"Champion?"
The moment the figure descended from the sky, Lin Feng already knew who it was. It made sense. Rayquaza had practically been brushing against the ground. No wonder Wutong City had issued an emergency alert.
Where is Rayquaza now?
Hovering in the air above the orchard, Windson hesitated for a moment. The last reported location of Rayquaza had been here. Yet the plantation beneath him looked completely peaceful. Late autumn sunlight washed over the rows of fruit trees, every branch heavy with brightly colored berries.
His Rotom Phone buzzed to life at his waist.
"It left. It left. Just moments ago, Rayquaza departed from the Eastern Region and returned to outer space."
The announcement was cheerful, but Windson could not help feeling strangely frustrated. He looked over the orchard again. Everything was calm, almost idyllic, as if nothing earthshaking had just happened.
Sighing, he landed beside Lin Feng.
"You already know what happened."
Lin Feng nodded and explained everything honestly. Mew had simply wanted to cheer everyone up, so it transformed into Rayquaza. The real Rayquaza sensed the imitation, came down to investigate, and left after confirming there was no danger.
Hearing this, Windson finally let out the breath he had been holding.
If that was the case, then Groudon and Kyogre were unlikely to appear. He had truly been terrified of those two meeting in the region.
Still, he asked, "Where's Mew?"
"It went out to play. It should be back by lunchtime."
Windson blinked.
Went out to play. Back by lunchtime.
The way Lin Feng spoke made it sound like he was talking about a mischievous child, not one of the most mysterious mythical Pokémon in existence. It was hard to imagine a legendary Pokémon being this cozy with a human.
Then again, research did say that Mew was capable of transforming into any Pokémon. He just never expected Rayquaza to be included in that list.
Looking at the boy in front of him, Windson finally said, "Since it can do that, you need to keep an eye on it. Don't let it transform into legendary Pokémon whenever it feels like it. The League will not be happy."
If legendary Pokémon casually wandered in and out of the region, he would never have a peaceful night again.
"Right. I didn't know it could do that before. But I'll be careful from now on."
Lin Feng's attitude was genuinely apologetic. Whether intentional or not, Mew's transformation had drawn the real Rayquaza down to the region. As a result, Wutong City had initiated an evacuation. He could imagine how many departments must have been scrambling behind the scenes.
Windson nodded, but a moment later, his expression fell as he remembered something.
His arranged date.
He sighed. It was definitely ruined now. He waved at the Moltres circling above him, ready to rush back in hopes of salvaging the situation.
But Lin Feng hurriedly called after him. "Champion!"
Windson paused and turned back.
"Could we exchange contact info? You know… in case anything like this happens again, I can let you know directly."
Considering the chaos that was just caused, it seemed like a reasonable request. The orchard clearly attracted strange events. Windson agreed and exchanged contact information with him before taking off on Moltres once more.
Lin Feng exhaled deeply. "That caused way too much trouble."
Just as he relaxed, a figure sprinted out from the direction of the breeding house.
Qin Shu's face was pale with worry when she saw him still in the orchard. "Feng, why are you still here? You need to get out of town with your Pokémon. They said to evacuate!"
Wutong Town was south of Wutong City, not terribly close, but still under its emergency authority. When the alert came, residents were ordered to gather along the newly built road where League vehicles were waiting to transport them to safety.
Qin Shu had gone with her parents, only to find that Lin Feng never showed up. Thinking he was still at the breeding house, she panicked and ran back to look for him.
Lin Feng finally realized the impact Mew's transformation had caused. Most of the town was probably evacuating at this very moment.
He gently stopped her. "It's okay. Champion Windson already came by. Everything's resolved. They'll update the announcement soon."
On cue, the Rotom butler floating beside him lit up and spoke.
"Attention Wutong City residents: the incident has been resolved with the arrival of Champion Windson. The evacuation is now concluded. Please return to your homes in an orderly manner."
It repeated the message three times.
Qin Shu froze, her anxiety slowly melting into disbelief. "It's really over?"
Lin Feng pointed upward at the Pidgeot circling above. "It's a long story. Head to the town mayor's house and let everyone know they can come back."
She was still a little dazed, but she nodded. After glancing around the orchard and confirming that Rayquaza was truly gone, she hesitated before asking, "Where's Jirachi?"
"It went out with Mew," Lin Feng said, gesturing for Pidgeot to descend. "Let Pidgeot take you. It'll be much faster."
Her eyes lit up. Once the fear eased, her trainer instincts kicked right back in. A flying-type like Pidgeot… Feng really did raise his Pokémon well.
She decided. Her next partner had to be a flying type too.
Climbing onto Pidgeot's back, she beamed. "Let's go, Pidgeot!"
But the moment they lifted off the ground and the orchard shrank beneath her feet, she yelped, grabbing onto Pidgeot's wings in pure terror.
Lin Feng laughed helplessly.
For a trainer, the road ahead was still very long.