Inside the Solaceon Ruins.
The palace-style ancient ruins stretched into darkness, their passageways dimly lit.
"The explosions came from that direction."
Cynthia frowned slightly, retrieving a Poké Ball. "Roserade, Flash."
With a poof, white light materialized into Roserade—its swaying flowers and masked face emerging.
Roserade clasped its floral hands together, releasing a radiant glow that illuminated the path ahead.
Strangely comforting.
Natsume glanced forward at Cynthia, cloaked in black, and tossed his own Poké Ball:
"Sylveon, light up the other side, please."
"Sylveon~"
Sylveon landed gracefully, azure eyes scanning the darkness with regal disdain before firing a brilliant orb of light from its bow.
Boom!
Like fireworks erupting, its Dazzling Gleam bathed the ruins in daylight.
Natsume: Σ(°△°|||)︴
Makes sense—Dazzling Gleam is technically lighting!
From the depths of the ruins came the pitter-patter of Zubat and Golbat collapsing mid-flight.
Natsume: "Won't this damage the ruins...?"
"Sylveon~o(′^｀)o"
"If anything, it saves us maintenance costs."
Cynthia smiled. "That side had no Unown. No need to worry."
Fair point. What harm could Sylveon possibly intend?
Sylveon extended a ribbon, curling it around Natsume's arm as they walked side by side.
Meanwhile, Gengar lurked in Natsume's shadow, peeking out with widened eyes.
"Gengar!" (I'm on guard!)
As they ventured deeper, the passage narrowed, forcing them to squeeze through.
"This way."
Cynthia took Natsume's hand, her gaze fixed on the murals. Her brow furrowed.
"What's wrong?" Natsume asked.
Cynthia tilted her golden-haired profile, her sharp jawline visible. "These walls… they should've had Unown."
"But now, they're gone—as if they came to life and vanished..."
"A stress response, probably."
Natsume sighed. "Thanks to those three idiots."
"They might be in danger." Cynthia's voice turned urgent. "We need to reach the inner chamber."
Meanwhile, deep within the ruins…
Explosions echoed as James, Jessie, and Meowth cowered behind Wobbuffet, trembling.
"Pokémon Hunter J woke them up! Meowth, translate!" James wailed.
Meowth sputtered gibberish before paling. "No use, they ain't listenin'!"
A swarm of Unown—over a hundred—glowed crimson with rage, encircling the trio.
Their singular eyes charged with Hidden Power, unleashing red beams straight at them!
Jessie gritted her teeth. "Wobbuffet, Counter!"
"Wobbuffet!" It saluted, ignoring her command as Mirror Coat's light enveloped it.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The reflected beams struck the Unown, knocking them from the air.
"Nice one, Wobbuffet!" Jessie cheered—then froze.
The Unown's fury intensified, their beams glowing brighter.
"What a terrible feeling!"
"Wobba… buffet?!"
The trio braced for impact… then blinked.
"…Wait, that didn't hurt?"
"Are we dead, Meowth?!"
They cracked their eyes open to see Gengar floating mid-air, its grin sinister. A Psychic pulse froze every beam in place.
"Executive!!" they shrieked.
Natsume's eye twitched. He glanced at Cynthia.
Dammit, read the room!
Luckily, Cynthia was focused on the Unown. Her hair billowed as she hurled a Poké Ball.
"Spiritomb, Dark Pulse." Her tone was ice. "Roserade, Extrasensory—contain the blasts."
Spiritomb's keystone flared, its Dark Pulse shredding the suspended beams. Roserade's Extrasensory compressed the explosions into a single orb.
KABOOM!
The ruins trembled, but the controlled blast minimized damage. The shockwave whipped Cynthia's coat back—
—until Natsume stepped in front of her, shielding her from the wind.
The Unown's crimson eyes locked onto Natsume, Hidden Power primed. A nightmare-inducing sight.
Natsume-sensei calmly cleared his throat.
Switching to ancient tongue:
"■■■■■ (Hear me, kin.)"
The murderous aura wavered.
The Unown blinked, then swirled into text:
[???]
Unown derived power from rearranging symbols.
Cynthia's eyes gleamed. She pulled out a notebook, scribbling furiously.
More data like this… I could rival Professor Oak's research awards!
"'Question marks'? Seriously?"
Natsume deadpanned at the floating text before continuing:
"She's my partner. These are my lackeys. Show some respect."
The Unown paused, then formed:
[??!]
Woken up by explosions, then greeted in dead language. "Respect"? We have pride too!
"Tch. Fine."
Seeing their defiance, Natsume rolled up his sleeves.
He extended his hand, releasing a wide-ranging Aura of Ripple, bathing the Unown in its energy.
Under Natsume's control, the Aura of Ripple didn't emit its usual blue glow, and the "massage intensity" was slightly gentler.
But the Unown, one by one, began swaying like they were drunk, lazily retreating in all directions.
They re-embedded themselves into the mural on the wall, reverting to ordinary symbolic text.
Just woke up and got a massage… So comfy!
"It seems the Unown can understand Ancient Language," Cynthia murmured, watching as the Unown gradually dispersed. "Or perhaps… the Unown themselves are the building blocks of Ancient Language."
"Is… is it over?"
The Trio hesitantly peeked out from behind Wobbuffet.
"Yeah, handled it," Natsume said offhandedly. "They even invited me to come back for another massage sometime."
The Trio froze for a second before suddenly lunging at Natsume, wailing:
"E-EXECUTIVE—!"
Natsume shot them a cold glare.
"E-EXECUTIVE—!" Meowth broke into a sweat, quickly raising a fist. "Darn it, hooray!"
James and Jessie immediately turned around, scolding sternly: "Kids shouldn't use bad language!"
"That's right, what if Togepi hears this?"
"Gengar~ (ノ￣▽￣)" Gengar, who hadn't seen Meowth in a while, happily laughed and joked with it.
"Gengar says," Meowth translated, glancing at Natsume, "what are you guys doing here?"
No one understood Natsume-sensei like Gengar. Natsume nodded. "That's what I wanted to ask too."
The Trio slumped, shoulders drooping. "It's a long story…"
The gist was that poachers had targeted the Ancient Ruins, Team Rocket Classic had stirred the pot, and the whole incident fizzled out.
Just then, Cynthia recalled her Pokémon into their Poké Balls and gracefully walked over, smiling.
"Hello again."
The Trio had already pieced together the relationship between Natsume-sensei and the Sinnoh Champion.
Far from shocked, Meowth even wanted to give a thumbs-up.
As expected of the Executive! Doing what others can't with ease!
Natsume looked at Cynthia.
"Seems like it's connected to Pokémon Hunters in Sinnoh…"
"They set their sights on the Solaceon Ruins?" Cynthia mused, tapping her chin.
Natsume nodded.
"Also… right now, Team Rocket's goal is cracking down on poaching. Letting them operate in Sinnoh does more good than harm."
"Yeah, yeah!" The Trio stood behind Natsume, nodding vigorously.
Cynthia lifted her deep gray eyes, studying Natsume for a long moment before her expression softened into a smile.
"Honestly? I don't dislike Team Rocket."
"Huh?" Natsume, who had been tense just seconds ago, blinked. "Why?"
"Because," Cynthia said thoughtfully, "compared to Team Galactic, Team Rocket's role might actually be… nobler."
Noble, my foot… Natsume internally groaned.
This was clearly just Giovanni's big-budget drama—Where's My Son?!
"Besides," Cynthia added, smiling at the Trio behind Natsume, "with you all around, Sinnoh might actually become more peaceful."
The Trio stood frozen for a long moment before suddenly snapping to attention, faces red.
"Th-that's right! Exactly!"
Though he suspected Cynthia just wanted an excuse to slack off, Natsume still asked:
"What about the Pokémon Hunters? How do we handle them?"
"I'll deal with it."
Cynthia's voice turned icy, her expression stern. "Those who harm Pokémon for selfish gain don't deserve forgiveness."
Natsume fell into thought.
Among Sinnoh's poaching rings, the leader went by the codename Pokémon Hunter J.
Her strength was formidable—with Salamence, she could even hold her own against the Elite Four.
Natsume had always avoided trouble.
But living without regrets was also his personal creed.
"Giovanni gave me command over Team Rocket's operations in Sinnoh," Natsume mused. "Maybe this is one of those times to… use that authority."
Cynthia lightly touched her forehead, smiling again as she turned to the Trio.
"So, where are you all headed next?"
"No plans yet, meow."
Meowth scratched its head, sneaking a glance at Natsume.
Ideally, they'd love to capture Pikachu and earn the Executive's favor.
But their funds had been drained dealing with Pokémon Hunter J.
They'd need to find work fast to replenish their Funding…
"How about coming to Celestic Town with us?" Cynthia suggested, raising a finger with a faint smile.
"Eh?!" Everyone present gasped.
"What's wrong?" Cynthia blinked in surprise.
"Th-that's not a good idea, meow!" Meowth broke into a cold sweat.
Being a third wheel… would probably get them tossed into concrete pillars by the Executive!
Cynthia explained:
"The Celestic Town Museum needs some temporary helpers for the next few days."
"The pay is decent. If you don't mind, just two or three days would be enough."
She clasped her hands apologetically.
"Professor Carolina's asked me about this multiple times… I'd really appreciate it!"
The Trio exchanged glances, then looked at Natsume.
Natsume-sensei paused.
Good grief, what ulterior motives could the Sinnoh Champion have?
She probably just wanted three high-quality workers.
Having these three help at the Museum… shouldn't interfere with "meeting the parents."
With Professor Carolina covering food and lodging, Natsume wouldn't even have to pay their salaries—
Wait… is this actually a total win?
Natsume's eyes lit up, and he nodded.
The Trio wiped their eyes, moved to tears.
They're too kind! This Champion couple is way too good to us!
Now they could save up for their next Funding… and finally build that giant robot!
"Such a good feeling~!! "
Cynthia, watching the Trio's self-indulgent celebration, gave Natsume a puzzled look.
"That's just how they are," Natsume shrugged.
"Wobbuffet ~!" ("That's right!")
Wobbuffet suddenly popped out in front of Natsume.
"Whoa—where'd you come from? Scared me half to death!"
Natsume steadied himself, patting Wobbuffet's smooth head with a sigh.
Even though Jessie only ever yelled "Counter!", Wobbuffet automatically switched between Counter and Mirror Coat based on the opponent's moves.
Its battle IQ was higher than Ash's.
At its peak, Jessie's Wobbuffet had even soloed Giratina…
Arceus, Ho-Oh? Small fry.
In the Pokémon world, the only true gods were the "Berry God" and the "Pika God"!
...
The investigation of the Solaceon Ruins concluded with Cynthia taking notes and recruiting three laborers.
Before leaving the Ancient Ruins, the Unown on the walls suddenly glowed, as if guiding them deeper inside.
"Treasure?!" James's eyes sparkled.
"Seems like it," Cynthia mused.
Natsume's spine chilled at the word "treasure."
"Let's go!"
"Gengar~ (～￣▽￣)～" Gengar floated toward the ruins' depths on its own.
Wait for me, my chance to grow stronger! I'm coming!
Natsume's expression turned odd as Cynthia nodded with a soft smile.
"I'll go with you."
The Trio saluted with perfect timing.
"We'll wait right here!"
"Let's go." Natsume sighed.
He and Cynthia followed Gengar inside.
The Unown's glow illuminated a grand palace-style ruin at the deepest part of the Ancient Ruins.
Cynthia frowned. "This… must be the heart of the Solaceon Ruins."
Natsume examined the Ancient Texts on the door, attempting a translation.
"Gengar!"
Gengar, curious, gave the door a light push—and it swung open effortlessly.
Even Gengar was stunned. "Gengar! Σ(っ°Д°;)っ"
Natsume: "…"
This palace-style ruin definitely failed quality inspection.
Inside, the Unown on the walls glowed faintly, as if welcoming Natsume.
Natsume suddenly realized:
With his titles of [Ancient Language Master] and [Aura Wielder], others might genuinely see him as some ancient monster…
No wonder the King of Pokélantis was so scared of me last time.
He clicked his tongue.
Guess I should schedule future battles near Ancient Ruins.
If things got tough, he could just summon Unown for backup… maybe even an Entei.
(Note: In Pokémon 3: The Movie, Unown's formations summoned Entei.)
The throne's backrest bore a triangular symbol.
It represented Sinnoh's three lakes—a stable structure balancing power.
"Those are the three lake guardians," Cynthia murmured, gazing at the throne.
She exhaled softly, as if feeling the weight of legend.
"It's like… standing in the presence of myth."
Atop the throne rested the key to balance—a faintly glowing cube pulsing with mysterious energy.
[Spear Key: Said to be carved from meteorite, this is the bridge between time and space—the key to awakening the legendary titans of the spear. (The boundless cosmos, the intersecting paths of time.)]
Natsume stared at the cube, a cold sweat forming.
Why does it feel like… we're inching closer to a temporal-spatial dragon free-for-all?
I'm not Gold—don't drag me into this!!
Cynthia, observing the glowing Unown, said:
"They seem to want you to take it."
"But what is it?" Natsume swallowed hard.
Cynthia shook her head. "My grandmother might know."
"But… this belongs to you."
She smiled softly. "I can sense the power of time and space within it."
"Training with it could greatly enhance your Pokémon's understanding of temporal and spatial moves."
Natsume blinked.
"T-temporal and spatial moves?"
"Time-based moves like Ancient Power and Future Sight; space-based like Ally Switch, Trick Room, and Teleport," Cynthia explained.
"For Gengar right now, this would be invaluable."
"Gengar! (`▽′)?" Gengar cheered, waving its tiny fists.
Yes! My favorite—Ally Switch!
Natsume pressed his lips together.
This… this is Gengar's epic power-up!
"Oh, and you'll need TMs to supplement the energy cost," Cynthia added.
"Like Dusk Stone, Dawn Stone… Steven might give you a friendship discount."
"Keep talking. I'm listening."
Natsume shakily pulled out a notebook, jotting down expenses.
He had to take it. Even if just to impress Cynthia's grandmother.
Sure, it could be used for training.
But surely she wouldn't hand over the [Adamant Orb] or [Lustrous Orb] for Gengar's training… right?
"One more thing."
Cynthia smiled. "This could also help Togepi master Future Sight and strengthen Ancient Power."
Natsume paled.
A double critical hit?!
He glanced at the glowing [Spear Key], then at Cynthia's serene smile.
Clutching his chest, Natsume-sensei took a shaky breath.
Damn you, Pokémon Hunter J!
Why'd you have to mess with the Solaceon Ruins?!
This grudge… Natsume-sensei won't forget!
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