What could possibly make a future mber of the Sinnoh Elite Four call a Hoenn trainer for help?
Johan was skeptical.
But considering how desperate Flint sounded over the phone, it probably wasn't a joke.
After so thought, Johan decided to make the trip—just in case there was real danger.
Getting from Hoenn to Sinnoh wasn't easy, though.
So, he made a quick call to Steven.
Not long after—
A Devon Corporation private jet landed in his backyard.
Steven, being deep in his rock-digging business, couldn't co himself.
So, Johan had to go alone.
Once aboard the plane, he dialed Cynthia's number.
"Mm... Flint?"
Cynthia paused, as if recalling sothing.
After a mont, she said, "Oh, right. I think I got a weird call earlier. But once I heard Flint's voice, I assud he wanted another battle, so I just hung up."
"...Where exactly is he?" Johan asked.
"Send his location," Cynthia replied.
Johan forwarded the coordinates Flint had sent him.
"Solaceon Town? Solaceon Ruins?"
Cynthia imdiately recognized it.
The ruins were located within Solaceon Town.
Solaceon Ruins was an ancient site where people once worshiped Dialga and Palkia.
Sinnoh had many such ruins, dedicated to legendary Pokémon.
Johan also recalled sothing.
"Wasn't Solaceon Ruins the first site in Sinnoh where Unown were discovered?"
"That's right," Cynthia confird.
Now that the conversation had shifted to ruins, Cynthia's interest was piqued.
Thus, the two agreed to et in Solaceon Town.
At first, Johan thought that with Cynthia on the case, Flint would be fine.
But if Flint was trapped by Unown, he might be stuck in an illusion, making it harder to extract him.
So, Johan decided—
Better safe than sorry.
Next, he called Palr.
"Johan? Didn't expect a call from you," Palr said, surprised.
"Did Flint call you?"
"Flint? Who's that? Never heard of him." Palr's voice was utterly indifferent.
Johan: "...Poor Flint."
"Ahem. Can you check the historical records on Solaceon Ruins?" Johan asked.
"Is this urgent?"
"A little."
"Got it. I'll look into it."
He also tried calling Aaron.
No service.
Probably in so remote mountain, catching Bug-types.
As for Volkner?
"I don't usually pick up calls from unknown numbers."
Johan: "..."
No wonder Flint ended up calling him last.
It probably took him hours to get through.
Honestly, it was Flint's own fault.
If he weren't so... Flint, maybe people would've taken him seriously.
In fact, even Johan had nearly hung up on him.
Most people wouldn't believe Flint was in real danger.
But if they had known for sure, they probably would have co to help.
"Tsk."
Johan took a sip of his freshly brewed coffee, reclining in the luxury massage chair of the private jet.
"Poor guy."
—
The internal structure of Solaceon Ruins resembled a pyramid, built from massive, precisely cut stone blocks.
Its maze-like passages made it easy to get lost.
The ruins were also riddled with traps—falling boulders, hidden stone doors, spike pits...
Plus, wild Pokémon had made it their ho.
It was not a safe place.
Deep inside the ruins—
A very exhausted Flint was running in place with his Infernape.
Or rather—stuck running endlessly.
Surrounding them were swarms of Unown, floating eerily in the air.
A strange energy field radiated from them, trapping Flint and his Pokémon in an illusory loop.
From Flint's perspective—
He was trapped in a never-ending labyrinth of staircases.
No matter which direction he ran—he couldn't escape.
And every ti he stopped, a random Pokémon appeared—
Electivire.
Garchomp.
Even Gengar.
And every attack felt real.
Flint and Infernape had been stuck in this torturous loop for three days and nights.
No escape. No sleep.
"Johan... hurry up..."
After countless failed calls, he finally got one person to answer.
Johan.
Flint teared up.
"In my ti of need, he actually answered...!"
He clenched his fists in determination.
"From this day forward—my treasures are Johan's treasures!
My wallet is Johan's wallet!
My moves are Johan's moves!
My wife is—"
Wait, no.
"Johan's sister-in-law!"
—
Private jets were much faster than comrcial flights.
By 2 PM, Johan arrived in Solaceon Town.
As soon as he stepped off the plane, he spotted Cynthia waiting for him.
Solaceon Town was small and peaceful, with a slow-paced lifestyle.
The town thrived on ranching, with herds of Miltank and Tauros grazing in the fields.
Besides moo-moo milk, Solaceon was also famous for its Pokémon daycare center—one of the most reputable in all of Sinnoh.
To the south stood Lost Tower, Sinnoh's version of Mt. Pyre or Celestial Tower—a Pokémon burial site.
"Flint is really trapped in the ruins?"
Cynthia still found it hard to believe.
Flint had challenged her countless tis and never won, but she acknowledged his strength.
At the very least—he was stronger than the average Gym Leader.
Johan shrugged.
"He says so. And the GPS points here."
Cynthia sighed. "Then let's be careful."
If the ruins could trap Flint, they could trap them too.
Better to be cautious.
They followed the forest path leading to the ruins.
Soon—
They arrived at the entrance of Solaceon Ruins.
"This is it?"
The entrance was a long flight of stone steps, flanked by statues of Dialga and Palkia.
At the base of the statues—ancient inscriptions were carved into stone.
Johan recalled—
"All life ets others, and from there, new life is born?"
That was one of Cynthia's favorite quotes.
Cynthia smiled slightly.
"This phrase cos from Sinnoh's ancient legends. You'll find it in many ruins across the region."
She gazed up at the ruins.
"This is my first ti here, too. My grandmother studied it before. What you see now is actually a reconstructed version."
"That explains how Palr found the architectural blueprints so easily."
Johan pulled up his phone.
"Rotom, 3D projection."
"Understood, Roto!"
Rotom scanned the blueprints Palr had sent.
Monts later—
A holographic map of Solaceon Ruins appeared before them.
Two red dots marked their current location.
"So sections are missing from the records, so the full map isn't available, Roto!"
Rotom reported.
"This is incredible," Cynthia marveled. "A real-ti 3D map... I need a Rotom now."
"Rotom is also great at housework," Johan added.
"R-Roto?!"
They entered the ruins.
The hologram moved with them.
Just in case, Cynthia released Lucario.
Johan didn't release any Pokémon—
Because Gengar was always in his shadow.
If anything happened, Gengar would act imdiately.
"Lu-ka!"
Lucario nodded at Johan in greeting.
The deeper they went, the darker it beca.
"Rotom, light."
"Got it, Roto!"
Buzz!
Electric arcs flickered as Rotom illuminated the passage.
Suddenly—
A horde of Golbat and Zubat sward toward them.
Lucario tensed, preparing to attack—
But then—
"Ka-kaah! Ka-kaah!"
LET HANDLE THIS!
Gengar erged, grinning wickedly.
It loved dealing with these pests.
With a flick of its hands—dark lightning crackled.
BOOM!
Golbat and Zubat dropped like flies.
Cynthia frowned.
"The wild Pokémon here are far more aggressive than usual..."
After fighting off several more waves of hostile Pokémon, they finally—
Reached the ruins' depths.
And there—
They saw—
Flint.
Still running in circles.
----------
Powerstones?
For 20 advance Chapters: /michaeltranslates
Reviews
All reviews (0)