Under the clear sky that was devoid of any blemish, the young man sitting on Dragonite and the massive green creature gazed at each other from a distance...
Below them stretched miles upon miles of thick, white, soft cloud layers, like cotton candy.
The enormous green creature had a pair of crimson-gold pupils that subtly revealed a natural dignity and solemnity, giving off an imposing aura without being angry.
This was Rayquaza, the wielder of the sky's authority.
Memories about Rayquaza flashed through Caleb's mind.
In the games, it single-handedly quelled the conflicts between the other ancient Pokémon, Groudon and Kyogre.
In the anime, it once critically injured Deoxys with a single strike.
People had many different descriptions for it, such as 'the powerful Dragon Pokémon', 'the Sky Guardian living in the ozone layer', or 'the leader among the ancient Pokémon'...
But no matter the description, none could fully capture its essence.
Rayquaza was different from the other Legendary Pokémon Caleb had encountered before. From it, he truly felt an untamable wildness and divinity.
It was as if it were the very embodiment of the entire sky.
The size difference created a tremendous visual impact. The surrounding air seemed to have been squeezed out. Caleb took a deep breath; he could tell that this Rayquaza meant no harm.
The Viridian Power, filled with the essence of nature, activated, spreading out from Caleb in all directions. In an instant, it enveloped Rayquaza.
Rayquaza's dignified crimson-gold pupils shifted slightly. That aura felt very comfortable to it.
Caleb blinked. He discovered that the Viridian Power he had released was slowly merging into Rayquaza's body.
This meant that Rayquaza's health wasn't full. It seemed to be in an injured state, though the injury wasn't severe.
Seeing this, the human-shaped walking Pokémon Center, Caleb, increased the healing intensity while connecting to Rayquaza's mind.
He greeted: 'Hi?'
Rayquaza paused upon hearing the sudden unfamiliar voice. Its huge green head turned slightly, looking around as if trying to find who was speaking.
Caleb: 'I'm the one who's talking to you.'
This Rayquaza didn't seem particularly bright.
Hearing this, Rayquaza turned its head and looked at the creature sitting on Dragonite with its golden pupils, but did not speak.
By now, Caleb had also fully restored Rayquaza's health. He withdrew the healing power, leaving only the telepathic connection, and said: 'You were injured.'
Rayquaza knew it was injured. It had seen a delicious meteorite flying towards Earth in space and went to devour it, but carelessly got hit hard by another suddenly appearing meteorite.
But that minor injury meant nothing to it, so it hadn't paid much attention.
Seeing that Rayquaza wasn't responding, Caleb decisively gave up on trying to communicate further. After all, he had business to attend to.
Caleb: 'Nice to meet you, but I have to go now.'
After saying that, he and Dragonite circled around Rayquaza and continued searching for their target among the clouds.
Dragonite's speed wasn't slow, so soon enough, Rayquaza's figure turned into a small black dot left behind.
But soon after, Caleb heard the sound of rushing wind again. He turned his head and saw the massive Rayquaza following them.
Only when it got close to the human and Pokémon ahead did Rayquaza reduce its speed, following them at a leisurely pace.
Caleb & Dragonite: "..."
'Doesn't Rayquaza have anything else to do?' Regarding this question, Caleb actually thought about it seriously.
What was the daily life of Legendary Pokémon like?
With their long lifespans, did they feel bored like humans?
Those with proper jobs, like Dialga and Palkia, who were mainly responsible for maintaining the stability of the world's Spatial and Temporal aspects, were fine. They could even spar with each other when bored.
But Pokémon like Ho-Oh and Rayquaza; besides hibernating, their only pastime was wandering around the world, right?
Caleb didn't attempt to communicate with the Rayquaza behind them...
...
Soon, it was noon...
Caleb descended through the clouds, landed in a forest, released his other Pokémon, lit a campfire, and began preparing lunch.
Over the morning, many new locations had been unlocked on the Warp Beacon. As for the place he was looking for, however, Caleb still had no clues.
He felt he would have to travel the entire world to find that place.
More importantly, throughout the entire morning, Caleb had passed countless mountains, rivers, and lakes... but never once found any traces of human existence.
Combined with the previous conversation with Xerneas, a bold guess suddenly emerged in Caleb's mind: This world was a world where only Pokémon existed.
And he was now the only human in this world. But if that were the case, what about the future human continent?
He looked at the Book of Answers in his inventory. He still had one last attempt for this Instance.
'Should I use it? And should I ask about the truth of this world, or ask for the specific location of Above the Clouds and Sky?'
At this moment, Caleb's heart pounded.
He took a deep breath and ultimately couldn't resist the temptation, choosing to use the Book of Answers.
Wandering aimlessly without clues and relying solely on luck was just too difficult.
Thinking this, Caleb took out the book from his inventory and silently recited in his heart: 'The specific location of Above the Clouds and Sky.'
The blank cover page flipped automatically without wind.
Soon, it settled on a page displaying three bold words:
{..Does Not Exist..}
"What the... What does that mean?" Caleb's thought process stalled for a moment.
He even thought it was a bug for a moment, but quickly discarded the thought. He frowned, recalling the previous question.
Back then, he had asked for Mewtwo's specific location, and the Book of Answers' response was 'Above the Clouds and Sky'.
Now he asked for the specific location of said place, but the Book's response became 'Does Not Exist'...
Caleb's brain worked rapidly. Besides it being a bug, he couldn't think of any other reason.
"Crappy broken book! It really should be used as a table leg prop!"
Caleb forcefully suppressed the urge to throw it into the fire and burn it...
...
In the afternoon, Caleb, who had wasted the last attempt of the Book of Answers, continued his journey, searching for the landmark of the 'mountain peak piercing the clouds' on this land inhabited only by Pokémon.
The locations on the Warp Beacon gradually increased as Caleb moved.
This Instance was different from the Collapsed World. It had no dangers and no time-limited quests.
To be honest, if there weren't someone waiting for him in another world, Caleb felt he could stay here forever...