In the beginning, amid the chaos of swirling energy, an egg appeared. From it hatched Arceus, who shaped the universe. Fragments from the act of creation became the Plates, bestowing different powers upon the world.
Arceus created Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, appointing them as rulers of Time, Space, and Antimatter. Alongside them were forged the Adamant, Lustrous, and Griseous Orbs.
Because of its destructive nature, Giratina was banished into the Distortion World. Dialga and Palkia, after creating the Pokémon world, returned to their own realms.
Afterward, Arceus created Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, granting wisdom, emotion, and will to all life within the Pokémon world. The three then descended into Lake Acuity, Lake Verity, and Lake Valor.
When the Pokémon world was finally complete, having gained both matter and spirit, Arceus fell into slumber within the Hall of Origin.
Though regarded as myth, the idea that Dialga ruled time, Palkia ruled space, and Giratina ruled antimatter was widely accepted as truth.
And now, the images that Kale had drawn were unmistakably depictions of the Creation Trio. The Abyssal Caverns clearly bore some deep connection to these divine legends—perhaps even serving as a link to their realms.
This place is… the radiant land, the place where mortals disperse like smoke, where two worlds converge.
Could it be that the "worlds" mentioned referred not to the Ghost World, but to the realms of the Creation Trio? Yet the gray mist and ghost fissure hinted insistently at the Ghost World…
"Lord Aven… have you thought of something?" Kale asked softly, seeing Aven sink deep into contemplation.
After a long silence, Aven shook his head slowly. "Only a distant legend came to mind. But I cannot be certain of its truth…"
"Go on. Tell me—what happened with the gray mist?"
After hearing his words, Kale suppressed the doubts in his heart and recounted in detail the situation of those Sableye that had been eroded by the gray mist.
"If Luxio hadn't successfully completed its evolution, I might really have been trapped in the Abyssal Caverns forever and never come out alive," Kale said, still with lingering fear in his tone.
"Luxio successfully evolved?" Aven's eyes lit up immediately.
Up until just now, all of them had been focused on the Abyssal Caverns, so this was the very first time anyone had mentioned Luxio's evolution.
When he heard Kale describe Luxio's evolution into Luxray, and especially Luxray's ability to see through illusions, Aven nodded in satisfaction.
It seemed that Luxray had indeed successfully awakened the special power of the "Electric Sight." This was an extremely powerful ability—one that granted it the power to pierce through all falsehood and deception, to distinguish illusion from reality.
Amidst all the bad news that had piled up recently, this could be considered the one piece of genuinely good news. Luxray's ability would undoubtedly play a tremendous role in combating the Ghost-type Pokémon that might appear in the future.
"Then… the Abyssal Caverns really is connected to the Ghost World?" Kale asked again after finishing his report.
"Mhm. For now, we cannot rule out that possibility," Aven replied.
"There is no doubt that the gray mist contains a dense concentration of Ghost-type energy. That much is certain."
"But in the past, even when gray mist appeared, Ghost-type Pokémon themselves never manifested along with it."
Aven gave a slight shake of his head. Regardless, the gray mist had already reappeared, and that meant it would inevitably begin to spread little by little. Aspiration City had to prepare itself to face what was coming head-on!
With this thought in mind, he immediately resolved to report the matter to Lady Mira and to Earl Ruize—especially Earl Ruize, since the northeastern frontier lands were under his jurisdiction and would be the first to bear the brunt of the threat.
…
The Northeastern Domains of Aspiration City, Brambleford Village Territory.
Berrin was leading his knights on a patrol through his fiefdom.
As he looked at how his lands were gradually developing and flourishing under his own management, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
Before long, his patrol reached the edge of the Black Forest. For the sake of establishing a Pokémon breeding zone, he had already cleared this place out completely.
Although it was still impossible to create a breeding ground as vast and complete as the one in Aven's Pokémon Domain, by building a Breeding House and adapting the environment here to be suitable for Pokémon habitation, he could still create a thriving area where they could live and grow.
Thanks to the abundant supply of food within this breeding zone, more and more Pokémon from the Black Forest had begun migrating here to live.
Especially with winter approaching, many Pokémon tribes from the Aspiration Mountains were migrating toward the Black Forest in search of sufficient food. This in turn caused even more Pokémon to enter the breeding zone.
In fact, just recently, even a Mightyena pack had come to settle in the breeding zone. This made Berrin incredibly excited, and he spared no effort in trying to keep these Mightyena within his territory.
Perhaps sensing the goodwill directed toward them, the Mightyena did not continue to attack human settlements after entering the breeding zone. Instead, they seemed to establish a silent understanding with the humans—an unspoken pact of mutual non-interference.
"Lord Berrin… do we really have to keep raising these wild Pokémon tribes?" the treasurer asked hesitantly, clearly conflicted.
"Yes, we are going to raise them," Berrin replied firmly.
"I know exactly what you're about to say, but rest assured, I have thought this through."
"This is exactly what Aven has been doing, and the facts prove that it's a worthwhile investment."
Berrin smiled faintly. "These Pokémon tribes will become a natural defensive wall, a living shield that protects Brambleford Village."
"Besides, this is only the first step in building the Pokémon breeding house. Only with more trainers will the construction of breeding houses truly be sustained and supported."
"In time, as more Pokémon are captured by trainers, the breeding house will earn back everything we've invested, and at the same time, they will continue to strengthen the power of our territory."
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Berrin recalled the conversations he had had with Aven. At first, he hadn't understood, but now he was beginning to comprehend. Unconsciously, he couldn't help but marvel at Aven's wisdom.
"Oh, right—how is the brambles harvest in Brambleford going?" Berrin asked.
The treasurer quickly responded, "Please rest assured, Lord Berrin. We've already collected all of the brambles, and they can be transported to Fairhaven Town at any time."
"Good. These brambles will bring us back a large amount of Pokémon food," Berrin nodded.
But upon hearing this, the treasurer hesitated for a moment before asking, "My lord… is it really true that Pokémon food is made from thorns?"
"Well… who can say for certain?" Berrin chuckled.
"In any case, our Brambleford Village has no shortage of brambles. Just focus on transporting them to Fairhaven Town."
"Who would have thought? The very thorns I once wished to burn to ash with fire… one day, they would actually become treasures."
Berrin smiled slightly. In truth, they had secretly researched Pokémon food themselves, but had found no results. The method of creating Pokémon food was a closely guarded secret in Fairhaven Town, and their confidentiality measures were extremely tight.
At that moment, a knight rushed over at full speed. "Lord Berrin, Earl Ruize has sent for you. You are to proceed immediately to the frontline fortress. There is an important matter to discuss."
"Father has summoned us to discuss an urgent matter?" Berrin frowned. They had only just recently discussed preparations for the winter beast tide. What could this new matter possibly be?
Thinking this, he immediately gathered his knights and returned to the lord's castle, then brought his Pokémon with him as he hurried toward the frontline fortress.
The fortress had originally been the very front line against the Abyssal beast tide. Back then, in order to resist the tide, countless knights had fought and bled there. Even now, the scars of battle still remained etched into the walls.
After being appointed as the Earl of the Northeastern Domains of Aspiration City, Earl Ruize had chosen to establish his lordly castle within this very fortress. His plan was to develop it into a second Ironblood Fortress, built upon this foundation!
Inside the castle's council chamber, the officials and minor nobles of the northeastern lands had already gathered together. Since Berrin's territory lay on the outer fringes, he was among the later ones to arrive.
When Berrin entered, all eyes immediately turned toward him. One after another, they rose to their feet to greet him.
At the same time, two particularly sharp gazes were fixed on him. They belonged to his two elder brothers—formerly captains of the Aspiration City Knight Order, and now enfeoffed nobles of the northeastern lands.
Ever since Earl Ruize had come to the northeastern frontier, his testing of his children had only just begun. Rumors were already spreading: whichever child built up the best territory would be granted the right to inherit the title of Border Earl.
Originally, when they had seen that Berrin was only assigned a barren and poverty-stricken Brambleford Village, neither of them had paid him any attention. They assumed that their father had long since abandoned this once-beloved youngest son.
After all, just last winter, Berrin had been captured by Fruitvale Village—a humiliation and disgrace for the Ruize family. That alone should have been enough to strip him of any claim to succession.
But what they never expected was that Berrin had somehow established ties with the Earl of the Pokémon Domain. With the Earl's support, Berrin's domain developed at an astonishing pace, growing more and more prosperous with each passing day.
And as the Earl's power rose further, gradually showing the potential to rival even the Ironblood Fortress itself, Berrin's status rose alongside it. He had become the key contact between the Eastern League and the Pokémon Domain!
Now, not only among the northeastern nobles, but even the lords of other territories in the Eastern League treated Berrin with respect and courtesy. To his brothers, this was an immense threat to their own positions.
"Fortunately, the meeting hasn't started yet. Apologies for my late arrival," Berrin said as he nodded politely to the nobles present before taking his seat.
Not long after Berrin sat down, Earl Ruize entered the chamber. Sweeping his eyes across everyone present, he moved to his own seat. "Well then, let us begin the meeting."
There were no pleasantries, no formal opening words. Earl Ruize simply declared the meeting in session. Then, in a low voice, he said, "According to the information from Earl Aven, gray mist has reappeared within the Abyssal Caverns!"
The room fell silent in an instant. No one had expected this to be the news Earl Ruize would deliver. This was a shadow hanging over the heads of every single person in the northeastern frontier!
"My lord, is the information truly reliable?"
"I don't mean to question your word, but… didn't the gray mist only disperse last year?"
"How is it possible that after only a single year, the Abyssal Caverns would produce the gray mist again?"
One noble, flustered and unable to hide his fear, blurted out. His fiefdom lay close to the Abyssal Caverns Forest, and if the mist spread there, all of his efforts and all he had built would be utterly destroyed.
"Father, we frequently patrol the Abyssal Caverns, yet we have never discovered any trace of gray mist," the earl's eldest son quickly interjected.
It was his responsibility to oversee the patrols of the Abyssal Caverns Forest. To suddenly hear that the gray mist had reappeared left him in disbelief. If it were true, it would be an enormous dereliction of his duty.
"On this matter, Earl Aven has no reason to deceive us," Earl Ruize said gravely.
"As for how he knew of it—he personally led people into the Abyssal Caverns."
He led people into the Abyssal Caverns…
At this revelation, everyone's eyes widened.
For so many years, countless adventurers had dreamed of exploring the Abyssal Caverns, but none had ever succeeded.
Yet now, this legendary earl had achieved what all adventurers had failed to do—he had entered the ruins himself and discovered the presence of the gray mist!
"It seems, then, that this matter must indeed be true."
"However, the power of the gray mist… Earl Aven has already unraveled it once before."
"Last year, it was Earl Aven who put an end to the mist's erosion. I believe that this year as well, he must surely have a way to dispel it once more."
At that moment, Berrin also spoke up. When he mentioned Aven, confidence filled his eyes. With Lord Aven present, the gray mist was no longer a threat that could endanger them!
(End of Chapter)