Pokémon Detective Case Files.

“On those isolated islands, primitive people who have never seen the world sometimes make a big fuss about their reflection in the mirror, feeling as if their souls are being sucked in. But in the end, what is in the mirror is just an illusion. The mirror itself does not emit light—on the contrary, light comes from the object itself, is faithfully reflected by the mirror, and is then collected by the viewer's eyes, creating an illusion of the person in the mirror in the mind of the person in front of the mirror.”

“In other words…” Joggs felt he had grasped something, “the changes in the shape of the Earth Clouds are not essentially due to the Revealing Mirror, but rather because—”

“The key is the light.” Akromar suddenly revealed a triumphant expression. He stood up and snapped on the switch of the machine he had just adjusted.

In an instant, the dozen or so rock-dwelling crabs, which had been moving at different times, all stood up at the same time and turned around in a circle. Their movements were so synchronized that it was as if they were being pulled by the same invisible thread.

The mad scientist turned to the historian.

"Just like these Crabtree-Dweller Pokémon that I control with the Acroma device—these Pokémon naturally possess the ability to 'spin.' But to stimulate them to act in unison, a strong external stimulus is needed. For this device, that stimulus is a specific frequency of radio waves—it can compile my commands into appropriate electrical signals in real time, thereby exerting control over the manipulated objects."

"As for the revealer, the stimulus must be some kind of light that is meaningful enough to the land clouds. What I need to do is find that light source."

“It’s not necessarily all light from beginning to end.” At this final step, Akromma surprisingly denied his own claim.

"Just like when I designed the Acromata device, in addition to brainwave control, I also prepared multiple methods such as voice input, manual control, and remote control, just in case. If I were the ancient person who made this mirror, I would at least add a function to this thing, such as... collecting external energy and converting it into light. After all, it was impossible to mass-produce reflectors to utilize solar energy in ancient times. To generate a strong light that could shake legendary Pokémon was extremely difficult."

"But if that's the case, then regarding the technological limitations of ancient times... simply harvesting external energy would also fall into the same predicament. Wait—"

At this point, Jogos abruptly stopped speaking.

An ancient building, slumbering on the seabed, suddenly came to mind.

Chapter 487 What are the fish and dragons in the sea doing?

The underwater ruins east of Ripple Town were originally a temple.

After all, throughout human history, pyramid-shaped structures have generally served only two purposes—either as places of worship or as mausoleums. Since the Plasma Cluster found no coffins of any members of the ancient Unitarian royal family in the ruins, the only plausible purpose for the entire structure is the former.

According to Jogos's years of archaeological and historical research, the temple was not built for any simple religious reason, but rather stemmed from a long power struggle between the royal family and the priesthood during the ancient Kingdom of Unova.

The two sides in this power struggle, each checking and balancing the other, needed each other and ultimately reached a tiring compromise before they grew to loathe each other. The royal family provided manpower, resources, and money, while the priestly group provided religious endorsement, giving the monarchy a veneer of "divine mandate." The former was also given an additional, nominally noble, but actually mutually beneficial function—praying for favorable weather and national peace and prosperity for the kingdom.

In short, before the temple was reduced to ruins, it served as both a monument symbolizing royal power and a niche for enshrining divine authority.

Later, whenever anything with mythical connotations was unearthed in the kingdom—whether it was a stone tablet of unknown origin or a gemstone containing various wondrous energies—the first reaction was to send it to this heavily guarded temple. This is why the stone tablets symbolizing the Three Holy Swords were enshrined here. And this is why Quidditch was able to extract so many tons of gold from it—the things in the safe are always the most valuable.

However, the fact that this temple is now submerged in the deep sea is not a coincidence caused by geological changes.

Joges's investigation concluded that it was impossible for a large pyramid structure to sink thousands of meters into the sea by relying solely on natural geological subsidence over a few hundred years.

That's purely man-made.

At the end of the Old Kingdom, when the civil war between the heirs to the throne reached its most brutal stage, the priests guarding the temple made a difficult but wise decision—they must not allow this temple, which could control the Three Cloud Gods and even more legendary beings, to fall into the hands of any side that was already bloodthirsty.

So they took a do-or-die approach and modified it.

With the help of a Pokémon that can generate power through song, and using countless unknown totems as a source of power, the priests made the entire temple slowly sink like a mudfish sinking into the mudflats, eventually sliding down the underground river into the fissures of the deep sea.

From then on, unless one relied on a specific Pokémon's "Dive" move or sufficiently modern deep-sea diving equipment, no one who coveted its power could reach this place. Even if someone were lucky enough to find the location, the labyrinthine interior of the temple and the seawater that flooded it would be enough to render any sacrificial ritual to awaken the gods futile.

But there was one thing they left behind.

That device that gathers a large amount of energy.

Even today, it still lies quietly in the deepest part of the temple, having endured thousands of years of seawater corrosion. Although its surface is covered with rust and its structure is incomplete, and although its original source of power—thousands of unknown totems—was captured and wiped out by the Plasma Group for Zero's project, leaving not a single one behind.

But the device itself was still intact when the plasma cluster excavated the underwater structure for the last time.

It's like a shell with its internal organs removed, but the skeleton still stands, waiting for someone to fill it with something new.

.

Joggs lifted his gaze from the mirror in his hand.

"Logically speaking, in order for that energy-gathering device to truly function, we must capture the singing Pokémon that assisted the priests of the ancient kingdom in sinking the temple into the deep sea—only with its song can the ruins be brought back to the surface."

But it is clear that, given the current situation, no one in the order has that luxury.

Landorus was already embroiled in a sandstorm, battling with Tornado and Thunderclouds, and simply didn't have time to wait for the underwater pyramid to slowly rise from the trench. Moreover, Team Plasma no longer had the extra manpower to search for a Mythical Pokémon that had long since vanished from the pages of history books.

"Actually, there is another way."

Joggs muttered to himself.

Otherwise, this historian, who has always maintained neutrality, would never have ended up where he is today.

"Symbol bird."

The Poké Ball flashed red. The Psychic-type partner, rumored to be the guardian deity of an ancient city, appeared beside the sage in blue robes.

"Use 'psychic power'—to help me communicate with the Earth Cloud."

Jörgs spoke at a steady pace, a plan he had already rehearsed repeatedly.

The next second, the single eye on the symbolic bird's head lit up with a ghostly blue light. Invisible spiritual energy, like spider silk, reached out, passing through the gaps in the swirling yellow sand and thunder, and precisely wrapped itself around the earth clouds that were engaged in fierce combat.

"Awaken the power of the stone slabs—Land Cloud, use 'Rock Lockdown'."

The command to "exile the shards" resounded clearly and coldly within the mental link. Before the Earth Cloud on the other end of the link could even respond, its hands instinctively gripped the stone slab in its palms. Earthy yellow energy surged from the surface of the slab, climbing up its arms and condensing into a heavy, almost solidified ball of light in its palms.

"Simultaneously capture thunderclouds and tornado clouds—"

The trainer's voice did not pause for a moment, yet it was as resolute as a blade carved into rock.

"Drag them to the bottom of the sea!"

And so, the land cloud erupted.

Those half-closed eyes suddenly opened, and the look in their pupils was no longer the tired and compassionate one they had before; instead, it was a kind of tyrannical and overwhelming will.

A sound that surpassed any previous commotion suddenly exploded in the center of the vortex.

At the same time, the earth-yellow figure suddenly accelerated in the "sandstorm," no longer dodging or blocking—the earth cloud's broad palms reached out simultaneously, grabbing the two figures intertwined with lightning and hurricane on the left and right sides respectively.

Even though the Thundercloud's "Evil Pulse" struck its shoulder and the Tornado Cloud's "Air Blade" slashed across its ribs, with air currents, lightning, and blood splattering at the same time, the Earthcloud merely groaned and didn't even blink.

At the cost of his numerous wounds, this god of abundance gained a chance to get close to his two archenemies.

Then, it caught it as expected.

With his muscular arms outstretched, Earth Cloud, carrying a rock slab in his mouth, controlled both opponents simultaneously in a posture that could be described as extreme. His powerful left hand gripped Thunder's neck, while his strong right hand's fingers seized Storm's throat.

The two legendary Pokémon simultaneously let out a screech mixed with anger and astonishment, their electric tails lashing wildly and the air currents surging violently, yet they could not break free from those iron-like grips even an inch.

And that's not all—

"Supernatural power"!

A ripple of superpower erupted from Landorus's eyes, like an invisible hammer, slamming into the minds of the two restrained cloud gods. A moment of confusion flashed in Thundurus's eyes, and Tornado's struggles suddenly weakened—it was only a lapse of less than a second, but for Landorus, it was enough.

The stone slab’s energy poured out from beneath its spiky white whiskers.

Rocks appeared out of thin air amidst thunder and gale, layer upon layer, like a giant hand closing in, swallowing the three legendary Pokémon locked in combat.

"Rock Blockade"!

Rumble rumble rumble rumble!

The roar of the colliding boulders drowned out the waves and thunder.

The sphere of rock and energy hovered briefly in the center of the sandstorm—then, propelled by the overwhelming force, it carried the three deities straight down into the boundless sea.

The splashing water shot straight into the sky.

Waves crashed like waterfalls, the sea churning. Joggs lowered his hand from his forehead; rainwater mingled with the splashing seawater, dripping down his sleeve.

"It's done," he said softly.

Behind Joges, the old archaeological platform creaked and groaned.

That was the groan of metal fatigued to its limit, rusted gears meshing with equally rusted chains, slowly and laboriously dragging a heavy, enclosed compartment up from below the platform along the crane.

The cabin is cylindrical, and its outer shell is covered with mottled rust and traces of sea creatures such as sun corals. Several round portholes are covered with salt stains and are translucent. This is the deep-sea work cabin used when excavating the seabed ruins. Because it was converted from an old type of oil well development equipment, it looks extremely simple and bulky, and it has been in disrepair for many years.

But Joggs did not hesitate.

As soon as the hatch opened, the historian strode into the room, immediately greeted by the smell of rust mixed with the salty tang of seawater.

The cabin was cramped, and most of the buttons on the control panel were illegible. Several exposed cables hung from the ceiling, swaying gently as the platform rocked.

"The symbol bird stays outside."

He turned and gave the order. The black-headed bird-shaped Pokémon perched on the edge of the hatch, its single blue eye fixed on him.

"Make sure the pulley system is working properly—then, use 'gravity' to send me down."

The symbolic bird let out a symbolic cry, as if expressing its reluctance to part. But Joggs simply pressed the rusty button and closed the hatch.

Fortunately, the facility wasn't completely ruined; the outer door and waterproofing layer closed smoothly and slowly under the motor's drive. However, the lighting seemed to be malfunctioning; the cabin fell into darkness shortly after it started operating, with only a faint gray light filtering in from the porthole.

Joggs had no time to feel relieved or dissatisfied with the facility's preservation. The next second, an invisible pressure pressed down on the cabin from above—it seemed his superpowered partner outside had faithfully carried out his orders.

The compartment jolted violently, the rusted winches screeched, and the pulleys spun wildly under the pressure. The deep-water work module plummeted toward the surface at an almost out-of-control speed, the impact sending up a spray of white water before continuing to sink.

The light outside the porthole dimmed rapidly.

The blue of the seawater changes from light to dark, from bright to muted, like a curtain being slowly drawn up.

The sky, rust, and rain above the platform all rapidly shrink within this small, round window until they disappear.

In the near-free-fall sensation of weightlessness, Joggs gripped the bulkhead, his fingers trembling slightly. He tried not to think about what would happen if a crack appeared in the rusted iron shell, simply watching quietly as the world outside the window sank into darkness.

The compartment continued to sink. The metal hull creaked under the pressure of the deep water, like the groan of some ancient skeleton.

Deeper inside, a faint light flickered.

Yellowish-brown, blue-white, and purple-green—three colors of light intertwined, collided, and tore at each other in the deep sea, yet remained trapped within a layer of ochre-red rock. The man-made cage slowly rolled with the ocean currents, stirring up a cloud of murky mud with each rotation.

The seawater relentlessly pounded against the surface of the rocks, dissolving the debris and leaving a long, yellowish-brown tail trailing beneath. But at the same time, the land cloud and the rock slabs were continuously reinforcing the seal—no matter how the lightning cloud and tornado cloud struggled in the confined space, the "rock seal" showed no significant weakening.

The only remaining variable is time.

Land Cloud's stamina probably won't last much longer.

But it doesn't need to persist any longer.

Because at this very moment, that underwater ruin—that mysterious pyramid that lies dormant at the bottom of the trench—is almost within reach.

Chapter 488 Within the Temple

Clearly, the cloud gods' control over the air does not disappear due to changes in location.

After sinking into the deep sea, the land cloud, thunder cloud, and tornado cloud still unconsciously found a hollow area inside the pyramid that still contained some air, relying on an almost instinctive intuition—perhaps also due to their ancient memories of the temple.

Then, they crashed right in.

With a deafening roar, a large amount of seawater rushed into the crack in the pyramid under the pressure of the water, but soon it was blocked by the collapsing wedge-shaped stones and the narrow passage structure, so that the precious air could no longer escape.

Meanwhile, the three legendary Pokémon locked in combat continued their battle inside the ruins, their conflict further exacerbating the collapse of the outer wall and ultimately sealing the crack completely with rubble.

Seeing this, Jogos breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed everything was going as expected.

Inside the now-stationary elevator, he began operating the control panel, whose indicator lights were completely off.

The buttons no longer have any light feedback, and the elderly man has to rely on his memory from years ago to grope around and press them blindly in the dark.

He first completed the docking and securing of the elevator and the underwater section, then opened the watertight layer between them. The muffled sound of seawater being expelled by air pressure could be heard through the bulkhead.

After the faint sound of the pressure balance indicator rang out, he tried to push open the inner door—unsurprisingly, it got stuck. The rusted hinges were tightly bound to the door frame, forcing Joggs to use his old bones to push and pull with all his might to barely open it.

This connects to another entrance to the underwater ruins.

Several spare oxygen cylinders left behind by the workers who moved the gold years ago were piled up beside the passage. Joggs didn't mind the unidentifiable colonies growing on them, and picked out the one with the most remaining to carry with him, just in case.

However, given the depth of this ruin, if something unexpected were to happen, this thing would probably only serve to delay death slightly.

Finding the location of the land clouds wasn't difficult. Joggs quickly followed the direction of the fighting sounds.

The three elves passed through the original ventilation shaft of the pyramid and fell into a deeper secondary chamber, just one step away from the altar planned by the historians.

The sage breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed they hadn't fallen into the underwater labyrinth as the worst-case scenario had been planned—meaning achieving the goal wouldn't be too difficult.

Under the deafening roar of the three enraged gods relentlessly destroying the walls, Joggs raised his portable flashlight high and approached step by step. The beam of light within the massive pyramid was practically indistinguishable from a candle.

"Land Clouds—guide them to the altar on the left."

As they reached the deities, the historian shouted.

The tiny beam of light first shone precisely on the Earth Cloud's large, bloodshot eyes, then swayed toward the passage leading to the altar.

The attention of the god of abundance was indeed drawn.

By this time, it had been forced to drag its still-wounded body into a long, grueling battle against its nemesis, fighting two opponents against one. Furthermore, due to Joggs's orders, it was forced to drag its two adversaries into the dark depths of the sea, at the cost of severe injury. Now, utterly exhausted, it was being overwhelmed by the thunderclouds and tornadoes.