What does it feel like to be stared at by a massive swarm of Unown?
To be honest… it was enough to give August goosebumps.
Over a hundred identical eyes locked onto him, making his entire body tense up instantly.
Did I just stumble into an Unown nest? August thought, suddenly feeling very uneasy.
Unown were a unique species of Pokémon—their individual combat ability was nearly nonexistent, weaker than even a Magikarp.
But in rge numbers?
Their power multiplied exponentially, making them downright terrifying.
Sensing the threat, Dragonite immediately assumed a defensive stance, watching the Unown warily.
August’s fingers hovered over his Poké Balls.
With a fsh of light, Gardevoir materialized beside him, surrounded by a protective psychic bubble created by Dragonair. Her eyes gleamed blue, ready to teleport August away at a moment’s notice if things went south.
With his immediate safety ensured, August cautiously observed the Unown.
However, even after waiting for a while, they made no hostile moves.
“…No hostility?”
August hesitated.
Then, the first Unown he had awakened floated forward from the group and began circling him.
It was the same one he had touched earlier.
Now, as if trying to communicate, it summoned several other Unown, arranging themselves in midair to form words.
It seemed they wanted to answer his previous question.
But…
“I have to be able to read it first!”
Although August could roughly recognize the Unown letters, the grammar they used was completely different from English.
After staring at the symbols for a while, his head started to hurt.
Forget it. Let’s try something simpler.
Reaching his arm through Dragonair’s protective bubble, he extended his hand toward the first Unown and released his [Viridian Power].
Immediately, a thought surfaced in his mind.
"Healer… Help…"
“…‘Healer’? Are they talking about me? Well, I guess with [Viridian Power], I could be considered a healer.”
“But… ‘Help’? Help what?” August frowned.
The Unown wasted no time answering.
The entire swarm dispersed, forming a ring around the central altar.
Then, they began to rotate slowly.
One by one, the Unown started glowing.
Individually, the energy they emitted was faint, but together, they created a powerful reaction.
As they spun, the ancient inscriptions on the walls lit up—starting from the outer edges and spreading toward the altar in the center.
Soon, the entire chamber was bathed in radiant light.
The [Silver Wing] in August’s pocket shimmered in response.
An invisible force gently pulled it toward the altar.
August allowed the feather he had obtained earlier to drift forward, while he kept hold of Blue’s original [Silver Wing].
The feather settled into the indentation on the altar.
The entire room shook.
It was as if a mechanism had been activated.
Large amounts of air suddenly burst forth, dispcing the seawater and rapidly draining it from the chamber.
Grabbing onto Dragonite’s broad frame to avoid getting swept away, August waited until the water had fully receded before stepping onto solid ground.
Taking a deep breath, he inhaled the slightly salty air, feeling a strange sense of wonder.
“…A drainage system powered by Unown and the [Silver Wing]. So this is ancient civilization’s technology?”
From a scientific standpoint, it seemed somewhat simir to Devon Corporation’s [Infinity Energy]—both harnessed Pokémon energy as a power source.
The key difference was that [Infinity Energy] could convert energy from any Pokémon, while this ancient mechanism appeared to function exclusively through Unown and specific conditions.
Comparing the two, August continued observing the unfolding events.
Clearly, the Unown hadn’t gone through all this effort just to drain the water.
Bzzz!
The Unown intensified their power.
This time, the entire altar, including its stone base, shifted under an invisible force, revealing a downward-sloping passageway.
The passage was completely dark.
Gardevoir immediately extended her psychic senses to investigate.
"Something is blocking my scan. I can sense weak psychic energy radiating from within—not particurly strong, but… strange."
She furrowed her brow in confusion.
This was the first time she had encountered such an unfamiliar energy signature.
“I think I already know what’s down there.”
August gnced at the [Silver Wing] still in his hand, which was now glowing even more brightly.
Just then, the Unown stopped moving and arranged themselves in midair, forming an arrow pointing toward the passageway—an invitation.
Had this happened earlier, August would have refused without hesitation.
Who knew what kind of danger lurked inside?
But now, with a strong suspicion of what y ahead, he didn’t hesitate.
Without a word, he stepped forward, leading Gardevoir and Dragonair into the tunnel.
Dragonite remained outside to stand guard.
Why not bring Dragonite along?
Simple.
It was way too fat to fit.
---
It had been over twenty minutes since they lost contact with August.
On the boat, Blue, Professor Oak, and Professor Cerise were growing anxious.
Although Blue had previously explored part of the ruins without encountering danger, the ocean was a vast and unpredictable domain—anything could happen.
Just then, a rapid beep-beep-beep came from Professor Cerise’s monitoring device.
His expression turned serious.
“I’m detecting a high-energy reaction from below!”
“High energy? Is there a battle happening?” Professor Oak asked.
If it were on the surface, that wouldn’t be a problem.
But underwater? That was a whole different story.
Professor Cerise examined the energy readings closely.
“…It doesn’t look like a battle.”
“Not a battle?”
Professor Oak leaned in to check the screen.
Indeed, while the device detected two distinct Psychic-type energy signatures, they remained stable—there was no indication of conflict.
Blue let out a breath of relief.
“Should we go down and help?” Professor Cerise asked.
Even if it wasn’t a battle, such a sudden spike in energy couldn’t be normal.
Professor Oak pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
“…Let’s trust August.”
