Chapter 4: The Desert Ruins

Morning sunlight streamed through the bamboo blinds of the small seaside café, painting the wooden tables in shifting golden lines. The air smelled of salt, fried rice, and fresh bread, and the clatter of dishes and chatter of fishermen filtered in from the open windows.

Ace, Phoebe, and Phillip sat at a corner table, their plates half-finished as they ate steaming miso soup, rice balls, and tropical fruit. Despite the bustling café, their conversation was low, with their voices sounding tense beneath the casual surface.

Ace set down his juice, looking between them.

“Look, I really think we should stick together. It’ll be much easier to take on one Regi at a time as a unit. If one of us runs into trouble, the others can back them up.”

Phillip leaned back with his arms folded. His expression looked skeptical.

“That sounds safe, but ‘safe’ isn’t fast. Speed is what matters here. Oak said it himself. We’re not the only ones searching. For all we know, those bastards are right behind us.”

Phoebe raised an eyebrow, watching Phillip but not interrupting.

He pressed on. “If we go one by one, by the time we’ve captured the third Regi, whoever’s after them could already have the other two in hand. We can’t afford that risk.”

Ace’s jaw tightened. “And splitting up leaves each of us alone against monsters strong enough to flatten entire cities. That’s suicide, Phillip.”

Phoebe finally spoke with her voice calm but firm. “It’s not suicide, Ace. It’s trust. You know damn well we’re not rookies anymore. We’ve been through hell. We can handle this.”

Ace’s eyes narrowed. “Handle it? Am I the only one here who remembers Cerulean Cave?” His tone dropped almost to a growl. “Mewtwo didn’t just beat us. He broke us. Three full teams, gone. If Phoebe hadn’t gotten through to it...” He trailed off, the memory still painfully raw despite it happening almost nine years ago.

The café’s noise seemed to fade for a moment, leaving just the three of them in silence.

Phoebe lowered her gaze as her fingers tightened around her cup. “I remember. It was so long ago, but I can still feel the air in that cave. How cold it got when Mewtwo raised his hand ready to kill us.”

Phillip exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I remember. I remember how useless I felt watching Blaze get crushed like a toy, but you know what else I remember?” He leaned forward, and his eyes locking on Ace’s. “We survived, and we’ve grown since then. We’re not those kids anymore.”

He ticked off their battles with his fingers. “We stopped the Sootopolis City incident. Ace, you went to space on Rayquaza’s back, fought Deoxys, and won!

“I mean...” Ace said, rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah ... but...”

Phillip didn’t let Ace finish before cutting in, “We faced Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, gods of time, space, and antimatter. Phoebe, you captured Dialga, I caught Palkia, and you—” he jabbed a finger toward Ace “—you chased Cyrus into the goddamn Distortion World and beat Giratina. Who else in history can say that?”

Ace’s voice softened. It was like he was reluctant to take any credit.

“I didn’t keep it,” he reminded them. “I left it in the Distortion World.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Phillip said. “You earned its respect. You told me yourself that it promised to come to your aid whenever you call it. That’s more powerful than a Poké Ball.”

Phoebe nodded slowly. “Let’s not forget Geosenge Town in Kalos and Team Plasma up in Unova. All of this proves we can take these titans on, together or separate.” She leaned in with her steady tone sounding more persuasive. “Ace, splitting up isn’t weakness. It’s efficiency. You know Phillip’s right.”

Ace sat back with his arms crossed, staring out the window at the endless stretch of ocean. For a long moment, only the sound of waves and the chatter of townsfolk filled the silence.

Finally, he let out a slow breath.

“Fine. We split. But we check in often. Constant updates, no solo heroics. If one of us goes dark, the other two drop everything and head that way.”

Phillip smiled with his relief evident. “Deal.”

Phoebe smiled faintly. “Then it’s settled.”

They went over the map one last time with their voices low but resolute.

Phillip would go to the Desert Ruins, Phoebe would travel to the Island Cave north of Dewford Town, and Ace would venture to the Ancient Tomb in east Hoenn.

They weren’t certain which Regi each tomb would contain, but they had suspicions based on the area surrounding the locations.

The Desert Ruins being in a desert with frequent sandstorms provided an ideal environment for a rock type Pokémon like Regirock. So, Phillip had assembled a team of Pokémon that could handle rock types but also knew moves to potentially combat ice and steel types as well.

The Island Cave was surrounded by waters known to be cooler than the waters in the rest of the region, so, Phoebe was mentally preparing to face Regice, and her Pokémon team reflected that.

If their hunches were correct, that would mean Ace would be facing Registeel in the Ancient Tomb. He wanted to be prepared though, his team was still fairly diverse in typing. Ace felt he was at his best when he felt like he could respond to a variety of threats.

As they stood to leave, Ace added, “We meet back in Pacifidlog when it’s done. No excuses.”

“Wait,” Phoebe interjected suddenly. She reached into her mass pack, pulled out two laminated papers and handed one each to Phillip and Ace. “I made these this morning. This is a guide you can use to translate braille. I have a feeling we may encounter more puzzles in these ruins.”

“This is awesome, Phoebs. Thanks,” Ace said, taking his.

“I really hope I won’t need this,” Phillip said as he slid his into his pack. “I’ve had enough puzzles for a lifetime.”

Phoebe’s eyes flicked to him looking calm and determined. “See you two later. Don’t die.”

Phillip’s smile widened. “Let’s go catch some titans.”

They walked out into the bright morning with the café door swinging shut behind them. Three champions, three paths, and a mission that would test them like nothing before.

The trek to the Desert Ruins was brutal in its own right. The Hoenn sun bore down on the endless expanse of sand with heat shimmering off the dunes like a living thing.

By the time Phillip reached the ruins, sweat clung to his back beneath his jacket. His throat was as dry as dust. The massive stone structure jutted out of the sand like the bones of a dead god with its weathered surface etched with faint braille inscriptions.

There was no one else around. Probably because he was the only one stupid enough to come this far out in the middle of the desert in the middle of the day.

Phillip surveyed the area and spotted the opening to the ruins. There were fresh rocks and sand littered around it as if it had opened recently ... which it had. Phillip took a breath and proceeded inside.

Inside, the air grew cooler, but not more welcoming. It smelled of dust and decay, and Phillip immediately noticed the skeletons half-buried in sand, collapsed against the walls. The empty sockets of one skull stared straight at him with its jaw frozen mid-scream.