Sky Pillar.
By the time Steven arrived at Sky Pillar, everything had already been settled.
The fierce winds surrounding Sky Pillar had stopped, and the dragon silhouettes flickering in the sky had vanished.
The good news was that Zinnia wasn't dead. She had only passed out.
Although Zinnia was at odds with Devon Corporation, Steven didn't think she deserved to die.
She was simply consumed by an obsession.
Although Zinnia wasn't a Successor Rayquaza had once acknowledged, she was still one of the Draconids.
So Rayquaza had merely given Zinnia a light punishment for impersonating a Successor.
"Take her back."
Steven had the Investigators accompanying him take Zinnia back.
A scroll had also fallen at Zinnia's feet.
It was a scroll the Draconids had passed down for nearly two thousand years, and it contained the teachings of Dragon Ascent.
Whoever held this scroll could attempt to gain Rayquaza's recognition.
Steven casually picked up the scroll and tucked it back into the unconscious Zinnia's arms.
In truth, having the scroll or not made no difference.
Ultimately, it depended on whether Rayquaza acknowledged the Trainer holding it.
Steven hadn't possessed the scroll, yet his formidable strength and sense of responsibility as a Champion had still earned him Rayquaza's recognition.
All that talk about a Successor holding the Dragon Ascent scroll, forming a bond with Rayquaza, and helping Rayquaza use Dragon Ascent...
It was all a joke.
Rayquaza could use Dragon Ascent and undergo Mega Evolution on its own.
It had no need for any so-called Successor.
At that point, eleven days remained before the Super-Gigantic Meteorite approached the Pokémon world.
They were rushing to produce spacesuits for Li Wei and Steven.
When the time came, Steven and Li Wei, riding Rayquaza and Black Rayquaza, would serve as the two final safeguards.
Everyone