Only after seeing that the runes on the Golurk had completely dimmed did Aoki and his Pokémon approach.
But when they were halfway there, Larvitar suddenly froze in place.
Aoki looked at Larvitar, who stood motionless, with a hint of surprise.
In Aoki's sight, the image of Larvitar displayed by the system suddenly flickered.
"Leveled up?" Aoki was speechless.
He had been suppressing Larvitar's growth, but he hadn't expected it to level up now. After all, Larvitar hadn't participated in the battle.
Larvitar had now reached level 29 and could reach level 30 at any moment, evolving into a Pupitar.
Suddenly, Aoki thought of something. His expression shifted as he moved behind Larvitar and opened his backpack.
After a careful search, he discovered that the piece of Groudon's armor inside had completely vanished—absorbed entirely by Larvitar.
This was likely the main reason for the sudden level-up.
When they first entered this space, Larvitar had absorbed nearly half of the armor fragment, then gradually absorbed more over the following days. But now, inside this mysterious cave, it had consumed the rest entirely.
Larvitar itself didn't seem to notice anything unusual.
Though Aoki had intended for Larvitar to absorb the Groudon fragment, the speed was far too rapid—and unpredictable.
It was unsettling.
The initial system analysis had estimated the process would take about ten days, with absorption slowing afterward. Aoki hadn't been overly concerned.
But now…
Since Larvitar had already leveled up, there was nothing to be done. It would likely take some time before another evolution was possible—or so Aoki hoped.
"System, scan Larvitar for any abnormalities," Aoki ordered, just to be safe.
Then, he turned his attention to the fallen Golurk.
Up close, it resembled an oversized ceramic doll. Ancient humans had infused it with a soul through strange runes and other arcane methods.
A soul?
Was this why Golurk was a Ghost-type Pokémon?
The thought sent a chill down Aoki's spine.
Ancient humans, in pursuit of their goals, might have been even more ruthless than modern society.
After all, this was likely from an era of monarchy—where nobles ruled and slaves had no rights.
"System, analyze the principles behind Golurk's creation," Aoki suddenly commanded.
If this method could be replicated, mass-producing Golurk in the modern era might be possible.
Unlikely, but not impossible.
He placed a hand on the Golurk's surface, feeling the rough, low-quality texture of sun-baked clay.
The system began scanning through Aoki's contact.
"Alert: Target material detected. Material identified as: 'Earth Membrane'!"
Halfway through the scan, the system's voice rang in Aoki's mind.
This was one of the alerts Aoki had set—to notify him immediately if either "Magma Rock" or "Earth Membrane" were detected.
Earlier, near the magma, the system had alerted him once. Now, it had found the "Earth Membrane."
The system had analyzed this before. The "Earth Membrane" was likely the essence of a mountain—a condensed form of pure earth energy. Larger mountains contained denser energy, making their "Earth Membrane" more potent.
That was why Aoki had come to Mount Chimney—the largest volcano in Hoenn.
He had hoped to get lucky.
So far, he'd only found the "Magma Rock," with no sign of the "Earth Membrane"—until now.
"System, where is the 'Earth Membrane' located?" Aoki asked.
"Would you like a visual display?" the system responded.
A visual display?
The system could do that?
"Show me."
A faint current of static electricity sparked from Aoki's palm, spreading across the Golurk's body.
The Golurk shuddered.
For a moment, Aoki thought it might reactivate—but then, the runes on its chest flickered, and a clay-like panel slid open, revealing a hollow interior.
Inside, suspended in the darkness, was a small, khaki-colored orb emitting a faint glow.
"This… is the 'Earth Membrane'? The essence of the earth? The core energy of the Golurk?" Aoki stared at the exposed orb.
So, Golurk wasn't a Ground-type Pokémon simply because it was made of clay—but because it housed this concentrated earth energy, granting it limitless power.
An unknown soul, a fragment of the earth's essence, and the ancient runes carved into its body—this was how Golurk had been created.
A truly unique process.
Aoki reached in and carefully extracted the glowing orb.
It felt warm in his palm.
"System, confirm the analysis."
If something this small was the condensed essence of an entire mountain, then creating even a single Golurk required the energy of a mountain?
Surely, a mountain wouldn't have only one of these—but they couldn't be common, either.
"Confirmed. This is the 'Earth Membrane,'" the system replied.
Aoki nodded.
The orb's glow faded, shrinking into a smooth, opaque sphere—no larger than two thumb-widths, resembling a marble but without transparency.
The moment the light vanished—
CRACK.
The Golurk beside him shattered into dust.
With its energy core removed, the runes lost their power source. The clay, preserved for centuries, could no longer hold its form and crumbled away.
Aoki blinked in surprise, then understood.
Before he could store the orb away, the system chimed again.
"Analysis of Larvitar's condition complete. Physical state: stable. Large amounts of unabsorbed energy detected—currently being processed. Estimated result: Upon full absorption, evolution conditions will be met."
Aoki's expression darkened.
"I knew it wasn't that simple. Is the energy in that fragment too dense?" he muttered.
The creation of Larvitar's enhancement formula could no longer be delayed.
Fortunately, he now had all the necessary materials.
All he needed was a quiet place to prepare it.
But then—another anomaly occurred.