On Route 209, there are two places of great exploratory value: the Lost Tower and the Hallowed Tower.
The Hallowed Tower is the only place in the Sinnoh region where it is possible to capture a Spiritomb, the Ghost- and Dark-type Pokémon. Cynthia's Spiritomb was captured there.
Spiritomb, as a Ghost- and Dark-type Pokémon, has excellent attributes: it is immune to Normal-, Fighting-, and Psychic-type moves, has double resistance against Poison-type moves, and only Fairy-type moves can deal double damage to it.
It is important to remember that, at present, the Fairy type is not yet fully developed. This means that Spiritomb is a Pokémon without weaknesses at this moment.
Additionally, Cynthia's Spiritomb has a very special ability: when it uses the move Psychic, it can freeze its opponents. This unique ability was the reason Cynthia decided to capture it there.
On the other hand, the Lost Tower is the Sinnoh region's equivalent of Hoenn's Mt. Pyre.
It is a place where many deceased Pokémon are buried. Inside, Ghost-type Pokémon are abundant, as the area is imbued with chaotic Ghost-type energy.
In Mt. Pyre, Ghost-type energy is contained thanks to the guardians of the place and the secret altar left by a certain mysterious Pokémon. However, the Lost Tower lacks these protections, so its energy remains in a state of disorder.
Recently, the Sinnoh Pokémon League prohibited further burials at the Lost Tower. Additionally, they classified the area as a hazardous zone, restricting access to ordinary people.
As Cain passed by these two towers, he did not stop or attempt to explore them.
By the time Cain had yet to reach Solaceon Town, night was already beginning to fall.
Because he was traveling along the League's public routes, there were no particularly strong wild Pokémon along the way. Drapion only served as a ground mount, while battles were handled by Aron and Larvitar, who had not participated in fights for a long time.
These two small Pokémon, despite their size, formed a surprisingly formidable team. No wild Pokémon on the way could withstand their onslaught.
At Cain's current pace, it seemed unlikely he would reach the town before nightfall. However, for someone accustomed to surviving in the wild like him, this was not a problem.
Camping near a main route is never the best option, so Cain decided to take a side path.
The Sinnoh region is dominated by Mount Coronet, but around it stretch numerous hills and small mountains.
Cain set his sights on reaching a nearby hill. He planned to look for a natural cave to shelter in; if he could not find one, he would ask Drapion to dig a temporary refuge.
As he progressed along this less-traveled path, the levels of the wild Pokémon began to increase.
Cain decided to withdraw Aron and Larvitar, instead summoning Marshtomp and Poliwhirl. These two Pokémon were key pieces in the team he planned to use in the Sinnoh Tournament. Moreover, as a Gym Leader specializing in the Water type, Cain felt he needed to further strengthen his Water-type Pokémon.
The rapid growth of Marshtomp and Poliwhirl had caused their foundations to become unstable. Although this could be corrected with prolonged training, Cain knew this process would take time. For now, his priority was to strengthen them quickly to meet the tournament's requirements.
After some thought, Cain threw another Pokéball, releasing Florges.
Florges, who had recently evolved, needed time to adapt to her new body and control the energy she now possessed. For this reason, Cain decided to include her in his nighttime training.
With Marshtomp, Poliwhirl, and Florges at his side, Cain continued moving toward the hill.
Although the hill seemed close, reaching its base took almost an hour. Finally, Cain found a cave that appeared to be a suitable refuge.
The cave entrance showed no signs of having been used by wild Pokémon, but it was also strange that there were no traces of activity nearby. This piqued Cain's curiosity, and he decided to explore it.
He lit a torch and proceeded cautiously.
The interior of the cave was not much different from others he had seen before, but it had one peculiarity: it was incredibly deep. Cain walked several meters but could not see its end.
Unbeknownst to Cain, something strange began to happen at the cave entrance.
Where the entrance had once been, several strange figures appeared. Upon closer inspection, these figures seemed to take the shape of symbols or letters, with a single round eye in the center of each one.
These entities were attached to the cave walls, almost imperceptible unless one paid close attention. Slowly, they began to detach from the rocks.
Once they did, the cave entrance vanished completely, leaving only a faint outline on the ground.
The figures exchanged glances. Then, on the wall where they had been, a small opening appeared, resembling a zipper. From this opening, a chaotic mix of black and gray shadows emerged.
The figures entered the portal, disappearing completely inside.
After they had all passed through, the portal automatically closed. The wall returned to its original state, leaving no trace of what had occurred.
Cain, oblivious to all of this, continued advancing inside the cave, unaware that something far stranger awaited him in the depths.
(End of Chapter)