Raine's grandfather let out a long sigh.
Just one Gengar had wiped out their Ursaring and four Haunter. Including the Mismagius that had been guarding the main hall, they had already lost twenty Pokémon in total, one of them being his own Houndoom.
Even Tetsuya was surprised by how many dangers had appeared in the tomb. In his previous life, Morty's son had also managed to obtain the ancient tomes of the Matsuba Family. There was no way he could have made it through alone. Had Tetsuya overlooked something…?
He couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried.
Once it was confirmed that the coffin of Matsuba II posed no further threat, everyone gathered around it. There was no gold or treasure inside, no secret manuals… only a single black, glimmering, translucent stone about the size of a Watmel Berry.
Raine's father picked up the stone and asked, "Otousan, what is this thing?"
Raine's grandfather shook his head. He had never seen anything like it in his entire life.
"Look! What's happening to the Misdreavus?"
Someone suddenly shouted.
The Misdreavus that had survived the earlier battle were now glowing with white light, energy surging through their bodies.
Tetsuya nodded.
They were evolving. Could it be because of that stone?
'Dusk… Origin Stone?'
The term surfaced in Tetsuya's mind. Normally, Misdreavus required a Dusk Stone to evolve into Mismagius. And yet just from the energy waves released by this Stone, all five had evolved.
The power contained within this Dusk "Origin" Stone was beyond imagination.
The white light faded, and five revitalized Mismagius appeared before the group.
Naturally, their Trainers were overjoyed.
"Haha! Dusk Stones are so expensive, we never could afford one. I thought my Misdreavus would never evolve. Can't believe it happened here!"
"Yeah, what a surprise!"
"Totally worth coming… Totally worth it!"
Tetsuya scoffed. 'You call that worth it? What a bunch of petty opportunists.'
"…Could it be because of this stone?" Raine's father asked, still a bit unsure.
The corpse-faced old man carefully examined the dark, gleaming stone. "Most likely. Anyone else have Pokémon that evolve with a Dusk Stone? Bring them out."
Two Murkrow were released next. Just like the Misdreavus, they evolved into Honchkrow shortly after appearing.
Now Raine's grandfather was certain of his guess, and he was overjoyed.
With a Dusk "Origin" Stone like this, he could use it to help Misdreavus and Murkrow evolve and make a fortune.
Of course, that wasn't his only goal. This big Dusk Stone could be used to boost morale. The heavy losses earlier had left everyone dejected. If there were no rewards in sight, people would become discouraged, or worse, consider quitting.
The evolution of five Mismagius and two Honchkrow reignited everyone's spirits.
"My fellow Family members… I can confirm this stone is a Dusk… Origin Stone! Its energy is so strong that it can cause evolution without direct contact! With this stone, we won't have to worry about funding our operations once we return. It's like an infinite Dusk Stone!"
Raine's grandfather's words strengthened the resolve of the remaining members. The Pokémon evolutions had given them renewed confidence to continue exploring.
"Let's move on. I'm sure even greater treasures await us ahead!"
Raine's grandfather's enticing words fired everyone up. The Trainers whose Misdreavus had just evolved into Mismagius had experienced the benefits firsthand, and now charged to the front of the group with enthusiasm.
The rest followed closely behind. Since the Dusk "Origin" Stone was too cumbersome to carry, it was temporarily left behind where it was.
Tetsuya's eyes lingered briefly on the stone, then dimmed.
Unfortunately, he didn't have any Pokémon that could evolve using it. And soon, that Dusk Origin Stone would be useless.
'Heh~ These fools were actually thinking of bringing it back above ground.' A pure crystalline stone infused with dark energy… its greatest weakness was sunlight. Once exposed to the sun, its energy would dissipate naturally, and in the end, it would be nothing more than an ordinary Dusk Stone.
---◓---
The five Mismagius led the way. Strangely, there were no Pokémon blocking the passage this time.
The tense, fearful atmosphere quickly faded. People even started chatting and laughing, speculating on what other treasures might lie ahead.
A little bit of gain and they forgot who they were… nothing but rustic bumpkins.
Tetsuya stayed at the back, scanning the surroundings in case something unexpected happened. Raine, too, remained vigilant, never lowering his guard.
Finally, the end of the corridor came into view. A faint blue glow emanated from the passage ahead, pure and sacred.
"Look! There must be treasure up ahead. Let's move faster. Mismagius, let's go!"
The one leading the group shouted and rushed forward with his Mismagius.
The other four, worried he'd claim the treasure for himself, also charged ahead with their Mismagius.
"Otousan, those guys…?"
Raine's father was clearly displeased with their reckless behavior.
But Raine's grandfather just shook his head. He was more than happy to let them test if there was danger ahead.
Such reckless behavior was asking for death. Tetsuya let out a cold laugh.
Had they already forgotten the danger from before? Did they not consider their situation? This was just part of the Ghost world, the unknown is what makes the path ahead terrifying. That's precisely why one should tread cautiously, as if walking on thin ice.
To those five, it was as if a mountain of treasure lay before them, and they scrambled to be the first to reach it.
Just as the rest were about to move forward, they saw the space at the end of the passage start to distort, forming a vortex glowing with silver light.
"Something's wrong… get back!" Raine's grandfather shouted at the top of his lungs.
The five at the front also sensed something was off and tried to stop.
But the vortex generated a powerful suction force. The five Trainers and their Mismagius tried to turn back, but their feet wouldn't move, they were being slowly dragged toward the vortex.
"Help…! Heeeeeeelp!"
"No… Please! Save me!"
"I don't want any treasure anymore! I don't want it! Please, let me go, p-please…"
Their pleading cries were soaked in fear, regret, and despair.
Death itself wasn't the scariest thing.
It was the slow, inescapable descent into it.
"S-Should we try to save them?"
The four remaining Trainers, weaker than the five who had gone ahead, now saw what likely awaited them too. They turned to Raine's grandfather, the so-called leader.
"I'd like to save them," Raine's grandfather said, "but we don't even know what's ahead. Should we go just to die in vain?"
His answer silenced them all.
There was no way to save them. Rushing into the vortex's range would be suicide.
Tetsuya let out a sneer and said, "Tehaha~ Still thinking about saving others? Better think about how you're going to die."