With a "Bang!", the back of Shenhe's hand collided with the metal table.
The room fell silent.
Barry and the others stared at Dante's figure with mouths agape. Although they didn't know how strong Shenhe was, she was a Champion, after all. Sir Alder even said she was the strongest human in the world.
But seeing firsthand how someone of their age won against her, suddenly, their mentality started to waver.
Fortunately, Dante only beat her in a pure strength competition. At most, it meant Dante's superpower had reached the world-class level. His Pokemon should just have normal levels of power.
In their minds, they even attributed Eevee's abnormal performance earlier to Dante boosting her strength with his superpower.
Mavuika, who knew better, didn't think so.
Although it is indeed possible to achieve that level of strength by boosting Eevee with superpower, doing that would leave the Pokemon very drained after. But Eevee's energetic appearance didn't look like she was suffering from any sequelae at all!
Alder and the others didn't think so much. They were just surprised that Shenhe lost to such a young man.
"Well, I'll be! You weren't bragging, after all."
Alder said from the side, breaking the silence. His eyes were gleaming as he looked at Dante.
"Congratulations, Alder. It seems your country will have another powerhouse in the future."
Cynthia said. She smiled and nodded appreciatively at Dante. With his superpower reaching such a level, if he could control it well, his Pokemon could at least be boosted to the Elite Level, right?
The thought of this made her fighting spirit rise. Maybe they could have a little sparring session after this was over?
In contrast to his fighting maniac of a Champion, Kaeya had a pensive expression as he gave Dante a once over. This guy…they need to pay more attention to him in the future.
"So? I can join the vanguard team now, right?"
Dante said as he released his grip on Shenhe's hand. A flash of disappointment crossed the white-haired Champion's face at this.
"Of course! I'm a man of my word. And since Mavuika's not coming along, then it's just right- you can take her place."
Dante smiled. With this, the first and most crucial step of his plan was done. Next, he just needs to think of a way to gain Cynthia's favor. And also…
He glanced at Shenhe who was opening and closing her hand several times. She must have discovered something unusual, that's why she suddenly stopped resisting. Would she confront him in anger? Maybe the two of them can talk it out? He was still curious about the malice in her body, after all.
Suddenly, Shenhe raised her head. Their gazes met. Dante smiled back, though Shenhe's next action confused him.
"Can you do that again?"
She stretched out her hand in front of Dante. Unlike the usual dullness, there was now a glimmer of expectation in her eyes.
Huh? Was she talking about absorbing the malice in her body? Though that was also what he wanted, but…
He glanced around the room and noticed everyone's curious faces. They must be wondering what Shenhe was talking about. If he accepted this, he would have to explain what they are doing.
That…didn't seem to cause him any harm. So with a nod, Dante grabbed her outstretched palm.
Just like the last time, the overwhelming malice hidden within her body assaulted his senses. Based on his estimates, it didn't even decrease after he absorbed some of it earlier.
"What are you doing?"
Mavuika asked, a trace of confusion and vigilance in her voice. Especially when she glanced at Shenhe's body and face, the alertness in her eyes increased several fold.
Was this Champion trying to seduce Dante into changing countries? Using her own body as the bait?
Even Ganyu was confused about what her Junior Sister was doing. This was the first time that she saw her act this way.
"Miss Shenhe, can I explain it to them?"
"...go ahead."
After getting Shenhe's approval, Dante explained about the malice within Shenhe's body, and how he was capable of absorbing it to recover his energy. Of course, he assured them that doing so doesn't cause him any harm.
"Is that so?"
Alder said. He rubbed his chin as he glanced back-and-forth between Shenhe and Dante, then at their hands which still held one another. Quietly, a plan started to brew in his head.
After this episode, Hine and the others chatted for a bit more with the Champions and the Elites before leaving the tent. At the end, they wished Dante good luck as they stared back at him with gazes that contained varying traces of admiration and envy.
Because he was now part of the vanguard team, Alder taught him the basics of how things operate. Though all in all, the gist of his instruction was for Dante to stick close and follow his lead.
Although he knew Alder did this so he could watch himself more closely, Dante had no problems with obeying it.
Firstly, he was already satisfied being able to explore a ruin firsthand. Secondly, as a fellow Champion, he'd have more chances to interact with Cynthia and Shenhe if he followed him.
Another thing was his Pokemon. To prevent interfering with the moves of his other team members, Alder ordered him to prioritize protecting himself with his Pokemon first. He should just attack wild Pokemon that had broken past the frontline.
Because of the special energy inside the ruins, most Pokemon there are able to easily reach 50% of their racial limit. The more powerful can even reach 100%, while the ones at the deepest section have often broken past it.
At the deeper section, the frontline will only be in-charge of holding back the small-fries while the other members at the back will confront the stronger threats.
"Requesting permission to enter!"
"Come in."
Right after Alder finished giving Dante a basic run-down of the situation, a guy that gave off a disciplined temper marched inside the tent and saluted Alder and the others. After Alder nodded in acknowledgement, he reported.
"Preparations for the exploration are finished, sir!"
"Perfect timing. Let's go!"
Alder walked out of the tent with everyone following along. At this time, Ganyu trotted over to Dante and Shenhe who were walking side-by-side with an awkward expression on her face. She glanced down at their hands, which were interlocked with each other.
"Sorry about my junior sister, Dante. Shenhe, can you release him? It would be bad if everyone misunderstands."
"...I'm okay with it."
Staring at the stubborn look on Shenhe's face, Ganyu resisted the urge to sigh. Instead, she stared at the young man beside her with a pleading look in her eyes.
"She's right, Miss Shenhe. We can do this again in private later. Besides, my body's already about to burst with energy, anyway. So it's just right we stop for now."
"...is that so. I'm sorry."
A look of loss flashed across Shenhe's face as her palms lost the warmth it held.
Ever since 'that' incident, her mind had been constantly occupied with violent thoughts. And even after her master's help, this morbidity had only been suppressed along with her other emotions. However, malicious whispers still echoed in her mind every day.
But when Dante held her hand, all the whispers disappeared. She felt inner peace for the first time. And she began to get addicted to it.
When they stepped outside the tent, they found Alder and the others waiting for them. Ganyu bowed in apology, while Dante walked to Alder's side. The older Champion smirked, and as they continued to head to their destination, he asked in a low voice.
"Hey, kid. What do you think about Shenhe?"
"Hmm? She's nice, just a bit silent."
"Oh come on~ You know that's not what I meant."
Dante shook his head helplessly. With Shenhe's sexy body, beautiful face, and status, any normal man in the world would probably be so excited at the chance to get closer to her. He himself felt the same a while ago.
However, with his emotional sensing, all he could feel whenever he came into physical contact with her was that endless malice. And even though he could absorb it, that didn't change a thing.
Even when they interlocked their hands, Dante could only appreciate how smooth and soft it was. However, all other lustful thoughts took a backseat due to the negativity she exudes.
But it was not without a solution. From what Dante could tell, the reason for the negativity inside her was due to two reason.
Firstly, she was cursed. And it was done by countless Ghost-type Pokemon. He could feel their wrath and desperation coalesce to form such a vicious malice.
Two, her self-loathing. If it was just a curse, Dante was sure that, as China's Champion, she can have access to many methods that could break it. However, the reason it hadn't was because of Shenhe herself.
Her self-hatred powers the curse. Even if Dante absorbed all the negative energy inside her body, if she didn't let go of this hatred, it would just return in no time.
So for now, he planned to take things slow with Shenhe. He'd cultivate the relationship between them on this journey and try to find the reason why she feels that way towards herself.
He'd do his best to help her solve it. However, with how long she had been living this way, he was prepared for this issue to drag on for much longer.
They headed to the location where the construction was taking place. The soldiers guarding there saluted them as they walked past.
Inside, Dante saw the familiar faces of the ones he met at the entrance of the hotel- the vanguard team. Without the non-combat personnel, they were much smaller in number, just 18 in total.
They stood in a more organized formation, and were divided into three, separate groups. The three Champions will lead one team each and alternate between one another to maximize the efficiency.
Alder warmly greeted everyone as he went to the group in the middle. Some of them recognized Dante who was following behind Alder. Although they were curious why he was here, since the Champions didn't say anything, they didn't either.
Cynthia and Shenhe went to lead their respective teams. When he saw that everything was ready, Alder nodded to the Colonel standing in front of a metal gate. The Colonel nodded back, and then with his command, the gate rumbled open.
A massive, dark void that silently hung in the air was revealed. It looked similar to the entrance of the Pokeportal, though its size is relatively smaller.
"Let's go!"
Alder's voice became more serious. Even with his level of strength, he couldn't underestimate the dangers of this particular ruin- especially with the information the scouts had gathered.
Dante walked inside the portal after Alder. A feeling of dizziness struck him before it quickly passed.
Opening his eyes, he found himself inside an enclosed metal room. Fluorescent light shone from above, only bringing attention to how barren this room is.
"Is there any meaning to enclosing all the portals in a metal room? Or is it just for protection?"
Dante idly asked Alder while they waited for the others to come through.
"It's mainly for protection, especially against those sneaky Pokemon that can teleport or bypass normal barriers."
The two of them chatted casually until everyone finally stepped through. Then, they walked out of the room.
An archaic hallway made of stone greeted them. Large stone pillars stood on both sides, and the walls were made of large, gray bricks. However, the presence of light orbs, as well as the tents sporadically scattered, destroyed the ancient atmosphere inside this place.
"Boss, you're finally here. Hurry up. My boys were prepared ages ago."
A middle-aged guy with purple hair suddenly walked over. He had a serious look on his face, though the corner of his vision focused on Cynthia, Shenhe, Kaeya, Ganyu and Dante.
"Everyone, this is Zoren- the head of the scouts here. He may be a little straightforward, but he means well."
Alder said while helplessly shaking his head. Even though he had reminded him countless times, Zoren was just too rigid.
Cynthia just smiled and thanked Zoren for the information he had gathered, while Shenhe didn't even look at him- just peeking at Dante's direction from time to time. Ganyu had to cover for her and politely bowed her head to show gratitude.
Zoren's expression didn't change as he observed all this, nor did he reply. His eyes remained focused on Alder, waiting for his reply.
"Ahem! Alright, let's go. Let's head first towards those statues you've mentioned."
Alder said with a wry smile as he went to the forefront of the group. Meanwhile, Cynthia and Shenhe's group maintained a position further back. The three of them would switch roles every 30 minutes to ensure everyone can have adequate rest while still clearing any incoming Pokemon efficiently.
The 6 members of their team had already released their Pokemon and had them form a neat line in front.
Dante also took the opportunity to release all his Pokemon. Except for Ursaring, all of them were pretty small in stature, so they had no problems being out and about. He did this so everyone can experience exploring a ruin together for the first time.
"Pika-chu." (This feels like exploring a Mystery Dungeon, yet not at the same time.)
"Ursa." (It's just too bad we can't fight the enemy head-on.)
"Vee!" (That's right! Why don't we also join the frontlines?)
"Don't make trouble. I already told you, just take care of the ones that would break through to our position."
Eevee pouted but didn't say anything more. She just jumped from her Dad's shoulder and on top of Ursaring's head. Since all she could do was watch, then it's better to do it from a higher point of view.
"Being able to talk with a Pokemon is a really enviable ability."
Alder said. He and Dante were walking side-by-side in front of the group, with Zoren and his two men leading the way.
"Yeah, it's one of my favorite powers."
Dante said while petting Ninetales who was walking beside him. Then, reminded of something, he asked.
"By the way, what kind of statue were you talking about earlier?"
"...we haven't confirmed it yet. However, based on the description, it matches one of the Legendary Pokemon we've known."
"Oh? Who?"
"Hahaha, curious, aren't you? Well, why don't we see if you can identify it. Look, it's over there."
Dante followed Alder's gaze towards the massive room at the end of the hallway. The ceiling was at least 20 meters high, and the stone pillars that supported the place were at least 2 meters in radius.
In the middle of the room, there were stone statues lined up symmetrically to one another. And when Dante squinted his eyes to see what they looked like, he froze.
No way. Was it really so coincidental?
As they got closer and closer, he became more and more certain. The statue that Alder was talking about, the powerful Legendary Pokemon…is just a Regice?