Chapter 846 - Trevenant

After suppressing his shock, Aoki continued to read the ancient inscriptions carefully, his fingers tracing the weathered symbols with quiet reverence.

Sometimes, the ancient civilizations truly possessed remarkable ingenuity.

This Groudon-inspired Golurk, if successfully constructed, would wield power beyond that of ordinary Pokémon—even if it couldn't match the true might of the legendary Groudon itself.

The real question was…

How had these people obtained the materials necessary to replicate Groudon's essence?

If they could approach Groudon and harvest its energy repeatedly, could they mass-produce these artificial titans?

The thought sent a chill down Aoki's spine. If such a thing were possible, the ancient Pokémon civilization might have been dominated by the creators of this very ruin.

But who were they?

"It was actually completed in the end?" Aoki murmured, his voice barely above a whisper as he absorbed the rest of the inscription.

It had been completed.

And the very Golurk they had forged still resided within these ruins.

The stone tablet detailed the heroes involved in its creation, along with fragments of the process. Yet as Aoki's eyes traveled downward, he found the text broken, the lower half reduced to crumbling fragments.

Only scattered words remained—destruction, collapse, regret, atonement.

It seemed that, much like Team Rocket's reckless experiments, this Groudon-based Golurk had spiraled beyond its creators' control.

Could the raw, primal fury of Groudon truly be tamed?

And the energy core—forged from Groudon's essence—must have been dangerously unstable.

Aoki's curiosity burned brighter. What were the runes etched into the Golurk's body? What purpose did they serve?

The patterns on Groudon itself, including the Ω symbol—what did they signify? What hidden powers did they hold?

But the answers were lost, the rest of the inscription reduced to dust.

Still, one crucial detail remained: the Groudon Golurk had been constructed inside this very structure.

If Aoki ventured deeper, he might find it.

And whatever had drawn Larvitar here—perhaps it was that very Golurk.

Whether that was fortunate or disastrous remained to be seen.

Aoki exhaled slowly. He had come this far. Turning back now would be a disservice to his own resolve.

Stepping past the ancient chair and the shattered tablet, he descended the staircase behind it.

"Perhaps… the destruction here was caused by that Golurk," he mused silently.

"Besides…"

The countless Golurk outside—were they meant to keep intruders out? Or were they meant to keep something in?

Just how advanced had their craftsmanship become, that even they feared their own creation? Or was it reverence—a fear of blasphemy, of daring to replicate a deity's power?

And most importantly…

How had they harvested the materials from Groudon itself?

Each step downward deepened the mystery. If he wanted answers, he would have to press forward.

At the bottom of the stairs stood another door—less imposing than the first, but still marked with the Ω symbol.

Aoki pushed it open.

Beyond lay a corridor, open to the air, flanked by what had once been lush gardens.

In ancient times, these gardens would have thrived—vibrant with flowers, grass, and life.

Now, they were barren.

Not entirely lifeless, though. Strange plants still clung to existence.

Intrigued, Aoki stepped off the path and approached them.

The ground beneath his feet was hard, dry as concrete. Years without water had rendered it inhospitable.

Which made the surviving vegetation all the more peculiar.

As he drew closer, he saw it—gnarled trees, their trunks marred by hollows that formed eerie, ghostly faces, reminiscent of the haunted forests of folklore.

His scanning system activated, feeding him data.

Pokémon: Trevenant (Light Cyan)

Gender: Male

Level: 56

Type: Ghost/Grass

Ability: Natural Cure

Held Item: None

Egg Moves: Grudge, Imprison, Toxic Spikes

Basic Moves: Shadow Claw, Horn Leech, Tackle, Confuse Ray, Scary Face, Growth, Ingrain, Feint Attack, Leech Seed, Curse, Will-O-Wisp, Forest's Curse, Destiny Bond, Phantom Force, Wood Hammer

Learnt Moves: Seed Bomb, Snore, Worry Seed, Foul Play, Block, Pain Split, Psychic, Giga Drain, Drain Punch

TM Moves: None

The strongest among them was this Trevenant—Light Cyan in potential, Level 56.

A Ghost- and Grass-type.

No wonder they had survived here. They didn't need much water—just the barest sustenance.

Though this pocket dimension was mostly desert, water still existed deep beneath the surface. These Trevenant likely stretched their roots far underground, tapping into hidden reservoirs.

Aoki and his Pokémon paused mid-step.

The Trevenant, silent until now, stirred.

A massive, blood-red eye snapped open on the central trunk.

To an unprepared traveler, the sight would be terrifying.

Some might flee. Others—braver, or more hot-tempered—might attack.

But Trevenant were not malevolent.

Despite their fearsome appearance, they were gentle guardians.

They only turned violent against those who harmed the forest. To creatures that lived in harmony with nature, they were kind—even shy.

They were the forest's protectors, a role they had embraced since their days as Phantump.

Their grotesque faces belied their timid hearts.

Having lived here for untold years, isolated from the outside world, their minds were simple.

They stared at Aoki blankly, unmoving.

Slowking, standing beside Aoki, remained calm. As a Psychic-type attuned to Ghost energy, it sensed no hostility.

"Trevenant are native to Kalos," Aoki murmured. "Strange to find them here."

Then, with a small smile, he retrieved a bottle of purified water from his pack and levitated it toward the Trevenant with his psychic powers.