The flight from Shanghai to Mesagoza took eight hours, and getting from Mesagoza to Kitakami took another six.
It was a long journey by any measure.
Xia Chi dozed with the soft, sweet-smelling Floragato in his arms, only to be woken by its slight movements.
"What's wrong, Floragato? Need the bathroom?"
Xia Chi's question came out in a sleepy mumble.
Floragato didn't answer. It stared out the window as though it had sensed something.
The sky was ink-black now, with only scattered stars dotting the hazy night.
Xia Chi followed Floragato's gaze and, to his surprise, spotted a gleam of brilliant gold flickering among the dark clouds.
What's that?
Wondering whether he was still half-asleep or seeing things, Xia Chi rubbed his eyes and took a closer look.
Yet the golden radiance didn't fade. Instead, it shone ever brighter in the darkness until it pierced the clouds.
In that flash of light, Xia Chi witnessed the most awe-inspiring sight he had seen since coming to this world.
An enormous dragon's head, so dark it was almost black, tore through the clouds, its majesty beyond anything words could describe.
Two molten-gold streamers trailed from it in the wind, as magnificent as flowing silk even from afar, echoing the brilliant golden lines coursing between its scales.
That was the source of the golden light Xia Chi had just seen.
It's a Shiny Rayquaza!
Xia Chi was so excited that his breath caught. What kind of luck did it take to spot a Shiny Rayquaza from a plane?!
Perhaps Rayquaza had noticed Xia Chi and Floragato watching, because those equally brilliant golden eyes actually turned toward them.
Majestic. Sacred. Awe-inspiring.
Those were the strongest impressions Xia Chi felt when their gazes met.
For the first time, he understood what it meant to be