"Gaasss..."
"Dree..."
Shiro hugged the trembling Gastly and Dreepy in his arms. At the same time, Draklaok floated up beside him, baring its fangs and releasing a sharp growl toward the dark tunnel ahead.
"Draaaa!"
The path in front of them was completely shrouded in darkness, a thick, unmoving shadow that seemed to swallow everything whole.
Shiro's expression tensed. He could tell there was a Ghost-type Pokémon up ahead. Its presence felt unfriendly, and it was strong enough that even Draklaok didn't rush in to strike.
As the standoff continued, Nessa noticed her Drednaw had stopped moving. Worried, she quickly recalled it into its Poké Ball, then held the ball under her flashlight to check its status.
"It's just asleep..." she murmured, letting out a breath of relief.
Hearing that, Shiro cautiously stepped forward as his two Pokémon hid inside his shadow. The Ghost-type on the other side didn't seem truly hostile. It hadn't made any move to attack them.
He raised his flashlight and aimed it into the darkness, trying to get a clearer view. But no matter how bright the beam, the shadows seemed to devour the light. Nothing became visible.
Then, as if sensing his approach, a hoarse and struggling voice came from within the blackness.
"No... don't come closer... bad Pokémon... ahead..."
'What does that mean?' Shiro stopped in his tracks. He couldn't figure out what the creature was trying to say.
They were humans, and behind them were piles of Pokémon corpses. Why would a Ghost-type be this kind, even warning them about something dangerous ahead?
According to mission records, the B5 unit had spent days exploring these cave ruins. They'd been ambushed, fought, and slowly pushed forward. But Shiro and his team reached this place in under an hour.
The map showed that B5 had vanished in the crystal cavern just in front.
Suddenly, Allister, who had been silent until now, spoke up with uncertainty in his voice.
"I think... it's a Sableye."
"Sableye..." Shiro repeated softly, as the shadow slowly began to reveal its shape. The darkness stopped absorbing the light, and deep purple skin came into view, jagged and angular.
Sableye. A species known to dwell in underground caves, digging endlessly and feeding on gems. This one in particular had already reached Elite-level, around level 52. It must've lived here for many years, feeding off the minerals underground.
Its gem-like eyes flickered with a dim, eerie blue light. The small, hunched figure stared silently at Shiro, then slowly raised a claw as it spoke again, its voice raw and broken.
"You... killed many humans. You... good. Behind... Pokémon... stopped me from killing... bad Pokémon. You must… not go…"
Shiro glanced at Marvin behind him. The two exchanged looks, both stunned by what they'd just heard.
So he was a good person... because he'd killed a lot of people? And the Pokémon up ahead were bad because they stopped this Sableye from killing?
It was a twisted logic based on the idea that everyone was bad by default, but strangely enough, it matched everything they'd encountered in these ruins so far.
Shiro still believed he was different from the B5 squad that killed without restraint. If it were up to him, he'd try to catch and sell Pokémon for profit, not just slaughter them all.
And in this bizarre setup, Sableye had mistaken him for an ally.
'It said a Pokémon stopped it from killing...' Shiro fell deep into thought.
That line was interesting. It meant two things. First, there were still survivors up ahead. Second, there was a Pokémon protecting them.
Even knowing how awful these people were, some Pokémon still chose to protect them. Based on what they knew, it was likely Zacian or Zamazenta. Shiro couldn't guess why they trapped the B5 squad here without killing them.
In contrast, the Sableye in front of them might actually be the biggest obstacle in this whole mission.
"You... should go back. I will... think of a way... to kill everyone inside." Sableye spoke in a broken voice that left Shiro and the others briefly at a loss.
They were deep underground. Forcing their way past the Ghost-type could easily trigger a collapse. But it was telling them to leave, and their goal was to bring the B5 squad out of here.
'An Elite-level Sableye... Ghost and Dark-type...' Shiro thought about whether he could launch a sneak attack and take it out. In this era, without Fairy types, Ghost and Dark had no real weaknesses.
It was going to be tough.
Just then, Marvin quietly came over to his side and whispered, "Shiro... are we leaving or...?"
He glanced at Sableye. The meaning was clear. Shiro understood he was thinking about pushing through by force too, but now wasn't the right time.
After a moment of thought, he made a decision. He turned to the Ghost-type and said, "Sableye, the Pokémon inside... they're the ones stopping you from killing, right?"
"Yes... that's right," Sableye replied with a rough nod.
"Then maybe if we go in and do the killing, they won't stop us? And since those Pokémon are protecting humans, it means we probably won't be in any danger either."
Shiro chose his words carefully, guiding the conversation, nudging the creature toward cooperation. Sableye's eyes glinted faintly as it listened.
"So let us go in and give it a try. We're on the same side after all. I want to wipe those people out too."
For a moment, the place was silent. Then, without a word, Sableye stepped aside. It raised one claw and pointed down the tunnel.
"Then... go ahead. I'll... stay here... and guard."
Shiro glanced back at Marvin and the others, silently asking if they were coming.
"Let's go. Doesn't look too dangerous inside anyway. Honestly, I'd be more scared staying out here," Marvin said as he swaggered right past Sableye and walked toward the crystal cave.
Seeing this, Nessa and Allister followed behind quietly. Shiro took one last look at the Ghost-type, making sure it wasn't about to launch a sneak attack, then entered last.
Sableye stayed right where it was, its glowing gem-eyes following their every step.
The four of them passed through a winding tunnel about five meters long before entering a massive inner chamber.
Jagged, crystalline structures—bright blue and sharp like frozen plants—covered the cavern. A radiant blue glow bathed everything in eerie light. Along the walls, faded murals and crumbling stone revealed that this had once been a palace's grand hall.
"...What is this place?" Marvin, who'd entered first, froze in awe, completely speechless.
Nessa gazed dreamily at the blue crystals near the walls, reaching out to touch one—only to have someone grab her hand.
"Careful. The crystals might be dangerous."
She blinked and looked over. It was Shiro, motioning toward the front with a tilt of his chin. They stood on a rocky ledge near the edge of the hall. Below them stretched a wide, sunken floor blanketed in glowing blue crystals.
And scattered among the crystal-covered ground were the members of the B5 squad, all wearing Macro Cosmos uniforms, lying in disarray.
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