In the dimly lit passageway
An eerie silence prevailed, broken only by the tense breathing of those present.
Despite the large number of people gathered, they all shared the same posture—
Frozen in place, their eyes filled with terror and shock as they stared at the gnawed rock wall.
Dark expressions clouded their faces, like protagonists in a horror comic encountering something unspeakable.
For embedded in the wall was a human skeleton!
Had this been discovered in the Six Continents, no one would have batted an eye—perhaps not even spared it a second glance.
But the location changed everything.
After all, they weren't in some ordinary mine on the Six Continents…
They were in the Dark Continent!
Finding a human skeleton in the Dark Continent sounded like a far-fetched tale.
To those in the know, the Dark Continent was called the "Forbidden Zone for Humanity."
A fitting name, as it perfectly described the perilous nature of the place—a land where humans could not survive.
Yet here they were, deep underground, staring at a human skeleton.
"Am I hallucinating?"
Usamen's eyes widened in disbelief, his expression almost comical in its shock.
Hearing this, the simple-minded Mascher promptly pinched Usamen's side.
"Ow—!"
Caught off guard, Usamen hissed in pain, shooting a glare at his "good friend" Mascher.
Mascher scratched his head and grinned sheepishly.
Their interaction snapped the others out of their daze, breaking the collective stupor.
Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Ging walked up to the rocky wall and, seemingly out of nowhere, produced a magnifying glass.
He began examining the skeleton more closely.
For a moment, everyone fell silent again, maintaining the quiet to avoid disturbing Ging.
As a legendary hunter with expertise in numerous fields, Ging's research in biology was widely recognized.
Having him make the judgment was the most appropriate choice for the team.
Holding the magnifying glass, Ging analyzed the skeleton almost flush against the wall, scrutinizing every detail under magnification.
Though they could roughly identify it as a human skeleton, its extreme age had left many parts incomplete.
Moreover, significant wear and tear added to the difficulty of uncovering the truth.
The overall skeleton was larger than that of an average human, estimated to belong to someone over two meters tall.
The bones were also thicker and likely harder than normal human bones.
Yet, features like the skull confirmed it was indeed human.
Perhaps...
Ging's pupils contracted, and his steady right hand holding the magnifying glass trembled slightly.
A possibility suddenly occurred to him!
No—this must be the truth!
After a long pause, Ging turned around, putting away the magnifying glass, and solemnly declared:
"It is indeed a human skeleton."
His words firmly settled the identity of the skeleton.
Beyond's expression remained unchanged.
After a brief silence, he responded, "Any other discoveries?"
"Or do you have any conjectures?"
Everyone turned to Ging again, curious about his thoughts.
What exactly was the identity of this skeleton?
Ging glanced at the skeleton embedded in the wall and said gravely, "If I'm not mistaken, this likely belonged to a human from a very long time ago."
"I believe everyone here knows that humans once lived on the Dark Continent."
"It was only later that they migrated to the current Six Continents."
"This means the Dark Continent was once inhabited by humans."
The group nodded in agreement. This was common knowledge, and those unaware had learned it from Beyond before setting out.
At this point, a few in the team paled slightly.
They were beginning to guess the truth.
Ging continued, "Because historical records lack details about this, we've had little access to the full truth."
"But today's discovery may confirm one of my speculations!"
"There are still humans living on the Dark Continent!"
By the end, his tone was nearly definitive, as though he had resolved some long-held doubt.
Humans still living on the Dark Continent?
This conclusion left everyone stunned.
How could that be?
To ordinary people, the Dark Continent was uncharted territory, but they knew all too well how perilous it was.
Humans in the "Forbidden Zone"?
Some opened their mouths to refute, but the words died on their lips, leaving them speechless.
There was no way to counter such a claim.
Ging observed their reactions, finding them perfectly normal—it would have been strange if they weren't shocked.
He then elaborated on his reasoning.
First, when humans migrated to the Six Continents, it was never stated that every single one had left. Some might have remained.
Second, the remains were relatively fresh, unlike fossils tens of thousands of years old or older.According to Ging's judgment, it was likely after the migration to the Six Continents that this person died.
The skeleton, though human in structure, showed clear differences from the humans of the Six Continents.
If he wasn't mistaken, the humans of the Dark Continent were likely distinct from them in certain aspects.
Most likely, they exhibited diversity!
From the very beginning, they had been the indigenous inhabitants of the Dark Continent, not much different from the other bizarre creatures.
They lived on this land without any sense of incongruity, fully adapted to its rules.
The ancestors of the Six Continents' humans, unable to endure the dangers of the Dark Continent, chose to flee.
That was how they came to settle on the much safer Six Continents.
While this ensured their safety, it also meant they had voluntarily abandoned "evolution"—or what could also be called "power."
The Dark Continent was fraught with peril.
For a species to survive there continuously, they had to evolve constantly.
In other words, those who migrated to the Six Continents had effectively "regressed."
Perhaps, in the past, humans were divided into two mindsets: those who had grown weary of the dangers and fled to the Six Continents,
and those who chose to remain on the Dark Continent, refusing to "regress."
It was also possible that some humans had no knowledge of the Six Continents' existence, given the lack of convenient transportation back then.
Based on Ging's speculation, the relationships between humans at that time resembled those of tribal societies.
Each tribe represented a distinct human group, scattered across various regions of the Dark Continent, not necessarily clustered together.
They would have had their own tribal cultures—language, writing, customs, and so on.
They might not even have recognized each other as "humans."
As Ging spoke, Akira suddenly recalled the original work's description.
The Dark Continent was the outer world beyond the hunters' realm, home to various "non-human" beings. Even magical beasts were believed to have originated from there.
Perhaps the humans who had lived on the Dark Continent all along were these so-called "non-humans."
Though they shared the same roots as the humans of the Six Continents, the long and arduous process of evolution might have brought significant changes.
For example, the human skeleton embedded in the rock wall was noticeably larger and appeared exceptionally sturdy.
This might have been their ability—a result of evolving under constant threat.
As it turned out, Akira's assumption was correct.
Bone Clan Skeleton: Originally a member of the Bone Clan, a non-human race from the Dark Continent.
The Bone Clan had long dwelled underground, retreating into caves whenever danger arose.
Later, they were invaded by the Stone Giants, and the entire clan perished at their hands.
Their original homeland was seized by the Stone Giants, who then carried out large-scale reconstruction to suit their needs.
Bone Clan: One of the many non-human races inhabiting the Dark Continent.
Prolonged evolution and environmental influences had rendered their bones as hard as solid ore, exceptionally resilient.
They were generally large in stature, with adults standing around two to three meters tall. Their primary method of attack involved extending bone spikes from their limbs.
They also possessed a degree of forging ability.
They could utilize various ores to craft powerful weapons or reinforce their own skeletons.
The Bone Clan, huh…
Akira silently repeated the name in his mind.
The illustrated guide's information was clear—this skeleton was the remains of a human from the Dark Continent.The race was called the "Bone Clan."
Their methods of attack reminded Akira of the Kaguya clan from Naruto.
They used the bones within their own bodies as weapons to strike their enemies.
It was clear they had developed their own cultural system as well.
Yet in the end, they met their demise on the perilous Dark Continent, completely wiped out.
The ones responsible were the Stone Giant clan.
Akira sighed quietly. After all, they were still humans—it was a pity for an entire race to perish like this.
The choice made by those who had left for the Six Continents was completely understandable.
Staying on the Dark Continent meant greater potential for advancement, but also a much higher chance of dying before reaching it.
Only by surviving could there be a future.
Witnessing the alien races of the Dark Continent, Akira couldn't help but entertain another thought.
The bone tribe before him was already extinct.
Could there be other alien humans still active on the Dark Continent?
This was highly possible.
Perhaps he might even encounter living alien humans during his subsequent explorations.
At this moment, Akira had no idea that he would later meet an alien human who was unexpected yet made perfect sense.
"Ding!"
"Pokemon incubation complete!"
Just as everyone was discussing, a new Pokemon was officially born.
When Akira got a clear look at the new Pokemon, his first reaction was astonishment, followed by delight!
Another mythical Pokemon!
It was none other than the famous Jewel Princess, Diancie!
Although he had considered the possibility of this Pokemon appearing, he still found it unlikely.
Because it didn't quite fit.
This was a rocky terrain, so it was normal for a Rock-type Pokemon to emerge here.
Rarity wasn't an issue either, as the previous grassland had produced the mythical Shaymin, so there was no reason it couldn't happen here.
What truly made Akira doubt the possibility was that he hadn't seen any beautiful diamonds or gemstones in the area.
There were only some strange-looking ores.
However, the mineral-rich underground here was quite similar to Diancie's background description, so perhaps it made sense after all?
What Akira didn't know was that he had only guessed half right.
The other half of the reason lay deeper underground.
Setting aside his doubts, Akira focused on admiring his new Pokemon.
Diancie's most striking feature was the pink round diamond on its head, with an overall pinkish hue.
It had a pair of oval, wine-red eyes and two petite arms.
The upper part of its body resembled a white skirt, while the lower part was similar to Carbink, showing exposed diamond ore.
Its lower body was a somewhat oval-shaped large rock, with prominent pink crystals on the sides.
One could imagine that the interior might be entirely pink crystal, making it a stunning crystal sprite.
Although Diancie was a Rock-type, it was a lightweight creature.
On its head was a pink crystal ornament resembling a large diamond, flanked by four shorter crystals forming a crown.
This was its signature feature as the queen of the Carbink species.
Anyone who saw Diancie could immediately sense its elegant and composed princess-like aura.
Carbink had embedded diamonds, with an overall blue-gray tone, and the lower part of its body was exposed diamond ore.
It was said that somewhere in the world, there was a mineral vein where many Carbink slept, and their queen Diancie resided there as well.
It's worth noting that Diancie was a mutant of Carbink, not a Pokemon evolved from it.
Thus, Diancie was extremely rare, fully deserving the title of "Mythical Pokemon."
At the same time, Diancie's pink-glowing body was praised as the most beautiful in the world.
Among mythical Pokemons, Diancie was the first confirmed to be capable of Mega Evolution.
When impurities on its surface fell away and Diancie bathed in light, its pink glow became too dazzling to look at directly.
Mega Diancie's head diamond exceeded 2,000 carats.
This noble and beautiful form was called the 'Royal Pink Princess'.
Name: Diancie
Ability: Clear Body
Type: Rock, Fairy
Strength: SS
Moves: Diamond Storm, Ancient Power, Stone Edge, Moonblast, Earth Power...
As a Jewel Pokemon, Diancie can continuously create diamonds by compressing carbon elements in the air, which can be used for its own defense.
One could say that with Diancie, you'd never run out of money, as it can effortlessly produce vast quantities of diamonds.
Not only are they of exceptionally high quality, fetching premium prices, but it's also a business with zero overhead costs.
Its signature move, Diamond Storm, is the perfect manifestation of this ability.
Additionally, Diancie can absorb light in a balanced manner, and according to legend, it can protect its traveling companions from misfortune and illness.
Overall, Diancie is a mythical Pokemon that combines both beauty and power.
Among all Pokemons, it's a particularly beloved species, having received considerable screen time in the original work.