"Where the two worlds converge into one"
Although he could not fully understand the meaning of the words that appeared before him, the moment he saw the phrase worlds converging, Kale's entire body suddenly trembled violently.
In that instant, information about the Ghost World surfaced in his mind without warning. Could it be that this place was exactly where the Ghost World and the real world overlapped?
If so, then did that mean this was precisely the location of a passage leading directly into the Ghost World?
If that were true, then the Sableye that had previously vanished here had not been destroyed but had in fact entered the Ghost World itself!
As this thought took form, a powerful sense of crisis immediately welled up within his heart. His gaze sharpened, sweeping vigilantly in every direction, as though fearing danger could erupt from any shadow.
"Meooowr-"
Just as these thoughts flashed one after another in Kale's mind, Luxio suddenly let out a low, warning growl.
The next instant, Luxio's body lunged forward in a blur. Sparks of electricity erupted from its fur in violent bursts, and in the blink of an eye, its figure shot straight toward a distant section of the rocky cliff!
At the same time, several beams of sinister light imbued with ghostly energy flared from the shadows, streaking across the air. In midair, arcs of electricity collided with the dark beams.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Thunderous explosions shook the cavern as the current was instantly scattered and broken apart!
Fortunately, Empoleon reacted at once. With a fierce swing of its flippers, it released a razor-sharp blade of water, cleaving through the dark beam with tremendous force and shattering it in midair.
Without losing momentum, that blade of water continued surging forward, crashing violently into the cliffside and forcing out the hidden figure lurking there.
The figure that appeared was none other than Sableye. Yet compared to an ordinary Sableye, this one was different—its body was wreathed in an eerie shroud of gray mist, which clung tightly to its form and twisted unnaturally around it.
"Ke~ ke~ ke~ ke~"
From its wide mouth issued a sinister, bone-chilling laugh.
And then, that laughter grew louder, multiplied, and began echoing all around them.
One after another, more figures emerged from the cliff walls. In the blink of an eye, six additional Sableye appeared, each one radiating the same gray mist.
In total, seven of them now stood there, their twisted silhouettes resembling malevolent wraiths that had crawled out from the depths of hell, every one of them steeped in an aura of foreboding and corruption.
"What's going on here? Why have these Sableye become like this?"
"Could it be… is this the effect of the Gray Mist? Have these Sableye been corrupted and twisted by its influence?"
As Kale's eyes widened in shock, his expression instantly grew grim. His gaze darted upwards toward the ceiling of the vast hall—and only then did he realize that, at some point, a faint, hazy layer of gray mist had already enveloped the entire chamber above them.
"It really is the Gray Mist… The Gray Mist has returned again!"
"We need to leave this place—leave right now! We must take this news back with us!"
Kale's eyes flickered intensely as he came to a hard, decisive conclusion.
He knew very well what the appearance of the Gray Mist represented. If this strange phenomenon once again began to spread and corrode the land, then for Aspiration City it would mean nothing short of catastrophe!
Therefore, the most urgent thing now was not to continue fighting here, but to escape immediately and bring the message back. Only then could Aspiration City organize a proper defense in time to prevent this calamity from devouring the land!
"Meowr!"
Without hesitation, he leapt swiftly onto Luxray's back, urging it forward toward the exit of the cavern.
But in that very moment, the seven Sableye cloaked in gray mist surged forth together, rushing at terrifying speed to block their path.
Just then, Empoleon's figure moved as well. With one sweeping motion, it unleashed a blade of water so sharp and forceful that it blasted all seven Sableye away in a single strike, scattering them like shadows before a storm.
Without stopping, Empoleon vaulted forward into the tunnel entrance, racing quickly down the labyrinthine passageways of the cavern.
Luckily, they had been prepared when they first came and had left marks along the way. By following the scratches carved into the rock, they could swiftly find the correct branches and make their way out of this dangerous place.
Originally, Kale thought they would be able to escape rather quickly. But no matter how long they ran, the tunnels stretched endlessly on, and the exit never appeared.
"Kekekeke~"
Once again, chilling laughter echoed from ahead, and suddenly more Sableye appeared directly in their path, lunging at them with frightening speed!
"Empoleon!"
Empoleon's eyes narrowed sharply.
Planting itself firmly before the onrushing enemies, it stood alone as a barrier, unleashing its full king-level power in an instant. Its flippers swept in a powerful arc, and a roaring torrent of water erupted like a sword strike.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The devastating currents surged down the narrow corridor, completely engulfing the Sableye before they had any chance to evade, sweeping them away in a crushing flood.
Seeing this, Kale came to a halt. His face grew more and more tense as his gaze shifted between the path ahead and the branching passageways behind.
By all logic, following this route and the markings they had left should have brought them out of the Abyssal Cavern already. Yet the situation was clearly not so simple.
Moreover, why did the Sableye appear in front of them instead of chasing from behind? Could it be that these corrupted Sableye actually possessed the ability to phase directly through walls?
"Damn it… these marks should not be wrong!" Kale ground his teeth together.
But with no other choice, he pressed on, forcing himself to continue searching for the way out.
"Empo.."
Empoleon silently followed close behind.
At one junction, it saw Kale's figure dash swiftly through the passageway.
But just as Empoleon was about to follow, it suddenly felt itself slam against solid stone.
Its vision blurred momentarily—and when it focused again, what lay before it was no longer a passage, but a rock wall!
Its expression shifted instantly. Whipping around, it suddenly realized that Kale, Luxray, and the others had all vanished completely!
"Empoleon!"
Fear and disbelief spread across Empoleon's face.
It had been right at Kale's side—so why was it suddenly left all alone?!
Panicked and desperate, it gathered power and struck violently at the wall before it. But even with its king-level strength, the wall only trembled faintly and did not break.
Cold sweat beaded on its forehead.
Scanning quickly, it spotted the markings scratched into the stone and immediately began to run again in that direction.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the cavern, Kale and his Pokémon were also moving swiftly forward.
"Ke~ Ke~ Ke~ Ke~"
Before long, the same sinister laughter rose once more.
And then, the Sableye that Empoleon had clearly defeated earlier appeared again—completely unharmed, as though nothing had happened.
"What's going on here?" Kale frowned deeply.
Turning to look at Empoleon at his side, his breath suddenly froze—because what stood beside him was not Empoleon at all, but an unyielding wall of rock.
"Empoleon…"
Kale's heart sank. Aside from Luxray at his side, Empoleon was nowhere to be seen!
Zzzzt—zzzt—zzzt!
At that moment, the battle before them erupted once more.
Luxray could no longer spare attention for its stunned master. With a roar, it charged forward, electricity bursting from its body as it collided directly with the Sableye's terrifying Night Shade attacks.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The corridor thundered with violent clashes. Electric and Ghost energy smashed into each other, but despite the ferocity of the combat, the stone walls surrounding them only shuddered slightly, flakes of rock breaking loose—never crumbling under the force.
"This must be an illusion… We've most likely fallen into a ghost's illusion!"
Kale forced himself to remain calm, recalling the warnings Aven had given him before: ghost-type Pokémon were masters of creating illusions. And now, there was no doubt—he was trapped inside one.
If he could not find a way to dispel this illusion quickly, then he, along with all of his Pokémon, might be doomed to remain here forever.
(End of Chapter)