"Mogo~!"
A cheerful cry suddenly rang by his ear—from the Cosmog cradled in his arms. In the middle of speaking, Lucas felt a jolt of dread. He abruptly remembered one of Cosmog's only two learnable moves.
But it was too late to stop anything. Lucas only felt his vision blur as a dizzying sensation of sky-spinning and earth-whirling swept over him. It was like experiencing a full wash cycle in a tumble washer—his head turned foggy and swollen.
Lucas knew Cosmog had most likely used a move called Teleport just now—not the ordinary, self-only kind that Abra uses, but a group Teleport.
Should he say, as expected of a Legendary Pokémon's infant? Even this is within its capabilities.
But it wasn't like Mewtwo's silent, ultra-long-distance Teleport, nor like Calyrex's subtle, gentle Teleport either.
A more fitting description would be: an unlicensed black-market teleport.
"Ow, ow, ow—"
Penny and Peonia's weak groans reached his ears. Lucas forced himself to steady his stance and opened his eyes, which had narrowed from the throbbing, muzzy ache in his brain.
Because they both knew and trusted that their Trainer could hold it together, Ceruledge and Swampert shook off their initial vertigo on the strength of their powerful bodies. Following Lucas's instruction to protect Penny and Peonia, they each helped the two girls who were about to collapse from the discomfort.
Lucas shot them an approving look, then lowered his gaze to the Cosmog in his arms, now quiet.
Cosmog lay there with eyes closed, breathing steadily. It didn't look like it had any aftereffects—if anything, it just looked… asleep from exhaustion.
Lucas had never been this speechless.
Heaven and earth as witness, he only wanted to test whether Calyrex would show up to stop him if he tried to enter the Iceberg Ruins.
But in all his meticulous calculations, he'd forgotten one of Cosmog's signature tricks.
In the Pokémon Sun & Moon anime, Cosmog demonstrated the ability to read the thoughts of those close to it and use Teleport to take them to the place they were thinking of.
Lucas remembered one episode where Ash wanted to battle Gladion. Ash's Cosmog—Nebby—read that thought, then Teleported him straight to Gladion on another island.
What likely happened now was that the image of the Iceberg Ruins' interior flashed through Lucas's mind for just an instant.
Cosmog, having picked up on that, simply flexed its power and ignored all conditions, Teleporting them straight into the heart of the ruins.
Wasn't this just a complete and utter wipeout?!
Lucas sighed heavily and looked around to survey their surroundings.
A light from some unseen source rained down from a ceiling too high to see. It was very faint, but enough for him to make out the environment.
Around them, some kind of teal bricks were stacked into walls. They looked extremely hard, reminding Lucas of the bronze on Peony's Copperajah. He wondered if there was a connection.
The ground was compacted earth, with several round dots set into it here and there, seemingly key to something.
But the most eye-catching presence in the space—the one with the strongest sense of existence—
Lucas would give that to the stone statue standing deep within the ring of bronze bricks, radiating a chill like it had crossed time from the ancient glacial age, giving no reaction at all.
That should be the Legendary Pokémon sealed within the ruins—the Legendary Titan, the Iceberg Pokémon Regice!
At the moment, Regice was clearly in the same long slow start as the one who created them, the Colossal King Regigigas. As long as Lucas didn't step on all the round dots on the floor in a certain order, it wouldn't awaken.
Lucas drew his gaze back, carefully avoided the round dots, and walked straight over to Penny and Peonia, who were clutching their heads in pain. "Do you feel like throwing up?"
"We're… okay."
After resting for a while, Penny and Peonia finally felt a bit better and shook their heads, indicating they could hold on.
"That's good."
Lucas nodded slightly and, to be safe, handed them each a tablet to alleviate dizziness.
If Comfey were here, Aromatherapy would greatly ease the vertigo. They were clearly short on a team medic…
He thought of his Comfey—busy every day nourishing the farm's fields with Grassy Terrain, treating a whole crowd of Pokémon on the farm, and occasionally tagging along to Naranja Academy as a school nurse.
Lucas considered preparing to find Comfey a colleague equally specialized in healing once they got back.
After swallowing the tablets with clean water, Peonia and Penny finally felt some relief. They opened their eyes and began to look around.
If Penny was still somewhat dazed, Peonia—who had learned quite a bit from Penny—was shocked.
She widened her eyes at the surroundings, incredulous.
"Could this be… the inside of the ruins?"
"I'm afraid so," Lucas nodded, then motioned toward his arms. "Cosmog Teleported us in. As you can see, it's fallen asleep from exhaustion and probably can't Teleport us out."
"No way…" A flicker of astonishment flashed in Peonia's eyes. "Normally, ancient or prehistoric ruins have anti-Teleport measures against Psychic-types. Skipping with Teleport is directly prohibited!"
That Cosmog could Teleport all three of them plus three Pokémon straight into the ruins—this was unbelievable.
Before Lucas could explain, Penny said, "Sis, Cosmog was entrusted to Teacher Lucas by the King of Bountiful Harvests. It likely has special traits we don't know about.
"Instead of fixating on how Cosmog Teleported us inside, let's find a way out first."
Hearing her cute little sister, Peonia blinked, then nodded slightly as if persuaded. "Good point. Let's prioritize finding a way out."
"But my knowledge of ruins is superficial at best, so…"
Penny understood Peonia's implication. She frowned and opened her portable computer—only to find that not only was there no signal, but even the display was turning into snow, flickering from some strange magnetic interference.
Fearing damage to the drive with important data, Penny shut it down immediately, face a little grim. "I can't analyze these murals or inscriptions with software either…"
Panicking, the two looked to Lucas for help.
"Stay put for a moment, don't move around. Ceruledge, keep an eye on them."
With the faintest sigh, Lucas signaled Swampert to follow, then headed toward the ancient, heavy door behind them.
Ceruledge, following orders, drew a circle on the floor with the tip of its blade. Then it glanced at Penny and Peonia and said coolly, "Ce—ru!" (Do not leave the circle!)
Ceruledge was confident: as long as the two stayed within the circle—within its defensive range—in most cases it could keep them safe.
It didn't care much for humans, but if the order came from Lucas, it would execute it with all its might.
"He wants us to stay inside this?" Penny and Peonia exchanged a look, then stepped into the circle without hesitation.
Since Lucas had assigned Ceruledge to guard them, they could only trust him. Not running around and not making trouble was the biggest contribution they could make.
Seeing the sisters obediently enter the circle, Ceruledge nodded in satisfaction and turned its gaze toward Lucas and Swampert.
By then, Lucas and Swampert had reached the ancient door.
Even Peony's Copperajah couldn't kick open that door. Still, Lucas wanted to try whether Swampert's strength could break it from the inside.
Being inside might give them better odds.
He stepped back to a safe distance, met Swampert's eyes, and gave a small nod. "High Horsepower!"
In an instant, Swampert flared with a blinding red glow that could scorch an onlooker's eyes. Its muscles swelled, and after charging for a few seconds, it slammed a fist into the door!
Boom—!
The entire Iceberg Ruins seemed to quiver. Penny and Peonia, unable to keep their balance, fell right onto their butts.
Even Calyrex, anxiously pacing outside, clearly sensed the commotion Swampert caused.
But that was all.
The ruins were as sturdy as Penny had said—beyond the ordinary, likely deeply tied to ancient humans. Ordinary brute force could not damage it at all.
"Ah…"
Though he'd already half-guessed the result, Lucas, unwilling to give up without another try, looked at the unmoving door and sighed.
It seemed they had only one option left.
"Smashing our way out won't work. We'll have to follow the intent of the ruins' creators and clear it the proper way."
After calling Penny and Peonia over, Lucas laid out the situation.
Peonia looked worried, hesitated. "But we…"
Lucas knew what she wanted to say. He smiled with confidence. "That's not something you two need to worry about.
"Since Peony entrusted you to me, I will get you out of these ruins."
"What you need to do is simple and straightforward—just like before: don't panic, and keep yourselves safe."
Perhaps he'd been a teacher for almost half a year now—Lucas's voice had a calming quality that made people want to trust him.
Hearing his gentle explanations, the lingering confusion and anxiety in Penny and Peonia's hearts faded, replaced by growing resolve.
"Peonia, you probably know what that chilly statue is, right?"
The sudden question startled Peonia. Penny, beside her, looked curious.
After a moment's hesitation, Peonia looked toward the frosty statue in the distance. "It should be the Legendary Titan… Regice."
Her field of study at school was precisely this sort of thing. She knew Legendary Pokémon well; the Titans were no exception.
Though the original Unit-01, created by the Titan King Regigigas, existed somewhere unknown, the Regice inside this statue was likely sealed here by ancient humans—or placed here to guard the ruins.
Given the lack of any passageways around, Peonia felt the sealed possibility was stronger.
"Correct." Lucas nodded, satisfied. "Regice is a Legendary Pokémon. Its true strength is unknown. To get out of here, we'll likely have to fight it.
"Because the opponent is a Legendary Titan, to keep the aftermath from hitting you, I'll assign Pokémon to protect you.
"All you need to do is not get caught in the crossfire."
Peonia's eyes went wide. She hadn't expected Lucas's solution to be battle the Legendary Titan.
Penny, on the other hand, seemed to think of something; a faint smile tugged at her lips, as if she felt certain Lucas would win.
A short while later—
Penny and Peonia stood by the ancient door, guarded by Swampert and Dragonite.
Considering type matchups, Lucas decided to send Ceruledge to fight Regice first; only if things became unclear would he switch to a team assault.
Beside him, Ceruledge had closed its eyes and begun charging up. Phantom sword-shadows swirled around it, sharpening its aura.
Since this wasn't a formal match with rules, naturally he would have Ceruledge max out its buffs before waking Regice—to ensure victory.
Following a prompt from his system, Lucas began moving over the seven round floor dots in order.
Each dot he stepped on lit up with a faint, warm yellow glow, making him wonder whether the light pouring down from above was really sunlight.
Without a Serperior to confirm, he didn't dwell on it and stepped onto the final dot.
As the dots glowed in unison, the Iceberg Ruins shuddered several times. The unmoving statue lit up with the same glow as the dots.
Bzzzz—
A strange hum filled the ruins, and cracks appeared on the statue.
Falling dust and clods made Lucas realize: Regice hadn't turned into a statue; dust and dirt had accumulated on its body while it slept, forming the statue-like covering!
Fragments of dirt and dust sloughed off. Within moments, the seven round dots forming a cross on the statue flashed in a specific rhythm. The cold spread even further, and in an instant, thick ice sheathed the surroundings.
Regice revealed its true form.
Its body was made purely of ice. Seven yellow dots on its face formed a + pattern that flickered; four ice spikes on its back, declaring Regice's power.
Its conical legs stepped forward. Its cylindrical arms, ending in three crystal-like fingers, raised and aimed at Lucas and Ceruledge.
"Doo-doo-doo, jili-gulu—"
Despite having no mouth, Regice emitted a series of mechanical sounds.
Ice-blue light gathered on its lifted arms, and in a blink three icy beams shot out—one aimed at Lucas, one at Ceruledge, and one at the door where Penny, Peonia, Dragonite, and Swampert were.
The move: Ice Beam!
There was no chance for dialogue. Freshly awakened, Regice attacked at once.
Rather than being sealed, it felt more like it was guarding this place!
Of the split beams, Ceruledge met one head-on.
Flames roared along its greatsword. Empowered by Swords Dance, Ceruledge swung a simple slash—and in the vapor where cold and heat met, the Ice Beam was cleaved cleanly in two!
Without even looking back—unconcerned about Regice's lock on Lucas—Ceruledge charged the Titan!
Lucas, facing the Ice Beam coming at him, remained unafraid.
From his shadow, a huge, ferocious pair of Shadow Claws shot out and smashed into the incoming beam!
Ice Beam and Shadow Claw clashed violently. Trusting Mimikyu to protect him, Lucas exhaled a white mist and glanced back.
Dragonite's Flamethrower collided with the third Ice Beam, while Swampert raised a wall of earth to block the aftermath from Penny and Peonia.
"Looks like I don't need to worry about that side."
He turned forward again. Even in a heavy winter coat, he felt as if he were standing on a vast icefield of the glacial age.
Legendary Pokémon were terrifying not only for battle power, but for the way they could shape environments—even change heaven and earth.
If the fight dragged on, Regice might truly transform the surroundings into a near-glacial environment.
Even in cold-weather gear, exposure like that might be too much for Lucas, Penny, and Peonia.
He had to end this quickly—before then.
Ceruledge's fearless charge toward the Legendary Titan was clearly visible to Lucas. As it closed in, Lucas issued his command: "Bitter Blade!"
At his voice, flames on Ceruledge's greatsword flared even fiercer. Regice's clumsy motions made it a mere target to such a swift fighter.
Ceruledge nimbly evaded several boulders brimming with ancient power, its cold gaze scanning Regice's body for a weak point.
In the end, there was no weak point to find. But that didn't stop Ceruledge's gale-like fiery slashes from hammering Regice's body like rain!
Though Ceruledge was Fire/Ghost, when necessary its flames were in no way inferior to a pure Fire-type's heat.
Even so, Regice's ice-forged body didn't even show a scratch, let alone melt.
This was a first for Ceruledge.
Regice spread its arms. Low, frigid air spread, then gathered toward Ceruledge under its command.
"Shadow Sneak!"
A flicker of surprise crossed Ceruledge's eyes. As Regice tried to freeze it with condensed cold, Ceruledge slipped into a separate space, evading under Lucas's command.
A heartbeat later, Ceruledge reappeared behind Regice, its flame-wreathed ghostly greatsword cleaving down again!
Clang—!!
The ring of two hard objects colliding reverberated through the ruins—another apparently "not effective" strike.
Regice's body rotated as if it could turn 360 degrees, smoothly aligning with Ceruledge.
Its raised arm became a cannon, gathering a terrifying yellow-blue electromagnetic sphere, then firing at Ceruledge.
Perhaps out of stubborn pride, Ceruledge didn't intend to dodge this time, and Lucas respected its decision. "Shadow Claw."
Ghostly energy welled up on the flaming blade—used less like a claw and more as a "shadow blade." With both swords moving in concert, it sliced the electro-cannon into four equal parts!
Boom—!
The unstable projectile discharged tremendous electricity, exploding violently.
It barely affected Ceruledge.
It quick-stepped to Regice's side, landing plain, workmanlike flame slashes over and over.
"Ji-ji… doo-doo-doo…"
To handle the nimble Ceruledge, Regice switched to a sweeping Blizzard to seal off its paths.
Behind them, watching the clash, Peonia frowned in worry. "Penny… has Regice not taken any damage this whole time?"
Penny pushed up her glasses, holding a different view. "No matter how tough a body is, there's a limit—otherwise how could Regice be sealed at all?
"Ceruledge is hitting almost the same spot each time. Teacher Lucas is probably setting up…"