"Stooooop!"
But it was already too late…
The coffin of Matsuba I was pried open!
A sudden gust of cold wind blew from within the coffin.
"Aaaah…!"
All four of them screamed, scrambling away from the coffin in panic.
"It's alive… it's alive…!"
They swallowed hard, stammering the words.
Tetsuya gritted his teeth.
'…Useless idiots who only know how to ruin everything.'
But what did they mean by "alive"? What exactly had they seen?
Gradually, the cold wind and mist spilled out of the coffin, shrouding the entire chamber.
Suddenly!
The manuscript in Raine's grandfather's hands was set ablaze by a ghostly blue flame.
This was no small matter.
After enduring so much hardship to reach this place, and having finally reached the most crucial part of the manuscript…
To have it suddenly catch fire… even Raine's "composed" grandfather couldn't accept it!
"Water, water! Get water and put it out!" the old man shouted frantically.
Raine's father quickly pulled out the remaining bottles of water and poured them over the manuscript, but they had no effect on the flame whatsoever.
'Damn it!'
Tetsuya was furious. These four idiots were truly…
The wooden box had clearly warned: anyone who obtained the manuscript must show reverence to their ancestors. And two of Matsuba IV's tomb guardians had yet to appear.
It had to be a trap set by Matsuba IV!
If everyone had shown reverence and only read the manuscript without touching anything else, maybe nothing would have happened.
But no…
To disturb the coffin of Matsuba I. How could that be called reverence? This was all orchestrated by Matsuba IV from the start.
Raine's grandfather continued to cradle the manuscript in his hands, unwilling to let it go.
"Water… More water!"
Tetsuya let out a sigh. 'Can't blame you… After planning your entire life, only to see it all fall apart right at the finish line…'
No one could accept that.
At that moment, Tetsuya seemed to see his past self; so close to becoming an Elite Four, yet it remained just out of reach…
He truly felt pity for this schemer now.
"Hmph, you're not allowed to die just yet."
Tetsuya kicked the manuscript out of his hands.
Raine's grandfather was shocked. "My tome! What are you doing, gaki? Want to die![1]¹?"
He lunged toward Tetsuya, eyes filled with rage.
Tetsuya sneered. "Tehaha~ That's Will-O-Wisp. After the manuscript burns, it'll be your soul that's next. You really want to die that badly?"
Of course, the old man knew it was Will-O-Wisp. He just couldn't accept it emotionally…
Tetsuya's words struck like a slap of Chilling Water to the face.
With a thud, the old man collapsed to the ground, blankly watching as the manuscript turned to ashes before his eyes.
"Otousan, look!"
A Froslass floated out of the coffin.
"This is all your fault! Get up and fight!" Raine's father shouted at the four who were still sitting on the floor.
They didn't dare hesitate and quickly scrambled up, throwing out their Poké Balls.
Raine helped his grandfather to his feet.
"…Thanks for saving my life," Raine's grandfather said with a glance at Tetsuya.
At this point, the old man's heart was completely empty.
The four men knew all too well this was their fault. If they didn't give their all now, Raine's grandfather might kill them himself.
They brought out every Pokémon they had.
Two Honchkrow, two Haunter, two Magcargo, three Noctowl, and two Sneasel surrounded the Froslass.
"""Foresight!"""
The three Noctowl each fired a beam of energy from different angles, aimed straight at Froslass.
But Froslass was already encased in a storm of Powder Snow and Ice Shard. The Foresight beams couldn't penetrate the swirling ice.
The temperature in the chamber plummeted rapidly, and everyone was trembling from the cold.
This Froslass's control over Ice-type power could even rival Pryce's Swinub.
'Impossible!'
The Matsuba Family was known for specializing in Ghost-types. How could a Froslass with such powerful Ice-type energy exist among them?
While Tetsuya was still puzzled, Froslass suddenly burst through the snow and ice and struck first. The three Noctowl closest to her were caught in the blast and frozen into blocks of ice.
"Otousan, that Froslass isn't someone those four can handle. Should we step in…?"
Raine's father asked.
Raine's grandfather steadied himself. Their expedition to this mausoleum hadn't been entirely fruitless.
"Do it."
Two Mightyena leapt forward like arrows from a bow. As they closed in on Froslass, both launched a ferocious Crunch attack with their gaping jaws.
In the face of their assault, Froslass responded with Blizzard.
The icy wind howled, snow and frost merged, and an extreme cold storm swept across the room.
The two Mightyena froze in place, the piercing cold flooding their open jaws and freezing them from the inside out.
Their expressions stiffened instantly. Their blood froze and their entire bodies were sealed in ice, inside and out.
The Noctowl hadn't suffered such direct hits. Though they were frozen into ice blocks, they didn't die and were simply recalled into their Poké Balls.
But the Mightyena were lost forever.
Such overwhelming power caused everyone to hesitate in fear.
"What now… a-are we really going to die here!?"
The four men were already pale with despair.
"Shut up! This is all your fault, you four bastards!"
Tetsuya had been watching the battle closely. He noticed that Froslass had never moved from above the coffin.
'Could her role be guarding Matsuba I's corpse…?'
With that thought, Tetsuya decided to take a chance.
"What Ability do your Magcargo have?"
"Ugh, Magma Armor. Why?"
"Perfect."
Tetsuya walked over to Raine's grandfather and said, "With Magma Armor, they can't be Frozen. That means they should last long enough. Use them to draw Froslass's attention, then launch a sneak attack."
Raine's grandfather nodded and gave Tetsuya an approving look.
"You lot, use your Magcargo to attack. Get close to Froslass!"
Raine's grandfather barked at the four with clear displeasure.
""Flamethrower!""
The two Magcargo puffed up their cheeks and unleashed searing flames from their mouths.
Froslass always waited until the moves entered the coffin's range before counterattacking.
Once again, Blizzard roared out. The harsh cold collided with the intense heat, and the Flamethrowers were quickly suppressed.
"Full power!"
Raine's grandfather roared. His own Pokémon were already hidden and lying in wait.
The Magcargo closed their eyes, and the flames they emitted instantly doubled in intensity. Only then did the Flamethrowers begin to slow down Blizzard's advance.
Raine's grandfather calculated that his Pokémon were in position, and shouted, "Now!"
The Pokémon had yet to show themselves.
But already two Shadow Balls and two bursts of Mystical Fire struck from behind, aimed at Froslass.
It was the two Gengar and two Mismagius.
Woooo…
With a wailing cry, Froslass fell.
Now unopposed, the twin Flamethrowers surged forward, fusing into a torrent that poured over Froslass like water from a breached dam.
Wrapped in flames, Froslass endured a second wave of Mystical Fire from the Mismagius.
She screamed… a piercing, chilling shriek that made everyone's hair stand on end!
Finally, she was consumed by the flames and vanished without a trace.
A crystal-clear, unidentified object fell to the ground…
•.
•.
¹. COURTING DEATH, BRO!?
[1] COURTING DEATH, BRO!?