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The three trainers decided to split up and search different areas of the mysterious realm.
Roy departed to pursue another one of his personal objectives, while Alexis began his systematic search from the northern region, working his way southward. Chris, meanwhile, would cover the opposite route, starting from the south and moving northward through the territory.
"Everyone, let's begin our mission," Chris announced as he threw multiple Poke Balls into the air.
Greninja, Gyarados, Gengar, Latias, and Salamence materialized before him, each ready to contribute to the search effort in their own unique way.
Greninja and Gyarados, being Water-type Pokemon, immediately headed toward the nearest river. Greninja activated its Substitute technique, creating a perfect duplicate of itself before both versions dove into the flowing water, disappearing beneath the surface like swift fish navigating their natural habitat.
Chris's red Gyarados displayed its intimidating presence with tremendous effect. The massive serpent released a powerful roar that echoed across the water, causing nearby Pokemon to freeze in terror before they could flee. Using its fearsome reputation and overwhelming presence, Gyarados quickly established dominance over the local aquatic Pokemon, essentially recruiting them as unwilling assistants in the search operation.
Chris was confident that it wouldn't take long for his Gyarados to gather a substantial network of local helpers throughout the waterways.
Beyond the Water-type Pokemon leading the aquatic search, Latias also plunged into the river with a graceful splash. Although not technically a Water-type, Latias was renowned throughout the region as the guardian of Alto Mare, the famous "Red Water City," and possessed exceptional abilities when it came to navigating and controlling water currents that far exceeded those of ordinary Pokemon.
Salamence spread its powerful wings and soared high into the crystalline sky, using its sharp draconic vision to scan the terrain from above. The Dragon-type's keen eyesight would prove invaluable for spotting any unusual disturbances or hidden locations that might harbor their mysterious target.
Since they were searching for a Ghost-type Pokemon, Gengar was particularly well-suited for the task due to sharing the same type. As an incorporeal Ghost-type Pokemon, Gengar could phase through both solid matter and water with equal ease, making the search equally manageable whether above ground, underground, or beneath the water's surface.
Like a phantom sinking into the earth itself, Gengar descended into the soil and vanished without leaving the slightest trace of its presence.
Chris positioned himself in the center of a dense grove of ancient trees, watching as his Pokemon team dispersed to their respective search zones. Gardevoir floated silently beside him, and Chris nodded to signal the beginning of their coordinated effort.
A brilliant light enveloped Gardevoir as it underwent Mega Evolution, transforming into its more powerful form.
Once the evolution completed, Mega Gardevoir established weak psychic links with each of the dispersed Pokemon, creating a communication network across the search area.
Roy had been correct about the ancient secret realm's strange properties. Psychic abilities were indeed severely suppressed within these mystical boundaries, but that didn't render them completely useless.
Mega Gardevoir's telepathic feedback confirmed Chris's suspicions - within this ancient realm, the power and effectiveness of Psychic-type moves was reduced to approximately one-tenth of their normal potency.
However, even with Mega Gardevoir operating at such reduced capacity, while large-scale psychic scanning was impossible, maintaining basic telepathic communication links between all the Pokemon remained achievable.
Now all Chris had to do was wait patiently for positive news from his search team.
However, simply sitting idle seemed like a waste of valuable time. Chris quietly retrieved an item he hadn't used in quite some time from his system's inventory.
Ding ding ding!
The Treasure Finder!
It had been ages since Chris had encountered a region special enough to warrant using this particular detection device.
This location that Roy and Alexis had referred to as an ancient secret realm was clearly an undeveloped area rich with hidden treasures - the perfect opportunity to conduct a thorough search for valuable items.
The moment Chris activated the Treasure Finder, its directional indicator immediately locked onto something in a specific direction.
The signal was remarkably strong and steady!
It seemed that whatever the device had detected was far more significant than ordinary treasure.
"Legendary Pokemon items?" Chris raised his eyebrows with interest. It wouldn't be surprising to find legendary-grade items in such a mysterious realm that housed quasi-Champion level Pokemon.
However, Chris noticed something unusual about the detector's behavior. The signal strength appeared much more intense than when he had previously used it to locate legendary Pokemon items.
"Could it be something beyond legendary tier?" Chris wondered, though the thought seemed almost impossible.
But what could possibly exist above legendary level?
In theory, such items shouldn't exist in the real world. While legendary Pokemon items certainly varied in power and rarity, Pokemon items that transcended the legendary classification were purely theoretical.
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Chris decided, reaching for another Poke Ball.
With a flash of light, his shiny Arcanine materialized on the ground. The magnificent Pokemon's golden fur gleamed like a miniature sun, and its powerful build moved with the grace and confidence of a great cat.
The only thing that slightly undermined its majestic appearance were its clear, somewhat innocent eyes that gave it an endearing but slightly goofy expression.
Chris had initially hoped that evolving from Growlithe to Arcanine would bring about greater maturity, but it seemed his "Little Sun" had somehow inherited traits similar to a Husky - the older it got, the more playful and mischievous it became.
Chris climbed onto Arcanine's back, gripping the thick mane around its neck like a rider preparing for adventure. "Alright, buddy! Let's go find some treasure!"
"Woof!" Arcanine barked excitedly, its tail wagging with enthusiasm.
Then the Fire-type Pokemon began running with incredible speed.
They streaked through the forest like a golden comet, moving so fast that most of the wild Pokemon they passed didn't even realize what had rushed by them until Arcanine was already long gone.
Even Mega Gardevoir had to use Teleport intermittently just to keep up with their breakneck pace.
They continued at this incredible speed until they reached the center of the ancient secret realm, where an unremarkable hill rose from the landscape. Without slowing down, Chris spotted a cave entrance at the base of the mountain.
The Treasure Finder's pointer angled slightly downward, indicating that their target wasn't located within the mountain itself, but rather somewhere beneath it.
"Let's charge ahead, boy!" Chris patted Arcanine's neck, encouraging it to proceed directly into the cave.
"Gardevoir, use Confusion to scan one hundred meters around us and warn me of any potential dangers!"
"Woof~" Arcanine bounded forward excitedly, carrying Chris deeper into the mysterious cavern.
Mega Gardevoir followed closely behind, extending its psychic awareness as far as the suppressed environment would allow.
But almost immediately after entering the cave, Mega Gardevoir's voice resonated telepathically in Chris's mind. "Garde~ (Master, my psychic abilities are being suppressed even more severely here.)"
"The suppression has intensified?" Chris mused, processing this new information.
This development suggested they were moving closer to whatever source was causing the psychic interference. It was quite possible that the Treasure Finder's target was directly connected to this mysterious suppressing force.
"Maintain your Confusion coverage as much as possible," Chris instructed his Pokemon.
Arcanine continued accelerating through the winding passages.
Surprisingly, throughout their journey deeper into the cave system, Chris didn't encounter a single wild Pokemon - an unusual situation for such a seemingly natural habitat.
Moreover, the cave itself showed clear signs of artificial construction. The passage walls displayed worn grooves and darkened marks that appeared to be ancient torch holders, suggesting this tunnel system had once been actively used by intelligent beings.
After more than a minute of rapid travel, Chris reached the deepest section of the cave network.
They emerged into a vast, empty chamber.
However, upon reaching the entrance to this final cavern, Chris brought Arcanine to a halt.
Something about the environment felt distinctly wrong.
Under the illumination provided by Mega Gardevoir's Flash technique, Chris discovered that the cave floor was covered with a layer of strange, dark substance that seemed impossible to dispel. The material looked remarkably similar to the corrupted soil he had seen in the Spirit World.
Having recently witnessed the Spirit World battlefield, Chris had become somewhat familiar with that realm's distinctive aura and energy signature.
"Is this an entrance to the Spirit World?" Chris frowned, studying the unusual phenomenon more carefully. "No, wait... why does this spiritual energy feel even purer than the Ghost-type energy I've encountered from the Spirit World itself?"
"Gardevoir, illuminate this entire chamber with multiple light sources."
Mega Gardevoir gestured gracefully, creating several orbs of brilliant light that floated throughout the cavern. Since Flash wasn't classified as a Psychic-type move, it remained unaffected by the mysterious suppression field.
The chamber was instantly bathed in bright, revealing light.
In the deepest section of the cave, a massive sealing stone over five meters in height immediately captured Chris's attention.
The stone appeared black as coal, and running through its center was an intricate pattern of slightly luminous golden runic chains, resembling mystical bindings that held the monument firmly anchored in this dimensional space. The dark substance that covered the cave floor appeared to be seeping out from beneath this imposing sealed stone, spreading its influence throughout the chamber.