Just thinking about the scene described by the old woman of the Draconids was enough to make Steven's scalp tingle.
If Groudon and Kyogre really clashed head-on, the scale of the disaster would be unimaginable. Hoenn would be devastated—cities destroyed, countless people dragged into the chaos.
But knowing that didn't mean Steven had a solution.
After holding it in for a long moment, he finally asked,
"So… what do we do now?"
Chen Shi shrugged, his tone calm to the point of indifference.
"What do we do? Nothing special."
"Let it happen."
"The sky's going to rain, and mothers are going to remarry. If something's fated to happen, there's no stopping it anyway."
After worrying for two full days, Chen Shi had more or less come to terms with reality.
Groudon and Kyogre fighting was practically inevitable. Even if it didn't happen now, it would happen later—over Mega Stones, primal energy, or some other trigger. In his previous life's anime, those two had fought more than once anyway.
Trying to stop them by force?
With his current strength, that was a joke.
Legendary Pokémon in this world were absurdly powerful. Take Mew, for example—most of the time it acted like a freeloading mascot that did nothing but eat and sleep. But Chen Shi had zero doubt that if Mew went on a rampage, it could wipe Rustboro City off the map without breaking a sweat.
If anyone could truly stop Groudon and Kyogre, it would have to be Rayquaza.
So Chen Shi had already made up his mind. After the auction, he would head straight to Meteor Falls and find the Draconids. He wanted answers from that old woman—whether Rayquaza could truly be summoned again.
If that failed…
Then he'd move to Plan B.
He'd ask Professor Oak to mobilize the Kanto League and use the Silver Wing or Ho-Oh's Nest, calling in Lugia or Ho-Oh.
If even that didn't work…
Then there was still a final option.
With Xerneas's fragment and Mew, he could head to Kalos and see if there was a way to draw out Zygarde. As the guardian of order, Zygarde might intervene if Groudon and Kyogre went too far—especially if Rayquaza refused to show up.
And if even Zygarde couldn't solve it…
Then Chen Shi would seriously consider changing regions.
Sinnoh didn't seem like a bad choice.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Chen Shi subconsciously glanced at Cynthia.
Living in Sinnoh wouldn't be bad at all.
At the very least, he'd get to see her every day.
If he worked hard enough, maybe things could even progress further—rather than staying stuck at holding hands.
Cynthia immediately sensed his gaze.
Her eyes turned cold.
"My instincts tell me you're thinking about something inappropriate."
"Absolutely not!" Chen Shi said quickly, laughing awkwardly. "How could I?"
Steven pressed his fingers to his forehead, utterly helpless.
"…Do you two realize how serious this discussion is right now?"
"We're talking about Hoenn's legendary Pokémon. Can you not start flirting in the middle of it?"
Chen Shi coughed twice in embarrassment.
"Alright, alright. Jokes aside—I'll head to Meteor Falls after the auction and talk to the Draconids. You just focus on handling the auction. Leave the rest to me for now."
Hearing that, Steven finally relaxed a little.
As long as there was a plan, he could breathe easier.
After a pause, Chen Shi asked,
"By the way—do you know anything about the newly discovered secret realm in Hoenn?"
Steven raised an eyebrow.
"When did your intel network get this good?"
"Even I only heard about it after getting back."
Then he seemed to realize something.
"…Let me guess. Your grandfather told you?"
Chen Shi's face darkened.
"So what if he did? Just tell me—do you have any concrete info? Terrain, features, anything."
He needed confirmation.
He strongly suspected that secret realm was where Groudon and Kyogre were sleeping—but if he was wrong, charging in blindly would be pointless.
Steven didn't argue. He opened a drawer beneath his desk and pulled out a thick stack of photos.
"Take a look. These were brought back by the scouting teams."
"We suspect there's a massive ruin inside. Apart from the ocean, the land is filled with enormous stone pillars."
"Hundreds of meters tall."
"We think they were built by ancient civilizations, but their purpose is still unknown."
"Ruins?" Cynthia's eyes lit up instantly.
She took the photos, studying them with intense focus. Ancient structures like these were irresistible to her.
Chen Shi leaned over to look as well.
In the photos, colossal stone pillars pierced the land like divine spears. Each one was thicker at the base, tapering as it rose into the sky—like mythical pillars holding up the heavens.
They were scattered irregularly across the landscape.
Some even rose straight out of the sea.
Inside the pillars were hollowed passages, and in several photos, Pokémon could be seen living within them.
Cynthia's gaze burned with excitement. For an archaeologist at heart, this kind of site was pure temptation.
Mew, perched on Chen Shi's shoulder, glanced at the photos too—lingering on the stone pillars for just a moment longer than usual.
Then it promptly lost interest and went back to lounging.
Steven continued,
"There are plenty of rare Pokémon and valuable resources inside. But it's extremely dangerous."
"My father says there are quite a few Pokémon at the Champion and Elite Four level."
"So?" he asked. "What are you planning to do? Are you going in?"
Cynthia answered without hesitation.
"Of course. A place like that—I'd never miss it."
Steven nodded, then turned toward Chen Shi, who was staring blankly at the photos.
"Hey. Old Chen. What's wrong? You've been zoning out."
Cynthia noticed it too and reached out, gently pushing him.
"Are you alright?"
"Huh?" Chen Shi snapped back to reality. "Yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry."
She frowned slightly.
"You kept staring at those pillars. Do you recognize them?"
Chen Shi didn't answer right away.
He just let out a quiet, heavy sigh.
Because at that moment, he was finally certain.
This secret realm was absolutely—without a doubt—the place where Groudon and Kyogre slept.
Those stone pillars weren't ruins.
They weren't ancient architecture.
They were something far more terrifying.
They were the manifestation of Groudon's signature move—
Precipice Blades.
...
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