Last time in South Lake City, Julian unexpectedly bought a Magearna that had lost its Soul-Heart. Without its Soul-Heart, Magearna was like a phone without a battery—it was nothing more than a lifeless object.
To activate Magearna, Julian needed to find the Soul-Heart.
The seller's grandfather had accidentally brought Magearna out from the Ancient Kingdom Ruins, so it was highly likely that the Soul-Heart was still within those ruins.
However, entering the ruins wasn't a simple thing.
Unlike secret realms, which only had entry restrictions at higher levels, ruins didn't have such classifications.
There was no concept of low, mid, or high-level ruins. As long as it was classified as a ruin, you couldn't enter without official approval.
Julian was able to gain access thanks to some behind-the-scenes influence from his grandpa, as well as his recent, unintentional assistance to the Trainer Association, which earned him the qualification to enter the ruins.
Moreover, the Ancient Kingdom Ruins had been developed by the Drakorian government for decades. Most of the valuable technology had already been extracted, making it one of the less dangerous ruins.
When Julian returned home, he told Jake and Tina that he would be heading to South Lake City the next day.
The Ancient Kingdom Ruins were located in South Lake City.
Jake didn't question why Julian suddenly wanted to explore the ruins. He knew his son had his own secrets, so he simply reminded him to be careful.
"Mom, don't worry. I'm really strong."
Though Tina didn't object, her expression clearly showed she was reluctant. Her face silently said, 'Don't go. I'm afraid something might happen to you.'
After all, while ruins contained far fewer Pokémon than secret realms—even the Pokémon in a primary secret realm outnumbered those in a ruin.
What made ruins dangerous was the sheer strength of the Pokémon inside. Elite Pokémon were guaranteed, and if luck was bad, there might even be Champion-level ones.
This was why ruins were considered far more dangerous than secret realms.
Hearing Julian's words, Tina replied with frustration, "Go, go, you will go anyway, whether I agree or not."
Julian smiled awkwardly, and didn't know what to say, after all, she was right—he would go no matter what she said.
The next morning, Julian rode Dragonite to South Lake City.
After about three hours, he arrived at the entrance to the Ancient Kingdom Ruins.
The entrance to the ruins was similar to that of a secret realm—a glowing portal. However, the security here was much tighter. The area was heavily fortified with a full military unit stationed around it.
There were also various heavy weapons in place, and of course, a lot of trainers on guard.
After passing through three layers of identity verification, Julian finally reached the entrance of the ruins.
"Stay safe," the soldier at the entrance said.
"Mm."
Julian nodded and then stepped through the glowing portal.
While advanced secret realms had a one-month exploration limit, ruins had a standardized three-month time limit. If someone failed to return within three months, they would be presumed dead.
After passing through the portal, Julian quickly arrived at the Ancient Kingdom Ruins. The first thing he saw was a forest stretching out before him.
He glanced around, noticing that the forest didn't look much different from the ones in the outside world.
He released Metagross and Celebi.
There weren't many Pokémon in the ruins, but the ones present were exceptionally powerful. So, it was better to be on guard.
Celebi: "The energy here feels so comfortable."
"Meta~"
Metagross nodded slightly, squinting its eyes as if enjoying the environment.
The energy levels in the ruins were higher than in any secret realm, making it an ideal place for Pokémon to thrive. This was the main reason why the Pokémon inside ruins were generally of a higher level.
However, it also explained why there were so few Pokémon—far fewer than even in a primary secret realm.
The reason lay in the energy itself.
Simply put, while long-term exposure to such an environment could rapidly increase a Pokémon's level, it also made it harder for them to reproduce.
Additionally, if foreign Pokémon or humans stayed in this environment for too long, it would negatively impact their bodies.
The limit was roughly three months.
This was why the exploration time for ruins was capped at three months—any longer, and the body would start to suffer damage, which would worsen over time.
"Let's fly ahead."
Julian jumped onto Metagross's back, already holding the Dowsing Machine.
If the Soul-Heart was truly inside the Ancient Kingdom Ruins, the Dowsing Machine should pick it up once it came within range.
It didn't take long for Metagross to fly out of the forest. Along the way, they didn't encounter a single Pokémon—not even a Catterpie.
This was something that would never happen in the outside world or in a secret realm.
Because in any forest, there were bound to be Bug-type Pokémon.
But in ruins, that natural rule no longer applied.
If the forest had been larger, there might have been a trace of Pokémon somewhere.
Once they left the forest, they were met with a vast expanse of human-made structures—houses, ponds, parks, streets, and statues.
Celebi: "Are we still outside?"
Celebi was stunned, seeing so many traces of human civilization in the ruin made it feel like they had never entered the ruin at all.
Julian explained, "Ruins are places where humans once lived, but now there are no people. Pokémon scholars believe that ruins are essentially the remains of cities from another world."
"After this city appeared in our world, all the humans vanished, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell and their technology."
Julian's eyes were filled with awe. This was his first time entering a ruin, and although he had read about them before, experiencing it in person was something else entirely.
Just as the books described, ruins were once bustling cities devoid of people—cities believed to have come from another world. A world that was most likely where Pokémon originally lived.
Otherwise, how could humans have discovered so much Pokémon-related technology in these ruins?
Poké Ball transfer systems, Pokéblock production, Pokémon healing pods, and even the technology for crafting Poké Balls—all of these innovations had been obtained from ruins.
The city before him, however, was not a modern metropolis. It resembled ancient Roman architecture, with most of the buildings made of stone.
At the center of the city stood an old castle, its towering spires still intact.
This was why it was called the Ancient Kingdom Ruins. Though referred to as a "kingdom," it was more like a large city.
Julian had Metagross land in front of a stone house. He dismounted and pushed the door open.
Inside, he found tables, chairs, a kitchen, pots and pans, and a bedroom—everything was perfectly preserved. Even the entire house was immaculately clean, as if someone had been cleaning it every day.
But in reality, there wasn't a single soul here. The so-called original inhabitants no longer existed.
Julian picked up a teacup from the table and lightly rubbed his fingers over its smooth surface. "Incredible… an entire city crossed into our world, yet there's no trace of its people."
Celebi clung to Julian's head, its tiny body trembling slightly.
The eerie atmosphere of the place filled it with unease.
Celebi: 'There aren't any ghosts here… right?'
*****
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