Although there were a large number of books to search through, fortunately, many hands make light work. By the afternoon, a young girl finally found a clue.
"Gym Leader, I found a map, and it has a place marked as 'Windrest Ravine' on it!"
"Really? Let me take a look." Upon hearing that, Valerie immediately dropped the book in her hands and walked over.
"It really is." Following the spot the girl pointed at, Valerie indeed saw a location named "Windrest Ravine" on the map.
"Let me have a look too."
In an instant, everyone gathered around.
"Can anyone recognize where this is?" Valerie asked the apprentices.
The apprentices all shook their heads. The map was drawn too simply, making it difficult to identify exactly where the labeled "Windrest Ravine" was located.
"It looks a bit familiar, but I just can't recall it at the moment," a girl said. "Why don't we bring in a current map of Laverre City and compare the two?"
"That's a great idea!" Valerie's eyes lit up. She immediately instructed an apprentice next to her, "Go fetch a map of Laverre City and its surroundings."
"Yes, Gym Leader!" the apprentice responded and dashed out of the library.
Seeing everyone working so earnestly to help, Yuga said gratefully, "Thank you all so much."
To the apprentices, Yuga was a lofty figure—someone they could only admire from afar. To receive his thanks left them flustered, and they all bashfully responded that there was no need for thanks.
Before long, the apprentice who had gone to retrieve the map returned. She unrolled the new map, and once they compared it with the old one, the locations marked on the old map immediately became much clearer.
"Isn't this… Mount Belljade?" one girl cried out in surprise, pointing at the area on the new map that corresponded with the location of Windrest Ravine.
"It really does look like Mount Belljade!" The other apprentices chimed in one after another.
Mount Belljade was a well-known location in Laverre City, so everyone was familiar with it.
Yuga asked in confusion, "Is there something unusual about Mount Belljade?"
Valerie explained, "Mount Belljade is a large mountain range to the east of Laverre City. It's shrouded in mist all year round and is surrounded by many mysterious legends. Numerous Trainers have attempted to venture deep into it for exploration, but they've all encountered strange and inexplicable attacks and had to retreat in the end."
Yuga's eyes lit up upon hearing this. Perhaps this was the place. If it had been chosen as a hidden sanctuary by the Transcendence Clan, then it wouldn't be surprising for it to possess some mystical traits.
And it being located to the east of Laverre City also matched the general direction that Headmaster Fontaine had given.
"Gym Leader Valerie, tell me more about this Mount Belljade," Yuga said.
And so Valerie told Yuga all the legends related to Mount Belljade. Most of them were merely rumors, and Valerie herself wasn't sure which parts were true and which were false—after all, she had never been there herself.
"Gym Leader Shimizu, are you planning to go to Mount Belljade?" After finishing, Valerie asked.
"That's right," Yuga nodded.
Valerie didn't try to dissuade Yuga from going. Instead, she offered a word of caution: "I haven't been there myself, but countless Trainers from Laverre City have gone there for exploration. However, not a single one has managed to make it deep inside. On the contrary, many have gotten injured or even gone missing. If you truly plan to go, please be careful."
"Thank you for the warning," Yuga said sincerely, expressing his gratitude to Valerie.
Having found the clue he needed, Yuga didn't linger at the Laverre Gym. He made immediate preparations to depart.
Valerie walked Yuga to the gym entrance. Seeing that it was already late in the afternoon, she tried to persuade him: "It's already getting late. Why don't you stay the night at the Laverre Gym, Gym Leader Shimizu? Wouldn't it be better to set out tomorrow instead?"
But Yuga was worried about Bellbell and wanted to resolve the issue with the seal as soon as possible, so he had to decline:
"No, I'd better head out early and return quickly." After all, camping in the wild was nothing new to him.
Valerie didn't press further and simply offered her well wishes, "Then I wish you a safe journey."
Yuga nodded, released Dragonite, and rode it toward the eastern part of Laverre City.
Before leaving, Yuga gave Valerie some top-quality Fairy-type Pokéblocks, and also gave each of the gym apprentices an Evolution Stone as thanks for their help.
Valerie gave Yuga the two maps to prevent him from losing his way.
Although Mount Belljade was said to be near Laverre City, it was actually not that close. Even with Dragonite's fast flying speed, the sun had already set by the time they arrived at their destination.
Of course, Yuga spent quite a bit of time on the way comparing the route with the map.
Standing outside Mount Belljade, Yuga looked at the countless towering peaks in front of him and sighed in awe, "Nature truly is the work of divine craftsmanship!"
No wonder Valerie said Mount Belljade was a vast mountain range. What Yuga saw were towering green peaks rising straight from the ground, layer after layer. Some peaks were so high that their summits couldn't even be seen, completely veiled by drifting seas of clouds.
The afterglow of the setting sun cast a special brilliance over the peaks, adding a unique charm to them.
These peaks stood one beside another, so many that it was impossible to count them all.
Yuga recalled Dragonite into its Poké Ball and released Sawsbuck, mounting it.
"Let's go, into the mountain we go."
Though the sky was already beginning to darken, Yuga didn't intend to linger outside the mountain.
Upon entering the interior of Mount Belljade, Yuga immediately felt the temperature around him drop noticeably. Instinctively, he pulled his light clothing closer around him.
Many Pokémon lived here. Yuga's arrival startled them—one by one, they darted quickly through the underbrush but couldn't help glancing back at him with curiosity.
Yuga paid no attention to these Pokémon and rode Sawsbuck straight into the depths of Mount Belljade. But not long after, the sky turned completely dark.
It was far too difficult to travel in the pitch-black night, so Yuga had no choice but to stop and find a place to rest for the night, deciding to continue the journey tomorrow.
He gathered some firewood and started a fire, then cooked himself a pot of rice and another of soup. The ingredients and cooking utensils were all items he had stored in his system space earlier.
After eating and drinking his fill, Yuga released Lapras, and together they cleaned the pots and bowls. Then he got ready to rest—he'd had a long day.
Because Mount Belljade was dense with vegetation, it wasn't suitable to release Sandygast or Palossand, as they would damage the environment. So Yuga pulled out a sleeping bag and decided to make do for the night.
However, he had only just crawled into his sleeping bag, his eyes not yet closed, when countless specks of green fluorescent light suddenly appeared around him. They drifted through the air like fireflies, eerie and mysterious.
But it was well-known that the Pokémon world didn't have real fireflies—only Volbeat and Illumise, two Pokémon that resembled fireflies. However, both their size and the light they emitted were far larger than actual fireflies.
Yuga slowly sat up from his sleeping bag, completely unruffled. The figures of Gengar and Mismagius flickered into view at his sides.
Although the scene was eerie, Yuga didn't believe in supernatural phenomena one bit. It was certainly the work of Pokémon.
"Hee hee hee~"
"Roar~ Roar~"
Strange laughter and eerie howls echoed constantly from the surroundings, and they seemed to be getting closer and closer to Yuga.
Seeing the green glowing lights surround him, Yuga said to Mismagius, "Mismagius, Dazzling Gleam!"
"Mismagius~"
Mismagius shot forward, radiating brilliant multicolored light. Screams echoed from within the forest, and then the shadows of trees in the darkness began to twist and move.
Seeing this scene under the glow of Dazzling Gleam, Yuga smiled: So it was Phantump and Trevenant!
Now that their true identities had been discovered, the Phantump and Trevenant no longer dared to continue their prank. They fled in a panic, and Yuga didn't bother chasing them. He lay back down in his sleeping bag, preparing to sleep again. He said to Gengar and Mismagius:
"Thanks for keeping watch tonight."
"Mismagius~"
"Gengar~"
Gengar and Mismagius had no objections. The night belonged to Ghost-type Pokémon—they were full of energy!
The prank by Phantump and Trevenant was just a minor episode for Yuga. He slept comfortably through the night and had a delightful breakfast the next morning before continuing on his journey.
As he ventured deeper and deeper into Mount Belljade, Yuga gradually began to feel as though something was watching him. But every time he turned around, he saw nothing.
Moreover, the deeper he went, the thicker the fog became. Eventually, Yuga couldn't even see two meters ahead of him.
"Be careful, Sawsbuck," Yuga reminded softly.
Just as he finished speaking, the surrounding fog miraculously dispersed all of a sudden, as if everything Yuga had seen before was nothing more than an illusion.
Once the fog disappeared, what appeared in front of Yuga was a vast expanse of lush green grass. Not far away stood a tall tree, and beneath it stood a beautiful young girl wearing a sun hat and a white dress.
A gentle breeze blew, causing the big tree to sway lightly. The hem of the girl's dress fluttered under the tree. A bright, sun-like smile bloomed across her face. Upon seeing Yuga, it was as if she were seeing a long-lost lover, and she kept waving at him enthusiastically.
Seeing the sudden appearance of the girl, Yuga thought to himself: Could she be someone from the Arche Valley? Unable to restrain his curiosity, he urged Sawsbuck forward.
However, after only taking a few steps, a piercing screech suddenly echoed in his mind. Along with a sharp jolt of pain, the grassy field, the tree, and the girl in front of him all vanished, and the surroundings turned back into thick fog once again.
Once he got a clear view of his surroundings, both Yuga and Sawsbuck broke into a cold sweat, because if they had taken one more step forward, they would've fallen off a cliff.
How could a girl dressed like that suddenly appear in this desolate wilderness? What was truly eerie was that Yuga hadn't even felt the slightest suspicion at the time.
Clearly, everything just now had been an illusion. Fortunately, at the crucial moment, Mismagius had pulled him out of the hallucination.
Illusions don't appear out of thin air; something must be behind this trickery.
After thinking for a moment, Yuga released his Dragonite.
"Dragonite, Hurricane!"
"Dragonite~!"
Dragonite nodded, flapped its small wings, and shot up into the sky. A violent whirlwind began to swirl madly under its control.
The fog in this area was incredibly dense. It would be unrealistic to try to clear it all, but Dragonite could at least disperse the portion around them.
As the hurricane spun faster and faster, the surrounding air currents began to flow rapidly, and finally, the thick fog began to dissipate little by little.
As the fog cleared, Yuga saw a Stantler standing on the other side of the cliff.
...
[ Stantler ]
Type: Normal
Ability: Frisk
Gender: Male
Potential: Indigo
Level: 85
Moves: Quick Attack, Tackle, Leer, Scary Face, Hypnosis, Stomp, Take Down, Confuse Ray, Calm Mind, Role Play, Zen Headbutt, Jump Kick, Imprison, Psybeam, Roar, Sunny Day, Protect, Solar Beam, Thunderbolt, Shadow Ball, Energy Ball, Psych Up, Swagger, Trick Room, Disable, Signal Beam, Shock Wave, Bounce, Gravity.
...
Clearly, the illusion earlier had been created by this Stantler.
Stantler is a species of Pokémon especially skilled at creating illusions. In this domain, they are generally even stronger than Mismagius. A powerful Stantler can even craft an independent space through illusions.
The moment this Stantler realized it had been discovered, it turned and bolted, showing not the slightest desire to fight—not at all what you'd expect from a Champion-level Pokémon.
However, Yuga had no intention of letting it get away so easily, so he shouted, "Dragonite, stop it!"
"Dragonite~"
Dragonite quickly fired a Thunderbolt, which landed right in front of the fleeing Stantler, forcing it to halt.
Having no choice but to fight now that it was cornered, the Stantler reluctantly took on a battle-ready stance.
Dragonite descended from the sky and swung a Thunder Punch at it.
Stantler didn't try to clash head-on. It leapt agilely to the side, dodging the punch, and retaliated with a Shadow Ball.
Dragonite punched through the Shadow Ball, exploding it into fragments, and once again swung its fist toward the Stantler. The Stantler had no choice but to keep dodging, all while creating illusions to interfere with Dragonite.
Stantler wasn't skilled at direct combat, but it was still a Champion-level Pokémon. Its level wasn't far off from Dragonite's, and with its mastery of illusions to support it, Dragonite found it hard to gain the upper hand quickly.
Gradually, Yuga noticed that the surrounding fog was actually being manipulated by the Stantler. In just a short time, the fog that had been driven off earlier had already started gathering again, becoming a tool for the Stantler to conceal itself.
Yuga called out, "Gengar, Mismagius, go help Dragonite!"
Hearing the command, Gengar and Mismagius emerged from the shadow space and instantly appeared across the cliff.
Both Ghost-type Pokémon simultaneously used Psychic. The mist swirling around Stantler was immediately dispersed.
The Stantler quickly retreated, but Dragonite was hot on its tail. Seizing an opening, Dragonite unleashed a Dragon Rage directly at it.
Unfortunately, the Stantler had unwittingly backed up to the edge of the cliff. The Dragon Rage struck the very spot it stood on, causing the cliff's edge to collapse, and the Stantler lost its footing and plummeted downward.
Yuga shouted in alarm, "Dragonite, save it!"
However, before Dragonite could act, two vine whips suddenly appeared out of nowhere and caught the falling Stantler just in time.
"What are you doing? Seriously!" came a complaining voice.
Yuga looked toward the source of the voice and saw a young girl standing gracefully on a large boulder not far from the cliff's edge. She was wearing a white long robe, and beside her stood a Gogoat.
The vines that saved the Stantler came from that Gogoat.
What shocked Yuga even more was that this girl looked exactly like the one in the illusion—the girl in the white dress—only her attire was entirely different.