Solaceon Ruins!

What could possibly make a future member of the Sinnoh Elite Four call a Hoenn trainer for help?

Johan was skeptical.

But considering how desperate Flint sounded over the phone, it probably wasn't a joke.

After some thought, Johan decided to make the trip—just in case there was real danger.

Getting from Hoenn to Sinnoh wasn't easy, though.

So, he made a quick call to Steven.

Not long after—

A Devon Corporation private jet landed in his backyard.

Steven, being deep in his rock-digging business, couldn't come himself.

So, Johan had to go alone.

Once aboard the plane, he dialed Cynthia's number.

"Mm… Flint?"

Cynthia paused, as if recalling something.

After a moment, she said, "Oh, right. I think I got a weird call earlier. But once I heard Flint's voice, I assumed he wanted another battle, so I just hung up."

"…Where exactly is he?" Johan asked.

"Send me his location," Cynthia replied.

Johan forwarded the coordinates Flint had sent him.

"Solaceon Town? Solaceon Ruins?"

Cynthia immediately recognized it.

The ruins were located within Solaceon Town.

Solaceon Ruins was an ancient site where people once worshiped Dialga and Palkia.

Sinnoh had many such ruins, dedicated to legendary Pokémon.

Johan also recalled something.

"Wasn't Solaceon Ruins the first site in Sinnoh where Unown were discovered?"

"That's right," Cynthia confirmed.

Now that the conversation had shifted to ruins, Cynthia's interest was piqued.

Thus, the two agreed to meet in Solaceon Town.

At first, Johan thought that with Cynthia on the case, Flint would be fine.

But if Flint was trapped by Unown, he might be stuck in an illusion, making it harder to extract him.

So, Johan decided—

Better safe than sorry.

Next, he called Palmer.

"Johan? Didn't expect a call from you," Palmer said, surprised.

"Did Flint call you?"

"Flint? Who's that? Never heard of him." Palmer's voice was utterly indifferent.

Johan: "…Poor Flint."

"Ahem. Can you check the historical records on Solaceon Ruins?" Johan asked.

"Is this urgent?"

"A little."

"Got it. I'll look into it."

He also tried calling Aaron.

No service.

Probably in some remote mountain, catching Bug-types.

As for Volkner?

"I don't usually pick up calls from unknown numbers."

Johan: "…"

No wonder Flint ended up calling him last.

It probably took him hours to get through.

Honestly, it was Flint's own fault.

If he weren't so… Flint, maybe people would've taken him seriously.

In fact, even Johan had nearly hung up on him.

Most people wouldn't believe Flint was in real danger.

But if they had known for sure, they probably would have come to help.

"Tsk."

Johan took a sip of his freshly brewed coffee, reclining in the luxury massage chair of the private jet.

"Poor guy."

—

The internal structure of Solaceon Ruins resembled a pyramid, built from massive, precisely cut stone blocks.

Its maze-like passages made it easy to get lost.

The ruins were also riddled with traps—falling boulders, hidden stone doors, spike pits…

Plus, wild Pokémon had made it their home.

It was not a safe place.

Deep inside the ruins—

A very exhausted Flint was running in place with his Infernape.

Or rather—stuck running endlessly.

Surrounding them were swarms of Unown, floating eerily in the air.

A strange energy field radiated from them, trapping Flint and his Pokémon in an illusory loop.

From Flint's perspective—

He was trapped in a never-ending labyrinth of staircases.

No matter which direction he ran—he couldn't escape.

And every time he stopped, a random Pokémon appeared—

Electivire.

Garchomp.

Even Gengar.

And every attack felt real.

Flint and Infernape had been stuck in this torturous loop for three days and nights.

No escape. No sleep.

"Johan… hurry up…"

After countless failed calls, he finally got one person to answer.

Johan.

Flint teared up.

"In my time of need, he actually answered…!"

He clenched his fists in determination.

"From this day forward—my treasures are Johan's treasures!

My wallet is Johan's wallet!

My moves are Johan's moves!

My wife is—"

Wait, no.

"Johan's sister-in-law!"

—

Private jets were much faster than commercial flights.

By 2 PM, Johan arrived in Solaceon Town.

As soon as he stepped off the plane, he spotted Cynthia waiting for him.

Solaceon Town was small and peaceful, with a slow-paced lifestyle.

The town thrived on ranching, with herds of Miltank and Tauros grazing in the fields.

Besides moo-moo milk, Solaceon was also famous for its Pokémon daycare center—one of the most reputable in all of Sinnoh.

To the south stood Lost Tower, Sinnoh's version of Mt. Pyre or Celestial Tower—a Pokémon burial site.

"Flint is really trapped in the ruins?"

Cynthia still found it hard to believe.

Flint had challenged her countless times and never won, but she acknowledged his strength.

At the very least—he was stronger than the average Gym Leader.

Johan shrugged.

"He says so. And the GPS points here."

Cynthia sighed. "Then let's be careful."

If the ruins could trap Flint, they could trap them too.

Better to be cautious.

They followed the forest path leading to the ruins.

Soon—

They arrived at the entrance of Solaceon Ruins.

"This is it?"

The entrance was a long flight of stone steps, flanked by statues of Dialga and Palkia.

At the base of the statues—ancient inscriptions were carved into stone.

Johan recalled—

"All life meets others, and from there, new life is born?"

That was one of Cynthia's favorite quotes.

Cynthia smiled slightly.

"This phrase comes from Sinnoh's ancient legends. You'll find it in many ruins across the region."

She gazed up at the ruins.

"This is my first time here, too. My grandmother studied it before. What you see now is actually a reconstructed version."

"That explains how Palmer found the architectural blueprints so easily."

Johan pulled up his phone.

"Rotom, 3D projection."

"Understood, Roto!"

Rotom scanned the blueprints Palmer had sent.

Moments later—

A holographic map of Solaceon Ruins appeared before them.

Two red dots marked their current location.

"Some sections are missing from the records, so the full map isn't available, Roto!"

Rotom reported.

"This is incredible," Cynthia marveled. "A real-time 3D map… I need a Rotom now."

"Rotom is also great at housework," Johan added.

"R-Roto?!"

They entered the ruins.

The hologram moved with them.

Just in case, Cynthia released Lucario.

Johan didn't release any Pokémon—

Because Gengar was always in his shadow.

If anything happened, Gengar would act immediately.

"Lu-ka!"

Lucario nodded at Johan in greeting.

The deeper they went, the darker it became.

"Rotom, light."

"Got it, Roto!"

Buzz!

Electric arcs flickered as Rotom illuminated the passage.

Suddenly—

A horde of Golbat and Zubat swarmed toward them.

Lucario tensed, preparing to attack—

But then—

"Ka-kaah! Ka-kaah!"

LET ME HANDLE THIS!

Gengar emerged, grinning wickedly.

It loved dealing with these pests.

With a flick of its hands—dark lightning crackled.

BOOM!

Golbat and Zubat dropped like flies.

Cynthia frowned.

"The wild Pokémon here are far more aggressive than usual…"

After fighting off several more waves of hostile Pokémon, they finally—

Reached the ruins' depths.

And there—

They saw—

Flint.

Still running in circles.

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Powerstones?

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