Chapter 179: Art Is…
The battered Regirock had fully restored itself to the state it was in when it first awakened. Rio took the opportunity to grab a one-hour nap—he hadn’t rested at all for an entire day trying to catch the three Regis in time. During that time, the Red Gyarados finally got its promised hour of Annihilape’s special "massage" service.
"Articuno—you’ll be carrying me from now on." Rio released Articuno. Charizard had been flying all day and deserved a break. Articuno could take over the night shift.
A few minutes later, Rio left the desert ruins where Regirock had slept and flew toward the ancient tomb on Route 120 aboard Articuno.
By the time Articuno reached Route 120, dawn was breaking. The ancient tomb was a cluster of graves shrouded in thick fog. Rio had Articuno flap its wings, sending a powerful gust sweeping through the cemetery. The mist gradually cleared, revealing the tomb complex.
"Let’s go, let’s go!" Rio urged.
He and Articuno searched through the graves for about half an hour before spotting a noticeably larger tomb. Rio had Articuno descend—and there, they found an open tomb entrance. Inside was pitch black.
With a flash of light, Rio released Charizard. The flames illuminated the entrance, casting light down a set of descending stairs. Rio descended with Articuno and Charizard.
Like Regirock’s ruins, it took about ten minutes of walking before they reached a chamber. It too was empty—except for a stone wall inscribed with Braille. Rio approached the wall and read each line aloud:
"In the new age."
"Those with hope and love."
"At the center, toward the sky."
"Our will."
"Inheritor."
"At the center."
"Shine brightly."
Rio raised an eyebrow, processing the meaning. After about three minutes, he felt he understood: a Pokémon needed to fly to the center of the chamber and illuminate the entire stone wall with a bright light.
"Good thing I had Charizard learn Flash recently—otherwise, I’d have to go find it," Rio said with relief.
"Charizard—fly to the center of the chamber and use Flash."
"Roaar~" Charizard obeyed, flying to the middle of the cavern and unleashing a blinding light. When the light faded, the entire chamber began to shake. A gate within the ruins opened on its own.
Beyond the gate stood a Pokémon forged entirely from metal. Like Regirock, it had seven orange-red dots on its head—though they formed a hexagonal pattern.
"Jee... jee..." The Pokémon was just waking from its slumber, its body slowly stirring on its throne.
Rio’s vision displayed its stats:
[Pokémon: Registeel]
[Level: 80 (Leveling halted.)]
[Talent: Legendary]
[Friendship: ---]
[Ability 1: Clear Body]
[Ability 2: Light Metal]
[Gender: Genderless]
[Moves: Metal Claw (120%), Charge Beam (120%), Stomp (120%), Ancient Power (120%), Stomp (120%), Flash Cannon (120%), Iron Head (120%), Curse (120%), Amnesia (120%), Iron Defense (120%), Hammer Arm (120%), Explosion (120%), and more...]
[Description: It is one of the legendary giants. After enduring immense underground pressure for tens of thousands of years, its body has been forged into something harder than any metal. It has no emotions and acts purely on instinct.]
Rio looked at Registeel and released all his Pokémon from his bag. Same swarm tactic—but this time, Regirock joined the fray.
"Everyone—go!"
Rio waved his hand, letting them fight on their own instinct. Soon, Registeel was being overwhelmed from all sides, unable to fight back. Just as Rio thought victory was certain, something unexpected happened—
Registeel, on the verge of collapse, used Explosion.
"Jee... jee..." Its orange dots flickered as its body began to glow white.
Rio’s eyes went wide—his heart nearly stopped.
"What the hell—are you that desperate?!" He cursed, then shouted: "Regirock—protect me!"
He frantically recalled Greninja and Eevee—the most fragile of the group—into their Poké Balls. The Red Gyarados didn’t need to be recalled—it loved getting hit anyway. Annihilape didn’t need to be recalled either—being Ghost-type, Explosion wouldn’t affect it. It stood there calmly, arms crossed, as if to say, Bring it on—I’m not afraid.
Munchlax didn’t need to be recalled either—it was sitting right beside Rio, so terrified it had dropped its rice cracker, hugging Rio’s leg tightly under Regirock’s protection.
As for Charizard and Articuno, who were also terrified, there was no time to recall them. Fortunately, they were smart enough to fly toward Rio.
The moment Rio finished his mental calculations, a blinding light erupted before him, forcing him to shut his eyes. Then came a deafening explosion—so loud it rattled his skull. Even with his ears covered, his eardrums felt like they might burst.
He swore he had never heard a sound more unforgettable in his entire life.