Chapter – 6

Aman had already crossed nearly half the distance to the island, yet surprisingly, not a single Pokémon had attacked him.

The only creatures he had encountered so far were fish.

Actual, normal fish.

For a brief moment, he had even wondered whether this was what his guide had been referring to when it mentioned Pokémon living in the lake. Maybe it simply didn’t know about the difference between Pokémon and other ordinary animals.

As he swam, he occasionally dove beneath the surface to check for any hidden dangers. The last thing he wanted was to discover some aquatic predator lurking beneath him after it had already taken a bite out of his leg.

So far, however, the underwater scenery had been surprisingly peaceful.

Schools of colorful fish swam between waving aquatic plants and clusters of smooth, brightly colored stones scattered across the lakebed. Shafts of sunlight pierced the clear water from above, creating a calm and almost dreamlike scene.

For a while, Aman actually started relaxing.

That turned out to be a mistake.

The peaceful atmosphere wasn’t evidence that the lake lacked dangerous Pokémon. The dangerous Pokémon were simply too busy having a late lunch to care about him.

During his latest dive, Aman finally spotted something.

The creature resembled a small blue squid with red gemstones embedded in its head. More importantly, it was very clearly a Pokémon.

Aman watched as it trapped an unsuspecting fish between its two tentacles before casually finishing it off with a series of purple projectiles.

The exact same purple projectiles the bug Pokémon had used on him earlier.

Seeing that, Aman immediately decided he wanted absolutely nothing to do with the aquatic murder squid.

Thankfully, the creature seemed far more interested in its meal than in him.

Aman took advantage of that fact and quietly increased the distance between them before resurfacing.

Unfortunately, it seemed the dungeon was having far too much fun watching his misery.

Because just as Aman finally neared the island and believed the rest of his journey would be uneventful, he noticed another Pokémon.

Or more accurately, it noticed him first.

The creature resembled a large white fish marked with patches of red. The moment its eyes landed on Aman, its horn began glowing ominously with mana before it immediately started swimming toward him.

Fast. Very fast.

Aman’s heart nearly stopped.

His spells were certainly powerful for a Tier I mage. Unfortunately, they also possessed one very significant drawback.

Lightning and water generally did not mix well.

Or rather, they mixed far too well.

If Aman attempted to cast his usual spells while floating in a lake, he was significantly more likely to electrocute himself than his target.

Faced with that deeply unpleasant reality, Aman did the only sensible thing available.

He panicked and started swimming.

Aman wasn’t particularly athletic. His experience with swimming mostly consisted of occasional recreational outings with his fellow apprentices to the nearby lake.

Apparently, however, impending death was an excellent motivator.

Within moments, he was moving through the water faster than he ever had in his entire life.

The pursuing Pokémon continued closing the distance while Aman continued questioning every life choice that had led him to this exact moment.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity but was probably only a few minutes, his feet finally touched solid ground.

Aman practically launched himself out of the lake.

The moment he reached dry land, mana surged through his body as he prepared for another difficult battle.

The fish Pokémon had other ideas.

It stopped at the edge of the water.

For several long seconds, the creature simply watched him.

Then, to Aman’s complete confusion, it gave him a small nod before turning around and swimming away.

Aman stood there, dripping wet and thoroughly bewildered.

Several moments passed before understanding finally dawned on him.

The island was a safe zone.

Not just a small clearing like the one he had rested in earlier, but an actual safe zone encompassing the entire island.

The realization wasn’t based solely on the actions of a single fish Pokémon.

It was because Aman had finally started noticing the other inhabitants of the island.

They were everywhere.

Another bug Pokémon, green one this time, crawled lazily through the grass, occasionally stopping to nibble on leaves before continuing on its way.

Nearby, the familiar forms of two meowth chased each other around the roots of the massive tree, swatting playfully with their paws and rolling through the grass in mock combat.

Resting near the water’s edge was perhaps the strangest creature of all.

It was a large pink beast with a wide tail and perpetually vacant eyes. The Pokémon was partially submerged in the shallows, staring out across the lake with such complete and utter indifference that Aman briefly wondered if it was asleep with its eyes open.

Whatever the case, none of them seemed particularly interested in his existence.

Just like his little guide back in the clearing.

None of them attacked. None of them looked hostile.

Most barely even acknowledged his existence before returning to whatever they had been doing beforehand.

As soon as the realization settled into his mind, Aman immediately dropped onto the ground and took a much-needed rest.

He didn’t even care about the rocks digging into his back.

His arms and legs throbbed from the frantic swimming, while his lungs still felt like they were on fire from his desperate sprint across the lake. After spending most of the day fighting monsters, wandering through a maze and nearly becoming fish food, simply lying still felt heavenly.

Eventually his breathing returned to normal.

Some time later, long enough for the water on his skin to mostly dry, Aman finally forced himself back onto his feet.

Unfortunately, he still had a job to do.

Professor Oak’s bag wasn’t going to find itself.

After spending several minutes searching the shoreline without success, Aman once again employed the tried and true strategy that had somehow become the cornerstone of this entire expedition.

Asking Pokémon for directions.

Unfortunately, this time it didn’t work.

Whether the island’s inhabitants didn’t understand what he was asking or simply weren’t interested in becoming his new tour guides, Aman couldn’t tell. Either way, none of them were particularly helpful.

With no other choice available, Aman began the painstaking process of searching the island manually.

Fortunately, the island wasn’t particularly large.

Unfortunately, it was still large enough to waste a considerable amount of time.

By the time he finally found what he was looking for, the sun had already begun descending toward the horizon.

He found Professor Oak’s bag.

He also found something else.

It was a small wooden structure built atop several raised pillars. The roof curved gently downward on both sides and was covered with neatly arranged tiles. At first glance, it looked like a miniature house constructed specifically for a very small resident.

And perhaps it was.

Because Aman could clearly see a figure resting inside.

His first thought was that he had discovered the home of some particularly important Pokémon.

That seemed slightly odd.

While the dungeon had certainly demonstrated creativity before, constructing an actual building for one of its creatures felt strangely excessive. Still, it was preferable to another elaborate death trap.

More importantly, Professor Oak’s bag was sitting directly in front of the structure.

Aman immediately assumed one of the island’s inhabitants had discovered the bag and taken a liking to it.

Not wanting to accidentally anger whatever creature lived there, he decided to be polite.

“Hello,” Aman called out softly. “I apologize for disturbing your rest, but this bag belongs to a friend of mine and I would like to return it to him.”

He waited. Nothing happened.

After another few moments of silence, Aman slowly approached the structure and carefully peered inside.

Then he blinked.

Followed by another blink.

The shadows had obscured the interior from a distance, but now that he stood closer, he finally realized the truth.

The figure inside wasn’t a Pokémon.

Well, technically it was. It simply wasn’t alive.

Instead, it was a statue.

A remarkably detailed statue.

The creature depicted within looked vaguely humanoid. It possessed a small childlike body covered in green coloration, a pair of antennae atop its head and delicate wings sprouting from its back.

Even carved from wood, it somehow radiated an oddly serene presence.

Aman’s eyes slowly widened as the true significance of the structure finally dawned on him.

It wasn’t a small house.

It was a shrine.

Immediately, a dozen questions surfaced within his mind.

Why was there a shrine here?

Who was the Pokémon inside? Was it the boss of this floor?

If it was, then why wasn’t the shrine located near the boss arena?

And if it wasn’t the boss, what exactly did it mean that the dungeon considered this particular Pokémon important enough to deserve a shrine in the center of the island?

Those were very good questions.

Unfortunately, they were also questions for someone significantly more wiser and interested in the mysteries of the dungeon than Aman.

Someone like Professor Oak. Or his master.

Or literally any researcher willing to spend weeks studying a wooden statue inside a very dangerous dungeon.

Aman, however, was currently more interested in leaving this place alive.

So after giving the shrine one final curious glance, he picked up Professor Oak’s bag and headed back toward the shoreline.

Halfway there, another thought occurred to him.

Curious, Aman opened the bag and peeked inside. Then he immediately cursed.

Books.

Three very ordinary books made of very ordinary paper.

The kind of paper that reacted extremely poorly to large quantities of water.

Professor Oak had specifically mentioned that the bag contained important research notes. Allowing those notes to be ruined would be a spectacularly terrible way to repay the man for all his help.

Unfortunately, Aman had a problem. His own belongings were still sitting on the opposite shore.

After several moments of futile thinking, Aman finally settled on the only solution available.

It wasn’t a particularly good solution. However, it should be enough to get the job done.

At least, that was what Aman told himself as he carefully secured Professor Oak’s bag atop his head as best he could before stepping toward the water.

With one final glance at the darkening sky, Aman waded into the lake and began swimming toward the distant shoreline.

This time, he completely abandoned any attempt at watching for danger. His only goal was reaching the other side before either he or Professor Oak’s precious books ended up soaked beyond repair.

Hopefully luck would be on his side.

After the day he had already endured, Aman felt he had earned at least a little of it.

---

Aman finally reached the shore where he had parted ways with his little guide, wet and chilled to the bone, but otherwise completely unharmed.

The dungeon, it seemed, had finally decided to take pity on his poor soul.

The first thing he did was untie Professor Oak’s bag from atop his head and inspect its contents.

The books were safe. Mostly.

The bag itself was damp and the journals had suffered some minor wrinkles, but they remained perfectly dry. Considering they had just survived a swim across an entire lake, Aman considered that a victory.

A wave of relief immediately washed over him and he started looking for the rest of his belongings so he could dry himself off and finally get out of this place.

…

Where were his things?

He searched the patch of ground where he distinctly remembered leaving them.

Then he searched the entire clearing.

His clothes were nowhere to be found.

Neither was his bag, nor any of the supplies contained within it.

Aman stared at the empty ground in disbelief.

Thinking he had somehow mistaken the location, he searched an even wider area, only to find more grass, more rocks and more trees.

Nothing else.

A sudden urge to cry welled up inside him.

Night had already fallen completely, and without any clothes to protect him from the elements, the forest’s chill quickly began sinking into his bones. His body started shivering uncontrollably as the full reality of his situation settled over him.

Not only had he lost all of his provisions, he no longer even possessed a spare set of clothes.

After several moments of denial, Aman arrived at what he considered the only reasonable explanation.

Some Pokémon had stolen them.

His guide had certainly enjoyed his mana potions enough. Perhaps another Pokémon had developed a taste for health potions. Maybe one of them simply liked collecting colorful objects. Whatever the reason, the result remained the same.

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He was completely out of luck.

Aman immediately began cursing everything and everyone remotely responsible for his current predicament. He cursed the dungeon for existing, the Tower mages for sending him here, his master for volunteering him, and even Professor Oak for conveniently forgetting to mention that the local area was considered the property of a dungeon.

All the while, he attempted to build a campfire using a collection of fallen branches and a little application of lightning magic.

The process was considerably less dignified than he would have liked.

Twice he accidentally blasted small craters into the ground before finally managing to ignite something other than the landscape itself.

Eventually, however, a small campfire crackled to life.

After spending some time warming himself beside the flames, Aman finally stood up and prepared to leave.

Thankfully, he had continued marking his route throughout the maze, even while travelling alongside his Pokémon guide. Finding his way back should therefore be significantly easier than finding his way in.

Part of him wanted to continue deeper into the forest and vent all of his frustrations on the dungeon and its creations.

The larger and considerably smarter part of him recognized that such a plan would be suicidal.

Instead, he settled on a much safer target.

Professor Oak.

Aman was going to march right back to that strange house of his and give the eccentric researcher a piece of his mind about sending apprentice mages into potentially deadly dungeons without even informing them of its existence.

And so Aman extinguished the campfire, picked up Professor Oak’s precious bag and began following the faded markings back toward the dungeon entrance.

Unbeknownst to him, Aman had actually come remarkably close to the truth.

Hikaru had indeed stolen the bag. The rest, however, had nothing to do with him.

After taking the bag, Hikaru had completely ignored the discarded clothes. Unfortunately, he had forgotten one very important detail.

He and Aman were not the only inhabitants of Viridian Forest.

Some time later, a curious little Starly had spotted the abandoned garments while flying overhead. The blue silk robes immediately caught its attention. They were colorful, surprisingly soft and, most importantly, looked perfect for nest building.

One thief had quickly became four as the Pokémon returned to its flock and proudly shared its discovery.

By the end of the evening, Aman’s robes and the rest of his clothes had been thoroughly dismantled and incorporated into several exceptionally luxurious nests high in the trees on the opposite side of the forest.

Aman, of course, had absolutely no way of knowing any of this.

Thus the apprentice mage spent the next several hours trudging naked through a dark and oppressive forest while shivering from the cold and mentally preparing an increasingly lengthy list of complaints for Professor Oak.

The dungeon itself seemed to have sensed his foul mood, because during the few hours it took Aman to retrace his path back to the entrance, he was mostly left unbothered by its denizens.

In reality, the consciousness of said dungeon was currently too busy banging his head against the metaphorical wall that was an enchanted canteen to pay any attention to Aman’s suffering.

Hikaru had simply forgotten one very important detail. The creatures he created were not nocturnal. Just like normal animals, most of them preferred sleeping at night.

By the time Aman finally escaped the clutches of Viridian Forest and stepped beyond the wall of trees, exhaustion had long since replaced his anger. All he wanted was to find a safe place to sleep.

Unfortunately, before he could do that, there was still one matter that needed addressing.

So, spotting the familiar red-roofed structure in the distance, Aman immediately marched straight toward it.

The glass doors of the Pokécenter slid open with a soft hiss as he approached. Stepping inside, Aman immediately felt his entire body relax. The interior was pleasantly warm compared to the freezing forest outside.

With night having fully fallen, most of the lights inside had been dimmed. The strange machine on the left side of the room provided the only significant source of illumination, bathing the laboratory in a faint glow.

The place was completely empty.

Right. It was well past midnight.

Professor Oak was probably asleep.

Still, Aman had a task to complete. The old mage could afford to wake up for this.

“Professor Oak!” Aman called out into the silent building. “I am back.”

For several moments, nothing happened. Then he heard hurried footsteps descending from the moving staircase above.

A moment later, Professor Oak appeared.

“Oh! Apprentice Aman, you’re back.” The old researcher adjusted his white coat and offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I got a little absorbed in my research.”

Aman noticed the wrinkled clothes and disheveled hair. The old mage looked exactly like someone who had fallen asleep at his desk. Aman knew the experience all too well.

Before Professor Oak could begin any polite conversation, Aman strode forward, dropped the recovered bag onto the nearest table and immediately declared,

“Viridian Forest is a dungeon. Your Pokémon are all dungeon creatures.”

There. He had said it.

During the journey back, Aman had spent considerable effort trying to figure out how to broach the subject tactfully. Unfortunately, somewhere between losing all of his possessions and spending several hours naked inside a dungeon, his patience had finally run out.

Professor Oak blinked.

“How did you know?”