Oliver turned back and found a backpack frozen inside the thick ice.
After asking Mu Xue to melt that section of ice, Oliver opened the backpack—and sure enough, several items he had been longing for lay inside.
Seeing the joy on Oliver's face, Mu Xue asked,
"You found them?"
"Yes," Oliver replied. "These are the key items that will open the door to the next Pokémon era."
He took out the contents one by one.
There were three Mega Evolution Stones:
Mega Beedrill Stone
Mega Swampert Stone
Mega Gyarados Stone
Adding the Mega Venusaur Stone that Fan Wenxin had risked his life to obtain earlier, that made four Mega Stones in total.
Unfortunately, none of them were usable by Oliver at the moment.
He had originally hoped to find Mega Garchomp's Stone, since this secret realm's environment was extremely suitable for the Garchomp line. Sadly, it wasn't among them.
Aside from the Mega Stones, the backpack also contained several Evolution Stones, some Pokémon items, and a number of ancient ritual tools.
These ritual artifacts didn't have much practical use for Trainers, but they were very valuable for researching the origins of the secret realm world. Moreover, there were always wealthy collectors willing to pay high prices for such items on the black market.
As for the Pokémon items, most of the energy stored within them had long since dissipated due to the passage of time. Even if they still provided some boost, it would be minimal.
In the end, Oliver only packed away the Mega Stones. The Pokémon items and ritual artifacts were left where they were, to be handled later by official Alliance personnel.
He and Mu Xue then proceeded down the next staircase, leaving Rhyperior behind on that floor.
Not long after, Rhyperior also stood up and left via the stairs. It clearly understood that this "blessed land" no longer belonged to it. It would be better to return to the desert and find a new place to live.
Without the Pokémon hunters' lighting equipment, the path ahead plunged into darkness. Oliver had Gardevoir use Flash to illuminate the way.
Step by step, they descended the stairs, once again entering a familiar mural-lined corridor. The structure was similar to the previous two levels, but the murals here were far clearer—many intricate details were now fully visible.
The story depicted here continued seamlessly from the previous level.
After the mysterious Pokémon appeared, it dispersed the thick storm clouds, revealing the true forms of the two battling Pokémon. Upon seeing the mysterious Pokémon, the two no longer fought each other—instead, they both turned their attacks toward it.
In response, the mysterious Pokémon transformed again in a burst of light. If its original form had been closer to humanoid, this new form was clearly beast-like, moving on all fours.
In fact, the moment Oliver saw the first mural on this level, he already knew who these three Pokémon were.
They were the Forces of Nature—Landorus, Thundurus, and Tornadus.
The Pokémon originally worshiped by humans was Landorus.
Because of its special ability to absorb the powers of wind and lightning and convert them into nourishment for the land, it was revered as the God of Harvest and God of Farmland. This same ability also allowed it to calm the conflict between Thundurus and Tornadus.
Among all Legendary Pokémon, the three Forces of Nature were not considered top-tier. They were far inferior to beings like Ho-Oh or Lugia, let alone Groudon and Kyogre.
However, they possessed a unique trait—the ability to transform into Therian Forms using the Reveal Glass.
Landorus → Tiger
Thundurus → Dragon
Tornadus → Bird
In the murals, Landorus calmly absorbed the lightning and wind attacks using its tail, nullifying them completely. It then lunged forward, engaging Thundurus and Tornadus in close combat.
The three Legendary Pokémon battled across the skies. Fighting two against one, Landorus not only held its ground—it even overwhelmed the other two.
Before long, Thundurus and Tornadus seemed to regain their senses. They stopped fighting and reverted to their Incarnate Forms. Landorus also ceased its attack. The three Legendary Pokémon hovered tens of thousands of meters above the ground, seemingly conversing.
Below them, the surviving humans remained kneeling in worship. Around them lay forests set ablaze by lightning and land ravaged by violent winds. The area had been rendered uninhabitable by the rampant storm energy.
Seeing the devastation below, Landorus felt pity.
It ordered Thundurus and Tornadus to each force out a drop of blood, then added one drop of its own and bestowed them upon the humans.
Landorus told them that if the blood imbued with lightning and wind power were dripped into the earth, the land's vitality could be restored. By adding its own drop, the energy would remain stabilized within the soil and would not dissipate over time.
After that, the three Legendary Pokémon departed.
The humans followed the instructions, dripping the lightning and wind-infused blood into the land. Before their eyes, burned trees regained life, and crops sprouted from the soil.
However—
They never mixed Landorus's blood into the earth.
Instead, they built a grand relic and sealed that divine blood within it, worshiping it for generations.
No matter how powerful the blood of the two Legendary Pokémon was, time eventually eroded it. The land once again lost its vitality and became unsuitable for farming.
Some people left to seek new homes elsewhere. Others stayed behind, clinging to the hope that the God of Harvest would one day return.
In the end, the once-flourishing land turned into a vast desert, and the inheritors of that civilization disappeared into the endless flow of time.
When they reached the final mural, both Oliver and Mu Xue fell silent.
The story was unbearably heavy.
If only they had mixed that final drop of blood into the land.
If only they had chosen to leave with the others.
The civilization might not have perished.
"I will never allow something like this to happen on Earth," Mu Xue said slowly, her voice firm and resolute.
If such Pokémon ever descended upon Earth, what would humanity do? Would they place their hopes in the goodwill of unknown beings once more?
"We will not let humanity's fate rest on uncertain mercy," Mu Xue continued coldly.
"If that day ever comes—then even if it costs our lives, we will not allow such Pokémon to bring catastrophe upon our cities."
Her resolve was absolute.
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