Since entering the tomb, this was the first time Tetsuya had spoken. Only now did everyone -including Raine's grandfather- realize the presence of this boy.
"What did you just say, brat…? Want me to kill you!?" Raine's father roared.
Tetsuya laughed. "Tehaha! We're all as good as dead anyway. What's the point of acting tough for a moment?"
Enraged, Raine's father was just about to strike Tetsuya.
But Raine's grandfather stopped him. Although he didn't believe Tetsuya would say anything meaningful, his cautious nature wouldn't let him overlook any detail. He said, "Young man, what do you mean? Go on, speak clearly."
Tetsuya snorted. "Hn. If I'm not mistaken, what lies ahead is the portal to another area of the Ghost World opened by Dusknoir. If we don't act now and let it consume those five, we'll be next."
Like waking from a dream.
Raine's grandfather shouted, "No!"
"Otousan, that kid's just talking nonsense about some portal!"
Smack!
Raine's grandfather slapped his son across the face.
"Fool! If not for him, we'd all be dead by now. Everyone! Send out your Pokémon and launch every move you've got at the vortex!"
Raine's grandfather was visibly anxious.
"But… those are five of our members," one of the remaining four hesitated.
"You want to die with them!? Gengar, Mismagius. Attack!"
At Raine's grandfather's furious command, no one dared speak. His Gengar was already hurling five or six Shadow Balls at the vortex, and Mismagius fired Mystical Fire without pause.
Raine's father followed, having his Gengar and Mismagius also attack the vortex with everything they had.
The other four each sent out their Pokémon as well, flooding the vortex with all kinds of moves.
The five people and their Mismagius, still trapped in the pull, were forced into the vortex by the flood of energy. Moments ago they had been dreaming of riches, now that dream was vaporized…
But even with two Gengar, two Mismagius, two Honchkrow, and two Haunter, it wasn't enough to halt the Ghost World portal as it pushed toward them.
"Come out, Mightyena! Use Roar!"
Father and son each released a Mightyena. Their fierce howling finally caused hesitation in Dusknoir, and the portal stopped advancing.
"Raine, help too! The rest of you! Do you have any Pokémon left? If you don't fight now, we'll all die!" Raine's father yelled.
Raine sent out Dusclops, which launched waves of Will-O-Wisp into the portal.
The other four had doubted Raine's grandfather earlier, but now, feeling the true threat to their lives, none of them dared hold back.
They sent out two Magcargo, three Noctowl, and two Sneasel to join the battle.
The "standoff" lasted more than an hour.
Finally, the vortex slowly shrank and disappeared.
A Dusknoir appeared before them, its expression clearly strained, with visible surges of energy flowing within its body.
From the moment he saw that vortex, Tetsuya had known it was caused by a Dusknoir.
In his previous life in the Sinnoh Region, he had personally witnessed the terror of this species.
Dusknoir could absorb wandering spirits into its body and transport them to the Ghost World. And once it reached a certain level, its body could become a small Ghost World… vessel, capable of absorbing not just spirits, but physical bodies, and sending them away.
So the only way to escape was to flood Dusknoir's Ghost World vessel with enough move energy until it overloaded. In this, Raine's grandfather did prove to have some knowledge of Ghost-types, his reaction had been quick enough.
Boooom!
With a loud explosion, Dusknoir's body, unable to withstand the energy barrage, was obliterated into smoke and nothingness.
Another brush with death survived.
After the prolonged battle, both the Pokémon and their Trainers were completely exhausted, collapsing to the ground.
Raine's grandfather then took out stamina-recovery Items and gave some to each Pokémon. Everyone rested on the spot, eating rations and drinking water; most importantly, trying to calm their nerves.
No one could predict what lay ahead.
Surprisingly, the ones in the best shape were Tetsuya and Raine. After all, they were both just around ten years old, and no one expected them to contribute in battle. Still, Raine wouldn't dare show weakness, becoming a burden could be just as dangerous.
Especially since it had been Tetsuya's words that had saved everyone's lives. Now, everyone felt a sense of gratitude toward him. Even Raine's father offered him a bottle of water!
Though Raine remained wary, the situation was clearly shifting more and more in Tetsuya's favor…
After a short rest, the group set off again.
Now only eight remained: Raine, his father and grandfather, Tetsuya, and four members of the Matsuba branch Family.
Without Dusknoir in their way, the group passed through the corridor without issue.
The new hall before them was over twice the size of Matsuba II's. The entire chamber glittered with the reflection of blue crystals.
At the center stood another coffin. The inscription beside it described the life of Matsuba I.
Takakura's gruesome death was still fresh in everyone's mind. No one dared approach the coffin.
But after thoroughly searching the hall, they found no clues elsewhere.
"There's writing here!"
Raine suddenly shouted, pointing to the back of the tombstone.
At his call, everyone gathered around.
"…Carved by Matsuba IV: [When sealing the tomb, I left five Pokémon to guard it, to prevent the treasures of my family from being stolen. Only those who perform rites at the ritual vessel for three consecutive years will be spared their attacks."]
Upon reading that, Tetsuya let out a cold laugh.
"Ugh… What are you laughing at?" someone snapped.
"Tehahaha, I'm laughing at your bad luck. If you'd brought Ryuto in here with you, none of the 'guardians' would've attacked, and there wouldn't have been any casualties," Tetsuya replied, deliberately provoking them.
"What's the point of saying that now? Keep reading."
But Raine's ruthless grandfather had never cared about those who died, so Tetsuya's words didn't shake him in the slightest.
Still, it explained how, in his previous life, Morty's son had managed to obtain the ancient tome without any obstacles.
Yet Matsuba IV had written that he placed five Pokémon to guard the tomb. So far, they had encountered Mismagius, Gengar, and Dusknoir. What about the other two?
No one else noticed this detail, as the next part of the inscription grabbed all their attention.
Inscription: [There are no more Pokémon beyond this point. The ancient tome of our great-grandfather lies beneath this monument.]
"This says there are no more Pokémon in the way. That means it's safe now, right? We can just dig up the ancient tome without worry?" Raine's father said.
Raine's grandfather nodded…