Youth

Yuga and Cynthia followed Kevin and Sheena to the entrance of the grand hall. What surprised Yuga, however, was the presence of a Legendary Pokémon, Heatran, perched above the hall.

Heatran belongs to the Fire and Steel type of Pokémon and typically resides in volcanoes or caves near volcanoes.

Their unique foot structure allows them to walk on vertical walls or even hang upside down from ceilings, granting them the freedom to move easily in the vicinity of volcanoes.

When Heatran noticed Yuga and Cynthia approaching, it didn't react much. It simply opened its eyes for a moment, glanced at them, then flipped over the roof of the temple, disappearing from their view.

"This is the guardian Pokémon of the temple. It has been protecting the temple since its existence," Cynthia explained to Yuga in a hushed tone after Heatran left.

Yuga nodded in understanding. The depth of the temple's heritage exceeded his expectations, There's even the guardian Pokémons at the level of Legendary Pokémon.

Judging from the aura of the Heatran they had just seen, it was no weaker than the Zapdos Yuga had encountered before. Furthermore, Cynthia's explanation hinted that this Heatran was at least a thousand years old.

Considering the temple's establishment roughly a thousand years ago, as inferred from the replica Guardian Orbs being life artifacts, the temple and Arus must have existed during the same era.

While Arus had fallen many years ago, the temple had endured and remained incredibly powerful.

The Joy family had Latias, and the Temple Clan had Heatran. The strengths of these noble families far surpassed what outsiders knew.

"The elders are inside. Let's go in quickly," Cynthia's voice brought Yuga back from his thoughts, and the four of them continued walking along the long stone corridor of the grand hall.

Although Machina was vast in size, its population was relatively small, and the temple had even fewer people. As they ventured deeper into the temple, Yuga couldn't help but feel a sense of eerie stillness.

It wasn't until they reached a stone door that Yuga saw the first person inside the temple.

This person wore attire similar to Cynthia, Kevin, and Sheena, with blue, black, and white garments. Upon seeing Yuga's group approaching, the person bowed and greeted them, then pushed the stone door open, saying, "The elders are waiting inside. Please come in."

Cynthia and Kevin also bowed in return and nodded to Yuga and Cynthia before leading the two of them through the stone door.

Once Yuga stepped inside, he felt the gaze of more than a dozen people fall upon him. He raised his head to see several elderly individuals dressed in white robes, sitting cross-legged in front of him.

"Elders, Cynthia and Shimizu Yuga have arrived," Sheena bowed to the elders and then stepped aside with Kevin.

Cynthia also bowed and said, "Respected elders, I have returned."

The elder sitting at the highest position, with silver-white hair and a half-beard, appeared to be the oldest and most authoritative among them. He spoke, "Hahaha, it's good to see you back, Cynthia. You seem to be in high spirit after your time away."

He then turned his gaze to Yuga. "Is this Mr. Shimizu, the beloved disciple of Mr. Kuni'o? I wonder how he's doing lately? Is he in good health?"

Yuga respectfully bowed and replied, "I greet the esteemed elders. My master is in good health, and I thank the elders for their concern."

The elder nodded with a smile. "It's been many years since we've seen each other. It warms our hearts to see you young ones grow. This time, you've come to assist Cynthia, and on behalf of the temple, I express our gratitude to you and your master."

The elderly man spoke kindly and didn't adopt a condescending attitude towards Yuga, despite being from an older generation. It made people easy to like him, and his tone carried great respect when he mentioned Mr. Kuni'o.

In Yuga's peripheral vision he then noticed a Bronzong behind the elderly man.

...

Bronzong

Type: Steel, Psychic

Ability: Levitate

Gender: None

Potential: Blue

Level: 93

Moves: Iron Head, Psychic, Hypnosis, Imprison, Confuse Ray, Iron Defense, Safeguard, Metal Sound, Payback, Gyro Ball, Extrasensory, Heal Block, Calm Mind, Heavy Slam, Light Screen, Reflect, Shadow Ball, Protect, Psychic, Earthquake, Facade, Rest, Flash Cannon, Trick Room, Signal Beam, Skill Swap, Gravity.

...

Seeing this Bronzong, Yuga immediately recognized the identity of the elderly man – he was Elder Sorin, a Master level Trainer from the Temple Clan.

As far as Yuga knew, Elder Sorin was currently in his eighties, which made him a junior compared to Mr. Kuni'o, who was over a hundred years old. That's why he showed such profound respect when talking about Mr. Kuni'o.

Among the four Master level Trainers, Mr. Kuni'o was the oldest.

The Temple Clan's elder system and the family clan's chief system were separate. Elders held high positions but didn't manage family affairs. They resided in Michina, focusing on guarding Michina's temple and nurturing the clan's descendants.

In other words, they were reclusive individuals.

The clan chief, on the other hand, lived in Celestic Town, where all the family's external affairs were handled. They never disturbed the peace of Michina.

"It's an honor for a junior like me to be able to visit the glory of the Temple Clan. Your gratitude, Elder, is truly overwhelming," Yuga politely replied to Elder Sorin.

Elder Sorin chuckled heartily, saying, "You're quite the smooth talker, young man. Well, I had Sheena and Kevin bring you here to see what Mr. Kuni'o's disciple looks like. Next, let Sheena and Kevin show you around the beauty of Michina."

As for you, Cynthia, when you want to deal with your matter, just discuss it with this young man. You don't need to come and inform us old folks."

Upon receiving their orders, Cynthia, Sheena, and Kevin bowed and said, "Yes," then led Yuga out of the grand hall.

As Yuga followed the three of them outside, he asked, "Where are we going next?"

Sheena spoke up, "How about we first show you where you'll be staying?"

Yuga agreed, saying, "That sounds good."

In addition to the temple complex nestled on the giant mountain, Michina also had a residential area that resembled a small town. This was where Sheena and her clan members resided.

The temple was primarily used for worshiping Arceus and for the elders to hold meetings.

Yuga's designated accommodation was located in the residential area at the foot of the mountain.

As they returned to the temple square, the four Tropius were still waiting there. They mounted the Tropius and ascended into the sky, heading towards their destination.

As Yuga looked down on the residential area from the sky, he noticed that compared to the grandeur of the temple, this place resembled an ordinary rural village.

The houses were simple brick-and-tile structures, surrounded by vast fields and vegetable gardens. Crops and vegetables were growing in the fields, and there were even several Tauros grazing in the area.

Some people were working in the fields with their Pokémon. When they saw Sheena and Kevin descending on their Tropius, they stopped their work and waved to greet them.

"Hey, Sheena, Kevin! You're back!"

A boy around the same age as Sheena and her companions put down his hoe and enthusiastically waved at them.

Seeing the boy in the field, Kevin, who had just dismounted from his Tropius, asked in surprise, "Chris, what are you doing here?"

The boy called Chris immediately hung his head in response to Kevin's question. Beside him, an elderly lady grumbled in dissatisfaction, saying, "It's all because of his mischief. He secretly burned Elder Damu's Staraptor's tail feathers, so Elder Damu punished him to help me with the farming today. He's not allowed to go anywhere else. You tell me, what kind of trouble have I brought upon myself with such an irresponsible grandson!"

While scolding Chris, the elderly lady pointed her finger at his forehead in annoyance, clearly frustrated with his behavior.

"Blame that lazy bird! It's not my fault!" Chris muttered, clutching his reddened forehead where his grandmother had poked him.

Both Sheena and Kevin couldn't help but laugh at the situation. They were aware of the peculiarities of Elder Damu's Staraptor.

Typically, Staraptor was known for being sharp, aggressive, and a large predatory bird. However, Elder Damu's Staraptor was different – it was naturally lazy and sluggish, with a chubby appearance and limited intelligence.

But everyone has their quirks, so why would you go and burn its tail feathers!

At this point, Yuga and Cynthia also disembarked from their Tropius.

Chris, upon seeing Cynthia, extended his neck and excitedly shouted, "Cynthia, you're back! I've been working hard lately. Do you want to have a battle with me?"

However, before Cynthia could respond, Chris noticed Yuga standing there and immediately asked with curiosity, "Hey, who's this person?"

Cynthia introduced, "This is Mr. Shimizu, a friend of mine who's visiting."

Chris's eyes lit up at that. "A friend of Cynthia? That must be amazing! Hey, do you want to have a battle with me?"

He was about to run over to Yuga, but his grandmother grabbed his ear and pulled him back. "You haven't finished your work yet. Where do you think you're going?"

Just then, an unusually chubby Staraptor descended from the sky and landed in front of Chris. He immediately retreated, saying, "I... I'm still working!"

Well, the bird might be lazy, but it was clear who would win a fight against it.

Seeing Chris pick up his hoe, the Staraptor nodded in satisfaction and sat down on the field ridge. It took out a bag of small dried fish from under its wings and started eating while keeping an eye on Chris.

Seeing this Staraptor, Yuga felt like his worldview was being turned upside down. Wasn't this a Walrein dressed in Staraptor feathers? It was so overweight; he wondered how it could even fly. Fortunately, this Staraptor hadn't learned how to use the move "Giga Impact" or else it might become super powerful.

While the Staraptor wasn't paying attention, Chris whispered to Kevin, "I'll come find you guys later."

Kevin shook his head and turned to Yuga and Cynthia, saying, "Let's go."

Leading the way, Kevin guided Yuga and Cynthia across the paths through the fields and arrived at the center of the residential area.

Most of the residents in Machina were either elderly people like Chris and his grandmother or children. Young adults usually worked outside the village.

The elderly enjoyed a carefree retirement here, while children received education related to becoming Trainers.

However, not all children from the Machina community pursued the path of becoming Trainers. It depended on their individual preferences.

Those who didn't like becoming Trainers, lacked talent for it, or were too young to leave their parents' care, lived with their families outside the community, like Cynthia's younger sister.

As they entered the residential area, people occasionally poked their heads out of windows to greet Cynthia, and others were curious about Yuga.

Machina rarely saw outsiders, as this was the sacred land of the Temple clan, dedicated to Arceus. Without a special invitation, outsiders generally couldn't enter.

Kevin led Yuga to a small house where they would stay temporarily. Though the house was small, it had all the necessary amenities, and Yuga was quite satisfied with the accommodation.

Cynthia returned to her own place in Machina, and Kevin and Sheena had some matters to attend to. So, Yuga was left alone to tidy up his room.

Just as he had finished arranging his luggage, he heard a noise from outside the window, and then the window cracked open.

"Hey!"

Yuga turned around and saw Chris, his face a bit tanned from the sun, grinning mischievously.

"Hey, are you a Trainer?" Chris asked in a hushed tone.

Yuga nodded, "Yes, you're Chris, right? Weren't you supposed to be working?"

Chris chuckled, "Work? I don't want to listen to that chubby bird! What's your name again? Shimizu... Shimizu..."

"Shimizu Yuga," Yuga reminded him.

"Right, Shimizu Yuga. I'll just call you Yuga," Chris said with a snap of his fingers.

Yuga nodded, amused by Chris's informality.

"What are you doing in Machina? Do you have a secret mission with Cynthia? You can tell me secretly; I won't tell anyone," Chris said, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Yuga couldn't help but find Chris amusing. "There's no secret mission; you're overthinking it. I'm here to help Cynthia with something."

Chris seemed unconvinced. "You're not fooling me. There must be a secret mission. We rarely get outsiders here, so there has to be a reason."

Yuga sighed, "Really, there's no secret mission. I'm just helping Cynthia out."

Suddenly, it seemed like Chris had an epiphany. He looked shocked and said, "Wait a minute, you're not here to help Cynthia defeat the Empoleon left behind by Elder Alfred, are you?"

Alfred was a revered Elder of the Temple clan over a century ago and had a significant presence in the Temple. He was almost a Master level Trainer and highly respected.

The fact that Cynthia aimed to defeat his Empoleon and obtain its descendants wasn't a secret within the Temple. Many young members of the Temple admired Cynthia and aspired to be her partner to help defeat the Empoleon, but few had the means to do so.

But Chris didn't expect that Cynthia would invite foreign aid from outside, and he was still so young.