Once everything was settled, everyone returned to the car.
The doors closed one after another as the group settled into their seats.
Ethan sat beside Kitsu, while the others spread out throughout the vehicle.
The engine started.
The Hermonia family car slowly pulled away from Route 37 and back onto the main road.
Kitsu looked out the window, watching the tall grass disappear behind them.
"So... Ecruteak City."
Ethan nodded.
"Yep."
Falkner leaned back in his seat.
"Finally."
Whitney looked toward him.
"Why are you so excited?"
Falkner shrugged.
"Because we've been stopping every five minutes."
Bugsy nodded seriously.
"He's not wrong."
Erika smiled.
"We did find several Pokémon today."
Sabrina glanced toward Ethan.
"And Ethan caught another one."
Ethan sighed.
"Technically, Growlithe caught me."
Kitsu laughed.
"Sure."
Ethan looked out the window.
The road stretched ahead of them.
Ecruteak City was getting closer.
And with it came another Gym, another challenge, and whatever else the Johto region decided to throw at them.
Ethan leaned back.
'At least this trip has been peaceful.'
He immediately paused.
'...I shouldn't have thought that.'
Because every experienced Pokémon Trainer knew one simple rule.
Whenever you thought things were going peacefully...
something was usually about to happen.
After a while, they finally arrived in Ecruteak City.
The moment everyone stepped out of the car, Ethan stopped.
His eyes moved past the traditional wooden buildings and old-fashioned streets.
Then he saw it.
The Burned Tower.
Even from a distance, the remains of the ancient tower were impossible to miss.
Blackened stone.
Broken walls.
A partially collapsed upper section.
The entire structure looked like something that had survived a disaster and simply refused to disappear.
The Burned Tower was one of Ecruteak's most famous landmarks, tied directly to the old legend of the three Legendary beasts and Ho-Oh.
Kitsu stared at it.
"...That's the Burned Tower?"
Bugsy nodded.
"Yep."
Whitney looked up at the ruins.
"It looks even worse than I imagined."
Falkner crossed his arms.
"Considering it burned down, that's probably a good thing."
Ethan didn't answer.
He knew the story.
The tower had once been known as the Brass Tower.
Then came the fire.
Three Pokémon died inside.
And according to the legend...
They were resurrected by Ho-Oh.
Raikou.
Entei.
Suicune.
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly.
'So this is where it happened.'
He had seen the Burned Tower before in his previous life.
A game screen was one thing.
Standing in front of the actual ruins was something else entirely.
Erika stepped beside him.
"You look serious."
Ethan blinked.
"Hm?"
She pointed toward the tower.
"You're staring at it."
Ethan rubbed the back of his head.
"Just thinking."
Sabrina looked toward the ruins.
"About the legends?"
Ethan nodded.
"Yeah."
Kitsu suddenly grinned.
"Well, we're here now."
She grabbed Ethan's shoulder.
"So let's go inside."
Ethan stared at her.
"...Why?"
Kitsu looked at him like the answer was obvious.
"Because it's there."
Ethan sighed.
'Of course.'
Bugsy adjusted his bag.
"Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing what's inside either."
Falkner immediately looked at him.
"You do realize the place is basically a collapsing ruin, right?"
Bugsy shrugged.
"That's what makes it interesting."
Whitney raised her hand.
"I vote we don't die."
Sabrina nodded.
"Agreed."
Erika looked toward the entrance.
"Then we should stay together."
Ethan glanced once more at the Burned Tower.
Something about the place bothered him.
He couldn't explain why.
Maybe it was because he knew what was supposed to be waiting underneath.
Or maybe...
He could feel something.
A faint presence.
Something ancient.
Something that didn't feel like an ordinary Pokémon.
Ethan's eyes briefly shifted purple as he instinctively activated Dragon Force.
Nothing.
No Dragon-type energy.
He frowned.
'Then why do I feel like something is watching us?'
Kitsu was already walking toward the entrance.
"Ethan! Come on!"
Ethan sighed and followed.
"Yeah, yeah."
Behind them, the rest of the group followed toward the ruined tower.
None of them noticed the faint movement from somewhere inside the darkness.
Something had already noticed their arrival.
Once they got inside they noticed the place.
It was mostly destroyed, rune marks and bunrs
The ground looked like it was ready to break any moment
Each step made durst fly.
Whitney sneezed as a dirt reached ehe nose.
Ethan walked around, he wondered if the legendary beast were gonna be here.
Then they found someone nobody expect.
Ethan blinked as he saw her. "Lusamine?"
Lusamine turned around See Ethan. "Oh, Ethan we meet again"..
Ethan looked at her. "What are you doing here?"
Lusamine smiled. "Well, I didn't properly explained why I came too Johto with my father, you see my vacation started in my school"
Ethan looked at her. "You go too school?"
Lusamine nodded. "Yes, It's called Blue Berry Academy, but as I was saying, it was also the time of your Family Gala, and we were invited, after it was over, I decided to stay a bit longer and we'll explore Johto Popular area".
Everyone nodded.
Sabrina spoke. "That makes sense".
Lusamine smiled.
"I also found something interesting."
Ethan blinked.
"What is that?"
Lusamine's expression became more serious.
"I stayed here for a few days and learned that, while the legend is true, the oldest records tell a slightly different story."
Everyone became quiet.
Lusamine continued.
"It wasn't three Pokémon that died in the fire."
She raised four fingers.
"It was four."
Silence.
Kitsu stared at her.
"Four?"
Lusamine nodded.
"Three were remembered. Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. Those are the three Pokémon Ho-Oh supposedly resurrected."
Ethan frowned.
"But you're saying there was another one?"
"Exactly."
Whitney looked around the ruined tower.
"Then where is it?"
Lusamine shook her head.
"That's the interesting part. Nobody knows."
Bugsy stepped closer.
"How could an entire Legendary Pokémon just disappear from history?"
Lusamine pointed toward one of the surviving walls.
"Because most of the records were destroyed in the fire. The few surviving accounts contradict each other."
Erika looked at the wall.
"Maybe the fourth Pokémon wasn't actually a Legendary."
Lusamine smiled.
"That's one possibility."
Sabrina's eyes narrowed.
"And the other?"
Lusamine's smile faded.
"That it was something even the people of Ecruteak didn't understand."
Ethan's expression changed.
He looked deeper into the tower.
The air suddenly felt colder.
'Four Pokémon.'
His future knowledge had never mentioned a fourth.
Not once.
As far as he remembered, the legend had always been about the three Legendary beasts.
Raikou.
Entei.
Suicune.
But if Lusamine was right...
Then there was a piece of the legend that had been erased.
Kitsu looked at Ethan.
"You okay?"
Ethan nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
He looked toward Lusamine.
"What did the records say about the fourth?"
Lusamine hesitated.
"That's where things become strange."
She walked toward the damaged wall and brushed some dust away.
Underneath the soot were several ancient markings.
"They don't give it a name."
Ethan stepped closer.
"Then what do they call it?"
Lusamine looked at the markings.
"They called it..."
She paused.
"...the fourth flame."
Everyone stared at her.
Falkner frowned.
"Fourth flame?"
Lusamine nodded.
"And according to the surviving text, unlike the other three..."
She looked directly at Ethan.
"...it wasn't revived."
Ethan's eyes widened.
"Then what happened to it?"
Lusamine gave a small, uneasy smile.
"That's what I've been trying to find out."
A sudden crack echoed through the tower.
Everyone froze.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Whitney grabbed Kitsu's arm.
"What was that?"
Another crack.
This time, it came from somewhere beneath them.
Ethan slowly looked down.
The floor trembled.
'...That's not good.'
Then a section of the ancient stone floor collapsed.
CRASH!
Everyone jumped backward as dust exploded upward.
Something beneath the tower had just been exposed.
And from the darkness below...
came a faint, distant roar.
Everyone looked down into the newly opened section of the tower.
The darkness below seemed to move.
Lusamine leaned forward slightly.
"Do you think it's the Legendary?"
Ethan stared into the hole.
"I don't know."
Something moved again.
Then a voice came from behind them.
"What are you kids doing here?"
Everyone spun around.
A boy stood near the entrance of the chamber.
He looked around 18 with a calm expression and the kind of posture that suggested he was already used to being responsible for other people.
Ethan froze.
'...Morty.'
He recognized him immediately.
Just younger.
Much younger than the person Ethan remembered from his previous life.
Whitney raised her hand awkwardly.
"Um... exploring?"
Morty stared at the group.
"You shouldn't be here. It's dangerous."
Bugsy frowned.
"Excuse me, who are you?"
The boy blinked.
"Oh. Right."
He straightened himself.
"My name is Morty."
He gestured toward himself.
"I'm the new Gym Leader of Ecruteak City."
Everyone went silent.
Kitsu's eyes widened.
"You're the Gym Leader?"
Morty nodded.
"Yes."
Falkner looked him up and down.
"You're pretty young."
Morty sighed.
"I've heard that one before."
Ethan couldn't help staring.
'So this is Morty before becoming the Morty I remember.'
Morty looked toward the collapsed floor.
Then his expression became serious.
"And that's exactly why you need to leave."
Ethan looked at him.
"Why?"
Morty pointed toward the hole.
"Because the Burned Tower isn't just an old ruin."
Lusamine raised an eyebrow.
"I figured that much out."
Morty looked at her.
"Then you should also know that people have been investigating strange activity underneath the tower for weeks."
Sabrina's eyes narrowed.
"Strange activity?"
Morty nodded.
"Earthquakes. Pokémon disappearing from nearby areas. Psychic Pokémon refusing to come anywhere near the tower."
Ethan's expression hardened.
'That's definitely not normal.'
Morty continued.
"And yesterday, one of the city's researchers went down there."
He paused.
"He hasn't come back."
The entire group went quiet.
Whitney swallowed.
"...And you're telling us this now?"
Morty looked genuinely apologetic.
"I wasn't expecting anyone to break into the lower chamber."
Kitsu pointed at the hole.
"We didn't exactly break in."
The floor suddenly cracked again.
CRACK!
Everyone jumped.
Morty immediately stepped backward.
"...Okay."
He stared into the darkness.
"That definitely wasn't happening yesterday."
Ethan slowly reached for one of his Poké Balls.
"Something's down there."
Morty looked at him.
"That's what I'm afraid of."
Then a deep roar echoed through the underground chamber.
ROOOOOAR!
The sound shook dust from the ceiling.
Every Pokémon in the group reacted at once.
Growlithe's absence suddenly felt very noticeable to Ethan.
He had sent it back to the estate.
Ethan sighed internally.
'Of course I did.'
He reached for another Poké Ball.
"Marshtomp."
The Poké Ball opened.
"Marsh!"
Marshtomp landed beside him, immediately taking a defensive stance.
Morty looked at the Pokémon.
Then at Ethan.
"You brought a Pokémon capable of handling Ground-types?"
Ethan nodded.
"Among other things."
Morty smiled slightly.
"Good."
He reached for his own Poké Ball.
"Because if we're going down there..."
His expression became serious.
"...we might as well do it properly."
Ethan looked at him.
"You sure?"
Morty nodded.
"I'm the Gym Leader."
He released his Pokémon.
A Gastly appeared beside him.
"Gastly!"
Kitsu blinked.
"Ghost-type?"
Morty smiled.
"Ecruteak has always had a relationship with Ghost-types."
Ethan looked toward the darkness.
Then back at Morty.
'Yeah.'
He tightened his grip around Marshtomp's Poké Ball.
'This definitely isn't going to be a normal Gym Leader encounter.'
They went down, sliding down that is.
Once they went down as they looked at it.
Everyone stared into the darkness.
For a moment, nothing moved.
Then the creature stepped forward.
It was enormous.
Its body was covered in dark fur, while a white mane ran along its chest and neck. Golden armor-like features framed its face, and a long purple mane flowed behind it. Strange golden markings ran through its mane and tail.
Marshtomp barely had time to react.
The creature lunged.
"Marsh!"
Marshtomp fired a Water Gun.
The attack vanished into the darkness.
Then the creature appeared directly in front of Marshtomp.
BAM!
Marshtomp was slammed into the ground.
"Marshtomp!"
Ethan's eyes widened.
The creature jumped backward, landing several meters away.
Everyone finally got a clear look at it.
Lusamine's eyes widened.
She immediately grabbed the camera hanging around her neck.
"Wait..."
She raised it.
"Hold still!"
The creature's crimson eyes snapped toward her.
Its mouth opened.
A sphere of dark energy formed instantly.
"Move!"
BOOM!
A Dark Pulse tore across the chamber.
Lusamine jumped aside as the attack exploded against the wall behind her.
She landed hard and stared at the crater.
"...Okay."
She slowly lowered her camera.
"Definitely not a normal Pokémon."
The creature let out a thunderous roar.
The sound shook the entire underground chamber.
Even Morty's Gastly backed away.
Morty didn't.
He simply stood there.
His eyes were wide.
His entire expression had changed.
Ethan looked at him.
'Why does he look like he just met Arceus?'
Morty slowly stepped forward.
"Yaozu..."
Everyone looked at him.
Kitsu blinked.
"Ya... what?"
Morty didn't answer.
He couldn't take his eyes off the Pokémon.
"Yaozu."
His voice was almost a whisper.
Then louder.
"Yaozu!"
The creature turned its head toward him.
Morty's hands trembled.
"I knew it."
Ethan frowned.
"You know this Pokémon?"
Morty finally looked at them.
"I've spent years studying the legends of the Burned Tower."
He pointed toward the creature.
"Every surviving record talks about the three Pokémon that Ho-Oh resurrected."
He swallowed.
"But there were other fragments."
Lusamine's eyes narrowed.
"The fourth flame."
Morty nodded.
"Exactly."
Ethan looked back at the creature.
"You're saying that's the fourth Pokémon?"
Morty shook his head.
"Not just the fourth Pokémon."
He took another step forward.
"That's Yaozu."
Ethan stared at the creature.
'So Lusamine wasn't exaggerating.'
The legendary trio had a fourth member.
A Pokémon that history had forgotten.
A Pokémon that apparently had survived the Burned Tower without Ho-Oh's blessing.
And now...
It was standing right in front of them.
Yaozu lowered its head.
Its golden eyes locked onto Ethan.
Ethan immediately felt something.
Not Dragon Energy.
Not Psychic Energy.
Something deeper.
Something old.
His Dragon Force reacted instinctively.
His eyes shifted from red to purple.
And then Ethan froze.
'What the hell is this energy?'
Yaozu's body was surrounded by an overwhelming aura.
Not just power.
Resentment.
Loneliness.
Anger.
Hundreds of years of something that felt almost like grief.
Ethan clenched his fist.
'This Pokémon has been alone for centuries.'
Yaozu suddenly growled.
Marshtomp struggled back onto its feet.
"Marsh...!"
Ethan looked at his partner.
"Marshtomp, can you still battle?"
Marshtomp slammed one fist against the ground.
"Marsh!"
Ethan smiled.
"Good."
Morty looked at him.
"You aren't seriously thinking about fighting it?"
Ethan reached for another Poké Ball.
"I don't know what it wants."
He stared at Yaozu.
"But I'm not going to let it hurt my friends."
Kitsu stepped beside him.
"And you're not doing it alone."
Sabrina's eyes began glowing crimson.
Erika released Delta Bulbasaur.
Lusamine put her camera away and reached for a Poké Ball.
Even Morty's Gastly floated forward again.
Morty looked at the group.
Then smiled.
"Alright."
He looked back at Yaozu.
"Let's see what the forgotten Legendary can do."
Yaozu's mane began to glow.
The entire chamber suddenly filled with pressure.
Ethan's smile disappeared.
'...Yeah.'
He tightened his grip on Marshtomp's Poké Ball.
'We're definitely not in Ecruteak for a normal Gym challenge anymore.'
Ethan spoke. "Marshtomp attack".
Marshtomp tryed too make a Max Power Water Gun
But the Darkness moved, the Dark Type Enegry form it's body moved the shadow and then
Slam!
Marshtomp was on the ground defeated.
Yaozu then jumped into a shadow as its body shank and desiperd
Ethan immediately ran toward Marshtomp.
"Marshtomp!"
The Water-type was lying on its side, completely unconscious.
Ethan knelt beside it and checked it over.
"No serious injuries..."
He let out a breath.
"Good."
He recalled Marshtomp.
The chamber had gone completely silent.
Yaozu was gone.
Not just hidden.
Gone.
Its body had literally melted into the darkness before disappearing.
Lusamine stared at the spot where it vanished.
"...It can travel through shadows."
Sabrina shook her head.
"Not exactly."
Everyone looked at her.
Her crimson eyes were still glowing.
"I could sense it while it was moving."
She pointed toward the wall.
"The darkness wasn't hiding it. The shadows themselves were carrying its energy."
Ethan frowned.
'So it isn't just using a Dark-type move.'
He looked down at Marshtomp's Poké Ball.
'That thing used the environment itself.'
Morty remained completely still.
His eyes were fixed on the darkness.
Ethan looked at him.
"Morty."
No response.
"Morty."
The young Gym Leader finally blinked.
"What?"
Ethan gestured toward the tunnel.
"Are you okay?"
Morty nodded slowly.
"Yes."
He took a breath.
"I'm just..."
He looked at the place where Yaozu had disappeared.
"...I've spent years looking for proof that the fourth one existed."
Lusamine nodded.
"And now you've found it."
Morty smiled.
"More than proof."
He looked toward Ethan.
"You battled it."
Ethan rubbed the back of his head.
"Battled is a generous word."
Kitsu snorted.
"Marshtomp got hit once."
Ethan looked at her.
"Thank you for the emotional support."
"You survived."
"That's not the point."
Morty stepped toward the center of the chamber.
"There's something else."
Everyone looked at him.
"The three Legendary beasts are connected to Ho-Oh."
He pointed toward the ancient markings on the walls.
"The legends say Ho-Oh resurrected Raikou, Entei, and Suicune after they died in the Burned Tower. That's the established story."
He then pointed toward another damaged section.
"But Yaozu isn't mentioned alongside them in any surviving public record."
Ethan's expression became serious.
"Because it wasn't resurrected?"
Morty nodded.
"That's what the oldest fragments imply."
Ethan looked toward the darkness again.
'If that's true...'
His eyes narrowed.
'Then Yaozu isn't simply another Legendary Pokémon that happens to live in Johto.'
He remembered the overwhelming energy he had sensed.
The same strange feeling he'd gotten when he sensed the potential of powerful Dragon-types.
Except this was completely different.
Deeper.
Older.
Ethan clenched his fist.
"Right."
Everyone looked at him.
Ethan spoke slowly.
"If this thing is connected to the Legendary beasts..."
He glanced at Morty.
"...then it's probably a Minor God like them."
Morty's eyes widened.
"Minor God?"
Ethan nodded.
"Not literally a god in the Arceus sense."
He looked toward the tunnel.
"But beings like Raikou, Entei, and Suicune aren't normal Legendary Pokémon. They're regional divine beings. Their existence is tied to the land, the legends, and the natural forces they represent."
Lusamine's expression became thoughtful.
"So you're suggesting Yaozu occupies the same level."
"Probably."
Ethan looked down at Marshtomp's Poké Ball.
"And judging from that one attack..."
He sighed.
"...it's probably stronger than my entire current team."
Kitsu stared at him.
"That bad?"
Ethan nodded.
"That bad."
Morty smiled.
Strangely, he looked even more excited.
"Then we found something incredible."
Ethan stared at him.
"You're way too happy about this."
Morty looked toward the darkness.
"You don't understand."
His expression became almost childlike.
"People have searched for the fourth flame for generations."
He clenched his fist.
"And it's real."
A faint rumble echoed beneath them.
Everyone stopped.
Ethan slowly looked down.
"...Did anyone else feel that?"
Sabrina's eyes widened.
"Yes."
Another rumble.
This time, the entire chamber shook.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Morty's smile disappeared.
"That's not Yaozu."
Ethan immediately reached for another Poké Ball.
"Then what is it?"
From somewhere deeper beneath the Burned Tower...
came the sound of something enormous moving.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Ethan stared into the darkness.
'Please don't tell me there's something even bigger living underneath this place.'
To be continue
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