The Trevenant was stunned at first, then after inspecting the situation carefully, it confird that it was indeed water, and its expression imdiately shifted to one of astonishnt.
Under their expectant gazes, Aoki tilted the bottle, allowing the entire contents to spill slowly onto the parched ground.
Roots began to squirm eagerly in the dry soil as several Trevenant absorbed every drop of moisture in an instant.
Each of them displayed profound satisfaction.
What is happiness?
Happiness is a owth savoring fish, a Growlithe gnawing on a bone, and a Machamp testing its strength against worthy opponents.
As Grass-type Pokémon, they required ample hydration to thrive.
Seeing how easily they were pleased, Aoki felt a twinge of guilt.
Through Telepathy, he conveyed his intentions to the group of Trevenant, explaining that if they followed him, they could reside in a lush environnt with abundant water and thrive among diverse flora.
The Trevenant were deeply tempted.
They hesitated only briefly.
Since birth, they had encountered no other living beings, and their ancestors had long since perished.
The eldest among them, the most powerful Trevenant, had lost track of how many years it had existed in isolation.
Given that Aoki had provided water—a precious resource—and promised a better habitat, their simple, trusting nature led them to accept his offer without resistance.
If this human was generous enough to share such a valuable resource, why doubt him?
Aoki, satisfied with their compliance, captured all the Trevenant and their smaller counterparts, the Phantump, inside Poké Balls.
In total, there were ten Trevenant and eight Phantump—a formidable addition to his team.
With these natural forest guardians under his care, the mysterious island's woodland would flourish under their watchful guidance. No longer would Aoki need to oversee its growth single-handedly.
This was an unexpected boon.
Fortunately, Trevenant were inherently docile. Had they been a more aggressive species, they might have attacked on sight, regardless of Aoki's intentions.
After securing the Trevenant and Phantump, Aoki proceeded down the corridor, which led to an open doorway.
Beyond it lay a spacious reception hall, though ti had reduced its once-elegant wooden furnishings to decay, filling the air with a musty, rotten stench.
The chamber was eerily illuminated.
Yet the light was not the warm glow of fire but a cold, unsettling purple haze.
Despite the brightness, an unnatural chill perated the room, creeping up Aoki's spine the mont he stepped inside.
His brow furrowed.
As a Psychic, he recognized the dense energy saturating the air imdiately.
Ghost-type energy.
Beside him, Slowking tensed, its Psychic powers flickering in readiness.
The source of the light beca clear upon closer inspection.
Small, milky-white candles lined the walls, their flas flickering with an unnatural violet hue.
Ornate lanterns hung from stone pillars, their glass panes radiating the sa eerie glow.
But the most imposing fixture was the massive chandelier suspended from the ceiling—a relic of classical design, its central fla burning so fiercely it nearly licked the roof.
Four smaller purple flas orbited it, casting shifting shadows across the walls.
The collective glow of these spectral lights bathed the entire room in an otherworldly luminescence, amplifying the sense of dread.
Recognition dawned on Aoki.
These were Litwick, Lampent, and the largest of them all—a Chandelure.
He hadn't expected to encounter such Pokémon here.
Activating his Pokédex scanner, he analyzed the chandelier at the center of the room, confirming its data:
Pokémon: Chandelure (Light Blue)
Gender: Female
Level: 59
Type: Ghost/Fire
Ability: Fla Body
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Heat Wave, Endure, Acid Armor, Clear Smog
Basic Moves: Ember, Astonish, Minimize, Smog, Fla Burst, Confuse Ray, Hex, Will-O-Wisp, Fire Spin, Imprison, nto, Inferno, Curse, Pain Split
Learnt Moves: Psychic, Grudge, Snore, Trick Room
TM Moves: None
A Chandelure at the peak of the pseudo-champion level—how long had it been lurking here?
Judging by the vigor of its flas, it wasn't lacking fuel.
And that was the unsettling truth about Chandelure: their flas fed on souls.
Without a steady supply of life force, their fires would dwindle and extinguish.
This wasn't cruelty—it was survival.
Yet, given the number of Litwick and Lampent in the room, all burning steadily, Aoki wondered:
Where were they getting their fuel?
Before he could ponder further, the flas began flickering wildly, though no wind stirred the air.
Shadows danced across the walls, twisting unnaturally.
Aoki's team braced for combat.
Slowking, in particular, despised Ghost-types—its expression darkened as it prepared for battle.
Noticing the intruders' hesitation, the Chandelure grew impatient.
Its eyes—concealed until now—snapped open, two piercing yellow orbs glaring from within the chandelier's glass.
The five purple flas flared violently, and a scorching Heat Wave surged toward Aoki and his Pokémon.
Following their leader's aggression, the Lampent and Litwick also revealed their eyes, joining the assault.
Aoki remained calm.
He unhurriedly released his Pokemon.
From the shadows behind him erged a wide, grinning face—Gengar, finally unleashed.
If the enemy sought to overwhelm them with numbers, Aoki would respond in kind.
The Chandelure was the only one at the pseudo-champion level, but several Lampent had reached impressive strength.
Perhaps there was only one dusk stone that was available in this place and limited their evolutions.
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