Snowpoint Temple was located in the pure white frozen tundra of the Hisui Region.
It marked the northernmost point of the Sinnoh Region.
Covered with heavy snow year-round, the snowfall from the peak of Mt. Coronet kept the temperature perpetually freezing.
Compared to the Snowpoint City area in the future, the current pure white tundra was even colder. But the colder it was, the more ice-type Pokemon flourished.
Along the journey here, John had seen Glaceon, Mamoswine, and other rare Pokemon appearing in groups more than once.
"It would be nice if the Region stayed this pristine," John murmured.
"How much longer until we arrive?" Akari said through chattering teeth.
John glanced back at Akari. She was on all fours, hugging Lugia's back tightly, shivering and not daring to raise her head.
It was a bit strange, Akari shouldn't be afraid of heights. After all, people in this era mainly used Braviary as their primary means of air transportation.
What's more, they were currently on Lugia's back with a protective shield created by Gardevoir. They didn't have to worry about wind and snow, nor did they need to fear falling. It was incredibly stable!
'You think I'm afraid of falling? I'm afraid of this Pokemon that's carrying me! And If I remember correctly, the one flying me around right now is the fallen Sea Guardian, the legendary Shadow Lugia!'
"We're almost there."
John looked forward and could already pinpoint Snowpoint Temple's location.
Between the icy mountains, human structures and bright fires stood out against the white landscape.
The Diamond Clan and Pearl Clan were stationed near Snowpoint Temple. Finding them meant finding the temple.
"Lugia, descend!"
"Lugia!" Lugia roared, its dark body suddenly accelerating downward in a dive, cutting through the wild snowfall.
"Ahhhhh~~~"
The descent was accompanied by a sharp scream from a certain woman.
This time it really was Akari being afraid of heights.
It's too fast!
A few minutes later, before all the assembled members of the Diamond and Pearl Clans, John and Akari slowly descended from the sky.
"Who are you?" A green-haired young woman and a shirtless blue-haired young man asked in unison, looking wary.
Behind them, members of the Diamond and Pearl Clans, who usually didn't get along, were both staring at John and Akari, gripping Pokeballs and ready to battle at any moment.
"We're from the Galaxy Expedition Team. We were invited by Leader Adaman of the Diamond Clan and Leader Irida of the Pearl Clan to explore Snowpoint Temple together," John explained, gesturing to Akari.
Akari was still somewhat shaken, but noticing John looking at her, she quickly rummaged through her backpack and pulled out her Galaxy Expedition Team ID card.
"I'm Akari from the Galaxy Expedition Team, and he's John, also from the team."
Hearing they were Galaxy Expedition Team members invited by the clan leaders, the green-haired woman and shirtless young man lowered their guard.
They knew the leaders had left Snowpoint Temple to visit Jubilife Village and request the Galaxy Expedition Team's assistance in exploring the temple.
After examining Akari's Galaxy Expedition Team ID card, the two completely relaxed.
"Hello, I'm Sabi, warden of the Diamond Clan," the green-haired woman introduced herself.
The blue-haired young man quickly followed. "Palina, warden of the Pearl Clan."
John nodded slightly. He'd encountered these two NPCs in the game. Nothing particularly special about them, just support characters for boss battles. He had no time for deep character development, so he went straight to the point.
"Could you brief us on the current exploration status of Snowpoint Temple?"
Sabi and Palina exchanged glances, and finally Sabi took the initiative. "Then let me explain."
With that, she turned and led them toward Snowpoint Temple's interior.
"We've been exploring Snowpoint Temple for quite some time. We can initially confirm the internal structure, six floors above ground and three floors underground."
"The path to the underground levels is blocked by a special door that requires three unique stones to open."
"We currently have theories about where these three stones are located. They should be somewhere among the six above-ground floors. We've already found one at the end of the path from the second to the third floor, but an extremely powerful Pokemon guards it. Our current progress is stuck there," Sabi explained as they walked.
The situation and progress matched what Adaman and Irida had described.
However, this method of progression differed from the game plot John remembered.
In the game, you simply opened doors in sequence, and there were three tablets embedded in a door.
That's right, the Creation Tablets couldn't possibly be casually embedded in a door.
"Take me to see that Pokemon," John said.
"Alright." Sabi hesitated briefly but still agreed.
Palina's eyes widened at the side. She'd only brought John over to observe and had no intention of asking him to attack directly.
Led by Sabi, John and Akari followed her to Snowpoint Temple's second floor.
Like the first level, all Pokemon and dangers on this floor had been cleared, and signs of recent battles were still visible everywhere. There must have been a major fight here before.
Continuing forward, they soon reached the stairs leading from the second to the third floor.
Just at the base of the stairs stood a stone platform with an earth-yellow Rock sphere placed on top. Right in front of the platform, a Rock giant made of tan and gray stones stood quietly, seven orange dots on its head forming an "H" shape.
A level indicator floated above its head.
[Regirock LV80]
As expected, it really was one of the legendary golems!
The level wasn't particularly high.
A Level 80 Regirock that Adaman and Irida couldn't defeat together, though they managed to escape.
John had basically judged their strength, probably between levels 65 and 70.
However, a Level 80 Regirock wasn't difficult for John.
"Garchomp!" John casually tossed a Pokeball.
Sabi quickly tried to stop him. "Wait! Don't attack yet, this Pokemon is very dangerous! We need to wait for the leaders to return before launching a full assault!"
"It's fine. If you think it's dangerous, you can leave first. I'll test it out. If I can't win, I'll retreat," John signaled Sabi to relax. Though he said he was testing, he fully intended to win directly if possible.
Roar!
Garchomp appeared ferociously, its body glowing with colorful light as it MEGA evolved into Mega Garchomp.
Its two massive scythes vibrated as it leaned forward and charged toward Regirock.