"You'll see it soon." Astrid gave Angie a playful smile.
Then, under Angie's surprised gaze, Astrid took out a palm-sized gray slate from her backpack.
She held the slate up to the wall, and suddenly, blue hexagram patterns began to emerge on its surface.
The patterns projected a beam of light onto the wall, and at the same time, glowing blue markings started to appear on the wall itself.
Next, cracks followed the patterns, and the previously smooth and even wall began to shift—some parts protruding, others sinking—until finally, a relief wall appeared before Angie and Astrid.
The relief depicted a middle-aged man wearing a crown alongside a Pokémon.
The Pokémon was a Lucario, specifically in its Mega Evolution form.
And the man looked somewhat like a king.
Lucario and the man were both raising their hands together, holding up a spherical object.
If Angie guessed correctly, that sphere was likely an external manifestation of Aura power.
At the same time, there was also a large handprint on the surface of the sphere.
Astrid pointed at the relief and said, "Look, this is the entrance to the ruins. If my guess is correct, only an Aura Guardian can open it."
Angie keenly noticed a line of text below the handprint, but to his surprise, he didn't recognize a single character.
"What does it say?" he asked.
Astrid read it out loud, enunciating each word carefully, "The power of Aura is with me!"
"You can actually read that?" Angie exclaimed in surprise.
Hearing this, Astrid looked displeased. "What do you mean? Is it so strange that I can read it?"
Angie quickly waved his hands. "Slip of the tongue! I just didn't expect it, that's all."
"Hmph~" Astrid snorted and then explained, "This is an ancient script from the Kalos region. I've done some research in this field."
Angie gave her a thumbs-up and said admiringly, "Impressive!"
After fighting Team Flare together, the two of them had become much more familiar with each other, and their conversations had grown more casual.
Astrid pointed at the handprint. "Place your hand here and try channeling your Aura into it."
Angie nodded, stepped forward, and put on his Aura gloves again. Without them, his current abilities weren't strong enough to release Aura externally.
He placed his palm into the handprint and, following Astrid's instructions, directed his Aura into it.
Suddenly, blue light surged from the relief, and then the relief wall sank inward, forming a crack.
With a deep rumbling sound, a stone door slowly opened before them, revealing a long, seemingly endless stone staircase descending into the darkness.
"It's open!" Astrid's face lit up with excitement. "It finally opened."
Only she knew how much effort she had put into finding someone with the power of Aura.
Angie said, "Let's hurry inside and take a look."
"Alright!" Astrid nodded.
Then, the two of them stepped through the stone door one after the other.
"Munchlax~"
"Pyroar~"
Munchlax and Pyroar each followed closely beside their respective trainers.
The area beyond the stone door was extremely dim, unlike outside, where glowing moss illuminated the surroundings enough for visibility without assistance.
But Astrid was well-prepared—she took out a flashlight and turned it on, instantly brightening the space around them.
"I wonder what's down here," Astrid mused as she walked.
Angie said, "Hopefully, we'll make a surprising discovery, so this trip won't be for nothing."
"Yeah!" Astrid nodded.
No one knew how long these ruins had been sealed away. As Angie and Astrid walked further in, aside from the pervasive scent of decay, they found nothing else.
The two of them didn't know how long they had been walking before the downward stone steps finally disappeared, replaced by a long, straight corridor.
Unlike the barren stone steps, the walls on both sides of the corridor were carved with countless Riolu in various poses.
Some were laughing joyfully, some bore sorrowful expressions, and others roared in anger—each one vividly lifelike.
Angie remarked, "Whoever carved these must have been a master."
Astrid observed as she walked, unable to resist commenting, "Was the owner of these ruins some kind of hardcore Riolu fanatic?"
Angie chuckled. "Riolu is adorable. It's not strange for someone to like them."
"This goes way beyond just 'liking' them," Astrid muttered.
Before long, they reached the end of the corridor.
The end of the hallway was pitch dark, and they couldn't make out what lay ahead.
But the moment they stepped out, clusters of eerie blue flames ignited one after another, illuminating their surroundings.
It was a massive circular chamber, resembling the grand hall of a palace.
Mounted on the walls were numerous small boat-shaped sconces, each occupied by a Litwick.
The blue flames came from the candle-like flames atop their heads.
"Litwick~"
"Litwick~"
"Litwick~"
…
Dozens of Litwick turned their gazes toward Angie, Munchlax, Astrid, and Pyroar.
"Munchlax~"
Master, they're kinda scary…
Munchlax clung to Angie's clothing.
"Pyroar~"
Meanwhile, Astrid's Pyroar let out a defiant roar.
As a regal Pokémon, Pyroar wouldn't be intimidated by such a minor scene!
"Chandelure~"
Just then, the chandelier hanging above them suddenly swayed and drifted downward.
It turned out it wasn't a chandelier at all—but a Chandelure disguised as one!
The Chandelure floated before them, its golden eyes flickering with an intense glow.
Angie and Astrid instinctively tensed up, wary of a sudden attack.
Munchlax and Pyroar also stepped forward, positioning themselves protectively in front of their trainers.
However, the Chandelure did not attack them.
Instead, after examining them briefly, it spoke in their minds using telepathy, "Trial… Trial begins… Trial begins…"
Telepathy?!
The two of them were momentarily startled before confusion set in.
A trial? What trial?
Before Angie and Astrid could figure it out, the Chandelure abruptly floated away.
In its place, two Aegislash appeared before them.
"Aegislash~"
"Aegislash~"
The two Aegislash let out fierce cries before simultaneously drawing their swords and lunging toward Angie and Astrid.
Astrid didn't hesitate to counterattack. "Pyroar, use Flamethrower!"
"Pyroar~"
Pyroar roared, leaping high into the air and releasing a burst of flames toward one of the Aegislash.
At the same time, Munchlax—without waiting for Angie's command—stomped a foot on the ground, using its elasticity to spring into the air.
Its fist, wreathed in flames, swung down toward the other Aegislash.
Fire Punch!
Seeing the attacks coming, the two Aegislash quickly shifted from their offensive stance, transforming from Blade Forme into Shield Forme and activating King's Shield.
Aegislash's ability, Stance Change, allows it to switch between offensive and defensive forms—becoming Blade Forme when attacking and Shield Forme when using King's Shield.
The Aegislash in Blade Form has its base stats concentrated in Attack and Special Attack, while in Shield Form, its stats are distributed into Defense and Special Defense.
Among all currently known Pokémon, Aegislash is the only one with the ability Stance Change.
A transparent barrier appeared in front of the two Aegislash, blocking the attacks of Pyroar and Munchlax.
As soon as Pyroar and Munchlax landed, the two Aegislash shifted back into their Blade Form. Their sword-like bodies stood upright, and dazzling light burst forth from them.
It was the Fighting-type move, Sacred Sword!
Coincidentally, both Pyroar and Munchlax were weak to Fighting-type moves.
Seeing the incoming Sacred Sword strikes from Aegislash, Astrid shouted, "Pyroar, dodge the attack quickly!"
Meanwhile, Angie and Munchlax exchanged a glance and nodding in mutual understanding.
"Pyroar~"
Pyroar obeyed Astrid's command, leaping away from its original position.
With a loud bang, the spot where Pyroar had been standing was left with a deep sword mark.
"Munchlax~"
Meanwhile, Munchlax raised both of its round hands, cold air surging from them as it performed an astonishing feat—catching the blade bare-handed.
Crack—crack—crack!
The Aegislash's blade was trapped between Munchlax's palms and was rapidly frozen by ice.
The Aegislash struggled to pull its blade free from Munchlax's grip, but no matter how hard it tried, it was unable to succeed.
At that moment, Angie rushed in from the side and delivered a powerful punch to the Aegislash.
With a resounding clang, the Aegislash let out a wail as it was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.
Angie and Munchlax pursued their advantage, their figures flashing as they turned into afterimages, vanishing from their original spots. In the blink of an eye, they reappeared beside the Aegislash that had just been knocked away, flanking it from both sides.
Before the Aegislash could react, the duo simultaneously launched their punches.
Clang!
The Aegislash lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.
(Headcanon: Angie's Aura-powered attacks are not Fighting-type but neutral attacks. They do not have type effectiveness against any Pokémon, nor are they resisted by any type.
All things possess Aura, and Aura itself has no inherent type. It is only assigned a type when Pokémon use it as a move.)
At that moment, a Chandelure descended from above, repeatedly chanting, "Trial complete! Trial complete!"
So, what exactly was this trial? Angie wondered in confusion.
Just as he was about to bring Munchlax to support Astrid, the Chandelure blocked his path.
"The trial must not be interfered with! No interference from outsiders!"
Hearing this, Angie had no choice but to stop in his tracks.
This Chandelure didn't look like one to be trifled with.
But Astrid didn't need Angie's help anyway. Her Pyroar, while not as powerful as Absol, was still quite strong.
Moreover, with its Fire-type and Normal-type, Pyroar had a complete type advantage over the Steel-type and Ghost-type Aegislash. Before long, Pyroar emerged victorious as well.
"Trial complete! Trial complete!" The Chandelure flew over to Astrid, repeating the same words.
Astrid approached Angie with Pyroar by her side and whispered, "So, what exactly is this trial about?"
Angie shook his head. "You're the ruin explorer. If you don't know, how would I?"
Just then, they were both startled to see the Chandelure's eyes glow with blue light. The Litwick that had been resting in the lantern's bowl all took flight before neatly lining up on the ground, forming two parallel rows like a ceremonial welcome.
Then, the Chandelure, speaking through telepathy, announced, "Trial participants, please come forward to claim your rewards!"
Angie and Astrid exchanged glances before stepping forward, accompanied by Munchlax and Pyroar, walking down the passage formed between the two rows of Litwick.
Upon reaching the deepest part of the chamber, they saw a cylindrical stone pedestal, and atop it lay something.
As they stepped closer, they discovered two radiant crowns inlaid with various gemstones.
At the center of each crown was a Mega Stone.
The two crowns were identical, each adorned with nine differently colored gemstones, including the Mega Stone—a treasure that was clearly of extraordinary value.
"There's writing here!" Astrid suddenly exclaimed while looking at the front of the stone pedestal.
Hearing this, Angie turned his gaze toward the inscriptions but found that they were in an ancient language he didn't recognize.
"What does it say?" he asked.
Astrid examined the text before responding, "This is a trial site, prepared by a kingdom for its two sons."
Angie frowned in confusion. "Then why is everything still here? Did the king's sons fail the trial?"
Astrid shook her head. "I don't know. It doesn't say."
At that moment, the Chandelure floated above them and explained, "Because the trial had not yet begun when the kingdom was destroyed."
Angie was shocked. "So, you've been guarding this place all this time?"
The Chandelure nodded. "That's right."
Hearing this, both Angie and Astrid couldn't help but admire the Chandelure's unwavering dedication.
"Take the trial rewards and leave," the Chandelure urged.
At its words, Angie and Astrid each picked up a crown.
Then, as the Chandelure explained, they learned that the original rewards prepared by the king had included not only the two crowns but also two Riolu eggs.
However, after so many years, the Riolu eggs had long since hatched and left the trial grounds.
The Chandelure then said, "But I have prepared different Pokémon for you instead."
At its signal, the Aegislash that Angie and Astrid had previously defeated reappeared, each accompanied by a Honedge.
"Honedge~"
Following the guidance of the two Aegislash, the Honedge floated toward Angie and Astrid.
The Chandelure declared, "I have selected the two most outstanding Honedge from the Aegislash clan to follow you!"
As the Chandelure finished speaking, a group of Honedge, Doublade, and Aegislash emerged from the darkness.
They were all members of the Aegislash clan.
They stared intently at Angie and Astrid, as if assessing whether the two were worthy of being followed by a Honedge.
It was said that Aegislash had the ability to see through a person's soul and determine whether they had the qualities of a king.
After speaking, the Chandelure turned to the two Honedge and said, "Go on, choose the master you wish to serve!"
Angie examined the two Honedge before him and was surprised to discover that one of them was Shiny.
A normal Honedge had a white blade, and its ribbon-like tassel was primarily deep blue, with a light blue tip. Its eye was also blue.
However, the Shiny Honedge had a red blade, and its tassel was primarily red, with a purple tip. Its eye was also purple.
In truth, a Honedge's true body was its eye.
The eyes on both Honedge, positioned where their hilts met their blades, moved back and forth as they examined Angie and Astrid. After a long moment, they each floated over to the master they had chosen.
The Shiny Honedge chose Angie.
The normal Honedge chose Astrid.
"Let's work well together from now on, Honedge!" Astrid said cheerfully.
She didn't mind at all that her Honedge wasn't Shiny.
"Honedge~"
Honedge nodded with narrowed eyes and wrapped its ribbon-like tassel around Astrid's arm.
Seeing this, Angie turned to the Shiny Honedge beside him and said, "Honedge, let's get along from now on!"
"Honedge~"
The Shiny Honedge happily flew in circles above Angie's head, clearly in a good mood.
Of course, it had wanted to go out and see the world for a long time.
"Now that you've got what you came for, you can leave," Chandelure urged, not wanting to waste time with humans.
The trial was over, and from now on, this place would belong entirely to them. Chandelure had no interest in lingering.
Seeing this, Angie and Astrid had no choice but to leave the ruins with their Pokémon. Before they left, Chandelure also reclaimed the stone slab Astrid had used to open the ruins.
Clearly, they didn't want anyone coming to disturb them again.
Once outside the ruins, Astrid held up the crown in her hands and examined the Mega Stone embedded in it.
"What kind of Pokémon's Mega Stone is this? Could it be Lucario's?" she wondered aloud.
Angie glanced at the Mega Stone on his own crown, then at Astrid's, and shook his head. "Neither of them are."
Clearly, even a king couldn't simply collect whatever Mega Stone they wanted.
Neither of these two belonged to Lucario.
Astrid looked at Angie in surprise. "You can tell which Pokémon these Mega Stones belong to?"
Angie nodded. "If I'm not mistaken, yours is a Mawile's Mega Stone, and mine is a Gengar's."
Even he hadn't expected that the one he received would turn out to be Gengar's Mega Stone.
Hearing this, Astrid's eyes lit up. "That's great! I was just thinking about catching a Mawile!"
Angie smiled. "Then let's go check on the Mawile, shall we?"
He wanted to catch a Solrock as well.
"Yes! Let's go!" Astrid eagerly took the lead.
Before long, Angie and Astrid found the Mawile again.
After the recent crisis, Mawile, Solrock, and many other Pokémon had hidden deep within Glittering Cave.
Seeing Mawile, Astrid got straight to the point. "Mawile, would you like to come with me?"
Mawile was stunned by the question. It looked at its companions, then at Astrid, hesitation in its eyes.
At that moment, a Dwebble stepped forward and gave Mawile a gentle push toward Astrid.
Mawile turned back in surprise, only to see the encouraging expressions of its friends.
After what they had just been through, they had come to realize that having a Trainer willing to protect them was a wonderful thing.
If Mawile followed Astrid, it wouldn't have to suffer from hunger anymore and would have someone to look after it. That was a far better life than staying in Glittering Cave.
They all wanted Mawile to find happiness.
Moved by its friends' support, tears welled up in Mawile's eyes.
Finally, it gathered its courage and leaped into Astrid's arms.
Astrid hugged Mawile tightly. "From now on, we're partners, Mawile!"
Mawile wiped away its tears and nodded firmly.