Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

The giant Golurk, now reduced to dust, released a nebulous, completely dark form from the remains. It floated slowly, like smoke.

Through psychic perception, it could be identified that this thing possessed traits of a Ghost-type Pokémon.

In other words, this dark object was actually the soul that had been injected into Golurk's body.

It was likely also the source of Golurk's thoughts.

Cain frowned as he observed the dark form that had suddenly appeared.

In theory, after the disappearance of the energy core, this thing should have vanished as well, since it wasn't a real Pokémon.

Strictly speaking, it might have just been a mass of thought and ghost-type energy.

Zzz! —————

Suddenly, the dark form let out a high-pitched, piercing screech.

The sound echoed throughout the cave.

It was hard to imagine how something so small could produce such a deafening noise.

With this shriek, drastic changes began to occur.

The ground started to crack, and pieces of rock of various sizes broke loose, shooting from the cave floor and walls in all directions.

Cain and his team, positioned in the square in front of the ruins, became the primary target of the launched rocks.

Strange sounds began to emanate from the fractured areas.

They were Golurk—and also some Golett emerging among them.

More Golurk and Golett began to appear along the surrounding walls.

Cain's face darkened instantly.

No one could have imagined that so many Golurk and Golett were hiding in a place like this.

What were all these Pokémon protecting?

Cain's Pokémon began acting swiftly.

The first wave of rocks had been easy to deal with, but this time the situation was entirely different due to the overwhelming number of enemies.

Cain was surrounded by his Pokémon, who were destroying the large incoming rocks. Slowking created a psychic barrier to keep the smaller ones at bay.

Cain also intervened occasionally, moving his right hand to use his spatial-slicing ability to shatter the larger rocks in case Slowking's barrier couldn't hold them.

Then, the Golurk and Golett began appearing en masse, floating in the air. The runes on their faces glowed with a bright, dangerous red, as they slowly advanced toward Cain.

The Golurk looked like floating suits of armor, observing Cain and his group emotionlessly from above, completely surrounding them.

"This can't go on. Slowking, do you see the door to the ruins ahead? Use Teleport to take us there. Everyone else, stay alert for sudden attacks," Cain said through his telepathic link with his Pokémon.

"Yadon!"

Slowking nodded firmly, and a powerful psychic wave radiated from its body, lifting the smaller rock fragments. The energy barrier shrank, covering only Cain and his team.

Fortunately, the distance between their position and the door of the ruins was short, allowing Slowking to quickly execute Teleport.

Before the Golurk's attacks could reach them, Cain and his team vanished, reappearing in front of the ruins' gate.

It was a massive door, about ten meters tall, with a large "Ω" symbol engraved on its surface.

Without wasting time, Cain decided to enter the ruins immediately.

Although Golurk were excellent guardians, their creators typically did not allow them to enter inhabited areas. Once inside the ruins, they would be practically safe.

If things got worse, Slowking could always use Teleport to get them out.

Having discovered this place, Cain wasn't willing to retreat so easily.

With the help of his Pokémon, the massive stone door began to open slowly.

Once there was enough space, Cain and his Pokémon entered, closing the door behind them.

The stone door was surprisingly thick—wider than Slowking itself.

Just as Cain had anticipated, once inside, the Golurk didn't follow them. They remained outside, not daring to enter.

Cain let out a sigh of relief.

...

Meanwhile, at the top of the mountain, Team Magma had entered the ruins under their commander's orders. They were slowly descending inside.

In fact, the ruins Cain had entered were part of the same structure Team Magma had discovered, but the building was so tall that Team Magma assumed the entrance was at the top.

For them, descending from above proved much more difficult.

Unlike Cain, they encountered numerous locked doors and traps left behind by the ancients, making every step of their progress arduous.

Then something unexpected happened.

A sharp screech echoed from deep within the ruins. Though faint, it still reached them.

With that sound, the walls began to crumble, and previously opened stone doors slammed shut. Members of Team Magma were split into different sections of the building.

Worse still, Golurk and Golett emerged from the broken walls. Although fewer in number than those Cain faced, the confined space made evasion extremely difficult.

Team Magma suffered heavy losses.

"Report the situation," ordered a middle-aged man wearing attire different from the rest, known as Ryuto.

"Commander Ryuto, the sudden attack resulted in three casualties and five seriously injured," one of his subordinates replied, drenched in sweat and showing visible fear.

"Useless!" Ryuto cursed and turned forward, his gaze fixed on the dark corridor.

However, the moment he turned, his expression changed dramatically. Gone was his rage, and his eyes became eerily calm—almost inhuman in their serenity.

Regaining his composure, Ryuto issued new orders, determined to press on deeper into the ruins.

(End of Chapter)