May 17th, Sunday
Having spent over a week in Sinnoh, Aiden finally realized something today:
Wait—I came to Sinnoh as an archaeological consultant, right? How is it that I haven't set foot in a single ruin yet… but I've nearly met the entire roster of Legendary Pokémon?
Does that sound right?
Fortunately, Cynthia had extended a "party invitation"—jolting him back to his original purpose for this trip.
Thus, early this morning, they joined Professor Carolina's research team—heading to Solaceon Town, located southeast of Celestic Town—to search for clues to the Spear Key within the nearby Solaceon Ruins.
—
Outside Solaceon Town
After passing through lush, verdant forest, the group soon arrived before a palace-like ruin with tightly sealed stone doors.
"Is this the Solaceon Ruins?"
Aiden walked at the front, eyeing the seemingly unbreakable stone gate—then glanced at Cynthia beside him with a blink.
"Don't tell me we're blowing the door open and forcing our way in——"
"Of course not."
Cynthia smiled—pointing toward two statues flanking the gate.
Following her gesture, Aiden noticed—beneath the severely weathered yet still recognizable figures of Dialga and Palkia—several lines of engraved inscriptions.
Curiosity piqued, he immediately approached.
As expected—the inscriptions were ancient script resembling Unown glyphs.
Of course—to Aiden—they appeared as English letters forming words and sentences.
"To open the stone gate… bring forth His relics?"
Aiden roughly translated—then looked toward the massive central door. Sure enough, he spotted numerous rectangular indentations along the lower steps.
These "relics" must refer to the eighteen Type Plates left by Arceus during Creation?
"Correct."
Cynthia's smile deepened as she turned toward the accompanying staff.
Since Professor Carolina had remained in Celestic Town to study the Azure Flute, she was effectively the expedition's leader today.
At her subtle nod, researchers promptly began inserting the tablets into the slots in sequence.
Soon—a mechanical click echoed through the air. The tightly sealed stone gate swung open on its own.
The researchers trailing behind now regarded Aiden with renewed curiosity.
Initially, they'd assumed this Solaceon Ruins expedition was merely Champion Cynthia's clever scheme—to spark Teacher Azure's interest in archaeology and keep him in Sinnoh.
But upon arrival—they realized——
Bro… you actually know this stuff?
Sinnoh's ancient script derived from 28 distinct Unown shapes. Different arrangements conveyed varying meanings—with no fixed correlations between combinations.
Since Unown-represented characters carried virtually no inherent meaning, this script was nearly impossible to decipher—relying solely on experience-based guesswork.
Yet Teacher Azure had merely glanced at the inscriptions—and instantly provided the answer.
This was what a true genius looked like.
Now they understood——
No wonder both Champion Cynthia and Professor Carolina want Teacher Azure to stay in Sinnoh! I wholeheartedly approve of this marriage!
—
Inside the Solaceon Ruins
This palace-shaped ruin was divided into numerous chambers—connected by narrow corridors extending deep within.
Thus, upon entering the first chamber, the group immediately noticed how light had nearly vanished—forcing reliance on handheld flashlights for illumination.
Aiden prepared to step forward—when a slightly cool hand suddenly slipped into his. He instinctively turned his head.
"Traveling together is safer."
Cynthia smiled gently—winking at him.
"Archaeology can be dangerous. If you charge ahead alone… you might trigger a trap without anyone realizing."
"I see—?"
Aiden raised an eyebrow.
Logic told him things weren't that simple.
But instinct whispered—just go with it. Don't overthink.
The sight of their clasped hands naturally drew attention from those behind.
Soon—researchers began exchanging hushed whispers, wearing unmistakable "we ship it" expressions.
They deliberately created distance—ensuring their presence wouldn't disrupt this "archaeological date."
Perhaps because the stone gate had remained sealed for so long, the Zubat and Golbat typically found in ruins were absent. Along the way, they only occasionally spotted Unown floating through the air.
When Aiden reached out to touch one—it seemed to anticipate his motion—evading in advance before swiftly merging into the stone walls and vanishing.
"An old theory once circulated—that Unown might be Pokémon derived from ancient script… the opposite of mainstream thought."
Cynthia spoke up upon seeing this.
"Could be?"
Aiden scratched his head—gazing toward where the Unown had disappeared.
No letters appeared on the wall—but that moment made him wonder if perhaps that theory was correct after all.
As for the truth——
Best answer: I don't know.
Following Aiden's lead, the group soon passed through several chambers.
Each chamber's central tablet bore Unown inscriptions. Without translating their content and finding the correct path, one could easily become lost—or trigger the "infinite loop" trap set by some long-forgotten figure.
But with Aiden—the human translator—present? No problem.
Upper right, lower left, upper right, upper left, upper left, lower left.
After traversing six chambers, Aiden swiftly guided the entire team to the staircase descending to the next level.
"How is it that you move through here as effortlessly as returning home—"
Even Cynthia was now perplexed—let alone the trailing researchers.
"This isn't how archaeology works! You're supposed to trigger weird traps first, get misled by Unown pranks, barely find a path—then run out of rations and have to turn back!"
"Teacher Azure—with translation skills like yours, why stay in Paldea as a Gym Leader? Come be a Pokémon Professor in Sinnoh!"
"Just say the word—we'll handle Paldea's side for you!"
Aiden had already grown numb to such bizarre remarks.
—
Second Level
The first chamber here held not directional clues—but a phrase that stirred faint nostalgia in Aiden:
"O friend—
All life shall meet other life.
And from this meeting, new things shall be born."
(From the games: Friendship, All lives, touch other, lives to create, something, anew and alive)
In the games, these words indeed originated from the Solaceon Ruins.
Originally, they referred to Unown—whose encounters birthed countless written characters, thereby creating infinite possibilities.
But——
Aiden's gaze unconsciously drifted toward Cynthia's profile beside him.
The meeting of life with life was itself a miracle—and he was the most extraordinary miracle of all.
"What profound words."
Cynthia listened—then turned to Aiden. Meeting his eyes, she smiled softly.
"I'll consider those words a gift from you, Aiden. I truly love this phrase."
"When the time comes… say it to me again~"
Cynthia made no effort to hide her affection for these millennia-old words—making Aiden smile in response as he sensed her emotions.
"Sure."
"I look forward to it. How about saying it to me every day?"
"Even after returning to Paldea?"
"Even then. Don't we have wonderfully convenient video calls~"
"Hmm——you make a compelling argument."
Their words carried gentle ambiguity—but to the researchers secretly eavesdropping nearby, the subtext was blatantly romantic!
"What's this about life meeting life birthing new things? Why do I feel like there's a—ahem?"
"1+1=3, obviously~ Easy to understand!"
"Shy now? We're still watching, you know—already talking like this? Truly treating us like family!"
Researchers whispered amongst themselves—careful not to disturb the couple's harmonious atmosphere—while wearing knowing, smug smiles.
After further exploration of the second level confirmed no additional tablets or significant artifacts, Aiden and Cynthia pressed onward.
This level had only one exit—leading to a long corridor.
Unlike the sparse Unown encountered on the first level, their density here had noticeably increased.
Or perhaps—the earlier ones had simply "called for backup," gathering the ruin's entire Unown population in this area.
Unown were peculiar Pokémon—individually nearly powerless. But when arranged into meaningful words, they could briefly channel natural forces.
With sufficient numbers, they could even temporarily summon illusions of Legendary Pokémon—partially replicating their original combat capabilities.
Now—the Unown blocking Aiden and Cynthia's path had formed a line of ancient script:
"Intruders—depart at once!"
Aiden rubbed his eyes—attempting translation.
He wasn't yet fluent enough to instantly map Unown to English letters—requiring careful visual parsing.
"—Should we battle?"
Aiden frowned—but Cynthia immediately raised a hand to stop him.
"No. The Unown harbor no malice yet."
"If we fully provoke them… they'll unleash terrifying power. Avoid battle whenever possible."
Her gaze shifted toward the trailing researchers—making Aiden instantly understand.
He'd been thoughtless. All these "batteries"—er, staff members were still following them.
He and Cynthia might shrug off Unown's power—but others wouldn't fare as well.
"How about—I try something?"
Aiden suddenly spoke calmly—clearing his throat.
"Besides translating ancient script… I also know a bit of the ancient tongue."
Under Cynthia's puzzled gaze, Aiden stepped forward in two strides.
He cleared his throat again—then delivered flawless American English:
"Hello there! I'm here on Arceus's behalf to retrieve the Spear Key~"
Yet——
The Unown swiftly dispersed—leaving behind only a string of question-mark Unown.
"Pfft——"
This time, no royal translator was needed. Cynthia instantly deciphered their meaning—and "kindly" translated for Aiden:
"What nonsense is this gibberish?"
"..."
Aiden scratched his head—expression turning awkward.
That shouldn't be—it worked for written translation! Doesn't that prove their language is English?
Ah—right!
A thought suddenly flashed in his mind—triggering realization.
This is Pokémon—a Japanese IP! Of course they speak Japanese-style English!
Quickly adopting a strangely melodic accent redolent of shamisen and cherry blossoms, Aiden reintroduced himself.
(T/N: Yea I'm not gonna try that lol)
This time—a single exclamation-point Unown remained.
Soon, the Unown circled together—as if concentrating collective mental energy for brainstorming—before reaching consensus:
"Welcome"
From the words they formed, it was clear: Aiden had succeeded this time.
Truly—the Creator Deity's name carried weight. And he hadn't even lied.
After all—Arceus Himself hadn't objected. Had He disapproved, the system would've warned him long ago.
Confirming these weren't intruders, the Unown quickly merged back into the stone walls—vanishing from sight.
Only a portion remained—forming new characters that soon glowed softly, illuminating the path forward.
"All set!"
Aiden grinned—waving back toward the researchers. Leading the way down the corridor amid their "How did he do that?!" stares.
This corridor was noticeably longer than those on the previous level.
After several minutes of walking—Aiden finally spotted a faintly glowing gate ahead.
And the Unown—seemed to be the key to opening it.
Under their concentrated psychic energy, the heavy door soon swung open—revealing a gap wide enough for several people to pass through.
Sensing their modest Psychic power, Aiden mused inwardly:
Your security's kinda lacking… Mewtwo or Mew could probably push this open effortlessly——
Actually—Sabrina and Caitlin could likely manage too.
Of course—he had no idea if Unown understood modern speech, so he kept this thought to himself.
—
Upon stepping through the gate, Aiden scanned the surroundings—and froze in place.
This inner chamber resembled a grand tomb. Every wall bore carvings seemingly documenting ancient history from millennia past.
At the center stood a strange altar-like structure: a hexagram formed by two interlocking triangles—guarding a floating geometric shape at its heart.
A cube-shaped artifact radiating sacred light—clearly no ordinary item.
The moment they entered—even Cynthia and the other researchers stood wide-eyed, utterly captivated.
"Oh my—this… this is divine providence!"
"The lost thousand years of history… all sealed within this Solaceon Ruins?"
"This year's thesis papers are going to explode—I can't decide whether to be happy or miserable——"
The group wore complex expressions.
As for Aiden—he'd already approached the central hexagram—reaching out toward the floating Spear Key.
As if sensing his presence, the Spear Key suddenly dropped downward—landing perfectly in Aiden's waiting hand.
"Hmm——the shape feels off?"
After examining it briefly, Aiden suddenly realized the issue:
The Spear Pillar ruins needed a key, right? How does this square thing fit in?
As this thought crossed his mind—the Spear Key in his hand suddenly glowed—rapidly shifting its form.
"——"
Only after transforming into a distinctly "key-like" shape did it finally settle.
Witnessing this, Aiden's expression turned slightly peculiar as he frowned.
Could this thing… actually be alive?
Regardless—the artifact was now in hand. All materials needed to unlock the Spear Pillar were assembled.
I lack nothing now!
Aiden turned—intending to say something.
Then—he saw it:
Cynthia and the researchers had already clustered in small groups before the murals—passionately analyzing the stories and timelines depicted.
"Hmm—other matters can wait."
Seeing the excitement lighting up Cynthia's face, Aiden shook his head with a helpless smile.
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