29
The atmosphere in the cavern shifted from "spooky archeology" to "unsettling religious experience" in a heartbeat. The leader of the cultists, an ancient man named Soran, looked at May with a reverence that made my skin crawl.
"Lens, hover at eye level," I whispered, my hand hovering over the kill-switch for the stream. "The moment things get 'ancient prophecy' weird, we cut to a 'Technical Difficulties' screen."
Part 1: The Cultist's Tale
Soran led us toward a wall of shimmering obsidian. "You call it the 'Vigor Strain,'" he rasped, his eyes fixed on May. "But to the Draconids of the Deep, it is the Breath of the Abyss. Thousands of years ago, a maiden stood between the Primals. She did not use a stone or a machine; she used her own life force to harmonize the tectonic plates. She was the 'Seer of the Trench.'"
He pointed to a mural that looked shockingly like a more mature, battle-hardened version of May.
"The line of the Seer was thought to be extinguished during the Great Drought. But the blood is patient. It waits for a cycle of chaos to return. You," he looked at me, "are the Singer, the one who keeps the vessel from shattering. Without your anchor, she would have become a storm that has no end."
May looked at the mural, then at her own hands. "I... I just wanted to be a gym leader like Dad. I didn't ask for 'Abyss Breath.'"
"Fate does not ask, Child," Soran replied. "It simply arrives."
Part 2: The Hidden Vault
Behind Soran sat a massive, circular door made of a strange, translucent jade that seemed to pulse with a faint, bioluminescent light. It had no keyhole—only two indentations. One shaped like the Titan Key hilt, and one shaped like the Soul Dew Shard.
"The world thinks Steven Stone discovered Mega Evolution," Soran chuckled dryly. "But this vault holds the Origin Blueprint. It contains the knowledge of how to bridge the gap between human and Pokémon without the need for stones—the 'True Resonance.'"
[Chat Log]
IceCreamQueen_C: Jake, the energy readings from your stream are spiking. The League's automated sensors are going to flag this in 60 seconds.
Steven_Stone: Jake, if that door opens, the world changes. Are you sure you want Chat to see this?
SilentRed: [GIF: Nervous sweating]
"Lens... CUT THE FEED!" I shouted.
The red light on the drone blinked out. We were officially off the grid. The silence of the cave felt ten times heavier.
"May, the shard," I said.
We stepped forward together. I slotted the Titan Key into the left indentation, and May placed the Soul Dew into the right.
The jade door didn't creak; it sang. A high-pitched, harmonic note that resonated with the Shell Bell on Genji's neck and the Sun-energy in Kage's veins. The door dissolved into a liquid-like state, revealing a chamber filled with floating, crystalline data-spires.
The Discovery
In the center of the vault sat a single, ancient pedestal holding a Silver Orb. Not a Blue Orb for Kyogre, or a Red Orb for Groudon—but a stabilizing core that looked like a condensed star.
"The Quiescent Orb," Soran whispered. "It doesn't wake the Primals. It puts them to sleep."
Suddenly, Raven's fur stood on end. She let out a low, guttural growl toward the shadows of the vault's entrance.
"We aren't alone," I whispered, gripping my belt. "And they didn't need the stream to find us."
From the darkness of the corridor, the clicking of boots on stone echoed. Not Courtney. Not Magma. A man in a high-collared navy blue uniform stepped into the light, his sharp, angular hair and cold eyes radiating an overwhelming pressure. Archie, the Leader of Team Aqua, had arrived.
"So," Archie boomed, a predatory grin spreading across his face. "The little Anomaly found the nursery. And look at that... he brought the Anchor and the Key right to my front door."