"It's over… though not completely over yet."
Looking at the scene before him, Aven slowly shook his head. That marquis had finally received the retribution he deserved.
"Lass.."
From midair, the form of Froslass descended gently.
At this moment, a faint gray mist was still lingering around her, her expression grave and solemn.
Seeing this, Aven hurriedly handed her a potion designed to suppress chaotic states, to help her resist the erosion of willpower from the gray fog.
At the same time, Petilil used Aromatherapy, aiding Froslass in maintaining clarity of mind.
However, if she wanted to truly suppress the gray mist, Froslass would have to rely on her own strength. Fortunately, she had only just begun to tap into that power and had not yet gone into an all-out battle.
Huu—huu—huu—
While Froslass was still forcing the gray mist down within her body, sudden gusts of wind rose up across the arena. A moment later, specks of faint blue light began drifting out from Marquis Hormay's body.
As those pale blue lights emerged, they began to merge with one another. If one counted carefully, there were exactly one hundred and eight points of light.
After circling once in the air, the lights suddenly rushed toward Froslass and merged directly into her body!
Immediately, a faint blue glow enveloped her whole form. As that glow spread, the gray mist that surrounded her was rapidly suppressed.
"Lass!"
Froslass blinked in surprise, sensing her own body. A sudden relaxation washed over her.
The violent agitation that had arisen from being forced to draw on the gray mist's power vanished completely!
"Are these… the purified spirits?"
Aven's eyes flickered with thought. Each glowing mote should represent a single soul.
Now, those souls no longer carried the twisted, malevolent energy they once bore. Instead, they gave off a sense of purity.
He turned toward Froslass, intending to ask how she felt, but before he could speak, a brilliant blue radiance suddenly burst from her body.
Her necklace—the Odd Keystone she carried at her chest—suddenly floated into the air. All the blue lights streamed into the stone, and along with them, tendrils of gray mist were drawn out and sealed away, vanishing entirely into the Odd Keystone.
When the last wisp of light and fog disappeared, the stone returned to its normal state, slowly settling back against Froslass's chest. Peace fell once more.
"Froslass, how do you feel now?"
At once, Aven and Petilil rushed to her side in concern.
"Lass~"
Froslass closed her eyes quickly, sensing within herself.
In the next moment, powerful Ghost-type energy surged out from her body, condensing into a Shadow Ball.
From that Shadow Ball emanated an unmistakably powerful aura. Even Empoleon in the distance turned its sharp, wary gaze upon her.
This was clearly the strength of a King-level Pokémon, and Froslass was wielding it effortlessly—without the presence of gray mist.
"Froslass, the gray mist inside you… has it been dispelled?" Aven's eyes narrowed in delighted surprise.
"Lass!"
Froslass nodded vigorously.
Now she could use her Ghost-type powers without restraint, without fear of corruption or losing control!
Her gaze then lowered to the Odd Keystone at her chest. She could feel the immense power of the gray mist sealed within.
It was clear—the mist that once resided in her body had been absorbed into the stone. And she faintly sensed that, if she willed it, she could call upon that power again through the Keystone.
"The Keystone… sealed the mist?"
"Or perhaps it was Spiritomb itself that used its last strength to lock away the mist."
Through Kirlia's telepathic abilities, Aven came to understand Froslass's condition, his expression falling into thought.
He had already suspected it—if Spiritomb's souls could be freed, then the Odd Keystone might regain its original function of binding and sealing.
Through that, the mist in Froslass could be contained. But this exceeded even his expectations: the Odd Keystone had directly absorbed the fog's power, liberating Froslass completely.
This was, without a doubt, Spiritomb's final gift. As thanks for Aven's purification of its vengeful and restless souls, it left its last strength to Froslass.
Now, the Odd Keystone itself had undergone a transformation, becoming a powerful artifact capable of suppressing the gray mist.
"Use the power Spiritomb entrusted to you well." Aven smiled faintly.
Froslass nodded firmly. She cradled the Keystone at her chest with both hands. From now on, she no longer had to fear losing herself to corruption.
"Lil, lil!"
"Kir~ lia!"
Petilil and Kirlia immediately rushed over to congratulate her.
Yet both little ones kept sneaking glances at each other, clearly deep in thought.
Wait—if Froslass could now freely wield King-level power, didn't that mean they wouldn't be able to keep up with her anymore?
No—that wouldn't do. They would have to train even harder, no matter what. Reaching the King-level was now more urgent than ever!
"For now, we still need to find a way to leave here." Aven's eyes turned toward the towering steel cage surrounding them.
This barrier could withstand even the attacks of King-tier Pokémon. Breaking free would take effort.
Outside the cage, everyone's attention had turned to Marquis Hormay's fallen body. A collective breath of relief washed over the crowd.
"With him like that… that means Lord Aven has won, right?"
Hearing one commoner's tentative words, his companion immediately shouted back, "Of course he has!"
That shout stirred the crowd, and after a brief silence, the colosseum erupted in cheers.
"Long live Lord Aven! Long live Lord Aven! Long live Lord Aven!"
The freed commoners wept openly, their cries ringing out as they released all the pent-up terror and grief of their ordeal.
"It's over… as expected of Lord Aven."
The knights of the Pokémon Domain unconsciously straightened their spines. This was the lord they had sworn their lives to follow.
Beyond the colosseum, the other lords looked at one another in shock. The display of Aven's strength had truly shaken them.
At first, when Marquis Hormay revealed that he possessed two King-level Pokémon, their hearts had sunk.
But who would have thought that Aven, with only three quasi-King Pokémon, could defeat a King-level Garchomp?
And when Hormay tried to flee, he had revealed yet another King-level Pokémon—but at that moment, Aven had unveiled three King-level powers of his own.
"The rise of the Pokémon Domain… can no longer be stopped."
That same thought struck the hearts of every lord present.
(End of Chapter)
TN: Short chapter this one.