Within the depths of the Black Forest, Kale was swiftly making his way forward, leading his team of Pokémon as they moved cautiously yet efficiently through the dense woods.
At the front, the mighty Empoleon, with the power of a king-level Pokémon, was opening the path. Coupled with the fact that Kale had a squad of Luxray acting as his guards, there were already very few threats in this forest that could cause him any real harm.
"Meow, meowr, meowr~"
Luxio let out a series of cries as arcs of electricity flickered faintly around its body, constantly scanning and feeling for disturbances in the surrounding electromagnetic field.
Although it had not yet evolved into a Luxray, when it came to sensitivity in detecting electric waves, Luxio far surpassed the Luxray surrounding them.
This was no coincidence. Its special ability had been carefully developed under Aven's guidance. On the other hand, the Luxray here had never undergone such specialized training to awaken or refine their potential talents.
"So, this is the difference between a Pokémon trained carefully by a Trainer and one that grows naturally…" Kale muttered to himself, his gaze falling on Luxio once again.
He silently made up his mind. When this mission was over and he returned to Fairhaven Town, he would have to ask Aven properly how to help his Luxray practice and improve their ability to sense and manipulate electric waves.
"Meow-"
Just as Kale was lost in thought, Luxio suddenly froze mid-step.
Its ears pricked sharply as its eyes turned toward a thick patch of grass up ahead. Its body lowered slightly, muscles tensing as it assumed a battle stance.
Since they were now venturing deep into the heart of the Black Forest, even when it detected a Pokémon lurking within the bushes, Luxio did not launch an attack right away.
"What's wrong?" Kale asked cautiously.
"Luxio, force that Pokémon out of hiding."
He paused for a moment to think, then gave his order calmly. As long as they didn't encounter a full pack of wild Pokémons, there was nothing here worth fearing.
"Meowr"
Luxio turned its head back and cast Kale an appreciative glance.
Then, sparks of electricity burst across its fur, and in the next instant, a dazzling bolt shot straight into the thicket!
BOOM!
A loud crack split the air as an Arbok erupted from the grass, its coils unfurling like a whip.
The weather was growing colder by the day, and with winter's arrival drawing closer, the serpent Pokémon had been desperately preparing to store enough food. It had originally intended to ambush prey here, but it had never expected to be detected so quickly. Now, staring at the foes in front of it, its eyes flickered uneasily.
In the end, it seemed to sense that these opponents were not to be trifled with. Without hesitation, the Arbok began to slither frantically, trying to flee deeper into the shadows of the Black Forest.
"It's an Arbok… a Poison-type Pokémon," Kale murmured, his tone thoughtful.
Without delay, he reached for the cloth pouch tied at his waist and drew out a thick notebook. Opening it rapidly, he flipped to the first page where a neat index was written. Each entry listed the name of a Pokémon along with the page number of its detailed record.
It took him only few seconds to find Arbok's name. He quickly turned to the correct page and began scanning the detailed description.
The entry was meticulous. It recorded everything from Arbok's typing, habits, and behavioral patterns, down to its ecological role and type match-ups.
"As expected of Lord Aven… his knowledge of Pokémon runs so deep," Kale couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
The handbook he now carried was none other than a Pokédex edited and compiled personally by Aven. In it, Aven had documented all the Pokémon commonly found in the regions around Aspiration City, creating a comprehensive and invaluable guide.
Since the Arbok had already fled, Kale made no attempt to order a pursuit. Instead, he tucked the notebook away and continued leading his team deeper into the forest.
In truth, pulling out the Pokédex had become almost instinctive for him. Ever since he entered the Black Forest, every time he encountered a Pokémon species, he would pause to cross-check its information.
"There's nothing unusual in this area …"
Kale then unfolded a large map, carefully marking the area they had just patrolled with a check mark. He had already guided his Pokémon to thoroughly sweep through this zone and found nothing out of place.
"Let's keep moving on to the next area," he said as he began to re-plan their training routes.
But almost unconsciously, his gaze drifted toward a marked location on the map—the Abyssal Cavern. It was here, not long ago, that the mysterious sorcerer had incited a terrifying Abyssal Pokémon tide.
Deep down, he couldn't shake the feeling that the sorcerer's schemes were closely tied to this place. The Abyssal Cavern was very likely the source of all these disturbances, and perhaps even the very site of a rift to the Spirit World.
His face showed hesitation. Although curiosity burned strongly within him, Aven had clearly warned him before leaving: he was to be cautious and under no circumstances was he to recklessly enter the Abyssal Cavern.
"…Then I'll just take a look from the outside. That should be fine, right?" Kale muttered, gritting his teeth.
After a short rest to recover strength, he and his Pokémon pressed deeper into the Black Forest. For them now, none of the wild Pokémons hiding in the woods posed any real threat.
"Meow, meowr, meowr~"
Even so, Luxio remained on constant alert as they advanced.
Suddenly, its body shuddered. A faint ripple of strange electromagnetic energy had just brushed past its senses.
Its eyes widened, scanning the area with urgency. Sparks crackled faintly at the corners of its eyes as it pushed its gift to the limit, probing the invisible waves around them.
"Luxio, did you find something?" Kale asked, instantly serious.
Beside him, Empoleon and the squad of Luxray also began scanning the surroundings, bracing themselves for any surprise.
"Meow–"
Luxio nodded firmly, its gaze sweeping the trees.
Then, in a flash, it locked onto something. Electricity surged violently over its body, before discharging in a sharp bolt straight toward the treetops!
BOOM!
The strike crackled across the branches of a massive tree.
And yet… no form revealed itself. Luxio's expression grew tense.
Although its eyes saw nothing, its senses painted a vague outline, a form constructed purely from electric signals—proof that something was hiding there, cloaked from ordinary sight.
Whoever it was, they possessed an ability akin to Mothim or Froslass, capable of concealing themselves from view. Only Luxio's talent of sensing electric waves could track its presence.
A Ghost-type Pokémon had appeared.
Lowering its stance, Luxio's fur bristled as its body flickered with electricity before vanishing from where it stood.
Mid-sprint, it leapt high into the air, aiming to pounce on a shadow concealed within the trees.
Perhaps realizing it had been exposed, the hidden figure suddenly darted away at high speed, slipping through the canopy as if to escape Luxio's grasp.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Moments later, heavy crashes echoed throughout the forest.
"Empoleon, after them!" Kale barked, his brow furrowed.
They dashed through the woods at full speed until at last, in a clearing, they came face to face with the opponent.
It was a humanoid figure, its body a deep violet. Gleaming gemlike eyes shone with eerie brilliance, and a blood-red stone embedded in its chest gleamed faintly.
When it spotted Kale and his Pokémon emerging from the forest, its eyes flickered with wariness.
"Meowr!"
Luxio called out sharply upon seeing Kale arrive, issuing a warning.
Before Kale could even respond, Empoleon suddenly stepped in front of him.
At the same instant, Kale's shadow twisted unnaturally on the ground, writhing before shooting straight toward him like a spear.
Fortunately, Empoleon's reflexes were lightning-quick. With a flash of steel, it slashed the writhing shadow, smashing it apart with explosive force.
BOOM!
From within the scattered darkness, another deep violet figure was flung violently into the open, crashing against a nearby tree.
"There's… another one!" Kale's pupils shrank as his gaze locked on the new attacker. This, too, was one of those same violet humanoid Pokémon.
"Meow, meowr!"
The Luxray immediately surged forward, surrounding Kale protectively. Thanks to Luxio's earlier warning, they already knew there was more than just these two lurking in the area.
"I need to check… just what exactly these Pokémon are," Kale muttered grimly, pulling out his Pokédex again.
Given the nature of this mission, Aven had deliberately included extensive notes on Ghost-type Pokémon.
Flipping rapidly through the pages, Kale scanned the entries. Though Aven's artistic skill was admittedly crude, the illustrations were sufficient to identify Pokémon at a glance.
Finally, his eyes landed on a familiar page. Written boldly at the top were seven characters: Sableye.
The description matched perfectly—the deep violet body, the jewel-like eyes, the gemstone chest.
"Sableye…" Kale whispered, relief flickering briefly across his face. He quickly scanned the entry.
Then he froze.
The Pokédex noted: In truth, Sableye is generally a friendly Pokémon. It may occasionally play tricks on travelers to seek attention, but it rarely harbors malice.
"…Friendly Pokémon?" Kale muttered under his breath.
Looking up at the intimidating figures before him, it was almost impossible to reconcile them with the idea of "friendly."
Moreover, their behavior left no doubt—they had targeted him as prey. The ambush from within his very shadow made it obvious. These Ghost-types were anything but harmless.
"Meowr!"
The Luxray leader glanced back at Kale, then charged forward, sparks flaring across its mane.
Regardless of how many more Sableye were lurking in the dark, for now it would stand with Luxio to strike down the remaining two in front of them.
"I'll leave them to you guys," Kale reminded quickly.
(End of Chapter)