Only one page remained in Matsuba IV's memoir.
[…To successfully retrieve the "Ghostly Flame" ancient tome and the Flame Seed, one must return here again. Mega Gengar and the Dusk Origin Stone could enhance the power of Ghostly Flame.]
Tetsuya finally closed Matsuba's memoir.
'Unova Region, huh?'
When would he be able to go?
It didn't matter when. This secret would be known to him alone.
Tetsuya tucked both the memoir and the "Ghostly Flame Crystal" into his chest pocket.
Then he knelt before Matsuba IV's ash box in "solemn" tribute.
Only after the "kneeling ceremony" did Mega Gengar relax its gaze toward Tetsuya. He could hardly imagine what would have happened if he hadn't paid his respects.
Next, Mega Gengar opened the stone door for him. Tetsuya knew there was nothing more of value here; he would only return after obtaining the so-called [Ghostly Flame] tome.
He recalled Swinub and clenched the Poké Ball tightly in his hand. A serious threat still awaited outside.
As he stepped through the stone door, Raine and his grandfather were peeking down the passageway.
"O-Ojisan, he's coming out!"
The two came forward, blocking Tetsuya's path.
"Gaki, what did you find in there? Tell us, and we might let you live!"
Tetsuya let out a cold laugh and said, "Tehehe… It's too dark here. I'm not in the mood. Let's go to the main hall."
Saying it out loud would probably get him killed faster.
'This old man thinks he can outwit me? Who's older, really… you or me?'
In fact, the moment he stepped out of the stone door, Tetsuya could've ordered Swinub to use Blizzard on the passageway. Raine and his grandfather would already be ice sculptures.
But while Raine's grandfather deserved death, Raine could not die. If Raine went missing, it would definitely raise suspicion with Matsuba. If he discovered the truth about the mausoleum, Tetsuya would have no way to defend himself!
'Also, Try [Shadow Contract] with a Matsuba Family member… Tehaha…'
Reaching the main hall was necessary to act more freely.
Tetsuya walked ahead, with Raine and his grandfather following closely. With both of Tetsuya's Pokémon still in Raine's possession, they weren't worried he'd try anything.
Raine's grandfather scowled. "Gaki, enjoy the last few minutes of your life."
"Tetsuya's going to die… and he's only seven…" Raine couldn't help but feel pity.
Even though Tetsuya had always… bullied him, but now that it was actually happening, his heart was filled with complicated emotions.
"…Swinub, Blizzard." Tetsuya spoke softly, not enough to catch their attention.
Swinub leapt from the Poké Ball in Tetsuya's pocket. Instantly, icy winds burst forth, and a violent Blizzard surged toward Raine and his grandfather.
They were blasted back seven or eight meters, their faces and bodies completely covered in snow and ice.
It was only thanks to Raine's grandfather's three Pokémon that they barely managed to resist the Blizzard's force.
"W-What's going on? D-Didn't that Froslass j-just die!?" Raine cried out in fear.
"N-No… this power is even stronger than that Froslass! What kind of monster is this…?"
In the middle of the storm, they couldn't even open their eyes. At this point, they could no longer see Tetsuya, or even anything in front of them.
Tetsuya's grandfather's Gengar, Mismagius, and Banette used all their power just to slightly weaken the force of the Blizzard.
By then, Tetsuya had already reached the far end of the main hall.
"Old bastard, stay here and keep your ancestors company! Swinub, use Ice Beam on that old man."
Tetsuya raised his voice, letting it echo throughout the main hall.
"I-It's Tetsuya! It's Tetsuya!" Raine shouted in panic.
"I thought you said he only had two Pokémon! What is this?!" Raine's grandfather bellowed.
Raine hesitated anxiously. "H-He… he did… he really only had two… it shouldn't be like this…!"
"Gengar, block it!"
As the Ice Beam shot toward him, the old man shouted in panic.
Gengar stepped in front of him and began forming a Shadow Ball in its hands.
But it was struck mid-charge by the Ice Beam and frozen solid!
With Gengar taken out, Blizzard grew even more ferocious.
Raine was still struggling to piece it all together.
"Pryce… it has to be Pryce!"
He recalled the powerful Ice-type Pokémon Pryce had displayed during the Gym evaluation, and how he had called Tetsuya in alone afterward.
"Y-You… you mean the Ice-type Elite Four… Pryce!?" Raine's grandfather was now trembling uncontrollably; and it wasn't just from the cold, but from fear.
Tetsuya sneered. 'If you love using Pokémon as shields so much, then I'll help you with that!'
"Icicle Crash."
Swinub remained hidden in the blizzard. With a shake of its body, sharp columns of ice formed in the sky, crashing down toward Mismagius and Banette. The two Ghost-types, already struggling against the Blizzard, had no way to dodge this dual assault.
The ice pillars pierced through them with soul-chilling force. Both Pokémon dissolved into black mist, vanishing into the storm.
Two of Raine's grandfather's three Pokémon were now dead, one was wounded. He had become nothing more than a lamb to be slaughtered.
Suddenly, Raine cried out, "Tetsuya, Tetsuya! Please don't kill my grandfather! Please! I never wanted to kill you… I swear, I never did!"
"But your grandfather wanted to kill me. I know you didn't… so I won't kill… you!"
Just as Tetsuya finished speaking, an ice pillar plunged straight through Raine's grandfather's skull and torso. By the time it crashed to the floor, his zombie-like face had split in half, though no blood spilled, he was instantly encased in ice.
Inside the ice block, that half-frozen zombie face was even more terrifying than the dried corpses from before, with his whole body impaled from top to bottom.
"Noooooooooo!!!!"
Raine sat dumbfounded, slumping to the ground with a thud. His eyes were vacant, his face deathly pale.
"Swinub, that's enough."
Swinub returned to Tetsuya's side, the Blizzard gradually fading, and the main hall became clear again.
Tetsuya walked over. The Machoke beside Raine was now trembling from the cold. When it saw Tetsuya and Swinub approaching, it backed away in fear.
Tetsuya, standing over Raine's limp body, took back Gastly's Poké Ball and the Ditto's transformation wristband.
"Come out, Gastly."
He released Gastly, who then began absorbing every last drop of vitality from the frozen Gengar.
Leaving a Gengar like this intact would be a disaster; who knows if it might try to avenge its former Trainer.
Staring at Raine's grandfather "sealed" in ice, Tetsuya hesitated. The Eternal Ice was still on his body… was he supposed to wait for it to thaw?
This cursed place was dark and cold, with no sunlight at all. Waiting for that ice to melt was practically impossible.