Chapter 250: Steven’s Fury
A bare-chested man in a black trench coat stepped forward. "The situation is urgent," said Steven, the Hoenn Champion, turning to face the Hoenn Elite Four behind him. "Our only option is to awaken the legendary giant Pokémon slumbering in the ruins as quickly as possible."
Steven’s gaze settled on a beautiful young woman with bronzed skin. "Phoebe—head to Slateport City immediately and get the full picture from the blind boy1."
"Understood—I’ll head to Slateport right away," Phoebe, the Hoenn Ghost-type Elite Four, nodded seriously.
Steven’s gaze shifted to a man with a scruffy, biker-gang appearance. "Sidney—go to the desert ruins on Route 111 and wait. Once I’ve unlocked the Sealed Chamber’s secret, the ruins’ gates will open, and you’ll awaken the legendary stone giant inside."
"Leave it to me—I’ll get it done," Sidney, the Hoenn Dark-type Elite Four, replied with a solemn nod.
Steven’s eyes moved to an elegant, refined woman. "Glacia—head to the island cave on Route 105. Once I’ve unlocked the secret, that door will also open, and the ice giant will be awakened."
"Don’t worry—I’ll give you the result you’re looking for," Glacia, the Hoenn Ice-type Elite Four, said earnestly.
Finally, Steven looked at the bare-chested man in the black trench coat. "Drake—you’ll take the ancient tomb on Route 120. The steel giant inside is yours to awaken."
"Rest assured—I’ll bring Registeel to the battlefield where those two legendary Pokémon clash and stop them," Drake, the Hoenn Dragon-type Elite Four, nodded in agreement.
With all four Elite Four members assigned their tasks, Steven nodded in satisfaction. He pulled a Poké Ball from his pocket. "Then I’ll head to the Sealed Chamber to decipher the secrets now."
He pressed the button on the Poké Ball. With a flash of light, a white Metagross appeared. Steven climbed onto its back. "Everyone—the future of Hoenn rests in our hands. I hope none of you hold back."
With that, Steven commanded Metagross to take off. The remaining Elite Four exchanged glances, then released their own Pokémon and dispersed.
About an hour later, Steven arrived at the Sealed Chamber on Route 134. The moment he entered, his usually sharp observational skills picked up something unusual.
"There’s an extra set of footprints here. And what’s this—it looks like Pokémon tracks." Steven frowned at the footprints on the ground.
"Could someone else have come here to unlock the chamber too?"
"No—it must have been an accidental discovery. This place can only be found by someone who’s deciphered the stone tablets."
Within seconds, Steven’s frown relaxed. He looked down at the letter he’d recently received from a girl named Sapphire. "Even if someone did stumble upon this place, without this letter, they couldn’t have solved the Sealed Chamber’s riddle—Wailord and Relicanth are essential."
At that thought, his tension eased, replaced by excitement. He strode quickly into the chamber with Metagross.
Half an hour later, he reached the end and found a stone wall. Having been here once before, Steven didn’t bother reading the Braille—he simply commanded Metagross to dig beneath the wall. Moments later, as a hidden switch was triggered deep underground, the cavern shook. The stone wall slid apart, revealing a new passage.
"Let’s go, Metagross."
Without hesitation, Steven charged in with Metagross. Soon, he came upon ten stone tablets engraved with Braille. He was thrilled.
Last time, his failure to read the tablets had forced him to turn back. This time, after extensive study, he was finally here to awaken the three legendary giants.
"Relicanth to begin, Wailord to end."
Steven took out two Poké Balls and placed them in the order the letter had deciphered. The cavern rumbled for a full minute before falling silent. He removed them and swapped their positions. The cavern rumbled again a few seconds later.
Steven was excited by the sight. His intuition told him that the three Elite Four members stationed at the ruins were feeling the same thrill.
"They should be seeing the ruin gates open about now," Steven murmured, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
"Route 105 is close to here—I’ll go help Glacia."
A hundred miles away, Sidney—the Hoenn Dark-type Elite Four—had just arrived at the desert ruins on Route 111. He stared in shock at the devastation inside—clear signs of a battle.
At the ancient tomb on Route 120, Drake, the Dragon-type Elite Four, looked in disbelief at the ruins left exposed by an explosion.
On the island cave at Route 105, Glacia, the Ice-type Elite Four, stood bewildered at the collapsed ruins.
All three had the same thought: Who did this? Who the hell did this? Which bastard got here before us and awakened the legendary giants?
An hour later, Steven arrived at Route 105. Looking at the collapsed ruins—caused by Regice’s Explosion—his excited expression froze. After Glacia told him that this was exactly how she’d found the place, his mind flashed back to the footprints he’d seen when entering the Sealed Chamber.
"Bastard!" Steven’s teeth ground together in fury.
At the same time, in Jubilife City, Sinnoh, Rio—who had just gotten off the plane—suddenly sneezed repeatedly.
"What’s going on? Is someone cursing me behind my back? I’m not even dressed lightly..."