you too. Let him fight there for a while, preferably for a year or two. Father will be happy, and we can also relax. Isn't that good?"
"Stop having these crooked thoughts and focus on growing stronger."
An energy wave controlled by Arceus shoved Yamato, sending her straight into the trial space. However, he did not reject Yamato's suggestion. On some level, Arceus had indeed intended for Rayquaza to fight Kaido in his stead.
Periodically repeating a mechanical action is very boring. Rayquaza is strong, can strengthen Kaido, and would allow him to relax a little.
Meanwhile, in Kaido's trial space, the scenery was completely different from Yamato's.
Back then, Yamato's first choice was communication. Even now, when facing Zekrom and Reshiram, she thinks about how to improve her verbal-sparring skills, striving to master the "Talk no Jutsu" as soon as possible.
Kaido was different. Even though Arceus told him that communication and acknowledgment are important, he still chose the path of combat.
The surrounding environment was slightly dim, specks of starlight illuminating it from various angles. It looked like outer space, but that was only a backdrop. This was still a dimension where one could breathe and gravity existed.
Occasionally meteorites pierced through the outer layer, trailing long streaks of flame as they fell. However, those meteorites were ultimately chased down and devoured by a green figure.
Seeing the familiar figure of Rayquaza, Kaido once again entered his Beast Form, then continuously stacked Dragon Dance as he flew, before chasing after Rayquaza.
"Hey! Rayquaza, stop eating those boring meteorites and come fight!"
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