Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

Chapter 334: Chapter 334: The Black Stone Pillar



"It's a map fragment that looks like this. If you find it, just take it, as it won't be of use to you. However, if it stays here, it will keep attracting people constantly," Cain said as he showed the map fragment he had already used, addressing the elder Gastly.

"Ah, so that's what it was. It suddenly appeared in our cave, teleported out of nowhere, and we never knew what it was for. I didn't imagine it was what attracted humans," replied the elder Gastly.

After saying this, the elder Gastly immediately ordered other Gastly to bring the item.

Since it was something of no use to them and only brought unnecessary trouble, they decided to hand it over to Cain.

Haunter, after entering, started communicating with the other Gastly. Although they didn't recognize him at first, after a few words, they realized he was the same Haunter they had played with before.

Soon, one of the Gastly handed the map fragment to Cain.

"Thank you, Cain, for helping me solve another problem," said the elder Gastly with a smile.

Cain smiled and nodded without saying anything.

This group of Gastly was where Haunter had been born and raised. It wasn't an ordinary wild Pokémon community that Cain could simply destroy without consequences. If he tried, it would undoubtedly affect his relationship with Haunter in an irreversible way.

"If you have anything else to say, Cain, please feel free to. You are a true friend of our group, and if we can help you, we will not refuse," said the elder Gastly, noticing Cain's hesitation.

"In that case, I'll be direct. Last time I was here, I saw the stone pillar at the back of the cave that constantly releases ghost energy. Although I can't fully understand it yet, there's something I need, and I might find it there."

"Oh? You mean our ghost energy pillar?" said the elder Gastly, hesitating.

That pillar was closely tied to the survival of their entire group. Without the ghost-type energy the pillar provided, how could so many Gastly survive?

"Don't worry. I don't intend to explore everything the pillar hides right now. I just need to search for something specific that might be there," Cain explained.

Even Umbra, with all his strength, hadn't dared to fully explore the pillar. Cain knew his own strength wasn't at that level yet.

His primary goal was to find a superior-quality Dusk Stone, which could allow Murkrow to evolve.

The elder Gastly had already given Cain two Dusk Stones before, though they weren't of the highest quality. However, the Dusk Stones that appeared here were likely due to the energy released by the pillar.

If the pillar generated low-quality Dusk Stones, could there be one of better quality inside?

If he didn't have to face an opponent like Vexor, Cain probably wouldn't be doing this. But if he wanted to defeat Vexor, he needed a bit more power.

If he managed to find a superior-quality Dusk Stone and Murkrow evolved, everything would be different.

"Kekeke~~"

At that moment, Haunter, after finishing playing, floated over to Cain and also encouraged him.

Haunter knew why Cain was here and trusted he wouldn't harm the pillar.

The truth was that the Gastly in this cave couldn't stop Cain, and Haunter, who knew Cain's strength well, understood Cain was mostly being polite.

The elder Gastly looked at Cain, then at Haunter, and finally sighed.

"Alright. If this child also trusts you so much, and you've helped us on more than one occasion, refusing would be rude."

Although the elder Gastly was older, his experience remained intact. The other Pokémon next to Cain made a strong impression on him, especially the small pink Pokémon, which, though it looked adorable, possessed immense power that disturbed the elder Gastly.

If he insisted on not letting Cain explore, could they really stop him?

The elder Gastly thought not.

So, it would be best to maintain the good relationship.

After all, Haunter was one of the key members of Cain's team. His group and Cain were connected like family in a sense.

The Gastly cave was as complex as ever. Under the elder Gastly's guidance, they soon reached the deep pit filled with ghost energy.

In the center of the massive cavern was a stone pillar about two meters high.

Although the place was empty, dense ghost energy flowed freely.

Sometimes, energy this dense can backfire if a Pokémon doesn't have the capacity to absorb it.

That's what was happening to the Gastly: they could only absorb the energy dispersed throughout the cave, allowing them to survive and develop.

But for Haunter, this was no longer a problem. Drawn by the intense ghost energy, he immediately darted into the center of the cavern.

The elder Gastly could only smile helplessly from the entrance, unable to go further.

Cain didn't feel any pressure. Slowpoke had created a psychic barrier that protected him from the ghost energy.

Cain slowly approached the pillar, observing the purple energy flowing from within it.

He remembered that Umbra had once used his Gengar to absorb all the ghost energy from the pillar, almost annihilating the Gastly group.

Now, Haunter could do the same.

The pillar's energy was so dense that Cain was convinced it wasn't an ordinary pillar.

After a while, Haunter, having absorbed enough energy, calmly returned to Cain's side.

Although Haunter was playful, he was always mindful of Cain's concerns.

Slowpoke, Murkrow, Sneasel, and Haunter stood by Cain, watching as the purple ghost energy floated from the pillar.

"Could this be similar to the dark holes that emitted energy crystals on Nameless Island?" Cain wondered suddenly.

Nameless Island had something similar, although there the crystals were formed due to an underground river, while here it was all pure energy.

"Slowpoke, can you sense something inside the pillar?" Cain asked.

Slowpoke closed its eyes, extending its psychic power toward the pillar.

Cain placed his hand on Slowpoke's back, linking his limited psychic energy with Slowpoke's.

In this way, what Slowpoke "saw," Cain would also be able to see.

(End of Chapter)


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