🎄 Christmas Special Discount 🎄From December 23 to December 25, there will be a public 50% discount on the following tiers:Intermediate Trainers, Advanced Trainers, Elite Trainers, Elite Four Trainers, Champion Trainers, and Legendary Trainers.
🎆 New Year Discount 🎆There will also be a 50% discount, but it won't be public. On December 31, the discount code will be published inside the chapters, so stay tuned 👀✨
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Greninja had excellent physical endurance.
Cain administered quick treatment, and soon the Pokémon regained consciousness.
When he awoke, his expression was one of total surprise.
He hadn't expected to still be alive.
Battles in the wild don't just determine winners and losers... they often determine life or death.
That's why few Pokémon survive long enough to reach truly high levels.
The fact that this Greninja had directly challenged Blaziken indicated he had strong confidence in his combat ability.
It meant he had fought many times and, despite that, not only was he still alive—he had reached the Elite level, which spoke highly of his natural talent for battle.
As soon as he stood up, Greninja briefly looked at Cain and Blaziken, made a gesture of gratitude, and turned to leave.
But Cain stopped him.
Greninja instantly reacted by taking a combat stance, thinking this unknown creature wanted to harm him.
However, it was a misunderstanding.
Cain had no intention of hurting him—he just wanted to ask about a few things he might know.
From the direction he was headed, it was clear this Greninja didn't live in the lake.
Most likely, he lived a nomadic life.
Cain asked him about this space and about the volcano in the center.
Perhaps out of gratitude for the medical care he'd received, Greninja told him everything he knew.
Among a few ancient clans that live at the base of the volcano, there was a legend:
It was said that once, the central volcano was on the verge of erupting. The dense volcanic smoke covered the entire sky, and just when the Pokémon thought the end of the world had come... a multicolored light descended from the sky, covering the entire space.
The eruption was then contained by that light, and the Pokémon that emitted it was considered a deity from that day forward by those who lived in the area.
But aside from a few ancient clans, most Pokémon had never seen it, and the story gradually faded into obscurity.
Greninja had heard that legend during his travels, unsure whether it was true.
He had climbed the volcano himself, but the environment was extremely hostile and full of very powerful Pokémon, so he had no choice but to retreat—he didn't have the strength he has now at that time.
Once Cain got the information he wanted, he let him go.
He was a wanderer, impossible for anyone to capture. Forcing a capture would only bring trouble for both sides.
Greninja had already earned the respect of both Blaziken and Cain.
Besides, Cain had never been particularly interested in that type of Pokémon in this life.
If he truly wanted one, he could easily ask Lysandre or even request one from the Kalos League.
He could get it... but he wasn't interested.
After Greninja left, Cain continued on with his Pokémon.
...
Five days later.
At the foot of the volcano.
Cain and his team had finally arrived.
Kommo-o was already there, though they didn't know how long he had been waiting. When they arrived, they saw him sleeping at the base of the mountain, and no other Pokémon dared to get close.
While Cain and the others had fought their way through every step, Kommo-o probably hadn't even been disturbed—he had simply walked through without interference.
When he heard that Cain planned to climb the mountain, Kommo-o showed a serious expression for the first time.
He didn't know what Cain was planning to do at the volcano, but he solemnly warned him not to approach the crater, because even he dared not disturb whatever lived there.
Cain already had some suspicions, and hearing Kommo-o say that only increased his curiosity about what was hidden inside the volcano.
Still, he had to proceed carefully.
He asked Slowking to prepare psychic coordinates for a quick retreat, which gave him a bit more confidence.
After all, unless it was a Legendary Pokémon, Cain doubted anything could take down Kommo-o in one blow.
However, shortly after they began the climb, before encountering any strong Pokémon, the Unown on his wrist—dormant for over a month—began to glow.
Sensing what they were trying to tell him, Cain expanded his psychic perception.
"This place... feels like... the space is very weakened?"
That was the sensation he got.
It was as if this volcano were a spatial node—a point where the boundaries of space were so weak that someone with psychic power could tear through them effortlessly.
"Is it connected to an alternate space?" Cain wondered.
He raised his hand and made a motion through the air. Even without the Unown, his power to open rifts had diminished—but he could still do it.
And indeed, with a simple motion, a spatial rift opened before him.
On the other side was the alternate space.
"Huh...?"
Cain stared at the fissure, which began slowly closing, and could've sworn he saw something inside.
To confirm it hadn't been his imagination, he reopened it in the exact same spot.
Once something had been torn once, doing it again was as easy as ripping paper.
At a certain distance within the alternate space, he saw three small black dots.
The Unown symbols on his wrist began flashing frenetically.
Then the black dots seemed to notice something... and started moving directly toward Cain.
That's when he noticed something behind them...
Something was chasing them.
And at great speed!
When the dots got close enough, Cain confirmed they were three Unown.
But what was coming after them was a gray, blurry mass—impossible to make out clearly.
The Unown on his wrist, upon sensing it, stopped moving completely—becoming like tattoos.
But it was too late. The three fleeing Unown were almost there.
In this place, with space so weakened, it was as if there were no barrier for them at all.
BOOM!
BOOM!
The volcano Cain stood on began to shake violently.
Earthquake!
In an instant, the three Unown appeared before him and latched onto his wrist without hesitation.
Immediately afterward, just like the other five, they played dead.
But that wasn't the real problem.
The gray mass was still heading their way.
As it approached, the entire volcano began shaking even more violently. Even the space itself seemed to tremble.
The crater kept spewing lava, flowing in waves down the mountainside.
Kommo-o, who was beside Cain, stared at him with his mouth wide open.
Didn't I tell you to be careful?!
Cain's eyes also flew wide open.
How is this my fault?!
I didn't even climb the mountain yet!
The spatial rift was still open, with no sign of closing, and the gray thing was just a few meters away.
Only then could Cain get a clear look at it.
"What—?! Slowking, evacuate now!"
Seeing the shape of the thing, Cain cursed and immediately ordered a retreat.
At that exact moment, the crater roared again.
BOOOOM!
Something shot out from deep inside the volcano.
"SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"
A birdlike screech echoed across the entire space.
"Slowking, hurry!!"
Cain repeated the order, urgently.
Kommo-o looked at the giant bird that had just erupted from the volcano... and then looked back at the gray thing slipping through the rift.
Finally, he turned his head toward Cain with a blank expression.
How did I end up running into this walking disaster magnet...?
(End of chapter)