"The affected area is far larger than we expected…"
Cynthia frowned, her brows tightly knit.
Beside her, Rei Akagi silently observed the situation, the sense of unease in his heart deepening.
He chose not to attempt healing.
First, there were simply too many Pokémon—any effort would be like pouring a cup of water on a burning cart of firewood.
Second, he noticed that the condition of these Pokémon was almost identical to that of Spiritomb.
The strange influence was present, but it didn't seem immediately fatal.
Gastly was an exception. It had been purified by Rei Akagi's Aura of the Chosen One, so it couldn't serve as a reliable reference.
What worried him more now were the Ghost-type Pokémon inside theMausoleum of the First Emperor subspace.
Preliminary judgment suggested they had likely been affected far more severely than ordinary Ghost-type Pokémon.
After Gastly and Spiritomb finished their examinations, Rei Akagi and Cynthia stepped out of the Pokémon Center, both wearing heavy expressions.
Not because of the test results.
The abnormal energy inside Gastly and Spiritomb had already been transformed by Rei Akagi's aura power. They were perfectly healthy—
Well, if one didn't count Gastly being a bit overfed.
What truly weighed on their minds were the rows of exhausted Ghost-type Pokémon lying inside the center.
The scale and intensity of the Ghost-energy tide had far exceeded all estimates.
On the way back to the research institute, Rei Akagi noticed something unusual about the Gastly in his arms.
The little Pokémon trembled slightly.
Its round face was filled with unease.
"What's wrong, Gastly? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Gaaastly… (No…)"
Gastly shook its head.
But its large eyes were filled with inexplicable panic.
It just felt… restless for no reason.
"Don't worry. I'm here."
Rei Akagi tightened his hold, trying to comfort it.
Just a bad mood?
Suddenly, Rei Akagi himself felt unsettled, as if a storm were about to arrive.
He trusted his instincts deeply—they had saved him more than once in moments of crisis.
Maybe he should act.
Gastly had been constantly bathed in the power of aura, yet it was still affected this much.
So what about the Ghost-type Pokémon in the mausoleum subspace, those that had slept for thousands of years?
Without the aura calming the energy—
What would happen to them?
The answer surfaced instantly.
Rampage.
They might go berserk.
A group of thousand-year-old ghosts, corrupted by violent energy and stripped of their sanity—if they broke their seals and emerged—
It would become a disaster sweeping across the entire city of Eterna City.
Thinking of this, Rei Akagi stopped walking and looked at Cynthia with a grave expression.
No matter what the hidden organization's goal was, they now had to prepare for the disaster that might soon occur.
"Miss Cynthia!"
Rei Akagi suddenly halted, his voice serious.
"Hm?"
Cynthia stopped and turned around, meeting the urgency in his eyes.
Rei Akagi inhaled deeply.
"Can you trust me?"
Cynthia was momentarily stunned. Then she smiled brightly.
"What do you need me to do?"
Rei Akagi spoke rapidly, trying to make his explanation convincing.
"The Ghost-energy tide may already be seriously affecting the Ghost-type Pokémon in the mausoleum subspace! Gastly came from there—"
"Stop."
Cynthia raised a hand to interrupt him.
She brushed a strand of golden hair behind her ear, revealing her brilliant, determined gray eyes.
"I asked—what do you need me to do?"
For a brief moment, Rei Akagi's heart skipped a beat.
Suppressing the surge of emotion, he immediately issued instructions.
"Mobilize every police unit and medical team available. Seal all entrances to theMausoleum of the First Emperor immediately! Maximum combat alert! I'll go find Professor Oak right away! We'll meet at the mausoleum!"
Cynthia didn't hesitate for even a second.
She released Garchomp and leapt onto its back. Its massive wings stirred a powerful gust of wind as it shot toward the police headquarters like a streak of light.
Rei Akagi also wasted no time.
He tucked Gastly into his coat.
With Martial Arts Lv.5 fully activated, his body shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring, leaving only a faint blur as he sped along the ground toward the Eterna City Research Institute.
The speed made passersby gasp in shock.
At the same time, he pulled out his phone and dialed Anyi instantly.
"Boss—"
"Emergency situation. Listen carefully!"
Rei Akagi interrupted him.
"Have all your people spread the word immediately. Use any excuse necessary to keep the residents of Eterna City indoors! Right now! Immediately! Then put your father on the phone!"
"Yes, boss!"
Anyi's voice tightened instantly.
Moments later, a deep and steady voice came through.
"Boy Bai?"
"Gym Leader An Ming! Time is short! Gather as many Elite-rank trainers as possible and head to theMausoleum of the First Emperor immediately! Maximum combat readiness!"
Rei Akagi spoke clearly and rapidly.
"Champion Cynthia is mobilizing the police force. I'm heading to Professor Oak now. We'll meet at the mausoleum!"
"Understood. I'm leaving now."
An Ming hung up decisively.
By the time Rei Akagi put his phone away, he had already arrived at the entrance of the research institute.
Gastly tumbled out of his arms, dizzy.
Its eyes spun like spirals as it vomited a rainbow.
…Yeah.
Still too inexperienced, Gastly.
Inside the research institute—Professor Oak's office.
Professor Oak was staring anxiously at a report showing that the abnormal Ghost-type energy had already reached critical levels.
He had practically grown several new white hairs from stress.
BANG!
The office door slammed open.
Rei Akagi rushed in, dragging along a still-retching Gastly, startling Oak so badly he nearly jumped out of his chair.
"Rei Akagi? What happened?"
Seeing the grave expression on Rei Akagi's face, Professor Oak felt his heart sink.
"Professor! This is urgent!"
Without any preamble, Rei Akagi rapidly explained his deduction, along with Cynthia and An Ming's emergency plan.
"…I need you to report to the Pokémon League immediately and request emergency support. Also bring the most precise energy detectors you have. We're heading to the mausoleum right away—they should be arriving soon!"
Professor Oak sucked in a sharp breath, instantly realizing the severity of the situation.
He handed the report to Rei Akagi.
"Take a look at this… the situation might be worse than you think."
Rei Akagi carefully examined the report.
The abnormal Ghost-type energy had already reached its critical threshold.
No wonder so many Ghost-type Pokémon were being affected.
There was no more time.
Hopefully things won't turn out exactly as I fear…
Hopefully the Ghost-type Pokémon inside the subspace haven't awakened and gone berserk…
No.
Waiting passively isn't an option.
Rei Akagi grew even more worried.
"Professor, I need to enter the mausoleum subspace and confirm the Ghost-type Pokémon's condition!"
"You want to enter theMausoleum of the First Emperor subspace? Actually, after you came out last time, I sent people in to investigate several times…"
Professor Oak paused.
His expression became extremely grim.
"But that's not the main issue. The real problem is—starting one month ago, every method of entering the mausoleum subspace has completely failed."
"What?!"
Rei Akagi's pupils shrank.
He instinctively began thinking of countermeasures.
But his eyes subconsciously drifted toward the corner of the room.
There, Gastly had sneakily floated over to a safe.
After prying the door open with psychic power, it pulled out a box of premium Pokéblocks.
"Gaaastly~ (I'm definitely not stealing snacks~)"
When it noticed Rei Akagi staring at it, Gastly hurriedly hid the Pokéblocks behind its back, its eyes darting around innocently.
And suddenly—
Rei Akagi realized something.
Of course.
Gastly was a Pokémon of theMausoleum of the First Emperor.
One of its guardians.
Which meant—
It possessed the ability to freely enter and exit the subspace.
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