"Also, although during the Paldea Empire the nobles and the emperor were so extravagant that even high officials had their tomb chambers built extremely sturdy…"
"If possible, it's still best to finish this quickly. After all, this structure has probably been buried beneath this blazing desert for at least a thousand years; how sturdy it still is remains unknown."
"Besides, you wouldn't want to get buried alive, would you?"
Raifort's tone was a bit flippant, but Lucas knew she was using that to defuse her nerves.
Without wasting words, Lucas simply nodded slightly. Holding a Poké Ball, he let his actions answer.
Raifort took a deep breath and opened the already-rotten great door. Having been the vanguard the whole time, she flashed with nimble movements to Lucas's back. When their eyes met, she showed an awkward yet polite smile.
"."
Lucas gave her a helpless look, accepted his fate, and walked forward. He passed through the doorway into a vast, empty space.
Even a high-powered flashlight couldn't fully illuminate the surroundings—evidence enough of how large the space was.
But extreme spaciousness also meant heightened danger.
Crouched behind Lucas, Raifort craned her neck to look around, beam sweeping the darkness.
Aside from a few meaningless murals on the walls recounting the tomb owner's amorous exploits, the place looked devoid of useful information. Yet Raifort's instincts—ex–tomb raider, now archaeologist—told her it wasn't that simple.
Danger often appears at the moment you relax the most.
Sure enough, when her beam fell on four circular floor tiles ahead that looked ordinary but bore odd patterns, change erupted!
Whether the light had triggered a mechanism, or it was inevitable the moment they set foot here, who could tell—
The four identical tiles flared dazzlingly, and in the next instant a huge round object, patterned exactly like the floor stone, rose up—like an enormous Pokémon egg!
"As expected. Though modern Paldea has no distribution of Golurk, the old Paldea Empire, which frequently contacted the outside world, did obtain the technique to make Golurk guardians and placed them in tombs and ruins."
"Rich as sin, huh? Four Golurk guardians for your tomb—just how many bribes did you take while alive?!"
Raifort shouted through the suit's comms to warn Lucas, while griping at the lavish, nameless high official she'd never met.
The egg seemed to complete its hatching: bright purple cracks spread in an instant like a spiderweb.
Four brilliant white-violet halos burst across the cracked egg, and a violent shockwave swept outward. In the blinding glare that could dazzle, four massive giants of earth appeared as if just born, materializing in the wide chamber!
Thanks to the suit's glare protection, Raifort's vision held.
Staring at the four hulking brutes, she cried, "Golurk giants were city-defense cores made by the ancients. When they awaken, it's time to fight—they'll indiscriminately attack any living thing!"
"These ones look at least three to four meters tall. Ordinary Golurks are only about 2.8 meters—these are special within their kind. Be careful, Mr. Lucas!"
Lucas had already sent out Serperior, which coiled to shield them from the shockwave. He nodded slightly, wasted no breath, and said in a low voice, "Serperior, we end this fast. Leaf Storm!"
Serperior's long body slipped nimbly into the ring formed by the four giants—so fast Raifort couldn't even react.
She wanted to ask if not sending out Dragonite to help was really okay, but remembered she was a novice at battling. Better to trust the pro.
Keeping her mouth shut and not making trouble would be contribution enough.
All four giants fixed on Serperior boldly entering their range.
Serperior raised its proud head. It looked less like it was surrounded by them than like one serpent surrounding four golems.
On what must be their faces or heads, dazzling radiance gathered and became thick, black-violet beams of dreadful energy. The air trembled as the beams tore through it, shrieking toward Serperior at center!
Locked onto by four Hyper Beams, Serperior showed no tension.
Its tailtip lifted; emerald leaves gathered and, in a blink, became a terrifying blade-storm. The spinning leaves even sheared through energy beams; the gale shredded the beams into a rain of beautiful sparks, making the scene look more like a Contest than a sudden battle.
Seeing Hyper Beam so cleanly neutralized, the four giants seemed to grow angry. They clenched massive fists, which burst into roaring flame.
Clearly, they'd judged Serperior's typing and chose Fire Punch!
Power and size at a certain level make speed less necessary—that truth was embodied in the giants' Fire Punches.
Each swing sent a searing fist-wind first; that wind alone might match air currents from a typical Flying-type—and it came scorching hot from the flames.
Yet what would be hard for most Pokémon to dodge—even one punch—Serperior, faced with four giants and four pairs of fists, evaded entirely through extreme agility and snakelike footwork, even luring the flaming blows into striking the giants' own allies.
Boom—crash!
While one giant whiffed again, Serperior seized the opening, coiling like a spring and vaulting through the gap with astonishing bounce.
Before the four could lock on again for Hyper Beam, Serperior's Leaf Storm erupted once more, wringing pained looks from the massive foes.
One giant bellowed thunderously, making the chamber tremble.
This time, not just the fists were aflame.
Its whole body burst into blazing fire—preparing to use Heat Crash, banking on its massive size against Serperior to settle the fight in one blow.
Serperior narrowed its eyes—no chance given. Its tail became a keen green blade aimed at the giant's chest to throw it off balance.
Just then, Lucas—silent since his initial "finish it fast"—spoke again: "Don't hit its chest. Aim for its feet!"
Serperior's gemlike red eyes flashed. Its long-held trust obeyed instantly; the Leaf Blade, mid-swing toward the chest, was forced under precise control to switch targets and cleave at the feet!
In a flash, the giant primed for Heat Crash lost balance and howled from pain in both feet, toppling backward and interrupting its windup.
Serperior didn't spare it a glance, relying on terrifying combat awareness to handle the other three with ease and counterattack methodically.
Raifort opened her mouth, then thought better and closed it.
Her gaze toward Lucas and Serperior held new shock—and thoughtful respect.
She'd been about to warn that the golem's chest housed the construct that sealed and drove its massive energy. Destroying that would send its internal energy berserk.
But Lucas plainly knew; he'd let Serperior solo, and when he did give orders, it was at decisive moments. So this is what a truly strong Trainer is…
As for Serperior's battle poise—even her swiftest, Zoroark and Gengar, would likely fluster and get hurt under a four-giant onslaught of such oppressive force.
Serperior, however, perfectly embodied "I, a single serpent, have surrounded the four of you."
Barely two minutes in, the tide had fully turned.
After one last Leaf Storm boost, Serperior eyed the still-sturdy giants and, unusually, smiled.
Let's see if you can withstand this.
Under Raifort's astonished gaze, the bracelet on the outside of Lucas's suit burst into golden light, which gathered onto Serperior. Its already formidable presence climbed higher still, enough to make the giants display fear.
Sticking to the swift-victory plan, with Serperior at +6 Sp. Atk from Contrary-boosted Leaf Storms, Lucas didn't hesitate to choose the strongest move in hand and wipe their HP bars in one go!
"Bloom Doom."
As Lucas's calm voice fell, the ground around them was carpeted in a brilliant sea of flowers.
A heartbeat later, a firefly-like mote rose from every blossom.
Individually, each glow seemed feeble, with barely any energy ripple—like a light that would snuff out at a breath.
But what if every flower across this vast space kindled a light?
The giants' sight was drowned in endless luminescence; each mote detonated violently upon them, explosions rolling again and again. The supereffective barrage stripped their strength, drawing unwilling, pained roars.
Serperior stood at the sea's heart, like a sovereign, delivering judgment.
...
Bonus chapter at 100 PS