Watching the gradually maturing Zeraora, Arceus felt a sense of satisfaction. Yamato was his adopted daughter, and no matter what, he treated her like his own. This fact never changed.
He created many Pokemon, but compared to those he effortlessly made, mythical creatures like Diancie and Zeraora, with their language abilities and greater powers, felt more like his own children. He now had a feeling akin to watching a son grow up.
On Zeraora's leave slip, it wasn't just one name, but two. He planned to travel to the outer seas with Setsuna, and traveling was a highly encouraged leisure activity within the Hundred Beasts Pirates. To Arceus, their traveling was equivalent to working overtime.
In any case, no one who reached other islands would forget about this.
"Do you need a ship arranged?"
"No need, master. Ferren and I agreed he would take us this time. Actually, he's also quite curious about what the other seas are like."
Ferren was one of the youngest among the Thousand-Year Dragons, and he had a strong curiosity about the outer seas. However, due to the living habits of the Thousand-Year Dragons, they rarely ventured far from their habitats unless the time came.
So, Zeraora successfully struck a deal with Ferren. They would take him on a sea journey, and in return, he would temporarily act as their transportation.
For usual outings, he didn't need to take special leave, but since this trip would be longer, and with it already being November, he figured he'd be spending New Year outside again.
Zeraora first went to the basement to get charged up by Electivire, ensuring he had his wallet and radar with him, thus being ready for departure.
When he returned to his residence in Kuri, Setsuna had already packed a large bag of items.
"Um... aren't you packing too much? Just buy whatever you might need along the way."
"It's different. These are necessities. Let's go. Ferren was already a bit impatient last night."
They hadn't decided exactly where to go yet. They temporarily selected the West Sea as their travel area, but their first stop wasn't the West Sea; it was Zou.
...
The position of Zou wasn't fixed due to Elephant Lord's movements, but it happened to be nearby this time, so it didn't take Ferren long to bring Setsuna and Zeraora to Zou.
Due to the new items Setsuna and Zeraora occasionally brought back, Zou experienced significant changes, the most visible being the floating chicken coops.
The Fur Race didn't eat furry mammals, so most of their meat came from fish and Sea Beasts, entirely at the mercy of Elephant Lord's mood. Given the Elephant Lord's height, even birds were seldom seen. So, Setsuna specially brought back a batch of chicks.
This greatly improved Zou's food quality. In nearly two years, those chicks had grown, and although they hadn't eaten chicken much yet, eggs had become common on Zou.
The chicks' main food was insects, being free-range chickens. This added a new chore for Zou's children: collecting eggs from the forest before the Elephant Lord's blessed rain arrived.
The chickens had learned to return to their coops to avoid the impact of the blessed rain—an adaptation skill. The chickens that couldn't adapt to Zou's environment had already been eliminated.
Ferren retracted his wings and landed on Elephant Lord's back, then transformed into a rough male over eight meters tall. Having eaten the Primitive Fruit, his human form was a bit smaller than his original form but still a little giant, standing noticeably taller than Hichugiskhan.
"Ferren, do you need a rest?"
Flying to Zou took several days, and although Ferren was tricked into being free labor, they still needed to accommodate his needs.
"No problem, these days were nothing."
When returning to their homeland, Thousand-Year Dragons might fly non-stop for a month. Their endurance was noteworthy among flying creatures.
"Then let's continue the journey shortly. Wait for us here."
After settling Ferren, Zeraora skillfully found Setsuna's home, only to see an exasperated Setsuna with Wanda clinging to her leg.
After accidentally mentioning the trip, Wanda, who had never left Zou, was eager to join Setsuna and Zeraora.
The changes in Zou weren't just about the new chicks. Setsuna also brought back a satellite dish-like thing.
It was a unique device receiving Radio Snail signals, allowing Zou to access television programs from the Red Earth Continent or some countries.
However, the programs they could watch entirely depended on the Elephant Lord's movement, as many countries were still in a primitive state. Forget about television; even starting a fire was a challenge.
Having occasionally glimpsed the outside world on the TV, Wanda developed a deep curiosity about it, and upon hearing about Setsuna's trip, she couldn't hold back.
Setsuna found it hard to refuse. Worried that Wanda might sneak away and face misfortune similar to her own, she discussed it with Zeraora and decided to take her along.
Encountering a rescuer was a chance occurrence, and taking Wanda implied the nature of this journey had changed. To free up hands, Zeraora decided to invite Hatch and Ling along.
The original honeymoon trip thus turned into a family adventure.
In just a few hours, their duo became a group of five, causing Ferren to blink in confusion.
"Sorry, Ferren, a few more people joined last minute. Are you alright with that?"
If not, he planned on flying with Setsuna himself. For him, flying wasn't difficult.
"I can manage... but no more people, please. Any more, and I won't manage."
The weight wasn't the issue—this number was negligible for a Thousand-Year Dragon. The main concern was space. An increase in numbers would impede his wing movements.
"Don't worry, there won't be anyone else, I promise."
Setsuna didn't have any grandparents, and while the Fur Race was close-knit, this clearly was a family trip, and interrupting it would be inconsiderate.
After a short break in Zou, Ferren spread his wings and flew southward.
Only then did Wanda realize the gap between reality and her expectations. Although Zeraora had requested a three-month leave, at least two of those months would be spent traveling, and that was with the advantage of flight.
Initially, Wanda found flying intriguing, but as time passed, and she saw nothing but clouds and The Sea, the endless blue scene began to bore her.
"Mom, when will we arrive?"
Ling had lost count of how many times Wanda had asked this, but even she was becoming impatient. However, as they broke through the clouds, a vast land unfolded before them.
Second stop, West Sea - Flower Country, arrived.