Since physical attacks were useless, Nathan no longer intended to engage this opponent in close combat.
After several of its attacks were easily neutralized by Volcarona, Spiritomb grew even more furious.
Already a Pokémon formed from countless negative emotions, its hostility now flared even further out of control.
Spiritomb lunged at Volcarona, striking again and again, as if it no longer cared for its own safety.
Under Nathan's command, Volcarona moved swiftly, dodging every assault.
But it wasn't just evasion—each movement carried another layer of strategy.
As Volcarona dodged, the scales from its wings scattered across the battlefield.
By now, the ground was already coated with a thick layer of these powdery scales. Heated by the blazing temperature, many patches on the ground had already ignited into fire.
Out of all Spiritomb's relentless attacks, only two managed to graze Volcarona, while the rest were avoided with flawless agility.
Then, Spiritomb began to whisper in a low, eerie voice.
Before Nathan could even react, the link he shared with Volcarona allowed him to instantly feel it—Volcarona's speed had drastically decreased.
"Cursed?"
Nathan thought grimly.
But fortunately, his trap was already laid. Even if Volcarona was slowed, his planned assault would not be stopped.
"Fire Spin! Hurricane!"
Two moves were unleashed in quick succession. Around Spiritomb, a massive fiery vortex formed.
The howling Hurricane swirled alongside it, further accelerating the rotation of the vortex, while drawing in the flaming scales scattered across the ground.
The already scorching flames became even hotter, their intensity climbing to a terrifying level.
Enveloped within this blazing vortex, Spiritomb let out a roar and unleashed an eruption of pure malice—an aura of overwhelming negative emotions burst from its body.
Shockingly, that aura dampened the damage Spiritomb took from the flames. Even the inferno's searing temperature seemed to lessen.
"As expected… A Spiritomb composed of over a hundred souls is truly troublesome."
Nathan muttered inwardly.
Its techniques carried incredible power, but what truly made it dangerous was the existence of those hundred or more souls. The collective malice radiating from them made it difficult to counter.
"Fine. Then take this. Fire Blast! Let's see if your negativity is strong enough to withstand it!"
Nathan growled with anger.
He refused to believe that a mere evil spirit Pokémon was beyond his ability to subdue.
A burning kanji-shaped blaze shot toward the Spiritomb trapped inside the vortex.
Spiritomb reacted quickly, forming a Shadow Ball to counter.
When the two attacks collided, only one fire rune exploded, triggered by the Shadow Ball.
But the remaining flames continued their trajectory, slamming into Spiritomb.
They erupted with a thunderous explosion, and through the blaze, Nathan could see Spiritomb's energy core warping from the blast.
Yet when the smoke cleared, Spiritomb's form was still intact—completely unscathed.
"Damn it! Is this thing unkillable?"
Nathan cursed aloud in frustration.
Volcarona had already struck it countless times, yet it still stood there exactly as before, without the slightest injury.
It was as if he had been attacking thin air all this time.
"System! Tell me how to deal with this thing!"
Nathan cried out inwardly, calling to the system.
The system did not give him a direct answer. Instead, it displayed Spiritomb's entry before his eyes.
And upon reading it, Nathan had the sudden urge to punch something.
The entry clearly stated that Spiritomb could not be defeated in battle.
Unless its keystone was located, the Spiritomb could only be sealed away—never destroyed outright.
But in this place, where was he supposed to find a keystone?
"System, do you sell odd keystones?"
Nathan asked desperately in his mind.
[No keystone available in the system shop.]
For once, the system's response came quickly, but its answer only left Nathan disappointed.
To issue him such a mission without providing the tool necessary to complete it—he was beginning to suspect the system was deliberately targeting him.
No—wait.
Sharing Volcarona's vision, Nathan suddenly focused on Spiritomb with new clarity.
An idea surfaced in his mind.
Thinking back to the entry he had just read, he realized that his thought might actually work.
"If I don't have a odd keystone… then I'll destroy you outright!"
Nathan declared, eyes locked on Spiritomb.
Under his command, Volcarona conjured another Fire Spin.
This time, the vortex was smaller.
But as the vortex tightened, its temperature intensified dramatically.
The blistering flames caused Spiritomb visible discomfort, making it attempt to escape.
But Nathan had no intention of letting it go.
Time and again, he commanded Volcarona to knock Spiritomb back into the vortex, forcing it to remain inside the raging flames.
Xerneas, watching from the sidelines, found the strategy strange.
The energy consumed by maintaining such attacks was immense, yet the effect seemed minimal. The fire did harm Spiritomb somewhat, but at this pace, Volcarona would exhaust itself long before Spiritomb collapsed.
Indeed, the situation was exactly that. Through their shared resonance, Nathan could clearly sense Volcarona's stamina depleting.
Yet he did not relent, still pushing forward with the fiery assault.
Minutes passed. Spiritomb had now been trapped inside the vortex for at least five minutes.
Again and again, it tried to escape from different angles, only to be forced back each time by Volcarona—relentless, like a machine that knew no fatigue.
At last, Volcarona's strength gave out.
Its energy was utterly drained, and the prolonged Fire Spin finally flickered out.
Spiritomb, realizing its chance, let out a furious snarl and prepared to strike back.
"Xerneas! Lower the temperature for me!"
Nathan suddenly called out.
Xerneas didn't understand why, but obediently complied, summoning a Blizzard.
Howling winds surged forth, carrying a cascade of ice and snow.
One moment, the battlefield still shimmered with the residual heat of Volcarona's flames; the next, that heat was gone, replaced by biting cold.
"Heh… Now vanish from this world! Giga Impact!"
Nathan urged Volcarona to muster the last remnants of its power and charged with Giga Impact.
With what little strength remained, Volcarona charged straight at Spiritomb.
At the same time, Spiritomb hurled another Shadow Ball.
Nathan grit his teeth. Instead of dodging, he pressed forward, pushing Volcarona onward.
The Shadow Ball detonated against Volcarona in a violent blast—yet Volcarona's momentum did not falter. It roared through the explosion, still driving itself into Spiritomb.
With a thunderous crash, Volcarona slammed into Spiritomb.
Or more precisely—into its odd keystone.
The keystone had endured the scorching flames, only to be suddenly subjected to the Blizzard's rapid cooling. It was as though it had been tempered in fire and ice.
Spiritomb's energy core might have been difficult to harm, but a mere stone? That was another matter entirely.
After all, the keystone was the very reason Spiritomb could bind together over a hundred wandering souls.
If the stone was destroyed, Spiritomb's existence would unravel.
Upon impact, cracks spread across the keystone.
It didn't shatter immediately, and Nathan felt a pang of despair.
That Giga Impact had been Volcarona's last ounce of power. If even this failed, then Spiritomb truly could not be defeated.
But then—the unexpected happened.
The damaged odd keystone fell rapidly, smashing against a rock below.
Already weakened with fractures, the keystone shattered into pieces.
"It worked!"
Exiting his resonance with Volcarona, Nathan's face broke into a triumphant grin.
Truly, mastering science and logic was the way to walk the world—study well, and grow strong!
The instant the odd keystone broke, Spiritomb's energy form destabilized violently.
It had always been a mass of over a hundred souls, held in fragile balance by the keystone.
Now that anchor was gone, the cohesion broke apart.
Separated, those souls were far weaker.
Individually, they might not even last three days before fading completely.
The once-fearsome Spiritomb disintegrated, its form growing faint until it finally vanished entirely.
Xerneas stood frozen in shock.
Before the keystone had been destroyed, it had been considering how it might step in to handle Spiritomb itself.
But who could have predicted the battle would end in such an unexpected manner?
That a legendary-level Spiritomb could be defeated not by overwhelming power, but because its odd keystone was shattered.
Nathan had truly given it a surprise.
And as Spiritomb disappeared, the familiar chime of the system echoed in Nathan's mind.
The mission was complete!
(End of Chapter)