Rei Akagi's pupils suddenly shrank, his emotions rising and falling like a roller coaster.
"Summon it! Summon it immediately!"
He hadn't expected it to actually work!
What he said earlier had only been a casual bluff born from unwillingness to give up. He had already prepared himself for a merciless rejection.
But—
It actually worked!!!
Suppressing the surging excitement in his chest, Rei Akagi rushed into the bedroom. He grabbed Gastly—who was lying on the bed reading a military strategy book—and spoke to it seriously.
"Stop reading for now. The God of the Sky and Judgment, our founding general, your senior—he's about to return!"
"G-Gaass!? (A–A general!?)"
Σ(☉д⊙!)
Gastly froze in shock. Its entire gaseous body stiffened as its tiny eyes widened.
At that moment, the space in front of Rei Akagi began rippling violently like the surface of water.
A Poké Ball with a black top, white bottom, and golden dragon patterns appeared out of thin air and fell steadily into his hand.
It felt heavy.
As if it carried the weight of the sky itself.
Rei Akagi swallowed nervously. Holding the still-petrified Gastly, he quickly walked to the center of the living room where there was more open space.
After taking a deep breath to prepare himself, he threw the strange Poké Ball.
The Dragon Pattern Ball struck the floor with a crisp sound and bounced high.
Click.
The ball opened.
In that instant, a dazzling stream of golden dragon-shaped light burst forth!
The light spiraled in the air, gathering and stretching—
Golden, majestic dragon eyes.
A serpentine body coiling through the sky.
Ink-black jade-like scales.
The Legendary God of the Sky—
Had descended.
Pokémon: Rayquaza (Shiny)
Type: Dragon / Flying
Category: Sky High Pokémon
Gender: Genderless
Ability:Air Lock(Negates the effects of weather)
Known Moves: Dragon Ascent, Hyper Beam, Dragon Dance, Twister…
Mood: Happy
Fun Fact: Rayquaza's win rate against Caterpie is less than 100%.
Why are you staring at me like that?
Rayquaza's familiar, emotionless voice echoed in Rei Akagi's mind.
Only then did Rei Akagi finally relax.
Yes.
This was the comrade who had fought beside him through life and death.
Countless memories flashed through his mind.
He opened his mouth. A thousand emotions surged in his throat.
But in the end, he only whispered one sentence.
"You've changed…"
"?"
Rayquaza froze slightly, about to retort—when it suddenly noticed something strange.
When had Rei Akagi become so huge?
From Rayquaza's perspective, he looked like a towering giant reaching the sky.
Rei Akagi stepped forward calmly and suddenly made a move.
He grabbed the dragon—who was now shorter than his forearm—in one swift motion.
Pinching Rayquaza's tiny but still dignified dragon head, Rei Akagi deliberately put on a stern expression.
"Speak! Who are you? Where did you hide my old partner?"
"Stop acting crazy."
Rayquaza raised its head calmly and stared at him with deadpan dragon eyes.
(￢_￢)
"Alright, alright. I'm kidding."
Rei Akagi stopped joking and became serious.
"Tell me honestly. What's with this miniature size? Did time travel shrink you? Does it affect your real body?"
The system's summoning should theoretically be flawless.
But he couldn't help worrying.
Ever since they had formed their bond and survived countless life-and-death battles together, Rayquaza had long surpassed the role of partner.
To Rei Akagi—
It was family.
Rayquaza crossed its claws with a nonchalant expression.
"Hm…"
"I can't sense the authority of the sky right now. The energy in my body has also been heavily compressed."
"Returning to my normal 8–9 meter form isn't difficult, but I could only maintain it for a few seconds."
Its tail swayed lazily in midair.
"As for restoring my kilometer-long body, that's impossible without divine authority."
"But even with just this amount of power left, protecting you is more than enough."
Rei Akagi frowned and silently called out:
Xiao-A Assistant, explain.
"SystemNotification: Pokémon possessing divine authority are unique entities within a world and possess extremely high energy levels."
"With 20,000 Battle Points, only a compressed optimized summoning form can be supported."
"Note: Additional Battle Points can be used later to extend the duration of the complete form. Forcibly maintaining the complete form will consume large amounts of Battle Points."
…Ah.
So in other words—
He would eventually need to pay the remaining 80,000 Battle Points to unlock the final version.
Isn't that basically a battle pass system?
Rei Akagi clicked his tongue.
Still, summoning Rayquaza for only twenty thousand points was already pretty good.
No need to be greedy.
After confirming it wasn't a serious issue, the worry in his heart finally faded.
He looked seriously at Rayquaza in his hand.
"Old friend… long time no see."
"Hmph… for me, it's only been the blink of an eye."
Rayquaza replied coldly, deliberately turning its head away.
Yet its tail kept swaying in circles restlessly.
Ray, being aloof is so last season.
Rei Akagi twitched his mouth.
He gently released Rayquaza back into the air and then pushed the still-shocked Gastly toward it.
"Here—this is my crown prince."
"Your future priority protection target and the one you'll assist."
"You two should get along."
"Gaaass! (General!)"
Gastly sat upright, eyes full of seriousness.
Rayquaza glanced at it, examined it briefly, then snorted quietly through its nose—reluctantly acknowledging the arrangement.
"Oh, right."
Rei Akagi suddenly remembered something.
"Give me one of your spare scales. Just a normal one."
"I'm going out for dinner later. Your identity is too special."
"Are you staying in the Dragon Pattern Ball with me, or guarding the house?"
After all, Cynthia had invited him to dinner today because he accompanied her gaming last night.
He should at least show up.
Not because of her beauty.
Definitely not.
Rayquaza immediately became interested.
Stay in the ball… or stay at home?
It chose Option C.
Even though it knew revealing its identity might cause trouble, as long as it wasn't discovered, everything would be fine.
Besides—
It also wanted to see Rei Akagi's new world.
Rayquaza shrank again, coiling like a small dragon around Rei Akagi's collar before poking its tiny head out from the neckline.
A black scale drifted off its body and landed in Rei Akagi's palm.
The scale was fan-shaped, about the size of a bottle cap, and emitted a faint rainbow sheen.
"Back then, you used to ride on me."
"Now it's my turn to ride on you."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever makes you happy."
Rei Akagi replied helplessly.
He carefully stored the scale and Dragon Pattern Ball, tidied up his appearance, and headed out for his dinner appointment.
Evening arrived.
Streetlights illuminated the city.
As Rei Akagi stepped out of the research institute with Gastly in his arms, he saw Cynthia already waiting under a streetlamp.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Should we take a taxi or—"
Before he finished speaking—
Cynthia smiled.
She casually threw a Poké Ball from her waist.
A flash of light.
The majestic Garchomp appeared in the night.
She leapt lightly onto its back.
…Wait.
Then what about me?
Seeing Rei Akagi's expression, Cynthia's eyes sparkled mischievously.
"Don't worry."
"Garchomp will hold you."
"…Alright then."
Rei Akagi raised an eyebrow and looked at the fierce-looking Garchomp.
"Graaa—"
Garchomp growled impatiently.
Why was this man taking so long?
With its powerful arms, it scooped Rei Akagi and the Gastly in his arms into a perfect princess carry.
The next second—
Garchomp kicked off the ground.
And shot straight into the sky.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789