"Master, senior brothers, it's time for me to go."
After living and training together for a whole month, Yozora had formed a deep bond with Master Tyron, Ahao, and the other disciples.
Now that it was time to part ways, he couldn't help feeling reluctant. Still, there would be many chances to meet again in the future.
Whenever he wished, Yozora could always return to the Taige Gym to visit them.
Besides, he still hadn't fully mastered the Mind's Eye—sooner or later, he would need to come back to continue his training.
"Don't neglect your cultivation while you're outside. The sooner you open your Mind's Eye, the sooner you'll enjoy all the benefits that come with it." Master Tyron reminded him.
"Understood!" Yozora nodded firmly.
Though he hadn't opened his Mind's Eye during this month of training, his spirit had been cleansed of much distraction. He had grown far more focused.
During meditation, concentrating on the bowl of water had become effortless—so much so that he no longer needed the bowl at all, and had returned to focusing solely on his breathing.
Thanks to this heightened concentration, Yozora seemed to have broken through. No matter what he did lately, his efficiency had multiplied.
Even when preparing Pokéblocks from various Berries, he was able to extract richer energy from them. That alone meant his Breeder rank had risen.
Compared to before, he could also sense the hearts of Pokémon far more clearly.
This was why, in such a short time, he had achieved spiritual resonance with Pidgeot, Machoke, and Graveler.
Even though his focus wasn't yet strong enough to awaken the Mind's Eye, the benefits were already immense.
Therefore, Yozora had absolute faith in Master Tyron's words.
Once the Mind's Eye was awakened, nothing in the world would be an obstacle to him, and his progress would soar like a rocket.
"Junior brother, good luck! May you gather all eight Badges soon!" Ahao and the four senior disciples came forward—some patted Yozora's shoulder, others embraced him warmly.
Yozora waved farewell, then finally departed.
A week later, Yozora arrived at a volcano.
By coincidence—or fate—it was called Flame Mountain.
Crossing Flame Mountain would bring him to the next city.
The volcano teemed with Trainers and adventurers, all digging furiously with shovels.
There was only one reason: Flame Mountain was rich in Fire Stones, and sometimes even held a few Fossils.
Both Fire Stones and Fossils were highly valuable. Naturally, countless people flocked here to dig.
"Aura!"
Yozora released his Aura, spreading it over a wide area. In that instant, every detail within range was revealed to him—he immediately sensed countless sources of strong, burning energy pulsing from deep underground.
Without a doubt, they were Fire Stones.
Yozora took out a golden shovel and began digging. Before long, under the stunned, envious stares of those around him, Fire Stones emerged one after another.
Most were low-grade, but every now and then he uncovered a mid-grade stone.
"Damn, that kid's insane! Every strike, another Fire Stone—how can anyone compete with that?"
"Seriously, his sense is sharper than my Growlithe's nose!" the crowd gasped.
One young man, who did indeed own a Growlithe, had been digging with decent success thanks to his partner's keen sense of smell.
But compared to Yozora, the difference was like heaven and earth.
For three whole days, Yozora climbed and dug, until at last he crossed Flame Mountain, his pack stuffed with minerals and fossils.
His haul:
158 low-grade Fire Stones, worth 15.8 million.
23 mid-grade Fire Stones, worth 23 million.
1 top-grade Fire Stone, worth 15 million.
3 Helix Fossils, worth about 5 million.
1 Old Amber, worth around 10 million.
The Old Amber was so expensive because it could revive an Aerodactyl. With how rare Old Amber was, Aerodactyls were equally scarce—naturally, its value skyrocketed.
"Hah, refreshing! Just one trip through Flame Mountain, and I've made seventy million!" Yozora grinned with delight.
He still had over ten million in resources at hand. If he liquidated everything, that would be eighty-five million—only a short step away from his goal of a hundred million.
He would definitely sell it all.
Although the top-grade Fire Stone and Thunder Stone were precious, he had no immediate use for them.
His priority was clear: obtain Beedrill's Mega Stone at all costs.
"Come out."
Having descended Flame Mountain, Yozora now stood in a nameless wild plain at dusk.
He suddenly spoke aloud.
Back on the volcano, he had already noticed someone tailing him.
At first, he hadn't minded—after all, anyone might have followed out of curiosity, watching his miraculous streak of digs.
But this person had never shown themselves, only lurked in the shadows.
If not for Yozora's Aura, he would never have noticed.
And worst of all—the stalker had followed him all the way down the mountain.
"Impressive. Didn't think you'd notice me…"
Sure enough, a man with glasses stepped out from behind a boulder.
His hair was dyed in garish colors, his face twisted with hostility. One look was enough to know he was no good.
"I've been following you for three days. I know you dug up plenty of treasure. I don't care how you did it—hand it all over!" The man's greedy eyes gleamed as he released an Arbok.
The Arbok was no pushover—its aura brimmed with menace, at the peak of Senior Level, with the Intimidate Ability.
It slithered forward, tongue flicking, eyes locked onto Yozora as its oppressive presence pressed down.
But compared to Yozora's spiritual strength—already near the Elite Four level, at least Elite-rank—such intimidation was meaningless.
"For someone to rob passersby like this, I'd wager this isn't your first time?" Yozora stood calm and unmoved, his voice level.
"Oh? You're not afraid of my Arbok?"
The man sneered, ignoring the question. "Fine then. Let me show you just how terrifying Arbok really is…"
With a sharp wave of his hand, Arbok lunged forward.
At the same time, Yozora threw out a Poké Ball.
"Gengar—use Night Shade!"
Gengar emerged with its wicked grin, instantly conjuring a massive, tenfold shadow.
The terrifying vision sent Arbok collapsing in terror, trembling uncontrollably, unable to battle.
Night Shade was nothing like Scary Face.
Scary Face was mere intimidation, inflicting no real damage, only slowing the foe drastically.
Night Shade, on the other hand, was a psychic assault—a special attack that struck directly at the spirit.
Gengar's special attack was already monstrous. Unleashing Night Shade, it floored the enemy's Arbok in an instant.
"Arbok!"
The man with glasses froze, eyes wide, his face etched with disbelief.
He had relied on this Arbok countless times for roadside robberies—always successful—but today, it was defeated by a newcomer's hand.
Seeing the situation, he made a quick decision: better to retreat while he could. He abandoned Arbok and turned to run.
But just as he spun around, Gengar moved faster, intercepting him. It raised a spectral hand, releasing a purple wave of energy that enveloped him.
In an instant, the glasses man felt his head spinning, his eyelids heavy, an overwhelming sleepiness crashing down upon him.
It was as if he hadn't slept for eight centuries; he could barely stand, wishing desperately to collapse and sleep through it all.
…
…
(End of Chapter)