บท 1071: The Vanishing Chimecho
The environment of the third floor was similar to that of the second floor, only much larger in space. Instead of the shabby oil lamps hanging on the walls like on the second floor, large pearls, each the size of a fist, were embedded in the walls to provide light.
Just the sight of these rare pearls made Yuga feel that they were priceless.
However, the pearls weren't the main focus. The real threat was come from the Claydol, Solrock, and Lunatone.
The Claydol on the third floor were just like those on the second floor—mere shells—but there were far more of them. Yuga estimated there were at least a dozen, and the number of Solrock and Lunatone they controlled was even greater.
Yuga hadn't expected to see so many Solrock and Lunatone here. Both are classified as meteorite Pokémon, and according to Pokémon scholars, their ancestors did indeed arrive in the Pokémon world via meteorites. As such, they were extremely rare and typically found near craters.
Encountering a single Solrock or Lunatone in the wild was rare enough, but seeing an entire group together was unheard of.
As soon as Yuga and the others set foot on the third floor, they alerted the Claydol. Although the Claydol lacked self-awareness, they functioned like a detection system—once intruders entered, they would immediately sound the alarm.
Under the Claydol's control, the Lunatone at the front collectively fired a barrage of Power Gem attacks. Golden beams of light shot toward Yuga and his group like a rain of arrows.
The Lunatone on the third floor were far stronger than the Baltoy on the second. With just a glance, Yuga spotted several at the pseudo-Elite level, and there was even one at the Elite level.
The Solrock hiding behind the Lunatone were in a similar state—altogether, it was a very tricky situation.
Fortunately, after enduring the attacks on the first and second floors, Yuga and his group were well-prepared. As soon as the Lunatone launched their assault, their Pokémon quickly set up defenses. In particular, Yuga's Chimecho was present, and its Light Screen blocked the majority of the attacks.
Ash and Brock were both utterly astonished by Chimecho's Light Screen. Ash was familiar with the move since his Mr. Mime excelled at it, but being able to raise dozens or even hundreds of screens at once was beyond anything he had ever imagined.
However, after the first wave of Lunatone's attacks, Yuga and his group witnessed something even more shocking. The Solrock behind the Lunatone all began absorbing the light from the pearls embedded in the walls. In that instant, it felt as though the entire third floor dimmed.
So, these pearls not only served as illumination—they also provided energy to the Solrock?
It's said that Solrock can absorb sunlight during the day and store the energy, making them especially powerful during daylight hours.
Since there was no sunlight in the Mirage Tower, it seemed that these pearls served as a substitute for the sun.
Yuga didn't quite understand what those pearls were, but he certainly recognized the attack the Solrock launched! The Solar Beams were far more powerful and overwhelming than the Power Gems from the Lunatone earlier.
"Everyone, get down! Chimecho, Light Screen defense!" Yuga shouted, immediately dropping to the ground. Without hesitation, the others followed suit.
*Boom...*
Even with Chimecho's Light Screen in place, a large portion of the wall on Yuga's side was blasted apart by the Solar Beams. Fortunately, they had dropped down in time, and the beams narrowly missed them, passing just overhead.
After narrowly avoiding the two waves of attacks from the Solrock and Lunatone, Yuga's Sawsbuck charged ahead like an arrow, diving straight into the midst of the Lunatone, disrupting their formation in an instant.
The moment Sawsbuck entered the Lunatone swarm, it faced a counterattack from them. However, Sawsbuck was incredibly agile, darting up and down, always managing to evade their attack while simultaneously kicking them away with ease.
Seeing Sawsbuck wreak havoc, the other Pokémon quickly joined the battle. Charizard, mimicking Sawsbuck's boldness, appeared in the middle of the Solrock with a commanding presence. Just like with the Lunatone, the Solrock formation crumbled instantly.
Without their formations intact, the Solrock and Lunatone could no longer perform the coordinated attacks from the beginning, greatly reducing the threat they posed to Sawsbuck, Charizard, and the others.
As the Solrock and Lunatone came under attack, the Claydol controlling them emitted strong psychic energy waves, clearly affected by the assault.
Noticing this, Chimecho immediately tried to take advantage of the situation to destroy the Claydol. But just as it approached them, a pre-set defense mechanism of the Claydol was triggered.
The patterns on the wall behind the Claydol suddenly moved, and strange black symbols began to peel off the walls, transforming into various Pokémon forms—none other than the mysterious Unown, whose origins remain an unsolved mystery to this day.
Unown are incredibly enigmatic, often found in famous large ruins across the world, yet no trainer has ever successfully captured one, as they appear and disappear at will.
A single Unown isn't particularly strong, but when many of them gather, they can trigger all sorts of mysterious phenomena.
There were at least a thousand Unown gathered here, forming a thick, dark mass, emitting a series of rapid, rhythmic calls.
"Dili-li… Dili-li… Dili-li…"
The rapidly spinning Unown formed a spiral and ascended into the air. Under Yuga's horrified gaze, they tore open a pitch-black dimensional rift and, in the blink of an eye, pulled Chimecho inside, vanishing without a trace.
"Chimecho!!" Yuga roared in anger, breaking away from the group and charging towards the Claydol.
"Yuga!"
"Mr. Shimizu!"
"Brother Yuga!"
…
The others immediately tried to stop him, but Yuga was too fast and quickly dashed beyond their defensive range.
As soon as Yuga left the protective circle, the Solrock and Lunatone launched attacks at him. However, Yuga was consumed with the image of Chimecho disappearing and paid no mind to the incoming strikes from the Solrock and Lunatone.
Thankfully, Mimikyu stayed by his side, and Sawsbuck came to his rescue just in time. Safely reaching the area near the Claydol.
Yuga was blocked by a Solrock and Lunatone, both at the Elite level. Without hesitation, Yuga grabbed a Poké Ball and released his Vivillon, coldly commanding, "Vivillon, take care of them!"
"Vivillon!"
Sensing Yuga's fury and urgency, Vivillon nodded. On its broad butterfly wings, two masses of yellow-green energy slowly began to gather, growing larger and larger, and gradually darkening in color.
With a loud *buzz*, two nearly black energy orbs shot out from Vivillon, forming thick beams even larger than Vivillon's wings, precisely striking the Solrock and Lunatone.
The two Elite-level Pokémon didn't even have time to resist before being blasted away.
The Solrock slammed into the wall and was instantly knocked out, while the Lunatone crashed into a nearby Baltoy, causing the fragile psychic Pokémon to explode into pieces with a loud *boom*.
Vivillon's move was Signal Beam, the strongest Bug-type move it had gained after awakening the Genesect Fossil. Before Chimecho had broken through to the Champion level, Vivillon had used this move to consistently overpower it.
The lifeless Claydol shell was even more fragile than expected. As soon as that one shattered, several Lunatone collapsed on the spot.
With the Elite-level Solrock and Lunatone out of the way, the remaining dozen or so Claydol were easily reduced to rubble by Vivillon's Signal Beam.
As soon as the Claydol's control vanished, the Lunatone and Solrock collapsed one by one, and Yuga's crisis was finally over. However, he didn't feel any relief. Instead, he stood silently, staring at the spot where Chimecho had disappeared.
"Brother Yuga, are you okay?" May asked worriedly as she approached him. "Chimecho will be alright."
Everyone had seen what happened when Chimecho vanished.
"Yeah, exactly! Chimecho is so strong, it'll definitely be fine," Ash quickly chimed in, trying to comfort Yuga. "I've encountered Unown before. They aren't actually bad, so they won't harm Chimecho."
"Thank you," Yuga replied weakly, acknowledging their efforts, but his eyes remained fixed on the spot where Chimecho disappeared.
The others exchanged silent glances, unsure of what to do next.
The waiting felt endless. For Yuga, every second was pure torment. He couldn't help but worry: What if Chimecho never came back? What would he do then? He had been in the Pokémon world for almost seven years now, and Chimecho, Lady Gardevoir, and Absol had been with him since the very beginning. They were his closest companions, the ties that bound him to this world. But now…
Just as Yuga's thoughts spiraled into worry, the sky suddenly split open, and Chimecho fell out of the rift—right into Yuga's arms.
Yuga: …
Chimecho: …
"Chimecho, Chimecho, Chimecho."
Chimecho nuzzled into Yuga's chest, almost as if it were affectionately asking for comfort.
"Chimecho, welcome back," Yuga whispered, tightening his arms around it.
Seeing Chimecho return, a smile reappeared on Yuga's face, and everyone else breathed a sigh of relief. It had been truly terrifying.
After calming down a bit, Yuga carefully examined Chimecho. "Chimecho, are you okay?"
"Chimecho, Chimecho,"
Chimecho responded hesitantly, unsure if it was entirely fine or not.
Noticing Chimecho's uncertain behavior, Yuga grew concerned and asked, "Is something wrong with you?"
"Chimecho, Chimecho."
Chimecho nodded, and immediately strange black markings began to appear on its previously unmarked body.
The moment the black patterns emerged, Yuga's mind was hit with a powerful shock. A wave of dizziness washed over him, and chaotic, rapid sounds started drilling into his head uncontrollably.
Yuga quickly recognized the noise—it was the Unown's calls.
As soon as the black markings surfaced on Chimecho, a powerful wave of psychic energy exploded from it. In an instant, everyone except Yuga, who was holding Chimecho, was blown back by the force.
"What... what just happened?" Ash asked in confusion as he scrambled to his feet.
"No idea," the others replied in unison.
As everyone was thrown back, Yuga's mind cleared, and the noise in his head vanished as if it had never existed, like an illusion.
Looking at the black patterns on Chimecho, Yuga asked in confusion, "Chimecho, what is this?"
"Chimecho, Chimecho, Chimecho," Chimecho responded.
Yuga was incredulous, "What? You're saying these are your 'minions'?" He felt like he wasn't on the same wavelength as Chimecho. What did it mean by "minions"? That made no sense!
Seeing that Yuga didn't understand, Chimecho reluctantly floated out of his arms. As it hovered in the air, the black markings on its body began to wriggle, then surged rapidly. Suddenly, a swarm of Unown erupted from Chimecho's body like a tidal wave, and the black patterns disappeared along with them.
Yuga: ...So those black markings were Unown? And the 'minions' Chimecho referred to were Unown?
Surrounded by the Unown as if they were stars orbiting a moon, Chimecho stood at the center, and Yuga found himself at a loss for words. Not only was Yuga stunned, but the others were also equally shocked.
After showing off, Chimecho called out once more, and all the Unown rushed back into its body like a tide. The black patterns reappeared, wriggled for a moment, and then disappeared into Chimecho's skin.
Unconsciously, Yuga activated his Insight ability to examine Chimecho.
...
[ Chimecho (Unown Parasite Host) ]
Type: Psychic
Gender: Female
Ability: Levitate
Potential: Purple
Level: 81 (Normal State)
Moves: Psychic, Gravity, Heal Pulse, Heal Bell, Synchronoise, Shadow Ball, Safeguard, Uproar, Psyshock, Calm Mind, Light Screen, Psychic Terrain, Reflect, Wish, Future Sight, Teleport, Zen Headbutt, Skill Swap, Double Team, Rest, Charge Beam, Dream Eater, Trick Room, Recover.
...
There were no significant changes, but Chimecho's state seemed strange, causing Yuga to worry. Watching Chimecho fly back, he asked anxiously, "Are you sure it's okay for those Unown to stay inside you? Won't they cause any harm?"
"Chimecho, Chimecho, Chimecho!"
Chimecho was confident, insisting that it was fine.
Still uneasy, Yuga sought help from the system. No matter what, the idea of having a group of unknown Pokémon parasitizing his partner was unsettling.
After Yuga's request, the system conducted a thorough check on Chimecho. After a moment, it responded.
[ There shouldn't be any problem. It appears that the Unown and Chimecho have formed a unique symbiotic relationship. In particular, their mental energies have fused, making them interconnected and mutually supportive. They likely pose no threat to Chimecho. ]
Hearing the system's explanation, Yuga finally relaxed.
Just then, Luvia walked over with the four children, worriedly asking, "How is it? Is Chimecho okay?"
Yuga smiled and replied, "Everything's fine, no need to worry."
Looking at Chimecho, now in a symbiotic relationship with the Unown, Yuga took out its Pokéball, wondering if it could still be recalled.
His concern was clearly unnecessary, as Chimecho was smoothly recalled into its Pokéball.
What Yuga didn't know was that if Chimecho's Pokéball had been a common one, there's no way it could have recalled it this time. However, Chimecho's Pokéball was a special one made by the system for Yuga's main Pokémon.
But Yuga didn't know this, and the system didn't offer an explanation either.
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