To be cautious, the officials of the World Tournament ultimately decided to inform the participating trainers about the sudden appearance of this mysterious mystic realm.
After all, if someone wandered into it out of curiosity and lost their life, the tournament organizers wouldn't be able to shoulder the consequences.
At this stage in the tournament, none of the remaining national teams were weak. If any of these countries were to lose their top-seeded players due to disappearance or death in the mystic realm, it could lead to major diplomatic trouble—and that was something the officials wanted to avoid at all costs.
Just as Nathan was waking up, he received the news relayed by Kelly. Upon hearing it, his interest was instantly piqued.
While the overall tournament wasn't over yet, their matches were done for the time being. It was likely they'd have a rest period of a day or two, and for Nathan, that meant the perfect opportunity to explore a freshly revealed mystic realm.
"You're not actually thinking of going in there, are you?" Kelly asked, a note of worry in his voice as he noticed the smile gradually forming on Nathan's face. He was starting to get a bad feeling.
Nathan wasn't just any competitor—he was the hope of the entire country. If he recklessly entered a mystic realm and failed to return, the consequences would be disastrous.
"Wow, I guess we've been spending so much time together that you can read my mind now," Nathan said, surprised. "I haven't even said anything yet, and you've already guessed what I was thinking. That's what I call synergy!"
"I'm telling you now—no way. Absolutely not. You are not going in there," Kelly refused flat-out without a second's hesitation.
A mystic realm that hadn't been explored yet? If Nathan entered and didn't make it back, who could take responsibility?
If someone had already ventured inside and mapped out the dangers, even if it were filled with Champion-level Pokémon, Kelly might still allow it. But this was a complete unknown.
"Oh, come on. It's just a mystic realm. What, do you think it can actually trap me in there?" Nathan scoffed and turned to head back to his tent.
"Kelly, listen—"
"No chance!" Kelly interrupted before Nathan could finish, cutting him off yet again without a second thought.
Hours passed. Nathan tried every trick in the book—pleading, bargaining, and pestering Kelly a dozen or more times. Eventually, Kelly caved.
"Fine, but let me be clear: if something goes wrong, you get out immediately. None of us are strong enough to rescue you if things go south. You're on your own," Kelly warned as he looked at the mysterious mystic realm entrance, still clearly uneasy.
At that moment, the tournament officials were also watching Nathan closely. Ever since the mystic realm had appeared, Nathan was the first and only contestant who had shown any intention of entering it. Every other participant was avoiding it like the plague.
But Nathan? He wanted in.
"Don't worry. I've got these three on my side. Even if you don't trust my own strength, you have to trust in them, right?" Nathan said meaningfully, glancing toward his backpack.
Kelly sighed heavily, his helplessness written all over his face.
He had only agreed to let Nathan go because of those three Pokémon— the three Legendary Beast. If not for them, even if Nathan had begged for a whole year, he wouldn't have let him step foot inside.
In the end, Nathan entered the mystic realm alone. He was the only human within it.
As soon as he felt his feet touch the ground, Nathan opened his eyes—and an immediate sense of unease crept over him.
This mystic realm was strange. Deeply strange.
Everywhere he looked, it was barren and lifeless.
There were trees nearby, but none of them were green. Instead, they were pitch black, as if they'd been scorched by fire. The ground beneath his feet was similarly bleak—not rich, black soil, but the charred black of burnt earth. Not a single leaf could be found.
He walked for some time without encountering a single Pokémon. But eventually, he found something else—bones. Pokémon bones.
"What… is going on in this place?" Nathan muttered, warily surveying his surroundings as he released Volcarona from its Pokéball.
As he explored further, the uneasy feeling in his chest only grew stronger. It was as if some unseen predator had locked its sights on him.
Volcarona, too, seemed tense the moment it appeared. It stayed close to Nathan, clearly feeling the same danger.
"You sense it too?" Nathan asked, gently stroking its head.
"Vol-vol!" Volcarona responded with a cautious cry, its eyes scanning the area.
At first, Nathan had thought the uneasiness was just in his head. But if Volcarona felt it as well, then it definitely wasn't his imagination.
After nearly half an hour of walking, Nathan finally emerged from the forest and found himself standing before a massive crater.
The crater was enormous—large enough to be compared to a basin or small valley. Perfectly circular in shape, its smooth, sloped edges looked as if a colossal bowl had scooped it out of the earth.
Cautiously, Nathan and Volcarona descended into the crater. There was no plant life here either—just scattered stones and an ominous atmosphere.
As he carefully made his way across the basin, Nathan suddenly stumbled. Something had tripped him. Regaining his balance, he looked down to find a pale white stone.
"What kind of stone is this? Why does the texture feel so weird?" he wondered aloud, crouching to brush the dirt away with his hands.
After sweeping away the soil and pebbles surrounding the object, a chill ran down Nathan's spine.
It was a bone.
Springing to his feet, he glanced around rapidly. Without hesitation, he summoned Flygon and climbed onto its back, ordering it to fly straight toward the exit.
This place was wrong. Very wrong.
If his hunch was correct, this crater was a mass grave. A giant Pokémon's remains were buried here.
"What the hell is this place?" Nathan muttered to himself as he flew atop Flygon.
First, the forest had looked like it had been drained of life, then the ground had appeared scorched beyond natural decay. Now, this massive crater and the bones buried beneath the soil…
And the crater's smooth, rounded shape—it couldn't have been formed by natural geological processes. Only an immensely powerful Pokémon could have created something like that, using an equally powerful move. Even Volcarona could achieve such an effect, but only at full strength—and even then, barely.
He hadn't seen a single living creature since entering this realm. Combine that with the ever-present sense of dread…
Nathan was certain: something incredibly powerful lived here.
It might be a Master-level Pokémon—or worse, a Legendary. Possibly something even beyond that.
He had yet to encounter the creature, which was a blessing in itself. But just as he thought that, a shadowy figure appeared at the very center of the crater he had just left.
It was a Pokémon.
Its nose twitched as it sniffed the air, detecting the scent of a living creature. Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished.
It didn't leave.
It was hunting Nathan.
Its speed was terrifying—so fast that even if Nathan had seen it head-on, he wouldn't have been able to see anything more than an afterimage.
Flying at full speed atop Flygon, Nathan suddenly felt the Pokéball on his chest heat up. Before he could react, Volcarona burst out of it on its own.
Once released, Volcarona immediately turned its gaze behind them.
Noticing this, Nathan urged Flygon to accelerate, but Flygon was already flying at its maximum speed. It was only a pseudo-legendary with Elite-tier strength—it couldn't go any faster.
Just then, Volcarona launched a barrage of fireballs at a patch of forest behind them, as if targeting an unseen enemy.
Nathan glanced back, but saw nothing—only burning trees.
But he trusted Volcarona. It wouldn't attack for no reason. That meant something was chasing them. Something too fast to be seen with the naked eye.
Volcarona continued attacking, using multiple different moves, but nothing hit. Whatever was back there was too fast to track or predict.
Nathan's worry grew deeper.
This wasn't just a powerful creature—it was predatory. A terrifying combination.
"Hang in there! We're almost out!" Nathan called out, hope flickering in his voice as the exit came into sight.
But before he could celebrate, Volcarona was hit.
Out of nowhere, a black figure leapt from the ground and launched itself into the air, striking Volcarona mid-flight.
Caught off guard, Volcarona could only throw up a quick defensive move—but it was shattered in less than a second.
The attack didn't stop there. The shadowy figure lunged again, and with a swipe, tore into Volcarona, leaving behind a deep, bloody gash across its body.
(End of Chapter)