Right above the Dragon Pool, there was a blue stone that emitted a faint glow.
When the leader Salamence and Drake left, Cain approached the Dragon Pool.
As he passed by it, he used his system to scan the liquid inside.
He discovered that, indeed, the liquid contained a dense Dragon-type energy—but there were also other components his system couldn't analyze.
The reason was the lack of a reference object.
Even so, something extraordinary—or perhaps some special structure—must exist within that mountain.
Could it be an endless cycle? Was the energy drawn from the Dragon Tomb constantly channeled into the Dragon Pool, creating a perpetual flow?
Cain decided that once Shelgon finished absorbing it, he would "appropriately" collect a small amount to take with him. Maybe he'd uncover something useful.
After all, judging by the leader Salamence's attitude, it didn't seem like he cared too much about the Dragon Pool. Was it truly indifference... or a sign of trust toward Cain?
Better to assume he didn't care.
Skirting the edge of the Dragon Pool, Cain arrived directly beneath a rocky wall.
It was there that he realized just how grand and majestic the colossal monument to Rayquaza truly was.
Apparently, the statue had been carved to match Rayquaza's actual proportions. The liquid from the Dragon Pool flowed from its mouth.
The blue stone that shimmered with light was, in fact, one of Rayquaza's eyes.
What surprised Cain was that only one of the eyes had color. From afar, he had assumed the other had simply faded over time, but upon closer inspection, he discovered that wasn't the case—there was a hollow socket where something had once been embedded.
The remaining eye still held a blue gem, which seemed to contain a mysterious power.
Cain rose into the air using his psychic abilities, positioning himself before Rayquaza's head, and extended his hand toward the stone.
The moment he touched it, the scene before his eyes changed. He blinked several times to confirm what he was seeing.
He now stood in a place shrouded in thick white mist. Everything around him was fog—the air was thin, and the temperature was extremely low. Had he not instantly raised a psychic shield, he might have frozen solid.
Though it felt like an illusory world, every physical sensation was utterly real.
"This place... must be at a very high altitude," Cain murmured, glancing around to get his bearings.
"ROOOAAARRR!"
Just as he was about to explore, a thunderous roar echoed, followed by a deep, draconic bellow.
The clouds and mist began to swirl violently, as though something immense was about to emerge.
Through the vortex, Cain caught sight of a long, green figure.
A serpent?
A dragon?
Suddenly, a massive dragon's head appeared before him. Its green scales gleamed, and its piercing yellow eyes locked onto him, devoid of any emotion.
"Rayquaza..." Cain whispered, unable to put his feelings into words.
Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza—the three great legendary Pokémon of Hoenn. And among them, Rayquaza alone could suppress the other two.
The Sky Dragon! Rayquaza! The sole ruler of the heavens in the entire Pokémon world.
Though Cain's heart was pounding with awe and confusion, he felt no fear as he met Rayquaza's gaze.
Was it because he believed he was inside an illusion? Or because Rayquaza showed no hostility toward him?
"ROOOAAARRR!"
Suddenly, everything changed.
In that sky filled with white clouds, a dark hole appeared—its edges laced with red lightning-like streaks.
The hole expanded, devouring everything around it. With his fierce territorial instinct, Rayquaza could never tolerate such an intrusion.
Without hesitation, he coiled his body, transforming into a brilliant green blade.
As his speed increased, his body began to change—the green of his scales shone like emeralds, and long yellow tendrils, like whiskers, streamed from his face.
"Mega Rayquaza...? Dragon Ascent?" Cain watched as it charged toward the rift.
BOOOOM!
The collision unleashed a shockwave that scattered the clouds and mist, tearing open an immense void.
With his Dragon Ascent, Rayquaza halted the expansion of the hole, which even began to shrink.
However, the red streaks continued to spread like bolts of lightning, staining the air.
Mega Rayquaza circled the rift, roaring as though trying to communicate with something inside.
But soon, his roar turned to fury. He opened his jaws, gathering a dense, orange energy sphere that looked moments away from detonating.
Even Cain could feel the sheer magnitude of the energy it contained.
Yet Rayquaza never released it.
From the heavens above descended a halo of light—warm and serene, like the first rays of dawn.
The light struck the rift, and it quickly shrank until it vanished completely.
For a brief instant, Cain thought he saw an eye within the hole... and then it was gone.
As the rift disappeared, the energy sphere in Rayquaza's mouth also dissipated. The natural catastrophe that had been on the brink of erupting was contained.
But Rayquaza didn't revert from his mega form. His eyes turned toward the source of that light. Within the mist, a faint quadrupedal silhouette could be seen.
Arceus!
In this celestial domain of Rayquaza, no other being could appear unscathed—except Arceus.
Rayquaza let out a low, rumbling growl.
Then, from the light, a rectangular blue slab descended—like a fragment fallen from an altar.
For the first time, Cain saw a glimmer of joy in Rayquaza's eyes.
But in an instant, the slab shattered into countless blue fragments.
Rayquaza's expression changed. He opened his jaws and swallowed several of the fragments, while the rest scattered and vanished.
Rage filled him as he shot a fierce glare toward Arceus.
But he didn't attack. With a lash of his tail, he soared after the dispersed fragments.
The vision began to fade. Yet in Cain's ears echoed a distant whisper:
"Human..."
(End of Chapter)