The Legendary Giant—Regigigas! (BONUS)

"Mr. Byron."

Riley returned from scouting ahead and greeted Byron with a smile.

"Oh, Riley!"

Byron let out a hearty laugh.

The two were quite familiar with each other.

In fact, Byron had once invited Riley to become the Gym Leader of Oreburgh City instead of his son, Roark, who is now both the Oreburgh Gym Leader and the leader of the Ancient Pokémon Exploration Team.

However, Riley had declined, and with Roark taking up the mantle, Byron quietly relocated to Canalave City to serve as its Gym Leader.

Because of this, there was still an unresolved rift between father and son.

"The path is clear. We can head in," Riley announced.

"You're going into the Iron Ruins?"

Byron, now aware of Johan's group's intentions, grinned confidently.

"Don't worry! I dug that tunnel myself—it's perfectly safe!"

…Why did that sound so ominous?

Byron didn't accompany them.

Upon learning about what had happened in Canalave City, he decided to return there, feeling guilty about missing the incident.

With Riley leading the way, Johan and the others ventured through the dimly lit, lengthy tunnel and into the Iron Ruins.

For Johan, this was his first time inside an ancient ruin.

Naturally, he was curious.

Upon entering, Cynthia and Looker immediately began analyzing the stone tablets, carvings, and architecture—comparing them with the information they had gathered.

"According to legend…"

Cynthia studied a broken stone tablet, cross-referencing it with her notes as she softly recounted:

"A massive meteor struck the earth, bringing catastrophe to the entire continent. The impact was so great that it even affected the land's tectonic plates…"

Her eyes gleamed with excitement—

Like a scholar finally piecing together a complex puzzle…

Or a detective uncovering the truth before the climax of a mystery novel.

"In the midst of disaster, a colossal ancient giant emerged from the earth. Using the land's ice, rock, and steel—pure elemental energies—it created new ancient giants."

"With their help, the giant deity divided the continent, shaping the four regions we know today."

Looker adjusted his glasses.

"This aligns almost perfectly with Johan's previous research and theories."

Johan, meanwhile, was holding back Tinkaton to keep her from smashing things and causing a cave-in.

He added, "Or maybe the giant just punched the continent a little too hard and broke it apart."

And honestly—

Regigigas creating the Regi trio was like a kid making action figures.

It even left at least three in every region.

Looker froze.

He pushed his glasses up again, as if trying to compose himself.

Were they really tracing the footsteps of such a terrifying giant?

Would they even survive if they found it?

Cynthia continued reading:

"…A fragment of the meteor remained in Veilstone City?"

"I know about the Veilstone meteorites!" Drake raised his hand excitedly.

Finally, something he could contribute!

His hometown was Sunyshore City, and Veilstone City wasn't far from there.

Back when he was traveling, he had visited Veilstone and seen the meteorites firsthand.

"What do they look like?" Looker asked.

Drake paused, scratching his head.

"Well… they look like… rocks."

Everyone sighed.

Johan spoke up,

"The meteorites aren't directly connected to the ancient giants. They were just the catalyst for the disaster."

Meteorites were a recurring theme in the Pokémon world.

The meteor in Hoenn led to Mega Evolution.

The one in Sinnoh shattered the land.

The meteor in Unova brought the Tao Trio.

And the one in Galar brought Eternatus and Dynamax energy.

But Sinnoh's meteor seemed to be the largest.

Not only did it fracture the land and cause massive tectonic shifts—

It also prompted Regigigas to move the continents.

The geological shifts even led to the extinction of the Terapagos species, leaving only one survivor, which later formed Zero Lab and the Terastal phenomenon.

Basically—

Almost every major event in Pokémon history could be traced back to a rock falling from the sky.

As for the four meteorites in Veilstone City, their primary function now was…

Attracting Deoxys and letting it change forms.

"Johan, you study meteorites too?" Looker asked in surprise.

Johan waved it off. "I just know a little."

"A little…"

Looker was beginning to understand—

The highest level of mastery was "knowing a little."

He had to admit—Cynthia was brilliant for bringing Johan along.

It saved them so much unnecessary effort.

For instance, now they probably didn't need to bother going to Veilstone at all.

Cynthia glanced at Johan before continuing her translation:

"…When the land finally settled, the ancient giant fell into slumber. The place where it rests is—Snowpoint City."

"Snowpoint Temple!" Looker blurted out.

Cynthia frowned slightly.

They had long known about the legends surrounding Snowpoint Temple.

However, those legends contradicted the historical evidence they had uncovered.

According to Snowpoint Temple's myths—

A massive volcanic eruption once shook Snowpoint City.

Regigigas awakened from the ice, leading the Regi trio to quell the volcano.

Afterward, it returned to sleep, and the people built Snowpoint Temple in gratitude.

"…It still fits," Johan mused after a moment of thought.

"The legend in Snowpoint Temple might just be the last time Regigigas woke up—one of multiple awakenings."

"True…"

Cynthia's brows relaxed.

She murmured, "So… that means Regigigas might actually wake up again."

Johan's eyebrow twitched.

…What was that supposed to mean?

Was the Sinnoh League planning to wake it up?!

Why?!

Regigigas had always played the role of a "protector" in the myths…

But whether it was truly benevolent was another question entirely.

And forcibly interrupting its sleep?

That sounded like a terrible idea.

Snowpoint City—

Maybe even all of Sinnoh—could be in danger.

Sensing Johan's concern, Cynthia explained,

"It's because Snowpoint's dormant volcano has shown signs of activity. We need to be prepared."

…That made sense.

So that was why the Sinnoh League had tasked Professor Carolina with researching the ancient giants.

They feared that if the volcano erupted again, Regigigas would wake up.

Or rather—

The Sinnoh League needed to confirm whether Regigigas was actually inside Snowpoint Temple.

And based on Cynthia's research—

From historical records in Iron Island and ancient texts in Oreburgh Mine—

Regigigas was almost certainly sleeping beneath Snowpoint Temple.

"So in the end… we still have to go to Snowpoint City," Cynthia concluded, looking at Johan.

Her grandmother, Professor Carolina, was already there.

The two had split up—

Professor Carolina was directly investigating Snowpoint Temple,

While Cynthia was tracing history to confirm Regigigas' exact location.

But in the end—

Everything pointed to Snowpoint City.

Johan groaned.

No matter what, they were still heading there, huh?

Well…

As long as Hunter J didn't get involved, Regigigas probably wouldn't wake up.

It was just some magma activity.

The volcano probably wouldn't actually erupt.

"…Fine, fine," Johan sighed.

He pressed a hand over his heart.

Feeling the warmth of the Rainbow Feather,

He silently prayed—

Ho-Oh, protect us.

—

Sinnoh Region, Snowpoint City.

A thick blanket of snow covered the entire city.

With its northernmost location and the cold winds from Mt. Coronet,

Snowpoint City was now at its coldest time of year.

Night fell.

Snow piled up along the roadsides, cleared by city workers.

The warm glow of streetlamps and houses added a faint coziness to the freezing town.

"Johan, aren't you cold?"

Lucian shivered, rubbing his arms as he huddled closer to Drake and his Flint.

Johan looked at the two, arms wrapped tightly around themselves, and smirked.

"…Weaklings."

Drake was furious—

But he couldn't even step a meter away from Flint's flames.

Cynthia giggled behind her hand.

Johan simply said,

"This is nothing."

—

Just as they checked into their hotel—

Johan's phone rang.

"Matori?"

"We've arrived in Sinnoh! Where are you?"

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Powerstones?