In Glimwood Tangle, a sudden rift appeared in the previously tranquil space. The rift widened rapidly, forming a bizarrely shaped door. Behind the door, a mix of purple, black, and red light emitted an eerie glow, giving off an ominous feeling.
"This is the Gate to the Spirit World?" Eleph asked, standing with her Pokémon, Gardevoir and Dusknoir, beside her.
"No doubt about it, this is the Gate to the Spirit World," Summer confirmed.
"Then, Mr. Summer, let's go. Opal, you need to stay here and wait for Mommy to come back."
"Okay," Opal replied, pouting. She also wanted to see what the Spirit World looked like.
"But, miss, is this really safe?" The old man beside them looked worried. Eleph had always been headstrong, defying her family to marry that man in Galar.
"Don't worry, we have Dusknoir with us, don't we?"
Dusknoir was brimming with energy, not wanting to face reprimands if the job wasn't done well. Besides, its superior was rarely in the Spirit World, usually staying in the other world to maintain balance.
"Sigh, I can't stop you. Miss Opal, I'll take care of you, so please come back safely," the old man said helplessly.
"Alright, let's go, Gym Leader Eleph," Summer said.
The two, along with their Pokémon, stepped into the Gate to the Spirit World. A cold aura enveloped them as they entered. When they opened their eyes again, they had reached the Spirit World.
Under a dim sky, a group of Drifloon floated by, with a Dragapult occasionally swooping past. The ground was damp and soft, exuding a faint musty smell. The world was monotonous in color: gray, white, black, and purple, with nothing else.
Thick black mist floated around them, revealing withered weeds and randomly placed gravestones. Unknown numbers of ghost-type Pokémon were lurking, their eyes fixed on the sudden intruders.
"Roar! Hiss!" Dusknoir growled, and the mist thinned out. Frightened by Dusknoir's presence, the nearby Banette, Litwick, and Yamask quickly scattered, as it seemed Dusknoir held significant authority in the Spirit World.
"Hmm, the Spirit World is surprisingly ordinary. Or rather, it matches my expectations," Eleph remarked.
"Gym Leader Eleph, be cautious. There might be some formidable entities here," Summer warned.
"Sorry, I got relaxed thinking about meeting Simon again. Gardevoir, have you found any trace of Simon?"
"Gardevoir!"
Gardevoir looked surprised. It had indeed found traces of Simon, and from what it sensed, he was very healthy. How did he manage that?
"Could it be that Gardevoir found Simon's trace? That's wonderful! Gardevoir, lead us to him!" Eleph said excitedly.
Gardevoir nodded and led the group toward Simon. Thanks to Dusknoir, they faced no obstacles along the way.
Summer felt the journey to the Spirit World was quite fascinating, encountering Pokémon not present in his memory, like the ghostly dog with a candle on its head and the tumbleweed rolling with the eerie wind.
Suddenly, Eleph noticed something and dashed towards a direction, shedding her noble demeanor.
"Has she found her husband?" Summer sighed. "Anyway, Thwackey, Milotic, let's hurry up and catch up."
Beneath a damaged rock, Eleph embraced a sturdy man, tearfully scolding him. The man had an unkempt beard from the time passage, and his eyes held both apology and joy as he comforted his long-lost wife.
"A happy ending after all," Summer murmured, nodding in approval.
"Eleph, who is this?" Simon, the man, asked, looking at Summer.
Eleph reluctantly left his embrace and introduced, "This is Summer. Thanks to him, we could reunite."
"Oh, I see. I'm incredibly grateful to you!" Simon walked over to Summer, giving him a hearty hug, exuding a faint cream scent.
"Are you Simon?" Summer asked.
"Yes, I'm Simon. I thought I'd never see Eleph again. I don't know how to repay you!" Simon expressed his gratitude. "By the way, Eleph, how is our daughter? Is she healthy? Has she grown up? Has she become a fine young lady?"
Time in the Spirit World was hard for Simon to perceive, with no sunrises or sunsets to mark the passage.
"She's very healthy and even aspires to become a Gym Leader."
"That's great! She has found her goal!" Simon said.
Eleph showed a guilty expression, "I stubbornly tried to make her give up that dream. Thanks to Mr. Summer, I realized my mistake."
"What!" Simon hugged Summer again with enthusiasm. "Arceus above, your character shines like the legendary heroes of Galar!"
"It was nothing," Summer said, embarrassed by the praise. He noticed that his presence seemed to eliminate regrets wherever he went, perhaps his purpose.
"No, I'll never forget your kindness!"
"Ahem, Mr. Simon, how did you end up in the Spirit World?" Summer asked.
"Spirit World? That makes sense with all the ghost Pokémon. It's embarrassing to say, but while collecting red mushrooms, a Gengar suddenly snatched them. I chased after it and got sucked into a rift. When I woke up, I was here."
"Sorry, Eleph, you must have endured a lot alone." They embraced again.
"Ahem, sorry to interrupt your reunion, but since we found Mr. Simon, we should return to our world. We don't want Opal to worry."
"You're right. But how do we get back? Since arriving, I've been looking for a way but found nothing," Simon said.
"Roar!" Dusknoir signaled for them to follow it.
"Eleph, this return plan was also Simon's idea," she said.
"Really!"
"No need for more hugs; I get your gratitude," Summer quickly said, fearing Simon's strength.
"Too bad."
Summer sighed internally, thinking that Simon would get along well with certain Pokémon, like Bewear.
The exit from the Spirit World was not in the same location as the entrance. Dusknoir led them to a ruin with a glowing spot at its center.
"This is the exit? But why does the snake pattern on the ground feel so ominous?" Summer asked, observing the ground.
Suddenly, the eyes of the snake pattern glowed purple, the ground trembled, ruins shattered, and massive stone slabs floated in the air, connected by eerie shadows, casting a large shadow over the group.
Summer was astonished as a colossal Eternatus appeared before them, its normal form already reaching Gigantamax height!
Dusknoir was equally shocked, wondering why the guardian of the Spirit World had suddenly acted.
(End of chapter)