Planning Ahead

Deorclacu Holt was a mysterious forest. No one had ever returned when they went through the purple crack, until Serena did. This meant that there was something dangerous and powerful lurking beyond the crack — powerful Pokémon, to be precise.

This revelation raised another question: If the Pokémon beyond the crack were so formidable, why hadn't they conquered the entire forest? That would have made perfect sense. Fortunately, the diary shed some light on this matter.

Due to some mysterious reason, wild Pokémon couldn't cross the crack of the forest. It simply wasn't possible. The same applied to the red crack as well. Axel and his friends had managed to cross the red crack, but Electivire couldn't, which explained its anger.

Upon reading about this in Serena's diary, Axel devised a plan. The goal was to level up Alakazam's 'Teleport' ability to 40 so it could use mass teleportation. As the elder, Axel declared that they wouldn't embark on this mission until Alakazam achieved the required level.

Axel and Alakazam trained relentlessly for 24 straight hours until they successfully reached level 40. However, a small requirement presented itself. Alakazam could only mass teleport 10 individuals or Pokémon, depending on their weight, and it required a few seconds of preparation to activate.

Unlike regular 'Teleport,' which could be used instantly, mass teleportation took time. That's why Axel instructed Venusaur to heal Alakazam as much as possible.

When Axel saw the army of wild Pokémon just beyond the crack, he realized they had to rely on this strategy. There was no way they could defeat even one King Rank Pokémon. King Rank Pokémon were distinguished by having "king" in their name, signifying their special status as rulers of their area or forest. They were considerably stronger than pseudo-king rank Pokémon. Thankfully, the plan worked, as failure would have resulted in their miserable demise.

The diary also mentioned the region beyond the red crack, where the leader's team was located. It further revealed the presence of another dark grey crack, but crossing it had proven impossible for them.

This new region lacked any champion rank Pokémon, but it harbored multiple pseudo-champion rank Pokémon. The group realized that if they struggled against King Rank Pokémon, they would face even greater challenges dealing with pseudo-king rank opponents.

"I think we should move swiftly. I believe the Pokémon in this region might have heard the commotion from our previous fight," Mark suggested.

"You're right. We barely survived before, and I don't want to find ourselves in the same predicament again," K replied.

"I believe they already know we're here. The forest is eerily quiet, with no wild Pokémon roaming around. But you're right, we should move quickly and set up camp for the night," Axel concurred.

The diary mentioned that their misery began in this region. Unlike the previous one, this region operated differently. Multiple teams of Pokémon seemed to harbor a grudge against trainers, acting with cunning and sneakiness. Moreover, at least ten pseudo-champion rank Pokémon were present.

After finding an empty cave, they decided to make camp there. Axel was too exhausted to move and instructed the others to guard the area while he slept.

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The next day, Axel woke up, yawning and stretching his arms. The much-needed sleep had revitalized him for the tasks ahead.

"Did we encounter any wild Pokémon during the night?" Axel inquired.

"Yes, there was a group of Gengar and Haunter. Another group consisting of Umbreon and Eevee also approached the cave, but they didn't notice us," K responded. He and Mark had taken the guard duties throughout the night.

"Something doesn't add up here. These two regions are abnormal," Mark remarked.

"How come?" B, who had also awakened, asked.

"Take yesterday's battle, for example..."

"I wouldn't call that a battle. It was a full-blown war," B interrupted, still haunted by the memory of the severed heads. They had hoped to retrieve the heads to bury them as a sign of respect, but they lacked the power to do so.

"Okay, the war. There were two King Rank Pokémon working together. I've never heard of such a thing. King Rank Pokémon are proud by nature and usually don't allow other King Rank Pokémon in their territory. But these two were acting like friends.

Another anomaly is how those King Rank Pokémon could control the lower-ranked ones. Even though they are King Rank Pokémon, the lower-ranked ones wouldn't usually blindly follow them. At most, they would avoid disturbing the resting place of the King Rank Pokémon and follow instructions if the King Rank Pokémon threatened them.

However, in this case, it seemed as if they were following orders willingly. That's not normal at all. You saw how those pseudo-king rank Pokémon were guarding them. King Rank Pokémon don't possess such powers or influence," Mark explained.

"You're right, Mark. Something is definitely off here. Something is different," Axel agreed.

"Another thing I noticed last night was the group of Umbreon and Eevee. First of all, I don't understand how these Pokémon managed to form such an unusual combination with an electric-type king rank Pokémon like Electabuzz. If Axel hadn't discovered Umbreon, we wouldn't have known about it."

"They seemed to be patrolling the area in a military-like manner. I could sense the discipline in their movements. How can wild Pokémon comprehend the concept of a military? Axel, I'm starting to get scared about this place. There are so many unknowns, and I don't feel comfortable with the unknown," Mark shared.

Axel had also noticed these things, but Mark provided a more detailed explanation. It was good to have him around.

"I think that unknown electric-type Pokémon was an evolved form of Electabuzz," Axel revealed.

"How did you know?" Mark asked, his curiosity as a researcher still burning even in such dire circumstances.