"Dusnoir!"
Dusknoir nodded and began using the antenna on its head to perceive the waves of the Spirit World within the Ancient Battlefield.
Very soon, it made a discovery and began guiding Ethan and Lucario toward the entrance to the Spirit World it had detected.
"Come out too, Charizard, Meltan, Slowking, and Litwick." Without hesitation, Ethan released those four Pokémon.
Now surrounded by his five Pokémon, he followed Dusknoir. Although he had already captured it, Ethan still did not let down his guard.
Very soon, guided by Dusknoir, they arrived before an entrance to the Spirit World.
At the edge of that entrance shone a strange white light, while inside everything was purple, and dense Ghost-type energy could be felt.
"Lucario, protect me."
Ethan recalled the Thorne family's notes about the Spirit World and spoke to Lucario.
According to the Thorne family's records, the Spirit World was filled with an energy of death. When a normal living being entered there, its life would be eroded by that deathly power.
That erosion affected both body and soul, so in order to enter the Spirit World, it was essential to prepare double protection, both physical and spiritual.
In that regard, Lucario, which had already preliminarily mastered life energy, could perfectly compensate for the erosion of the energy of death through life energy, while its power of aura was capable of protecting Ethan's soul without problems.
Naturally, that threat from the energy of death was meant for fragile humans. For the other Pokémon, entering there only affected their strength, but did not cause serious harm.
"Are you ready?"
"Then, let's go."
Ethan took a deep breath and stepped through the gate of the Spirit World.
As soon as everything went dark before his eyes, he discovered that he had entered a completely gray world.
With his feet on grayish ground, Ethan looked around and saw that, in appearance, the Spirit World was not so different from the outside, except for the fact that everything had become gray and monotonous, deprived of its original colors.
"Littwwiikk!"
Litwick's figure floated in the air.
The violet flame on its body swayed endlessly.
Feeling the intense Ghost-type energy permeating the environment, its small yellow eyes narrowed happily.
In the distance, Dusknoir, upon arriving in the Spirit World, also seemed to let out a sigh of relief. It looked at Ethan as if it had completed some mission and felt liberated.
"Good work, Dusknoir."
Ethan reflected for an instant and returned Dusknoir to its Poké Ball after it guided them.
The most important thing about his trip to the Spirit World was to check how his soul would react within that environment.
For that reason, as soon as he put Dusknoir away, he immediately released all his other Pokémon, so that they could help him block the deathly energy of the surroundings.
"Lucario, from now on I'm counting on you."
After saying that, Ethan closed his eyes.
Lucario nodded and sat in front of him.
Then it released the power of aura and connected both of their mental energies.
In the next instant, Lucario completed Mega Evolution and took on the form of Mega Lucario, while a huge amount of aura power surged from it.
At that moment, Ethan's mental energy and Lucario's became even more closely linked under the strength of their bond.
With his eyes closed, Ethan began to observe the Spirit World from Mega Lucario's perspective.
Ghost-type energy, death force, and... the waves of the Spirit World!
Those energies unique to the Spirit World unfolded completely before Ethan and Lucario's eyes thanks to the power of aura.
"I see... so these are the waves of the Spirit World?"
"In a certain sense, the waves of the Spirit World turn out to be somewhat similar to the power of aura."
"The power of aura represents the spirit of a living being, and the waves of the Spirit World seem to be an energy of a similar nature."
At that instant, Ethan obtained a new understanding of the waves of the Spirit World and, at the same time, discovered the similarity between them and the power of aura.
Previously, through Dusknoir, Ethan had discovered the anomaly of his soul: it was precisely the waves of the Spirit World emanating from it that had attracted Dusknoir.
For that reason, Ethan had come this time to the Spirit World: to directly observe those waves, start from them, and find a way to increase his own mental power.
And now, thanks to Mega Lucario's aura power, Ethan had already managed to perceive those waves of the Spirit World. From that moment on, he could begin to research them seriously.
Thus, Ethan and Mega Lucario carried out their investigations on the waves of the Spirit World within that gray world, until all his Pokémon began to grow fatigued from constantly having to resist the energy of death.
"The waves of the Spirit World combined with the power of aura and Dusknoir's power... Now, Lucario should be able to find the entrances to the Spirit World very easily, right?"
After leaving the Spirit World, Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly and thought of the possible entrance to the Spirit World that might exist in Stonefield Town.
Since it was precisely in Stonefield Town that his transmigration occurred, he still paid a great deal of attention to that entrance to the Spirit World.
Now that Lucario had already become familiar with the energy of the waves of the Spirit World through the power of aura, perhaps they could return to Stonefield Town and try to find that entrance.
"First, let's return to Stonefield Town."
Upon mentioning Stonefield Town, a trace of nostalgia also appeared in Ethan's eyes.
It had been a very long time since he last left home; it really was time to go back and take a look.
...
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Charizard rapidly flapped its wings and streaked through the sky at full speed.
It was already the second day, and the sky was completely clear.
In Stonefield Town, the villagers were still living a simple life.
Originally, because a research center had been installed in the village, the place had become lively for a while.
Thanks to that center, the town had also experienced quite a bit of development; the most obvious change was that series of renovated roads connecting directly to the county seat.
But lately, it seemed that the research at the center had ended, so the place had become quiet again. Those villagers who had returned, attracted by work at the center, left again to work in the nearby city after losing their jobs.
(End of chapter)