Facing Alder's question, the three women were taken aback.
They thought about it, and realized Alder was absolutely right. Every other region had its own towering, sky-piercing mountains.
But Mt. Chimney, the highest peak in the Hoenn Region, was unusually short, less than a few kilometers high.
Without waiting for them to ask, Alder took the initiative to answer his own question.
His voice was filled with deep awe.
"It is because the Hoenn Region belongs to Rayquaza!"
"Even the natural mountains are oppressed by the Lord of the Sky! If a peak were to grow too high, it would be seen as an insult to its domain! How could the Lord of the Sky, a Legendary who controls even the earth and mountains into submission, fall so easily?!"
Hearing Alder's impassioned words, the three women were stunned.
But Cynthia, her heart still aching, immediately pressed him.
"But even if Rayquaza hasn't fallen, what about Sam?! He's just a human! Is it really possible for a person to survive in an absolute zero environment?!"
Sam and Rayquaza had been frozen for several minutes. Cynthia couldn't help but panic.
Alder pointed to Reshiram, who was standing guard in front of them.
"Professor Sam has been recognized by Reshiram," Alder explained calmly.
"He is the Hero of Truth it acknowledges. If Professor Sam's life were truly extinguishing, the Dragon of Truth would not remain indifferent."
Hearing this, the three women all looked at the pure white dragon.
Reshiram showed no sense of panic or tension.
It was just standing there quietly, its blue eyes staring intently at the frozen monolith on the battlefield, waiting.
"Hold on," Alder said quietly.
"We have to trust Professor Sam. Trust Rayquaza. They won't fall here."
"Phew..."
Cynthia let out a heavy breath, exhaling the stale air from her lungs.
A glimmer of hope reignited in her heart. She stared silently into the distance.
Diantha and Sabrina walked up to her side silently. Together, the three women stood shoulder-to-shoulder, looking toward the frozen ruins.
—---
Inside the Ice.
Sam, perfectly integrated with Mega Rayquaza, had been hit by the berserk Freeze Shock.
Trapped in a frozen state, his consciousness had plummeted into boundless darkness.
There was only an endless, suffocating cold pressing in from all sides.
'Did we lose?'
'Rayquaza... did we lose?'
'Did we lose to Black Kyurem? The feeling of losing... is really uncomfortable…'
Trapped in the ice, Sam's vitality began to wither.
The three Divine Powers, Aura, Psychic, and Viridian, were sluggish, gradually falling asleep under the extreme cold.
Just as the last spark of vitality was about to extinguish, Sam's consciousness flared.
An unwilling voice echoed in the void of his mind.
'Rayquaza! To just lose like th'is…'
'I refuse to accept it!
'And you... I know you don't accept it either!'
In the boundless darkness, amidst the endless cold, a clear, furious dragon chant suddenly rose up from the depths of his soul, echoing Sam's defiance.
'I knew it…' Sam smiled in the darkness.
'You are so proud. How could you ever admit defeat?!'
'Since neither of us accepts this... then how about we keep going?!'
"ROOOAAAR!!!!"
The clear, high-pitched dragon chant exploded in his mind like a thunderclap.
Then let us...
FIGHT AGAIN!!
The three Divine Powers in Sam's body were forcibly reactivated!
They converged and flared, burning like a sun, completely detonating the dormant energy inside Rayquaza's massive body!
CRACK.
A sharp sound echoed across the silent battlefield.
A fissure appeared on the 100-meter ice sculpture.
Soon, more and more cracks spread like spiderwebs across the frozen monolith.
Immediately afterward, a blinding emerald and black light erupted from within!
BOOM!!BOOM!!
Under the expectant, desperate gazes of everyone watching, Sam and Mega Rayquaza shattered their icy prison, struggling out of the boundless darkness and endless cold!
"ROOOAAAR!!!!!!!"
The triumphant roar of Mega Rayquaza filled the entire sky, shattering the remaining clouds and announcing its return!
"Grrrr..."
Down on the ground, the berserk Black Kyurem growled continuously.
It backed up a step, trying to resist the crushing pressure of the Mega Rayquaza that now loomed overhead.
For the first time since the battle began... deep within those blood-red, crazed eyes, a flicker of true fear appeared.
Hoenn Region. Mt. Chimney.
Deep within the magma chamber of the volcano, the Ruler of the Earth suddenly opened its glowing yellow eyes.
Groudon looked up toward the Unova Region.
There was a force stirring the heavens, a power it knew all too well, rising stronger than ever before!
"ROOOAAAR!!!!!!!"
Groudon unleashed a hyper-violent roar! The magma in the crater surged crazily in response to the ancient rivalry!
Hoenn Region. Route 127.
Deep within the 10,000-meter trench, the Ruler of the Sea snapped its massive eyes open.
Kyogre let out a deafening whale song that vibrated through the ocean floor. The sea boiled, and massive waterspouts whipped up on the surface!
Vertress City.
"Husband!!"
"Sam!!"
In the eyes of Cynthia, Sabrina, and Diantha, the color returned to the world.
Cynthia, overwhelmed with relief and joy, grabbed Diantha's hand on her left and Sabrina's hand on her right.
She squeezed them tightly, looking up at the sky with tears of sheer happiness.
Even Sabrina, who loathed being touched and usually kept everyone at a distance, didn't pull away.
She gripped Cynthia's hand back. Her usually expressionless face broke into a bright, genuine smile.
Their backbone, their hero, Sam... was back!!
"Yes!!"
"Professor Samuel is fine!!"
"I knew Rayquaza wouldn't go down easily!!" Shauntal and Caitlin hugged each other happily, jumping up and down in the rubble.
"Phew..."
Alder let out a massive sigh. The huge stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.
The old Champion wiped a tear from his eye, finally able to breathe again.