The three rode on Gyarados's back, continuing forward along the passage. After traveling for some time, the passage suddenly widened ahead.
Cole pointed at the passage walls, "Look, are those Water Stones?"
Lysandre and Diantha looked toward the wall, where they saw numerous blue stones scattered across its surface, gleaming beautifully in the dim light. As they progressed, the blue stones grew more abundant.
"These are definitely Water Stones!" Lysandre confirmed after checking his device, "The water-type energy here must be at peak concentration to form so many Water Stones."
"They're so pure!" Cole exclaimed in amazement as he broke off a piece from the wall.
The Water Stone was a deep blue, similar to Popplio's skin color. Unlike the stones available in stores, which typically had bluish-white spots of varying darkness that determined their purity, these were pristine.
The fewer bluish-white spots a Water Stone had, the purer — and more valuable — it was.
Cole knew about evolution stones because he had researched them at the Pokémon store, since his Helioptile needed a Sun Stone to evolve.
Diantha and Lysandre each broke off their own pieces, sharing Cole's amazement.
Though the high-purity Water Stones were valuable, they refrained from collecting too many. After their recent escape, they chose to be cautious, wary of what unknown dangers excessive collection might bring.
After traveling further, they finally reached the passage's end. The sight before them left them dumbfounded.
The water from their passage cascaded like a waterfall into a vast ocean space below, its deep blue waters stretching endlessly. Similar passages decorated the space like white ribbons all around them.
Fortunately, Gyarados stopped in time, preventing them from plunging into the deep sea.
A transparent barrier enclosed the space from all sides, keeping the outside seawater at bay. Through it, they could see Wailord, Kingdra, Lanturn, and other Pokémon swimming past.
These Pokémon paid no attention to the scene within the barrier, clearly used to its presence.
"Could this be the source of all the energy?" Diantha wondered aloud.
"Probably!" Lysandre frowned at his energy detector.
The energy concentration indicator had jumped from A+ to S, with the blue wavelines now glowing faintly red, nearly triggering an alarm. Though the energy itself wasn't harmful, at such high concentrations even benign energy could become dangerous.
In the center of the vast space sat a lonely island, slightly larger than Cole's Mt. Ascendant.
"Let's go check out that island!"
Just as the three discussed reaching the small island, schools of Wishiwashi and Mantine suddenly burst from the water below.
Though they didn't attack, the Pokémon collectively sent beams of signal light toward the island.
"They're not calling for help, are they?" Cole asked nervously.
"Very likely." Lysandre said grimly.
"Screech~"
As if answering their fears, a long cry rang out from the island, and a majestic ice-blue creature soared into view.
"It's Articuno!" Diantha exclaimed.
In an instant, Articuno flew to confront them, its eyes blazing with fury as ice crystals cascaded from its body.
"Screech~" — Humans, how dare you!
With another cry, it unleashed its powerful Blizzard attack.
✲ Blizzard ✲
A howling storm of ice and snow swept toward them, but Daisy and Diantha's Gardevoir raised a psychic barrier just in time.
Articuno's power proved overwhelming — the two Gardevoir strained to maintain their defense, clearly unable to hold out much longer.
"Roar~"
Their Gyarados roared and launched a water beam at Articuno while Cole and Diantha released their Talonflame and Braviary.
"Screech!!!"
✲ Flame Charge ✲
With an excited cry, Talonflame's body erupted in crimson flames as it dove fiercely at Articuno.
"Kraw!!!"
✲ Crush Claw ✲
Braviary struck from another angle with Crush Claw.
Facing these multiple attacks, Articuno remained composed. With intense wing vibrations, it created a whirlwind that instantly repelled both Talonflame and Braviary.
"Screech~"
Their resistance only fueled Articuno's rage. Its wings beat faster, intensifying the Blizzard until the two Gardevoir began to falter.
With a sharp crack, the psychic barrier shattered. The fierce winds swept them all into the waters below.
Gyarados, taking Articuno's Blizzard head-on, was frozen solid in the passage's water, transformed into an ice sculpture.
"Screech~"
"Kraw~"
Talonflame and Braviary dove to rescue Cole and Diantha, but Articuno blocked their path.
"Screech~"
"Kraw~"
The two giant bird Pokémon were forced to continue their battle with Articuno.
Splash~ Splash~ Splash~
Cole, Diantha, Lysandre, Daisy, and Gardevoir plunged into the water.
Cole swallowed several mouthfuls of seawater before breaking the surface. Gasping, he released Popplio and shouted:
"Popplio, save everyone!"
"Woo~"
The sea lion responded with a cry and swiftly created a huge blue bubble, gathering everyone inside.
The sturdy bubble floated steadily on the water's surface, keeping them all safe.
But their troubles weren't over. While Talonflame and Braviary kept Articuno at bay above, schools of Wishiwashi and Mantine circled menacingly below.
They faced a dilemma — they couldn't fight back without bursting their protective bubble and falling back into the water.
"Popplio, sing!" Cole's eyes lit up with an idea.
"La la~ la~ la la la~ la"
{T/N: Land…}
The enchanting melody worked its magic — the approaching Wishiwashi and Mantine halted, their eyes closing dreamily before they slipped back beneath the waves.
"Quick, let's get to the island." Diantha said, pointing to their nearby sanctuary.
"Woo~"
At her words, Popplio guided their bubble toward the island.
"SCREECH!!!" — Humans, how dare you!
Spotting their escape attempt, Articuno's fury peaked. With one powerful wing sweep, it pushed back both Talonflame and Braviary, then plunged downward, intent on turning them all to ice.
But the two brave birds wouldn't let that happen. Regaining their balance, they launched another assault.
✲ Tailwind ✲
Braviary summoned a Tailwind, and suddenly both birds shot forward with incredible speed, appearing before Articuno in an instant.
Irritated by these persistent adversaries that buzzed around it like flies, Articuno opened its beak and unleashed an ice-blue beam, instantly transforming the nearby Braviary into a frozen sculpture.
Talonflame was shocked at the sight, quickly grabbing the falling Braviary with its talons and swiftly retreating — no longer daring to approach Articuno.
Down below, Diantha, who had just landed on the island, turned pale at seeing her frozen Braviary, but relaxed slightly when Talonflame rescued it.
Talonflame's body radiated intense heat, gradually melting the ice encasing Braviary.
Thanks to the two birds' delay tactics, Cole and the others safely reached the island, though Articuno pursued close behind.
"Quick, let's run to the forest!" Lysandre shouted, releasing his Pyroar.
"Roar~"
As soon as Pyroar emerged, it turned and shot a fire beam at Articuno. Unfortunately, the flame lion proved weaker than Gyarados — its Flamethrower dissipated against Articuno's wings before even reaching its target.
Accepting defeat, Pyroar turned and ran after its trainer.
"SCREECH!!!" — Humans, stop, don't go any further!
Articuno's continuous roars filled the air as waves of extreme cold radiated from its body, freezing all vegetation in its path.
"I can barely run anymore!" Diantha panted, her pale face flushed with exertion.
"Hold on a bit longer!" Cole urged through gritted teeth, though he too was exhausted.
Among the three, Lysandre appeared most at ease, his regular exercise regime evident in his stamina.
Cole's endurance was decent from his daily farm work, but his youth meant he couldn't match an adult's physical capacity.
At this moment, he wished he had Red's legendary stamina.
Seeing Diantha's ghostly pale face, Lysandre called out to Pyroar, "Pyroar, help Diantha."
"Awoo~"
Pyroar responded with a cry, stopping in front of the girl and letting her quickly mount.
Though Pyroar-type Pokémon aren't typically large, this one was bigger than average, making it just barely suitable as a mount.
Fortunately, Diantha's slight teenage frame made it possible for Pyroar to carry her.
"SCREECH~"
The enraged Articuno shot another blast of cold air, which Daisy and Gardevoir blocked just in time with psychic power. As the attacks intensified, however, both Gardevoir were reaching their limit.
"Quick, eat these!"
Cole pulled out two berries while running and handed them to Daisy and Gardevoir to restore their energy.
Just then, the energy detector in Lysandre's hand emitted a piercing alarm.
"This is bad — this area is filled with energy harmful to humans."
"What's that over there?" Diantha pointed ahead.
Before them loomed a huge crater with a tall white jade pillar standing in its center. Even from a distance, they could feel the terrifying energy radiating from it.
"SCREECH~" — Don't go near there!
As they approached the crater, Articuno let out a terrified cry and halted its pursuit.
"We should recall our Pokémon." Lysandre suggested, his face ashen, "The energy here is already affecting our bodies, and it will harm the Pokémon too if they stay out."
The energy detector in his hand continued flashing red, though he had silenced its alarm.
Cole and Diantha nodded, taking out their Poké Balls to recall their Pokémon.
As time passed, Lysandre and Diantha's faces grew increasingly pale, clearly suffering from the harmful energy's effects.
Strangely, Cole barely felt anything. After checking his body, he quickly discovered why.
There was a faintly visible crimson energy in the air trying to invade his body, but his Special Ability energy immediately attacked and expelled it, leaving him unharmed.
"What do you want to do?"
Cole asked hesitantly as he watched his companions, covered in cold sweat. While he felt fine, they were clearly suffering.
"Keep going forward. We've come this far, I won't rest until we see what's there!" Lysandre pointed at the white pillar, "That might hold the secret of the Sea Spirit's Den!"
Cole looked at Diantha, who, despite her pallor, nodded in agreement. This girl was certainly stubborn.
"Alright, if you both want to see it, I'll go along."
"Wait!" Lysandre rummaged through his space backpack and pulled out three black garments, handing two to them, "These are protective suits made by my research institute. They might not completely block the energy's effects, but they should help somewhat."
Cole and Diantha quickly donned the suits.
The protective gear worked better than Lysandre had anticipated — Diantha's discomfort notably decreased. Cole, meanwhile, still felt nothing.
"Alright, let's go!"
Just as the three were about to descend into the crater, two more cries echoed behind them. They turned to see two more legendary Pokémon beside Articuno — Moltres and Zapdos.
These two Pokémon hadn't been in the Sea Spirit's Den before, but upon returning, they discovered humans had invaded and were approaching that forbidden area!
"It's Moltres and Zapdos!" Diantha whispered.
"Don't worry about them, they seem to fear this place and won't come closer." Cole said.
Indeed, the three legendary birds watched with terrified expressions as the group descended into the crater step by step, but didn't dare approach — only able to watch helplessly as the three disappeared from their sight.
✲✲✲
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