"Since you're already here, I'll take you to see something fun."
Led by Wallace, the three left Gym and followed the path in front of it to the isolated island in the middle. In the middle stood a towering tree surrounded by a fence, the same tree they had seen on their way there.
In front of the big tree, there was a brightly colored flower, surrounded by seven colors. Unfortunately, it was already late, and even the sunset could not be seen.
"This flower is the Eternal Flower, planted by the chieftains of both races after Rayquaza defeated Groudon and Kyogre. It symbolizes the eternal friendship between the Sootopolis People and the Meteor People."
Outside the isolated island, a stage is being built on the water, which is the stage needed for tomorrow's Sootopolis Festival performance.
Wallace then led the group north, where a towering black building, resembling a towering pagoda, appeared before them.
That is the Sky Pillar, built as a memorial after Rayquaza defeated Kyogre and Groudon.
The Sky Pillar is jointly protected by the Sootopolis People and the Meteor People, with the Meteor People guarding the entrance to the Sky Pillar.
The seal protecting the Sky Pillar is held by the Sootopolis People; without either one, the gate to the Sky Pillar cannot be opened.
So they could only wander around the perimeter. Of course, even on the perimeter, there were guards patrolling all the time to prevent outsiders from entering.
Roy used the System Scan the Pokémon of the two guardians. These two guardians of the Sky Pillar were stronger than the two guardians on the outskirts of Sootopolis City.
Both of their Pokémon are at the Intermediate King level, and the fact that they have two Intermediate King level Pokémon Trainer guarding the gate shows how much they value it.
The two guards were about to stop Roy and his group from approaching when they saw them, but after seeing Wallace standing nearby, they only glanced at them twice and then ignored them.
Since they couldn't go up anyway, the group only looked around from the outside before arriving at the last attraction in Sootopolis City.
Awakening Temple.
In the game, it is also known as the Cave of Origin, corresponding to the Land of Life's End Mt. Pyre.
Unlike the Awakening Temple in the game, the real-life Awakening Temple is more like an exhibition hall, with many murals inside. One of the murals depicts a red behemoth and a blue behemoth, with a green dragon sandwiched between them.
It tells the story of how the Rift Caterpillar resolved the conflict between the Can't Fly and the Fathead Fish.
Photography is not allowed here either, but it is now open to the public so that more people can learn about that period of history.
Cynthia had already taken out her little notebook and started writing and drawing. Roy remembered that when Cynthia first came, she had only used a few pages of this little notebook, but now she saw that it was already half full.
How much must they have memorized?
Looking at the murals on the wall, Roy remembered that in the game Awakening Temple could summon Groudon and Kyogre, and he happened to have two of those gems on him.
Of course, he was just thinking about it; if he actually summoned the "Can't Fly" and the "Fathead Fish," he wouldn't be able to handle it.
Furthermore, Giratina can't appear, otherwise it would also bring out Dialga and Palkia, and then the six Legendary Pokémon would fight, turning the entire Shanxi-Northwest region into complete chaos.
I remember the last time I saw a scene like this was during the movie "Hoopa Unbound".
Then wouldn't Roy also be considered Hoopa Confined?
What are you thinking about? You seem so engrossed.
Wallace nudged Roy, who was fantasizing about a battle between six Legendary Pokémon.
"Six Legendary Pokémon destroyed Sootopolis City together."
"What the hell? Destroy what?"
"Huh? It's nothing."
"It's alright, I misheard you saying you were going to destroy Sootopolis City."
When confronted by Wallace, Roy vehemently denied it, stating that Wallace wasn't old yet, but his hearing was already failing.
After showing Roy, Cynthia, and his eldest niece around several classic buildings, it was already quite dark, and the streetlights in Sootopolis City were turned on.
Even without streetlights, the stars in the sky are enough to illuminate the way forward, and the starry sky in Sootopolis City seems exceptionally bright.
Cynthia looked up at the sky and saw the edge of the crater; the stars seemed to be enclosed inside the crater.
"When are we going to eat?! Are you trying to starve me to death?"
Roy grumbled the whole way, clutching his stomach.
"We're here, we're here, don't rush."
Wallace led the three to a small shop in an alley.
The three were told that this place had local delicacies from Sootopolis City, a history that had been passed down for nearly a thousand years.
Tasting local delicacies is also a way to understand a people.
Before Roy even entered the small shop, he was drawn in by a fragrant aroma wafting from the entrance. The shop only sold one type of noodle dish: Sootopolis Clear Broth Noodles.
"Grandma, four bowls of noodles, please."
Upon hearing Wallace's call, an old lady from inside the shop came out to greet them. Seeing that it was Wallace and his group, she immediately invited them to sit down and served them food.
Beside the old lady was a Goodra wearing an apron, and Roy immediately sensed that this Goodra was no ordinary creature.
System Scan
Pokémon: Goodra
Level: 80
Sex: Female
Ability: Sap Sipper (When attacked by Grass type moves, you will not take damage, but your Attack will increase.)
Skills: Tackle, Absorb, Bubble, Protect, Aqua Tail, Dragon Breath, Rain Dance, Rain Dance, Body Slam Flail, Muddy Water, Dragon Pulse, Power Whip, Outrage
Items to bring: Leftovers
Egg Move: Life Dew
Individual Values: 25
Technical Machine /Skill Transfer: Dragon Tail, Draco Meteor, Flamethrower, Blizzard, Muddy Water
It's actually a High-level Elite Four level Goodra?
This is the true hidden master.
A short while later, Goodra brought up four bowls of noodles for each of the group, with Cynthia and Lisia's bowls being small bowls.
Looking at the watery broth in his bowl, Roy thought to himself that it was even worse than the ramen made by the uncle in the Academy cafeteria.
But since we're already here...
The moment Roy took a bite, he was stunned. The noodles were smooth and tender, and the broth looked light but was surprisingly delicious. Once you took a bite, you just couldn't stop.
The old lady watched Roy devour his noodles, reminding Roy, "Eat slowly, child, there's more." She then went back to the shop's kitchen to cook more noodles for Roy.
Seeing the happy expressions on the diners' faces while they eat brings her joy.
Seeing Roy eating so heartily, the Snorunt in his arms made a pair of ice chopsticks for itself, but no matter how hard it tried, its little round hands couldn't grasp the chopsticks like Roy's.
Seeing that Lisia also wanted to eat Snorunt, Rukia picked out a noodle from her own bowl and fed it to Snorunt. Snorunt slurped up the long noodle and sucked it into his mouth.
I chewed and chewed, but the taste seemed just so-so.
The Snorunt, puzzled as to why Roy was eating so heartily, pulled out a baby bottle from somewhere, the Moomoo Milk inside still emitting a purple aura.
Snorunt, holding his milk bottle, also started eating his dinner.
"Phew, that feels so good."
Roy put down the last bowl of noodles for the day. He had eaten 25 bowls of noodles by himself, and only after finishing all the ingredients the old lady had prepared did he finally let Wallace go to pay the bill.
Looking at the pile of bowls, almost half a person high, Wallace. He knew he shouldn't have brought Roy here; it wasn't that Roy couldn't afford it, but it was just too embarrassing.
He, Cynthia, and Lisia ate a total of two and a half bowls, and Roy ate the rest by himself. After Wallace's introduction, Roy and Cynthia learned that this old lady was actually one of the clan leaders of the Sootopolis People.
However, now that the old lady is getting old, she no longer cares about the affairs of the Sootopolis People. Every day, she just cooks some noodles in the shop for passing customers.
It turns out he's the chieftain of the Sootopolis People, so it's not surprising that he has a High-level Elite Four -Goodra.
After having dinner at the old lady's restaurant, Wallace, Roy, and Cynthia took them to the Gym where they were arranged to stay for the three of them.
The rooms Gym only look rustic on the outside; inside, they're no different from the apartment-style accommodations at the Pokémon Center.
The Sootopolis Festival is tomorrow, and the Meteor People will also be attending. Wallace reminded the group to get up early to secure good spots, and as they left, he said to Roy:
"Don't be captivated by my elegant figure tomorrow."
"Just don't poop a big mess."
"Gun!"