The night quickly passed and the team once again prepared to further explore the temple.
For Dante and his Pokemon, aside from him trying to grasp Bitter Malice in the PMD world at midnight, they just did their usual run of the Beach Cave.
There was only a little problem when he woke up that morning. Unbeknownst to when, Shenhe, who was holding his hand when they slept, had somehow rolled over and squeezed beside him.
At that moment, Dante felt both relieved yet regretful at the sleeping bags that blocked direct contact between the two of them.
"Everyone, let's set off! Cynthia, please."
Alder turned to Cynthia, who nodded back in response.
"Garchomp, Swords Dance then Stone Edge."
Garchomp's body shone with a silvery light, before launching a sharp stone at the massive Rock Gate.
"Creakkk!"
The gate slowly opened without as much fanfare- as opposed to what happened with Shenhe's. This was because, after Garchomp saw the gate swing open, she precisely dispelled the Stone Edge she just launched.
Dante sighed in amazement at the sheer skill Garchomp had just shown. Being able to exhibit such fine control even after having its attack sharply boosted was not something anyone in their team can do right now.
Well, not that they trained much in that aspect. In their team, they mostly compete on who has the stronger firepower.
Thanks to Cynthia opening the gate without causing a commotion, they didn't attract the attention of every Pokemon in this floor like what happened previously.
Shortly after entering, everyone became glad of this decision.
The concentration of energy in this floor was much higher than the previous ones. Most of the Pokemon they encountered have reached 80-90% of their racial limit, with some even reaching 100%. Except for being less skilled, these were already on par with most of the Pokemon of the vanguard team.
Just an hour deep into their exploration of this floor, their group had already stumbled into the territory of a large group of Snorunt, Glalies, and Froslass. These Pokemon launched a snowstorm at the beginning of the battle, lowering the area's visibility and enhancing Ice-type attacks and defense.
"Alright. Who wants to go first?"
Dante looked at the struggling vanguard group, then asked his own Pokemon.
"Eeveeu!" (Me! I'll take this side!)
"Rio, riolu." (Brrr, let me handle the other side then. It's a bit chilly. I wanna move my muscles a bit.)
Seeing the two volunteer first, Ursaring lowered his raised paw in disappointment.
This was the most powerful group they've encountered since entering the temple. On the last floor, he only had the opportunity to attack once. And now, with Eevee and Riolu taking action, he'd probably have no chance to act even if he went forward.
Dante nodded to Eevee and Riolu, letting the two of them handle this on their own. With a woosh, Eevee and Riolu separated to the left and right side of the battlefield.
A Froslass had just sneaked past the frontline Pokemon with the cover of the snow and was planning to launch a sneak attack on the Trainers commanding from behind. However, while it was gathering a ball of ice in its hand, a brown, furry Pokemon appeared before it.
"Veee!" (Peek-a-boo!)
Before it could react, an Iron Tail slapped it over the head, knocking it back at its group, its eyes already a swirling spiral.
Eevee's Anticipation Ability and Sharpshooter allowed her to easily see through this Froslass even amidst the wind and snow.
Riolu, on the opposite side, did something similar relying on his aura sensing. He sent Vacuum Waves at every hostile Pokemon who entered his range.
On the side, Alder had his Chandelure on stand-by.
These group of Pokemon vastly outnumbered them. While he had faith that the vanguard team's more cohesive formation and strategy would eventually allow them to take these Pokemon down, it was inevitable for more than a few to slip past.
Dante was responsible for those Pokemon. However, although the white-haired kid had already proven his abilities in the earlier floors, with the more powerful and numerous Pokemon here, Alder wasn't sure he'd be able to handle it this time.
However, after a while, he found that he was worrying too much. Just like in the previous floor, Dante's Pokemon still easily took care of any Pokemon that slipped past with ease.
Alder studied the Eevee and Riolu rampaging on the battlefield with an odd gaze. He really wondered what the limits of Dante's Pokemon were.
He heard that the Psychic Gym Leader in Japan can cause her Abra to temporarily evolve to an Alakazam with her Psychic powers- reaching the level of an Elite. From what he observed, it seems Dante can boost his Pokemon almost to the same level.
Soon, all the Snorunt group were wiped out by their team. The team led by Cynthia replaced them, allowing their Pokemon to recover from the intense battle.
The Glalie and Froslass group were just one of the more troublesome Pokemon they encountered.
As they continued deeper into the temple, the amount of Pokemon they encountered became fewer, but were much more powerful.
Mamoswines, Golems, Probopass, etc.
Once, they even encountered a lone Absol that had fully reached its racial limit, which was caught by one of the vanguard team members. That guy couldn't stop smiling the whole way.
Hours passed. Everyone took a quick break from the constant battle before continuing onwards.
The Pokemon they encountered became fewer and fewer. And now, for the past 10 minutes, only the sound of their footsteps echoed on the cold stone bricks.
Dante felt a sense of palpitation as the air grew heavier. A glint of anticipation sparkled in his eyes. He was very familiar with this feeling.
It wasn't like the Pressure from Zapdos- that suffocating sensation that made it hard to move. No. It was more like the heavy sense of danger similar to when he first encountered the Regis.
It was still too faint to determine the strength of the Pokemon emitting it. However, he was certain that the Pokemon here must have at least reached the Legendary level.
He wasn't the only one to feel it. The more sensitive Pokemon in the team in charge of scouting also started to show signs of uneasiness, causing the surrounding Trainers to tense up.
"Something's wrong. Everyone, stay on your guard!"
Alder shouted with furrowed brows. Although he didn't know the exact cause like Dante, but from the absence of other beings here, he knew they'd likely entered the territory of a powerful Pokemon.
And in this temple with a suspected Legendary, that was enough to warrant the highest state of alert.
The three teams converged and cautiously proceeded together. Alder, Cynthia, and Shenhe led from the front.
If they really encountered a Legendary Pokemon, only the three of them had the strength to stop its attack.
They certainly hoped that no fighting would happen- that the Legendary was amenable to talking and cooperation. However, based on the fact that this Pokemon was sealed by other humans, they weren't betting on it.
Suddenly, the temple path began to widen. In front of the group, a massive gate appeared.
This was different from the previous two they encountered, with its size easily reaching over 5 meters. The material also seemed sturdier and more ancient.
"Who's betting that our target is behind this thing?" Alder said jokingly, though his eyes never left the gate.
"Dante, can you translate what it says? I have a hunch that the secrets regarding this temple would be answered here." Cynthia said, pointing to the words and pictures above the gate. What was written there was much MUCH denser than on the previous two doors.
"…well, you hunch is correct."
Dante answered after a moment of silence, tearing his gaze away from the writings on the wall. He looked at the expectant Cynthia and the others, his expression complicated.
"This room- it was built much earlier than everything else in this temple. And the one who built it is the Pokemon currently sealed inside."
"Huh? So…it sealed itself?" Cynthia asked.
"No. It was done by others." And with that, Dante began to tell the story written on the wall.
It was a simple story, really. It all began when a wandering human tribe, struggling for survival amidst the fierce snow, sought refuge under a powerful Pokemon. That Pokemon agreed to take them in as its subjects and the human group settled down.
They soon learned that the Pokemon they served was named Regigigas.
Regigigas treated them very generously. Not only did it proactively create three powerful guardians- Regice, Registeel, and Regirock- to protect and help them hunt for food, but it also taught them how to build a warm shelter and craft items for survival.
Inevitably, they started to thrive-
"Wait!" Cynthia stopped Dante. "You said Regice, Registeel, and Regirock were created by this Regigigas?"
"That's what the text says." Dante said with a shrug. In truth, he was also surprised when he read it the first time. Although he suspected as much, the earlier statues made him unable to verify 100% whether the Pokemon sealed in this temple was Regigigas. But with this, he finally got his confirmation.
"Regice, Regirock, Registeel, aren't those names of the three known Legendary Golems?"
"Creating Legendaries…just how powerful must Regigigas be?"
"There's no way that's real. These texts must be exaggerating."
The trainers began to murmur in disbelief. When they looked at the gate again, their eyes now held more fear and caution.
Dante coughed and continued to tell the story.
Regigigas was worshipped by those people as their deity. They built a shrine, set festivals in its name, and showered it with offerings.
Generations passed. As the tribe expanded and became more and more prosperous, they gradually forgot their awe and respect.
At some point, with no more threat from the outside, some among the humans considered Regigigas as the biggest threat.
Although Regigigas had slowly stopped interfering with their people's operation, it couldn't be denied that they were still considered its subjects.
Among the ambitious of the lot, thoughts of revolting began to arise.
They used the knowledge Regigigas taught them to forge a suppression device that would work on even said Pokemon. For this, they spent countless years scouring for large quantities of rare metals.
Then, while it was asleep, they commanded the three Regis whom they have temporary command over to hug Regigigas and Explode.
The explosion that followed shook the entire continent.
Weakened, battered, and confused, Regigigas was unable to resist as it watched the humans under its rule place shackles on its body.
But something ironic happened. After that group of people announced what they've done and their plan to establish a new kingdom, the general populace were outraged.
The high ranking officials who participated in the operation to seal Regigigas were executed and a new batch took their position.
They wanted to set Regigigas free. Unfortunately, without the help of the Regis, they were unable to open the room where the Pokemon was sealed.
They were also afraid. Afraid that, after freeing Regigigas, the powerful Pokemon would take its anger out on them and destroy their settlement.
So they compromised.
Policies were implemented that moved the closest settlement away from where Regigigas was sealed. They constructed a temple around where Regigigas was sealed, serving as both a sign of respect for their deity and as added insurance.
They carved the history of their people for the future generation to see. At the same time, using the knowledge Regigigas taught them, they forged gates that would serve as a test and warning for anyone in the future who wanted to set Regigigas free.
They hoped that, among the future generations, someone powerful would rise up and free their benefactor while ensuring it would not cause harm to the people.
Countless years passed and the leadership changed hands countless more times. However, Regigigas continued to remain sealed in here, still waiting for a powerful and heroic Trainer to unseal it.
"That's…awful." Ganyu murmured, looking at the gate with sadness.
"Being betrayed like that and sealed for countless years, I can only imagine its pent-up fury." Cynthia said, before glancing at Alder. "So what should we do? Do we open this gate? Or continue to let it be?"
Alder didn't immediately respond. As the Champion of the country where this ruins was located, he had the final decision with regards to the action they'd take.
Although they entered this ruin ready to fight against a Legendary Pokemon, that was only as a last resort. Their first and foremost goal was to neutralize it so it wouldn't decide to leave the portal one day and wreak havoc on the world.
With the Legendary currently sealed, they now have the option to just prohibit entry into this area and neutralize the threat with minimal cost.
"Dante, how do we open this thing? Do we need to attack it with some specific element again?" Alder, after thinking for some time, asked the youngest member of the team.
Dante eyed Alder. From his country's champion, he sensed wariness, guilt, and resolve. He was curious about what kind of decision he'll make regarding Regigigas.
"No, it's not as troublesome. As I said before, this building before us was built by Regigigas. The same is true for the door. Unlike the earlier ones which possess some strange mechanism, we can just push this one open."
"Huh? Really? Didn't those guys back then add some kind of failsafe?"
"Apparently, this door itself is their failsafe. You'll see when you try to open it."
Alder raised an eyebrow in doubt, before shrugging his shoulders. He threw out a Pokeball and released his Conkeldurr. However, before he could issue a command for him to open the door, someone from the back interjected.
"Sir Alder, are you sure we should attempt to open this? While I also sympathize with Regigigas, I think our best course of action would be to retreat and barricade this place."
His statement garnered the agreement of some other trainers, who began to discuss in hushed whispers.
That was a Legendary Pokemon! And it was a Legendary who could supposedly make other Legendaries. Worse still, it was betrayed by humans and would likely attack them on sight. Opening this gate just seems like a very reckless decision.
Cynthia, Shenhe, Ganyu, and Kaeya watched silently from the side. As foreign powerhouses, it was not their place to interfere here.
"It's fine, it's fine~ I just want to take a closer look at Regigigas. I doubt opening this gate would break its seal." Alder placated the crowd in his usual easygoing fashion.
"But what if, sir? The seal has been maintained for a long time until now. There's no need to risk doing something that could destroy it."
"Well, if something as trivial as opening this gate can break the seal, then it's better for it to happen now with three Champions that could confront it. Cause I have no doubt that someone else won't be able to resist trying to open this in the future."
With that, regardless of whether the others were convinced or not, Alder commanded Conkeldurr to push the gate open.
The humanoid Pokemon's muscle tensed as its palm met the solid door. However, even after Conkeldurr's muscles became strained, the door didn't budge an inch.
Conkeldurr growled unwillingly. It used Bulk Up to the limit before it could finally, slowly, push the gate open.
"Hmm, if even Conkeldurr can barely push this open, I can see why they didn't add any other mechanism to this gate." Alder said, his eyes narrowing as the opening became larger and larger.
"It's not only that," Dante chuckled, "for those who want to break the seal, this serves as a final precaution about Regigigas' strength."
"Final precaution?"
"Yeah. Didn't I say this building was Regigigas' home? This door we are trying so hard to open, Regigigas can casually push it open with a single hand."
As soon as his words fell, Dante sensed the worry and fear in the air thicken. Hell, even Alder who had been so resolute before had now started to doubt his own decision.
However, what happened next made everyone's blood freeze in their veins. On top of the door which was slowly being pushed open by Conkeldurr, a large white appendage suddenly emerged.
It grabbed the door and effortlessly pulled it open. Then, from behind it, a 5 meter giant emerged.
It was a large, white, golem-like Pokemon. There were yellow bands on its shoulders and wrists, and a yellow sloping section on its chest with seven dots. Six gems were embedded on its chest, with the upper ones red, the middle ones teal, and the bottom ones gray.
It was Regigigas! As it turns out, this Legendary Pokemon had already broken free from its seal for who knows how long. And now, they stood before it face-to-face.