In the Oreburgh Mines.
The Aerodactyl flew restlessly through the not-so-spacious cavern, but it showed no intention of leaving the mine.
In ancient times, this had been its domain. As the ruler of its territory, it was unwilling to leave the mine.
That was precisely the tricky part.
If a large-scale battle occurred, it could cause irreparable damage to the Oreburgh Mine. A collapse would disrupt the mine's operations and have significant consequences for the entire Oreburgh City.
Yet the Aerodactyl couldn't simply be left unchecked. Its presence was halting all work in the mine, and it made further exploration into the cavern containing the stone tablets impossible.
Cynthia could easily subdue the Aerodactyl if needed.
The real issue, however, was what came afterward.
"Let's freeze it for now," Johan suggested.
Cynthia's golden eyes lit up as she nodded. "Good idea."
"Ninetales."
Johan tossed out a Pokéball, and his snow-white Alolan Ninetales appeared before him, summoning an icy flurry as its mane flowed elegantly.
"Glaceon."
Cynthia followed suit, releasing her own Glaceon, its light-blue fur shimmering like frosted glass.
"Glaceon, the Fresh Snow Pokémon. An Ice-type evolution of Eevee, Rotom!"
"Glay~~!"
Glaceon greeted Ninetales warmly, its tone brimming with familiarity.
Ninetales blinked in recognition and then smiled gently.
"Glay~ (////▽////)q"
Seeing this, Glaceon's cheeks flushed a faint pink.
The two Pokémon together were a harmonious sight, like elegant sprites dancing in a wintry wonderland.
"So, it evolved," Johan said with a small smile.
Cynthia nodded. "Yes, I finally decided to evolve it into Glaceon. Your Ninetales influenced that choice."
As the snowstorm thickened, Glaceon's figure seemed to merge into the swirling frost, becoming nearly indistinguishable from the wintry landscape.
Its Snow Cloak ability was a perfect match for Ninetales.
However, unlike the serene reunion between Ninetales and Glaceon, the Aerodactyl grew increasingly agitated at the onset of the storm.
Its crimson eyes blazed with fury as it let out a deafening roar.
"Garrrr—!!"
"Oowoo!"
Ninetales immediately adopted a serious expression.
This Aerodactyl was strong—too strong to be underestimated.
One after another, layers of Aurora Veil shimmered into existence, and a thin layer of frost climbed up Ninetales' fur, amplifying its defensive stance.
"Glay!"
Meanwhile, Glaceon seemed irritated.
It had only just reunited with Ninetales, and now this prehistoric brute was ruining the moment.
"Ninetales, Blizzard!"
"Glaceon, you too—Blizzard!"
Double Blizzard!
In an instant, the cavern was engulfed in a raging snowstorm.
The temperature plummeted sharply as biting winds and icy flurries swept over Aerodactyl.
The Aerodactyl tried to escape, but it found itself trapped. Wherever it flew, it was blocked by shimmering barriers.
No matter how it struggled, every path led to a dead end.
Even if it managed to break free of the Aurora Veil, the cavern walls were now coated with thick frost, making them nearly impossible to break through.
The Aerodactyl, battered by the relentless blizzard, finally slowed its movements.
Moments later, it froze solid, crashing to the ground with a loud thud as an icy sculpture.
The workers, who had been observing cautiously from a distance, gasped in awe.
This Aerodactyl had been a fearsome menace. Even Roark, the Oreburgh Gym Leader, had struggled to contain it.
And now? It had been subdued so easily, with almost no resistance.
"Ninetales, use Hypnosis," Johan instructed calmly.
As the Aerodactyl's frozen form trembled slightly, Ninetales locked eyes with it, casting a soothing Hypnosis that lulled it into a deep slumber.
The frost encasing its body slowly melted away, leaving the Aerodactyl asleep but unharmed.
Johan turned to Roark and said, "That should do it. But it'll need time to adapt."
Roark nodded. "Leave it to us. Oreburgh City has an artificial habitat tailored for ancient Pokémon."
Oreburgh was home to many revived ancient Pokémon, including Shieldon, Cranidos, Omanyte, and Kabuto.
Johan trusted that the city's facilities could help the Aerodactyl adjust to its new environment.
"Odd, though," Johan mused. "Our Gengar's technically ancient too, but it didn't need much time to adapt."
Of course, his Gengar was now a smartphone gaming enthusiast…
With the Aerodactyl subdued, the Oreburgh Mine resumed operations.
Machines roared to life, transporting coal to the city to power Oreburgh and nearby towns.
Meanwhile, archaeologists resumed their work in the cavern where the stone tablets had been unearthed.
This wasn't Johan's area of expertise, so he left the professionals to it.
Instead, he took his Pokémon outside for a bit of exercise.
Cynthia's Pokémon also joined in, and the two groups mingled comfortably.
Ninetales and Glaceon groomed each other's fur, their interactions as warm as the icy aura they shared.
Tinkaton and Lucario sparred playfully, testing their moves against one another.
Dragonite and Milotic stood face to face, tilting their heads in mutual curiosity, before both simultaneously let out confused hums.
Meanwhile, Kubfu and Charcadet circled around Gastrodon, debating whether it could serve as a suitable "mount."
Of course, not all interactions were so harmonious.
At one moment, Gengar and Garchomp—who had just been laughing together—were suddenly arguing over whether Meowth or Pichu was cuter.
"Plastic 'sisters,'" Johan muttered with a chuckle before correcting himself.
"Wait, Gengar's male…"
Nearby, Spiritomb rested quietly at Johan's side, looking uncharacteristically docile.
"See? You're the best-behaved one," Johan praised, patting Spiritomb gently.
"Psshht~ (////▽////)q"
The once-terrifying amalgamation of 108 souls now looked like a shy little puppy.
Johan smiled. The contrast made Spiritomb all the more endearing.
As evening approached, rain drizzled lightly, and the setting sun cast a dreamy glow over the city.
Cynthia approached Johan, her weariness visible but her posture still graceful.
"Let's go," she said.
"To where?"
"Back to Celestic Town," Cynthia explained. "I've finished copying the inscriptions on the tablets. Some of the necessary reference materials are in my grandmother's research library."
Johan nodded in understanding.
Celestic Town, huh?
Good. That probably meant he could use Cynthia's private training grounds…
But then a thought struck him.
"We're not flying, are we?" he asked nervously.
Cynthia chuckled, her tired eyes softening as she smiled at him. Under the twilight, she looked even more beautiful.
"I called for a plane," she replied.
"Planes are good. Planes are great," Johan said quickly, relieved.
High in the sky, Johan reviewed the stone tablet replicas Cynthia had brought on the plane.
As he studied them, he absentmindedly patted Ninetales, who was curled up beside him.
"Don't look at me like that," he muttered when he caught Cynthia watching him. "I really don't know much about archaeology."
Ignoring his protest, Cynthia picked up three of the clearer tablet copies and laid them out.
"These three should correspond to Regirock, Regice, and Registeel," she explained.
She went on to recount her own encounters with the Legendary Titans and referenced the time Johan had faced Brandon's Regis at the Battle Frontier.
That familiarity was why she had asked for his help.
"But these…"
She pointed to fragments of other tablets, their markings partially destroyed.
Even so, Johan could see that the patterns were similar to those of the Regis.
He carefully arranged the fragments, piecing them together into two new formations.
Each design featured seven dots in unique arrangements.
"This is…" Cynthia's eyes widened in surprise.
"Regieleki and Regidrago," Johan murmured.
"Who?"
Johan explained.
Regieleki, the Electric Titan.
Regidrago, the Dragon Titan.
Both were creations of Regigigas, like the original trio of titans, but far less commonly seen.
He also mentioned that Regidrago was incomplete, with only its head finished due to a shortage of materials.
As an addition from the eighth generation of Pokémon lore, Johan hadn't expected to find evidence of these two in Sinnoh.
As she listened to his explanation, Cynthia smiled faintly.
"Looks like I was right to ask for your help after all."
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Powerstones?
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