NOVPUB
Chapter 1392 - Beneath the Whirlpool
As the collapse of the riverbed accelerated, the vortex at the center of the river grew larger and larger.
A massive amount of river water poured into the cavern beneath, creating a powerful suction force that made it impossible for the anchor Pokémon, Dhelmise, to keep the ghost ship stable.
Jessie, who had just caught her breath after being thrown onto the deck, was immediately sent sprawling onto the floor by the violent rocking of the ship.
"Ugh, what the heck is happening now?!"
Soaking wet, she remained sprawled on the deck, not daring to get up.
The sudden commotion sent the Ghost-type Pokémon on the ship into a panic. They immediately abandoned their game of teasing Meowth and James, instead focusing on stabilizing the ship.
They tried using their psychic powers to lift the ghost ship into the air, but something within the vortex was interfering with them. Their psychic energy fluctuated chaotically, and after a few shaky attempts, the ship still failed to rise.
At this moment, the only Pokémon that could maintain its full strength was the Master level Duksnoir. Appearing at the bow, its eyes flashed with a deep purple light as its immense psychic power enveloped the ship, desperately trying to keep it from being swallowed by the vortex.
Duksnoir happened to appear near Jessie. The moment she saw it, she immediately recognized it as one of Yūga's Pokémon, and she also realized that the Ghost-types had been toying with her earlier.
Jessie, still fuming, wanted to settle the score with Duksnoir right away, but after considering the current crisis, she decided to put that thought on hold.
This Pokémon seemed quite strong. Since she had just been played for a fool, it wouldn't be unreasonable to latch onto its power for safety, right?
Duksnoir, however, had no time to pay attention to Jessie's scheming. It realized that even with its immense power, it was struggling to keep the ship stable. It urgently called out to the other Ghost-type Pokémon to help.
Meanwhile, inside the ship's hold, the prisoners—Milis, Argus, and the others—had been thrown around by the violent rocking.
Argus struggled to his feet and staggered to the door, only to find that the two Dusknoir who had been guarding them were nowhere to be seen.
At that moment, all the Ghost-type Pokémon were outside, desperately trying to stabilize the ship—none had time to worry about the captives.
"Milis!"
Though Argus didn't know what was happening outside, he saw this as an opportunity to escape. Since the Ghost-types were gone, he quickly called out to his daughter.
The father and daughter stumbled out of the cabin, their bodies still bound with rope, but they had no time to untie themselves.
Seeing them escape, Green-haired Mark and his group immediately followed suit.
Elsewhere on the ship, James and Meowth, who had been separated earlier, were no longer being tormented by the Ghost-types. Curious about the commotion, they walked out from inside the ship.
However, the moment they stepped outside, the ship lurched violently, flinging them into the air.
As they plummeted toward the swirling vortex, Jessie screamed, "Big boss, save them!!!"
At the same time, she cursed James and Meowth in her heart—what kind of idiots ran out at a time like this? Wouldn't it have been smarter to just stay put inside the ship?!
Duksnoir didn't hesitate. With a wave of its ghostly arm, it used its psychic power to pull Meowth and James back onto the deck.
The two of them collapsed onto the floor, trembling in terror. They immediately mimicked Jessie, pressing themselves flat against the deck, too afraid to move.
"I thought I was a goner, nya! I really thought I was a goner, nya!"
Seeing them safe, Jessie let out a breath of relief. At the same time, she felt incredibly lucky to be so close to such a powerful Pokémon—it was a prime opportunity to cling onto its strength.
Meanwhile, Milis, Argus, and the others were not as fortunate. Unlike the Rocket trio, they were flung straight into the vortex.
Although the Ghost-type Pokémon saw this happen, none of them lifted a finger to help.
Serves them right for running around at a time like this!
Beneath the whirlpool at the bottom of the river lay a vast, pitch-black space—an empty void, silent until the surging river water broke the stillness as it poured in.
In the darkness, a pair of eyes gleaming with red light suddenly lit up. Slowly, the owner of these eyes—a small, shadowy figure—stirred ever so slightly.
Opposite the red-eyed figure stood a towering rock formation. If Yuga were here at this moment, he would undoubtedly be astonished to find that this rock bore a striking resemblance to Diancie.
It was at this moment that Milis and the others were swept toward the small figure by the rushing waters. By now, they had all lost consciousness.
"Kehehe~"
A strange, eerie laughter echoed from the small figure, and suddenly, the surging river water seemed to freeze in place. Under the control of the small figure, Milis and the others slowly floated out of the water and were drawn before it.
Reaching out, the small figure lightly touched their wet bodies. In their unconscious state, their bodies withered instantly, reduced to nothing but lifeless husks.
As the small figure drained the life force from Milis and the others, its body was finally fully restored. The red gemstone on its chest shone brilliantly.
It turned out that this was also a Sableye—one even stronger than the one that had devoured the Sacred Diamond.
The red gemstone on Sableye's chest illuminated the dark space, revealing the massive rock formation in full. The entire formation was composed of pink diamonds, with a clear outline of Diancie at its center.
Sableye slowly approached the rock, its eerie gaze scrutinizing it before its mouth suddenly stretched impossibly wide. With a single gulp, it swallowed the massive rock whole—despite the fact that it was more than ten times the size of its own body.
After swallowing the rock, Sableye's body gradually became more solid, its aura surging ever higher.
It turned out that its original body had merely been an illusion, not a true physical existence.
In truth, this Sableye was the very culprit behind the crisis in the Diamond Domain.
The ancient Diamond Domain had stood for countless years. Through the efforts of countless Carbink and generations of Diancie, a new Diancie would typically be born once every thousand years, ensuring the continued stability of the kingdom.
But the presence of this Sableye shattered that stability.
Two hundred years ago, this Sableye had already reached level 100. At that time, it coveted the previous princess of the Diamond Domain and launched a surprise attack on her.
Unlike the newly born Diancie of this generation, the previous Diancie had been immensely powerful. As a Mythical Pokémon, she would not have lost to an ordinary level 100 Pokémon.
But the problem lay in her inherently kind nature. While outside the domain, she was deceived by Sableye and fell into its trap, sustaining severe injuries.
However, the previous Diancie was not to be underestimated. Just as Sableye was about to consume her, she mustered the last of her strength and dealt it a grievous wound, destroying its physical body and leaving only its soul sealed within the red gemstone on its chest.
Sableye's red gemstone was incomparably durable, formed over countless years through the accumulation of gemstones and minerals. Even Diancie would have difficulty destroying it.
After heavily injuring Sableye, the previous Diancie had reached the end of her strength. Using her own body, she sealed Sableye's red gemstone at the bottom of the river.
When the previous Diancie perished, her body transformed into pink diamonds—the very rock formation that Sableye had just swallowed—protecting the mythical energy left behind by the former princess.
With its physical body lost, Sableye's soul, now trapped within the red gemstone, was powerless against Diancie's remains.
With the disappearance of the previous Diancie, the Sacred Diamond she had created in the Diamond Domain became a source without roots, and its energy began to rapidly deplete.
By the time the new Diancie was born, the Sacred Diamond had almost completely lost its power, leaving the newly emerged Diancie with no time to grow before being burdened with the task of saving the Diamond Domain.
This is why Dace sent the new Diancie out to seek help from Xerneas.
Originally, the previous Diancie and the Sableye's gemstone would have remained dormant at the bottom of the river, and nothing would have happened.
But the arrival of Milis and the others gave Sableye hope. After absorbing their life force, it finally gained a sliver of mobility.
With that little bit of power, it devoured the previous Diancie's essence and has now fully regained its freedom.
...
On the river's surface, Duksnoir was still stabilizing the ghost ship when, suddenly, a Sableye flew out from the center of the whirlpool.
The moment Sableye appeared, the whirlpool's interference with the Ghost-type Pokémon disappeared, and they were finally able to control the ghost ship and make it fly.
Seeing the numerous Ghost-type Pokémon on the ghost ship, Sableye's face lit up with joy. Its body had not fully recovered yet, and these little creatures were just the perfect nourishment.
Just as it was about to strike, Duksnoir—now freed up—stepped in front of it.
Duksnoir stared at Sableye with a grave expression, faintly sensing its immense power.
More importantly, Duksnoir could tell that this Sableye had absorbed human life force before, which was exactly why it was so cautious.
Any Ghost-type Pokémon that had absorbed the life force of another being even once would find it difficult to resist doing it a second time.
However, Sableye did not take Duksnoir seriously. It could see Duksnoir' level, and a Pokémon that wasn't even Level 100 was hardly worth its attention.
Sableye unleashed a Shadow Claw toward Duksnoir. Immediately on high alert, Duksnoir countered with Shadow Punch.
Duksnoir was no match for Sableye. With just one exchange, it was sent flying backward.
At the same time, that brief clash made Duksnoir realize Sableye's level.
A Level 100 Pokémon!
Duksnoir was no stranger to Level 100 Pokémon—on the contrary, it was very familiar with them. After all, Yuga had both a Level 100 Ninetales and a Level 100 Aegislash by his side.
Having frequently interacted with Level 100 Pokémon, Duksnoir was well aware of their immense power!
Steadying itself in midair, Duksnoir' expression turned serious. Without hesitation, it secretly issued an order to Meowth on the ghost ship.
"What? You want me to go find Big Ghost—ah, no—Mr. Shimizu?" Meowth exclaimed in shock.
Duksnoir had no time to explain further, as Sableye was attacking again. The reason it specifically chose Meowth to seek Yuga's help was because it knew Meowth was clever.
At this moment, Jessie was surprisingly clear-headed. Seeing Duksnoir get knocked back in a single move, she immediately realized that Sableye was not to be trifled with.
Moreover, her instincts told her that Sableye was terrifying. She smacked Meowth on the back.
"If the big boss tells you to go, then go! What's with all the chatter? It just saved you a moment ago!"
James also sensed something was off and quickly chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, hurry up and go!"
"Fine... fine, alright then." With both of its teammates agreeing, what else could Meowth do?
Meowth ran to the edge of the ship and peered over the railing. "How am I supposed to get down from here?" The ghost ship was floating in the sky, making it difficult for Meowth to descend.
But before it could say another word, two Haunters grabbed it and lowered it to the ground.
As for Jessie and James? Naturally, they were staying behind as hostages. If Meowth tried to escape, its teammates would surely suffer.
In the sky, the battle between Duksnoir and Sableye had already tilted completely in Sableye's favor.
Sableye had just devoured the essence of the previous Diancie. Even though it hadn't fully recovered yet, dealing with Duksnoir was still effortless.
At this moment, the Sableye was no longer in a hurry to devour the Duksnoir. Instead, it started to toy with it.
Having been sealed at the bottom of the river for so long, the Sableye's mind had already become somewhat twisted.
Hanging on the ship, the Dhelmise saw how much Duksnoir was struggling against the Sableye and attempted a sneak attack using its Anchor Shot move.
However, Dhelmise was ultimately just an Elite level Pokémon, and its attack was easily detected by the Sableye.
With one hand, the Sableye repelled Duksnoir using Shadow Claw. Then, from the red gemstone on its chest, it fired a Power Gem.
Perhaps because it had just absorbed Diancie's essence, this Power Gem was exceptionally powerful. The chains of Dhelmise were instantly severed into countless fragments under the attack.
Dhelmise's chains were part of its body and were incredibly tough, making them extremely difficult to break under normal circumstances. But now, they had not only been broken but had been shattered into numerous pieces, leaving Dhelmise severely injured.
Meanwhile, Yuga and the others remained completely unaware of the situation. They were still joyfully celebrating with Diancie and the others, relieved that the crisis in the Diamond Domain had been resolved.
As for Meowth, it had just entered the Diamond Domain but had already gotten lost. There was nothing it could do—the environment of the Diamond Domain was far too complex. Without a guide, it was impossible to tell one place from another.
Seeing the countless energy crystals along the way, Meowth couldn't help but drool, thinking, If I take one quietly, no one should notice, right?
Meowth had absolutely no resistance when it came to shiny things.
However, just as its paw pads touched one of the energy crystals, a group of Carbink surrounded it.
"I just thought they were pretty and wanted to touch one, I had no other intentions!"
Looking at the furious Carbink, Meowth spoke with a guilty conscience. But the Carbink weren't going to believe its nonsense. In the next second, they captured it.
On Yuga's side, he was happily accepting the gratitude of the Carbink servants when suddenly, a Carbink rushed in and said a few words.
The general message was that a tribe of Carbink had captured a Meowth, and that Meowth claimed it had come to deliver a message to Yuga.
The ghost ship was in danger!
The Carbink weren't sure whether to believe Meowth's words, so they had used an energy crystal to transmit the message to Yuga and the others.
Hearing "Meowth," Yuga immediately thought of Team Rocket's trio.
Holding onto the belief that it was better to be safe than sorry, Yuga turned to the Diamond Ministers and Diancie and said, "I'll go back and take a look."
After speaking, he immediately mounted Absol and dashed away.
