Chapter 110: The Strange Diagram

“Roar!” With a mighty roar outside the tent, Zhao Fang suddenly felt the ground beneath him begin to tremble, as if something was charging down the mountainside.

“So, it’s come to fighting after all,” You Jia sighed, her face full of resignation. Although she had long suspected that a clash between the Abomasnow and the Mamoswine was very likely, actually witnessing it was a different experience altogether.

The ice dragon’s eyes widened as she looked toward the tent’s entrance, emitting an angry low growl. Zhao Fang was momentarily stunned; he couldn’t understand why his ice dragon was reacting so strongly to the commotion outside. Hastily, he tried to soothe her, but the creature only grew more agitated, stamping her feet and pacing restlessly around the tent. Were it not for the tent’s generous size, it might have collapsed under her turmoil in no time.

When calming her proved futile, Zhao Fang had no choice but to withdraw the ice dragon back into its Poké Ball. Listening to the sounds of the battle outside, an audacious thought crossed his mind: perhaps the ice dragon’s fury stemmed from anger over the conflict between these two Pokémon tribes.

Though curious, Zhao Fang lacked the ability to communicate with Pokémon, so the question remained buried in his heart.

After quite some time, the sounds of fighting finally died down. Zhao Fang, along with Cynthia and You Jia, stepped out of the tent and resumed their journey toward the temple. The Abomasnow and Mamoswine had already left the area. Though the victor was unknown, judging from their types, the Abomasnow likely held the upper hand.

With the two beasts no longer blocking their path, they soon arrived at the temple. Zhao Fang was surprised to see two human statues carved at the entrance.

“These two appear to be the temple’s guardians,” You Jia explained to Cynthia and Zhao Fang, “though there’s no recorded information inside about them, so their exact identities remain a mystery.”

Cynthia entered with a focused expression. Besides being the Sinnoh Champion, she was also an archaeologist with unique insights into theology and history.

Zhao Fang frowned as he studied the statues before him. The two gray-robed figures looked incredibly familiar. In his memories of the Unknown Totem, he had seen people dressed exactly like these statues. To be certain, he stepped closer to one and looked up toward the statue’s hood, spotting an enigmatic symbol.

“What is it?” You Jia approached curiously; she sensed Zhao Fang had seen this statue before and was confirming what he was looking at.

“Nothing, just wondering why this statue has no face,” Zhao Fang said with a faint smile, feigning ignorance.

You Jia was somewhat speechless but didn’t press further. After all, Zhao Fang was still young. She then led him inside the temple, guiding him through several rooms.

Most of the temple’s contents had been removed; only a few remained, mostly large items too cumbersome to carry away. Even the murals had been stripped down. Given its dilapidated state, one might easily mistake the temple for an abandoned ruin, despite its evident ancient history.

“This must be the strange pattern you mentioned,” You Jia said as she used her strength to move a heavy stone slab, revealing a hidden design beneath.

Zhao Fang narrowed his eyes. He had seen this pattern before—in a dream—and it was identical to the ones the gray-robed figures had drawn. Yet something about it felt off, though he couldn’t pinpoint what.

“Do you recognize this pattern, Zhao Fang?” Cynthia asked as she approached. The temple was too ruined to hold anything of real value.

“I do. I remember seeing a similar pattern when I visited that tower...” Zhao Fang frowned in thought. Squatting down, he traced the design with his hand, trying to identify what felt strange about it.

You Jia looked surprised. From their previous conversations, she knew Zhao Fang was from the Hoenn region, which, while not far from Sinnoh, was still quite a distance away. She hadn’t expected Zhao Fang to have encountered this pattern at a tower on his side of the world.

Zhao Fang racked his memory. After much contemplation, he finally realized why the pattern felt odd: it was missing a line, a very conspicuous line that appeared in the Unknown Totem’s memory but was absent here.

“This pattern... seems incomplete. It’s missing a line,” Zhao Fang said, stroking his chin.

“Can you add it?” You Jia asked eagerly.

Zhao Fang nodded. Once he recalled the line, he remembered exactly where it belonged on the pattern. Still, he hesitated, uncertain whether he should draw it. What if completing the pattern triggered some strange effect?

He voiced his concerns, but You Jia was confident it wouldn’t happen.

“This temple has been in ruins for thousands of years,” she said with conviction. “Based on my research, it dates back four thousand years. No matter how mystical this pattern might be, it can’t still be active.”

Zhao Fang felt a twinge of unease at her certainty, but upon reflection, he agreed it was probably safe. After all, he’d seen the tower—and it didn’t house any Unknown Totem. The tower had survived for so long only because the Unknown Totem was sealed away; once released, the tower collapsed.

Feeling reassured, Zhao Fang took the carving knife You Jia handed him and carefully etched the missing line onto the pattern, working meticulously, stroke by stroke.

Soon, the line appeared on the pattern. You Jia excitedly snapped photos to document it, and Cynthia studied the design intently. But the moment Zhao Fang finished the last stroke, the pattern emitted a beam of light that enveloped him.

“Zhao Fang!” Cynthia was right beside him. Without hesitation, she kicked toward him. Although she made contact, the next moment she found herself standing on the pattern—and Zhao Fang had vanished from the ruined temple.

“Teleport?” Cynthia’s expression darkened. Zhao Fang was under her care, yet no matter how she tried to interact with the pattern, it offered no response.