Three Flygon soared through the sky, and Jenga observed the cloud trails, quickly pinpointing Zinnia's location. This was the innate talent of the Draconid people; they could observe the unique cloud trails left by Dragon-type Pokémon in flight to determine their identity and location. Since Zinnia was a resident of the Draconid Village, they were all too familiar with the cloud trails of her Dragon-type Pokémon and could easily find her general position.
Meanwhile, in a secret Team Magma base near Mount Chimney, Zinnia, dressed in a Team Magma uniform, sensed something and looked at the Whismur beside her. The Whismur nodded at Zinnia, and Zinnia, in turn, nodded at the Team Magma members around her before walking out of the secret base alone.
Outside the base, Zinnia released her Salamence, then leaped onto its back with her Whismur. Salamence flapped its wings, swiftly ascending before flying forward.
In less than three minutes, Zinnia met with Jenga and the other two. Jenga, seeing Zinnia in a Team Magma uniform, scoffed, "Zinnia, come back with us."
"In your dreams!" Zinnia retorted sharply. "You useless fools should just wait. As the next Lorekeeper, I will save the world with Lord Rayquaza!"
"Pfft." Popo couldn't help but laugh mockingly. "Lorekeeper? You?"
"You good-for-nothing! If not me, then who?!" Zinnia shot back, not giving an inch. Being away for so long had gradually given her a sharper tongue.
"Enough!" Jenga roared, yelling at Zinnia, "The new Lorekeeper has been born, Zinnia. Hand over the scrolls and come back with us. Lord Rayquaza is with the new Lorekeeper, waiting for the scrolls to return."
"Nonsense!" Zinnia flared up like a wild cat, screaming at Jenga, "You're full of crap! I am the true Lorekeeper! Tell that fake jerk to get lost!"
With that, an enraged Zinnia ignored their words and ordered her Salamence to unleash a Dragon Rush at the three.
"You're being unreasonable! Let's go! Take her down!" Jenga and the others dodged the attack, their anger flaring. They stopped trying to reason with Zinnia, and the three Flygon immediately surrounded her Salamence.
"Sableye!"
"Slowbro!"
"Mawile!"
The three trainers released three more Pokémon. The Pokémon landed on the backs of their Flygon and, without a word, quickly attacked Zinnia.
"Salamence, use Outrage!" Zinnia and Whismur jumped high into the air. Salamence erupted with a powerful surge of Dragon-type energy and charged at Jenga's Flygon.
A Noivern appeared beneath Zinnia, catching her as she descended.
"Boomburst!" Noivern fired a sound wave at Popo's Pokémon, forcing it back. Then, a Goodra blocked Zinnia's front, fending off Lenza's attack.
"Counter!" The damage taken was absorbed by Goodra and then gathered in its hands. A beam of energy swiftly blasted towards Mawile. Mawile had no time to react and was instantly hit by Counter.
The single blow sent it flying. If Lenza hadn't been quick to recall Mawile, it would have likely died on the spot.
Zinnia glanced coldly at Lenza and said, "A weakling is a weakling. I'm not like you parasites. I've been out here for so long, and I've fought my way up bit by bit! How can you possibly defeat me?"
As she spoke, Salamence had completely overpowered Jenga's Flygon and Slowbro. If Salamence wasn't gripping Flygon by the neck, Jenga would have probably fallen from the sky by now.
With only Popo left, he looked at Zinnia's three Dragon-type Pokémon—Salamence, Noivern, and Goodra—and immediately raised his hands in surrender.
"A bunch of weaklings." Salamence threw the Flygon it was holding toward Popo. Jenga recalled his Flygon and landed on the back of Popo's Flygon.
He frowned at Zinnia, finding it hard to believe that the little brat who used to follow them around was now so much stronger than all three of them.
"Zinnia, the new Lorekeeper has been born. You can't deny this, even if you want to." Jenga said, "Lord Rayquaza has been caught by the new Lorekeeper. You won't be able to find it no matter how hard you search. If you don't believe me, come back to the Draconid Village. Don't become a disgrace to the village. By the way, this is Elder's command. You should know what to do."
With that, Jenga signaled to Popo and Lenza that they could retreat. The two nodded and commanded their Flygon to fly back.
However, their Flygon's speed slowed down noticeably. After all, they had been dealt with by Zinnia in less than two hours. If word got out, they would be incredibly embarrassed.
Zinnia jumped back onto Salamence's back and recalled her other Pokémon. She held the Whismur and watched the three figures, then looked down at the Pokémon and said, "Whismur, do you think I should believe them?"
The Whismur, named Whis by Zinnia, didn't make a sound, but it knew that Zinnia had already made her decision.
Salamence returned, and Zinnia went back to the secret Team Magma base. After giving some instructions to the Team Magma members she had recruited, Zinnia left the base once more.
She leaped onto Salamence, and it shot into the sky, carrying her towards the Draconid Village. Zinnia took off her Team Magma uniform, revealing her original clothes underneath.
"I want to see who this so-called new Lorekeeper is!" Zinnia said through gritted teeth. "And to claim that they caught Lord Rayquaza... They must be dreaming!"
As she spoke, Salamence increased its speed, carrying Zinnia swiftly towards the Draconid Village.
In the Draconid Village, inside the Elder's house.
Ace and the Elder sat facing each other, each holding a teacup and drinking tea. The Elder looked at Ace and said, "Who do you think will come back first?"
"Zinnia." Ace took a sip of tea and said, "I've cooperated with her once. Although I don't know the other circumstances, based on strength alone, the people you sent are no match for her."
"Yes." The Elder sighed, then looked up at the ceiling and said softly, "After Whis's death, Zinnia tried her best to work hard, even if it was for nothing. She found a way to not let everyone fall into despair, but to preserve a glimmer of hope. Now, it's time for her to rest."