Off to the side, the Dragonite tilted its head, listening closely to the two people's conversation.
When it caught the keyword "hidden trial," Dragonite's eyes lit up, as if suddenly enlightened, recalling something.
It seemed that about a week ago, a red-haired man—who in its memory had still been a child but somehow had become an adult in the blink of an eye—came to the Dragon Holy Land with the Dragon Elder. He instructed Dragonite that if anyone found the Holy Land, it should grant that person a hidden trial, and that Dragonite could decide the content of the trial itself.
Before Lucas and Zinnia could continue talking, the Dragonite that had been sitting in the flower fields stood up, its gaze falling on them.
There was still some time before sunset, but it decided to begin the trial for the two in front of it first.
As Dragonite stood, the advantage of its body—larger even than ordinary Dragonite—became immediately apparent.
By comparison, Zinnia's Salamence stood on all fours while Dragonite stood on two feet. With its height at only about a meter and a half at the shoulder in that posture, Salamence could only see Dragonite's legs. That alone further irritated the already short-tempered Salamence.
Zinnia didn't dare let Salamence act up. She softly soothed the dragon beneath her, then glanced at Lucas beside her, pressing her lips together.
Whether it was fighting this Dragonite or battling Lucas under Dragonite's witness, she actually felt unsure.
But Zinnia knew she had to struggle—she had to win. Only then, when summoning the Dragon God, would she have sufficient strength to gain its recognition.
Dragonite's next move, however, stunned Zinnia, who had been constantly self-hypnotizing herself that she could do it, and even left Lucas and his Dragonite wearing surprised expressions.
Dragonite strode to one edge of the flower field and let out a loud roar.
"Drago~"
The roar echoed through the ring-shaped valley enclosed by mountains. The fluttering Butterfree and Skiploom weren't frightened; instead they flew over and perched on Dragonite.
A few Gible, Charmander, Swablu, and some timid Goomy also gathered at Dragonite's call, chirping as if begging for something.
Seeing this, Lucas and his Dragonite exchanged a look, each seeing shock in the other's eyes.
Could it be…
Zinnia didn't really understand what Dragonite was doing. Keeping her non-hostile smile, she asked, "Excuse me, what exactly is our hidden trial?"
Dragonite gave Zinnia a strange look and sighed slightly, as if lamenting that this little girl's mind wasn't as quick as Lucas's and Dragonite's.
"Bwo bwo-bwo bwo!"
Wearing a "you leave me no choice" expression, Dragonite patted the big belly it had naturally grown from long naps and "earnestly" explained to Zinnia.
Zinnia's forced smile faltered: "…"
Still couldn't understand.
Though she was a Lorekeeper, it was more about a duty passed down through generations. She had no special ability and couldn't understand Pokémon speech other than her own partners'.
Zinnia was in trouble!
"Your hidden trial… is to have us make Pokémon food for you all to eat, right?"
Seeing Zinnia's awkward expression, Lucas sighed softly, stepped forward, and asked.
"Bwo!"
Dragonite happily patted its belly. It was nearly afternoon!
Seeing Dragonite confirm Lucas's guess, Zinnia felt not relief but complete despair, unable to maintain her smile anymore; her handsome features dimmed with hopelessness.
This was worse than not understanding at all!
Zinnia ranted inwardly. What sort of Dragon Tamer clan used Dragonite to test culinary skills instead of combat, giving in to gluttony?
Regardless of her collapse, Dragonite, surrounded by many Pokémon, cheerfully laid out a few requests for Lucas and Zinnia.
With both of them working hard to translate, and Lucas's Serperior assisting via vine gestures, they finally understood Dragonite's requirements.
Since it's afternoon tea, it and the Pokémon want desserts.
This shattered Zinnia's idea of making do with her carried Pokémon rations and Pokéblocks.
You must use ingredients found within the Dragon Holy Land. No outside items!
Dragonite confiscated Lucas's space pack and Zinnia's bracelet. Lucas didn't mind; Zinnia's last hope was cut off.
Near the Dragon Shrine there's a small room suitable for cooking. Since Lance and Liza of Charicific Valley often train here, appropriate living tools have been prepared.
Entry into the Dragon Shrine is forbidden.
Whoever's afternoon tea desserts are more favored by the Pokémon wins the hidden trial and receives the one-and-only Extreme Speed manual entrusted to Dragonite by Lance.
Lucas thought these demands were quite simple. From observation, the Holy Land already had a complete ecosystem: clear lakes, abundant flora, and many Pokémon.
For him, using these to make delicious desserts was no challenge. In fact, he had already identified a lot of ingredients during the discussion.
Zinnia, however, usually fed on store-bought instant rations and pre-made Pokémon food and Pokéblocks. She focused solely on training, squeezing time in a borderline unhealthy way, and naturally had zero cooking skills.
"Bwo~!"
With Dragonite's roar, Lucas vs. Zinnia—the cook-off—officially began.
Lucas had no intention of helping Zinnia. He went straight to the Butterfree circling Dragonite, hoping to borrow some nectar they collected regularly.
Zinnia was now his competitor. He wasn't about to be so kind as to help her—this was critical to compensating for his Dragonite's agility shortcomings.
The Butterfree gladly agreed to Lucas's request, gesturing for him to follow as they danced toward their hive.
"Bwo?"
Dragonite, serving as a slide for the dragon tots and good-natured to a fault, tilted its head at Zinnia, asking why she wasn't foraging for ingredients.
"…"
Zinnia said nothing, recalled Salamence, and directly followed Lucas.
She chose a slightly underhanded but, for a kitchen novice, the most correct decision—follow Lucas to gather ingredients.
To fulfill her mission—her obsession—to save the world, a little underhandedness was nothing, right?
She kept telling herself maybe Lucas wasn't good at cooking either, and with the same ingredients she might have an edge.
After Lucas got excellent honey from the Butterfree, he noticed Zinnia trailing behind had also received nectar from them.
Since Zinnia, too, was a participant in the hidden trial, the Butterfree were equally eager to see what desserts she'd make.
And so, whenever Lucas gathered an ingredient, Zinnia would follow and get the same. By the time Lucas returned with a bounty and headed to the small kitchen near the Shrine under Dragonite's lead, Zinnia had almost identical ingredients.
She even asked for more, hoping to surpass him in quantity.
This series of moves made Lucas shake his head slightly. She was too greedy and too desperate to excel at everything—this had already become an obsession.
He didn't bother with her and skillfully began making delicious desserts.
Zinnia, with the help of her partner—her Whismur named Aster—clumsily mimicked Lucas's techniques and ended up a step behind with a mishmash dessert with terrible seasoning.
When both desserts—completely different in looks and aroma—were placed before Dragonite and the others, they hesitated only a moment before happily devouring Lucas's fragrant treats, made with Dragonite's assistance.
At that moment, Zinnia knew she had lost.
But she hadn't given up.
The weighty mission in her heart, the thought that it had to be her—these drove her decision.
All this compelled Zinnia to sprint toward a small shrine by the lake near the kitchen right as the Pokémon, though reluctant, were about to eat her specially-made dessert out of consideration for her feelings.
The small shrine was mainly red in tone, with two stone pillars—exactly the Dragon Shrine Dragonite had forbidden them to enter.
Zinnia had thought long about it. Dragonite couldn't easily carry items, yet it said the Extreme Speed manual was in its care.
Aside from the small kitchen, which she'd already searched while making desserts, the only place Dragonite could safely stash the manual was this specifically forbidden Dragon Shrine!
The shrine was very close to the kitchen. Amid the Pokémon's shocked cries, Zinnia reached the entrance, pushed the doors open without hesitation, and searched rapidly, breathing hard.
Even her Whismur, cherishing the first dessert its trainer had made and leaving only Lucas's untouched to the side, hadn't expected Zinnia to suddenly do this.
Zinnia's gaze swept past a golden chalice with a blazing flame and fell on a small side table where a book with a blank cover lay quietly.
She grabbed the Extreme Speed manual without hesitation, dashed out, and shouted to Whismur, "Aster, come!"
As she spoke, Zinnia tossed out a Poké Ball and released Salamence.
This series of events left the wild Pokémon baffled and shocked. The huge Dragonite, as if its reverse scale had been touched, erupted with a terrifying aura and rose to its feet.
Lucas, who had been leisurely enjoying tea-time desserts with his Dragonite and Serperior, sighed. So it came to this after all?
"Her obsession runs too deep…"
He couldn't quite recall Zinnia's storyline—only vaguely of Rayquaza, a meteor, and a Key Stone—but he remembered her actions were somewhat fanatical.
Just for your obsession, you would trouble the people and Pokémon around you?
Lucas couldn't understand. How could that be reasonable?
"Dragonite, don't let it stay enraged too long. It may lose its reason."
"Serperior, stop Zinnia and Salamence!"
Lucas gave crisp orders to his two Pokémon.
In the anime, Dragonite flew into an Outrage after Team Rocket opened the shrine and toppled the mysterious Praying Flame. When gentle, it was very tame; when berserk, utterly ferocious.
At Lucas's command, his Dragonite moved to suppress the giant Dragonite. The opponent's size and strength were immense; it was a bit of a struggle.
"Serpe~."
Serperior glanced with disdain at Zinnia astride Salamence, ready to take off once Whismur returned. It hated thieves who snatched things.
Under sunlight, Serperior's energy surged to unprecedented levels. The earth of the Holy Land trembled. In the next instant, countless tree-trunk-thick roots burst from the ground—massive yet swift.
In a heartbeat, crazed vegetation, like wooden dragons, filled the sky above Salamence and Zinnia.
Those vines were each thicker than Salamence's body, shocking Zinnia and Salamence.
So not only Lucas's Dragonite, even his Serperior was this strong?
But—
"You're underestimating us! Salamence, whip up Hurricane!"
There was no turning back. Zinnia's eyes hardened. She ordered a wide-area attack without hesitation.
In her view, Grass moves were four-times resisted by Salamence's typing. Even with a power gap, that typing advantage should bridge it.
"ROAR!!!"
Whismur finally reached Zinnia. She recalled it at once, and Salamence let out a furious bellow, bathed in azure light. Using its blood-red wings as a pivot, high-speed air currents surged outward, shrieking so loud they rattled eardrums.
Terrified wild Pokémon scattered in panic as chaos erupted.
Serperior admitted it was angered. This girl would do anything for her obsession.
Under Serperior's control, countless rampant vines lunged at Salamence. Even where Hurricane struck, the vines only gained shallow white scratches, while Salamence looked increasingly bedraggled fleeing the pursuit.
Zinnia clung tightly to Salamence's back to avoid being shaken off, gritting her teeth. She hadn't expected Serperior's Frenzy Plant to be so terrifying. Even Salamence's full-power Hurricane couldn't sever a single root.
With equal strength and a typing advantage, Salamence could have cut them. It did have the power to sever a few.
But Serperior wasn't fighting alone. For safety, Lucas had also sent an invisible Victini to constantly buff Serperior.
With Victini's support, Salamence was no match. Hurricane, Hyper Beam, Fire Blast, Dragon Claw—none could cut the crazed vegetation.
In the end, the sky-full of wooden dragons ensnared Zinnia and Salamence as they tried to flee with the stolen manual.
On the other side, Dragonite used a few tricks to physically calm the big Dragonite.
Bound tight by vines, Zinnia and Salamence were slammed to the ground "by accident," letting out a dull groan.
Lucas walked over to the trussed-up pair, sighed, and said, "Why go this far? For a manual, you even hurt the Pokémon who, considering your feelings, tried to eat that over-salted dessert you made."
"A place like paradise, the Dragon Holy Land, became like this because of you."
He took the Extreme Speed manual from Zinnia's hand, gave her a flat look, then headed to the now-calm Dragonite, who was staring at the pitted ground and storm-torn flowers with sorrow.
Given the commotion, Lance and Claire's people who watched over Dragon's Den and the Holy Land would arrive soon.
Lucas didn't care how the Dragon Tamers would handle Zinnia. Everything she did that day danced on his bottom line. Could obsession really sway a person that much?
He came to the dejected Dragonite and the frightened wild Pokémon. "Want to see a magic trick?"
Dragonite and the others looked confused. With the Holy Land in this state, who had the mood for magic?
Lucas smiled, released Comfey, and took out a Z-Ring, setting an emerald crystal into it.
Victini appeared at Lucas and Comfey's side, golden aura rising, pouring boosts and energy into both of them.
"Comfey, Grassy Terrain Z!"
In an instant, green spread like a carpet, and a hundred flowers bloomed!