The old woman sat down opposite Roy and his group, and asked with a smile:
"Young man, how does this compare to a year ago?"
Roy finished the soup in the bowl, put it down, and gave the old woman a thumbs up.
"Grandma, your noodles are the best in the world! Could I have another bowl? I'm not full."
Grandma Long smiled kindly at Roy's flattery, patted Roy on the shoulder, and took Roy bowl to refill his noodles.
Anyone who didn't know better would think Roy was her biological grandson.
Seeing this, Zinnia felt a surge of frustration. She sat to the side, propped her chin on her hand, pouted, and muttered, "What's so great about that? I can say that too!"
"Gu Niu!"
Whismur in.
"You Coward, you only dare to agree at times like this."
"Gu Niu~"
Whismur jumped into Zinnia's arms and rubbed her face against Zinnia, making Zinnia lose her temper.
By the time they finished eating their noodles, it was completely dark.
Roy and his friends said goodbye to the old woman and Zinnia, who was pouting and looking unhappy, at the entrance of the small shop.
The group arrived at the central square of Sootopolis City. Roy patted his already bulging belly and said, "This meal was really satisfying; I'm so full."
"Roar~"
The Little Absol in his arms chimed in, also saying that he was quite full.
"You've eaten all the ingredients your mother-in-law prepared for tomorrow. If you're still hungry, I won't even have noodles to eat the day after tomorrow."
"Wallace complained."
Just as the group was preparing to return to the Gym, a huge green dragon shadow appeared in the star-filled night sky.
Just as Roy was wondering why Rayquaza had reappeared, a familiar voice rang in his mind.
"Roy, help me!"
Upon hearing Marshadow's voice, Roy looked up at the Sky Pillar not far ahead.
While everyone else's attention was drawn to the green dragon circling in the sky, only Roy noticed a dark figure sprinting along the upright Sky Pillar.
What is Marshadow doing here?
A large, fat face emerged from the shadows behind Roy.
"Ghost~"
The Ancient Gengar, emerging from the shadows, spoke up to explain.
You mean he wasn't in my shadow after my battle with Steven?
"Ghost~"
The Ancient Gengar nodded at Roy.
Marshadow ran down from the Sky Pillar, fleeing at breakneck speed, and returned straight to Roy's shadow, peeking out half his head to look at the green dragon in the sky.
"Marshadow, what exactly happened?"
Um, actually...
It turns out that Marshadow got bored during Roy and Wallace's battle, and after sensing the Divine Might of the Sky Pillar and the Hall of Awakening, he secretly climbed the Sky Pillar, where he happened to meet Rayquaza sleeping.
He didn't want to disturb Rayquaza's sleep and planned to sneak away, but Rayquaza suddenly woke up and started chasing him. He just kept running...
Rayquaza also noticed Roy still on the ground. The entire dragon was stunned, and it stopped performing Dragon Dance, instead standing there staring at Roy.
Isn't this the messenger of the Arceus from last time?
Didn't they just inspect my work a year ago?
Here we go again?
After Roy left last time, Rayquaza waited anxiously for its judgment, but nothing happened.
This is certainly not a bad thing.
Sometimes, nothing happening at all is already a wonderful thing.
Rayquaza also discovered that the half of Marshadow's head that had been sticking out had also entered Roy's shadow.
As a skilled peacemaker, he didn't actually intend to harm Marshadow; he simply wanted to ask which god's subordinate he was and how he got to the Sky Pillar.
As it turned out, the other party actually entered Roy's shadow.
Could it be that... Marshadow is one of this messenger's subordinates?
Thinking about it that way, it seems quite reasonable.
So, is this person here to inspect my work again?
Thankfully, I slept on the Sky Pillar today; otherwise, if I were discovered neglecting my duties, wouldn't I lose my Divine Authority?
At this moment, Rayquaza and Roy are both observing each other. They are both afraid of each other, but neither of them knows that the other is afraid of them.
An awkward atmosphere spread.
Upon Frisk the giant dragon in the sky, countless residents of Sootopolis City emerged from their rooms. Seeing Rayquaza in the air, they immediately knelt down and uttered prayers.
"The Dragon God has descended again? It's only been a year!"
"Dragon God? Where is Dragon God?"
Zinnia and the old woman, who were originally cleaning up the dishes in the noodle shop, also ran out of the shop and looked up to see the giant green dragon in the sky.
Despite her claims of wanting the Dragon God's approval, this was actually the first time she had ever seen Rayquaza in real life.
When Zinnia saw Rayquaza for the first time, her eyes were filled with shock. At the same time, she noticed that Rayquaza's attention seemed to be on the man who had just finished eating noodles.
Before Zinnia could figure it out, the old woman beside her pulled Zinnia down to kneel, telling her not to say anything or look around carelessly.
Seeing Rayquaza standing still, Marshadow, who was in the shadows, peeked out again to look at Rayquaza in the air.
Marshadow could clearly sense Rayquaza's gaze on Roy, but it showed no intention of attacking, as if it was wary of something.
Could it be... that he's afraid of Roy?
"Roy, he seems afraid of you."
Are you afraid of me?
Upon hearing Marshadow's words, Roy remembered that Drakloak to Dragon Ascent when it Rayquaza last time.
So what exactly is Rayquaza afraid of?
He's never seen Rayquaza before either.
What Roy didn't know was that Rayquaza had actually seen him twice before: once when he summoned the Time-Space Duo, and once in space when he was protected by Giratina's energy shield.
Marshadow is now completely convinced by Roy; even a Shadow Guide with Divine Authority would run far away at the sight of Rayquaza.
Rayquaza, seeing Roy, an ordinary human, hesitated for a long time, not daring to make any move.
So, is the Reverse Hero really that powerful?
Even Rayquaza wouldn't dare mess with Roy.
Seeing Rayquaza still hovering in the sky, Roy quickly pulled Phoebe, and the Steven away. Wallace, who didn't want to leave, was carried on Roy's shoulder and they left the central square of Sootopolis City.
After Roy left, Rayquaza breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the crowd kneeling before him, let out a deafening dragon roar, and then returned to the Sky Pillar.
Watching Rayquaza's departing figure, Zinnia clenched her fists. She was determined to gain the Dragon God's approval in the future.