In a haze, Yong walked along a pitch-black road. On the surrounding mountain walls, glowstone gave off a dim, misty light.
As though unaware of what he was doing, he reached the end of the road, where the view opened up.
It was a cavern.
It was as grand as a palace.
Yet it looked as though it had endured endless years, worn away by time.
Ruined walls, broken stone platforms, and shattered steps lay jumbled together. All twelve enormous pillars around them had snapped, their countless fragments scattered across the blue-green floor.
Rows of trapezoidal recesses lined the surrounding stone walls, each roughly ten centimeters long.
Pieces of glowstone were set inside them, larger and brighter than those on the walls outside! They let Yong see every corner of the cavern.
"What... is this place...?"
An earthy smell mingled with the chill. Gusts of bitterly cold cavern wind blew into his face, sending waves of stinging pain through his body.
Yong stepped forward.
The boy looked especially small amid the ruins.
Strange letters and symbols on the rock fragments piqued Yong's curiosity. He crouched down to examine them closely.
"I can't read them..."
The boy frowned and spoke with a hint of helplessness.
After a moment's thought, he decided to collect a few of the stone fragments and take them with him.
But his outstretched hand abruptly froze in midair.
"Where's my backpack!?"
Feeling his empty shoulders and back, Yong was utterly bewildered.
"I didn't take my backpack off... how could it...?"
"No... I can't remember... what was I doing before this?"
Clutching his head in growing panic, Yong unconsciously reached toward his waist...
!!!
"Where are my Pokémon Balls!?"
The boy frantically tugged at his belt. The stone fragments in his hands fell to the floor with a