Pokémon: Above the Top-Chapter 214: Triple Box Opening

"Earth Red Palace."

Sato muttered as he looked at the palace in front of him, which was almost identical to the Sea Blue Palace.

The only difference was that the Earth Red Palace was surrounded by red kyanite, which differed from blue kyanite only in color.

Inside the main hall, a sculpture of Groudon floated atop a raised boulder, identical in material to the Kyogre sculpture from the Sea Blue Palace.

"So the way to undo it is to recite the ritual again... but with different content?"

Sato looked at Maxie, slung over Ariados's back, and spoke mockingly.

"Mmph!" Maxie nodded with difficulty, his eyes gazing sincerely at Sato.

There was no way Sato would believe Maxie's nonsense, but surprisingly, Gengar's Hypnosis had no effect on either Maxie or Archie.

It made sense that those who could manipulate others with special methods might possess a certain resistance to similar techniques, but it made things harder for Sato.

"Even if I don't know what might happen... Zoroark, Night Daze!"

"Zo-ro!"

Zoroark dashed up to the statue. As Maxie watched in horror, Zoroark placed both hands on the Groudon sculpture and released a Night Daze from within.

Crack! Crack crack!

Fractures began to form on the sculpture, and dark energy seeped out through the cracks, forcing them wider.

The cracks spread and multiplied. A black light flashed in Zoroark's eyes as it increased the power output of its Night Daze.

Boom!

Unable to withstand the energy, the sculpture finally exploded. Dust and debris scattered in all directions, and the palace was instantly thrown into chaos.

"Mmm! Mmm mm!" Maxie struggled wildly, but it was no use. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

Sato didn't know if it was an illusion, but the once-mysterious palace suddenly seemed dull and ordinary. The surrounding red crystals had dimmed noticeably.

Finding nothing of value, Sato exited the Earth Red Palace and looked again at the ancient characters on the plaque above the door, but the sense of "divine" insight was gone.

---

Deep within a volcano in the Hoenn region, a giant beast sleeping in the magma suddenly opened its eyes and looked toward Tower Town. A moment later, it closed them again.

---

At the foot of the volcano, the native villagers all sensed a faint tremor in the ground and scrambled toward open areas. But peace quickly returned, as if nothing had happened.

---

Back at Maxie's two-story villa, Sato ignored the group of crew members begging for mercy in the corner -bound tightly by Ariados- and used the phone in Maxie's study to call Lance.

When the video connected, Sato noticed a lot of noise behind Lance. Looking closely... wasn't that the port at Rosen Island?

"Are you done on your side?" Lance, now wearing the black and red uniform of the League's Investigation Unit, asked seriously.

"I've captured Maxie and Archie, and I destroyed the statue at the altar. Now I'm just waiting for the League to take over. But it looks like something's wrong on your side?"

"It's a long story. Archie's control over the island's natives is far deeper than we imagined. Headquarters tried to reason with them, and it triggered full-scale resistance."

Lance's eyes were full of frustration. After receiving intel from Sato, he had the same idea: capture the leader first, then destroy the statue.

But since it was happening in the Hoenn region, no matter how much influence Lance had in Johto, here in Hoenn he was just "support", and his authority was greatly reduced.

"Lance, destroy the statue now. I'm afraid the plan might change!" Sato frowned, a growing unease creeping into his heart.

Things that could control people's minds should never exist... but that wouldn't stop some people from having other ideas.

As soon as Sato said it, Lance understood what he meant. As a "youth model" of the new era and a freshly appointed Pokémon Investigator, he stood for absolute justice.

"I'm on my way now!"

After hanging up, Sato still felt uneasy, but there was nothing else he could do. If something really went wrong on Lance's side...

He turned his head toward Maxie and Archie. His thoughts were self-evident.

"Geng geng~"

"All done? That's good!"

Seeing Gengar return, Sato let go of another worry. Everyone on the ship had been placed under deep hypnosis by Gengar, none of them would wake up for at least two or three days.

Joseph and Mark had also been moved to a safe location. At least for now, the plan seemed to be a success.

That meant only one thing remained to be done. Sato scanned Maxie's study, looking for likely hiding spots.

When it came to finding things, Sato's skill was maxed out.

Sure enough, he quickly located Maxie's safe.

"Truly a good brother," Sato muttered with a smirk, seeing a box inside that was exactly the same as the one from Archie's hidden compartment.

But surprisingly, Maxie had one more box than Archie... a pleasant bonus.

A Mega Stone!

"Too bad it's not Dark-type," Sato murmured with regret, holding the stone that looked nearly identical to Houndoom's Mega Stone.

Still, whether he went to Haruka or Lance, it wouldn't be hard to trade it for one he could use.

Sato opened the second box. Inside was a gel-like substance shaped like a crescent moon. Before he could react, Zoroark had already darted over, eyes locked on the box with intense desire.

Seeing this all-too-familiar scene, Sato suddenly realized what was inside the box.

A Dark-type Energy Crystal!

Sato pulled out one of the boxes he'd taken from Archie. That one most likely also contained an energy crystal, probably a Water-type one.

This haul was incredible!

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Licking his lips with excitement, Sato knew how valuable energy crystals were. Just look at the transformation Ariados went through after absorbing a Poison-type crystal... who wouldn't be jealous?

Now he had two more. This mission was turning out perfectly!

He couldn't help but think of Mark again. That mascot was definitely worth keeping around!

Still, the Water-type one could only be used by Sharpedo, so there wouldn't be any disputes.

But the Dark-type Energy Crystal... nearly every Pokémon on his team could benefit from it. Giving it to anyone would cause problems.

Better to have few than to have unfairness!

Sato knew how important team harmony was. He really couldn't just hand over that Dark-type crystal casually.

Zoroark, noticing Sato dazing while holding the box, slowly calmed down. Clever as ever, it quickly realized Sato's dilemma.

"Zoro~"

Zoroark shook its head and pointed at Sato's battle belt, signaling that the crystal should be shared with the others.

"Forget it. We'll draw lots later." Sato patted Zoroark's head and didn't say more.

He stored away the first two boxes and then picked up the third one, opening it without hesitation.

"A metallic gray bracelet?"