Less than two hours after Ritu notified me, we were already airborne.
The speed at which the Pokémon Department mobilized would have been unimaginable only a few months ago, but after the Earth Liberation incident and the establishment of international communication channels, emergency deployments had become significantly more efficient.
Our military transport aircraft flew westward across the globe under the escort of several fighter jets that would accompany us until we entered allied airspace. Once there, other nations would assume responsibility for our escort before handing us over again as we approached Belize.
Seated alongside me were Ritu, Captain Sethi, Meera, and a small team of researchers led by Imran. The flight itself would take nearly twenty four hours.
Mumbai and Belize were practically on opposite sides of the planet Plus he distance increased after the merge, leaving us with little to do besides review every piece of information arriving from the international intelligence network.
As expected, India wasn't the only nation reacting.
Reports continued arriving one after another.
The United States had already dispatched a rapid response team.
Several South American nations were mobilizing military units.
A joint European research delegation had also departed.
According to the latest estimates, at least three foreign teams would reach Belize before us.
I wasn't surprised.
If these truly were Pokémon World ruins, every nation would want to secure whatever knowledge, technology, or resources lay hidden inside them.
The problem was...
No one knew what waited beyond the entrance.
The knowledge from the system only told me that ruins would begin appearing around the world.
It never explained what existed inside each one.
As the hours passed, more reconnaissance reports arrived.
Military drones repeatedly attempted to approach the ruins but were driven back before they could gather detailed information. Helicopters couldn't fly directly overhead either, forcing them to maintain a safe distance while relying on long-range cameras.
Nearly eighteen hours into our journey, another intelligence packet arrived.
"This just came in," Ritu said as she handed me a tablet.
"They finally managed to get clearer images?"
She nodded.
"They've sent images of the Pokémon guarding the outer perimeter."
The first image appeared on the screen.
Standing before the entrance was a towering stone giant.
Golurk.
Its massive body remained completely motionless, almost resembling another ancient statue placed outside the temple until one looked closely enough to notice the faint blue light glowing within the cracks across its body.
Several smaller Golett wandered nearby.
Unlike their evolved counterpart, they weren't standing guard.
Instead, they moved throughout the surrounding area, effortlessly rolling enormous stone boulders into new positions as though maintaining the ruins themselves.
"They attacked every expedition?" Captain Sethi asked.
Ritu nodded.
"Anyone entering within a certain distance is immediately intercepted. So far, there haven't been any casualties because every team retreated the moment Golurk moved."
I continued studying the images.
The Pokémon themselves weren't what interested me most.
It was the structure behind them.
I enlarged one of the satellite photographs until the ancient complex filled the entire screen.
Stone staircases stretched toward a massive temple built atop a raised platform.
Towering pillars lined the approach.
Countless carvings covered the walls.
The architecture looked weathered by thousands of years.
Most striking of all...
It looked familiar, because it resembled something from Earth's own history.
"It looks... Mayan," Meera said quietly, voicing exactly what I had been thinking.
"It does."
That single observation unsettled me far more than the appearance of Golurk.
When I imagined Pokémon World ruins, I had expected something far more advanced.
modern laboratories.
Collapsed research facilities.
Forgotten cities built using Pokémon technology.
Something similar to the structures shown throughout Pokémon.
Instead...
This looked like an ancient temple.
One that could have easily been a forgotten Mayan archaeological site if not for the Golurk standing guard outside.
I leaned back in my seat, unable to take my eyes off the image.
"This isn't what I expected."
Captain Sethi looked toward me.
"You think it's fake?"
I slowly nodded.
"Not fake per se. I'll have to see it for myself to determine my guess."
Everyone in the cabin turned their attention toward me.
"If these ruins were built entirely by the Pokémon World, there shouldn't be as much resemblance to Earth's civilizations. At least there should be pokemon carvings."
I pointed toward the carvings decorating the temple walls.
"But this architecture clearly shares design elements with ancient Mayan construction."
Silence filled the cabin.
Only the steady hum of the aircraft engines broke the quiet.
"We'll know once we arrive," I finally said, placing the tablet back on the table.
Captain Sethi nodded.
"The Belize government has agreed to let us join the first joint exploration team tomorrow morning. They're currently maintaining a security perimeter around the ruins while waiting for the remaining international representatives."
"Good."
If dozens of countries entered independently, unnecessary conflict would only make the situation worse.
A joint expedition was the smarter choice.
Outside the small aircraft window, the endless Atlantic stretched beneath us, illuminated faintly by the setting sun. Somewhere beyond that horizon lay Belize... and with it, perhaps the greatest discovery since the Merge.
I closed my eyes and leaned back against my seat.
Whatever answers those ruins held...
We would soon uncover them.