I'm the Owner of the Pokémon Day Care In the World of Pokémon

Chapter 1340: The Mystery Beneath the Shadows

After parting ways with Nana and Celebi, Yuga and N returned to the camp. Yuga went straight back to his quarters to rest, while N headed to Mr. Kaya to report everything they had witnessed that day.

When Mr. Kaya learned that Celebi had appeared, he was astonished but also gained even more confidence in Yuga.

Meanwhile, Celebi took Nana to the depths of the Guli Mountains. Since Yuga wasn't accompanying them, it didn't count as violating the agreement between the rulers of the Guli Mountains and the Pioneer Corps.

Celebi arrived beneath an ancient tree, the same tree where it usually slept and the place it considered its residence whenever it came to the Guli Mountains. Closing its eyes, Celebi began emitting a strange, wondrous pulse that rippled through the forest. This was its way of communicating with the forest, the most efficient method for gathering information.

Nana once possessed a similar ability, but after evolving into Gardevoir, she lost it due to the limitations of her species' natural talents.

Soon, the forest began responding with a rustling sound, as if whispering back to Celebi.

After about ten minutes, Celebi opened its eyes with a grave expression and informed Nana that the three Regis had indeed disappeared, and even the forest had no idea where they had gone.

"What do we do to find them, then?" Nana asked anxiously.

"Celebi~"

I don't know either.

Celebi replied with a troubled look, shaking its head.

"Celebi~ Celebi~"

Why don't we go ask the rulers of the mountains? Maybe they know something.

"But will they tell us anything?" Nana asked worriedly. One of the rulers, Sceptile, had recently captured some Pioneer Corps members and hadn't released them yet.

"Celebi~ Celebi~"

They will, they will, leave it to me!

Celebi said confidently. After all, who would dare disrespect the Forest God?

Unfortunately, its confidence was shattered the very next moment. No sooner had it finished speaking than several imposing Houndooms, radiating powerful auras, appeared around them. Among them was one of the rulers of the Guli Mountains.

This ruler, exuding an aggressive demeanor, clearly wasn't here with good intentions.

Celebi's visits to the Guli Mountains weren't a secret to the rulers. Although they weren't on close terms, they were at least familiar with each other. The Guli Mountains were home to ten rulers. While Sceptile's strength placed it in the middle of the rankings, Houndoom was among the top three.

Seeing Houndoom baring its teeth menacingly and surrounding it with its subordinates, Celebi angrily questioned, "Houndoom, what do you think you're doing?"

Houndoom, however, acted as if it hadn't heard Celebi at all. The next second, it leaped into the air, its fiery jaws wide open, aiming straight for Celebi.

Celebi was startled by the sudden attack, so much so that it forgot to dodge. Thankfully, Nana reacted swiftly, using Teleport to whisk them both away just in time.

But as soon as they disappeared, multiple Dark Pulses shot toward where they had been. It turned out that the other Houndooms surrounding them had attacked simultaneously.

"Celebi~ Celebi~"

Celebi, now enraged by the sudden assault, loudly demanded an explanation from Houndoom, asking why it had attacked. Yet, Houndoom offered no response at all.

If Celebi were to observe closely, it would notice that the Houndoom's eyes were vacant, as if... it was being controlled by something.

Ignoring Celebi's questioning, Houndoom, accompanied by its subordinates, launched another attack. In the midst of panic, Celebi could only manipulate the surrounding plants, creating a wall of vegetation to shield itself and Nana from the incoming Dark Pulses.

Watching Celebi's actions, Nana sighed helplessly. This little one really isn't cut out for combat!

Truthfully, Nana had been the same way in the past. Celebi species appeared to lack any innate combat talent. Only after Nana become a Gardevoir did it begin to develop its battle instincts.

While Celebi focused on passive defense, Nana began looking for opportunities to counterattack the Houndooms.

Initially, Nana attempted to test the waters by using Psychic against the Houndoom pack leader, but the attack vanished into the void without any effect.

Psychic was nullified!

This meant the pack leader Houndoom's strength was nearly on par with Nana's.

Celebi, already unsuited for battle, had further weakened itself after transferring part of its essence to Nana and Yuga earlier. As a result, it was now incapable of wielding its full power. It quickly became overwhelmed by the attacks from the subordinate Houndooms, forcing it to helplessly call out for Nana's assistance.

Nana instantly teleported to the besieged Celebi's side. Raising both hands above its head, it summoned a radiant silver moon that shone with stunning moonlight. The light burst outward, scattering the subordinate Houndooms away, though the pack leader Houndoom remained unscathed.

Seeing an opening, Celebi immediately hid behind Nana.

The Houndooms, though momentarily knocked down by the Moonblast, quickly got back on their feet as if nothing had happened, lunging at Nana again.

Simultaneously, the pack leader Houndoom also sprang into action.

In an instant, seven or eight Dark Pulses shot toward Nana and Celebi.

Nana extended its arms, its palms glowing brightly, and used Dazzling Gleam to form a light shield that blocked all the incoming Dark Pulses.

Despite its Fairy typing, Nana felt frustrated. It was naturally more adept at Psychic-type techniques, but the pack leader Houndoom was completely immune to them.

Even against the other Houndooms, Psychic-type moves had limited effectiveness.

The pack leader Houndoom's strength was truly formidable. As the battle dragged on, Nana began to feel increasingly strained. Although it had received Psychic energy from Celebi, it had yet to fully integrate the power, so its strength hadn't significantly improved.

Just as Nana was contemplating teleporting away with Celebi, it suddenly felt a warm sensation beneath its dress. The heat came from a location that was... indescribable.

It was the spot where it had stored the white stone Yuga had given it.

Before Nana could process what was happening, its body erupted with multicolored light. In the next moment, its form underwent a dramatic transformation.

Nana had Mega Evolved!

With its newfound strength, Nana's Fairy abilities were greatly amplified. A single Moonblast sent the Houndooms flying once again.

Without wasting any time pondering what had occurred, Nana teleported closer to the pack leader Houndoom. Before it could react, Nana unleashed a surprise Dazzling Gleam.

The attack struck the pack leader Houndoom with devastating force, leaving it severely injured and barely able to stand.

At that moment, a faint whisper seemed to echo in the pack leader Houndoom's ears. For a brief instant, its vacant eyes regained clarity, only to fall back into emptiness moments later.

"Uh-oh..."

The pack leader Houndoom let out a long howl, signaling the other Houndoom to gather around it. One by one, they assembled before disappearing into the forest together.

They just retreated like that? Nana stood there, puzzled. Why had this group of Houndoom attacked her and Celebi? What exactly was happening in the Guli Mountain Range? For a moment, her mind was a tangled mess of questions.

A Houndoom with strength on par with her own couldn't be stopped from fleeing even if she tried. Nana could only watch as they left.

With the battle over, Nana reverted from her Mega Evolved form. Only then did she remember the transformation she had just undergone. She quickly reached under her dress to check.

The stone was gone!

Nana had studied the mysterious white stone Yuga had given her for a long time, yet she had never discovered its secrets. Unexpectedly, it had activated during the battle and saved her.

Even so, she was still confused. How had the stone suddenly unleashed its power? Now that it was gone, could she ever use it again?

Celebi, peeking out from behind Nana, initially wanted to praise her for defeating the dominant Houndoom. However, upon seeing Nana suddenly reaching under her dress, Celebi's expression turned complicated and difficult to describe.

Noticing the strange look on Celebi's face, Nana frowned. "What kind of expression is that?"

"Celebi~ Celebi..."

N-nothing! Just... just thinking you're really strong!

Celebi avoided eye contact, pretending not to have seen anything unusual.

Hey, don't think I don't know what you're imagining! Nana calmly withdrew her hand from under her dress, thinking to herself: What happened to being pure? Your expression isn't pure at all! What kind of thoughts are you having?

Just then, Celebi blurted out, "You're a boy now, right? I totally understand."

Though Celebi itself was genderless, Nana, as a Gardevoir, was currently male.

While Celebi might lack worldly experience, its long life had given it some knowledge about certain matters.

Understand my foot! Nana couldn't be bothered to explain and instead asked with a straight face, "What should we do now?"

What Nana and Celebi didn't realize was that, as they spoke, a shadow not far away was silently observing them.

This Pokémon was entirely black, as if composed of pure darkness that absorbed all surrounding light. Only its two eyes emitted a faint, eerie glow.

If Yuga were here, he would immediately recognize this Pokémon: the mythical Pokémon Marshadow.

However, this Marshadow appeared different from the one Yuga had encountered in the Mount Tensei. It seemed even more sinister and malevolent.

After observing Nana and Celebi for a while, the Marshadow's form gradually melted into the shadows and vanished as if it had never been there.

Meanwhile, Nana and Celebi discussed their next steps and ultimately decided to seek out the ruler of the Guli Mountain Range.

Although Celebi wasn't familiar with most of the mountain's rulers, there was one exception: the Politoed, who shared a good relationship with Celebi.

Politoed was one of only two Water-type rulers in the Guli Mountain Range. The other was a Swampert who lived near Misty Lake at the mountain's edge.

The Swampert was the strongest of the ten rulers in the Guli Mountain Range. Its territory lay at the border between the mountains and the wilderness. Over the years, it had repelled many high-level wild Pokémon attempting to invade the mountains.

Politoed, in contrast, was much weaker than Swampert, ranking only in the middle among the ten rulers—on par with Sceptile.

Nana speculated that something significant and unknown had happened within the Guli Mountain Range. Both the pack leader Houndoom and Sceptile were clearly involved.

The question was whether other rulers had been dragged into it as well.

Although the relationship between the rulers and the Pioneer Corps wasn't necessarily harmonious, their importance to the Pioneer Corps was beyond question. If anything were to happen to them, chaos would inevitably erupt in the Guli Mountain Range, and the Pioneer Corps would suffer greatly.

Not to mention, the wild Pokémon sneaking in from the wilderness alone would be more than enough trouble for the Pioneer Corps to handle.

Time quickly passed, and several days went by. Yuga had been waiting at the Pioneer Corps's camp, but Nana had yet to return, causing him some worry.

Fortunately, Nana was extremely adept at teleportation, her escape abilities maxed out, which somewhat reassured Yuga.

During his time at the camp, Yuga didn't just sit idly by. He asked Me. Kaya to accompany him to the area near the Sceptile's territory.

The Sceptile's territory was the closest to the Pioneer Corps among all the rulers.

Once there, Yuga loudly called out from the territory's outskirts, demanding that the Sceptile leader to come out and explain itself. Meanwhile, he secretly dispatched Gengar and Mismagius to scout the area. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Unfortunately, the Sceptile's subordinate, a Gallade, was incredibly vigilant and managed to detect Gengar and Mismagius. Thankfully, both Pokémon were quick to retreat, avoiding capture.

However, this prompted Cacturne to come and accuse the Pioneer Corps of violating their agreement by sending Pokémon above Elite-level into the depths of the Guli Mountain Range.

But with Gengar and Mismagius hiding within Yuga's shadow space, Yuga flatly denied their presence. Without any evidence, Cacturne was forced to swallow the bitter pill.

To be honest, Yuga thought Cacturne was pretty gullible. With just a few words, he managed to render Cacturne speechless, leaving Yuga with a slight sense of guilt for bullying an honest Pokémon.

Although Gengar and Mismagius failed to rescue the captured soldiers, their reconnaissance was not entirely fruitless.

First, the captured soldiers were not in immediate danger. The Sceptile leader's subordinates had not mistreated them; they only looked a little disheveled.

Second, the Sceptile itself didn't seem to be in its territory. Judging by Gallade and the others' behavior, it seemed they were also unaware of their leader's whereabouts.

This left Yuga puzzled. Why had the Sceptile captured the soldiers if it didn't intend to harm them? It couldn't be because it found humans amusing, could it?

Moreover, the Sceptile ruler appeared to have been absent from its territory for some time. But where had it gone?

Wild Pokémon are known for their territorial instincts, especially powerful ones. They rarely leave their domains. So what was going on with the Sceptile?

Meanwhile, on the edge of the Guli Mountain Range lay a vast lake shrouded in thick white mist, obscuring its waters from view.

This was Misty Lake, the territory of the most powerful ruler in the Guli Mountain Range—the Swampert.

In the center of Misty Lake was a small island riddled with potholes and tiny water pools. At the island's center lay a vividly green Pokémon, the long-absent Sceptile.

However, the Sceptile was unconscious and covered in injuries, clearly in a dire state.

With a loud splash of water, a massive Swampert slowly emerged from the lake, carrying an assortment of berries and herbs in its arms.

The Swampert walked straight to the Sceptile's side, squeezed the juice from one of the berries, and poured it into the Sceptile's mouth. It then crushed the herbs it had gathered and applied them to the Sceptile's wounds.

The herbs' sting caused the unconscious Sceptile's face to contort in pain, and it let out an involuntary groan. Yet the Swampert didn't soften its actions, roughly administering the treatment.

After replenishing some strength and having its wounds treated, the Sceptile's complexion improved significantly. The Swampert then sat quietly beside it, gazing at it in silence, lost in thought.