All the Lunatone were orbiting around a central point, making it impossible for Maki to discern what they were surrounding.
"Lar?"
A sudden voice beside him startled Maki, who had been focused on observing the scene ahead. He turned to find a Larvitar gazing at him with a curious expression. Maki quickly reached out to cover its mouth.
"Shh~"
He wasn't sure if the Pokémon would understand, but in this situation, it was the best he could do.
Unfortunately, Maki's plan failed. Lunatone were naturally sensitive to psychic energy. Earlier, Maki had barely avoided detection while following them from afar. The small noise from Larvitar had certainly caught their attention.
However, the Lunatone showed little reaction, as if the sound was something familiar. Only one or two turned to glance in their direction.
Then, Maki's presence was exposed.
With telepathic communication, the Lunatone that had noticed him quickly informed the others. In an instant, all the Lunatone turned toward him.
The sight made Maki's heart skip a beat. The number of Lunatone here was easily in the thousands—likely no fewer than the Solrock floating above. Even if they had all been Rattata, such a massive group would still be terrifying, not to mention these were powerful Psychic-type Pokémon.
Their strength varied. Some were as weak as the first one Maki had encountered, but others radiated immense psychic power at a glance.
Even Dragonite would hesitate to face such a gathering—let alone with so many Solrock overhead.
Oddly, the Solrock continued to hover without reacting, even after spotting Maki.
"This isn't looking good..."
Maki's mouth twitched as he released Larvitar, who pointed toward him as if trying to explain something. Maki had only come to explore but was now being welcomed by such a grand spectacle?
Just as Maki reached for Dragonite's Poké Ball, the ground trembled. The Lunatone froze in place.
A massive Pokémon approached—its slow, heavy footsteps making the earth groan.
The Tyrant of Sandstorms—Tyranitar!
Larvitar's eyes sparkled at the sight of Tyranitar. It eagerly ran toward the towering figure, its small feet thudding against the ground.
"Lar!"
"Ty!"
Tyranitar placed its huge hand on Larvitar's head, nearly crushing the ground beneath them. Its stern expression suggested it was scolding the little Pokémon for wandering here. It pointed toward the exit, signaling for Larvitar to leave.
Larvitar shook its head and pointed at Maki.
Tyranitar's gaze shifted toward him.
"Tyra!"
It let out a low growl, warning Maki to leave. Yet surprisingly, it made no move to attack.
Tyranitar's reputation as a violent Pokémon was well-known—but here, it was restraining itself.
It then roared toward the Lunatone, prompting them to withdraw their gaze from Maki.
Even in the Pokémon world, strength commands authority. The Lunatone obediently followed Tyranitar's orders.
As they shifted, Maki glimpsed what they had been guarding—a massive altar.
Only part of it was visible, but the ancient structure was unmistakable.
Why would such an altar exist inside Mt. Moon?
Mt. Moon was famous for its Clefairy, rumored to perform mysterious rituals under the full moon. Yet there were no legends involving Lunatone or Solrock.
The Solrock began spinning slowly, gathering solar energy at an accelerated pace. The accumulated energy flowed toward the altar's center.
The altar itself was empty, adorned only with a few crumbling pillars and worn tiles.
However, above the altar, there was a faint spatial rift—barely perceptible, like a thin crack in the fabric of reality.
Initially, Maki thought the Lunatone and Solrock were trying to open the rift. But after observing their ritual, he realized they were suppressing its expansion.
Whenever the rift threatened to widen, the Pokémon's energy would stabilize it.
"Tyra!"
Tyranitar stood protectively in front of Maki, casting a massive shadow over him.
Without hesitation, Maki released Dragonite from its Ultra Ball and recalled Cottonee to safety.
Tyranitar was an unpredictable factor—let alone the altar and the rift above it.
Whatever lay beyond that spatial rift, Maki had no doubt it led to somewhere far from friendly.
"Booo!"
Dragonite emerged, narrowing its eyes at Tyranitar. It glanced at Maki with mild exasperation—where did he keep finding such powerful Pokémon?
This Tyranitar was near Champion-level—undisputed ruler of Mt. Moon.
Yet the real danger was the rift.
Dragonite's gaze shifted to the crack, sensing the same ominous energy Maki had felt.
As if in response to Dragonite's appearance, the rift abruptly widened, streaked with eerie blue light—like the color of the sky, yet subtly unnatural.
A black, tubular structure slowly emerged from the other side of the rift...
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