This document regarding the Legendary Giant Rock had not yet been made public.
However, considering that Roxanne herself was a Gym Leader and a crucial member of the League, and Hakuya was a Trainer he personally acknowledged, Steven didn't bother with the League's tedious regulations and got straight to the point.
Looking at the familiar images of the ancient texts, Hakuya fell deep into thought.
Regarding the origins of Mega Evolution...
The anime and games possessed vastly different lore.
For instance, during the XY era, the source of Mega Evolution was attributed to the Ultimate Weapon.
By Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the lore shifted to a super-massive meteorite that fell from outer space, heavily linking it to the legends of Mega Rayquaza and the Draconid people.
And if Hakuya remembered correctly, this "Legendary Giant Rock" only ever appeared in the anime.
It was not only considered the source of Mega Evolution energy—capable of triggering Primal Reversion in Kyogre and Groudon—but it was also viewed by Lysandre as the crucial artifact needed to destroy the old world and create his new one.
Standing nearby, having talked non-stop for quite a while, Steven felt his mouth getting a bit dry. He paused, then sighed.
"That's the general gist of the information regarding the ancient texts and the ruins. It's a pity... Currently, I only know that this ruin is located near Rustboro City. But since I haven't been able to decipher the text on them yet, I still don't know how to open it..."
"I have a rough idea of what the writing on the ancient texts means."
"...You know, Hakuya?"
Steven's pupils contracted, his demeanor instantly growing far more excited. He looked at Hakuya with an expression of utter disbelief.
"Mhm."
Hakuya nodded.
While it was true he couldn't actually read the characters, possessing the "plot armor" of his past life's knowledge allowed him to recite the contents.
"First is the initial segment. The path leading to the Giant Rock requires opening a special door first."
"Next is the most crucial part. The key to opening the door is the light of two stones. Once fully gathered, the true path leading to the Giant Rock will be revealed."
At this point, Hakuya deliberately paused.
"Since it's about opening a door, and the ruins are related to the origins of Mega Evolution, then the key is undoubtedly..."
"A Key Stone."
Two voices rang out in the air simultaneously.
Steven and Roxanne exchanged a glance, both revealing thoughtful expressions.
Neither of them was stupid. The hint in the ancient text was so obvious that it would be abnormal not to guess it.
"I see..."
Steven looked at the document in his hands, his face flushing with excitement.
A ruin symbolizing the origins of Mega Evolution being opened by a Key Stone... it made perfect, logical sense.
Then, tearing his passionate gaze away from the document, he looked straight at Hakuya.
"I didn't expect you to have such a deep understanding of ancient ruins, myths, and legends as well, Hakuya~"
"I only know a little bit as a hobbyist, that's all."
"You're far too modest." Steven reached out, heavily patted Hakuya's shoulder, and laughed.
To be honest, he found himself increasingly unable to read the black-haired young man before him.
Not only was his strength terrifying, but his mastery over ruins and mythology was equally astounding.
Shaking his head, unable to figure it out, Steven simply decided not to dwell on it. There was a far more enticing prospect before him now.
"Since we've deciphered it, would you two be interested in accompanying me to take a look when the time comes? Hakuya, you happen to possess a Key Stone. Although I don't have a Mega Stone on me, I coincidentally found a Key Stone while digging for rocks a while ago."
Folding the document and putting it back in his suit pocket, Steven pulled out a Key Stone identical to Hakuya's.
According to the hint in the ancient text, possessing two Key Stones would allow them to open the ruins.
That meant they currently undoubtedly possessed the qualifications to open it.
Faced with this invitation, Roxanne—a fanatic enthusiast of stones and ruins herself—also found her interest piqued by the ruin.
After pondering for a moment, she decided to seek Hakuya's opinion first.
"Mr. Hakuya, your temporary teaching contract ends the day after tomorrow, which happens to be a Saturday. We should all be free then. We can go explore that ruin hiding the secrets of Mega Evolution together. What do you think?"
"Sounds good. Just let me know when it's time." Hakuya agreed.
As a Pokémon fanatic, it would be impossible for him not to be interested in the origins of Mega Evolution.
Rather than immediately setting off for Galar, he felt exploring that mysterious ruin first wouldn't delay things too much.
11:00 PM.
Dewford Gym. The official Gym of Dewford Town. The Gym Leader is Brawly, specializing in Fighting-type Pokémon.
After battling Steven, although he had a rough gauge of his own strength, when Hakuya returned to his dorm and the clock struck midnight, he still brought Floragato and the others into the Randomized Emerald world once again.
No matter how strong you are in reality, it's all fake. Only the game is real.
—Currently grinding mobs in a randomized cave—
[Alcremie learned Calm Mind]
[Floragato learned Bullet Seed]
[Latias learned Psychic, Dragon Pulse]
"Latias, I'm counting on you for this next part."
Standing at the entrance of the Dewford Gym, Hakuya rubbed the little jet plane's head.
He hadn't fought to his heart's content against Steven earlier, and he still wanted to take his Mega little jet plane out for a joyride in the randomized world.
"La~ La-woo~"
Latias nodded, but quickly let out a low growl, seemingly very displeased with her Trainer rubbing her head like this.
However, her flushed cheeks, and the way she couldn't resist tilting her head up slightly to press into her Trainer's palm, completely exposed this tsundere little jet plane's true feelings.
Even though her body was honestly accommodating him, on the surface she still had to put on an annoyed expression, acting as if she didn't care and wanted him to move his hand away immediately.
Hakuya smiled and withdrew his hand, the corners of his mouth curling up unconsciously.
I have to say, being able to bully the tsundere Latias every day really puts me in a fantastic mood~
Since they had already explored the cave and successfully delivered the letter to cyber-Steven, according to normal game progression, it was time for them to challenge the Dewford Gym.
Kick the door down and enter.
Compared to the Rustboro Gym from earlier in the game, although the Dewford Gym was also structured like a maze, the lighting was noticeably much darker. Without the Flash HM, he could barely see the path a few steps ahead.
And just as Hakuya was walking forward, holding onto the maze wall, a Black Belt NPC wearing a white headband suddenly jumped out, letting out an incredibly forceful roar.
"Power determines everything! Let me see what you're made of!"
The moment he finished speaking, the Poké Ball he threw burst open in mid-air. A Charizard, spreading its massive wings and spewing a surging torrent of flames with a ferocious expression, appeared on the battlefield.
"Perfect timing! I've had enough of all this red tape too!"
Faced with such a bold challenge, Hakuya didn't even bother with the basic setup of stacking Draco Meteors. To show his respect, he pulled out his Mega Stone immediately.
"Respond to my heart, Latias! MEGA EVOLVE!"
Skipping the probing phase entirely and perfectly syncing with the rhythm of Randomized Emerald, Hakuya issued his command loudly.
"Latias, use full power Dragon Pulse repeatedly!"
Accompanied by a resonant dragon roar echoing throughout the Dewford Gym, a massive energy dragon baring its fangs and brandishing its claws blasted out of Latias's mouth, consecutively wiping out the opponent's Charizard and the Golbat that followed.
After collecting the standard pocket change from the NPC, Hakuya took Latias and plunged deeper into the Gym maze.
Before long, Hakuya's sighs of admiration echoed throughout the Dewford Gym.
"Heh~ It's finally my turn to go on a killing spree in this Randomized Emerald."
Looking at a Slaking with the [Rock Head] ability getting instantly elbowed out of existence, Hakuya couldn't help but smile.
Normally, a Slaking with [Rock Head] + [Double-Edge] would absolutely be considered a semi-demonic shit-mon. But now, facing a Mega little jet plane with +2 Special Attack and the [Beads of Ruin] aura, its strength was completely insufficient.
The allure of pure stats truly is addicting—
"Meowha~"
So Trainer actually prefers Pokémon with higher combat strength?
Staying in the backline, having only activated her Omni-Transformation state but getting no chance to take the field, Floragato revealed a thoughtful expression.
Even though her Trainer treated her extremely well on a daily basis, and even though she fancied herself his officially designated childhood-friend head-wife... the large cat still cared deeply about Hakuya's preferences. Setting aside the emotional bond they had built over time, what type of Pokémon did her Trainer truly love the most?
Watching her Trainer command the little jet plane to one-shot another opponent with Dragon Pulse, the corners of his mouth permanently curled upwards in a smile... Floragato nodded, once again confirming her bold hypothesis from earlier.
It has to be this. There's no mistaking it...
Trainer doesn't prefer cute and adorable types, nor does he prefer heroic and valiant auras, nor does he prefer mature and voluptuous figures... He's solely attracted to pure strength! He's a complete stat-freak!
At this time, having sequentially dispatched the three Black Belt NPCs blocking the path, Hakuya and Latias arrived at another corner of the maze.
A Battle Girl, who had deliberately hidden in their blind spot specifically to ambush challengers, jumped out.
This was the final Gym Trainer NPC they had to fight before facing the Gym Leader.
She had a total of four Pokémon on her team.
The first three were Arbok, Pelipper, and Feraligatr.
The Arbok had rolled the [Guts] ability. Paired with the Burn status from a Flame Orb, the power of its STAB [Gunk Shot] was quite impressive, though its accuracy was lacking. The Pelipper still functioned as a weather setter, but the ability it rolled wasn't the vanilla [Drizzle]; instead, it was [Sand Stream], kicking up a sandstorm. As for Feraligatr, until the battle ended, they couldn't figure out what ability it had rolled.
Overall, these three Pokémon couldn't be called strong; their power level was incredibly average.
After a brief exchange of attacks, they all ultimately became stepping stones for Latias to stack her Special Attack stat.
"What an intense battle! Well then, here comes my strongest Pokémon! Prepare yourself!"
The Battle Girl's face showed not a hint of discouragement. She simply followed protocol, recalling her unconscious Feraligatr, and then forcefully threw out her final Pokémon.
"I wondered what kind of 'strongest Pokémon' it would be. Turns out it's just the King of the Regis~" Looking at the giant that had already smashed its head through the Gym's ceiling, Hakuya's expression remained calm.
Legendary beasts being as common as stray dogs was the most fundamental underlying code of the randomized world.
Running into a Trainer who happened to roll a Regigigas was an extremely normal occurrence.
Furthermore, this wasn't reality. Regigigas's lore-accurate power of towing continents was restricted here. Even if its current ability was unknown, it was ultimately just a Legendary Pokémon with a base stat total of 670.
My Mega little jet plane with maxed-out Special Attack can definitely take this thing on!
Hakuya raised his Mega Bracelet high and issued his command.
"Latias! Mega Evolve, then hit it with a full-power Dragon Pulse!"
Bathed in brilliant white light, the Mega little jet plane raised her head and let out a dragon's roar. Amidst the howling gale, a terrifying energy dragon roared into existence, its sharp claws and gaping, bloody maw lunging simultaneously toward the opponent.
"La-woo~"
The thick dust cleared, revealing Regigigas standing there entirely expressionless, having tanked the hit head-on.
[Due to Regigigas's Wonder Guard, Mega Latias's Dragon Pulse had no effect!]
???
Wait, what the actual f—?!