Chapter 84: Ruins of Alph, the Space of the Unown
"Alright, even if you each have recovery abilities, you were too destructive," Ryan said.
Watching Mewtwo retract the spoon and Celebi fly back to Ryan's shoulder, Ryan asked, "Mewtwo, how are you progressing in your training?"
"It's going well. I've begun to grasp the true nature of psychic power," Mewtwo telepathically replied, "but I'm still far from that master's level."
Ryan nodded and said, "Yes. You should continue studying diligently. You won't need to participate in the Silver Conference this year. But next year we'll be in the Hoenn region, where there's a tough battle waiting. I hope you'll have mastered enough by then."
Mewtwo nodded in agreement. After a pause, Ryan said, "Also, when you have time, you can train at the ranch. It's a good opportunity to show the other Pokémon the power of legendary beings and give them inspiration."
"I understand, Ryan," Mewtwo nodded in agreement, then teleported away.
"Okay, that's settled. Get some rest first, then we'll set off tomorrow," Ryan said, gently poking Celebi's cheek.
Celebi batted Ryan's fingers away unhappily, letting out a few soft chirps.
"Hmm. We're only ten thousand experience points short. Once I unlock that ability, Celebi, will you be competing in the Silver Conference?" Ryan asked.
Celebi nodded and chirped a few times, meaning he could, but he had to be the finale.
Ryan agreed, and the next step was to consider which Pokémon to bring with him. After much deliberation, he settled on Greninja, Tyranitar, Mienfoo, and Golem.
Ryan had long been frustrated with the six-Pokémon limit and had petitioned the League to lift the restriction. However, the League rejected their request, stating that the six-Pokémon limit would only be lifted for those serving the League on official missions.
His training system offered a service to expand Pokémon slots, but each slot cost significant resources—a ridiculously high price. Now that I have the funds, I can consider opening a few more Pokémon slots. Honestly, Celebi and Cosmoem are completely occupying two slots: one doesn't need Ryan's training at all, and the other barely moves, let alone trains.
After a moment's hesitation, he decided to bring several more. After all, some Pokémon haven't quite reached the level of power mastery like Mewtwo and Charizard.
"Beedrill, Blissey, Gengar, Gyarados, Dragonite, Crobat, Sylveon. I'm still working with Nidoking, so I won't be bringing it for now. Aerodactyl has also started reaching power mastery, so I won't be bringing it either. Well, there go more resources." Ryan reluctantly invested in expanding the Pokémon slots.
Then, he waited for Ruby and Rosa. After they made their selections, he prepared to go to the Ruins of Alph. After all, there were Unown in the Pokédex entries, and the Ruins of Alph were the only place Ryan knew of.
The next morning, Ryan and his companions departed and rushed to the Ruins of Alph. Research indicates that the Ruins of Alph have been preserved from 1,500 years ago, making them a truly remarkable archaeological site.
With permission from the researchers, Ryan and his companions entered the ancient structure.
"Ryan, why are we here? There aren't any Pokémon here," Rosa asked, playing with her captured Misdreavus.
"Who said there aren't any Pokémon? I'll show you some very mysterious Pokémon," Ryan said.
Reaching the innermost chamber of the Ruins of Alph, Ryan said, "Almost there, Celebi, can you awaken them?"
Celebi nodded, flew into the air, and called out loudly. As Ruby and Rosa watched in astonishment, the symbols engraved on the walls began to float out, revealing themselves as Unown.
"Strange? I've touched these symbols before, and there wasn't any sign of life. How come there are so many Unown now?" Ruby exclaimed in amazement.
"So, there are still many unsolved mysteries about Pokémon, waiting for people to explore and discover them." Ryan, after recording their data in his Pokédex, planned to capture a few Unown.
Celebi, seeing this, immediately stopped Ryan and spoke anxiously to him.
Upon hearing this, Ryan retracted his Poké Ball and said, "Can the Unown lead us there?"
Celebi nodded and called out to the Unown a few times. The Unown spun rapidly around Ryan and the other two, leaving them feeling dizzy. Then, the scene shifted, revealing a strange dimension.
Trees withered, riverbeds dried up, the earth cracked, and the sky darkened—a scene of despair and desolation. Celebi, perched on Ryan's shoulder, called out somewhat melancholy.
"The legendary Pokémon has died," Celebi communicated in his own way.
"Ryan, where is this place?!" Ruby and Rosa exclaimed in unison, unable to conceal their shock.
"A legendary Pokémon has died here," Ryan said with a touch of sadness.
Ruby and Rosa exchanged glances, speechless. No one had ever imagined that a legendary Pokémon could die. Or rather, why would such a powerful being die? Was it old age? Or was it killed? No one could answer this mystery.
Celebi cried out mournfully before flying off in one direction, followed by Ryan and the others.
As they advanced, the landscape remained desolate, devoid of any sign of life. Ryan picked up a stone from the ground and gently grasped it. The stone crumbled into dust, flowing from his hand. It was a place that had been abandoned for countless years.
Following Celebi's lead, they arrived at a withered forest. Atop a patch of rotting leaves lay a dozen Pokémon eggs.
Ryan knelt down, picked up an egg, examined it, shook his head, and said, "No, it's lifeless. No signs of vitality."
"Oh no," Ruby and Rosa sighed simultaneously, lamenting the fragility of life.
At that moment, Celebi cried out excitedly, using psychic power to levitate two Pokémon eggs. Ryan took one look and saw the red and blue triangular pattern—unmistakably Togepi.
He held the two Pokémon eggs, sensing the faint spark of life within them. He silently accessed his training knowledge: "Can these two Pokémon eggs be saved?"
His intuition told him they could be.
"Two lucky little ones," Ryan said with a smile.
His smile also lifted Ruby and Rosa's spirits, who smiled back. Ryan simply said they were two lucky little ones. His experience told him that the two creatures would fade within a day at most.
It was fortunate that Ryan and his team had arrived, and that Ryan had access to a legendary Pokémon like Celebi, who could use its own power to awaken these Unown, allowing him to enter this dimension and save the two little ones.
If this wasn't luck, then what was?!
After using significant energy and resources to stabilize the two eggs, Ryan sighed: "I was almost reaching my goal, and now I'm set back considerably. I don't know if I can recover everything before the Silver Conference."
But looking at the two Pokémon eggs in his arms that were gradually showing signs of life, Ryan felt that the effort was completely worth it!
(End of Chapter)
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