Swellow landed on the southern tip of Ever Grande City. Brendan hopped off and called back his Pokemon.
Steven wasn't in front of the Pokemon Center anymore. Brendan returned to the entrance of Victory Road and found the head of the construction crew.
"Hey," Brendan said, stealing the man's attention away from his blueprints.
"Where did you come from? I never saw you come out."
"I found an exit over on Route 120. There's something weird over there, I need to tell Steven."
"You'll have to catch him on his PokeNav, then. He and the Elites have gone in. What kind of weird?"
"Dangerous weird."
"I'll get some men over there."
"No," Brendan said. "At least, don't let them in. Just let them guard the entrance. It's a big cliff with a hole in the side."
"What's in there?"
"I'm not sure. A strange Pokemon. It was tough. I found a bunch of Sinnoh Pokemon, so maybe that's where it came from."
"Sinnoh Pokemon? You let those things out? We've found a few of them wondering around the cave."
"Have you seen them in this area before?"
"Never. We've called in a researcher who's on vacation here from Sinnoh. You should talk to him."
Before Brendan could speak, the construction lead was gone, chasing down the researcher. He came back moments later, a pair of people with him.
"Hello," the short, scrawny male researcher said, pushing his glasses higher up his nose and reaching out a hand. "I'm Prof. Tsumura. Would you mind telling me what you found in the caves?"
"Not at all," Brendan said. He recounted the tale, detailing the Pokemon with dots on its face, its attack, and its transformation.
"This transformation," the professor said. "Mega Evolution, you called it? I've never heard of it. How does it work?"
"It was only rediscovered recently. We aren't sure how it works, but so far it seems to be activated through stones held by a Pokemon and a trainer. This one was different, though. It just transformed on its own, and instead of becoming more powerful, it just went dead still."
"Interesting." The researcher squinted and looked up at the sky. Tapping his foot, he said, "Well, I don't think I've heard of the Pokemon you've described."
"But Daddy," the young, blue-haired girl at his side interrupted. "Doesn't it sound like Regigigas?"
"Baby, that's just an old myth," the researcher insisted, patting her on the head. "It isn't real."
"Regigigas?" Brendan asked.
"It's Sinnoh myth. There's no truth to any of it."
"Don't you know why they're cleaning up Victory Road?"
"True. Still, the Regigigas legend is just too farfetched. No evidence has ever surfaced in its support."
"Until now, possibly. The tunnels are covered in ancient writings. I found this key in the cave with the Pokemon." Brendan took the old book out of his bag. "I was able to decipher something written in the chamber. It said 'Registeel.'"
The researcher took the book and turned it over in his hands. He looked under the cover at the fading key.
"Registeel. Are you sure?"
"I'm positive," Brendan confirmed. The researcher sighed.
"I guess the legend is true after all, then. In which case, I want you to find out more," Prof. Tsumura said, handing back the key. "Although I'm still skeptical, to be perfectly honest."
"Daddy, be nice," his child said. He stroked her hair.
"Alright, alright. The legend says that Regigigas, from the Sinnoh region, was fearfully strong, capable of pulling the continents that Groudon had formed. It was revered by the ancients, but their fear overpowered their admiration. Supposedly, they sealed the Pokemon away in the Sinnoh. Before they did, Regigigas created three Pokemon in its image, crafted from earthly materials. To keep them from empowering Regigigas, they were carried far away and sealed into separate chambers."
"Call Steven," the head of repair cut in. "I just tried, I can't get ahold of him."
Brendan fiddled with his PokeNav and found Steven's number, dialing it. The gear rang for thirty seconds, but no one answered.
"The fool's probably found some pretty rocks," the head of repair said. "I'll keep trying to catch him. You should look for him when you go back in."
"Alright. I'm going to do that now," Brendan said. The researcher and his daughter left.
"Before you go: how are you doing on light?"
"The headlamp was starting to go out."
"Here, just switch helmets."
The man picked up a fresh helmet, checked the headlamp, and switched it with Brendan's. Brendan put on the new hardhat, thanked the man and returned to the cave.
He took the same path as before, dropping into the tunnels and reentering to the first chamber full of dots. He pulled out the key along with a notepad and pencil and started examining the walls, writing down his translations.
At the end of several lines, he stopped to read his work.
With one eye, and one arm, and a beast of three heads, a power-hungry man will conquer the world. His reign will be unjust, and his enforcement cruel. His three-headed monster will kill many, and his minions will kill many more. Pokemon will be annihilated. Trainers will be extinct. The world will cry.
Brendan closed his notebook and looked around. There must have been tens of thousands of words covering the walls. Hoping the next chamber would reveal more about Regigigas and its creations, Brendan left, walking through the narrow tunnels again.
When, after much walking, he found the next chamber, he learned that the previous story repeated. He translated a little more of the text, all of which related to the man conquering the world. Wanting more information about Registeel, and desperate to find May, he kept going, passing by Registeel's chamber and taking the tunnel into which his follower had earlier vanished.