Sup!
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"Yes," Liza confirmed, pointing toward the direction where Lance had seen that frozen giant dragon on the cave's outer edge.
"One force comes from that direction, majestic and powerful, carrying the oppressive presence of a dragon-type, but it seems to be sealed..."
Then her finger turned toward the deeper direction they'd been trying to advance, her expression growing more serious: "But another force comes from even deeper.
It's much colder and seems to carry great malice with it! We believe the Pokémon's madness is likely connected to this force!"
Tate added urgently, "We must stop it as soon as possible! If we let this cold and malice continue spreading, I'm afraid it won't just be this cave. Even Mossdeep City outside could face serious trouble!"
Lance's expression shifted slightly.
It matched his intuition. That frozen dragon-type Pokémon clearly wasn't the source of the disaster.
So... was it the victim instead?
Was it sealed by that thing deeper in the cave?!
The only way to figure this out was to continue deeper inside.
"I understand," Lance said solemnly.
"Let's not waste any more time. We continue forward," Liza declared.
The three-person team set out again, with Lance's Gyarados leading the way deeper into the cave.
The further they went, the harsher the environment became.
The ice beneath their feet was so slippery that they could barely stand. Lance had to carefully maneuver his character to move, or he'd easily slide away.
The ice layers on the surrounding rock walls were extremely thick, and the ceiling was covered with countless sharp icicles that looked ready to fall at any moment.
The background music became oppressive, tense, and rapid, announcing that something major was about to happen.
Along the way, they encountered several more waves of attacks.
The Pokémon that appeared were clearly higher level, including more vicious Piloswine and large groups of Sealeo. Battles became frequent and intense.
After clearing out a batch of ice-types, Lance discovered some strange traces in an inconspicuous corner of an ice wall: half a pickaxe completely frozen in ice, and several deep claw marks gouged into the stone wall. Those marks absolutely couldn't have been left by any ordinary Pokémon.
"Just what kind of creature is in here...?"
The good news was that after moving forward a bit more, at the entrance to a narrow side tunnel, they finally heard a faint "Meowth" cry.
Following the sound, they found the missing Meowth huddled in a small ice hollow, trembling all over, covered in a thin layer of frost, but seemingly without direct injury.
When it saw people approaching, it let out a weak cry, its eyes filled with fear.
"Found it!"
Tate exclaimed with delight, carefully approaching and rescuing the Meowth, cradling it in his arms. "You're okay now, little buddy. You're safe."
This warm scene slightly eased the tense atmosphere in the cave.
But the problem obviously wasn't solved yet.
After Tate captured the Meowth in the Poké Ball the kid had given them, the three continued forward toward the source of that malice.
A few minutes later, they reached the end of that passage.
What appeared before their eyes was a massive, downward-sloping ice chasm!
Intense blue cold light poured up from the bottom of the abyss, bathing the entire enormous cavern in an eerie blue glow.
The extreme cold feeling was so strong that even Lance's fingers outside the screen felt a bit stiff.
Lance was about to control his character to move closer for a better look when he suddenly felt an incredibly bone-chilling cold, far more piercing than before, surge up from the depths of the abyss!
"Whooooom—"
A deep thrumming sound rang out, accompanied by the ear-piercing sound of some massive object's friction against the ice, echoing in his ears.
The temperature of the entire cave seemed to drop drastically once more. The game screen even became obscured by a layer of ice fog!
"It's here... that feeling! That's it!"
Liza immediately shouted, her Solrock and Lunatone immediately floating forward, radiating psychic light to try resisting the cold, but they were struggling greatly.
Lance's heart also jumped into his throat as he stared at the screen, ready for anything.
In the next moment, from the depths of the abyss, something... rose thunderously from within the darkness and blue light!!
It was an enormous, humanoid Pokémon composed of giant ice pillars, standing as tall as dozens of stories!
Its arms were massive ice pillars, and its face bore a "+" pattern made up of seven yellow dots, radiating cold and merciless light.
With every movement it made, thick new layers of ice instantly crystallized in the air around it.
A terrible and overwhelming aura continuously poured out from its body.
Sensing this presence, Lance finally understood: this was the true source of the cave's abnormality!
But... what kind of Pokémon was this?!
Lance didn't have time to think carefully. Because the enormous Pokémon's gaze had already locked onto the three of them.
With no intention to communicate, it had already raised its massive ice-crystal arms, and terrible ice-type energy was frantically surging!
The surrounding air instantly froze solid, and a dazzling beam of absolute zero was about to burst forth!
This creature was definitely also a legendary Pokémon!
Lance assessed this terrible display of force, and one final thought rose in his mind: his blood felt like it had stopped flowing.
With their combined strength, there was absolutely no way they could stand against this thing!
However, just when things reached a critical moment!
"Such a beautiful life, yet blinded by madness and cold. It's truly heartbreaking," a clear and resonant voice suddenly spoke from the side, carrying a note of regret but filled with confidence and composure.
A water-blue figure moved like a phantom, rushing past at incredible speed and without hesitation, blocking Lance and the two gym leaders!
The figure had long teal hair, wore an elegant champion's cloak, and moved with graceful composure.
The moment Lance saw who it was, he froze.
Because the newcomer was one of the Hoenn gym leaders, Wallace!
In the real world, Lance had plenty of interactions with this gym leader and considered him an acquaintance.
But how could he be here?
And why did this Wallace feel different from the one he knew? The aura seemed completely different...
At this moment, Wallace didn't even glance back at Lance and the others. His gaze was focused intently on the massive ice pillar about to launch its attack. His right hand elegantly threw out a Poké Ball.
"Go, my partner! Show the power of our bond!"
"ROAAARRR!!!"
With an ear-shattering roar, Wallace's Pokémon—a Gyarados appeared!
However, its size seemed to be a full circle larger than the Gyarados Lance had raised in the real world, and the overwhelming presence it gave off the moment it appeared was completely different!
Just from this instant, from the aura radiating from the Gyarados, Lance could make his judgment.
This creature, in terms of sheer presence alone, was far stronger than his own Gyarados!
So this was at least a champion-tier Pokémon!!
But what made Lance's pupils constrict even more was that on the wrist Wallace raised, an unusual stone Lance had never seen before was bursting with breathtakingly brilliant white light!
That light, like ribbons made of rainbows, instantly connected Wallace and the Gyarados!
"The evolution beyond evolution! Mega Evolution!" Wallace's voice rang out high and passionate.
Endless rainbow-colored light wrapped around the Gyarados! Its form underwent rapid and dramatic changes in the luminescence!
When the light faded, an entirely new and far more ferocious Gyarados made its shocking appearance!
Its lower jaw became immensely enlarged, sprouting sharp fangs. The blue scales that originally covered its body became thicker, like armor plating.
Four massive cyan-colored scales grew on its head and abdomen like dragon fins, and its tail transformed into something resembling a true dragon's tail!
The horns on its head became larger, like the crown of dragon royalty!
Given what had happened before with Norman and Winona's Pokémon, Lance immediately understood what was going on.
This was Mega Gyarados!!
The aura that Gyarados now radiated was no longer the simple raw power of a water-type Pokémon, but a terrible presence blended with majesty, a dragon-like, intimidating force!
Even the intense cold that had been permeating the surroundings was briefly pushed back by this rampaging aura!
Lance was utterly stunned.
Mega Evolution could dramatically increase a Pokémon's power; he already knew that well enough.
But he couldn't even comprehend the strength this Mega Gyarados now possessed!
Because he felt that the energy level Mega Gyarados was radiating had definitely approached or even reached the level of a legendary Pokémon!
Before such overwhelming power, an indescribable sense of shock surged uncontrollably from the depths of his heart.
And alongside that, rose his passionate heart, burning with love for dragon-type Pokémon!
So... Gyarados could also Mega Evolve?
And furthermore, it could become... become more like a true dragon?!
Just as his mind was being swept up in excitement, the giant ice pillar Pokémon's attack was already launched!!
Dazzling deep-blue light, wrapped in terrible power, rushed forward instantly!
However, facing this destructive onslaught...
"Dark Pulse," Wallace's voice remained calm and graceful, merely raising his finger slightly.
Mega Gyarados opened its massive maw, and a terrifying wave filled with pure malice and dark energy roared forth, clashing instantly with that ice-blue beam!
No stalemate!
It was almost crushing! The pitch-black dark energy, with the force of overturning mountains, tore apart and devoured the absolute-zero cold light, then slammed fiercely into the unprepared giant ice pillar!
BOOM!!!
The violent explosion echoed through the cavern, ice fragments and dark energy scattering everywhere!
Heavy smoke drifted up from the giant ice pillar's head. Its massive body, composed of solid ice, was knocked back staggering by this terrifying blow, and fine cracks appeared across its surface. The yellow points on its face had noticeably dimmed.
The giant ice pillar Pokémon seemed completely enraged. It stabilized its stance, its arms glowing once more, this time with an even more violent Blizzard!
However, Wallace had no intention of giving it this chance to attack.
"It's over," Wallace said softly, shaking his head slightly, his voice carrying determination.
"Waterfall."
Mega Gyarados released a roar that made the entire cavern resonate, instantly wrapping its massive body in surging, turbulent water, violent and rushing, brimming with explosive power!
Its enormous form became a blue torrent of destruction, launching forward at blinding speed at the massive ice pillar Pokémon that was still gathering strength!
The speed was pushed to its limit! The power was strong enough to tear through the air!
Another earth-shaking roar!
BOOM!!!
Mega Gyarados, pushing against the giant ice pillar Pokémon, slammed it fiercely against the ice wall behind it! The entire cavern trembled violently, with massive icicles cascading down from the ceiling.
When the water dissipated, only the giant ice pillar Pokémon's massive body was left deeply embedded in the ice wall; the ice crystals composing its body had shattered over half, and the seven yellow points on its face had completely extinguished.
It seemed to have entirely lost its ability to battle.
Meanwhile, Mega Gyarados hovered in the air, releasing a triumphant roar, like a victorious dragon-type king proclaiming its majesty and dominance.
The battle cutscene ended.
Wallace recalled Mega Gyarados, and the dazzling evolution light faded with it. The unusual stone on his wrist returned to a calm state.
Only then did he elegantly turn around to face Lance and the two gym leaders, who were still in shock, with a characteristic gentle smile on his face.
"It seems I arrived just in time."
Lance controlled his character, but for a moment didn't know what to say. His mind was still replaying that brief yet incredibly impactful battle, replaying the earth-shattering form of Mega Gyarados.
Was Wallace in the game this powerful?
And the Mega Evolution form of Gyarados...
His gaze unconsciously drifted to his team interface, looking at that ordinary Gyarados that had just struggled through a difficult battle.
So it could also... Mega Evolve?
A yearning unlike anything he'd felt before suddenly emerged in his heart.
This was a trainer's instinctive pursuit of greater power!
With Wallace's appearance and the defeat of the giant ice-type Pokémon, all the abnormalities inside the cavern naturally vanished. The temperature returned to normal coldness, no longer that exaggerated and uncomfortable degree.
Through the subsequent discussion with Liza, Tate, and Wallace, Lance learned that the giant ice-pillar-like Pokémon was indeed a legendary Pokémon, and was Regice, the legendary Ice Titan, which had some connection to the earlier Regirock, the legendary Rock Titan.
No wonder he'd felt some inexplicable familiarity upon seeing this Pokémon.
Because these two creatures were related legendary Pokémon!
With the story concluded and after leaving Shoal Cave, Lance returned to the sunny sky above Mossdeep City.
Though the game's music had become gentle and cheerful, Lance found his emotions couldn't settle down for a long time.
His mind was filled with Wallace's elegant and powerful presence, and the shocking image of Mega Gyarados tearing through the Ice Titan.
In the game, his character and the two gym leaders returned the rescued Meowth to its owner. Liza and Tate exchanged a few pleasantries with him, then headed directly back to their gym.
But Lance, the moment the story cutscene ended, directly controlled his character and headed toward the Mossdeep Gym!
He desperately needed a battle, one that could help him reassess his team's true strength.
And this gym, known for its psychic-type Pokémon and run by the twin gym leaders, was perfect!
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