February 16th, Tuesday.
“Where the heck are we, James?!”
After finishing their distress call, the Team Rocket trio’s phone ran out of credit and officially went out of service.
Jessie shook James by the neck like crazy. “Hurry up and think of something!”
“I—I’m trying!” James’s face was turning purple.
“Feels like James is gonna die in Jessie’s hands first, meow~” Meowth sweatdropped.
Jessie instinctively let go and gave an awkward laugh behind her hand. “Ohohoho, my bad, lost my temper.”

“In any case…”
The ever-patient James caught his breath and said helplessly, “The flashlight still works. Let’s just keep moving forward!”
The flashlight’s beam lit up the ruins’ worn-down walls, from which bits of sand and stone were constantly falling.
“Feels like… we’ve stepped into the inner part of some ruin, meow.” Meowth shivered.
“Who would’ve thought following that twerp would lead us into this mess!” Jessie stomped her foot in anger.

In that instant, it was as if she triggered some kind of mechanism—
A giant iron boulder started rolling toward the trio from the far end of the corridor.
The three of them screamed as they ran for their lives: “What a horrible feeling!”
“So~naaace!”

Deeper inside the ruins.
Ash tilted his head. “Pikachu, did you hear something just now?”
“Pika-chu?”
“Never mind. Let’s keep looking. Mr. Brandon should be nearby!”

After two weeks in the Battle Frontier, Ash had only one Symbol of Valor left.
He’d heard that Brandon, the pyramid king and head of the Frontier, was currently investigating ruins in this area.
So he brought Pikachu along, planning to challenge him once they met.

The ruins were dimly lit. Footsteps echoed deep in the cavern.
Ash ran eagerly toward the sound—and smacked right into a broad, muscular back.
“Oww!” Ash rubbed his forehead.

Brandon had been studying the ruins when the sudden bump made him stumble, forcing him to steady his aching back. He said coldly,
“Young man, you are…?”
“I’m Ash from Pallet Town!” Ash clenched his fists, his face full of excitement. “You’re Mr. Brandon, right? I’ve collected five Symbols, and I’m here to challenge you!”

“Wrong!!”
Brandon shouted so loud that Ash jumped in fright.
“To challenge me, you mustn’t recklessly charge into such a dangerous ruin! Courage without wisdom is not bravery!”

“Seriously… aren’t you in here too?”
“I’m an archaeologist. I came here to investigate the ruins of the Kingdom of Pokélantis!”
“Pokélantis… Kingdom?”

Brandon glanced at Ash, then continued walking deeper into the cave. When he noticed Ash persistently following him, he closed his eyes and began explaining:
“According to legend, the King of Pokélantis angered Ho-Oh, and overnight, the entire kingdom was wiped from existence.”
“However, its ruins remain. It’s said this place still seals the king’s ambitions and darkness…”

“You mean this thing?”
Ash pointed to an ancient stone orb in his hands.

Brandon froze, glancing at the surrounding walls of the ruins. His expression changed.
“No!! Put it back immediately!!”

But it was too late.
A cold, sinister aura seeped from the stone orb—the vengeful spirit of the Pokélantis King latched onto Ash.

Ash’s eyes turned blank, and he suddenly burst out laughing with over-the-top theatrics:
“Keh keh keh! After thousands of years, I have finally returned to the world of the living!”

“Pikachu?” Pikachu trembled in fear · jpg.

Brandon twitched, then placed his right hand over his chest.
“Great King, if I may… Should you defeat me in battle, I shall offer you the legendary titan.”
Maybe I can use this chance to rescue the boy, Brandon thought.

“Very well, I accept your offer!” ‘Ash’ nodded eagerly.
He actually agreed!

Brandon hadn’t expected the spirit to be so easily manipulated. He cleared his throat. “Then please follow me to the Battle Pyramid outside the ruins.”
“I shall face you in battle!”

Meanwhile, Team Rocket’s phone was once again—cut off.
Lu Ye, with a complicated expression, called Proton.

“Mind sending me Meowth Coin’s location ping?”
Proton sounded a bit dazed. “You’re going to rescue them again?”
“Yeah… Actually, shouldn’t this be Giovanni’s job?”
“Haha, same difference… same difference…”

Then Proton suddenly realized his slip and tensed up.
“I’ve sent it to you—forget what I just said!”
“Got it. I’ve already recorded it. I’ll send it to Giovanni later.”
“Noooo!!”

Ignoring Proton’s screams,
Lu Ye hung up the phone and got ready.
He let Rotom float in the air to act as a navigator to Meowth’s location.

“Where are you headed?” Cynthia asked curiously.
“Uh… Three idiots got themselves trapped in some ruins. I’m going to fish them out.”

Ruins—
Click! That word seemed to trigger something.
“I’m coming too,” Cynthia said with a smile.

Lu Ye blinked, then readily agreed.
As a mythology and archaeology expert, Cynthia was highly familiar with these areas.
Her presence instantly boosted the mission’s safety level.

“Which ruins exactly?” Cynthia asked.
“Near Pewter City… I’ll send you the location.”

She glanced at the coordinates on her phone, thought for a moment, and murmured,
“This place… seems to be the legendary Pokélantis Kingdom.”
Pokélantis?

Lu Ye looked up at the sky. The image of that disgraceful king flashed through his mind.
To catch Ho-Oh, he ruined his entire country…
He really should’ve taken notes from the wandering king AZ. That guy’s ultimate weapon could even threaten Legendary Pokémon!

Perhaps sensing the disturbance near Pewter City,
Gym Leader Brock also messaged Mr. Lu.

“Mr. Lu… I think Ash might be in trouble.”
“What happened?”
“He doesn’t look quite right…”

Brock stood near the Battle Frontier facility by Pewter City—the Battle Pyramid.
He stared at Ash, who was now grinning sinisterly in the middle of the battlefield, and frowned.
“It’s like… he’s possessed by something…”

“Oh… that’s probably the vengeful spirit of the Pokélantis King. I’ll be right there.”
Brock: “Understood!”

Lu Ye wasn’t the least bit worried—he actually looked amused.
Ash got possessed.
But really, shouldn’t we be more worried about the king than Ash?

Following the GPS,
Lu Ye and Cynthia arrived near the ruins of Pokélantis.
From inside, they successfully rescued the Team Rocket trio.

Seeing daylight again, Meowth and the others burst into tears. “We’re saved~!”
“Thank you, Bo—”
Meowth quickly slapped his paw over Jessie and James’s mouths.

“I remember you~ the talking Meowth,” Cynthia’s eyes curved into a smile like crescent moons.
Meowth froze, face flushing bright red.
Mama, I met an angel, meow!

“I’ve already topped up your phone credit.”
Lu Ye waved his phone. “Let’s talk later. I’ve got to head to the Battle Pyramid.”

“Mr. Lu, please be careful, meow!”
Cynthia leaned down and patted Meowth on the head with a smile.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him.”

The ‘third-wheel’ trio suddenly realized they were ruining the mood.
They snapped a salute and made a speedy exit.

In a puff of smoke and some unexplainable clanking sounds,
they whipped up a three-person pedal cart.

As they pedaled away, they turned to give a thumbs-up—
Their snow-white teeth sparkled with a ding!

“This is the vibe!”
“Sonaaace!”

Lu Ye rubbed his forehead in resignation and called Brock again.
“How are things on your end?”

Amid fierce battle sounds, Brock’s voice came through, tense:
“Ash… is fine now. Pikachu zapped the spirit out of him with Thunderbolt.”

Just as Lu Ye had expected. He asked curiously,
“Wasn’t the situation resolved then?”

“No…” Brock’s voice grew hoarse.
While letting his guard down, Brandon was engulfed by black mist and began to lose consciousness.
The sealing orb in his hand rolled onto the floor with a clunk clunk clunk.

Brock glanced around at the thick black fog, a chill creeping down his spine.
“The Pokélantis King’s true goal…
was to possess the pyramid pharaoh—Brandon!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read