Day 49 of the journey to Kanto. Early morning.
After leaving the beach, Reiji rode Pelipper and followed Darkrai's senses to the unusual energy fluctuation it had detected. The source was Mount Hideaway, near Pallet Town.
If Darkrai had not reminded him, he would have almost forgotten there were ancient ruins here. He had nearly missed out on a huge opportunity.
He had arrived during the day yesterday. After Darkrai led him close to the ruins, he hid in the nearby woods instead of going out to meet Ash's group or the excavation team.
Today was different from the anime, though. Gary was here too. In the anime, it only mentioned Ash training here for the League and meeting Bruno, who was catching an Onix near Mount Hideaway. It never mentioned Gary.
What Reiji did not know was that after Tyranitar destroyed Ash's house, Ash had temporarily moved into Gary's home. Since both of them needed to train for the Indigo League, they had come here together.
Gary had been training nearby when he heard the ruins collapse, so he rushed over and ran into the excavation team and Ash's group. The plot had already been changed, whether anyone liked it or not.
After seeing them, Reiji did not disturb anyone. Instead, he had Gengar and Darkrai slip quietly into the ancient ruins.
They had gone inside during the day yesterday. Now it was already midnight, and they still had not come out. Reiji had no idea what danger they had run into.
It was not that he did not want to help. The problem was that after nightfall, he saw the Team Rocket trio arrive. They had Arbok dig into the ruins and retrieve the artifact that sealed the giant Gengar: the Dark Device.
Through his binoculars, he watched the three idiots get silently sucked into the black, three-sphere crystal device. All he could do was sigh.
After seeing that with his own eyes, how was he supposed to enter ruins with unknown dangers inside? If something went wrong in there, he would be dead.
If even Darkrai could not handle it, then Reiji going in would be useless. All he could do now was trust Darkrai and Gengar and wait quietly.
He wondered whether they were in trouble, whether there were too many good things inside, or whether they had been trapped. He was worried about both of them.
But waiting was his only option. He had Spinarak keep watch, then took out a blanket and rope, tied himself to a tree, and prepared to camp there for the night. A sleeping bag was impossible, and so was a tent. This was the only way he could make do.
When he woke the next morning, startled cries were coming from the foot of the mountain. Reiji did not even have time to wipe the sleep from his eyes before raising his binoculars. He saw the excavation team get sucked into the Dark Device, exactly like the Team Rocket trio. Only this time it was daytime, so he could see it more clearly.
Ash and the others immediately ran. The Dark Device floated through the air after them, while footprints appeared on the ground where Gengar stepped. That meant the giant Gengar was close to breaking free from the ancient seal, and it had already trapped the slower members of the excavation team and drawn them into the device.
Reiji hurriedly packed away the blanket and rope, then released Ditto and Pelipper. Ditto transformed into a mask and covered his face. He also prepared earplugs and had them ready.
Jigglypuff's song was coming soon, and it would definitely put a huge number of people and Pokémon to sleep.
If Darkrai and Gengar still had not come out by then, he would have to force his way into the ruins. That would be his best chance.
The two giant Pokémon would cause enough chaos that everyone would be asleep afterward. If he did not use that chance to look for Darkrai and Gengar, the League would seal off the ruins as soon as they received the news, and he would never get another chance to enter.
After the entire excavation team was pulled into the Dark Device, only Ash and the others were left hiding inside a car. Then Gengar fully broke free. The giant Gengar emerged from the Dark Device, its enormous body blocking out the sky. It was even larger than the mountain where Reiji was hiding.
Reiji did not know what Gengar was doing. It raised both hands toward the sky and laughed with a sinister "Geh-heh-heh." In an instant, the sky darkened, turning black and oppressive.
He immediately had Golbat carry him farther away from the ruins so he would not get caught in the battle between the giant Gengar and the giant Alakazam.
Even so, he remained on the mountaintop. He wanted to watch the fight between two giant Pokémon. A battle like this was rare.
When the giant Alakazam finally appeared, the battle truly began.
"Damn, they're huge." Reiji stood on the mountaintop and watched through his binoculars, remembering the legend of the ancient civilization.
[Two powers that would destroy the world]
[The Black Darkness swallows the sky]
[The Golden Eye disturbs the spirit]
[A war splits the world in two]
[The people have no answer]
[A door to another world opens in the sky]
[Then appears the power that calms all things]
[It becomes a sphere and returns beneath the horizon]
Now Reiji finally understood. If these two started fighting, it made perfect sense that they could destroy an ancient civilization.
Destroying an entire country was probably impossible, but leveling the capital of a feudal civilization would be simple.
With ancient production methods, what could anyone use to stop monsters like these? Even if they eventually figured out how to send Jigglypuff in, the capital would already have been flattened, and the country would be gone.
Seeing the two Pokémon locked in battle, Reiji silently estimated the time. The giant Jigglypuff should appear soon. He could already hear the normal Jigglypuff's song, but by the time it reached him, it had weakened so much that it no longer had any effect.
"Kingler, dig a hole."
"King!" Kingler swung its large pincers and dug a wide hole in the ground.
Once Reiji saw the giant Jigglypuff appear, he jumped into the hole Kingler had dug and had Golbat and Spinarak come in too. Then he had Kingler cover the entrance and stand guard outside.
Reiji put in his earplugs and had Golbat and Spinarak cover their ears. Then he felt the ground tremble.
This was not the vibration caused by battle. It was the song piercing through the mountain itself.
He could not hear the singing, but with his hand pressed against the wall of the hole, he could feel the vibration of Jigglypuff's song. Its penetrating power was terrifying.
The moment the tremors ended, he had Golbat break through the soil and carry him out. Kingler was asleep on the ground, so Reiji recalled it into its Poké Ball.
Then he had Golbat take him to the entrance of the ruins. On the hillside, he saw Ash and the others sleeping soundly, along with the Team Rocket trio and the excavation team, all spat back out by the Dark Device.
Now that the sealing artifacts had finally gone quiet, Reiji had no interest in them. He looked up at the entrance of the ruins instead. The aftershocks from the battle had collapsed part of the mountain again, revealing a second entrance.
He stared into the darkness beyond the doorway and swallowed. Then he prepared to enter with Golbat and Spinarak to search for Darkrai and Gengar, who had been missing for an entire day.
But just as he lifted his foot, a black shadow burst out from inside the ruins and rushed into his own shadow. Reiji jumped back several steps, terrified that something filthy had latched onto him.
Only when Darkrai's voice sounded did he finally relax.
"Quickly. Recall Gengar into its Poké Ball. Gengar has fallen asleep."
"What happened? What did you run into inside?" Reiji watched Darkrai push the sleeping Gengar out of his shadow and immediately recalled it into its Poké Ball.
"We encountered something terrifying inside and were trapped by it. Then the song from outside put that thing to sleep, so Gengar and I were able to escape."
"Gengar ate a black stone inside. There's another small piece here, a little bigger than the one Gengar ate. I only noticed these after Gengar passed out. Take these and leave first. I have to go back into the ruins."
"What? Why are you going back?" Reiji picked up the black object from the ground with gloved fingers and placed it into a box. He had no time to check its panel right now. He was more concerned about Darkrai's reason.
"There is a chance inside for me to get stronger. I have to go. I don't know how long it will take. Once I come out, I'll find you. I won't be able to travel with you for a while."
"Fine. Just make sure you come back." Reiji knew he could not stop this, and he had prepared himself for this day long ago. It was not that he felt no reluctance. He simply needed time to adjust.
"Reiji... being with you and everyone else was fun. I was happy."
After saying goodbye, Darkrai left Reiji's shadow. A black silhouette slipped back into the ruins.
Reiji watched Darkrai enter. They had already said their goodbyes. He immediately released Pelipper, recalled Golbat and Spinarak into their Poké Balls, climbed onto Pelipper, and left the ruins.
As he flew over the hillside, he saw Ash and the others still sleeping soundly. He did not have the heart to disturb them and quietly flew over their heads.
But as soon as they took off, Pelipper warned him that someone was flying in from above. Reiji had no choice but to land in the woods.
Fortunately, the newcomer did not notice him. They spotted the person first.
A Pelipper flew overhead. Reiji raised his binoculars and watched it land at the entrance of the ruins, where he spotted a familiar face.
"Shun? And who's that...?"
Through the binoculars, Reiji saw Shun near the ruins. He had not expected to find him here of all places. Pelipper landed beside him and let down a bare-chested, heavily built man.
The man checked the excavation team first, then took out his phone and made a call. He looked fired up. He had probably seen the three giant Pokémon himself.
After watching a little longer, Reiji finally recognized him. Unless he was mistaken, that was Bruno, one of the Elite Four and Kanto's Fighting-type specialist.
Shun had somehow ended up with Bruno. That kid's luck was ridiculous.
Once Reiji confirmed Shun was safe, he put away the binoculars and left the mountain. With Bruno here, the League would send people to seal off the ruins soon. Staying nearby would only invite trouble.
The artifacts that had sealed the giant Pokémon would definitely go to the League for research. If they could not figure them out, they would lock them away. Either way, Reiji had no chance at them. He had already gained something, so there was no need to get greedy.
This was not the time to meet Shun either. He needed to leave first. Since Pelipper would stand out too much, he released Golbat and had it carry him through the forest, putting distance between himself and the ruins as fast as possible.
Only after he was far enough away did he switch back to Pelipper and head for Viridian City.
From Viridian City, he could take Route 22 to Indigo Plateau and reach the Stadium early for the opening ceremony.
There were only three or four days left. Arriving early was fine. As for the lighthouse, he would have to let it go. He had missed his chance, and that was that.
Once the Indigo League was over, he would have time to go wherever he wanted. Right now, he did not.
When he reached the outskirts of Viridian City, he avoided Viridian Gym and went straight to the Pokémon Center to book a room.
Even if he was heading for the Indigo Stadium, there was no need to leave immediately. Tomorrow was fine. He would stay at the Pokémon Center tonight. Team Rocket might be insane, but surely even they could not turn Nurse Joy. The Pokémon Center should still be safe.
Once he was inside his private room with the door locked, Reiji finally took out the items Darkrai had brought back from the ruins. One by one, he touched them and checked their panels.
The first was a black crystal. It stood out the most, and he had seen stones like it before. He already had a good guess.
[Dusk Stone: A peculiar stone that can make certain Pokémon evolve. (Purity: 93.12%)]
"So it really is a Dusk Stone. And a top-grade one." Reiji let out a quiet sigh. It was an excellent stone, but he could not feel happy about it. Darkrai was gone.
Darkrai had said it would come find him after it was done, but who could guarantee that?
The three giant Pokémon alone proved how dangerous those ruins were. And whatever lived deeper inside had been able to trap Darkrai. That said enough.
That could wait. The real question was whether Darkrai could make it back alive. All Reiji could do was wait and hope. If Darkrai returned safely, he would have an Elite Four-tier nightmare god at his side.
Zapdos was also a Legendary Pokémon, but lately it had been sleeping more and more. The voltage inside its body was rising, but it was unstable, so training was out of the question. He had no idea when it would settle down. Zapdos had been weak from birth, and the premature hatching was still causing problems.
If he wanted Zapdos to become useful in battle, he was probably looking at several years. Reiji could only sigh. That was the only thing that fit his mood.
He sealed the Dusk Stone inside a box filled with Dark-type energy to block its energy fluctuations, then picked up a torn piece of cloth. Another item, clearly.
"A Reaper Cloth. An Elite Four-tier evolution item. Used to evolve Dusclops..."
Too bad he did not have a Dusclops. For now, it could only go into storage.
Next, he picked up a charm. He did not even need the panel for this one. It was a Spell Tag. That settled Gengar's Elite Four-tier item.
Darkrai and Gengar must have wandered into some Ghost-type chamber inside the ruins. Otherwise, there was no reason for there to be this many Ghost-type items and nothing from any other type.
There were several Dusk Stones alone: one top-grade, one high-grade, and three mid-grade. There were Ghost Gems too. Reiji took out more boxes and sealed every Dusk Stone away.
Finally, he reached for the black shard Darkrai had mentioned—the same kind of thing Gengar had eaten a piece of. He really had no idea what was wrong with Gengar's mouth. The ruins were full of plain-looking black stones, the kind anyone would walk past without a second glance, and somehow it had decided to eat one.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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