Chapter 571: A New Storm Has Emerged
In the Sinnoh region, above the rolling peaks of Mt. Coronet, a fierce Garchomp soared through the air.
The May Day holiday had just ended, and Cynthia was preparing to return to Celestic Town to visit her grandmother, Professor Mustardseed.
“Just finished the holiday, and already back to the busy schedule.”
Cynthia sighed softly, but her tone held no trace of urgency. She stood gracefully on the back of the fierce Garchomp.
“Kaao!” Garchomp turned its head.
“Oh, you mean Lu Ye and Haunter?” Cynthia’s blonde hair shielded the side of her face, fluttering in the wind as she smiled. “They’re probably investigating ruins in the Kanto region right now.”
Before setting off, Teacher Lu had explained the destination of this trip to Cynthia.
Generally, a seasoned ancient language expert would surely know the connection between the Unown Ruins and the Sacred Capital Ruins.
So Cynthia didn’t mention it further.
However, Caitlin’s ‘precognitive dream’ made Cynthia raise a flicker of caution. The black-haired youth destined to save the world… perhaps only Red possessed such formidable power and charismatic presence.
Yet, for some reason, Cynthia’s intuition pointed to the ‘timid’ Teacher Lu.
The disturbed spacetime, the awakening gods… all of this closely resembled the disaster at White Poplar Town.
If the legendary Original One, Arceus, were to awaken, it would bring massive upheaval to the world.
Lu Ye was hiding the information and going alone to the Unown Ruins for a reason that was easy to guess—
He intended, just like the previous two times, to resolve the crisis on his own!
A warm feeling flowed in her heart.
Cynthia tucked up her blonde hair, her gaze clear and sharp, a faint smile curling at the corner of her lips.
But it seems I’ve been underestimated.
Sinnoh’s champion can only be one.
An unbeatable golden-haired beauty, with a fierce Garchomp at her side.
“Hurry up, Garchomp.”
Cynthia bent forward, stroking the bulge near Garchomp’s head with a smile. “We have a mission.”
“Kaao!!”
Garchomp roared loudly, carving a path through the sky as the ancient Celestic Town drew near.
**
“Are you going to take these two orbs with you?”
Inside the glass cabinet, the Adamant Orb sparkled like a diamond, and the Lustrous Orb was perfectly round like a pearl.
Professor Mustardseed leaned on her cane, her expression extremely serious. “Bamboo Lan, using these two orbs will place a great burden on humans.”
“Moreover,”
Mustardseed gazed deeply at Cynthia, speaking slowly and carefully, “the orbs acknowledge not you, but Lu Ye.”
“I know.”
Cynthia still wore a calm and confident smile, her eyes shimmering with brilliance and sharpness.
“As long as you can support him when necessary, that’s enough.”
“You’re becoming more and more like a wise housekeeper, Bamboo Lan,” Mustardseed said with a hint of disdain.
Cynthia was momentarily stunned, then smiled wryly. “Better to prevent trouble before it happens. You know, Caitlin’s precognitive dreams never fail.”
Mustardseed frowned deeply, turning away with her cane, sighing heavily:
“I know… but the spacetime instrument shows no abnormalities. Either you’re overthinking it…”
“Or…” Mustardseed looked back at her granddaughter, warning, “It’s a being far beyond spacetime.”
“Is it a Pokémon?” Cynthia’s eyes flickered.
Mustardseed paused, looking at Cynthia’s serious expression, then nodded silently.
“If it’s a Pokémon, then it can be defeated.”
Cynthia smiled and turned, lifting two locked cases. Her blonde hair cascaded over her slender waist, the hem of her black coat fluttering.
“That is the very meaning of being a Trainer.”
Cynthia gazed toward the faint light ahead, speaking softly.
**
An elderly man with a stooped figure sat in a wheelchair, cradling a sleeping Swinub in his arms as he moved along a country path.
The grass was lush, the trees tall. Boys wielding bug-catching nets laughed as they passed by, occasionally making faces at the old man.
The old man smiled kindly, feeling the sunlight fall on his worn body, yet his eyes and heart were as cold and hard as a block of ice.
Slowly he moved toward the distance, where the ancient Unown Ruins lay in ruins.
The sunlight was just right, illuminating the collapsed buildings, as if it could erase the dust through history and time to reveal grand temples and passionate people.
A mocking smile curled on the old man’s lips, words spat out like chiseling ice.
“False god.”
With mortal power, one could still fight gods.
That was what Liu Bo did—and succeeded.
He captured Ho-Oh and Lugia, tamed Celebi, and finally fell into the river of time, meeting the long-lost Lapras he had parted with in a blizzard.
Fate was unfair, so one must rely on human strength to control time and even dare to challenge the gods.
Returning from the river of time, Liu Bo’s spirit was as hard as steel.
At its softest lay memories—memories with Xiao Yin, The Girl, and others.
Liu Bo closed his eyes quietly, feeling the cool sunlight and the natural chirping of birds from afar.
Suddenly, laughter and noise erupted at the end of the path. A youth wearing a baseball cap frowned in dissatisfaction:
“Exploring is such a hassle. It’d be easier to break through the layers and enter the ruins directly!”
“Don’t know if the layers are edible… cough, I mean, don’t do stupid things!”
“Relax, we’re just investigating the ruins, no trouble caused, hahaha!” Dr. Show laughed.
The handsome black-haired youth sighed softly beside a snarling Haunter floating by his side.
Liu Bo watched the group silently from afar, his eyes reflecting a silent red-haired youth.
He tapped the ground lightly with his extendable cane.
A red light shot from a Poké Ball, transforming into a sharp-eyed Delibird carrying a pack full of explosives.
“Follow them, don’t let them notice.” Liu Bo whispered.
“Woo! (〝▼皿▼)” The penguin nodded and followed Lu Ye and the others.
Even the aura detected by Teacher Lu was blocked by this Delibird...
**
Lu Ye was about to enter the ruins with Dr. Show.
He hurried to finish the mission, hoping to snag a ticket home.
“You stay here.”
Lu Ye looked at A-Jin, crossing his hands and making a ‘no’ gesture.
“I’m afraid you’ll die messing around and wake something up.”
“Come on! I’m no stranger to this place. Inside are just some Unown, right?”
“Unown can be arranged to form Emperor Yan…” Dr. Show muttered quietly.
A-Jin and Teacher Lu: “Shut up!”
Dr. Show: (⊙x⊙;
)
The doctor was also a master of bad luck. Lu Ye rubbed his brow as the Dive Ball trembled slightly.
“Hm? What’s wrong, Squirtle?” Lu Ye asked in surprise.
Inside the Dive Ball, Blastoise pushed up his sunglasses, cold sweat on his forehead. “Kame…ヾ(⌐■_■)”
He had just sensed a terrifying aura but it suddenly vanished.
Although the aura wasn’t hostile, caution called for reinforcement.
Crouched inside the Dive Ball, Blastoise’s shell glinted metallic as he began using Iron Defense…
Lu Ye twitched his eyelid.
Squirtle, your move isn’t legal!
Can moves be used inside Poké Balls now…?
Oh, Red let Pikachu charge electricity inside a Poké Ball before, so it’s fine.
“Better safe than sorry,” Dr. Show said. “A-Jin, hold the escape rope outside. If anything happens, pull us out.”
A-Jin: “Hmph, don’t order me around!”
Teacher Lu: “A-Jin, hold the escape rope outside.”
A-Jin: “Got it.”
Dr. Show: “...”
The escape rope, coiled hundreds of meters long, was tied to Husoutarou at one end. A-Jin saluted with two fingers at his temple:
“If anything happens, use Flash. I can see from outside!”
The group wore the escape rope around their waists. Lu Ye nodded, confirming with the doctor:
“We’re only investigating outside the ruins, no deep exploration!”
“Of course.” Dr. Show laughed cheerfully.
Teacher Lu and the red-haired youth exchanged a silent glance, then looked at Dr. Show together:
“You go ahead.”
Dr. Show: “...”
The doctor, with a good temper, shone his flashlight and entered the ruins. The beam revealed drifting dust.
Inside, footsteps echoed hollowly;
the atmosphere was heavy and everyone held their breath.
Lu Ye glanced at his phone. The chat group had lost signal, and the screen showed two missed calls—from ‘Ice Cream Princess’ and ‘Matori, who suggests taking Chinese medicine’.
Mengmengda probably just returned to Sinnoh after the holiday;
he could contact her later.
What was Matori’s business… could it be related to Giovanni?
Thinking that Pokémon was well done, maybe he should give himself a bonus!?
Lu Ye raised an eyebrow, sighing regretfully after finding no signal here.
“It looks like the ruins are made up of separate rooms.”
Dr. Show raised his flashlight, looking up at the exquisite murals, pushing his glasses. “We’re almost at the end…”
Lu Ye: ???
Teacher Lu scanned the surroundings. The walls were covered with Unown, resting with closed eyes, arranged like knotted little snakes.
The Unown on each wall combined into an ancient incantation.
“We humans walk with them, go with them.” Lu Ye murmured.
Dr. Show glanced at Lu Ye in surprise but said nothing, whispering:
“These wall inscriptions are already very valuable… Let’s record them and return.”
Lu Ye exhaled slightly;
the oppressive atmosphere made him uneasy.
Suddenly, the red-haired youth turned, clutching a Poké Ball tightly.
Inside the ruins, a terrifying whirlpool stirred, and the air currents swept the dense Unown on the walls.
The letters seemed alive, opening eyes that shone with crimson light!
“This, this is!” Dr. Show’s pupils contracted, “The awakening power of the Unown!”
The Unown floated up, combining in the air to form a tornado wildly swirling inside the ruins.
The entire structure rumbled as large chunks of rock fell!
Lu Ye threw a Poké Ball. “Larvitar, bite it!”
A fault line dropped from above, smashing toward Lu Ye and the others. Larvitar’s form burst from the dark ball, jaws wide open, catching the giant rock in one bite!
Larvitar returned to the ground, chewing the rock in two or three bites before swallowing. “Yoji~ (￣～￣)”
Rumble rumble!
Rocks continued to fall. Larvitar’s eyes gleamed as it rampaged inside the ruin’s rooms. “Yoji! (✪ω✪)”
“Haunter, watch it!” Lu Ye warned, looking up.
The tornado formed by the Unown grew larger, pulling in more letters, threatening to collapse the entire Unown Ruins!
“What’s going on?” Xiao Yin frowned.
Dr. Show took a deep breath. “They’re frightened, trying to use their combinations to escape the ruins!”
Frightened Unown?
Lu Ye twitched his eyelid, a chill running down his spine.
This is bad, something big is about to happen!
“Weavile, Ice Breath!” Xiao Yin ordered, eyeing the trembling ruins again.
Weavile’s icy breath froze the fault line, temporarily stabilizing the ruins’ collapse.
He turned. “Teacher Lu, let’s return the way we came.”
Dr. Show said, “No! The Unown are all behind us. We have to calm them down first!”
Lu Ye frowned slightly. The turbulence started inside the ruins;
outside, A-Jin hadn’t had time to retrieve the escape rope.
It had become a restraint. Lu Ye untied the rope, looking at the swirling tornado.
“Give me one minute.”
Lu Ye walked steadily to the center of the room, facing the whirlwind formed by the Unown.
Dr. Show’s expression changed sharply. He shouted, “Come back, Lu Ye! The power of the Unown can tear humans apart alive!”
A red light flickered beside Lu Ye. Sylveon appeared, forming a shimmering barrier to block the terrifying wind pressure.
Dr. Show was stunned.
Lu Ye clenched his fist, gathering a beam of light in his palm before spreading his hand open.
“Aura exists in my heart.”
Aura burst forth in brilliant blue light, dispersing the air currents and nearly covering the entire room.
Lu Ye looked at the tornado of Unown, commanding in an unwavering tone:
“Stop!”
The fierce wind continued, tearing at the ruins.
Xiao Yin showed no expression, using the massive body of his red Gyarados as a shield to protect Dr. Show behind him.
“Lu Ye, are you okay?!” Dr. Show cried urgently. “There are so many Unown, humans can’t stop them!”
“Trust Teacher Lu.” Xiao Yin’s red hair fluttered, his gaze resolute.
Lu Ye tried to use aura to soothe the Unown’s fear and communicate with them in ancient language.
But there were too many Unown, like a crowded crowd during a disaster.
No matter how loudly Teacher Lu called, it was useless.
More Unown peeled off the walls, joining the tornado, faintly forming the shape of a ‘gate’.
Lu Ye tried to calm them, his mind racing.
Unown could combine to form terrifying power, opening a passage to somewhere and even disturbing spacetime.
The more there were, the stronger the energy.
There was only one answer left.
Lu Ye’s eyes hardened.
First, beat them all up, then talk it out!
**
A-Jin stood outside the ruins, looking up at the sky where the sun was obscured by dark clouds.
Thick white mist rose near the Unown Ruins, just like the fog that once swallowed White Poplar Town.
“What’s going on?” A-Jin shaded his eyes with his hand, gazing ahead.
The winding river suddenly overflowed its banks, water columns rising to the sky, forming a whirlpool. A gate of lightning appeared within the vortex.
“Roar!!!” A giant blue beast burst from the gate, tilting its head and emitting a terrifying roar. Surrounding plants withered and died instantly from the sound!
Following it, a crimson glow rose from the shadows beneath the blue beast.
A black-red figure flapped hellish wings, flying out from the darkness and instantly appearing behind the blue beast, slashing with platinum claws!
Boom—
Above the ruins, Unown flew out continuously, forming another gate in the sky.
It seemed other terrifying creatures were about to appear;
the surrounding space was collapsing.
Two tens-of-meters-tall fierce beasts roared at each other—Dialga and Giratina clashed once again!
“Whoa—”
The baseball cap-wearing youth stared blankly, a thrilled smile appearing on his lips.
“Two huge guys have arrived!!”
Inside the Unown Ruins.
“Then I won’t ask if you’ve eaten.”
Communication failed. Lu Ye reached forward, and Sylveon leapt to his side.
“Sylveon.” Lu Ye commanded, “Dazzling Gleam!”
“Bui!!”
Sylveon’s ribbons emitted dazzling light, the large-scale Dazzling Gleam illuminating the entire cave, turning the ruins into daylight.
The light shone on the swirling tornado, continuously burning the Unown, which eventually contracted into a thin line like fission.
The Unown fell like raindrops, but many still flew out of the ruins!
Xiao Yin said, “Weavile, Ice Beam! Freeze the passage!”
“Weavi!”
Weavile sprayed icy light from its mouth. Instantly, an ice wall rose at the narrow passage, blocking the large number of Unown.
“Well done.”
Lu Ye praised, looking at the greatly reduced number of Unown in midair. This made communication easier.
“Stop!” Teacher Lu commanded.
Gentle blue light illuminated the entire room.
The Unown ceased their panic, blinking and looking toward the Trainer.
However, when the Unown saw the ‘corpses’ of their companions and the white demon with the bow—
Unown: !!!
“You seem even more terrifying than those two big guys outside!”
Lu Ye tried to communicate, “What happened? Someone explain it to me.”
“Otherwise,” Lu Ye took a deep breath and smiled, “I’ll scrape off all the inscriptions here.”
Unown: !!?
The Unown drooped, floating in the air. Led by one, they arranged themselves into words, sending Lu Ye a message:
‘The god born at the gate of origin returns, shaking spacetime and the void.’
Lu Ye cursed, “Riddler!! Give me an Unown that can speak human language!!”
The Unown were stunned, looking around, then selected another one.
The text style suddenly changed.
‘The god of time and the god of the reversed world are about to fight, help!’
Lu Ye: “…”
Alright then… familiar faces outside!
You fought from Sinnoh to Kanto, aren’t you tired?
I wonder if I, the negotiation expert, can communicate with these two big guys.
Lu Ye sighed deeply, “Let us leave the ruins first. I will deal with your companions.”
Unown: ???
Light flashed. Lu Ye commanded Blastoise, “Healing Pulse!”
“Kame!” Blastoise’s cannons sprayed two steaming water jets of ‘Vitality Tea’, washing over the ‘bodies everywhere’ of Unown.
Many Unown floated up again, exchanging glances.
They looked at Lu Ye fearfully, then gathered in the air, forming a pulsating energy gate.
“So this is the legendary teleportation gate…”
Lu Ye turned back. “Let’s go. This should get us out of the ruins.”
Dr. Show and Xiao Yin stared at Teacher Lu in shock.
Not only can he translate… he can command these Unown too?!
Xiao Yin whispered, “After all, he is Teacher Lu…”
Dr. Show thought, “I’m a doctoral expert in ancient language but I’m better off not acting!”
Clatter—
Just as the three were about to leave the ruins, a sudden change occurred.
The ice wall behind shattered, and in the backlight appeared a fierce little penguin.
Lu Ye was stunned. “The Delibird that delivers parcels at home?”
Xiao Yin frowned slightly. “Looks familiar…”
The Delibird glanced sideways at Lu Ye, carrying its pack, striding toward the teleportation gate leading outside the ruins.
It had just received Liu Bo’s order to leave and hurry back for reinforcements.
Lu Ye’s hand itched. When the little penguin passed by, he flicked its head lightly.
Delibird: ?
“Huh? The texture feels a bit different.” Lu Ye muttered.
Xiao Yin whispered, “Teacher Lu… that seems to be Mr. Liu Bo’s Delibird.”
Teacher Lu: ???
Looking at the fierce Delibird, Lu Ye twitched his eyelid.
So those two outside aren’t the real problem;
the true trouble is here?!
…