Arrived at the black shadow from which Sableye fled.
What appeared before Natsuhiko was a barren small hill, with a dark cave entrance nestled in a chaotic thicket.
The entrance was small, just enough for one person to pass through.
The footprints left behind belonged to Sableye.
Sableye, a Pokémon that likes to eat minerals, often chooses to live in places that are secluded and undiscovered, rich in minerals.
Encountering a wild Sableye might just lead to the discovery of an unexploited mining area.
Of course, the possibility is quite low; if it were that easy to find a mining area, Sableye would surely be sought after by all major corporate forces.
For instance, the Zfuchi Clan, where Flint comes from, is a typical family that rose to prominence through mining, which later slowly transformed into a tech company, dominating the Hoenn Region as Devon.
Since the way to Suiyi Town cannot be found today, and the outside is filled with mist, might as well venture inside to explore.
If it's relatively safe inside, it could be a suitable shelter.
If it truly is a mining area, perhaps luck will lead to finding some Evolution Stones or even a Super Evolution Stone, or a Keystone.
Thinking this, Natsuhiko shook his head in self-deprecation.
As if he activated the protagonist's aura, getting whatever he desired.
"Let's go in and take a look; with luck, we'll be spending the night inside."
And with that, he pulled out a flashlight and walked in.
The pitch-black cave offered almost no light.
The orange beam of light penetrated inside, disturbing the Pokémon resting quietly within.
Fluttering—
The dense sound of wings flapping, a swarm of Zubat and Golbat disturbed by the light and commotion, fluttered out.
Night had just fallen, just in time for them to go out foraging.
Blocked by Yujira's psychic powers, the swarm of Zubat and Golbat did not attack Natsuhiko and the others.
Zubat and Golbat rely on sonar to perceive the environment at night, so the mist doesn't affect them.
Seeing the swarm of Zubat and Golbat, Natsuhiko relaxed a bit.
Their presence at least indicated that this cave wasn't too dangerous, no powerful Pokémon marked it as their territory.
With the departure of the Zubat and Golbat, the rugged appearance within the cave finally emerged under the flashlight's illumination.
"Maybe I should've kept a Solrock for myself," Natsuhiko murmured regretfully.
The flashlight's illumination was decent but still too limited, unable to fully reveal all the sights within the cave.
"Yongji."
Upon hearing Natsuhiko's words, Yujira let out a soft call.
At those words, Natsuhiko paused and then reacted, "Indeed."
He was no longer an ordinary human; he had awakened psychic powers and was a newly-powered user. With his mental state in fairly good condition, he didn't need such mundane items.
Following Yujira's demonstration, Natsuhiko gradually released his psychic powers.
Only recently awakening to psychic powers, he was not adept at using them yet, lacking many techniques and methods.
For instance, he hadn't mastered telepathy yet, and the sense of psychic power was only now slowly being understood and practiced under Yujira's guidance.
Thus, awakening powers doesn't mean a user can wield them as they please; without the correct methods and skills, using powers can appear crude and is a waste of potential.
Powers require practice and learning; exploring gradually will yield results, but the progress will be slower.
Moreover, human psychic powers differ from those of Pokémon.
Natsuhiko realized he should find a mentor or resources on powered users to systematically study, to fully harness the potential of his abilities.
He wasn't a natural prodigy like Nancy or Jade Liya, who could effortlessly wield overwhelming psychic powers, rivaling even some Psychic Pokémon's abilities.
Yet fortunately, Natsuhiko had Yujira, preventing him from starting from scratch.
With Yujira leading the way, Natsuhiko's initially small psychic sensing range gradually merged with Yujira's.
Suddenly, the sensing range expanded dozens-fold.
At this moment, Natsuhiko felt strange.
It was akin to playing a game and suddenly switching from first-person perspective to a god-view, able to "see" himself with clarity, down to facial expressions.
Including the cave's interior, with uneven rocks on the ground, cone-shaped rock formations overhead, and the cracked rock wall.
All images surfaced in his mind, fed to the retina.
But all the images were in black and white, lacking any other colors, resembling playing on a monochrome gaming device.
"No wonder powered users prefer Psychic Pokémon; they complement each other and produce such effects," Natsuhiko mused.
This understanding explained why psychic Pokémon were keen to ally with trainers possessing strong spiritual power, and even more so with powered users.
This ability indeed confers an intangible sense of superiority.
Who wouldn't gradually be influenced by the pervasive impact of viewing matters from a divine perspective for long periods?
He savored the sensation once more.
"Looks like the flashlight is no longer a necessity."
Having just learned a new skill, he was eager to explore more.
"Let's delve further."
Leading his Pokémon, he ventured deeper into the cave.
The rugged ground no longer posed an obstacle; surrounded by psychic power, most uncomplicated terrain could be overlooked.
Progressing further, the cave's passage gradually widened.
"Seems I've found a place of some value."
In the flashlight's glow, the rock wall appeared dark red; despite Natsuhiko not being too knowledgeable, he understood such rocks were mineral-rich, favored by many Rock Type and Earth-type Pokémon.
Quickly, a seemingly solid rock wall came into view.
Unlike the surrounding dark red rock, this wall was a typical earth yellow.
"Hmm? Where has Sableye gone?" Natsuhiko remarked with surprise.
Since entering, Sableye had been unseen; no narrow passages or crevices in the tunnel for hiding or escaping.
"Chah kipi."
Suddenly, Togetic noticed a narrow crevice in the rock wall corner ahead.
"Did it squeeze through here?" Natsuhiko crouched, examining the crevice.
Sableye's agile form allowed easy navigation through narrow caves and rock crevices.
"This rock wall…"
Staring at the crevice, Natsuhiko paused.
Extending his hand, he lightly picked at the crevice.
Crack—
A rock the size of a palm was easily dislodged, crumbling into powder between his fingers.
Natsuhiko's expression turned strange.
Rising, he stepped back a few paces and instructed Beedrill, "Clear it away."
Beedrill understood, stabbing forward with its Long Needle repeatedly, like piercing foam, scattering rock powder until an entrance was revealed.
But the appearance of the entrance seemed to have startled some Pokémon.
Whizz, whizz, whizz—
Sharp rocks shot out from the entrance.