After hearing Cynthia's words, Aiden Flint was surprised to see her inside this ruin, but he quickly relaxed.
She wasn't an enemy.
Cynthia was a Champion of the Pokémon League, just like the others Aiden had already dealt with. And more importantly, she wasn't the type to attack without reason. With Wallace, Steven, the Hoenn Elite Four, and even Professor Birch publicly backing Aiden, there was no way Cynthia would mistake him for some villain.
Aiden withdrew his Poké Ball and dispersed the psychic pressure he had been gathering.
Garchomp had sensed danger earlier—but not from Infernape.
The true source of that oppressive presence was the man standing in front of it.
After receiving the warning from her partner, Cynthia's gaze sharpened slightly.
So the one she needed to be cautious of… was this man?
But since he knew her name, he probably wasn't hostile.
Just as she was thinking that, Aiden spoke.
"Sinnoh Champion Cynthia. Even in Hoenn, your name carries weight. Of course I recognize you."
Cynthia smiled faintly. "Then this becomes easier. Are you here for the Pokémon sealed inside this ruin?"
She looked between Aiden and Shelly.
"Since you know who I am, perhaps you should introduce yourselves as well. It would be awkward to cooperate without knowing each other, wouldn't it?"
Aiden nodded. "My name is Aiden Flint. I came here because I heard this ruin held a rare Pokémon. This is my partner, Shelly."
Before he could finish, Cynthia's eyes widened.
"Wait… Aiden Flint? As in the Aiden Flint Professor Rowan told me about? The Hoenn prodigy who defeated Drake and overwhelmed Steven and Wallace? The trainer who stopped the Legendary disaster?"
Aiden paused.
Even he wasn't sure how he'd accumulated that many titles.
It was one thing for Hoenn to know his name. But for Sinnoh's Champion to know him this well felt… excessive.
Just what had Professor Rowan told her?
Cynthia smiled brightly. "Then this is fate. To be honest, I came to Hoenn partly because of you. A trainer only grows by facing powerful opponents. After we leave this ruin, could we battle? Use your Legendary Pokémon."
Aiden stared at her for a second.
Why were all these Champions so obsessed with being beaten up by Legendary Pokémon?
Still… if she wanted to walk into it, he wouldn't stop her.
"That's fine," he said calmly. "But there are rules. And I'm claiming whatever Pokémon is sealed here first."
Then he looked at her more carefully. "You didn't come here for the Legendary too, did you?"
Cynthia froze.
"Rules? What rules?"
Then suddenly, her gaze flicked toward Shelly.
Her imagination ran wild.
Her cheeks flushed bright red as she hurriedly stepped back, waving her hands.
"No, no, no! You can't just decide feelings like that! Battling doesn't mean—!"
Aiden's expression went blank.
"…What exactly is going on inside your head?"
Several seconds later, Cynthia realized how far her thoughts had drifted and quickly coughed, trying to recover.
"A-anyway! I'm not interested in claiming the Pokémon here. I came for the history. According to these ancient inscriptions, what's sealed inside is one of the Legendary titans."
She looked toward the heart of the ruin.
"Regirock."
Aiden's eyes sharpened.
So it was Regirock.
One of the Legendary Titans.
Whether this was the same Regirock that Brandon possessed didn't matter. First come, first served.
Together, the three of them advanced into the central chamber. After bypassing a series of ancient mechanisms, a massive stone door opened.
Inside rested a petrified Poké Ball.
"So that's the seal?" Cynthia murmured.
Aiden raised a hand. Psychic energy surged—and with a sharp crack, the ancient Poké Ball shattered.
The next instant, the ground trembled.
A colossal figure rose from within.
A fifty-meter-tall titan of stone emerged, filling the chamber with overwhelming presence.
Regirock.
Its massive form scraped against the ceiling of the ruin, ancient power radiating from every inch of its rocky body.
Unlike the versions recorded in modern Pokédexes, this was its true form.
A divine titan.
A Pokémon that could freely alter its size—just like Rayquaza.
Only its maximum size was slightly smaller than that of the Sky God.
The moment it fully materialized, Regirock's gaze locked onto Aiden.
It had been sealed for ten thousand years.
And now… it was free.
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