PARAGON

  Hisui Incursion Arc [14]

  Chapter 66 : Enchanted Labyrinth

  Hisui Region - Coronet Lowlands

  Ash swallowed. He swore he could hear his blood racing through his veins with each throb of his chest and he sucked in breaths to placate his overworked lungs. Black spots danced in his vision as his body adapted to his sudden inertia.

  “Pikachu…light…please,” he eventually whispered.

  The stripes on Pikachu’s back lit up, illuminating everyone’s stressed faces. Dust wafted through the air and swirled every time someone breathed.

  “A-Are they gone?” Yura whispered, sliding off Laventon’s back. Shieldon drifted closer to her, but his face betrayed no emotion.

  Ash glanced at Sabrina. The psychic closed her eyes and her gauntlets glowed slightly brighter.

  “I don’t sense them anywhere near us,” she said, opening her eyes.

  Ash let himself relax, the tension breaking across his body. After he did, the others seemed to take it as a sign that they were safe. Rei sat down on the cave floor and Akari leaned over, coughing. Laventon threw his bags down from where they’d been slung over his chest and sank to the ground as well.

  “I think…the Unown can probably only get so far away from the main body,” Ash panted. “We should be safe now.”

  Towering over them, Decidueye released a low coo. The ground cracked as he crunched his talons into the rock.

  Electricity sparked across Pikachu’s body and he growled.

  “Thank you…Decidueye,” Sabrina said softly, but her voice echoed. “You saved me…again.”

  Decidueye fixed Sabrina with a disgusted stare. He pushed through the crowd, ignoring Pikachu, until he stood right in front of her. His glare met her tired eyes.

  “I…got it. There won’t be a third time.” She unclipped his pokéball and held it out. “Get some rest now. It’ll be awhile until we’re back outside… Thank you, again.” She thumbed the release and recalled him.

  “Back outside…” Laventon repeated. His head sank into his hands. “Oh, no…”

  “What’s wrong?” Ash said, a bit more forcefully than intended, but he was still full of adrenaline and on edge.

  Laventon looked up. “These caves. We were supposed to follow the map to find our way to the other side. In our haste…I was not able to…”

  Akari covered her mouth. “You mean…?”

  A pained moan echoed through the cavern as Riley slumped to the ground.

  “Riley!” Ash said sharply, kneeling down.

  The Guardian’s breathing was heavy and his head hung weakly from his neck, his eyes glassy and unfocused. “If you would…” he breathed.

  “He got hit!” Ash said, standing up. “Where’s our burn salve?”

  “Wait, Ash,” Laventon said, standing up. “It needs to cool first. We need water, and towels…”

  As they got to work rummaging through their various bags, Pikachu scampered back and forth between them all, shining his light where it was needed. Laventon dug the medical supplies out from his bag while Rei uncorked his water skin.

  “This may sting a bit,” Laventon said as he brought a soaked cloth to the back of Riley’s calf.

  Akari knelt beside him to help and Pikachu shined his light directly on the injury. His pants had burned away where the attack hit, and beneath, his skin was bright red and white along the dried and peeling edges. Riley didn’t even flinch as the towel touched his leg.

  “Let’s set up camp in the meantime,” Ash said. “I don’t think we’ll be traveling any more today.”

  He, Yura, Sabrina, and Rei got to work pulling out everything they needed. Ash and Sabrina both used their powers to illuminate the campsite, bathing the cave in a somber light. Eventually, Rei pulled out a stick dipped in oil and they were able to get a torch going. Yura moved robotically as she worked, and eventually, Sabrina pulled her aside.

  “We’re going to look for a water source,” Sabrina declared, their cauldron in hand. “We won’t go far.”

  “Be careful,” Ash said, kicking his bedroll out. He watched as two girls walked away, hand in hand, Shieldon pawing after them.

  Obviously, Yura was still frazzled from the attack, and Sabrina was the first to act on ripping her thoughts from such a traumatic experience. Yura was a strong girl for her age, but a near-death experience like that would worm its way into anyone’s heart. Even Ash himself still got the chills when he thought about the terrifying Unown.

  He glanced at Rei and Akari. Luckily, they both seemed to be distracted well enough for right now. Akari was handing Laventon a roll of bandages, and Rei was taking stock of the food they had on hand. For now, it was of paramount importance to figure out what to do next. As long as their future remained uncertain, anxiety and fear would fester in all of them.

  “Easy,” Laventon whispered, easing Riley against the rocky cave wall, the shell of burn salve in hand. “Drink.” He lifted Rei’s skin of water to Riley’s lips.

  “I can drink just fine,” Riley said, taking the skin and downing a swig. “Thank you.”

  No longer needed, Akari turned and sighed. The cave wasn’t all that cold, yet she shivered.

  Pikachu glanced in her direction, then scampered over and climbed up onto her shoulder, fixing her with a concerned stare.

  “How’s Cranidos?” Ash asked, drawing her attention.

  She blinked several times, taking a bit to register the question. “Oh…right. Not good.” She pulled its pokéball from her belt and stared at it.

  “We should treat them as soon as possible too,” Ash said, and he could see Laventon already moving to prep their pokémon medicinals. “Rei, your Growlithe too.”

  Rei grumbled quietly as he stalked toward them with his pokéball. The two young trainers both deployed their defeated and their bodies materialized motionless on the cave floor.

  Ash breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t seen them get taken out but there didn’t seem to have taken any serious damage, especially given how powerful that Gallade had been.

  “Those pokémon Unown spawned,” Riley said, his arm hanging off his propped up good leg. “No matter how much I attacked Garchomp, it didn’t sustain any lasting damage. I may as well have been attacking a brick wall.”

  His voice was monotone, but Ash could sense his simmering frustration underneath. “My attacks didn’t do anything either. It rebuilt itself in an instant.”

  “Are you sure we’re safe here?” Rei asked, trying and failing to hold the fear from his voice.

  “No, he’s not,” Laventon said as he sprayed Growlithe down with potion. “Did you forget where we are? Danger is the only certainty beyond the safety of the Sanctuary.” There was no arrogance in his voice, no I told you so. It was simply a statement of cold, hard truth.

  Sabrina and Yura returned as Laventon was finishing Cranidos’ treatment. Ash moved quickly to take the cauldron from her, now full of water.

  “There’s a shallow river just up ahead. We couldn’t tell where its source is though.”

  Growlithe had recovered just enough to spit some embers down and get a campfire going and Ash placed the cauldron of water over it to boil. When they’d first set off and set up camp for the first time, he’d been reminded of the two years he’d spent training to defeat Cynthia, traveling across the world and living off the wilderness, for the most part. This practice wasn’t exactly foreign to him.

  With the fire illuminating their camp, more of their surroundings could now be seen. It turned out the cavern they’d stopped in was quite large. Although they’d set up camp in the wide path that ran through the center of the cavern, tall stalagmites poked up from the ground around them, and stalactites hung from the ceiling far above. Dark tunnel entrances dotted the walls around them. From this cavern alone, there were at least ten different directions to choose from.

  “Help yourselves to some of the berries in my bag,” Laventon offered, addressing the whole group.

  Rei dug them out emotionlessly and untied the pouch Laventon had kept them in, then went around the circle. Ash declined and Sabrina took some extra for Yura, who didn’t seem to have an appetite. Riley smiled in thanks as he accepted some, and he threw them all back in a single handful.

  “So,” Ash eventually said, slicing through the deafening silence. “We’re lost.”

  Sabrina shot him a narrow glare and he had to stop himself from wincing. She wrapped her arm around Yura and rubbed her shoulder gently.

  “The question is whether we should go on, or try and find our way back out,” Ash continued. “Professor, is there any way you’d be able to find where we are on the map right now?”

  Laventon shook his head. “This place is a maze, and I’m sure you saw as we were running. We passed through numerous forks in the road, identical tunnels. Navigation is only possible if we stick to the map from the start.”

  “But, if we just go back the way we came…” Akari said.

  “Unfortunately, these caves aren’t so simple. Even if we took every southern tunnel, the path twists and turns on itself. And compasses do not work in this mountain, even at its base.” Laventon looked up. “I don’t suppose any of you have any sort of ability that could steer us out of this predicament?”

  Ash shook his head.

  “I could tell you the shape of every pokémon around us in a fifty meter radius. I could tear through the rock wall as if it were made of paper. And I could fill your souls with enough Aura to allow you to survive without food or water for six months in here. But no, I have nothing in my arsenal for a labyrinth,” Riley said flatly.

  Sabrina’s eyelids crinked as she stared at the floor. “I could try and teleport us out. But…I don’t trust myself to do that safely right now.” She shook her head.

  “Well, that makes for an easy decision, then,” Ash said, and everyone turned to stare at him. “I guess we’re going forward.”

  “How do you figure that?” Rei questioned. “We’re way closer to the entrance than the exit. Even if it’s slim, we have a way higher chance of finding that again than making it all the way to the other side out of sheer luck.”

  Ash thumbed behind him. “Unown is back there. I don’t know about you, but I’m not keen on having to face it again.”

  Yura scrunched up her nose and shook her head.

  “Either way, I’m going on ahead. If you guys want to turn around, that’s fine. But Unown is after me. I’ll only put you in danger if I go back.”

  Pikachu moaned in his lap, but Ash didn’t back down.

  A resounding clap echoed through the cavern and Ash almost jumped.

  Yura’s eyes were squeezed shut and her cheeks were pink where she’d just slapped them. “I’m going ahead too!” she declared, opening her eyes. “I left to find my hometown and I’m not going back until I do!” She snorted authoritatively and crossed her arms.

  Eventually, Laventon chucked, and a smile drifted onto his voice. “Outclassed by Yura again. What has become of the Survey Corps? Miss Cyllene would not be pleased if she could see us now.”

  Akari knit her brows tight with uncertainty. “But what’re we going to do? We can’t just wish ourselves to the other side of these caves.”

  “Or wander around aimlessly,” Rei added.

  Riley shifted where he was. “Optimism is obligatory, but do you have a plan, Ash?”

  Ash grinned. “Not in the slightest.” He pointed dead ahead, at the tiny nine-year-old Yura. “But she does.”

  Yura’s mouth dropped open and she glanced around the circle in confusion.

  “We happen to have an expert on underground navigation and travel with us right here.” Ash flicked his head in the creature’s direction.

  “Ahh!” Yura exclaimed.

  Rei’s eyes widened. “Ha ha ha! Of course!”

  At Yura’s feet, Shieldon stared up at the gathered. He let loose a dull grunt.

  “Shieldon!” Akari breathed. “That’s right! We were able to follow you guys all the way from the Sanctuary without having to pop up once all because of Shieldon!”

  Shieldon groaned and ambled behind Yura’s leg, clearly realizing everyone’s attention had landed on him and getting shy.

  Yura crouched down and petted his iron head. “Think you can do it, Shieldon?”

  “Hold on just a minute, Miss Yura,” Laventon said, holding up his hand.

  “What? You don’t think Shieldon can do it?” Yura demanded. “Just so you know, Shieldon—“

  “That’s not it at all. There’s a proper order to these things, you see. Here in the Survey Corps, we rely on each other, and when that’s not enough, we accept help from our allies across Hisui.”

  Yura’s eyes glittered. “Oh, so I’m an ally, huh? Sounds pretty cool!”

  “No,” Laventon said bluntly. “You’re not our ally.” He turned his body as he met the gaze of everyone in the party. “Akari. Rei. Ash. Sabrina. Riley. Please join me in welcoming the newest, and quite possibly the youngest member of the Survey Corps in our history, Yura.” He smiled.

  Yura froze, and her eyes shimmered. “Huh?”

  Sabrina smiled, tears welling in her eyes.

  “Welcome to the Survey Corps, Miss Yura. We look forward to seeing your contributions,” Laventon said with a grin.

  Yura’s cries echoed off the walls of the cavern but Sabrina wrapped her in a tight hug and Rei and Akari both offered their congratulations. Eventually, Shieldon began barking at everyone in the group, ready to defend against whatever had made his master cry.

  Although Yura was pumped to move on deeper into the caves, the others were spent and eager to use this lapse in apparent danger to rest for the rest of the day. Surprisingly, Rei and Akari both passed out atop their bedrolls, likely more from the stress of such an ordeal than actual overexertion. Riley also drifted off, and after noticing Laventon’s eyelids fluttering, Ash nearly ordered him to sleep as well, which the Professor reluctantly took him up on. He’d carried Yura and two of their backpacks as they fled from Unown, he actually was physically exhausted.

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  Sabrina stayed awake to keep Yura occupied so Ash took charge of watch duty, though no pokémon disturbed them. That was to be expected within the foothills, since most of the species that made their homes here were reclusive to begin with. Of course, that information had only been verified for the path they were supposed to take. Wherever they were now, anything was possible.

  Ash kept his electricity up as he leaned against the cave wall atop a rocky mound that overlooked the whole camp. Since he wasn’t even walking now, he tried increasing his power a bit more than usual. The training seemed to be going well, but he noticed he was rather fatigued when the others started to wake again.

  Over a dinner of berries and strips of dried meat, an azure glow suddenly lit up their camp.

  Riley held his hands over his injured leg, now unwrapped, Aura pooling in his palms. As the light of his power took hold around his leg, the angry scarring began to ebb away and his skin slowly stitched itself back together at the molecular level. When the glow of Aura faded, his leg was perfectly healed, not a blemish left to indicate he’d ever been hurt. He glanced up and smiled. “Thank you for your treatment, Professor, Akari, Rei.”

  “Whaaat…?” Rei said, stumbling closer to him.

  Yura’s mouth hung agape.

  Rei moved to touch Riley’s leg, but Akari yanked him back, though her gaze was still transfixed on the pale patch of skin that’d been gnarled and red just seconds ago.

  “Aura healing,” Riley explained. “It’s an advanced technique of the Guardians that expends lots of Aura, though for something this minor, I should be fine. Your cleaning and dressing earlier certainly helped. If you’d like, I could treat your pokémon to a bath of Aura later—“

  “Please!” Yura exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “Shieldon will need a lot of energy for our mission! And also I want to see that again!”

  “Yeah, tell us first next time you’re about to do something like that!” Rei scolded.

  Riley chuckled. “Will do.”

  Laventon chewed his berries slowly, seemingly weary of how many times he’d been awestruck since meeting the three denizens of the future. “That doesn’t mean you two can get careless,” he said slowly, glancing at Rei and Akari. “Don’t be thinking of the Guardian’s power as an excuse to be reckless.” His warning almost sounded hollow with how enamored he still was with what he’d just witnessed.

  “Of course!” Akari said quickly.

  Ash could only smile at their reaction. He’d had a similar one to be fair when Riley first showed him the ability. Sabrina didn’t look that impressed, and Ash had to suppress a smirk. Pikachu, however, padded over to Riley and nudged his knee, requesting some treatment for himself.

  After dinner, and after Shieldon and the others enjoyed Riley’s Aura bath, Sabrina continued to train with Rei and Akari at the other end of the cavern. They appeared to be battling each other as normal, but every now and then, Sabrina’s eyes would flash, and Grotle would lose his footing, or Sneasel would crash into an invisible barrier. Yura and Shieldon tried their best to keep up with Sabrina’s lessons on the sidelines, though it was difficult for them to apply them since she had no opponent. Pikachu just ended up playing, or trying to play around with them.

  Since it was inadvisable to disturb the no doubt countless wild pokémon around them, hidden just out of sight, Ash practiced manipulating his electricity instead, seeing if he could create more than just lightning bolts and balls. He tried conjuring something similar to an Aura Sphere and molded the energy in his hands, compressing it down into a sheet, then stretching it into a rod. As he changed its shape, he noticed its consistency changing as well. It went from an errant, crackling energy, to a subdued, almost physical substance, now white in color, like sunlight turned solid.

  Riley offered to take the first watch once they began turning in, but Ash said he’d do it. As the others curled into their bedrolls, Ash was still messing around with his powers, though he made sure not to flash it in their faces.

  Their trek into the unknown would begin tomorrow.

  This is as far as I go.

  You’ll help him, won’t you?

  This is a duty of the Aura Guardians.

  I am entrusting you with my memory.

  One day…

  You will be forced to make a choice…

  I only ask…

  That when you make your choice…

  You do so…

  On your own terms…

  …

  Riley’s eyes snapped open in his bedroll, waking up just in time to hear himself gasp. He exhaled slowly, his heart thundering in his chest.

  Rolling over, he sat up and lifted a hand to his face. Within this cave, it was impossible to tell what time it was, but since everyone else, even Sabrina, appeared to still be asleep, he surmised it was still quite early.

  Rei sat atop the rocky perch but his head hung limp on his neck. He was on the last watch of the night but it seemed like he’d drifted off at the very end. Drool slid from the corner of his mouth. Luckily, Growlithe stood at attention beside him.

  Riley met Growlithe’s gaze but soon turned away and tried laying back down and closing his eyes. Yet even after five minutes, he still didn’t feel tired at all. Sighing, he sat up again and slowly peeled his bedroll away, trying to be as quiet as possible. Slipping out of bed, he walked through their meager camp, Growlithe watching silently as he went. They were arrayed in a misshapen circle around the smoldering pile of embers, now cold and dark.

  As he walked away from the others, he expanded a thin field of Aura outward, enveloping them. Since they hadn’t gotten attacked at all last night, they’d probably be fine, but at least now Riley could say he did his due diligence.

  Again… he thought to himself as he stalked through the caves. It was that same dream again. Though it wasn’t really a dream, per se. It was simply a repetition of King Aaron’s final words to him. When he was free to let his mind wander, or when he was asleep, those words came to him unbidden, echoing through him like bells, drowning everything else out.

  As frenetic as the conclusion of that terrible day was, Riley remembered King Aaron’s words perfectly, and not a day had passed since that they hadn’t plagued him.

  After countless years, the Sir Aaron had finally appeared once again, but before Riley had had nary a chance to meet him, he was gone again. This time, permanently.

  Or so it should have been. Until Riley’s blunder had led Ash, Sabrina, and him back to a time when he was still alive.

  He cursed his weakness. They were stuck in the past with no guarantee that they could ever return, yet even still, a small part of him was grateful for the chance to speak with King Aaron one last time.

  But even if Riley could see him, what would he say? Surely this Aaron was completely different from the one he’d met. Would he even know of the duty he’d assigned Riley just before facing his death?

  The Origin Child was supposed to be a myth. A figure that only existed in fairy tales and old prophecies. Yet the moment King Aaron had said the name, it was as if that concept of fantasy had suddenly supplanted itself in reality. He’d spoken something impossible into existence. That was how Riley felt upon hearing King Aaron’s final request.

  But lifting the Origin Child from fantasy to reality didn’t make it any less impossible. Uniting the Plates in one body, one man? The incarnation of Arceus himself? And the end to a celestial conflict that began at the advent of existence itself?

  You’ll help him, won’t you?

  If anyone else had said that, Riley would’ve laughed aloud.

  If it wasn’t King Aaron who’d said it.

  And it wasn’t Ash Ketchum who he was talking about.

  What could foolish Riley do to help the Origin Child? Even now as he attempted to train Ash, he could already tell Ash would be surpassing the limits of what he could teach him soon. The power of a singular Plate, which Ash had only borne for a relatively short time, already eclipsed the full strength Riley could muster using every ounce of his Aura. How could Riley possibly hope to help him still?

  But if not him, who?

  King Aaron had asked him.

  It is most fortuitous, he’d said, that you are the Guardian to witness my end.

  “Think, Riley!” he murmured to himself, clenching his fist.

  King Aaron was dead. Rota was destroyed. They were stuck in the past. A Paragon hung over Hisui. And now they were stuck in a cave, and by a stroke of sheer luck, had a child accompanying them with a pokémon who could maybe get them out.

  “Not about that!” Riley growled. How to help Ash! How to get us out of this mess!

  Riley was introspective enough to know that this was a simple case of anxiety. Uncertainty coursed through his veins like poison, and reared its foul head when his mind was distracted.

  Is that what he wanted from King Aaron? A simple confirmation that he was the man for the job?

  Riley kicked a pebble further down the cavern. What does it matter now? We’re still weeks from the far north, even if we do make it out of this cave. There’s no guarantee he’ll still be there either.

  He began to hear the trickling of a shallow stream ahead, the one Sabrina found yesterday, and angled toward it. Might as well get some water going.

  It was only when he arrived that he realized he’d forgotten their cauldron back at camp, and he cursed silently. Sighing, he leaned over to wash his face. The water was ice-cold run-off from above, but it finished waking Riley up.

  What to do, what to do, he thought, letting the water drip down his face.

  His eyes opened a moment later, but not because he’d thought of something.

  He sensed…something.

  Frowning, he walked away from the river into the center of this part of the cavern. Aura bled into his eyes and he turned slowly, searching for the source of his unease.

  What is that I feel? It’s not a pokémon…it’s not even dangerous, necessarily. But there’s…something…somewhere.

  He couldn’t even tell how far away whatever he sensed was. It felt all-encompassing, yet impossibly distant at the same time. He took a step back and looked up. Only the sound of the river answered him.

  Is it another Plate? Mount Coronet is supposed to be where Ash found the Electric Plate.

  No. He dashed the thought from his mind. If it was a Plate, he’d know it. Kneeling down, his fingertips grazed the rough ground. The skin around his eyes twitched.

  It’s the whole mountain… he realized. There is a certain energy that imbues the entire mountain, even this far from the summit and Spear Pillar. He stood up and frowned. How could I not have noticed this before? Perhaps he was more worn out yesterday than he thought. This omnipresent energy… It’s something ancient. There’s a reason I never noticed when I spent time in Mount Coronet before, in the present day. This energy, as vast as it is, lies deep within the mountain…unmoving. Imperceptible to most, but there all the same. I must not have been strong enough back then to sense it…

  Riley disabled his enhanced senses, letting his power filter away. It was a nice to see that he’d grown since traveling Sinnoh in the present day, but the presence of this energy could affect their journey through the mountain. Using his senses to check back at their camp, it seemed nothing had changed since he left and no trouble had befallen them in his absence. He started back.

  But what is it? Riley couldn’t help but ask himself. It was totally benign, yet all-powerful. It wasn’t alive, like some slumbering legendary pokémon, and it had no defining characteristics either. It was just…there. And because of it, this mountain was more than just a pile of rock.

  Is Mount Coronet considered mystical because of this energy, or is this mystical energy here because it’s Mount Coronet, Riley mused.

  In the end, he hadn’t figured out an answer to his dilemma on how to proceed with King Aaron’s final request, but if Riley had learned anything from him, then that request likely didn’t have just one, clean answer. Training Ash’s abilities wasn't the only way he could help the Origin Child. His perception and his knowledge as a Guardian would also be crucial.

  When he returned to camp, Akari was dressed and up, and shaking Rei awake. The younger boy sat up groggily and rubbed his eyes, his hair a mess.

  Riley made sure to make louder footsteps upon seeing them so he wouldn’t scare them, and when she heard him, Akari turned around. Riley smiled and offered a wave. Then he had an idea.

  He held out his hand and summoned an Aura Sphere. Akari frowned in confusion, her hand drifting to her belt, but before she had a chance to react, Riley launched it forward.

  Growlithe leaped forward and chomped down on the Aura Sphere, crushing into azure mist. Landing on the cave ground, he glared at Riley.

  Rei blinked and jolted awake, staring first at Growlithe, then at Riley and Akari.

  Riley gave a thumbs up. The Aura Sphere had been hollow in the middle so even if Growlithe hadn’t reacted, it would’ve felt like little more than a hard slap in the face.

  Akari exhaled and looked away shamefully. She’d realized just a moment too late what Riley was doing. If that hadn’t been training, Rei could’ve lost his life. Luckily, she didn’t stew in it long, turning back to Rei and shaking him to get their training started.

  While they resumed their training on the other side of the cavern away from the sleeping others, Riley went and got a pot of water heating up. Sabrina woke up shortly after, followed by Ash and Laventon. Once Yura woke up, they downed a breakfast of blistered berries and bread.

  “Now, it’s our time to shine!” Yura declared proudly once they’d packed up camp. Shieldon stood stoically at her feet.

  “Indeed,” Laventon said. “Now then, let us—“

  “Wait! I get to say it!” Yura pouted.

  “Ah, sorry.” Laventon smiled and motioned to her.

  “Galaxy Team, let’s get out of this cave!” Yura pumped her fist.

  Somehow, this mission to investigate the spacial rift over Mount Coronet aptly called the Galaxy Expedition had morphed into their party now being called the Galaxy Team. Its origins seemed to lie in Yura’s inability to pronounce ‘expedition’, but the name had somehow stuck. Of course, when the Galaxy Expedition had first set off, they hadn’t really had enough members to be called a team.

  Shieldon grunted and burrowed into the ground.

  Riley could sense his Aura moving further and further away, deeper into the earth. Next to the hole, Pikachu stood, ears sticking straight up, but Shieldon moved extremely quickly. He was already so deep they couldn’t even hear him digging anymore.

  “Hope he didn’t ditch us,” Rei murmured, and he got a Yura Punch in the side for that comment.

  “He’s still right beneath us,” Sabrina said, her eyes limned in emerald light.

  Riley could sense Shieldon had stopped and seemed to just be waiting down below, perhaps studying his surroundings, but he was so far down now that Riley could barely sense him. If he hadn’t known that was Shieldon, Riley could’ve easily mistaken that faded presence of Aura for a mere Geodude or Nosepass.

  Yura tried to peer down the hole but of course it was pitch black. Laventon held her collar protectively.

  “He’s coming back up,” Sabrina said.

  So he is, Riley thought a moment later after sensing Shieldon’s Aura coming closer again.

  Once Shieldon unburied himself again, he started down the cavern, Yura beside him, toward one of the many tunnels that led deeper into the mountain.

  Laventon frowned. “Are we sure that’s the right way? That direction doesn’t look like it leads north.”

  Shieldon continued to trudge forward, ignoring him.

  “I’m trusting the expert,” Rei grinned, tramping after them.

  “I think I’ll do the same,” Ash said. Electricity coursed beneath his skin and his Aura thrummed with power.

  Laventon sighed, but steeled himself and followed after them.

  The tunnel Shieldon had selected widened and narrowed at various points throughout the next hour. Every now and then, they came across a fork in the road, but Shieldon would disappear underground again and pick a new direction once he emerged.

  Today, Sabrina expressly forbade Akari from continuing her training and did not even permit her to keep any of her pokémon out. Today, she said, it would be Rei’s turn to protect their group completely alone, and Akari’s turn tomorrow. She went as far as banning Akari from giving advice or even words of encouragement. Quite a strict regimen, in Riley’s opinion. She was clearly trying to sever their reliance on each other, yet the fact that the other had to be present right behind them and not contribute in the slightest was almost cruel, especially for how much the two enjoyed their training. But, Riley had noticed their improvement in just the past few days. They were calmer under pressure, their commands were more precise and confident, and their pokémon were already acting with more independence. The latter would certainly lead them to faster evolutions, as Sabrina intended.

  Rei’s Grotle was his selected partner for today and he seemed to be adapting to his new body well. It’d fended off a trio of Graveler quite handily on its own, though a flock of Golbat had gotten a few hits off on his back before he’d been able to down them as well. Akari had to clamp her hands over her mouth to stop herself from alerting him to the sneak attack.

  It was a few hours later that they found themselves in a huge grotto. Pools of dark water filled the cragged stone around them and a smooth stream trickled down the rock wall beside them into a river that snaked through the cave from one side to the other. Glowing crystals illuminated the cavern in a quiet light, creating a serene setting for their ongoing hike.

  Once it became clear they probably wouldn’t be attacked in here, peaceful as it was, Riley walked up beside Ash and Sabrina.

  “Hey,” he said. “I discovered…something this morning.”

  “What?” Ash asked. “Something bad?”

  “No, not bad. It’s… Well, the truth is, I’m not sure what it is. In short, there is a certain energy that permeates every inch of this mountain. Something old and powerful built into the very rock.”

  “Sounds like Mount Coronet alright,” Ash said nonchalantly.

  “I thought so too, but this is far more than what I’d expect from Spear Pillar, or even the Paragon above. The mountain itself is brimming with a certain…presence. I’m not sure how to describe it. It’s like…there’s some sort of entity within the mountain itself.”

  “A pokémon?” Ash asked.

  Riley shook his head. “No, I know the Aura of pokémon. This is something different. Do either of you feel anything?”

  Ash looked around and Sabrina’s eyes brightened. A moment later, both shook their heads.

  Riley frowned. “Hm. I didn’t think you would but I had to be sure.”

  “Whatever it is, it’s not alive,” Sabrina said. “If it was, I’d sense it.”

  “And I don’t think it’s a Plate or anything either,” Ash added.

  Same conclusions as me, Riley thought. I suppose it will be up to me to figure this out. Preferably before we get to the peak.

  “It’s not something we have to worry about, is it?” Sabrina asked.

  “It seems harmless enough. It’s just, I never noticed it before so I was a bit taken aback. It’s as you said, Ash. Perhaps this is just the nature of Mount Coronet. Serving as the dais for Spear Pillar could be enough for the entire mountain to become infused with a certain mystic energy, given enough time. Let’s remember to ask about this with King…the man in the north.”

  “Got it,” Ash said, and Pikachu flashed a thumbs up as bonus reassurance.

  Curiosity gnawed at Riley nonetheless as they continued on. However, he had to force himself to shut those thoughts off in lieu of others.

  Now, he pondered how to become stronger.

  Next — Chapter 67 : Source