Raine's answer only made Tetsuya scoff.
A band of rabble… and they think they're going to accomplish something?
From the moment Tetsuya saw the behavior of that old man Takakura, he had already seen through everything. These people had been hastily assembled by Raine's grandfather; no organization, no discipline. Most of them were just watching from the sidelines, hoping to grab some small benefit. There was no real cooperation. For now, things were peaceful, but once danger struck, they'd be the first to run.
Nothing to fear.
Tetsuya's heart had completely calmed. For now, all he needed to do was watch and wait.
Old man Takakura was flaunting his supposed contribution just to try and earn a bigger share of the spoils at the end.
"Takakura, can we begin now? The longer we wait, the more problems might arise."
Raine's grandfather was finally getting impatient. The reason he had become the leader was, naturally, because his strength surpassed everyone else's. So for now, his words still carried some weight.
Takakura gave an awkward smile and led a few younger men to thoroughly clean away all the ash under the ritual vessel.
Then Takakura pressed down hard on the center below the ritual vessel and quickly stepped back.
The sight that followed amazed everyone.
Even Tetsuya was stunned. Matsuba IV was truly a genius. To design such a brilliant mechanism…
Tetsuya had originally wondered how such a massive ritual vessel could've been forged. It turned out it was made of four pieces fitted together.
The vessel had been filled with incense ash and covered in patina, which is why no one noticed the seams.
Once Takakura triggered the mechanism, the legs of the ritual vessel, sunken into the floor of the stone pavilion, retracted along with the stone tiles, revealing the entrance beneath.
The portal to Ghost World had appeared, where the mausoleum was located.
All the members of the Matsuba branch Family present were elated. It felt like the treasure was already within their grasp.
At that moment, Raine's grandfather addressed them: "My fellow members, the portal has been opened. The dangers inside are unknown, but as long as we stand united and secure the ancient tome, glory and fortune await us!"
Brainwashing!
Tetsuya let out a cold snort.
Looks like the old man wasn't dumb. He clearly knew everyone had their own agenda. Only by dangling the promise of profit could he get them to cooperate.
""""Since our leader had spoken, we'll follow your lead. For the sake of our future, we must stay united!"""
After some discussion, the dozen or so people finally agreed to follow Raine's grandfather's command.
"Alright, those with Flying-type Pokémon, help clear the air first."
Soon, two Noctowl and one Xatu used Whirlwind at the entrance, blowing out the stale air from the portal.
This continued for about an hour.
"Come out, Gengar, Mismagius. Follow me into the portal," Raine's grandfather said as he released two Pokémon and led the way.
Raine's father followed with his own Gengar and Mismagius.
The rest began entering one by one.
Tetsuya didn't need Raine's prompting. He followed the crowd into the portal, with Machoke and Raine keeping a close eye on him.
Everyone had their flashlights out, and the path through the portal became clearly visible.
The layout wasn't complex, just a single straight path. By logic, this tomb had been built by Matsuba I for himself, so there should've been some protective traps against grave robbers.
Tetsuya had just thought of this.
Suddenly, a thick, eerie blue flame surged forward toward the group.
"It's Mystical Fire! Quickly, have your Pokémon block it!" Raine's grandfather commanded.
All at once, the Haunter and Misdreavus were sent in, unleashing a barrage of moves!
Yet none could stop the sweeping force of Mystical Fire.
"Such powerful Mystical Fire…"
This Mismagius was even stronger than the one Matsuba owned!
Standing at the rear of the group, Tetsuya murmured to himself leisurely.
"Retreat! Don't get caught in the Mystical Fire!"
Raine's grandfather shouted, and the group began to flee in a panic.
Tetsuya let out a snort. 'Tehaha… what a sly old fox.'
That old man was clearly using these so-called family members as cannon fodder to preserve his own strength.
As the crowd retreated, two Misdreavus and one Haunter at the front had already been engulfed by the Mystical Fire, quickly turning the same eerie color as the flames.
A Mismagius, swaying and with a withered expression, appeared before them.
"Ahhhh, my Haunter!"
"No! My Misdreavus!"
"My…!"
---◓---
The Trainers who lost their Pokémon were heartbroken.
"Don't be discouraged, nephews. We are your support. Let's go together! It's only one Mismagius. Nothing to fear!"
Raine's grandfather hadn't lived this long for nothing. He knew these people's minds well. After his "speech", he tossed out a Poké Ball, and a Houndoom charged toward the Mismagius.
Just moments earlier, someone had been mourning their fallen Pokémon, which stirred up resentment among the group. Now, with Raine's grandfather leading the charge with Houndoom, the others naturally followed suit.
Soon, more Pokémon joined the battlefield.
There was no doubt. The Pokémon in this tomb were the ancestral Pokémon of the Matsuba lineage. Not only were they powerful, they were cunning.
'If this Mismagius attacked the group now…' Could it be that in the previous life, even Morty's son had been attacked?
Seven or eight Pokémon rushed at the Mismagius. Houndoom opened its massive jaws, Dark-type energy gathering at its teeth, Crunch was about to land.
Suddenly, Mismagius vanished, and Houndoom bit nothing but air.
"Houndoom, use Odor Sleuth," Raine's grandfather said calmly.
Tetsuya watched their battle and shook his head.
That Mismagius had just used [Dimensional Mystical Fire]!
All those Pokémon were doomed.
Houndoom sniffed the air, trying to detect any scent!
…But nothing came.
"W-What's going on?"
Just as the Trainers were puzzled, countless eerie blue flames erupted from all directions, surrounding the seven or eight Pokémon.
Luckily, those Pokémon reacted quickly and used their moves together to resist the Mystical Fire.
But the pressure of the fire was steadily overwhelming their defenses.
"Still not enough…? Just how strong is that Mismagius!?" Raine's grandfather was shocked. Then he barked, "Send in a few more! If not, we'll lose this fight!"
Four more Pokémon joined the battle, and only then did they manage to barely hold the Mystical Fire at bay.
But the standoff continued, and the energy built up more and more.
Suddenly, the tension peaked. With a deafening boom, everything exploded.
The crowd instinctively dropped to the ground as the underground corridor filled with smoke from the blast.
No one could tell what had happened.
Left with no choice, they used Flying-type Pokémon again to disperse the smoke.
The smoke cleared…
The battlefield from just moments ago was now completely empty. All twelve Pokémon -including the Mismagius- had vanished.