As Aiden Flint headed toward the Legendary Pokémon's location, Pidgeot cut through the sky at full speed.
Even with two people on its back, Aiden and Shelly, the giant bird never slowed down. To prevent wind resistance and outside detection, Aiden wrapped both of them in a layer of psychic energy. From the outside, anyone watching would only see an ordinary Pidgeot streaking across the sky—no riders, no distortion, nothing unusual.
When they finally arrived, Aiden released his psychic senses, sweeping across more than ten kilometers of land.
Since it was a ruin, the true target wouldn't be above ground.
And sure enough, beneath a remote mountain range between Petalburg City and Dewford Town, he detected it.
A sealed structure hidden deep underground.
They descended.
After stepping off Pidgeot, Shelly tidied her clothes, cheeks faintly flushed, and stayed close to Aiden's side.
"So this is the Legendary ruin Team Magma recorded?" Aiden asked.
Shelly nodded and opened her scanner. "According to Magma's files, this ruin was discovered by accident while they were searching for Groudon. Inside are many ultra-ancient inscriptions. Something was sealed here by humans… though they don't know what. They only marked it as a suspected ancient Legendary."
Aiden frowned slightly.
A Pokémon sealed by humans… called a Legendary?
What kind of Legendary could even be sealed by people?
Then he remembered Hoopa.
"…Never mind," he muttered.
"Come out, Infernape. Break open the wall."
Infernape leapt forward, its right fist exploding with Fighting-type energy. The punch created a sonic boom as it struck.
Boom!
The mountain wall shattered, revealing a deep, pitch-black tunnel.
Aiden had already scanned the entire ruin. The structure had fused completely with the mountain over countless years. Only two possible entrances remained—this was the weakest point.
"Wait a bit. Let the air circulate first."
After thirty minutes, Aiden activated his psychic field again and led the way inside, Infernape lighting the path with the flames on its head.
…
Deep within the ruin, a woman with long golden hair and a black coat was walking through the ancient halls with her Garchomp.
After reading the ancient inscriptions, Cynthia let out a soft sigh.
"So it's sealed… that Pokémon. It really does have a connection to Regigigas."
Cynthia wasn't just the Sinnoh Champion—she was also a devoted researcher of ancient myths and Legendary Pokémon. Ruins and forgotten histories were her greatest passion.
After hearing that Hoenn's crisis had ended—and that a trainer named Aiden Flint had overpowered both Steven and Wallace—she had grown curious.
A trainer strong enough to suppress Hoenn's champions?
Naturally, she wanted to meet him.
She had planned to visit Hoenn anyway… though in true Cynthia fashion, after buying ice cream in Petalburg City, she somehow got lost and wandered into this mountain.
And then… into this ruin.
"…How do I always end up like this?" she murmured.
Garchomp rolled its eyes.
Then suddenly, it tensed, claws rising, staring into the darkness.
"Something's coming?" Cynthia whispered.
A moment later, a figure emerged from the tunnel—
And the first thing to appear was a blazing Infernape.
Cynthia froze.
"…What?"
At the same time, Aiden stopped.
He had already sensed the powerful presence of a Garchomp ahead and was fully prepared to drop Rayquaza or suppress it with psychic force if needed.
But when the chamber opened…
A familiar golden-haired woman stood there.
"Cynthia?"
Cynthia blinked, staring at him.
"You know me?"
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