"Brrr! Is this the Ghost World? It feels so…creepy."
"Dad, can I go back inside the Pokeball?"
"Don't worry, princess. We won't stay here for long."
Dante reassured Ninetales. He stared at the ominous entrance in front, feeling both doubtful and relieved.
When he transformed into his Ghost form, a basic connection between him and the Ghost World formed. There, he felt the unmistakable fluctuation of energy that Mystery Dungeons emit.
He checked it out. He traveled to the Ghost World, where he ended up in an inky dark forest, face-to-face with the entrance to a Mystery Dungeon.
Dante had checked the map then, and confirmed that the entrance matched the location marked on the piece of paper.
Now, the only problem left was how to transport Pikachu and the others here. Although he was a Ghost-type Pokemon himself, Dante can only travel to the Ghost World with the use of Phantom Force.
He can't make an entrance for other Pokemon to pass through. From his estimate, only those who have great mastery over Phantom Force can do so. Other than that, Pokemon like the Dusknoir-line who had the innate Ability should also be able to create a passage.
After some thought, Dante took Pikachu and the others back into their Pokeballs. Then, he traveled again to the Ghost World and released them here.
"Let's be cautious. We don't know whether the information they gave about this dungeon is as accurate. We'll follow the standard protocol- check how strong the Pokemon are in the first room and proceed from there."
"Aye aye! Hehe, now that I think about it, it's been quite a while since we've been this cautious over entering a new dungeon."
"What's there to worry about? If there's a problem, just let Big Brother Azumarill punch them!"
Eevee said. Ever since she saw the result of Azumarill's punch, the way she looked at him had more mixture of awe and worship.
"Hey! You can't be so biased, little Eevee! I'll have you know, I can do the same, no, even better than him!"
Pikachu crossed his arms in protest.
"Really?"
"Hmph. When we get back, I'll show you a first-hand demonstration."
Amidst their bickering, their team entered the dungeon. And with their disappearance, the dark forest returned to silence…almost too silent, in fact.
If Dante had a chance to further explore this place, he would have realized- in a kilometer radius of the dungeon, no Ghost Pokemon or spirits can be seen. It was as if they were actively avoiding this place.
…
As Dante and the others entered the dungeon, they were met with the same inky, dark trees on their left and right- which formed a long and wide passage. Light purple mist lingered in the air, along with the scent of fresh earth.
They proceeded cautiously into the first room. But except for the slight movement of the mist, no traces of Pokemon could be seen.
"Is it just me, or does it feel like someone's watching us?"
Pikachu muttered, his eyes vigilantly looked around the empty space.
"It's not you. It seems this dungeon has some troublesome opponents."
Dante's claws elongated into long dark and dark-like tendrils before he disappeared. His figure reappeared an instant later in the air, and he slashed the empty space in front of him.
"Haun!!"
A triangular, purple Pokemon with three clawed fingers appeared from the void. It smashed into the black soil, leaving a small crater.
"A Haunter…"
Dante murmured as he landed. This was the first Ghost-type Pokemon their team encountered in a dungeon. However, it made sense. Of course there would be Ghost-type Pokemon in Dungeons inside the Ghost World.
This made Dante's tail slightly wag in anticipation. It had been a long time since he posted a commission about Zorua's found in 1-star and above dungeons. And until now, the task still hasn't been completed.
But it seems he finally got a clue. After this dungeon exploration is over, he should go and search the Ghost world for more Mystery Dungeons. Maybe he'll luck out and find one where he can grind his own Exclusive items?
Dante shook his head. It wasn't time to think about this.
"Make some noises. Let's check what other Pokemon are in here."
Hearing his Dad's words, Ursaring thumped his chest and howled. Dante felt a warmth pass through his whole body. This was Ursaring activating his IQ skill, Cheerleader.
Cheerleader is a semi-passive skill which changes the energy subconsciously emitted by the user. After other Pokemon in the team absorbed said energy, their attacks are boosted by 10%.
Ursaring's howl echoed across the halls. Soon, the footsteps of other Pokemon sounded from up ahead.
An Umbreon appeared accompanied by a Drifblim. When they saw Dante and the others, they growled. Umbreon's body became covered in Dark-type energy and he charged forward. On the other hand, a large ball of Ghost-type energy began forming in front of Drifblim.
""We'll test their strength.""
Riolu and Mawile stepped forward, their bodies briefly shining red as the Aggressor IQ skill was activated.
Aggressor boosts the user's attacks by 10% at the cost of lowering their defenses by a similar amount. This skill can be permanently toggled, without any energy burdens on the user.
Riolu stopped in front of the charging Umbreon, his fist clenched. When Umbreon was less than a meter, he punched. The black energy around Umbreon dissipated like styrofoam meeting fire, and the dark-type Pokemon collided head-on with Riolu's fist.
He flew through the air like a cannonball right to where he came from, hitting Drifblim who was getting ready to release his attack. The two Pokemon continued soaring back, disappearing at the end of the passage.
"...that was overkill, little brother. We didn't get to check how strong they are."
Mawile complained, a stone held on each of her jaws. She was just getting ready to throw them to the move Drifblim was preparing. Who knew her opponent would suddenly be blown away.
"Ehehe, sorry. I thought the Pokemon here would be stronger, so I used Focus Punch."
Riolu scratched his head in embarrassment. Focus Punch, a 150 base power move, had been his most strongest attack after he gained the No-charger skill.
Dante prepared their team a whole month before entering this dungeon. Therefore, he had been excited and wary at the strength of the opponents they would encounter.
But…they didn't seem all that powerful?
Contrary to Riolu, Dante had a frown on his foxy face.
"It's alright, Mawile. Based on the speed Umbreon displayed, the stats of the Pokemon here should range from 110-120."
When he learned they were going to a 5-star dungeon, Dante had been prepared for the Pokemon inside to have stats ranging from either 105-110, or 110-120.
Their team still hasn't encountered a 4-star dungeon, and there's no record in Wigglytuff's base about the specific strength of Pokemon in such dungeons. Therefore, Dante can only make inferences based on previous explorations.
Stats of Pokemon in 1-star dungeons ranged from 70-80, 2-star dungeons from 80-90, and 3-star dungeons have 90-100; they all have a difference of 10.
But here comes the problem. The base stat is halved after reaching 100. Dante was unsure whether Pokemon in 4-star dungeons have 100-105, or 100-110 stats. And following that, stats of Pokemon in a 5-star dungeon are either 105-110, or 110-120.
Now, he finally got the answer to his question.
'The Pokemon of this world probably need to have broken through their racial limit countless times and have full mastery of their stat-boosting moves to have a chance at even exploring dungeons like this.'
Dante mused. And in the human world, that was already in the realm of the Elite and Champion level.
At this time, a Cursola, Nidorino, and Nidorina came from the hallway where Drifblim and Umbreon were sent to. Before they had time to show their hostility, the stone thrown by Mawile returned them to where they came from.
A loud "CRACKKK!" resounded. They smashed and broke through the countless tree branches which formed the dungeon walls.
"Hehe, a 5-star dungeon is just that!"
Mawile beamed as the two jaws above her head scooped up another stone to be used as projectiles. Ever since she gained Power Pitcher, an IQ Skill that increases her throwing strength by 50%, she had gained a habit of always having something in hand to throw.
"Dad, we've grinded too much. At this rate, the final boss will just seem like another mob."
Ursaring said with a chuckle. Now, they only had to find another Pokemon like himself and he can have another set of Exclusive Items.
"Don't get careless. We're only on the first floor. The information doesn't say how deep this dungeon is. And the deeper we go, the stronger the Pokemon we have to face."
"Oh yeah. I really hope this is a 100-floor dungeon. Do you think this could be one of the Impossible Dungeons Chatot told us about?"
"I doubt it. But we'll see. Since we can easily take on the Pokemon here, there's no need to stay and bait them in the first room. Ninetales, can you survey the floor?"
"Okay, Dad."
Ninetales closed her eyes. Energy rippled from her body, quietly sweeping the room they were in, then going deeper past the hallways.
"There are 18 rooms in total, 12 items, and…more than a hundred Pokemon."
"Heh, as expected of a 5-star dungeon. It sure is big. Tell me where they are most concentrated. We'll take advantage of the Pokemon here being weak and level the two of you up."
"Ah, okay. At the end of the hallway, we turn left…"
With the Acute Sniffer and Map Surveyor IQ Skills, Ninetales instantly gained an accurate depiction of the whole floor in her mind. And with her guidance, their team met countless Pokemon.
In addition to Haunter, Drifblim, Umbreon, Cursola, Nidorino, and Nidorina, they encountered Mismagius, Phantump, Gourgeist, Weezing, Shiftry, Skuntank, and Ursaring.
And when they saw Ursaring, the whole team cheered before knocking him out. Since the bear Pokemon appeared on the first floor, that means he'll likely appear on the higher floors as well, making their grind for his treasure boxes much easier.