Elf: Re-employment of retired champion of Padiya

Chapter 825 Keshi's Expectations
At least from what I saw through the mental power transmitted by Kish, it seemed that Zorroark was fighting something to protect Zorroark.

That oppressive atmosphere, like a desperate struggle, was clearly not right.

It doesn't seem like they're seeking revenge on humans; rather, they seem to be facing some unknown threat.

It's unclear whether the threat originated from humans or other Pokémon.

After all, the scene was almost entirely filled with a bizarre illusion created by the resentful energy released by Zoroark.

It's impossible to see the specifics of the situation.

Luo Mu didn't bother to analyze these things frame by frame. Besides, those images only flashed through his mind and didn't become permanent "videos".

Compared to Bin Lian, who was worried about testing his target, Luo Mu's own perspective was clearly quite different.

"If this ability is used properly, it could totally be used to build a themed haunted house!"

While many Ghost-type Pokémon can create illusions, only the Zoroark family considers this ability a racial trait.

Even Zoroark, whose "prototype" is the evil attribute, can only change his appearance to the point of being indistinguishable from the real thing.

However, it still cannot achieve the large-scale construction of illusions to influence the environment like the Zorroark.

Even if it wasn't as a test, Luo Mu still wanted to see this ability for himself.

It just so happens that they all came together this time.

He stroked his chin and said in a calm tone, "I'm certain that the target of the test is the Zoroark you mentioned."

"Could you take me to the Ice Pillar Cave? I want to go there right away."

"Immediately?" Bin Lian looked troubled.

Zhu Bei looked up at the gray sky and also advised, "If we want to go to the Ice Pillar Cave, judging from the weather, a blizzard is about to hit again, and we may not have enough time left today to leave before dark."

"Why don't we rest tonight and set off early tomorrow morning?"

In fact, this was their usual pace of doing things, and Luo Mu had listened to Zhu Bei's advice and maintained a steady approach to their work.

This time, however, Luo Mu shook his head. "No, we'll set off immediately."

Standing atop a massive ice rock, he gazed out at the pure white earth in the distance.

There was no problem walking at a normal pace, but he had a strange intuition.

I should try to get there as early as possible.

Otherwise, you might miss something important.

Since Luo Mu had already said so, Bin Lian and Zhu Bei naturally couldn't continue to persuade him.

Thinking about it carefully, that makes sense.

The opponent can simultaneously pacify the Snowfield King and the Sky King. The pure white tundra, which is fraught with danger for me, is nothing to them.

Fatigue is not a difficult problem. With the current physical condition of the people who live in Xicui, they can stay up for a few days occasionally without any problems.

Since Luo Mu is worried that things might get complicated if they wait too long, then they should just accompany each other on this trip.

Soon, Zhubei and Binlian made the necessary arrangements. The Pearl Team members stayed behind to handle the aftermath of the battle on the icy mountain, while the two of them acted as guides, leading Luo Mu to a place called Ice Pillar Cave.

As the three embarked on their journey to the Ice Pillar Cave.

As the space rippled like the surface of water where pebbles had fallen, a petite figure quietly appeared above the ice rock where they had once stood.

It is the Knowledge Pokémon, the god of knowledge who bestowed wisdom upon humankind—Uxie.

At this moment, Yukshina's rarely opened, squinting eyes quietly opened a crack, and the yellow pupils within them stared intently at the departing figures of the three.

In fact, unlike what Luo Mu had imagined, Yu Kexi did not rush to leave Wise Lake to begin its own trials.

It was neither like Arknom, who liked to put on airs, nor like Emlid, who loved to play tricks; it had a clear understanding of the current situation.

As a disseminator of knowledge and wisdom, it is not in a hurry to complete the tasks it has been assigned.

Now that the other party has passed two tests, they will come looking for me sooner or later.

The reason it took the initiative to approach Luo Mu involves a past connection.
A memory from the past surfaced in Yukeshi's mind.

That happened when it accidentally awoke after successfully completing its mission and responsibilities, spreading knowledge and wisdom, and then slumbering in another dimension to pass the long time.

The wind and snow howled, and the lake froze.

A thin figure collapsed in front of it, which had just woken up.

The other person's hair was disheveled, and the gaps between it were filled with snow and frost. Due to malnutrition, their body was shivering in the wind and snow, and it looked like they were about to die.

This is not an uncommon occurrence for Yukshi.

From the very beginning of creation, through a long period of time, it has become accustomed to such things.

But for some reason, perhaps because they were in different but overlapping spaces, Yukshi felt a pang of pity upon sensing the other's will to survive.

It broke its own self-imposed rule of no longer interfering with worldly constraints.

He saved the other person and bestowed upon them the wisdom he possessed.

This will enable them to make better use of their innate talents and survive on this harsh land.

Yukshi, who never showed up, simply did something to please him and didn't pay much attention to him anymore.

However, when it occasionally awakens, it will subconsciously use its mental power to lock onto the other party's aura on this land, and take a look from afar to see how the other party is doing.

Until recently, due to the imbalance of space and time, Yukishi, who had been asleep for a considerable period of time since the last time, woke up again.

In addition to casting a wide net, it also pinpointed the location of the other party.

To X's surprise, the opponent, who had already evolved, was accompanied by an adorable little blue creature.

Those are undoubtedly the other party's descendants.

But Yukshi cared more about other things than about the other party's descendants.

Because what lingers around the other person is undoubtedly...
At this moment, Yukeshi suddenly realized that so much time had passed.

Having grown to the point where it is a Ghost-type Pokémon, it is already nearing its limit.

If that's all there is to it, Yukish will feel disappointed, but she will not choose to interfere further.

Yukishi has been doing this ever since she awoke.

Until recently, it suddenly discovered that the other party seemed to have encountered some trouble.
But this time, no matter what, Yukishi couldn't go down to help the opponent.

The previous help was merely a matter of its own interest and wouldn't have any lasting impact, but this time it took the initiative to help, which completely changed the situation. All it could do was use this test to get the human who had already passed two tests and whose strange aura was so obvious that someone had clearly sabotaged them to try and interfere.

Because they don't keep in touch, Yukishi doesn't really know what kind of person the other is, let alone whether the other has the ability and strength to deal with the trouble that little guy is currently facing.

But even without power, it doesn't matter. Humanity's strength lies in its ability to use the wisdom it has imparted to find a way out of a predicament.

Yukshi firmly believed this.

Come on, let me see how you will use your wisdom to reverse that tragic future.

If it had been any later, it would have been too late.

At least, let it leave in peace.

"After passing through the canyon of Ice Ghost Falls and going through the cave, we arrived at Avalanche Slope."

"Not far from this avalanche slope, there is a passage leading to the ice pillar cave, which is made up of countless honeycomb-like holes."

"The number of wild Pokémon living inside is even denser than outside. Once you go in, it's difficult to rest unless you find an exit. That's why we don't recommend coming directly without resting."

Binlian, who has extensive experience in the field, spoke eloquently about his understanding of the environment.

But at the end, his voice suddenly paused.

Their gazes also fell on the enormous, sticky creature that was following Luo Mu.

Clearly, he was recalling his earlier search for the cave entrance while traversing the canyon of Ice Ghost Falls.

The terrifying defensive power displayed by the Ice Oni Guardians who were chasing after them like madmen, using the terrifying move "Big Bang".
You should know that in the Pearl Settlement, everyone considers approaching Ice Ghost Falls to be a suicide mission.

Almost no one could withstand an attack of that magnitude.

Therefore, they would rather take a detour or choose a climb with equally high risks to cross the mountains than take that shortcut.

But both Binlian and Zhubei still vividly remembered what had just happened.

Faced with the swarming Ice Demon Guardians, whose energy was surging violently and were about to self-destruct, Luo Mu's released Sticky Meadow's hard metal shell became the most solid barrier at that moment.

boom! boom! boom--!
Deafening explosions echoed one after another in the narrow canyon, and violent energy shockwaves mixed with ice shards and rocks raged wildly, causing ice blocks to fall from the stone walls on both sides.

However, the strange metallic shell covering Nume, which was at the center of the explosion, showed amazing resilience at the moment of impact.

The shell doesn't directly withstand the impact; instead, it ripples gently like flowing liquid, efficiently dispersing, transmitting, absorbing, and dissolving the destructive force in a peculiar way.

After the intense explosion subsided, Nianmei'er's body only swayed slightly. Although her metallic shell wasn't completely free of scratches, it wasn't seriously damaged either.

Relying on Nianmei'er's unshakeable and super strong shield, Luo Mu, Zhu Bei, and Bin Lian were able to quickly cross the canyon unharmed, leaving behind only a mess of explosion remnants and the group of Ice Ghost Guardians who were exhausted and collapsed on the ground, in a brief state of paralysis.

Binlian still finds it hard to believe when he recalls that scene.

This level of defense is somewhat overpowered.

However, only Luo Mu knew how Nian Mei'er had helped him and the others survive the series of massive explosions.

—Steel-type move "Seclusion".

Not only does it increase defense, it also increases Numia's evasion rate, causing many "big explosions" to miss, and Numia herself didn't actually suffer that many explosions.

It's no wonder that Pokémon has a snail shell; it's incredibly gifted when it comes to defense.

Following Binlian's directions, the three quickly found the honeycomb-like opening below the avalanche slope.

The numerous entrances to the ice caves resembled the lair of a giant beast, opening up dark, gaping mouths on the snow-covered slopes and radiating a chilling aura.

Along the way, Binlian told Luo Mu, as if recounting an interesting anecdote, about how the avalanche slope behind them used to be a small village.

However, compared to the lost village, the three's main destination was the Ice Pillar Cave.

“This is it.” Binlian stopped in front of a relatively wide cave entrance and pointed inside. “The passages inside are intricate and complex; one can easily lose their way if they’re not careful.”

Having already been advised against it, Zhu Bei had no intention of dissuading her further. She simply took out the rope she would need to descend from the height from her baggage.

Luo Mu stood at the edge of the cave entrance, with Nian Meier close behind. The metal shell of Nian Meier reflected a cold light at the cave entrance.

The opening is wide enough to allow multiple people to pass through at the same time.

However, when Pearl Shell finally prepared the rope to go down and was about to ask Luo Mu and Master Bin to go down first...

—Luo Mu and Bin Lian were already standing below.

Binlian naturally demonstrated his ability to climb the ice wall with his bare hands, while Luo Mu, after being briefly enhanced by the infinite energy of Victini on his head, successfully and easily landed via a Leap of Faith.

Pearl Shell: (〃＞＿＜;〃)！

You guys make me look really stupid!

After Pearl Shell slowly descended using the rope, a bright and clear view suddenly appeared before her eyes—

Countless icicles rose from the ground, resembling a frozen forest.

These icicles vary in thickness, some as thin as an arm, others requiring several people to encircle them, and their surfaces are covered with unique natural patterns.

Icicles hanging from the cave ceiling connect with icicles rising from the ground, forming natural arches. Faint light refracts through the ice, weaving a ghostly blue net of light within the cave.

The irregular arrangement of ice pillars and ice walls, coupled with the extremely low recognizability of ice, makes this place look rather bizarre and surreal, as if one has stumbled into some strange world from which there is no way out.

"Stay close to me," Binlian said in a low voice. "From now on, we'll have to mark our way forward."

Binlian's experience was trustworthy; he helped Luo Mu and Zhu Bei avoid many threats.

Occasionally, they would encounter wild Pokémon blocking their way, but the opponents couldn't do anything to Goodie, who was a big, meaty creature. In addition, Shellder and Hammer were also quite strong, so their progress was very smooth.

The three walked among the ice pillars, their footsteps echoing in the empty cave. The deeper they went, the lower the temperature became, and their breath instantly condensed into ice crystals. Even the surface of Nianmei'er's snail shell was covered with a thin layer of frost.

Do you know where they live?

Following behind Binlian, Luo Mu asked.

He considered that if Binlian was unsure, he would take a small risk and quickly pinpoint the location.

Binlian's answer was quite unexpected for Luo Mu.

“I don’t know where it is.” He shook his head first, then looked into the depths of the ice cave. “But I do know that their species tends to live far away from the habitats of other creatures.”

"So, we just need to go deeper and deeper. The fewer wild Pokémon there are, the more likely we are to find them."

Binlian pointed forward, a faint smile on his face.

(End of this chapter)