But not long after entering the ruins, Aoki and Qingfeng ran out quickly—much faster than they had gone in.
Even their faces showed sheer horror.
Despite Aoki's experience, he was genuinely frightened.
Standing in the hall, Aoki and Qingfeng stood frozen in shock.
Two minutes later, the three members of the Regis group also rushed out, their expressions mirroring Aoki's disbelief.
However, unlike Aoki and Qingfeng, the Regis trio were in far worse shape—scratches covered their bodies, and the number of Pokémon around them had drastically diminished.
Even their powerful quasi-champion Nidoking had suffered heavy injuries.
As for Drake's Flygon, it looked half-crippled.
To explain how this happened, we must go back to when Aoki and Qingfeng first followed them inside.
Shortly after entering, they saw the Regis trio fleeing desperately—chased by an incredibly powerful Pokémon.
A… very special Pokémon.
The moment Aoki saw it, he didn't hesitate. He didn't even try to hide—he just turned and ran.
Why?
Because the Pokémon's name was Regirock!
One of the legendary Titan trio, the Rock Peak Pokémon, Regirock!
Aoki had wondered why there wasn't a powerful guardian in the ruins where Mew once lived. Everything had seemed too easy.
After all, the Tree of Life—a place Mew frequented—was guarded by a near-Champion-level Lucario. Yet, Mew's own home had no strong protector?
There had only been a reinforced door, but with Team Rocket's advanced technology, even that hadn't stopped the Regis group.
But now, Aoki realized the truth—the door was just the beginning.
They had gone from an easy challenge straight to a nightmare.
Regirock's appearance had devastated the Regis trio, and Aoki and Qingfeng had no time to conceal themselves. Now, the five of them stood in the hall, staring at each other in stunned silence.
Like the Legendary Birds, Regirock was not unique—multiple members of its species existed in the Pokémon world.
Only the one bearing divine authority could truly be called a Legendary Pokémon.
The Regirock the Regis trio faced wasn't the true deity—just an extremely rare, high-level specimen, classified as a pseudo-Legendary.
Such Pokémon could be defeated. And if one was strong enough, they could even attempt to capture it.
But all of that depended on one thing—actually beating this Regirock.
Right now, neither the Regis trio nor Aoki and Qingfeng stood a chance.
After scanning Regirock's data, Aoki knew resistance was futile.
Pokémon: Regirock (Light Blue)
Gender: Genderless
Level: 78
Type: Rock
Ability: Clear Body
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Explosion, Superpower, Rock Slide, Charge Beam, Stomp, Curse, Hammer Arm, Iron Defense, Lock-On, Zap Cannon, Hyper Beam
Learnt Moves: Focus Punch, Stealth Rock, Snore, Iron Head, Block, Thunder Punch, Earth Power, Ice Punch, Drain Punch, Fire Punch, Gravity
TM Moves: None
Level 78.
Light Blue potential.
A Legendary Pokémon.
There was no hesitation—just run.
A Pokémon of this caliber had reached high Champion-tier strength. Combined with its Legendary status and Light Blue aptitude, even Aoki's mentor, a seasoned Trainer, would at best only suppress it—not defeat it.
After all, Legendary Pokémon, even without divine authority, were still forces of nature.
Some things just couldn't be challenged.
Mew's playful nature had gone too far—leaving a Regirock here. Who knew if deeper in, they'd find the other Titans?
The Titan trio's primary duty was guarding ancient ruins.
In the past, they served as protectors for immensely powerful Pokémon. Though those beings had vanished, the Titans remained, still upholding their duty—even if the ruins they guarded were now empty.
Thus, many ancient sites housed a Titan.
In fact, their presence had become a measure of a ruin's significance.
Now, the situation was awkward.
The Regis trio and Aoki's group were at a loss.
The Regis group, who had paid a heavy price to breach the door, were the most frustrated. But Aoki and Qingfeng, who had hidden behind them, weren't much better off.
What now?
It seemed they couldn't proceed.
Fortunately, Regirock followed its programming—it chased them only to the hall's entrance before retreating.
But leaving now felt anticlimactic.
The Regis group had sacrificed so much to enter. They hadn't even explored much of Neverland, let alone scavenged its resources.
Meanwhile, Aoki had already profited greatly from the island. Even if he left now, he'd gained more than enough.
But with the Regis trio weakened, Aoki saw an opportunity.
The Regis trio, however, were thinking the same—now was the perfect time to eliminate Aoki and Qingfeng. Though they'd lost many Pokémon to Regirock, their strongest, Nidoking, was still functional.
A quasi-elite Pokémon was beyond Aoki's ability to counter.
Quickly, Regis pulled out Pokéblocks and healing items from his bag, feeding them to Nidoking and applying sprays to its wounds.
He needed Nidoking in fighting shape before Aoki could react.
Drake and Han Song stood behind Regis, expressions grim.
Regirock's earlier assault had wiped out three of their Pokémon—even after using Protect.
Protect could block one attack, but only if the force didn't exceed its limits.
Regirock's power was overwhelming.
If not for Nidoking's last stand—and Regirock's lack of speed—all three would've been crushed.
Now, their battle-ready Pokémon were few. Regis only had Nidoking left—the rest were either fainted or too injured to continue without intensive care.
Aoki and Qingfeng, however, were in much better shape—their Pokémon were still at full strength.