After finally passing through a lush forest brimming with life, Dian said goodbye to Pancham and Pangoro. Before him lay a clearly man-made woodland trail, winding toward some unknown destination.
Dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves onto the ground beneath his feet, lending the scene a solemn air, as though the history of the past was about to be unveiled.
Dian trod over the soft fallen leaves, taking care not to hurt the Bug-type Pokémon sleeping among them.
Just moments earlier, a remarkably carefree Weedle had been curled up asleep in the middle of the trail. If the bubble it blew in its sleep had not been so large, he would have struggled to spot it.
He lifted a round, emerald-green leaf as large as his palm, and the view suddenly opened up. More than a dozen expedition members in yellow helmets and hiking clothes were examining ancient artifacts in the ruins and disarming traps left by the ancients.
Of course, some traps were nothing to fear. The greatest concern was whether another terrifying sealed entity might be lurking here.
The Ancient Pokémon civilization they had encountered not long ago was a case in point.
The moment Dian appeared, he spotted a fashionable woman with a Helioptile perched on her shoulder and the latest Lumiose Camera in her hand.
"Are you Scholar Yingyue? My name is Viola, a reporter with Lumiose Press." Viola approached and extended her right hand. "A pleasure to meet you."
"A pleasure to meet you, too." Dian added another question. "Would Gym Leader Viola of Santalune City happen to be your younger sister?"
He seemed to recall Fennel mentioning that her close friend Viola had an older sister who was a reporter, forever running around in search of news.
"That's right." Viola looked surprised for a