Elf: Re-employment of retired champion of Padiya

Chapter 826 Dream Demon and Forbidden Land

The Pokémon ecosystem inside the Ice Pillar Cave is surprisingly rich.

It's not just Ice-type Pokémon that inhabit this place.

Some Pokémon with good cold resistance, or those that can freely enter and exit this underground ice cave, can also be seen.

Furthermore, because it was approaching nighttime, some Ghost-type Pokémon could even be seen.

—Just like now.

Before the three people advancing, specks of eerie purple flames had appeared in the ice cave passage.

These flames seemed to have a life of their own, drifting and moving among the ice pillars, sometimes gathering into clusters, sometimes scattering like stars.

Their light was neither scorching nor did it radiate heat; instead, it carried a chilling coldness, casting an eerie purple glow on the surrounding ice walls.

Without a doubt, that was the terrifying thing called "will-o'-the-wisp," enough to stop a child from crying at night.

As the will-o'-the-wisps danced, faint chuckles and cries echoed from within the ice cave.

The laughter was ethereal and otherworldly, as if it came from another dimension, refracting back and forth among the ice pillars to create a chilling echo.

If a typical timid girl were here, she would probably have screamed in fright.

But the three of them had almost the same expression—

Luo Mu & Bin Lian & Zhu Bei: (_)
Seeing that the three people didn't react at all, the will-o'-the-wisp gradually began to transform into various distorted shapes—

Sometimes it resembles a hideous ghost face, sometimes a withered ghost hand, and sometimes it transforms into a fleeting ghostly form.

These phantoms cast distorted reflections on the ice wall, as if countless indescribable things were writhing within the ice.

A sinister atmosphere filled the air, and the temperature seemed to drop even further.

But the three of them remained expressionless as they stared at the will-o'-the-wisp, as if to say—

That’s it?
Perhaps it was the three people's lack of reaction that provoked the other party, as the will-o'-the-wisp danced faster and faster, almost weaving a huge net of light in the passage.

The flickering purple light, combined with the incessant chuckles, truly created an eerie and frightening atmosphere that unsettled the mind.

Unfortunately, none of the three people present were normal.

Zhubei doesn't feel cold at all; she just thinks the temperature is pretty good today.

Binlian himself was well-informed and experienced, and he also believed that his well-trained body would not be "taken advantage of".

As for Luo Mu, he pointed at the wildly dancing will-o'-the-wisp and burst out laughing.

"Hey, they're getting impatient!"

next moment.

The faint, menacing chuckles that created the atmosphere of terror completely transformed into a furious shriek.

The dancing will-o'-the-wisps stopped, and in their midst, dark green figures solidified, transforming into large-headed dolls with hair that flew like flames and a circle of red beads around their necks.

—Night Cry Pokémon, Misdreavus.

Judging from their numbers, there are at least a dozen of them.

Now they float in mid-air, their slightly annoyed eyes glaring at Luo Mu, who had mocked their masterpiece, a faint hostility spreading through the passage.

The purpose of them blocking the road before was mostly to intimidate and frighten Luo Mu and his companions, so as to extract their fear.

This is also why many Ghost-type Pokémon are keen on scaring people.

But now, having accomplished nothing and been ridiculed, they just want to tear Luo Mu's mouth apart!

"Mmm!"

The lead dream demon let out a high-pitched cry like a child's nighttime wail, which seemed to imply an intention to "attack".

Since the illusions can't scare Luo Mu and the others, we should just beat them until they feel fear.

These dream monsters began to gather elemental energy and unleash their attacks.
A dense concentration of ghost-type energy instantly filled the entire passage.

Before Binlian and Zhubei could each release their Pokémon to fight, Luo Mu spoke up.

"Flame bomb".

In an instant.

The temperature inside the passage rose rapidly due to the drop in temperature caused by the Dream Demons. Scorching flames erupted from Luo Mu's head, bursting forth in a raging inferno!

Compared to the will-o'-the-wisps of dream monsters, which resemble kindergarten toys, this is a true flame.

As for the Pokémon that used this move, it was naturally Victini, which floated above Luo Mu's head and looked harmless.

As the Victory Star, its moves are equally powerful.

"Oh my god—"

Nestled in Luo Mu's arms, Xie Mi instinctively shrank her neck, which didn't even have any neck at all, due to the rising temperature around her.

This was the first time it had ever seen Bictini make a move.

Victini usually serves as a support character, but I never expected its moves to be so terrifying.

What happened to everyone being a cute mascot?

Mimi originally boasted that she was a powerful mascot who was both cute and strong in battle, and that Victini, Talebagos, Cosmog and the like could not compare to her!
Even with her attributes being countered, Mimi is no longer a clown!
After the raging flames subsided, apart from the melted ice around them, most of the Dream Demons that were just preparing to unleash their attacks lay sprawled on the ground, their bodies bearing the burn marks left by their previous attacks.

Compared to the dumbfounded Zhu Bei and Bin Lian, Luo Mu, when he turned his gaze to the center of the dissipating black smoke, seemed to see something unexpected, and he subconsciously let out a soft exclamation.

"what?"

If I'm not mistaken, that battered but still conscious and mobile dream monster actually withstood Victini's attack.
Although Fireball is an area-of-effect attack, its power has been slightly reduced because Victini prioritizes clearing effects, and Misdreavus's Special Defense is also quite good.

But this is already surprising enough.

It seems that the dream monster has reached the level where it can evolve, but it is just lacking the necessary items.

"Then—"

"V-Flame".

Luo Mu waved his hand, and what followed was a V-shaped charge with even more intense flames burning on Catherine's forehead!
".!"

Before it could catch its breath, the Dream Demon's pupils contracted. It didn't even have time to beg for mercy and could only watch helplessly as Victini charged toward it at high speed.

Just as the heatwave drew ever closer, Dream Demon closed her eyes in despair, a hint of reluctance flashing in her eyes, only to be stopped by Hama Ren.

Luo Mu spoke up once again.

"stop."

- Swish!

With the surge of spiritual energy, Victini's movements abruptly stopped in mid-air, the flames with terrifyingly high temperatures almost touching the Dream Demon.

The dream demon waited anxiously for a long time, but no more intense burning sensation came from her body.

It cautiously opened its eyes and happened to see the flames on Bictini's forehead dissipate, letting out a confused cry.

“Mmm.”

It didn't understand why Bictini didn't choose to deliver the fatal blow.

At this time.

Luo Mu, who seemed to have made a decision, spoke up.

"I can let you go and not pursue the matter of your intimidation and attack on us. I can even treat your wounds later."

"But in exchange, I need you to tell me exactly where you learned about these illusions."

The words fell.

Binlian and Zhubei turned their attention to Luo Mu's profile.

Luo Mu didn't offer any explanation to the two of them; he simply met the surprised gaze from Meng Yao with an air of certainty.

He noticed it when the illusion appeared. These dream monsters are very likely related to Zoroark, who was his test subject.

The fundamental evidence is that the illusions they use to frighten people bear some resemblance to the illusions created by Zoroark when he unleashed his power in the few fragments that flashed through my mind.

However, if the illusion created by Zorroark could truly scare people crazy, then the illusion created by these dream monsters was merely a superficial imitation, having form but failing to frighten anyone at all.

So after connecting the Dream Demons with Zoroark, Luo Mu immediately told Victini to stop.

Luo Mu knew that his empty words were not enough to make the dream demon lower its guard and trust him.

To show his sincerity, he distributed some wound medicine and burn medicine that he had made in his workshop in Yupu to Zhubei and Binlian.

He gestured for the two to go and treat the wounds of the Dream Demons that were lying haphazardly on the ice.

The two didn't foolishly ask Luo Mu why he did this; they simply buried themselves in their work.

Bictini returned to Luo Mu's side, this time perching on his right shoulder, looking just like a harmless mascot.

—This is on the premise that Shaymin didn't see what it looked like when it unleashed its attack.

As the dream monsters recovered and their wounds healed...
Even though the leading dreavus still couldn't trust humans, it hesitated for a few seconds before finally bowing its head.

There was nothing we could do; the other party had the bigger fist.

If they don't back down, they'll seem rather ungrateful.

Although it has a lot of clever tricks up its sleeve, it won't risk its own ghostly safety.

With Shaymin, a small and portable translator, Luo Mu doesn't need to summon Moltres to communicate with the leader of the Misdreavus.

He quickly figured out how the group of dream demons had constructed the illusion that resembled the Zoroark illusion.

According to Mengyao, there is a "forbidden place" deep within this ice pillar cave.

There are almost no Pokémon activities there, and it is said that Pokémon that go there return with varying degrees of madness and obsession.

This is all because the owner of that "forbidden land" seems to have created a terrifying illusion that prevents any Pokémon from getting close to it.

They create similar illusions because their Misdreavus, as quirky Pokémon, are enthusiastic about all sorts of novel things.

Having heard of its existence, and being relatively new to the world, they fearlessly set off together for that "forbidden land."

As expected, they got stuck.

Even as Ghost-type Pokémon, they couldn't withstand the illusions that were beyond their comprehension.

But just when they thought they were doomed and would become like those rumored mad Pokémon...

Deep within those chaotic illusions, a pair of narrow, yellow eyes without pupils opened.

Without a doubt, those eyes belonged to the owner of the "Forbidden Land".

But to the surprise of the dream demons, the other party only glanced at them, and after his gaze softened inexplicably, they were thrown out of the illusion's range.

It was as if the other party had chosen to let them go.

After that lesson, the dream monsters dared not approach that place again.

But they occasionally wander around that area.

For no other reason than to learn from existing illusion construction materials.

Unfortunately, the illusions they painstakingly cultivated were ridiculed by Luo Mu and his group the first time they were put into use.

Feeling insulted by their efforts, they became enraged and decided to retaliate. Then they were beaten down.

After listening to the description of the leader of the dream monsters through Shaymin's telepathic connection, a look of surprise flashed in Luo Mu's eyes.

He originally just wanted to find out from the dream demon if there were any relevant clues, but now it seems that he has directly bypassed all the tedious search work and arrived at the answer directly?

My luck is just too good!
Just as Luo Mu was pondering how to get the Dream Demon to lead the three of them directly to that "forbidden land"...

The lead succubus seemed to remember something and called out "Muma Muma" again.

Through Shemi's telepathic translation, Luo Mu quickly understood the meaning of what he was saying, and then his expression froze.

"That's what the dream demon said."

The owner of the "Forbidden Land" seems to have a conflict with the largest and most notorious tribe in this ice pillar cave.

But the exact reason is unclear to the dream demon.

It could be due to conflicts arising from territorial disputes, or it could be because the master of the "Forbidden Land" often rescues Pokémon that have strayed into the illusion from those guys' hunts.

In short, during the time the Dream Demons were learning from the Illusionary Realm, they often saw those guys' scouts loitering near the Illusionary Realm.

Recently, they have amassed a large number of "troops," seemingly intending to break through the illusion with sheer numbers.

Furthermore, as the Dream Demons improved their ability to construct illusions, they also noticed that the illusions of the "Forbidden Land" seemed to be weakening over time.

However, due to the attributes of those infamous creatures, they are quite effective against Dream Demons.

Although they had noticed the situation there before, they haven't dared to wander around there recently.

"."

Lost in thought, Luo Mu quickly recalled the specific appearance of the "notorious" Pokémon group described by the Dream Fairy.

Group attacks, hunting, and elemental advantages against Misdreavus—

That would most likely be Sneasel and Weavile, the villainous Pokémon with the Dark and Ice types, who have been villains for millennia.

Logically speaking, this kind of Pokémon should only appear in the Green Country region during time distortion.

But since there are ethnic groups, it means that reality and the game are different.

After all, the green-skinned Sneasel and its evolved form, Mega Sneasel, are no match for the Ghost-type Misdreavus.

Gradually, based on the information and clues gathered so far, Luo Mu quickly constructed a causal chain related to this test in his mind.

His expression immediately turned serious, and he stood up and shouted to Zhubei and Binlian, "We need to speed things up."

If he wasn't mistaken, this test would definitely require him to race against time.

After Luo Mu personally applied medicine to the wounds of the leading dream demon, he took out a pitch-black stone from his pouch.

The moment the stone appeared, the Dream Demon's gaze seemed to be beyond its control, fixed firmly on it.

The dream demon could feel its body instincts screaming wildly for that thing, an indescribable desire that was almost overwhelming its brain.

If Luo Mu hadn't already established his authority, the Dream Demon would definitely have pounced on him.

Under the longing gaze of the dream demon, Luo Mu said, "Thank you for providing the information. Consider this my personal reward."

With that, he tossed the Dark Stone in his hand toward the Dream Demon.

The Dream Demon acted before it could think, firmly biting the Dark Stone that Luo Mu had thrown out.

The moment it bit into the Dark Stone, the Dream Demon clearly sensed that the shackles that had troubled it for so long were broken by the surging energy provided by the Dark Stone.

Its body began to be covered by intense white light.

Luo Mu did not stop to wait for the Dream Demon to evolve.

In his view, he had obtained information from the dream demons, healed them as agreed, and given them extra rewards for the extra information.

This can be considered a "settlement of payment and goods".

Calling on the clueless Zhu Bei and Bin Lian, and following the specific location he had learned from the dream demon, Luo Mu led the two towards the depths of the Ice Pillar Cave.

At the same time, the dream demon also completed its transformation at the level of life.

Its size has increased compared to before its evolution. Its body color is still purple, but its head is shaped like a magician's hat, and its body is inlaid with three red gems that shimmer with an eerie light.

This Pokémon, resembling a medieval witch, is the evolved form of Misdreavus—Mistra.

After evolving, the Dream Demon, feeling the new power within its body, did not immediately unite its kind. Instead, it subconsciously looked in the direction the other party had left, its eyes gleaming with wonder.

(End of this chapter)