He himself continued flipping through the Pokédex. According to the records, Sableye had no particular glaring weakness except to Fairy-type moves.
Normal, Fighting, and Psychic-type moves could not harm them at all. That much was critical to remember.
"The type match-up chart… it really is miraculous."
He muttered softly under his breath. Although he still did not yet fully understand what was meant by Normal type, Fighting type, or Psychic type, when it came to the most basic attributes—such as Fire, Water, Grass, and Electric—he was already able to recognize their type advantages and weaknesses.
In particular, the Steel typing of Empoleon, which could completely nullify Poison-type moves, had left an extremely deep impression on him. It was precisely because of that experience that he paid such close attention to the type chart.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The battle in the field continued to rage on. From the clash unfolding before him, Kale could tell that the two Sableye had not yet reached the level of advanced-level strength.
However, their movements were unbelievably agile. Coupled with the strange and unpredictable nature of Ghost-type Pokémon, Luxio and Luxray were unable to bring the battle to a swift conclusion.
"Meooow! Meooowr!"
Electric currents continuously built up across Luxio's body before shooting outward in concentrated bursts toward the Sableye.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, Sableye's figure flickered and instantly melted into the surrounding shadows.
The current battlefield was deep within the forest, where layers upon layers of thick shade cast by the trees covered every direction. The Sableye darted and shifted rapidly among these shadows.
"MEOWR!"
Being toyed with again and again, Luxray grew increasingly furious.
Its body sprinted across the battlefield in great bursts of speed, eyes locked firmly on the shifting silhouettes within the shadows.
Electric energy gathered over its body, and in the next instant, it unleashed the Quick Attack technique. Its figure blurred like lightning, slamming straight into a massive tree and cleaving it clean in half!
But before the strike had even landed, the Sableye had already slipped away from that spot. Its claws condensed ghostly energy, which transformed into a sharp beam that shot toward Luxray like a spear of darkness!
"Shadow Sneak…? What a troublesome ability." Kale frowned.
Invisibility, Illusion, Shadow Sneak—all of these were among the most common abilities of Ghost-type Pokémon, ones that Aven had carefully recorded in the Pokédex.
As long as there was a shadow present, Sableye could merge into it and move at an astonishing speed. Even Luxray, an advanced-level Pokémon, had difficulty dealing with it.
"To counter the Shadow Sneak… the simplest method is…" Kale flipped rapidly through the pages of the Pokédex.
Aside from the basic information on Pokémon, the Pokédex also documented simple move information, including entries for Shadow Sneak.
"A move that disperses the darkness—Flash!" His eyes quickly landed on the description.
Yet when he read this, he furrowed his brows again. "Flash? What kind of move is that? I've never even heard of it before."
He wondered whether the Breeding House could possibly teach such a move. Since it was recorded in the Pokédex manual, Lord Aven surely knew of it. Kale muttered absently to himself as he thought.
Bzzzt… crackle… bzzzt!
While Kale was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a sharp, piercing sound of electricity.
Looking up, he saw that Luxio's body was suddenly sparking with violent electrical currents. But rather than discharging outward, the energy simply coursed rapidly across its body without being released!
"Meooowrrr!"
Luxio grit its teeth, enduring the painful stimulation of the surging current.
Then, all of the electric energy quickly gathered into its legs.
In the very next moment—whoosh!—accompanied by the tearing sound of space itself, Luxio's figure vanished from where it stood!
When it reappeared, it was directly in front of a writhing shadow. Without giving that shadow the slightest chance to slip away, Luxio's body flashed like a bolt of lightning!
BOOM!
A thunderous crash erupted.
From within the shadow, the Sableye was blasted out violently, slammed hard against a towering tree!
Before it could recover, an orb of electricity gathered at Luxio's tail and slammed down upon the fallen Sableye, engulfing it in a storm of devastating lightning!
"What incredible speed!"
Watching Luxio's strike, which burst forth with a velocity far surpassing even Luxray, Kale's eyes widened slightly.
That speed was truly as quick as lightning—this was the very first time he had ever seen a Pokémon unleash such explosive swiftness!
Moreover, he could tell that Luxio had stimulated its own body with electricity to achieve this burst of power. This was no ordinary move, but rather a refined technique for manipulating electric energy.
Thinking this, Kale flipped to Luxray's entry in the Pokédex. Beyond its innate talent for sensing electrical currents, Luxray was also capable of gathering electricity through the movement of its fur.
Clearly, this was a natural extension of Luxray's abilities. By harnessing electric current, it could grant itself extraordinary speed.
"When I return, I must ask Lord Aven about this carefully…" Kale thought to himself. As he delved deeper into the profession of Trainer, he found that he was already sinking completely into its depths.
BOOM!
Under Luxio's astonishing burst of speed, the Sableye were quickly defeated.
However, before it could press its advantage further, a sudden barrage of beams shot toward Luxio!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Luxio was forced to retreat rapidly, dodging one strike after another.
By the time it regained its bearings, the Sableye had already melted back into the shadows and vanished once more.
"Don't think you can escape—we're going after them!" Kale's eyes flashed with determination.
He quickly mounted Luxray, charging in the direction where the Sableye had fled.
With Luxio leading the way, they weaved swiftly through the dense forest, always keeping on the Sableye's trail.
Before long, Kale realized they had arrived at a place filled with Abyssal. At once, he ordered Luxray to slow their pace.
His eyes scanned the surroundings. Amid the thick forest, this barren expanse, devoid of even a single blade of grass, looked completely out of place. Traces of fierce battles scarred the ground in every direction.
"Could this be… the Abyssal Cavern?" he murmured under his breath.
Now that he had arrived here, Kale felt a flicker of hesitation. Should he really continue forward?
Closing his eyes, countless thoughts flooded his mind. Finally, his determination solidified. His purpose here was to uncover the connection between the Ghost World passage and the sorcerers.
Since he had already come this far, retreat was no longer an option. Moreover, the sorcerer had once entered the Abyssal Cavern—perhaps there would still be traces left behind.
He was not entirely ignorant of this place either. From bits and fragments the sorcerer had spoken, he knew the sorcerer had entered here and triggered the invasion of the gray mist.
"If the sorcerer was able to enter, then surely I can too!" His gaze hardened.
Under his command, the Pokémon advanced forward, and soon a massive cavern loomed before their eyes.
"Meooow! Meooow!"
Outside the cavern, Luxio discovered the clear traces left behind by the Sableye.
It was evident that they had also entered. After all, according to the Pokédex, the Sableye species had a particular fondness for cave environments.
"Be careful. Let's head inside and take a look." Kale instructed with a grave expression.
With Luxray guarding him closely, and Empoleon walking firmly at his side, he stepped into the Abyssal Cavern.
Screeech… crack… screeech…
As they moved forward, Empoleon's metallic wings scraped against the cavern walls, leaving deep grooves carved into the stone.
These marks would serve as their guide, ensuring they could find their way back out later.
"Meow!"
Luxio raced ahead at the front.
All of a sudden, it once again sensed the aura of the Sableye.
"If the Sableye came here, something must be drawing them in." Kale decided firmly. "We'll follow them."
Guided by the lingering aura, they pressed deeper into the cave. The cavern branched out into countless twisting tunnels, resembling a vast labyrinth.
Perhaps because the place had been eroded by the gray mist, there were no magical Pokémons within the cavern, leaving the entire space eerily silent.
After traveling for an unknown distance, Luxio suddenly froze. In its perception, the Sableye's aura had abruptly disappeared.
"The aura… vanished?" Kale halted as well.
That meant danger likely lay ahead. But now that he had come this far, turning back was impossible.
Nodding at Empoleon, he had it take the lead while they proceeded cautiously forward.
Not long after, the path widened dramatically. Kale found himself stepping into what appeared to be a vast underground hall. Three towering stone pillars stood prominently before him.
"A hall…? There's actually a hall here? And where did the Sableye go?" Kale's eyes swept the chamber.
The great hall was remarkably clean. Other than the three stone pillars, there were no other structures, no places where anything could hide.
"Meooow…"
Luxio focused intently, sensing the area. But it too found no trace of any other electrical presence.
"Gone? How could they just vanish?" Kale frowned deeply.
Protected closely by his Pokémon, he stepped further into the hall. His gaze fell upon the three stone pillars.
Each pillar was inscribed with intricate, twisted runes. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that each also bore a carved depiction.
On the pillar directly before him, there was the carving of a creature resembling a dragon. Even with just a glance, Kale felt a wave of overwhelming pressure emanating from the image.
"What… what kind of creature is this?" Kale's pupils constricted sharply.
He turned to the other two pillars. Each bore the same twisted runes and carvings.
The creatures carved on them were different, but each one possessed dragon-like features. It was clear to him that the three must share a profound connection.
As his gaze continued to search the chamber, he discovered a stone wall at the back.
Faintly inscribed upon it was a line of text:
"This place is the land of dazzling radiance, where all beings fade away like smoke, and where the two worlds converge into one."
(End of Chapter)