Zubat, Sandshrew, Geodude...

  Along the way, Sato entered several Pokémon, and just like Weezing, their bodies emitted a faint, green glow.

  It seemed as though they had never seen anything that didn't glow before—they weren't afraid or hostile, just curious, silently Sato and his Pokémon.

  This strange space felt like an euhere were no brang paths, yet it was twisting and winding, with no clear destination in sight.

  After walking for over half an hour, the enviro remained rgely unged, and enters with Pokémon were infrequent.

  Sato gradually picked up his pace.

  As he turned another er, the narrow passage suddenly opened up, revealing a massive cavern.

  At its ter y a small, calm ke, its surface smooth and undisturbed, radiating a soft, green glow from within.

  "Sssssss~"

  The hiss of a serpent immediately caught Sato's attention.

  Following the sound, he spotted a massive, coiled serpent—its scales were a pure, milky white. The markings on its belly were outlined in gold, bordered with silver.

  Its ruby-like eyes gazed at Sato calmly.

  A Shiny Arbok! But that wasn't all—this milky-white Arbok also glowed faintly with the same greenish light as the others.

  Due to the cavern's brightness and its already pale body, its glow wasn't as obvious.

  Unlike a normal Arbok, its body was long and slender, even graceful.

  It had none of the usual cold-blooded, predatory aura that most serpent Pokémon carried. Instead, it radiated a sense of calm.

  Even its gaze held no hostility or caution toward Sato.

  "Human… Trainer, wele to the Luminous World."

  Arbok hadn't moved, yet a gentle voice—remi of a Nurse Joy—resonated directly in Sato's mind.

  Telepathy!

  "…Hello."

  Sato was startled, instinctively swallowing, unsure how to properly address the Arbok before him.

  "Call me Belle. That's the name my previous Trainer gave me."

  The telepathic message came again. Sato steadied himself, nodding toward Belle.

  "Previous Trainer? You didn't always live here?"

  "Is that se? I am a Pokémon, after all. Of course, I could have been captured. Every Pokémon here—except for me—wandered in by act… just like you."

  Sato didn't respond immediately. A telepathic Arbok went against everything he knew about the species, leaving his mind in disarray.

  However, Belle didn't seem to mind his sile had likely gone a long time without speaking and, now that it had the ce, it couldn't stop itself from talking.

  "My previous Trainer was strong—at his peak, he became a Elite Four-level Trainer."

  Belle's ruby eyes narrowed slightly, and its serpentine lips curled up, as if reminisg about something fondly.

  "But I was never part of his main team. Even though I was a Shiny Arbok, my potential was average, and I never enjoyed fighting."

  Still, I cherished my pce. Life in the wild was too harsh, so I remained obedient. My Traireated me well—until he passed away. To escape those who sought to exploit me, I ran away."

  As Belle spoke, it slowly slithered into the water.

  "You're a Trainer from the outside—you must have noticed how different I am from my kind. Beyond my milky-white scales, I have lived for an unusually long time—even I am surprised by my own lifespan. Over the years, I naturally developed telepathy."

  As Belle glided through the ke, its full body stretched out pletely—from a rough estimate, it was at least thirty meters long, yet no thicker than Sato's calf at its widest point.

  "But I am still weak. After hiding in Mount Silver for decades, I eventually made my way to Luminous Forest. By ce, I discovered this pce."

  Sato listened silently, watg as Belle moved effortlessly through the water.

  It made no attempt to approach him, which put him slightly at ease.

  Outliving its own Trainer, spending decades in Mount Silver, and surviving long enough to develop telepathy—Sato's first rea to this a being was vigind caution!

  "Are you nervous?"

  "…No."

  Arbok extes slender head, Sato carefully, before suddenly releasing its presence.

  Peak Elite!

  Sato's heart tightened—he hadn't felt any aura from Arbok before, which was why he had been so cautious.

  But now, he realized—this so-called Belle was only at Peak Elite level!

  "Holy, if it weren't for my appearance being so unique, my former Trainer might never have captured me. After all, he was a Grass-type Elite Four level Trainer ."

  Belle's voice carried a subtle trace of sorrow. Having lived for so long, its intelligence had grown immensely, now barely different from a human's.

  "Ever since I arrived here, I've stayed in this pce. I love this enviro—it's peaceful, quiet, free of battles and violence."

  Belle slid onto nd, maintaining a respectful distance from Sato, as if it too didn't wish to get too close to him.

  "Over time, many injured Pokémon also wandered in. But this pce is special—it heals their wounds. They don't even need food to survive."

  Sato gnced around. What exactly was the fun of this green glow?

  "This is a closed utopia. Every Pokémon that enters finds pead stability—so you don't have to worry anymore. Just stay here and live a peaceful life."

  Belle's ruby-like eyes gazed at Sato kindly, as if it had already accepted him as one of its own.

  Sato raised an eyebrow.

  Live here? From start to finish, this pce felt uling. Even this Shiny Arbok before him gave off an indescribable unease.

  "I only came to explore the cave. I'll be leaving soon."

  "Chaaa!"

  Suddenly, Arbok's body tensed. It lunged forward, crossing the ke in an instant, raising its head to stare down at Sato coldly.

  Its four-to-five-meter-long body suspended in midair effortlessly, showing no sign of strain.

  Gengar rushed in front of Sato, standing on high alert against Arbok.

  Without them realizing, the ke and the caverrance had filled with glowing Pokémon—all watg silently.

  Even Weezing, which Sato had captured earlier, had turo face him—the trol of the Poké Ball had bee useless!

  "This pce is wonderful. No pain, no disasters, just harmony. I'm proteg you—the outside world is too dangerous. Isn't it better to stay here, safe and sound?"

  "What if I insist on leaving?"

  "You 't leave. No creature that enters here leave—not without my permission."

  Belle's voice remained as gentle and pleasant as ever, yet Sato's frown deepened.

  Chapter 114: Shiny Arbok