Photos

From what I understood, the Underwater Ruins had several levels. I did not know how many, but so far, I had made it to the second floor. This time, our goal was to reach the deepest part. So I headed toward the second floor as quickly as I could.

For now, I followed the published map. I had no time to spare, so I simply kept moving while taking photographs.

I had a record for the moment, but it would be best to gather more.

I wanted to know what these ruins had been used for.

There were only maze-like passages inside. It did not look like a place where people had lived or performed rituals. I still did not understand what it had been designed for. If the upper levels had the same structure, then perhaps it had been built this way to prevent intruders from reaching them.

After a while, a red stone wall appeared. Something resembling hieroglyphs was carved into it. When I touched the stone, my legs moved on their own, opening a path. I also spotted a hole through which we could climb up.

According to the information we had gathered earlier, the mechanism activated by touching it was unknown. These were also the hieroglyphs mentioned in the paper. Some progress had recently been made in deciphering them, revealing the existence of the "king" Kaim had mentioned. Hair.

I saved a record of the hieroglyphs and ascended to the next level.

The second floor was also structured like a maze.

Little progress had been made in exploring the second floor. We avoided routes that had already been traveled while searching for a way up.

Cynthia gave instructions with her fingers, and Milotic obeyed.

Kaim continued recording the interior of the ruins with his camera while directing Milotic along the route.

I don't think this was a residential or ceremonial area. It rejected intruders from the outset-no, it was built to test them.

Just then, I thought a somewhat muffled sound reached Kaim's ears.

Now.

When I looked at Cynthia, she nodded, apparently having heard it too.

Is there reason to think it's connected to the time limit?

Knowing that worrying would accomplish nothing, I continued exploring as quickly as possible.

Cynthia and the others were currently exploring an unknown route. That meant noting which way to go whenever we reached a fork. Although we were recording video, having multiple recording media was preferable, so I continued taking pictures with the backup camera.

After we had traveled a little farther, a red stone like the one used to reach the upper floor appeared before me, blocking the way. I tried touching it as I had on the first floor, but it did not seem to move.

A dead end? Did I take the wrong route?

I did not know which path was correct, since this route was unexplored. Even discovering that this path was a failure would count as progress.

With little time left, we were about to tell Milotic to turn back and look for another route, but Kaim photographed the red stone using his camera's flash. It bore the same hieroglyphs I had seen earlier.

Once Kaim confirmed that the photograph had been taken and properly saved, he nodded to Cynthia. Seeing that, Cynthia tried giving Milotic another instruction.

But then something unbelievable happened. The red stone in front of us moved, opening the way.

It moved?! Why?

I had done nothing special. At most, Kaim had written that I had merely taken a photograph for the record. Even so, the stone moved on its own and opened the way.

The instant the stone moved had also been captured on video. I did not know why it had happened, but with the path open, I had no choice but to move forward.

Anyway, good luck. I have to keep going.

It was an unexpected stroke of luck, but it was still another discovery.

Continuing onward, we found a place where we could climb to the next level.

I did it! I can go upstairs!

The two of them reached the previously unexplored third floor.

The third floor was also built like a maze, with red stones visible throughout.

I wonder how many floors there are. Even considering the size of these ruins, I think there can only be one or two left.

With the overall situation still unclear, there was little room for speculation. I did not know how much time remained, but it certainly was not much.

Regardless, Cynthia still wanted to press on.

A little farther ahead, I found something resembling a coin on the path. When I picked it up, it appeared to be a coin engraved with hieroglyphs.

Currency from when this civilization existed. I'm glad we found an actual specimen.

I slipped the coin into a pocket of my suit and continued searching.

Immediately afterward, a muffled sound echoed throughout the ruins.

There it is again. We don't have much time left.

I gave Milotic instructions and continued forward.

Then another red stone blocked the path.

Is it a dead end ahead?

Beside him, Kaim recorded it with his camera. As he did, he tried illuminating the stone with the flash, but it did not move.

This doesn't look promising. I don't have time, so I suppose I'll have to move on.

I touched the stone, but nothing changed.

As a test, Kaim pushed the stone as hard as he could. With such a large stone, and so little leverage underwater, there was naturally no way to break it. Of course, Kaim would not have been able to move it on land either.

No good? As expected, I can't move it underwater.

I have no choice but to take another route.

Then something unbelievable happened again. The red stone in front of us moved, opening the way.

Whoa, what's going on? Lucky for us, but the logic is completely unclear.

Even if there were conditions involved, too much remained incomprehensible. What triggered it? How did the stone move? What exactly was this red stone? There were too many unanswered questions, but I had no time to think about them here.

Following the open passage, I found another place where we could climb to the next level.

Wonderful. I can't believe we've found two unexplored floors today.

Grateful to have obtained such valuable records, the two of them climbed higher.

The place I reached was not another maze-like structure, but a fairly spacious chamber with several red stones scattered along its walls.

I wonder if this is the deepest part. There doesn't seem to be any way to go higher, so it must be.

All the stones have hieroglyphs on them. Should I photograph them all?

Both Cynthia and Kaim photographed the red stones and saved the pictures as records.

I still don't know what they say, but this is essential data for analysis. I never expected to gather so much.

Honestly, simply establishing a route to the deepest part was already a substantial discovery. There were also many unreadable characters. I did not think we could decipher them anytime soon, but once we did, the investigation of these ruins would advance considerably.

It would not be easy. But that had always been the case. When Cynthia finally voiced what these ruins were, emotion suddenly burst within her heart.

!The sound is already close. Time's almost up.

A muffled sound rang out nearby. It was much louder than before, and I could tell it was closer.

I wonder if there's anything more I can do. I'd like to investigate further if possible.

As I looked around the chamber for one last thing, I saw something lying in the center.

I directed Milotic over there, and sure enough, something was there. When I picked it up and examined it, it looked like a crown.

The two of them exchanged a glance.

Is this a crown?

It's made from a metal I've never seen before. Perhaps it came from the technology of that era.

A muffled sound could be heard drawing closer.

According to the preliminary information, Cynthia and the others would be swept outside by the current that produced the sound.

The two of them held on to Milotic and braced for the current.

Whoa!

It's strong!

Held by Milotic, the two of them were swept away by the current.

"Pwah!"

"Hah..."

After being pushed to the surface by the current, they removed their goggles and snorkels and let out long breaths.

"The current was stronger than I expected."

"That could be traumatic for some people."

"How did it get here from such an enclosed place?"

"I don't know. I left the camera running, but even I couldn't tell while being swept away, so there's not much hope."

At the very least, that space should not have offered a passage large enough for either of them. Yet I had been swept away and found myself floating on the surface. Even if we discovered what the ruins actually were, I had a feeling we would never figure out how the current worked. There was no way for me to investigate it.

As I caught my breath, I saw the guide waving from Lapras's back.

"Milotic, let's head back."

The two of them went over to the guide, then took seats at the Pokémon Center's entrance facing the sea.

"I'll review the photographs later, but this is the issue."

I placed the crown we had brought back from the deepest part on the table.

It was made of metal and was simply a crown. Its very existence, however, lent greater weight to the "king" mentioned in the paper.

"A crown...?"

"The decorations are quite elaborate. And although this crown must have been enshrined in those ruins for a very long time, it's hardly damaged. It could remain there without deteriorating."

"Ancient technology, perhaps?"

"That would make sense."

Many technologies had existed in ancient times that no longer existed today. Even with modern scientific advances, many objects that could not be reproduced were still being excavated from ruins. Some might have relied on the power of Pokémon, but even then, certain things remained inexplicable.

"I don't know whether my analysis is wrong, but perhaps this metal doesn't exist in the modern world."

"Perhaps. In any case, this investigation turned out well, didn't it?"

"Yes."

"It looks like I'll be busy again, requesting analyses, creating and publishing a route map. I'll ask researchers of Unova's history to cooperate, and request storage for this crown."

"I'm thinking of writing a paper about these ruins. I'm sure it'll be interesting."

Kaim felt somewhat astonished as he soothed Cynthia, who had already begun planning the paper in her head.

"Don't get too worked up."

At times like this, Cynthia tended to become overly excited, so it was Kaim's job to rein her in.

"I know. But please stop me."

"Let's do better."

"Also, thank you for taking part in today's investigation."

"You were going. Why wouldn't I?"

As he spoke, Kaim brushed back his wet hair and peeled the wetsuit off his upper body.

"Phew, that was tough."

"Yes. But I don't hate it."

"Well..."

Like Kaim, Cynthia also took off her suit. Beneath it was a black bikini-style swimsuit. It suited Cynthia's usual image, with her preference for black clothing.

There were plenty of people on the beach, since the Pokémon Center's entrance was nearby. Merely removing the upper half of her wetsuit drew many eyes to Cynthia, from men and women alike.

Besides, an exceptionally rare and beautiful Milotic was beside them. There was no reason they would not stand out.

"Kaim?"

"...Everything."

Unused to attracting attention, Kaim was already feeling rather drained from being beside Cynthia in this situation.

The women looked on with envy, while the men gazed at Cynthia with expressions that, from Kaim's perspective, were unpleasant to varying degrees. That was worse for Kaim's mental well-being than simply attracting attention.

"Oh, I see."

Noticing the looks from those around them, Cynthia understood Kaim's expression.

She considered teasing Kaim, who was still unused to being the center of attention, but he rarely showed even a hint of "that sort" of emotion. So Cynthia rose from her seat without teasing him.

"Salt water makes you all sticky, so let's shower quickly and head back to the villa."

"What are you going to do with this crown?"

They could not leave an extremely valuable artifact from the ruins somewhere with poor security. But taking it to Caitlin's villa was another matter. Since it concerned the history of the Unova Region, even a Champion from another region could not treat it carelessly.

Of course, Shirona was capable of saying that much too.

"For now, I'll leave it at the Pokémon Center. It's an extremely valuable artifact for the Unova Region. I can't deal with it on my own, so I think leaving it at a public facility like this is best."

"Right. But what about examining the object itself?"

"I've photographed the whole thing. If something urgent comes up, I can use my rights as its discoverer to borrow the actual object temporarily, so it'll be fine."

"I see. I'll leave it to you, then."

"Yes."

The two of them explained the circumstances, contacted a history museum in the Unova Region, left the crown at the Pokémon Center, showered, and returned to the villa.

At this time, Narrow Wave Town was bustling with tourists, and many people wandered around town in swimsuits. Shirona and the others therefore headed to the villa in their swimwear too.

Cynthia's swimsuit once again became the focus of attention, and Kaim wore a strained expression.

"What's with that miserable look?"

The reason was obvious to everyone, but Cynthia dared to ask Kaim anyway.

"This is hard..."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

The unexpected answer made Shirona reflexively ask him to explain.

"I think being your boyfriend is hard."

Cynthia was beautiful and had a wonderful figure. When such a beautiful woman walked around in a swimsuit-even though she was wearing a hoodie now-anyone would find it hard not to stare.

And when that woman was his lover, he felt a strong urge to boast to everyone around him. Yet the feeling that he did not measure up left him mentally exhausted, along with a little anger toward those glaring at him.

"What? Are you saying you're not a match for me again?"

"Honestly, even now, I don't think we're evenly matched. But even so, I'll work hard to make us so."

"You don't have to. Don't worry about the details."

Of course, not only Cynthia herself but even Caitlin acknowledged Kaim. Cynthia loved him, so she might have been somewhat biased, but Caitlin was different. No matter how close Caitlin was to someone, she would not accept a person who lacked the appropriate ability and character.

That very Caitlin had said she "recognized" Kaim. That was why Cynthia thought it was a problem that Kaim still needed more time to gain confidence.

Kaim returned to Cynthia's side, and Cynthia thought so too.