Chapter 177: Regirock
Four hours after Rio caught Relicanth, he and the Red Gyarados found it in the ocean—a long, underground corridor stretching like a hallway beneath the sea. Rio and Charizard walked for a full half hour before reaching the end, where a stone wall was inscribed with Braille. To Rio, the Braille read like ancient script—just as Mr. Fuji had taught him, many ancient ruins used Braille for their inscriptions.
"Here, Dig."
Rio traced the Braille on the wall and read the meaning. Then he looked down at the ground beneath his feet.
"Charizard—Dig."
"Roaar~" Charizard obeyed, clawing at the ground. After about seven or eight strikes, it seemed to trigger a mechanism. The entire cavern began to shake, and the stone wall slowly slid apart, revealing a new passage.
Rio and Charizard pressed forward, arriving at another chamber. Inside stood ten stone tablets engraved with Braille, though several were damaged. The damaged ones matched the photos Rio had seen in President Devon’s letter.
Rio bypassed the first nine tablets and went straight to the last one—which read: Relicanth to begin, Wailord to end. Wailord at the head, Relicanth at the tail. The tablet had two small holes, just big enough to hold Poké Balls.
Rio took out Relicanth’s and Wailord’s Poké Balls and placed them in the holes—Relicanth first, then Wailord. The moment they were in, the entire chamber rumbled, as if a mechanism had been triggered. The shaking lasted nearly a minute before stopping.
Rio retrieved the two Poké Balls and prepared to swap their positions. As he was about to place them again, a thought struck him: Should I put Charizard’s Poké Ball in too?
He quickly shook the idea away—better not push my luck. I have the right method; no need to get creative and regret it.
He then placed them in the reverse order: Wailord first, then Relicanth. The chamber rumbled once more.
At the same time, a remote island on Route 104 near Petalburg City began to shake violently. In the desert on Route 111 near Mauville City, a sand-filled cavern trembled. And on Route 120 near Fortree City, an ancient tomb’s gate swung open.
"Did it work?" Rio looked around the now-silent chamber, slightly uncertain. "I followed every step—if it didn’t work, this place is a fraud."
He pocketed the two Poké Balls. "Route 111 is closest—I’ll start there."
He checked his map and made his decision. By the time he reached the Route 111 desert, dusk was falling. Amid the swirling sand, Rio put on a mask and goggles, then had Charizard carry him into the desert.
The desert was vast. Rio searched for over three hours before, in the darkness, Charizard’s flame illuminated an unusual tower.
"This must be it," Rio muttered, patting Charizard’s back. Charizard descended—and the moment they landed, two Level 35 Sandslash burst out and attacked. Charizard reacted quickly, taking them both down with Dragon Claw before they could reach Rio.
Watching the fallen Sandslash, Rio nodded. Looks like I’m in the right place.
He circled the tower and found an open stone door. He and Charizard entered, descending layer after layer of stairs for about ten minutes, until they reached an ancient ruin. Inside was empty—only a stone wall inscribed with Braille.
Rio touched it and read: Right, right, left, left, down, down. Here, use Strength, then use Rock Smash.
He rolled his eyes. The ancient people who designed this must have thought they were hilarious—right-right-left-left-down-down is basically just the original spot.
"Annihilape—give this a firm push. And no punching yourself first." Rio released Annihilape. Though it didn’t know Strength, it was far stronger.
"Annih~" Annihilape gave a gentle push. The stone wall pressed inward, and the chamber shook, revealing a massive boulder.
"Annihilape—can you break it without hurting yourself?"
"Annih~" Annihilape shook its head—it would need to punch itself to get angry enough.
"Alright—go ahead." Rio sighed and released the Red Gyarados instead.
The Red Gyarados watched eagerly as Annihilape punched itself, then charged at the boulder. With a thunderous crash, the rock shattered, revealing a new chamber.
"ROAR!!!" The Red Gyarados excitedly flew toward Annihilape, offering its tail.
Annihilape reached out—but before it could grab it, Rio’s voice cut through: "Hold on—not yet. There’s about to be a fight."
Annihilape lowered its tail. The Red Gyarados’s excitement turned to fury.
"ROAR!!!" — Who dares ruin my fun?!
Rio’s gaze fixed on the new chamber. Sitting inside was a Pokémon made entirely of gray and orange rock. It was stirring, its head marked with seven orange dots that were beginning to glow.
"Charr~" The Pokémon rose to its feet, its rocky arms swinging as it lumbered toward Rio’s chamber.
"Regirock—don’t blame me for ganging up on you. Blame your other two siblings for not sleeping in the same place."
Rio excitedly released all his Pokémon from his bag. With flashes of light, Articuno, Munchlax, Greninja, and Eevee appeared.
"Everyone—together, let’s—"
Before he could finish, the Red Gyarados charged ahead.
"ROAR!!!" — I’ll crush you for ruining my moment!