"Spirit Realm Cloth?"
Ann Ci echoed the name of this thing Natsuhiko had casually named, and it seemed to match.
"So, this really is the Spirit Realm..." Ann Ci mused.
Natsuhiko glanced at him.
A bit speechless.
Speaking of which, Ann Ci's luck wasn't great either; first, he had inexplicably entered the endless caves beneath the Dark Ruins and was blocked by Aerodactyl for several days.
This time, he ended up in the Spirit Realm.
But thinking about it, Natsuhiko realized he wasn't in a position to say Ann Ci was unlucky because he also encountered the same situation.
Ann Ci looked at Natsuhiko, pressed his lips together, his expression complex, hesitantly speaking, "I didn't expect you would really come to rescue this monk."
Natsuhiko: "..."
The thought of it frustrated him.
He never intended to enter the Spirit Realm, alright?
Taking a deep breath, "So, why did you leave my name behind as a call for help?"
Ann Ci gave an awkward smile, "I haven't been in Goldenrod City for long, and I don't know many people, so..."
"Hehe—" Natsuhiko chuckled strangely.
Ann Ci's expression grew even more awkward as he fiddled with the Buddha Beads in his hands.
But Natsuhiko didn't blame him, as he had many questions for Ann Ci, so after much hesitation, he entered the villa and reached that room.
He didn't want to enter, but was inadvertently pulled in by some uncertain factors.
"Do you have a way to leave?" Natsuhiko put away his joke, asking.
Ann Ci too responded with a serious look.
"No."
Well, asking was pointless.
No choice, better to rely on Abra.
But it was fine; since he found Ann Ci, the two could likely work together to survive in this Spirit Realm, wait for Abra to grow, and for the crisis in Goldenrod City to pass before venturing out again.
Not too bad.
"Right, about that scripture in the villa..."
Natsuhiko recalled the scripture, ever since Abra read it, it underwent significant changes, not only learning the meditation technique, but even partially substituting meditation for sleep.
This wasn't a trivial matter.
Upon hearing Natsuhiko say "scripture," Ann Ci's eyes lit up.
His clear eyes filled with excitement, "Natsuhiko, you can understand it?"
Natsuhiko shook his head, "No, I can't, but after Abra read it, it learned meditation, and its state during meditation is a bit odd..."
Hearing Natsuhiko couldn't understand it caused a trace of disappointment to flash in Ann Ci's eyes, but upon hearing that Abra learned the meditation technique from it, his eyes lit up even more.
Piously clasping his hands together.
"Because that was left to us by the Divine Beast Phoenix King at the Bell Tower."
Ho-Oh?
Natsuhiko's eyes brightened.
"It is said that the Divine Beast Phoenix King once resided atop the Bell Tower, and a monk asked it for advice, saying his mind was chaotic and his will unsteady, and how to rid himself of distractions. The Phoenix King felt his sincerity, thus bestowed the method of meditation.
The monk who received Phoenix King's teachings used this method, indeed purging distractions from his mind, concentrating solely on the scripture, and eventually became the abbot of the Bell Tower.
He then wrote this method into a scripture called 'Phoenix King's Words.'
Unexpectedly, the scripture Ann Ci wrote had such a background and history?
"Speaking of Phoenix King, have you heard the legend?" Ann Ci became enthused.
The Phoenix King is one of the most supreme divine beasts in the Pokemon Realm.
The most widespread legend about it is the revival of three perished Pokémon at the Tower of Burning.
Over seven hundred years ago, Yuanzhu City built two towers, one to the east and one to the west, symbolizing the friendship between humans and Pokémon.
And Phoenix King lived on the eastern Bell Tower.
But one hundred fifty years ago, a bolt of lightning struck the tower on the west side, instantly turning it into a sea of fire. The fire burned for three days and nights until a rainstorm eventually extinguished the flames.
However, three unknown Pokémon perished in this fire.
So the Phoenix King descended from the sky and resurrected them, turning them into...
Representing the flames that consumed the tower, Entei.
Representing the lightning that struck the high tower, Lei Gong.
And representing the rain that extinguished the flames, Suicune.
Known among Pokémon fans like Natsuhiko as "Fire Dog," "Thunder Dog," and "Water Dog."
Speaking of this, it leads to mentioning a certain wealthy individual...
Ahem.
Digressing.
Natsuhiko silently listened to Ann Ci's recount of the scripture's origin and legends about Phoenix King and the Three Holy Beasts that observe humans.
He knew all this, but seeing Ann Ci's devout expression, he didn't interrupt.
Besides, those who have played the games know, though Phoenix King is a Fire Type and Flying Type Pokémon, it indeed knows the technique of "meditation."
"However, after the incident one hundred fifty years ago, half of this scripture was lost. Some say it's Phoenix King's punishment, others say it's Phoenix King's dissatisfaction..." Ann Ci remarked regretfully.
With this explanation, Natsuhiko understood why Abra had undergone such changes.
Turned out the source of that scripture could be traced back to the Divine Beast Phoenix King.
Though it underwent unauthorized changes and half was lost, it's still valuable for Abra.
"Aren't you afraid of someone else reading it when you wrote it on the wall?" Natsuhiko questioned again.
Ann Ci once more clasped his hands, smiling as he replied, "If someone can learn it, then let them learn it."
Appearing to take things in stride.
Ann Ci's expression momentarily shifted, looking at Abra in surprise, "Does it have a Life Crystal on it?"
"Hmm?" Natsuhiko squinted slightly, "You can sense it?"
Ann Ci produced a string of dark red Buddha Beads, different from those he'd shown earlier.
Within them seemed to contain a flame, flickering dimly.
The closer they got to Abra, the brighter the flame seemed to glow.
"This string of Buddha Beads can sense abnormal life energy fluctuations," Ann Ci explained.
Natsuhiko's eyes moved slightly.
Nodded slightly toward Abra.
Abra then took out three thumb-sized Life Crystals.
Previously, upon entering Palossand, they had started to evaporate uncontrollably.
Now visibly smaller to the naked eye.
"I came looking for you previously to ask, what did you mean by 'abnormal life energy' and 'flame' you mentioned last time."
Since they were talking about this, Natsuhiko directly expressed his confusion.
Seeing the three Life Crystals, Ann Ci's expression turned complex.
He slowly spoke, "Because this monk discovered someone is wantonly stripping certain Pokémon of their life, absorbing their life energy..."
"The disturbance of wild Pokémon around Goldenrod City..."
Ann Ci nodded, his tone somewhat heavy.
"If this monk's speculation is correct, it's likely due to this. Life energy is highly attractive to wild Pokémon, while wantonly harvesting wild Pokémon's lives has instinctively alerted them to crisis."
Pokémon's instincts are incredibly strong.
They will flee ahead of a premonition of a major earthquake, and withdraw before a volcanic eruption, possibly not knowing what's happening, just driven by a survival instinct.
"And the flame..."
Ann Ci slowly lifted his head, "A flame ignited by life."
"Chandelure?" Natsuhiko inquired tentatively.
But Ann Ci affirmed, "No."
Then...
Numerous thoughts raced through Natsuhiko's mind.
Suddenly.
Ann Ci's expression became solemn.
The meditating Abra floating in midair opened its eyes.
On tiptoe, it slowly approached the stiff-looking Togepi by Farfetch'd.
Farfetch'd suddenly sprang up from the ground.
"Raa!"
Beedrill let out a low hum, with tiny golden arcs flashing on its back.
Chirp—
Pidgeotto let out a long cry.
Natsuhiko slowly stood up.
"Looks like the chat is over."
"We need to think of a way to leave..." Ann Ci clasped his hands together.
One by one, red eyes slowly appeared in the forest behind them.