Across the Pokémon world, there are places the League has never truly explored. Not because they lack the will...but because they lack the power.
These are known as The Black Zones.
Regions where the wild pokemon are not only incredibly powerful, they also band together to keep any outsider away. No expedition to these places by the league had ever succeeded. And no one who went there had ever returned, at least according to the League's knowledge.
In Kanto alone, there are twelve such zones.
And Lavender Woods… is one of them. Or rather, its core region.
Spanning tens of thousands of square kilometers, the League has only managed to map the outer half. The inner half, the core region, remains a complete unknown. Guarded by Pokémon of terrifying strength.
---
""Whatever is generating this Ghost energy," Alka said, his voice low and reverent, "lies deep within Lavender Woods."
Alka then walked towards a shelf and brought out a map.
The Pokémon Tower wasn't built as a memorial. It was built as a regulator, to suppress the energy bleeding out of those woods. Without it, Lavender Town wouldn't be livable. People would have started losing their minds due to long exposure with such intense Ghost energy.
"So the materials to improve Gastly's potential are in Lavender Woods?"
Alka nodded.
"The Ghost energy in Lavender Woods is exponentially denser than anywhere else in Kanto. And it has special properties, different from normal Ghost type energy. This has given birth to unique, invaluable resources. Treasures you can't find anywhere else."
He opened the map and tapped on a specific area.
"Among them is the Divine Ghost Pearl. These pearls are formed from exceptionally pure, high‑quality Ghost energy. They not only help improve the quality of ghost type energy, but directly affect the core of the Pokemon.
And for Ghost type Pokemon, especially the Gastly line, their core is the most important.
Their physical body doesn't matter that much in regards to increasing their potential. There's a caveat though..."
Alka raised a finger,
"The energy in these Pearls alters the very structures of a Pokémon's core. Thus, it can't be absorbed normally. It is only during evolution, when a Pokemon goes through a fundamental change to his structure, can these Pearls be absorbed."
Eric's eyes narrowed. "How rare are they? Will I be able to find them at my level?"
"Extremely. If you sold one of these pearls you'd easily fetch around a hundred million or more."
He then folded and handed over the map to Eric.
"I've marked a location on this map, a spot between the middle and outer region of the Woods that's relatively safe for someone at your level."
Alka's voice turned grave as he gave a warning.
"Remember, do not enter the middle region. There are plenty of advanced level Pokemon there, something completely out of your level right now."
Eric nodded.
"So I just have Gastly absorb a few of these while he's evolving?"
" Yes. That should get your Gastly to the S- Grade. But I have something better."
He walked to a wooden cupboard and retrieved a small, intricate device.
"This device is my creation. It absorbs the very essence of these Pearls. You can fill it up with about 15 pearls. It then fuses the essence of all 15, and wastes nothing. Normally, your Gastly will be able to absorb about 5 pearls before it completes evolving. Even then he would waste a lot of the energy in them. With this, he can absorb the essence of 15 pearls. You get what I'm saying?"
He said, as he handed the device over to Eric.
Eric stared at the device, then at Alka.
"Why are you giving me something so valuable? Our deal was complete with just the information."
"Don't sweat it. It's just an investment... you'll help me a lot more in the future."
"...If it's something too troublesome, you know I'll reject you then right?"
"Bahahaha. Then it will just be a bad investment. Either way, it doesn't matter to me."
Eric narrowed his eyes. Suspicious. Way too suspicious. But Gastly needed this. And he just needed to get strong enough to handle anything, that way even if it is a trap, he could handle it.
Making up his mind, he stored the device in his spatial watch.
"It's a deal then."
Alka grinned.
"Good. Now get out of here. We'll meet again when the time is right."
---
After Eric left,
The moment the door clicked shut, the air in the room changed.
Alka's posture shifted. His left eye, the one hidden behind the golden monocle, flickered. The iris was black before, now it turned into a pale, colourless grey.
"So? Did you see it?"
The man from the bench, the one who had warned Eric about the shadows, materialized out of thin air. He leaned on his cane, as he stood in front of Alka with an unreadable expression on his weathered face.
Alka looked up at the ceiling, as he replied,
"There's potential...his 'path' was unreadable...but the influence of 'that' could not be mistaken."
"So even you can't read it...then we can't be sure what role he plays."
"For now we observe. If my hunch is right, he'll be on our side. Besides...our chances are almost non-existent to begin with. Perhaps with him… there's a chance."
As Alka replied, the man in front of him began to fade away. "Well, your hunches have a good track record… so I hope you're right this time as well."
Just before he vanished completely, his voice echoed one last time.
"By the way… the 'shadows' have increased their activity in Lavender Woods. "
Then, he was truly gone and Alka was left alone.
Well, not completely alone, as a Gengar emerged from his Shadows.
" Go and make sure the boy is safe, both from them and any wild Pokemon that are too strong for him."
"Kekeke!"
Gengar laughed creepily as he sank back in and disappeared into the shadows.
---
Somewhere in Lavender Woods.
In a small, obscured corner, 6 figures stood in a circle. All of them wore black cloaks that had a golden helmet symbol embroidered on its back. The only light in the area came from a flickering lantern placed at the center of the group.
"How is it looking?"
"No luck so far. It could be anywhere in these woods."
"Tch. We are running out of time. We need to find it as soon as possible."
"You don't think it's in the central region do you?"
"No. The Psychic said it's impossible for it to be in the central region."
"How can we trust that guy blindly?"
"He's never been wrong till now. And it serves him nothing to fool us right now. As long as the leader gives it an okay, we can trust him."
"Enough. Time is of the essence."
A figure in the middle of the circle spoke, as he pointed at each of them,
"Spread out and find it. Avoid making contact with anyone. If someone gets in the way..."
He didn't need to finish the sentence. Everyone knew.
"We meet here again at dawn."
Without another word, all six vanished into the darkness between the trees, each heading in a different direction.
The lantern flickered once or twice more, before it too went out.
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