Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

The stone pillar was filled with ghost-type energy, which clashed with Slowpoke's psychic energy, creating substantial resistance. The deeper they went, the greater the pressure, similar to the feeling of diving in deep water.

Slowpoke, using all its strength, barely managed to reach the bottom of the pillar. According to the psychic scan, there was a larger space beneath the pillar, where the ghost-type energy was almost completely stagnant.

With that amount of energy, if any ghost-type Pokémon lived there, in about three or four years it could reach the elite level. If it actively absorbed the energy, the time would be even shorter.

However, only those who could endure that concentration could survive. For Pokémon like Gastly, entering that area would feel like drowning, and for common ghost-type Pokémon, it would be impossible to survive in that space for long.

If a non-ghost-type Pokémon stayed there long enough, it would eventually transform into one, though it's unclear what kind of Pokémon it would become.

"The deeper we go, the stranger it gets. Could it be that Umbra didn't destroy the pillar because he guessed what lay beneath? Or is it because there's something else hidden that I can't perceive yet?" Cain wondered.

Cain believed the second option was more likely. If he could detect the space beneath the pillar, there was no reason Umbra wouldn't know about it. There must be something more hidden.

"Haunter, with your current power level, you shouldn't have trouble absorbing the energy coming from this pillar. Stay here and absorb as much as you can; it should benefit you quite a bit," Cain told Haunter.

Haunter nodded with a mischievous grin and floated toward the opening where the purple energy emanated. The energy was absorbed by Haunter without causing the slightest disturbance, like a drop of water dissolving into a river.

However, the system showed that Haunter's ghost energy had grown considerably. His body began to expand at an almost imperceptible rate.

Cain decided to continue his exploration and called Sneasel and Murkrow back to their Pokéballs, leaving only Slowpoke with him.

"Slowpoke, create a small psychic barrier, just large enough to cover us. And if the situation gets complicated, be prepared to teleport us back," Cain instructed seriously.

Slowpoke responded with a firm nod. Cain placed his hand on Slowpoke's back, and they both instantly vanished from the spot.

Upon reaching the underground space beneath the pillar, Cain noticed it wasn't completely dark as he had expected. On the walls of the space were small lights, like pearls glowing softly.

Slowpoke created a psychic energy barrier around them, shielding them from the dense ghost-type energy.

Cain and Slowpoke began to walk, but the energy's density made each step feel like trudging through a swamp. Cain decided to head toward the wall of the space, trying to investigate little by little. A path that would normally have taken only a few seconds took them almost eight minutes.

By then, Slowpoke's face was visibly pale, reaching the limit of its endurance. Just before retreating, Cain extended his hand and took a handful of soil from the wall.

They vanished from the underground space.

Moments after their disappearance, an ethereal sound echoed through the space, and a dark figure appeared in the spot where Cain and Slowpoke had been. It seemed to be examining the marks Cain had left on the wall, but no emotion could be discerned from the sound.

Cain, however, was unaware of this fact.

When they returned near the pillar, about ten minutes had passed since they descended. Slowpoke collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.

The effort of moving in a space so dense with ghost-type energy had completely drained it. Cain quickly gave Slowpoke some Pokéblocks to help it recover and encouraged it to enter a meditative state to speed up its recovery.

Though the underground space didn't seem large, with their movement speed, Cain knew it wouldn't be possible to explore it fully in just one or two visits.

Fortunately, they hadn't encountered any extremely strong Pokémon.

Haunter continued absorbing the pillar's energy, undisturbed by what was happening below. In the ten minutes that had passed, Haunter had shown a visible change: he had expanded.

Cain temporarily ignored Haunter and looked at the black soil in his hand.

That soil...

Cain's eyes narrowed, surprised by what he had discovered.

(End of Chapter)