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Chapter 77 – Save It, Healer
🕑 Added 2025-02-01 15:06:08 +0000 UTCChapter 77 – Save It, Healer
What does it feel like to be stared at by a massive swarm of Unown?
To be honest—goosebumps all over.
Hundreds of eyes fixated on Asahi, making his entire body tense up.
【Did I just stumble into an Unown nest? I thought I only woke up one…?】
Asahi found himself in a difficult situation.
Unown were Pokémon whose combat strength increased exponentially when gathered in large numbers.
A single Unown on its own was weaker than a common Magikarp.
However, when hundreds of them gathered, the power they could unleash was terrifying.
Dragonite quickly assumed a defensive stance, eyes locked onto the Unown.
Asahi’s hand moved to the Poké Ball on his belt.
Gardevoir, holding a Psychic Plate, appeared beside him, encased in a protective bubble created by Dragonair. Her eyes glowed blue, ready to teleport Asahi away at a moment’s notice if the situation turned dangerous.
With these precautions in place, Asahi felt a bit more secure and observed the Unown warily.
But even after waiting for a while, the Unown did not attack.
"They're not hostile?"
Confused, Asahi looked at the Unown more closely. That was when a familiar Unown emerged from the crowd, circling around him.
It was the first Unown he had awakened.
After catching his attention, this Unown signaled a few of its companions. They rearranged themselves in midair, forming lines of text in front of Asahi.
It seemed like they were trying to answer his earlier question.
But…
"I still need to be able to read this!"
Although Asahi could recognize that these Unown represented letters, their grammar didn’t follow English or any other language he knew.
After struggling for a moment, Asahi decided to use a simpler method.
Reaching through Dragonair’s protective bubble, he placed his hand close to the first Unown and released the power of Verdant Aura.
A thought instantly connected with him.
【Healer… save…】
"Healer? Are you referring to me? Well, I suppose with Verdant Aura, I could barely be considered one."
"But… save what?" Asahi wondered aloud.
The Unown wasted no time providing an answer.
They dispersed and formed a ring around the central altar of the room, slowly rotating in place.
Their bodies began to glow.
Each individual Unown emitted only a faint energy wave, but together, they created a remarkable reaction.
As they rotated, the symbols on the walls lit up, spreading from the edges toward the altar at the center. One by one, the glyphs illuminated, until the entire room was bathed in light.
The Silver Feather Asahi carried in his arms shone brightly, as if drawn by an invisible force, floating toward the altar.
Asahi held onto the one Green had originally taken and let the other Silver Feather drift freely. It settled into the groove on the altar.
The moment the feather was placed, the entire room trembled.
It was as if a hidden mechanism had been activated—air surged into the space, pushing the seawater out.
Gripping the hefty Dragonite to avoid being swept away, Asahi waited until the room was completely drained. Then, he stepped onto solid ground, breathing in the slightly salty air.
It was a strange but refreshing sensation.
"A drainage system powered by Unown and the Silver Feather… is this the technology of ancient civilizations?"
From a technical perspective, it bore similarities to ∞ Energy, the energy source used by the Devon Corporation. Both relied on harnessing Pokémon energy.
However, while Devon’s ∞ Energy could extract power from any Pokémon, this ancient ruin appeared to require a specific activation method involving Unown.
Comparing the two, Asahi continued observing the room.
Clearly, the Unown hadn’t gone through all this effort just to remove seawater.
Buzz—
Under Asahi’s watchful eyes, the Unown activated another mechanism.
This time, the altar and its base slowly slid aside, revealing a downward-sloping passage.
The tunnel was pitch-black.
Gardevoir extended her psychic senses to probe ahead.
【Something is blocking my scan. I can sense a faint psychic energy emanating from within—not strong, but… strange.】
Gardevoir frowned slightly, puzzled by this unfamiliar energy.
"I think I already know what’s in there," Asahi muttered, his gaze shifting to the remaining Silver Feather in his hand, which was glowing even brighter.
At that moment, the Unown that had opened the passageway hovered in the air, forming an arrow pointing downward, inviting Asahi inside.
If they had suggested entering earlier, Asahi would have flat-out refused—who knew what kind of dangers lurked in there?
But now, with a strong suspicion of what lay ahead, he stepped forward without hesitation, leading Gardevoir and Dragonair into the tunnel.
He left Dragonite outside to stand guard.
Why?
Because Dragonite was too fat to fit through!
---
Above the Ocean
More than twenty minutes had passed since Asahi lost contact.
On the boat, Green, Professor Oak, and Professor Sakuragi were growing anxious.
Although Green hadn’t encountered any danger when she previously explored the underwater ruins, the ocean was an unpredictable and perilous place for humans.
At that moment, a sharp beeping sound erupted from the instruments in front of Professor Sakuragi.
His expression turned serious. "We’re detecting a high-energy reaction from below!"
"A battle?" Professor Oak asked.
If it were a battle on the surface, that wouldn’t be a major concern.
But underwater, Trainers were at a distinct disadvantage.
Professor Sakuragi closely examined the energy readings. His expression became odd. "It doesn’t look like a battle."
"Not a battle?"
Professor Oak peered at the screen, noting that while it displayed two distinct psychic energy signatures, neither was clashing—their wavelengths remained steady.
Green let out a small sigh of relief.
"Should we go down and check?" Professor Sakuragi asked.
Even if there was no immediate conflict, the sudden surge of energy was abnormal.
Professor Oak pondered for a moment before shaking his head.
"Let’s trust Asahi."
---
