Chapter four
Enter team galactic
In the vaults, Mr. Stone's efforts proved fruitless. Every test carried out shared the same results. Something was inside, but there was no sign of life. The egg was now a fossil. Scientifically, there was no explanation for Cynthia's outburst.
Lost for words, Carolina sensed Mr. Stone about to suggest flying the egg to Hoenn. She made a last-ditch effort to keep the egg in the manor. "There is one thing we haven't tried yet, Mr. Stone," she said, her voice steady despite her inner turmoil.
This piqued his interest. With a confused look, he responded, "Oh, and what might that be?"
With great reluctance, she replied, her tone heavy, "We could bring the egg to the ruins."
Mr. Stone struggled to maintain his professionalism. Internally, he was screaming with enthusiasm. After years of failed attempts to examine the stone, he had finally gained access to the vaults and now the ruins. He quickly agreed, and they made haste to the ruins.
Standing in front of the ruins, Mr. Stone was mesmerized. Almost as if he could sense an ancient aura, he wondered what secrets of the past the ruins held. They were stopped by security at the entrance. Mr. Stone was taken aback, but Carolina stepped in and told the guards she had permitted him. At first, unsure how to react, the guards exchanged glances. Seeing the determination in her eyes, they knew she was in charge and let them through.
Inside the ruins, Mr. Stone's eyes were immediately drawn to the cave drawing on the center of the back wall. The sketches looked eerily similar to the legends of the lake guardians of Sinnoh's three great lakes. 'Well, I guess this is where the legend came from,' he thought, wondering if this meant the legend was true.
"I'm sure you've heard of the legend of the lake guardians," Carolina said, breaking his thoughts.
"Of course," he replied. "Those legends are well known even outside Sinnoh. I'm guessing this has something to do with why you brought me here."
"These three beings gave us the ability to have knowledge, emotions, and willpower. I'm sure this applies to Pokémon as well. If something is truly inside this egg, surely these three have the power to unleash it," Carolina said, her voice filled with determination and hope.
Confused, Mr. Stone raised an eyebrow and replied, "Why are you so sure just mere images of these Pokémon are enough?"
In a faint whisper, Carolina replied, "Because I need them to be." She was terrified of what it would mean if it failed. They walked up to the sketches and raised the egg, hoping for something to happen.
Outside the cave, the security guards stood in silence. The only noises they could hear were the voices from the ruins and the rustle of the leaves blowing in the wind, unaware of the danger lurking from afar. Two members of Team Galactic were hiding in the trees, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. With orders from headquarters to investigate the ruins, they were uninformed that anyone would be in the ruins today. Now unsure if they should wait or retreat.
As Cynthia and Steven were heading back to the manor, Cynthia became overwhelmed with an urge to visit the ruins. Steven could feel Cynthia's hand gripping tighter, so he stopped walking, wanting to ask what was wrong. Trying to control her overwhelming emotions, she smiled at Steven, asking if he would like to see the ruins before they went back. Shocked, thinking something was wrong, he happily agreed, seeing the girl's smile, relieved nothing was wrong. Or so he believed.
Wanting to hear what was going on inside the cave, the Team Galactic members decided to strike the security guards and pose as them. Within minutes, they managed to take the guards by surprise and knock them unconscious. With the stealth of ninjas, they were able to hide them in the forest and take their uniforms. Now they were standing as guards outside the ruins, making the switch without a sound.
Cynthia and Steven approached the ruins. The Galactic grunts quickly eyed each other, wondering how to act. With her overwhelming urge to enter the ruins, Cynthia hardly noticed the guards, while Steven was curious about what would happen. Seeing the girl's confidence, they gathered she was allowed to enter, so they merely nodded their heads as a signal to enter. Cynthia strode past them, not acknowledging them. Steven nodded his head to show he noted them.
Both children were shocked to see Mr. Stone and Carolina in the ruins and with the egg no less. They turned around to see the children standing there hand in hand. Both couldn't help but notice how sweet they looked. Carolina came back to her senses first, realizing the danger the children were placing themselves in, knowing how unstable the ruins became. Trying to scold her granddaughter, she soon stopped when she saw her release the boy's hand and run towards the egg. So far, the egg did not react to the cave paintings, so with reluctance, she allowed her granddaughter to take the egg.
Hearing the conversation continue inside, the grunts realized the egg might be more valuable than the ruins they were sent to investigate. They burst into the cave with Poké Balls in hand and released a Bronzor and Skuntank, shouting, "Hand over the egg now!"
Shocked at the sudden appearance of the two security guards, Carolina shouted angrily, "What do you think you are doing?" Just as she finished shouting, she realized they were not the same guards who let her in. Realizing something was seriously wrong, she jumped in front of her granddaughter in a protective stance.
"We won't ask again. Hand the egg over, or we will use force."
The commotion saw Cynthia grip the egg even tighter, worry overcoming her over the safety of the egg. Both Carolina and Mr. Stone were unsure what to do. They had no Pokémon on them and were powerless to stand up to a physical assault. Steven, knowing his father had brought no Pokémon with him, quickly released his Aron and Beldum, his two strongest Pokémon. Mr. Stone shouted to his son to be careful, angry at himself for having to rely on him for safety.
The grunts called for their Pokémon to attack. They were more experienced in battle than Steven and his Pokémon. However, Steven's Pokémon had good defense. This was his plan, hoping to hold off the enemy, giving everyone time to escape unnoticed. Unfortunately, Carolina was the only one aware of the ruin's instability. With the clash of the Pokémon's moves, more rocks started to fall, and the ground began shaking.
Trying his best to hold off the grunts, the enemy's Pokémon attacks began to slip through his defenses. The shock knocked Mr. Stone and Carolina off their feet. Cynthia had already fallen to the ground to protect the egg with her body.
Things were getting more intense as more rocks began falling. Having to dodge the falling rocks and the Pokémon attacks proved too much. Everyone had taken physical damage from the commotion. Steven was now down to just his Beldum as this Pokémon could levitate, making it easier to dodge. Their defenses were even weaker now. This caused an attack to hit Cynthia directly. The girl was thrown against the back wall with the cave paintings. Tears began to flow from her eyes, and blood from her wounds dripped onto the egg.
Suddenly, the red circle in the middle of the three lake guardians began to glow, followed by the eyes of the lake guardians in the paintings. A bright light emerged, and everyone was blinded, bringing a stop to the barrage of attacks. When the light died down, everyone froze at the realization of the three lake guardians in front of them.
Uxie, the being of knowledge, Mesprit, the being of emotion, and Azelf, the being of willpower, levitated in front of everyone. Shocked with the realization that the legends were true and now hearing the lake guardians' voices in their heads, speaking through telepathy, the lake guardians surrounded Cynthia, analyzing the situation.
"The girl has a strong sense of emotion. I can feel the love she has for the egg; surely she is the one."
"The girl has the knowledge of the rich history of the egg; surely she is the one."
"The girl has the willpower to protect the egg at all costs; surely she is the one."
All the lake guardians came to the same conclusion. With another strong flash of light, the lake guardians vanished. When the light faded, all everyone could see was smoke surrounding where Cynthia was. Everyone stood frozen, waiting for the smoke to clear, terrified of what they would find.
When the smoke cleared, they saw Cynthia on the ground, curled in a ball. Slowly she raised her head, revealing herself bruised, battered, and holding a strange creature. After everyone took in the shocking sight, she rose to her feet, showing she was still bleeding and holding the creature in her arms. As it roared, the Galactic grunts ran away, while the rest stood in awe.
