Prelude

Even though Yuga was far away, he could see the two Salamence fighting fiercely; one of them was slapped on the head by the other, and it fell straight down.

Seeing smoke and flames coming out of Mr. Genzo's house, Yuga quickly said to Starla, "Starla, wait here for me. I'm going to check on the house."

Starla also knew something seemed to be wrong at home, her voice trembling with tears as she said, "Grandpa... Did something happen to Grandpa? I want to go back and find Grandpa."

With the situation at home unclear, Yuga didn't dare to bring Starla back, so he softly said, "Grandpa will be fine. Don't worry about me. I'm capable, trust me, okay? Can I leave Decidueye here to accompany you?"

Comforted by Yuga, Starla's fear lessened a bit, and she stopped crying, saying, "Then hurry up."

"Yeah, don't worry, I'll bring Grandpa back to pick you up soon."

After saying this, Yuga left Sawsbuck behind, mounted his Dragonite, and quickly flew towards Mr. Genzo's house. Sawsbuck was not only an Elite Level Pokémon, but it also incredibly fast. When unable to fight, it could carry Starla away, so Yuga felt reassured with it protecting her.

With Dragonite's speed, Yuga arrived above Mr. Genzo's house in the blink of an eye. Looking down, he saw that most of the building had collapsed, engulfed in raging flames. In the yard, Taro was holding Mr. Genzo, who was covered in blood, facing off against another man.

The two Salamence that were battling in the sky earlier belonged to Taro and this unknown man.

Upon seeing Yuga, Taro's expression brightened.

"Yuga, please save Mr. Genzo, he's seriously injured," Taro said urgently.

At this point, Mr. Genzo was already unconscious, and Yuga's Decidueye was lying injured nearby. Also injured were Mr. Genzo's Machamp and Starla's Donphan, Lily.

Yuga quickly released his Chimecho to heal Mr. Genzo and Decidueye.

Meanwhile, the unfamiliar man on the other side, seeing Yuga return so quickly, tried to escape discreetly on his Salamence. However, a lightning bolt suddenly struck at his feet, blocking his escape route.

Unable to leave, the man reluctantly commanded his Salamence to fight against Yuga's Dragonite. However, Yuga's Dragonite was already at the level of an Elite Level, while the man's Salamence had just reached pseudo-Elite level. So,It was quickly knocked down by a Dragon Claw from Yuga's Dragonite.

Soon, the unfamiliar man also became paralyzed all over and unable to move by Dragonite's Electroweb,

Looking at the man lying on the ground, Yuga turned to Taro and asked, "Who is this person? Why did he attack here?"

Taro replied with a stern expression, "They are members of the Draconid People. They've targeted something in Mr. Genzo's possession."

Sure enough, he had said how could there be Salamence everywhere.

"Are you also a member of the Draconid People?" Yuga glanced at the Salamence that was lying on the ground next to Taro and asked.

Taro nodded silently in response. He was indeed a member of the Draconid People.

Although he was a member of the Draconid People, he didn't live in their main headquarters, the Meteor Falls. Instead, he lived with his parents in Pacifidlog Town, that was not far from the Meteor Falls, because their family was only peripheral members of the Draconid People.

About ten years ago, his father was seriously injured while carrying out a mission for the Draconid People. Not only did his partner Salamence die, but he himself also hovered on the brink of death.

The Draconid People wasn't skilled in healing, so Taro's mother had to bring his father to Pacifidlog Town to seek medical help. At that time, there was a very skilled trainer in Pacifidlog Town, but his assistance required a large sum of money, which Taro's family couldn't afford.

In desperation, Taro's mother had no choice but to return to the Meteor Falls for help. However, not only did they refuse to help Taro's father, but they also scolded him for his misfortune.

At that time, Taro was still young, and he didn't know why his father was injured. But he remembered that his father seemed to have lost something important to the Draconid People, which was why the Draconid People refused to help them.

In a desperate situation, Taro's mother could only return to ask for help from that trainer. It was in that trainer's home that Taro first met Mr. Genzo.

Later, Taro learned that Mr. Genzo had brought Starla to settle in Pacifidlog Town.

Mr. Genzo and Mr. Brandon were good friends, so when Mr. Genzo decided to settle in Pacifidlog Town with Starla, Mr. Brandon brought Mr. Genzo to visit his friend in Pacifidlog Town, who was the skilled trainer, hoping that this trainer friend could take care of Mr. Genzo and his granddaughter more.

That's how Taro and Mr. Genzo met.

Seeing the pitiful situation of Taro and his mother, Mr. Genzo thought of his own son, daughter-in-law, and the still naive Starla, and so he casually interceded for Taro's mother to that trainer.

Thanks to that, Taro's father was then able to recover safely.

Taro thus remembered Mr. Genzo's kindness.

Because they had become disheartened with the Draconid People, Taro's family decided to settled in Pacifidlog Town after his father recovered. They never returned to the Meteor Falls, although the people from the Draconid People still contacted them. They no longer interfered with the Draconid People's affairs. Even Taro's Salamence was a child left by his grandfather in the Draconid People. It was his father who went through hardships to bring it from the Draconid People to Taro for cultivation.

After Mr. Genzo and Starla settled in Pacifidlog Town, they stayed away from the town as much as possible, only coming when necessary. Since then, Taro and Mr. Genzo had no interaction. Occasionally, Taro would see Mr. Genzo buying things in town, but Mr. Genzo never remembered him.

The next interaction between Taro and Mr. Genzo was three years ago. At that time, Mr. Genzo was accidentally injured by a berserk Tauros in a resident's home. Taro saved him and promptly took Mr. Genzo to Mr. Brandon's friend for treatment, which preventing Mr. Genzo from being in life-threatening danger.

After escorting Mr. Genzo home, Taro often visited him and Starla under the pretext of being interested in archery. This continued for three years.

Recently, someone from the Draconid People came to find him and asked him to steal something from Mr. Genzo's house. That's when Taro learned that the item lost by the Draconid People ten years ago was in Mr. Genzo's possession.

However, due to Mr. Genzo's life-saving favor to Taro's father, Taro didn't want to repay kindness with enmity. Besides, he had a strong dislike for the people from the Draconid People. So, although he agreed verbally, he had no intention of helping the Draconid People steal the item.

Taro was well aware of the Draconid People's modus operandi. He knew their plan wouldn't work with him, and they would likely resort to other means. Therefore, before falling out with the Draconid People, he took the initiative to participate in some of the Draconid People's activities in the Meteor Falls, hoping to react promptly if they tried anything against Mr. Genzo in the future.

As expected, when the Draconid People realized Taro couldn't obtain the item, they secretly sent two people to snatch it while Yuga and Starla were away. However, Taro kept a close eye on them. Not only did he discover the Draconid People's actions, but he also secretly followed the two and timely rescued Mr. Genzo.

Under the treatment of Chimecho, Mr. Genzo slowly opened his eyes.

"Where's the item? My item?" he asked anxiously, looking at Taro.

Taro sighed, "It's been taken."

Mr. Genzo looked at Yuga in a panic, "Gym Leader Shimizu, please help me retrieve that item. We must not let unscrupulous people get hold of it. It will cause big trouble." While saying this, he grabbed Yuga's wrist tightly.

Yuga was taken aback to see Mr. Genzo in such a panic. Mr. Genzo had always seemed calm and composed to him.

Although he didn't know what item Mr. Genzo was referring to, Yuga knew it must be very important, or Mr. Genzo wouldn't be so nervous, and the Draconid People wouldn't have gone to such lengths to steal it.

"Alright, I'll help you get it back," thought Yuga silently, just considering it as a revenge for the way the Draconid People had trick him before.

"They must have gone to the Sky Pillar," Taro reminded Yuga.

After clarifying what had been lost, Yuga flew towards the direction of the Sky Pillar on his Dragonite.

Meanwhile, Zinnia arrived outside the Sky Pillar with the item she had taken from Mr. Genzo's house. Here, the old lady and many members of the Draconid People were already waiting for her.

Seeing Zinnia dismounting from the Salamence, the group immediately surrounded her, eagerly asking, "How did it go? Did you get the item?"

The Sky Pillar was built by the ancestors of the Draconid People. It was the place where the Draconid People was enshrined Rayquaza. It was because of the presence of the Jade Orb that the Rayquaza would descend to the Sky Pillar to receive the Draconid People's offerings and faith.

This was also why the Draconid People always prided themselves as the true remnant of the Dragons Clan. They looked down on the Village of Dragons and the Dragon Tamers family because of the Sky Pillar and the Jade Orb as their backbone.

However, nobody knew when the Jade Orb had been lost from the Sky Pillar. Since then, not only the outsiders could not enter the Sky Pillar, but the Draconid People themselves couldn't either.

For many years, the Draconid People had been searching for the whereabouts of the Jade Orb.

Ten years ago, they finally discovered its location and brought it back to the Sky Pillar. It was Taro's father who had brought back the Jade Orb.

However, no one expected that someone would secretly follow Taro's father into the Sky Pillar.

Inside the Sky Pillar, the Draconid People used the Jade Orb to summon the Rayquaza. Just as the legend foretold, the Rayquaza descended upon the Sky Pillar.

All the people present were very excited. They, the Draconid People, had finally seen the Rayquaza, which their ancestors had revered for generations.

However, things didn't go as they had imagined. The Rayquaza launched an attack on the Draconid People. Everyone present, including Taro's father, was affected.

In the end, all the Draconid People present except Taro's father died, and the Jade Orb was taken away by the two people who had followed Taro's father into the Sky Pillar, disappearing without a trace.

With so many casualties and the loss of the Jade Orb, the Draconid People placed all the blame on the only survivor.

Now, the Jade Orb had finally returned!

However, unlike ten years ago, this time they didn't intend to summon the Rayquaza again.

The painful lesson from ten years ago taught them that the Rayquaza they had always believed in was not reliable. So, since obtaining the Rayquaza's blood from Yuga, the Draconid People had a crazier plan.

They wanted to replace the original Rayquaza with another one.

They used the blood of the Rayquaza to clone another one through the Heaven Organization, just as the leader of the Heaven Organization had said. This new Rayquaza wouldn't live for long.

However, that didn't matter. As long as they had the Jade Orb, this fake Rayquaza could become real one.

"Alright, everyone calm down, act your age!"

Seeing everyone crowding around Zinnia, the old lady scolded them loudly. She had a lot of authority among the Draconid People, and her words silenced everyone.

"Grandma."

Zinnia approached the old lady and handed her a box. The old lady opened it and nodded in satisfaction when she saw the Jade Orb inside.

"From today onwards, we, the Draconid People, will regain our former glory!" The old lady raised the Jade Orb in her hand, her aged voice echoing in the crowd. All the Draconid People looked at the Jade Orb in the old lady's hand with solemn expressions.

Under everyone's gaze, the old lady took out the Master Ball she had obtained from the leader of the Heaven Organization.

"Roar..."

After the Rayquaza's Clone emerged from the Master Ball, it lay on the ground, and emitting a sound weakly. Due to its extremely weakened state, every part of its flesh was throbbing with pain, as if knives were cutting into it piece by piece.

The Rayquaza's Clone was acutely aware of its birth process. It knew it was an artificial being, but it still yearned to survive, even if it meant living in agony.

Approaching it with the Jade Orb in hand, the old lady held the orb that was emitting a faint green light, which had a fatal attraction to the Rayquaza's Clone.

The Jade Orb floated from the old lady's hand, slowly approaching the top of the Rayquaza's Clone's head, and gradually merging into its body.

In the instant the Jade Orb entered its body, the Rayquaza's Clone flashed with a green light, and all its pain vanished. It wriggled its body and flew into the air, feeling light as if it were dreaming.

Could it now live like an ordinary Pokémon? The thought crossed its mind, and it cast a grateful glance at the old lady before letting out a satisfying roar.

At the same time, in the vast cosmos, another Rayquaza sensed something and looked towards a distant blue planet, pondered for a moment, then flew towards it.

On the other side of the Sky Pillar, Mr. Brandon struggled to walk through the chaotic rubble, searching for a way to enter the Sky Pillar.

Facing the sea opposite to Pacifidlog Town, the Sky Pillar stood tall on the beach not far from the town. The area was strewn with scattered rocks, making it even more difficult to approach the already complex Sky Pillar.

Suddenly, Mr. Brandon heard a majestic roar, and then he noticed that the weather at the seaside seemed to be undergoing an inexplicable change.

As Yuga arrived near the Sky Pillar on his Dragonite, he happened to see the Rayquaza hovering in the sky, with a group of excited Draconid People below.

At a glance, he could tell that this Rayquaza was not the one he knew.