Rocky mountains outside Rota City.
Early in the morning, the sky was barely light, and thick fog hung in the air.
Though they had still been worried about Pikachu, Shaymin, and the others last night, Li Wei and his companions had not rushed into action.
According to Queen Arianna, they could get lost on the way to the Tree of Creation even during the day, let alone at night.
So at five in the morning, they had everything ready and set off.
Li Wei and Ash had not slept at all last night.
Ash had been too worried about Pikachu to sleep, so Li Wei had sacrificed his own rest to keep him company.
Jessie and James, who had discovered that Meowth was missing too, had also been unable to sleep.
They had secretly climbed into the trunk of the Off-Road Vehicle...
The Tree of Creation was shrouded in mist, with only its faint silhouette visible.
The Off-Road Vehicle's headlights lit up the road ahead.
Queen Arianna had provided the Off-Road Vehicle for their journey.
Steven drove along the mountain road with both hands on the steering wheel.
"I drive on mountain roads like these all the time, so let me handle it. Besides, you still have to direct Arcanine and Lucario."
Li Wei, Steven, Brock, and Ash rode in the Off-Road Vehicle.
The two Lucario led the way up ahead,
with Arcanine following close behind,
while the two Dragapult flew alongside the vehicle, one on either side.
The mountain road was certainly difficult to navigate, and the ride was extremely bumpy, but Steven kept a firm grip on the wheel, his expression calm.
The closer they got to the rocky mountains where the Tree of Creation stood, the thicker the surrounding mist became.
Brock said in surprise, "It feels