Cain had managed to briefly glimpse the inside of the space rift Phoebe had been sent into.
Inside, everything was practically dark. A full moon hung in the sky, and ghostly shadows darted about quickly.
Normally, a girl seeing something like that would be terrified.
But for Phoebe, that landscape felt familiar—pleasant, even.
After all, because of the environment she grew up in, along with her natural affinity for Ghost-type Pokémon and her special power, the Ghost Power, Ghost-type Pokémon tended to approach her with ease.
Surely Celebi knew that, which was why it had sent her to such a world.
It was after realizing this that Cain had reminded her to focus and feel with her heart.
As for the rift that Steven had been sent through, Cain guessed it had taken him to a world of metal or rock.
After all, Steven specialized in those two Pokémon types.
Though if he had to bet, he'd say it was a metallic world.
What was odd was that he himself had ended up in a rocky one.
Even though Cain did have several Rock-type Pokémon, he wasn't a trainer specialized in just one type.
Maybe, for Celebi, this place was simply the most suitable for him.
As for those strange spaces and how Celebi found or connected them, that was completely beyond Cain's understanding.
In the Pokémon world, the special abilities of legendary Pokémon weren't something humans could easily comprehend.
Especially high-level mythical Pokémon like Celebi or Mew. While they might not stand out in raw power like other legendaries, their unique abilities were entirely out of reach for others.
In short: in the Pokémon world, anything is possible.
And those strange, extravagant, almost dreamlike spaces are innumerable.
After all, the Pokémon world only occupies a region within an alternate spatial plane.
What did surprise Cain was that there were Pokémon in this place.
Most were Rock-type, and some Ground-type.
Other types were practically nonexistent—especially Water- and Grass-type Pokémon. Cain walked a long time with his Pokémon and only saw one or two of those species.
Also, likely due to the harsh environmental conditions, they weren't well developed.
On the other hand, Rock-type Pokémon seemed to thrive here.
Some were even comparable to those trained by humans.
Maybe that was because Rock-type energy was incredibly abundant in this place.
Pokémon that were usually hard to find in the wild weren't rare here at all.
For example, groups of Onix could be seen living together.
While Onix isn't an especially rare Pokémon, it does require very specific environmental conditions, so finding one in the wild isn't easy.
But here, they were everywhere.
And let's not even mention Geodude and other more common ones.
Life here was so peaceful that despite their relatively high levels, the Pokémon spent their time lazing around—eating, sleeping, or simply sitting still doing nothing.
Pure routine.
With so many rocks and minerals everywhere, their lives were completely pressure-free.
Seeing this, Cain slowly frowned.
"Something doesn't add up. If everything were this peaceful, there should already be an overpopulation of Pokémon. Even if Rock-type energy is abundant, balance like this can't sustain itself indefinitely. There has to be some Pokémon or creature regulating the ecosystem," Cain reflected.
Although he still didn't know exactly why Celebi had sent him here, he had a hunch it had something to do with his three Rock-type Pokémon.
In any case, since arriving, Aggron, Pupitar, and Carbink had all felt very comfortable.
With so much Rock-type energy in the environment, it was like home to them.
After walking for quite a while, Cain found a relatively flat spot to sit and take care of the matter of food.
Fortunately, he still had some provisions in his storage space.
Because here, with rocks everywhere, finding food would be extremely difficult.
"Pupitar, how are you all feeling?" Cain asked while eating some dried meat and drinking water.
His Pokémon had no trouble with food.
Rocks were everywhere. While they weren't as nutritious as the minerals and diamonds they usually ate, at least they could fill up.
Suddenly, the Geodude and other Rock-type Pokémon that had been lazily lounging among the stones started to panic and ran off in a single direction.
As if something were chasing them.
Cain stood up and looked that way.
Aggron and Pupitar also stopped what they were doing and turned to watch.
Aggron, with his three-meter height, had an excellent field of vision.
And Pupitar, floating thanks to the compressed vapor it released, also had a good vantage point.
In his last training session, Pupitar had reached level 54 after absorbing energy from the special pool. That boost had allowed him to advance rapidly, but also caused him to skip an important phase of experience accumulation.
That's why he still couldn't evolve into Tyranitar. Something was still missing.
After the stampede, Cain finally saw what was causing all the chaos.
His pupils contracted instantly. Even with all his experience, what he saw shocked him.
Three green figures had appeared atop a rocky hill.
Neither the weak Geodude nor the stronger Onix could stop their advance.
Because those three Pokémon were...
Tyranitar!
Three Tyranitar!
At that moment, they roared into the sky from the hilltop, like an imposing version of Godzilla.
Cain couldn't help but be amazed.
Beside him, Pupitar floated in the air, staring at the scene with intense light in his eyes. A mixture of awe... and yearning.
He knew, thanks to Cain, what he would become upon evolving. So he recognized the Tyranitar immediately.
Seeing how imposing they were, Pupitar deeply admired them.
He wondered when he would be able to become like them.
...
Each of the three Tyranitar held a Geodude in each hand.
Upon seeing this, Cain immediately understood why the Rock-type Pokémon population in the area remained balanced.
It was because these Tyranitar were regulating the ecosystem.
It was a rather cruel method, yes, but without a doubt the best help the rest of the Pokémon could have.
They were the ones fulfilling the role of "villains."
(End of chapter)