Originally, the psychic attack of Slowking was able to blast a small hole out of the cave created by the joint efforts of several Unown. Now, with the addition of the dark-type moves continuously used by the three Pokémon, the effect became more and more obvious.
After a heavy pounding, the opening gradually widened, and Aoki finally saw a few Unown outside.
There were three Unown in the shape of the letters 'A', 'D', and 'Z'.
"No wonder. There were only three of them. No wonder just Slowking can cause damage to the secret space created by them." Aoki squinted his eyes and looked at the three Unown that were still trying to restore the opening, his mind racing.
Aoki activated the system to scan the three Unown and collected data about the Pokémon.
Pokemon: Unown (Letter 'A')
Type: Psychic
Gender: Genderless
Level: 30
Ability: Levitate
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Hidden Power
Learnt Moves: None
Because the system did not have much data on Unown, it was impossible to obtain their full potential and deeper attributes.
But Aoki knew the mysterious power of the Unown.
The creation of this never ending cave was merely one use of their abilities.
Aoki still remembered that Unown could not only create secret spaces but also manifest illusions.
For example, in a show Aoki once watched, a group of Unown had helped a little girl who lost her parents by distorting reality, creating an illusion of the Legendary Pokémon Entei—one of the Legendary Beasts of Johto—to comfort her.
The illusion was so powerful that it nearly matched the strength of the real Entei.
This demonstrated the immense psychic capabilities of the Unown.
But now, only three stood before Aoki. They weren't strong enough to fully trap him.
Though their motives were unclear, Unown could sense a person's thoughts and shape reality accordingly.
When Aoki had been searching for a cave to rest, the Unown in the surrounding space had sensed his intent and created this endlessly extending cavern.
Perhaps it was just for amusement.
"You did this for fun, but since you've involved me, I won't hold back." Aoki studied the three Unown, a wild idea forming in his mind.
What if he caught one?
As far as he knew, no one had ever successfully captured a Unown.
If he could tame it, he might gain access to its reality-warping abilities.
At the very least, he wouldn't need a tent while camping—just have the Unown create a hidden space within a tree or rock.
And if he had more…
Aoki's imagination ran wild, though he quickly suppressed the thought, wary of drawing attention from other powerful Pokémon.
"Honchkrow, keep attacking! Slowking, use Psychic to capture one of the Unown!" Aoki ordered.
The four Pokémon obeyed, though they didn't fully understand what they were facing.
The Slowking ensnared the 'A'-shaped Unown with Psychic.
The Unown had little resistance, and the combined power of the three wasn't enough to stop a near-champion-level Slowking.
After all, encountering only three Unown at once was rare.
Had there been seven or eight, Aoki might have been trapped indefinitely, his fate left to the Unown's whims.
A flicker of panic appeared in the Unown's round eye as it was captured.
Aoki smirked.
Good—if it felt fear, it could be controlled.
But how? With a Poké Ball?
Testing the idea, Aoki pulled a Luxury Ball from his belt and hurled it at the Unown.
A red light flashed, absorbing the Unown inside.
The ball wobbled briefly before stilling.
Aoki stared.
That easy?
But as he reached for it, the Luxury Ball remained motionless.
Peering through the transparent lid, he saw the Unown gazing back at him, as if contemplating.
Then, in a blur, it phased through the ball and shot toward Aoki.
Even the Slowking couldn't react in time.
Yet the Unown didn't attack—instead, it morphed into a black 'A' and imprinted itself on Aoki's inner wrist, where palm met arm.
Aoki frowned at the sudden mark.
This wasn't how capture was supposed to work.
He pressed a finger to the symbol. It felt like normal skin.
Had he subdued it?
Or had it claimed him?
The other two Unown, sensing the change, transformed into their letter forms and shot toward Aoki, embedding themselves beside the first.
Now three symbols adorned his wrist: A, D, Z.
"A, D, Z… Three Unown?" Aoki muttered.
As the last symbol settled, the cave dissolved like a shattered illusion.
When Aoki blinked, he stood at the cave's former entrance—now just a blank cliff face.
No wonder there had been no signs of Pokémon earlier.
Unseen by Aoki, in the fading remnants of the Unown's dimension, another figure stirred—a drowsy, exclamation-mark-shaped Unown.
It floated aimlessly, as if searching.
Around it, more Unown materialized, each a different letter.
But three were missing—the ones on Aoki's wrist—along with one other: a question-mark-shaped Unown.
The remaining Unown circled the exclamation-mark Unown, their bodies pulsing with an eerie glow.