In the depths of the forest, faint violet mist drifted and swirled continuously through the air.
The closer one drew toward the central region of Drapion's territory, the denser and thicker that poisonous fog became.
At the same time, the originally lush and thriving trees were now gradually thinning out, their verdant vitality fading as the toxins gnawed away at them.
Yet amidst the withering trees, a different kind of plant appeared—special berry trees with purple-colored leaves. Upon those branches, clusters of bright emerald-green berries hung heavily.
"This is… this is actually Kebia Berries, and there are so many of them!" Aven's expression was filled with astonishment.
Kebia Berries were a rare kind of berry infused with powerful poison-type energy. They possessed the ability to absorb toxic energy and store it within themselves.
When worn or carried, they could even weaken the strength of incoming poison-type moves by absorbing part of the opponent's poisonous energy. It was regarded as a top-tier poison-type berry.
Many high-grade poison-based potions required Kebia Berries in their formulation. They were considered equal in rank to the Yache Berry.
However, unlike the Yache Berry, which needed an environment with extremely dense ice-type energy to grow, Kebia Berries only required a poison-rich environment—something much easier to cultivate.
For this reason, even in Aspiration City there existed a few of these berries. In fact, Aven himself had once collected one during the time he had prepared his potent toxin-brewing experiment.
But here… the sheer number of Kebia Berry trees was overwhelming. Each one bore plentiful fruit, their combined value impossible to calculate. This place could only be described as a true treasure trove.
This expedition into Drapion's territory, even if they discovered nothing else at all, would still be counted as a tremendous gain just from these Kebia Berries alone!
"However… for such an enormous number of Kebia Berries to thrive here, it only highlights just how extraordinary that hidden treasure must be." Aven drew in a deep breath, his gaze solemn.
As they pressed further inwards, the berry trees grew denser and more vibrant, their fruit increasingly abundant.
But upon nearing the true heart of Drapion's domain, the berries suddenly vanished altogether, as if cut off. In their place, the thick, oppressive violet fog clung like a shroud that refused to dissipate.
The very soil of the ground itself had been tainted, dyed an unnatural purple. From it, an unending stream of poisonous energy seeped upward into the air.
"Up ahead… is that the source of the poison mist?" Aven halted at the boundary of the tainted ground.
He crouched and examined the soil beneath his feet. Even the very earth had been corroded through, revealing just how terrifyingly concentrated the poison-type energy here truly was.
To test it, he picked up a stone and tossed it forward into the corrupted ground. At once, a harsh sizzling sound filled the air as the stone began to dissolve rapidly before their eyes.
If an ordinary person were to step into this area, the moment their foot touched the soil, they would be corroded until not even a trace of bone remained.
"Nido, nido, nido~"
Nidoking pressed close at Aven's side.
Watching the poisonous soil eat away at the earth, its eyes gleamed with thought.
It crouched down, scooping a handful of the toxic soil into its palm, carefully feeling the strange power hidden within.
Its previous battle with Empoleon had already helped it roughly determine the path it wished to follow. Now, upon seeing this poisoned soil, a realization dawned upon it.
Perhaps… it could learn to merge poison-type energy with ground-type energy—just like this toxic soil, which contained the blended essence of both attributes.
"Yes… that is indeed an excellent path of training."
Aven's gaze also fell upon the poisoned soil. Smiling, he nodded knowingly. Truth be told, he too had thought of the same idea upon seeing it.
If Nidoking Leader could truly achieve the fusion of poison and ground energies, it would carve out a unique path of its own.
But now was not the time for training. Their priority was still to uncover the cause of this abnormality and identify the treasure hidden within.
Even so, if Nidoking could establish its own path, it would surely find it far easier to ascend to King-level strength. And, of course, should they locate a rare poison-type treasure here, it might be possible for Nidoking to advance to King level by sheer resources alone.
"NIDOO!"
Nidoking gave a deep growl, nodding slightly, its eyes peering into the heavy mist as if it could pierce through the haze to see the secrets lying beyond.
"Mothim, the next step will depend on you," Aven said softly.
From above, the elegant figure of Mothim appeared, wings gently stirring the air.
With a light nod, Mothim surged forward into the thick fog. Immediately, waves of concentrated poison-type energy pulsed outward from its body.
Having trained extensively alongside Petilil during this time, it had mastered the use of Natural Power—drawing upon the energy of the environment to shift its own type.
Now, immersed in the poison fog, Mothim quickly activated Camouflage, its type shifting to Poison. This allowed it to resist the erosion of the toxic haze.
Under Aven's command, Mothim soon returned, fluttering above him. Its wings glimmered as it enveloped Aven in a protective aura, lifting his body gently into the air, carrying him above the fog.
At the same time, the Petilil nestled in Aven's arms released a soothing fragrance. Rich grass-type energy, interwoven with the vitality of life, flowed over Aven, shielding him from the toxins.
"Ralts, Ralts~"
Ralts perched upon his shoulder, its psychic power shimmering around them, remaining sharply alert to their surroundings.
Its Teleport was prepared at any moment—should danger arise, it would whisk Aven away instantly.
"Nidoking, let's go."
With preparations complete, Aven spoke, then advanced directly into the poisonous fog.
"Nidoo!"
Nidoking nodded, leading its tribe as they stepped boldly into the haze.
Behind them, Matthew and the rangers remained behind, encircling the entire area. Their role was to ensure Drapion's forces would not return unexpectedly to ambush them.
"Lil~"
Petilil stirred softly in Aven's arms, activating its sensing ability of life energy.
But here, nothing lived. Not even a single weed could grow in this poisoned land. Within its perception, everything was gray, lifeless, and empty.
"Nido, nido, nido~"
At the front, Nidoking advanced cautiously. It could feel the poison energy growing denser the deeper they went.
"Ralts!"
Just then, Ralts cried out sharply.
Through its psychic perception, it had detected a swamp up ahead—a dark, sludgy marsh, from which purple mist constantly billowed outward.
There was no doubt. This was the very heart of the poison fog, the source itself. Within this poisoned swamp, some kind of poison-type treasure must be hidden, one powerful enough to give birth to this entire region of deadly miasma.
"We've reached it?" Aven's vision was still obscured by fog.
But at Ralts' warning, he closed his eyes and linked his mind with its psychic senses.
Immediately, in his consciousness, the image of a swamp emerged—thick, oozing black sludge bubbling as large air pockets rose and burst, releasing waves of poison fog into the air.
"Another poison swamp…?" Aven was momentarily stunned. His mind flashed back to the swamp where he had first captured his Muk.
"Lil!"
Petilil, too, activated its perception, sensing for any trace of life within the swamp.
If another Muk had been born here, its strength would certainly surpass the one Aven had captured before. By drawing upon the swamp itself, it could easily rival a quasi-king if not approach true King-level strength!
After a tense silence, Petilil seemed to exhale in relief.
Strangely enough, there were no signs of poison-type Pokémon living in this swamp. Within it, no true life force could be found.
"In that case, Muk, it's your turn." Aven nodded.
He swiftly unclipped a Poké Ball from his belt, releasing it in a burst of white light. Muk's enormous form emerged, its sludge-like body shifting restlessly.
For this expedition into Drapion's territory, Aven had brought not only the main tribe but also carried all of his other Pokémon in their Poké Balls, keeping them at his side.
And in this moment, the swamp could only be entrusted to Muk—after all, to it, a place like this was nothing less than its own backyard.
"Muk~"
Muk emerged, eyes narrowing warily as it scanned the swamp.
Then, suddenly, its gaze locked onto the poisoned marsh. Its beady eyes widened, gleaming with excitement.
It could feel it—the tremendous poison energy welling within. Without hesitation, Muk began to slither eagerly toward it.
But the instant it neared the swamp, a sudden change erupted!
A burst of violet light flared from Muk's body, causing it to writhe in visible discomfort.
Then, from deep within its sludge, a crystalline shard glowing with violet radiance floated free, rising into the air above.
It was the very same mysterious crystal discovered in Muk's original swamp home—the one fused tightly together with the black sludge back then.
Now, as it came into proximity with this new swamp, the crystal was reacting with uncanny power!
Hovering in midair, the crystal suddenly unleashed a strong pull. The surrounding fog was sucked inward rapidly, vanishing into its core.
As it absorbed more and more of the poisonous haze, the crystal's light grew brighter, its internal poison-type energy becoming increasingly concentrated.
Within moments, the entire swamp's fog had been drawn inside, leaving the air startlingly clear. With a final pulse of light, the crystal plummeted downward, sinking into the depths of the swamp until it vanished completely.
The sight left every Pokémon frozen in shock. They stared warily at the swamp, uncertain of what further transformations might occur.
"Lil… Lil!"
At that very moment, Petilil suddenly opened its eyes wide, startled.
It had just sensed it—within the swamp, for the briefest instant, there had been a flicker of life energy.
But almost instantly, it disappeared without a trace, leaving only confusion in its heart. Had it imagined it? Or was something truly hidden deep within?
"You mean to say… there was a life force in this poisoned swamp?" Aven was startled as well when he heard its words.
The strange reaction from the mysterious crystal just now was indeed somewhat abnormal. It felt as if it had been attracted by something, which caused it to sink into the poisonous swamp.
Could it be… that within this poisonous swamp, something truly lay hidden? Something that even a Petilil could not sense?
When this thought surfaced in his mind, a trace of vigilance immediately appeared in Aven's eyes. Whatever could conceal itself within such a toxic swamp definitely would not be anything simple.
His gaze once again shifted toward the poisonous swamp. Now that the poisonous fog had been completely absorbed by the mysterious crystal, the full outline of the swamp was finally revealed before his eyes.
The poisonous swamp was circular in shape, appearing extremely vast. Around its edges, traces of violent impact could be faintly seen, as though the entire swamp had actually been formed from a massive crater.
"It seems this poisonous swamp was not naturally formed… Something must have fallen and crashed here." Aven quietly made this judgment in his heart.
(End of Chapter)