Raifort's office wasn't far from here. It was a very independent office area.
The moment Axel stepped into the room, he felt that the place was extremely clean, very different from the rooms of ordinary professors and scholars.
A desk, a neat single bed, and a bookshelf, those were the only furnishings here.
Raifort casually placed her books on the desk, poured Axel a glass of water, and handed him a stool.
"What kind of knowledge do you want to understand? If I know it, I'll definitely help with everything I can."
Axel didn't waste time with small talk. He directly took out the jade pendant he had just gotten from Mela and briefly explained how the Exploration Team had tried to snatch it.
Raifort frowned slightly, "Exploration Team? It sounds like some kind of academic organization. I didn't expect them to do something so dirty..."
"But the Chi-Yu you mentioned, I happen to have done some research on it."
"You also know I'm a professor in the history department. Besides teaching classes, I also supervise some graduate students in specialized research."
"And the research topic of my group just happens to be searching for traces of the four Ruinous Pokémon."
As she spoke, Raifort stood up and took a folded map from the bookshelf, spreading it open on the floor.
"This map was made by me based on ancient legends. I pieced it together from various records in old texts. It's currently recognized by the academic community of Paldea as the most scientific ancient map."
Axel glanced at the map. Based on some of the knowledge he had learned that morning, the markings on this map were indeed quite perfect. Every location matched what had been explained in history class.
"But... what does this have to do with the Chi-Yu?"
"Of course it's related," Raifort took out a book titled The History of Paldea's Disasters and casually flipped to a page, placing it in front of Axel.
"Look, page 33 clearly states that in order to prevent the four Ruinous Pokémon from continuing their rampage, they were each sealed by a Pokémon tamer in distant locations that also had sealing properties."
Raifort flipped another page, "Now look at this page. The Chi-Yu was sealed by that Pokémon tamer in a place called Firescourge City."
Axel's eyes gradually lit up.
"So that means if we compare Firescourge City on the ancient map with the current map, we can find the location of the shrine where the Chi-Yu is sealed?"
"If only it were that simple," Raifort laughed awkwardly, clearly a bit helpless.
"Finding the general location is easy. As early as a few years ago, I already knew that Firescourge City corresponds to what is now the North Province Area Two. I just don't know the exact location..."
"And those pillars you mentioned earlier, someone has indeed discovered them before. But those pillars seem extremely sturdy. Even Gym Leader–level strength can't destroy them."
"As for Elite Four level... my rank simply can't apply for someone of that level to take action. So I'm actually very happy that you came."
"Interested in giving it a try? I just happen to have no classes this afternoon."
"Of course!", Axel agreed immediately. How could he possibly refuse something like this?
"Then thank you," Seeing Axel agree, Raifort also showed a relieved expression.
All she needed was a research result. As for who the Ruinous Pokémon would belong to, she had never even thought about it.
Raifort didn't believe that people like them, who couldn't even pull out the pillars, had the qualifications to control a Ruinous Pokémon.
As long as someone could subdue the Ruinous Pokémon and prove that their research results were correct, that was enough.
———
[North Province Area Two, near Fury Falls]
After finishing the discussion with Raifort, Axel didn't waste any time. He immediately rode Glastrier to Fury Falls.
The waterfall here surged violently, majestic and imposing. Dense bamboo forests surrounded it, and the scenery was beautiful, giving people a fresh and natural feeling.
On some of the slightly higher rock cliffs, Axel could even see several Scyther using the twin blades on their arms to slash at the waterfall, training their destructive power.
Seeing that these Pokémon didn't react at all after noticing Axel, Glastrier immediately frowned.
"Seeing my divine lord and not bowing? Your stamina is already lost!"
As soon as he spoke, violent snow and ice fell from the sky. A fierce cold spread outward from him, sweeping everywhere.
In the next moment, the river beneath Fury Falls instantly froze. Even the thousand-meter-high waterfall began making cracking sounds as it froze from the bottom upward.
Raifort looked in horror at Glastrier, and then at Axel behind her who was riding with her. Her eyes suddenly widened.
She had originally thought Axel was a righteous, great, and noble hero. That was why she had easily revealed the secret of the Chi-Yu.
She never expected Axel to be such a tyrannical person.
Just because the nearby Pokémon hadn't greeted him, he let his Pokémon do something that destructive to the environment?
Raifort felt she needed to reconsider whether Axel truly deserved to obtain the Chi-Yu.
In the records, although the Chi-Yu didn't appear extremely powerful, it possessed the power of calamity.
That kind of power was no less than the divine authority held by certain godlike Pokémon.
"Mr. Axel...", Raifort frowned as she spoke, but Axel didn't have time to respond to her.
He curled his mouth and smacked Glastrier on the forehead.
"You idiot... behave yourself. Showing off a little normally is fine, but now you've even learned that White Dragon style of sucking up, haven't you?"
"When you're showing off, you're not allowed to damage the environment. Otherwise I won't let you show off anymore!"
After being punished by Axel, Glastrier immediately shrank his neck and withdrew the spreading cold air, blinking blankly as if nothing had happened.
Just as Axel was waiting for him to explain himself, a series of hoofsteps sounded.
Another identical Glastrier appeared from behind Axel, looking at him in "surprise."
["Master, why did you stop? I was busy training just now, so I let a clone bring you here first. Did the clone misbehave?"]
Axel: "..."
When the hell did Glastrier learn this from the Black Dragon too?
He knew it. He should never have gone to that damn Unova region in the first place.
Raifort: "..."
As a historian, she really wanted to say something.
Could you trainers please stop raising Pokémon into such strange creatures?
Just a moment ago she had even thought that she would rather die here than let Axel, this "great villain," obtain the Chi-Yu.
Never in her dreams did she expect that this giant ice horse simply had a severe case of chuunibyou.
After giving Glastrier a brief lecture, Axel turned back to Raifort.
"Teacher Raifort, did you just have something you wanted to say?"
Raifort blinked, pointed toward a very hidden cave high up on a distant mountain peak, and said seriously, "I suddenly remembered that there's a pillar on that mountain peak. Shall we go take a look?"
"Alright, Teacher Raifort!"
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