Soaring once again across the sky of Hisui, gazing down at the land below, Paul felt a sense of excitement greater than he had anticipated.
Compared to Sinnoh's vast forests and grassy fields, Hisui had an untamed, rugged feeling about it.
Perhaps the environment, technology, and living conditions here were nowhere near as advanced as those in Sinnoh, but in this era, closest to myth, it was easier to approach the peak of the world and uncover its deepest truths.
As they flew across the plains and mountains, Garchomp headed straight for the foothills of Mt. Coronet.
Under Paul's guidance, they soon reached a remote cliff, with barren yellowing stones stretching across the land.
Finding an entrance to the Ancient Cave on such a massive cliff was no easy task.
Although Akari's phone map was fairly detailed, it only marked the general location of the Ancient Cave without specifying an exact entrance.
Fortunately, Paul's phone was much more advanced in this regard.
"Rotom, scan the terrain and generate a more detailed map."
"Got it, Rotom!"
Rotom responded, sending out a pulse of psychic energy, and soon a map covering nearly a hundred miles appeared on the phone's screen.
"There's the entrance to the Ancient Cave."
After a quick glance, Paul realized that the entrance to the Ancient Cave was just nearby.
"Let's go check it out."
Paul called to Garchomp, who flew ahead leading the way into the cave.
The cave, despite its unique name, wasn't much different from an ordinary one. However, what made it special were the ancient murals that could be found only a few meters in, and the visible Pokémon fossils scattered along the walls.
But these weren't Paul's target.
"Rotom, see if you can sense anything within the cave that contains special energy."
Rather than aimlessly searching, Paul entrusted this task to Rotom.
The Origin Ore were said to contain incredible power, and according to myth, they were linked to the power of the Sinnoh Grand Deities.
The Sinnoh Grand Deities were composed of two "Pseudo" Sinnoh Grand Deities—Dialga and Palkia—and Arceus.
From the fact that the Origin Ore created from these stones could more easily capture the Origin Time-Space deities, it seemed the power contained within these stones was connected to Arceus.
And Rotom's Arc-themed phone surely carried a similar power!
"Trainer, I sense a special energy. Please follow me."
As expected, after sensing the energy for only a moment, Rotom floated upward and led Paul towards the source of the power.
Along the way, the Pokémon living inside the cave grew increasingly agitated upon sensing the intrusion of Paul, their eyes glowing red as they prepared to attack and drive him away.
But as soon as Garchomp released its menacing aura, the red light in their eyes immediately faded, and one by one, the Pokémon gave friendly smiles, waved, and swiftly ran off.
"Tch."
Garchomp snorted disdainfully, "Pathetic. They're not even as tough as the Electivire from back in the day."
Before long, Paul reached a corner of the cave, his eyes scanning the stone wall where a peculiar crimson-colored Origin Stone was embedded.
"Garchomp, dig it out."
Paul gestured to Garchomp.
"Gaaar~"
Garchomp stepped forward, and green light glowed from its claws as it slashed the wall with precise cuts.
Bang, bang...
After a few moments, several pieces of Origin Stone had been sliced off and fell to the ground.
"This isn't a meteorite we own, no need to be careful."
The meteorites from Veilstone City were a city landmark and could not be casually destroyed, but the Origin Stones weren't something they owned, so why bother being cautious?
If Paul remembered correctly, there was an Origin Stone vein here—he could probably mine tons of it, not just a few pieces.
Whether the stones had a significant purpose for the people of Hisui didn't matter. If Garchomp dug up more, he could study them later.
"Gaaar~"
Garchomp immediately understood and began to dig furiously, its claws cutting into the rock face with wild intensity. Within moments, it had carved out a large hole in the wall.
"That's enough, stop."
Seeing that Garchomp was getting more and more into it, Paul quickly stopped the rampage and used psychic power to gather the stones into a line before storing them in his bag.
Every time he had to carry a lot of items, Paul couldn't help but feel grateful for the advanced technology in this world. The backpack wasn't a normal one, it had advanced capabilities.
"Mewtwo, do you think this stone can be incorporated into a Poké Ball?"
Paul released Mewtwo and asked.
"It's difficult, but I can try."
Mewtwo picked up an Origin Stone, took a pre-made Poké Ball, and began the attempt.
On the other side, at the foothills of Mt. Coronet, an intense battle was taking place in front of the Sinnoh Temple.
The battle was between Akari, who had arrived with Irida and Adaman, and the leader of the Galactic Team, Commander Kamado.
Although Akari had come with good intentions, Kamado didn't trust her and decided to settle their differences through battle, with the stronger side leading the way for what would happen next.
As the leader of the Galactic Team, Kamado was naturally not weak. All of his Pokémon were at Champion-level strength, which gave him the confidence to lead his team to investigate the temple and the space-time rift.
But was Akari weak? Of course not. Even though she had been on various missions and working on her Pokédex, her strength continued to grow.
The last time they met, Akari's strength had already reached the level of the Elite Four, and all her Pokémon were at Champion level. The strongest ones were already nearing Legendary level.
The battle was one-sided. Akari only needed to send out Lucario and Aegislash to quickly finish the fight using type advantages, waking Kamado up to the reality of her strength.
It turned out that despite her overwhelming strength, Akari had always accepted his orders and completed missions for him. But Kamado, had he recognized her strength and integrity?
Instead, he had cruelly driven her out of the village and the Galactic Team.
If it had been anyone else, they would likely have never survived being cast out.
Could a team leader really act this way?
In an instant, Kamado's mind was in turmoil, realizing he had been a fool—a small-minded, suspicious person.
"Akari, I'm truly sorry. I sincerely apologize to you!"
But just as quickly, Kamado's expression hardened. With a perfect samurai stance, he bowed deeply to Akari, kneeling and apologizing with all humility.
"Ka... Kamado..."
This scene stunned everyone around them, with Irida gasping in shock.
"Though it may be too late, for the Galactic Team, no! For the people of the Divine Realm and the Pokémon of Hisui, please lend us your strength!"
Akari watched the scene quietly, then smiled and nodded in response.
Nearby, Adaman, the leader of the Diamond Clan, was more relaxed and laughed, "Don't worry, big brother, we have the Red Chain. We'll definitely overcome all difficulties."
Kamado didn't respond, but nodded to Irida and Adaman before leading them and the guard team towards the temple.
The three of them went directly into the temple.
(End of Chapter)
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