Striving to Defend

Feeling the immense suction from the vortex, Yuga struggled desperately to hold his ground, while the two Pokémon beside him, Glenn and Takee, were also finding it extremely difficult to maintain their footing.

At this moment, Yuga could sense that the Ghost World Origin Stone, hidden deep within his Shadow Space, was becoming increasingly restless, as if it might burst out at any moment.

Just as it seemed that Yuga and his companions were on the verge of being pulled in, Palossand who is capable of merging with the ground, came to their aid just in time. It enveloped Yuga, Glenn, and Takee with its soft body, shielding them from being dragged into the vortex.

Palossand's body was fused with the earth, and unless the vortex could swallow the entire land itself, it couldn't take Palossand along.

Despite Palossand's protection, Yuga's other Pokémon, like Gengar and Mismagius, who lacked any kind of anchor, were quickly reaching their limits under the relentless pull.

Just as Yuga felt that the Ghost World Origin Stone was about to break free from his Shadow Space, a figure unexpectedly charged out and collided headfirst with the translucent face emerging from the vortex. For a brief moment, the suction force from the vortex halted, and the agitation of the Ghost World Origin Stone was momentarily calmed.

Who else but Cosmoem could it be, hovering face-to-face with the giant translucent face?

"Ah~"

The face let out a howl and opened its mouth even wider. The suction from the vortex intensified, and the Ghost World Origin Stone once again grew wildly restless.

Looking at Cosmoem confronting the translucent face, Yuga's eyes were filled with worry.

That was the Ghost World Consciousness, the supreme entity of the Ghost World. Even though Cosmoem was a Legendary Pokémon, it was still an undeveloped one.

As the suction force increased, Cosmoem rammed into the translucent face once again. This time, the face finally took notice of Cosmoem.

Its mouth opened abruptly and lunged at Cosmoem, trying to swallow it just as it had devoured Dusknoir and Mizuno earlier. The sight made Yuga's heart stop.

By the time Yuga came to his senses, Cosmoem had already been swallowed in one gulp.

"Cosmoem!"

Yuga let out an anguished roar, his face contorted with fury. Ignoring the suction from the vortex, he struggled free from Palossand's protective body and attempted to lunge at the translucent face, only to be pulled directly toward the vortex.

"Gengar!"

"Mismagius!"

"Dragonite!"

Seeing this, Gengar, Mismagius, and Dragonite, who had been struggling against the suction, all let out desperate cries. They gave up resisting the pull and dove toward Yuga, but they too were sucked into the vortex.

Just as they were about to be consumed by the vortex, the translucent face suddenly began to distort.

Buzz—

A massive phantom slowly forced open the mouth of the translucent face. The phantom grew larger and larger until the translucent face spat it out entirely.

Suspended in the chest of the phantom was none other than Cosmoem.

Yuga recognized this phantom—it was the Lunala phantom that had appeared in Ultra Space before.

"Lunala~"

The Lunala phantom spread its wings with a powerful sweep, letting out a sharp, prolonged cry. The immense sound waves caused the entire forest to tremble. Luckily, the area was far from any towns; otherwise, it would have caused a major disturbance.

As the sound wave echoed, the suction from the vortex suddenly vanished. Yuga and his companions fell straight to the ground with a thud, and Yuga, in particular, took quite a painful landing.

"Lunala~"

The Lunala phantom cried out again, opening its mouth and forcefully inhaling toward the translucent face. A dark, shadowy energy flowed into its mouth. As more of the shadowy energy was absorbed, the Lunala phantom grew increasingly solid, while the translucent face became fainter and more transparent.

Seeing this, Yuga finally understood why the Lunala phantom had appeared—it was Cosmoem who had seized the Ghost World Consciousness's energy, which it had been using to manifest in the Pokémon world.

Back when the Lunala phantom appeared in Ultra Space, it had absorbed a significant amount of Ultra Aura to materialize. Though the current situation was different, the underlying principle was the same.

The Ghost World Consciousness lacked a true self-awareness; its actions were driven entirely by instinct. Perceiving a threat, it instinctively retaliated against the Lunala phantom.

"Roar~"

The translucent face let out a fierce roar and began shaking violently, interrupting the Lunala phantom's energy absorption.

Suddenly, two arms extended from either side of the translucent face (despite it not having ears), grabbing the Lunala phantom's wings from both sides and pulling at them ferociously.

"Lunala~"

The Lunala phantom flapped its wings furiously in an effort to resist.

"Gengar, Mismagius, Dragonite, help quickly!"

Seeing the Lunala phantom struggling, Yuga roared in urgency and released the rest of his Pokémon from their Poké Balls.

Immediately, a barrage of attacks—Dragon Pulse, Flamethrower, Moonblast, Energy Ball, Shadow Ball, and more—rained down on the translucent face.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The attacks exploded against the translucent face, causing it to shake violently. The two arms gripping the Lunala phantom's wings finally loosened.

"Lunala~"

The Lunala phantom raised one wing and slapped the translucent face, causing it to tilt to the side. Even the vortex it inhabited began to tremble violently.

The Lunala phantom took another powerful inhale, drawing the shadowy energy in the form of a massive dragon into its mouth.

The translucent face continued to struggle, and the shadowy energy began to waver erratically, as though it might dissipate at any moment.

Yuga thought quickly and retrieved the Moon Flute from his system space. Raising it to his lips, he began to play.

The haunting melody of the flute filled the air, and the Lunala phantom seemed to surge with newfound strength, as if it had been reinvigorated. It overpowered the translucent face, and the shadowy energy dragon it was inhaling grew even thicker and more robust.

The Moon Flute's sound not only amplified the Lunala phantom's power but also stimulated Cosmoem's growth. Yuga had never stopped practicing the flute and played it for Cosmoem every day.

After months of practice, he had mastered the art of playing a full piece, and he could now perform it quite skillfully.

Meanwhile, Yuga's other Pokémon continued their relentless assault on the translucent face, which was now completely suppressed.

Although Gengar and Mismagius were naturally intimidated by the Ghost World Consciousness as creatures originating from the Ghost World, their loyalty to Yuga drove them to push past their fear and attack the translucent face head-on.

Were it not for the fact that the Ghost World Consciousness was being restrained by the rules of the Pokémon world, they would have long since been swallowed whole.

As the Lunala phantom absorbed more and more of the shadowy energy, its body became increasingly solid, almost tangible, while the translucent face grew fainter and more insubstantial.

All the while, Yuga continued playing the Moon Flute. Half an hour had passed, and he silently thanked his good lung capacity; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to keep it up for so long.

Bang!

Finally, as the last trace of energy was drained, the translucent face abruptly vanished. The vortex gradually shrank before disappearing completely.

"Lunala~"

With the disappearance of the translucent face and vortex, the Lunala phantom flapped its wings triumphantly. Its body then began to contract, eventually transforming into a wisp of azure smoke that entered Cosmoem's body.

At this time, Cosmoem was still far from its evolutionary stage. Its tiny body continued to store energy, patiently waiting for the day it could emerge like a butterfly from its cocoon. The Ultra Aura it absorbed in Ultra Space, along with the dark energy it absorbed this time, had significantly shortened the time needed for its transformation.

Bang!

With a dull thud, Cosmoem fell to the ground, creating a small crater. Its eyes closed as it drifted into a deep sleep, needing time to digest the vast amount of energy it had consumed.

"Phew~"

As everything came to an end, Yuga lowered the Moon Flute and let out a long sigh of relief. His entire body felt drained of energy, and he staggered as if about to collapse. Fortunately, Florges rushed over in time to support him.

Leaning on Florges, Yuga walked over to check on Cosmoem. After confirming that it was unharmed, he placed it into the shadow space.

The shadow space had now returned to stability, and the feeling that the Ghost World Origin Stone was about to break free had completely disappeared.

After recalling his other Pokémon, Yuga unsteadily made his way over to Glenn and Takee and asked, "Are you two alright?"

"N-no… no problem," Glenn stammered, his voice trembling. Like Takee, he was completely drained from the ordeal. The two of them were leaning on each other for support, barely able to stay upright. Takee was so shaken that he couldn't even manage a single word.

"It's good that you're okay," Yuga nodded, then turned to Gengar and Mismagius. "Go let everyone know the person has been found. Tell them to head back."

Acknowledging Yuga's command, Gengar and Mismagius disappeared from sight.

Since everyone was thoroughly exhausted, they decided not to rush back and instead sat on the ground, chatting to pass the time.

At this moment, Glenn and Takee looked at Yuga with eyes full of admiration. If Yuga hadn't arrived in time, none of them would have survived.

Glenn had already admired Yuga before, but now that feeling had grown even stronger. Although he had battled Yuga in the past, Yuga had not gone all out back then. Glenn had never been so acutely aware of Yuga's immense strength as he was now.

Although Glenn was curious about the mysterious phantom that had saved them, he wisely refrained from asking. He understood that every trainer has their own untouchable secrets.

Takee's feelings were even more profound. Although he had heard rumors about Gym Leader Shimizu's strength, those were merely hearsay. Today, he had finally witnessed it with his own eyes.

This firsthand experience left him utterly shaken.

Faced with the strange man earlier, Takee hadn't even had the courage to resist. Yet that same man was easily dealt with by Yuga. If he had harbored any resentment toward Yuga for sending him to work at the ranch, it had now been replaced entirely with admiration.

After resting for a while, the three of them began making their way back to the ranch, accompanied by the missing Sunflora.

Nearly all the wild Pokémon in the area had been captured by Mizuno and Dusknoir, leaving the surroundings eerily empty. Along the way, Yuga and the others didn't encounter a single wild Pokémon.

It was then that Yuga recalled how, during his earlier search, he had also noticed the lack of wild Pokémon. At the time, he had been too focused on finding the missing person to think much of it. Now, upon reflection, it struck him as highly unusual.

Unfortunately, the captured Pokémon had already been used by Mizuno and Dusknoir to open the Ghost World's gate, resulting in their deaths. Even if they were discovered now, it would be too late to save them.

When they returned to the ranch, Mr. Harrison saw Yuga had brought the two back safely and quickly came forward, overjoyed.

"Thank goodness you've all returned safely. If anything had happened to you, I wouldn't know how to explain it."

Glenn smiled and said, "Well, here we are, safe and sound. It was just a matter of chasing after a Pokémon and getting lost. You don't have to worry." He deliberately withheld the truth from Mr. Harrison, fearing it would upset the elderly man.

Yuga and Takee, seeing this, also decided not to reveal the true events and played along with Glenn's explanation.

After finishing their conversation with Mr. Harrison, Glenn suddenly thought of his lost Lunatone. With a guilty expression, he turned to Yuga and said, "I'm sorry, Yuga. I lost my Lunatone."

Yuga smiled and replied, "No need to worry; I've already found it. It's a bit injured, but nothing serious."

"That's great!" Glenn exclaimed in delight. Then, as if realizing something, he hesitated and stammered, "Then… does this mean my assessment… has… failed?"

Yuga was momentarily stunned but quickly understood. He smiled and said, "No, this incident was beyond your control. It won't affect your assessment or your bond with Lunatone."

Hearing this, Glenn let out a long sigh of relief.

Later, Mr. Harrison invited Yuga to stay for dinner, and Yuga agreed.

After dinner, Yuga found Takee and said, "If you want to leave, you can go tomorrow."

Takee hadn't expected Yuga to say this. He stood stunned for several seconds before replying, "Since I've agreed to work here for a month, I'll keep my promise."

Previously, he would have left without hesitation. But now, things were different. After witnessing Yuga's overwhelming strength, he suddenly wanted to become someone strong and honorable as well. Even if he couldn't reach such heights, getting closer to it would still be worth striving for.

Yuga hadn't expected this response and gave Takee a strange look before saying, "Suit yourself, then."

As Yuga left the ranch, he asked Glenn if he wanted to come along. Concerned about Lunatone's recovery, Glenn agreed.

When they returned to YoYo Day Care, Audino, upon seeing Yuga back safe and sound, finally let out a sigh of relief.

Yuga had already called back to inform them about Mizuno and Dusknoir, but no one could have anticipated the calamity those two had left behind. Despite hearing from Yuga, Audino couldn't relax until it saw him in person.

Even without witnessing the events firsthand, Audino could imagine how dire the situation must have been to delay Yuga.

Afterward, Yuga instructed Wigglytuff to bring over Lunatone. Following treatment, Lunatone had already regained consciousness. Although it still looked somewhat fatigued, it wasn't in any serious condition and would recover after a couple of days of rest.

Seeing that both Glenn and Lunatone were safe and sound, they both let out sighs of relief.

Yuga stood nearby, observing their reactions. Seeing how genuinely relieved they were to reunite, he nodded with satisfaction. It seemed they had really developed a bond over the past few days.

After Glenn and Lunatone confirmed each other's well-being, Yuga told Glenn to take Lunatone to the Paradise Hotel for some quality time together after their stressful ordeal.

After sending Glenn off, Yuga headed to the Ecopark and retrieved the sleeping Cosmoem from the shadow space.

Seeing Cosmoem sound asleep, with a trace of drool at the corner of its mouth and a mysterious smile, Yuga felt much more at ease.

Since the sleeping Cosmoem wouldn't be of much use in the shadow space, Yuga decided to place it alongside Musharna. With Musharna's ability to weave dreams, perhaps Cosmoem could more quickly process and absorb the energy it had consumed.

Yuga activated his Insight skill to examine Cosmoem. While its data showed no significant changes, the increasingly prominent energy fluctuations from its body were evidence that it was steadily growing stronger.