Join my p@treon for more chapters
[email protected]/Tempest_29
Brandon gave a small nod.
"It seems you are all familiar with the legend of Snowpoint Temple."
"Not exactly," Steven said. "I just came across some ancient texts on myths and legends before coming here."
Cynthia and Brandon were both archaeologists with a deep passion for mythology, and they knew far more about the local legends than most.
Mikoto, standing nearby, began to recount the tale:
"Long ago, in a distant era, a series of violent volcanic eruptions broke out. Snowpoint Forest, known as a vast natural treasure, was swallowed almost instantly by rivers of lava."
"Then, in a burst of brilliant blue light, Regigigas appeared."
"One by one, Regice, Regirock, and Registeel followed. Together, they brought the volcanic eruption under control and kept Snowpoint City safe from destruction."
"Afterward, Regigigas transformed into a form of light and fell into a deep slumber within the depths of Snowpoint Temple."
That story sounds oddly familiar, Steven thought to himself. The method to awaken Regigigas wouldn't involve something like "transforms into light," would it?
"The feed from the temple entrance is now live on the main monitor!" announced a man nearby, wearing a blue bandana.
Everyone turned their eyes to the screen.
Inside the passage leading into Snowpoint Temple, rows of people dressed in gray mercenary uniforms lined both sides of the corridor. At the center of it all, a woman with short silver hair strode forward, leading them deeper inside.
"I know her," Brandon said, his eyes narrowing. "That's Hunter J."
Steven's expression tightened. Hunter J was no ordinary operative within the Hunter organization. The Hunters they had encountered before typically worked alone, in pairs, or in small squads at most. But she had arrived with an entire unit at her back.
"Given what we're seeing," Steven said in a low voice, "there's a strong chance the old legends are true."
After all, a Pokémon powerful enough to shift tectonic plates had to be easier to deal with than Yveltal, right?
"Yes," Brandon continued, picking up where he had been interrupted. "That is precisely the reason I came to Sinnoh — to investigate this matter."
Before he could say anything more, a swarm of Flying-type Pokémon rose into the sky above them. Skarmory, Crobat, Honchkrow — they launched their assault without warning, targeting the Battle Pyramid directly.
Flash Cannon! Air Slash! Move after move rained down on the structure.
Boom!
Under the relentless barrage, the Battle Pyramid was forced to descend and land on the ground. Steven quickly steadied Cynthia before she could lose her balance.
"It looks like we'll have to handle this ourselves," Brandon said, steadying himself against the control panel as he rose to his feet.
Steven watched as the Pokémon began pulling back into the air. Something about it didn't sit right.
"Are they really just trying to drive us away?"
That seemed likely. Hunter J had probably ordered her grunts to keep anyone from approaching the temple. Once they saw the Battle Pyramid had been forced to retreat, they pulled their Pokémon back. It was exactly the kind of half-hearted effort you'd expect from grunts.
"Let's move, Steven!" Cynthia called out.
"Right, I'm coming," he replied.
He pulled off his beanie and tucked away his glasses, then fell into step behind Cynthia and Brandon .
From behind the Battle Pyramid, Brandon and Mikoto launched in their spaceship. Steven stepped onto Metagross's head and rode it forward like a board cutting through the sky, keeping pace with Cynthia, who was mounted on her Garchomp.
The same Pokémon that had just retreated rose again to intercept them.
"Meteor Mash!"
"Dragon Rush!"
Two voices rang out at the same moment.
A flash of silver-white — and a streak of blue-purple — split across the sky. Skarmory, Crobat, and Honchkrow were sent tumbling through the air in all directions, like fireworks bursting against the clouds.
Diancie, cradled in Steven's arms, wasn't content to simply watch. She stretched out her small hands, and a glittering storm of hard pink diamonds exploded outward in every direction.
Diamond Storm.
"Reliable as ever," Brandon murmured from the spaceship, a faint smile crossing his lips as he steered unimpeded through the chaos.
Below, the Hunter grunts scrambled to get out of the way as Steven and Cynthia dove toward the temple entrance. Neither of them paid the grunts much attention.
Steven and Cynthia entered Snowpoint Temple one after the other. Brandon swung the spaceship into a sharp turn and guided it through the entrance as well.
Inside the temple, Hunter J stood before a massive, perfectly round azure orb, its surface glowing with a soft blue light. A quiet laugh escaped her lips.
She cast her gaze upward to the three tall pillars standing in a ring around the orb — one formed from ice, one from rock, and one from steel.
Hunter J wasn't the type to narrate her thoughts aloud. She assessed the layout quickly and then hurled a Poké Ball.
Click—
"ROAAR!!"
Salamence shook its head, scattering the white light of its release, and bellowed a ferocious dragon's cry.
"Flamethrower!"
With a sweep of her hand, Hunter J gave the command. Salamence opened its jaws, and a gout of flame erupted from its throat, slamming into the ice pillar.
BOOM!
The pillar was engulfed in fire and began to melt. A moment later, it shattered with a thunderous crash.
One by one, Salamence demolished the remaining pillars — first the steel, then the rock — with a savage efficiency.
The instant the rock pillar crumbled, a burst of silver-white energy shot toward Hunter J.
Boom!
She dove backward in an instant, using the rock wall to push off and spring back into the air. She spun once, landed cleanly on her feet, and turned to face the temple entrance.
The wall behind her caved in, sending chunks of stone cascading down.
From the darkness of the passage, a silver-white Metagross charged forward, its massive metal fist raised and coated in a freezing chill.
"Crunch!"
Salamence snapped its jaws wide open. Black energy condensed before it into jagged, fang-like shapes — one row above, one below.
BANG!
The dark teeth clamped down on Metagross's raised fist, and the impact exploded outward. Metagross pulled back its arm and landed heavily on the stone floor.
Salamence, caught in the shockwave, beat its wings furiously to stay airborne.
"Khao!"
Garchomp surged into the room next. Cynthia leaped from its back and fixed Hunter J with a cold stare from below the platform.
Steven emerged from the shadows, his expression composed and steady. Diancie hopped along beside him.
"Dragon Pulse!" Cynthia commanded.
Hunter J's eyes narrowed. "Dragon Pulse!"
Two waves of blue-purple dragon energy collided in the center of the temple. The shockwave from the clash slammed into the surrounding walls, sending cracks spreading across the stone in every direction.
Hunter J glanced down at the large gem still glowing at her feet. Her brow furrowed.
"Why hasn't it awakened yet?"
"Salamence — Flamethrower!"
Salamence turned and unleashed a torrent of fire directly at the glowing orb on the ground.
"Psychic!" Steven shouted.
The X-shaped marking on Metagross's face lit up with a vivid blue glow. Invisible Psychic energy seized hold of Salamence and hurled it into the nearby wall.
CRASH!
The weakened wall gave way entirely, collapsing in on itself. Rocks tumbled down, burying Salamence beneath the rubble.
Even so, a small portion of the Flamethrower had already reached the orb. The flames licked at its surface for a moment — and then faded, leaving no mark at all. The orb seemed completely unaffected.
Brandon and Mikoto arrived not long after. The passage was wide enough that Brandon was able to maneuver the spaceship inside.
"This is—!"
Mikoto looked at the scattered fragments of ice, rock, and steel across the floor, and a sinking feeling settled over her.
"It seems we were a step too late," Brandon said, studying the orb as it continued to pulse with flashes of blue light.
"But Regigigas hasn't awakened yet, has it?" Cynthia noted, sounding uncertain.
Brandon considered it. "Perhaps Hunter J didn't know the true method to awaken Regigigas."
Only Steven said nothing. His face had gone pale.
This wasn't a matter of Regigigas not yet being awake.
This was Slow Start.
Regigigas was already waking up.
…