This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.
I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.
A/N: This chapter follows on directly from the previous one so if it's been a while since you read it I recommend going back to get yourself up to date.
Harry let out a breath. He closed his eyes as he felt the tension in his body fade away, leaving nothing but tiredness and a profound sense of relief in its wake.
She was alive. They all were alive. Everything was alright.
Ron glanced around.
"So," he said, his voice beginning to return somewhat to normal but retaining its wary tone. "If these really are visions then something must be causing them. What is it? The fog?"
The fog remained thick around them, just as heavy and all encompassing as it had been since they'd first been separated. It seemed that realising the visions weren't real did not break them entirely.
Hermione was shaking her head.
"It's not the fog that caused this," she told them, her voice becoming very matter of fact. "The fog is just another product of what is doing this to us, it's not real either. The culprit is underneath." And she pulled a Pokéball from her belt.
"Noctowl, use Foresight."
Hermione's starter Pokémon burst into the air with a flash of red light before perching on her shoulder and looking out into the fog. As he did so light seemed to shine out from his eyes like headlights, and as they swept over the clearing the fog began to fade and Harry, Ron and Hermione were shown what was really waiting for them.
Ghosts, dozens of them. They floated all around them, their haunted forms dotted throughout the trees. There were Gastly and Haunter, Shuppet, Phantump, Misdreavus, Duskull and even Sableye, and they were all watching them.
Immediately Harry became alert once more.
"Jesus," Ron muttered, turning on the spot so that he was able to take in all the Pokémon surrounding them. Next to him Arcanine crouched, ready to attack at his command. "These Pokémon have been here the whole time?"
"I suspect so," Hermione said tiredly. "This forest is clearly their home. And it is because of them that everyone trying to enter this particular part of the forest has been turned back. They were here at one point, they just can't remember."
"But what about us?" Harry wondered. "They didn't turn us back around, or try to make us forget. They were torturing us." Ron's fists clenched reflexively.
"Perhaps they realised we were stronger than the people they usually have to deal with," Hermione theorised. "Or perhaps this is just their way. They are not evolved Pokémon, most of them, making people forget must be challenging. Perhaps they needed us weakened first."
That didn't make Harry feel any better. But as Hermione spoke he did notice that all the Pokémon did seem rather weak individually. Even now they had been discovered they were holding back, as though they knew they couldn't defeat them if they attacked head on. They looked almost nervous.
"So, what do you reckon?" Ron murmured. "You think we've found another Plate?"
"Possibly," said Hermione. "There's no way to know for sure without taking a look." But Ron was convinced.
"There has to be a Plate here," he said confidently. "I mean, there just has to be. There must be some reason why all these ghost Pokémon have gathered here, and why they bother keeping other people out. And that fog, how could any normal ghost type Pokémon come up with something like that? No, they need some help. The Ghost Plate is here."
And Harry believed him. He only knew vaguely some of the terrifying powers ghost type Pokémon could have but he knew un-evolved Pokémon like he was seeing here could not possibly be capable of such things. The visions were so convincing, even now Harry could not shake the nagging feeling that Ginny had really been there.
"We'll look around," he said, eyes sweeping across the nervous Pokémon that surrounded them. "So long as we keep an eye out and don't allow them to use their tricks again we should be fine, these Pokémon don't look like they want to attack. And if they do, well… that way we'll know there's a Plate here."
Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement and as one they stepped forward, taking a path through the trees as the ghost Pokémon parted to let them pass.
Their journey through the forest was quiet, but it wasn't the oppressive quiet that they'd been subjected to earlier. The ghost type Pokémon continued to follow them through the forest, watching anxiously from through the trees but unwilling to engage, Hermione's Noctowl sitting watchful on her shoulder.
Even so Harry, Ron and Hermione remained vigilant. If there was an Arceus Plate here they doubted this was all that was defending it.
Due to their time travelling through the fog Harry, Ron and Hermione had become rather disorientated. With no real way of knowing which way was north and which was south within the steadily darkening forest they instead chose a direction of travel and continued to follow it until they came across something that would give them an idea of where they were, which they did as they came across the cliff face bordering the deepest parts of the forest.
They began to do a methodical sweep of the until now hidden area, walking up and down with the cliff face for guidance as they moved steadily further away, Hermione consulting her map to get a vague idea of where they were travelling.
It was only as light truly began to become an issue, so much so that they started to discuss whether or not to call it a day and return tomorrow, none of them wanting to spend the night surrounded by ghost Pokémon, that their searches finally turned up something of note as they stepped into what was roughly the centre of Dumbledore's restricted area.
And there it was, sitting upon an oddly shaped stone right in the middle of the clearing for all to see. The Spooky Plate. It appeared unguarded and unwatched, the ghost Pokémon that had been following them having mysteriously and worryingly disappeared as they drew close to the site, and it seemed to be almost begging to be taken.
"Noctowl, Foresight," Hermione commanded and Noctowl focused his all seeing gaze around the clearing. Nothing hidden appeared. Everything was as it seemed.
"Guess we really are alone then," Ron concluded, though his anxious face expressed his doubts. "Unless there are a bunch more Pokémon waiting in the trees to jump us." He glanced around as though to check, but it appeared unlikely, and that alone was enough to put Harry on edge.
This just seemed too easy, he thought as he looked around the seemingly empty clearing. After having fought to retrieve the Splash Plate and the Flame Plate the protections surrounding the Spooky Plate just seemed laughable in comparison.
"Perhaps Voldemort thought the ghost Pokémon would be enough," Hermione suggested hesitantly. "He did spend many years as a Gastly."
"But that was only after he'd already hidden the Arceus Plates," Harry pointed out. Even so Hermione's suggestion, for lack of a better one, seemed to be all they had to go on. There was nothing there. No Pokémon, no potion, no trap, just the Spooky Plate sitting atop the random, oddly shaped rock.
"I guess there's only one way to find out," Harry muttered and he took a deep breath. "I'll grab the Plate. The two of you, cover for me. I don't know what will happen but I cannot believe it will be nothing. There must be some form of defence."
"We'll watch your back," Hermione assured him.
"Good luck," said Ron.
Harry turned to the Spooky Plate and took a step forward. Subconsciously holding his breath Harry knelt down next to the stone the Plate was resting on, his eyes darting around into the still, dark and silent forest, before, knowing that he had Ron and Hermione with Arcanine and Noctowl watching behind him, Harry threw caution to the wind and lifted the Spooky Plate into the air.
Nothing happened. Everything was still.
Harry let out a breath. So it seemed that Voldemort had overestimated his defences. It made no sense but, with the Spooky Plate in his grasp and nothing jumping out at him to try and take it off him, it must be true. Harry rose to his feet, turning the Plate over in his hands and marvelling at how cold it was to the touch, and he turned back to Ron and Hermione.
They were standing there waiting for him, ready for action but looking just as confused as Harry felt by the lack of a defence mechanism. They looked at Harry as he approached them and he shrugged.
"Guess Hermione was right," he said, looking around into the trees. "Nothing."
"Are we sure this is right?" Hermione said uncertainly. "Are we sure this is an Arceus Plate? It just seems too easy."
Harry looked down at the Plate in his hand. It was an Arceus Plate alright, he could feel its energy swirling beneath his fingers, and looking carefully he could make out the inky black lines on its purple surface that were visible too on the Flame and Splash Plates. The evidence of Voldemort's corruption.
Harry shivered. Even beneath his thick jacket he felt the hairs on his arms stand on end.
With dread building in the pit of his stomach he turned around.
A wind appeared to be picking up in the centre of the clearing, the temperature plummeting as a dark, gaseous form seemed to rise out of the oddly shaped stone that lay there. Along the cracks in the stone's face light began to shine through, seeping upwards towards the darkening space above it as a purple, malicious entity began to form in midair.
As the being began to grow more opaque the form of a face appeared within it, a malevolent grin looming through the incorporeal form.
"Get down!" Harry shouted and he, Ron and Hermione threw themselves to the ground as a blast of energy, a Dark Pulse attack, soared over their heads and slammed into the trees behind them.
"Harry! What is this?!" Ron shouted as he hurried to the side, forced away from where Harry stood as another blast of energy shot between them. Beside him Arcanine growled back, blasting a Flamethrower towards the incorporeal form.
"Spiritomb!" Harry shouted back, rolling as a Shadow Ball crashed into the ground beside him and looking up at the form. He had seen it in drawings, detailed in 'Gods on Earth', and though he knew it to be terrifying nothing could have prepared him to face it.
"Greninja, Night Slash!" Harry shouted, pulling himself up to his feet as Greninja burst from his Pokéball, instinctively running forward, dark blades formed in his webbed hands. He launched himself forward, slashing through the air, but as contact seemed imminent Spiritomb appeared to fade. Greninja flew right through as though the Pokémon weren't even there, landing roughly and turning as Spiritomb reformed behind him.
"So it's a ghost type, right?!" Ron called over, hunkered down behind the protective barrier of Arcanine and the newly released Blastoise, Hermione by his side with Noctowl floating overhead and Absol taking up the attack. "How do we beat it?!"
"It is a dark type too!" Harry told him, releasing Umbreon to block another dangerous attack fired his way. "We need to use fairy type attacks!"
"Fairy?!" Ron cried, ducking as a Shadow Ball flew narrowly over his head. "Where the hell am I supposed to find fairy attacks?!" None of their Pokémon were fairy types.
"It's the only thing it's weak to!" Harry shouted. "All other types only do neutral damage, at best!"
"Not necessarily!" Hermione cried. "Mismagius, Protect!" The ghost type appeared to block Spiritomb's attack, Hermione briefly disappearing behind the thundering of the Dark Pulse clattering against Mismagius's shield. "Absol, Night Slash!" Absol leapt forward.
"What is it?!" Ron shouted impatiently, having been staring at Hermione, waiting for her to explain. "What do you mean?!"
"I mean that Spiritomb can gain another weakness under specific circumstances!" Hermione told them, even as Absol was pushed back, unable to connect with his attack. "Under Foresight Spiritomb loses its ghost type immunities and when we got here Noctowl used it, which means…!"
Harry and Ron looked at each other.
"Machamp, go!" Ron shouted, his four armed fighting type Pokémon bursting forward, jumping ahead of the barrier Arcanine and Blastoise formed in a flash of light.
"Go, Lucario!" Cried Harry. "Aura Sphere!" The ball of fighting energy flew immediately from Lucario's grasp, flashing across the distance between the two Pokémon in a blink of an eye. Yet Spiritomb seemed to fade once more.
The Aura Sphere flew straight through its target, forcing Greninja into a panicked dodge as it flew out the other side, travelling onwards until it crashed into a nearby tree.
"Brick Break!" Ron shouted and Machamp charged forward. With the muscular fighting type closing in Spiritomb seemed to disappear once more, Machamp's fist swinging through clean air, before it struck the stone which floated unsupported in the air, sending it crashing into the ground to bounce several feet away.
Spiritomb reappeared, and it looked angry.
"How is it dodging?!" Ron shouted. With Spiritomb's reappearance Machamp had leapt forward again, raining down a series of punches and kicks towards the incorporeal form, each and every one seeming to fail to make contact. "He's not hitting!"
"It's the stone!" Hermione called, beating Harry to it. "Spiritomb is tied to that stone, that's where we should be aiming!"
This revelation came too late for Machamp. As he continued his assault, moving in with a downward swipe, he found himself stopped in his tracks, frozen in motion. A glowing light surrounded his body, slowly lifting him into the air, and with an angry cry he was flung backward, causing Blastoise, Arcanine and Ron to scatter as he went tumbling through their hiding place.
"Attack the stone!" Harry called to his Pokémon as Lucario and Greninja leapt back into battle, Absol and Noctowl firing in attacks themselves as Blastoise and Arcanine quickly recovered to stand before their trainer, Ron hastily returning the unconscious form of Machamp.
The clearing quickly became a decimated battlefield. Attacks flew in every direction, Lucario, Greninja, Arcanine, Blastoise, Absol and Noctowl pouring in attacks on Spiritomb from all sides as Spiritomb blasted out equally powerful attacks indiscriminately into his surroundings. The ground was torn up, dirt and grass flying everywhere in the darkening clearing, and even as Harry, Ron and Hermione buckled into their defensive positions they could only watch as Spiritomb appeared to fire back everything that they could send its way.
"Noctowl, Shadow Ball!" Hermione cried but even halfway towards its target the attack was thwarted, a Dark Pulse picking it up and blasting it back towards the attacker, forcing the flying type to dodge.
"Hydro Pump!" Cried Ron and the blast of water struck Spiritomb's stone, forcing the Pokémon back even as it somehow seemed to resist the extraordinary pressure pushing against it.
"Focus Punch, Lucario!" Said Harry and Lucario charged forward, leaping over Blastoise's attack as it began to peter out, swinging down from above only to be deflected off course by a Shadow Ball, unable to make contact.
"Fire Spin!"
Arcanine's attack rose around Spiritomb's form, causing the rest of the attacking Pokémon to back away as it rose high into the air, the malevolent Pokémon becoming obscured from view. The flames roared, blasting heat throughout the clearing, and for a long moment everything seemed to come to a stop.
Then a cry rent the air and Arcanine's attack exploded, blasting outwards over the clearing as Harry, Ron, Hermione and their Pokémon were knocked off their feet, the clearing falling dark once more even as burning embers caught alight patches of grass around them.
Shaking themselves free of the dirt and grime Harry, Ron and Hermione looked up to find Spiritomb floating menacingly above them.
"It's too strong," Harry murmured, realising that not a single one of their Pokémon was able to match it in terms of pure power. Even as he spoke the Pokémon around them were picking themselves back up to their feet, exhausted, but looking at Spiritomb he realised that the legendary Pokémon was barely fazed by all the hits it had taken. Driven by rage and revenge it would not tire itself out.
"We can't outlast it like this," Harry said, realising as he rose back to his feet just what they had to do. "Spiritomb won't quit until it has truly been defeated." As Harry spoke Spiritomb turned to him and they looked each other straight in the eye. "We have to strike together."
Across the clearing Ron and Hermione pulled themselves to their feet, beginning to realise what Harry was saying, and as Harry stared at Spiritomb a small look of doubt began flitting through its gaze.
"Lucario, Aura Sphere!" Harry commanded, his voice becoming strong as he instructed for his Pokémon to put everything into their attacks. "Greninja, Dark Pulse! Umbreon, Shadow Ball!"
"Noctowl, Air Slash!" Hermione caught on quickly. "Mismagius, Shadow Ball! Absol, Dark Pulse!"
"Arcanine, Flamethrower!" Ron shouted. "Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"
Eight attacks flew through the air from eight different Pokémon from eight different directions, with Spiritomb floating right in the centre with nowhere to dodge. A shield sprang into being, surrounding the ghostly form, and as one the devastating attacks hammered into it, pushing Spiritomb's strength to the absolute limit.
"Come on, guys! More! More!" Harry encouraged as the shield seemed to hold. Greninja redoubled his efforts, his Dark Pulse pushing harder against Spiritomb's defences, while Lucario and Umbreon fired more and more Aura Spheres and Shadow Balls into the mix.
"Keep it up!" Ron called, Blastoise and Arcanine redoubling their efforts, the fire burning fiercer, the water blasting harder.
"Keep going!" Encouraged Hermione as Noctowl and Mismagius fired down attack after attack and Absol crept closer, his Dark Pulse pressing down on the shield harder and harder with the ever decreasing distance between them.
Slowly, painfully, the Pokémon began to creep closer, pressing down their attacks with constant and ever increasing pressure, knowing that they could not afford to let Spiritomb have a chance of recovery. They pressed on, certain that Spiritomb's defences could not hold, and eventually the shield began to crack. With the attacks burning down on the shield it began to fracture and a moment later it shattered completely, disintegrating into nothingness and leaving Spiritomb helpless as all the attacks being held back flew towards it.
An explosion detonated where the attacks met, washing over the clearing and sending them all staggering backwards, Harry, Ron and Hermione falling back to the ground once more. The weary Pokémon collapsed, spent but not willing to rest their arms quite yet until they were certain of victory, and together they all looked into the centre of the clearing with nervous anticipation.
The stone housing Spiritomb hung in midair where the Pokémon had been moments before, the light around it having faded into nothingness. As the smoke cleared and everyone in the clearing watched with bated breath the stone hung for a moment longer, and then fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
Cautiously Harry, Ron and Hermione rose to their feet once more and crept towards it.
"Is it…" Hermione said tentatively, looking as though she were ready to leap away at a moment's notice. "Is it knocked out?"
"Looks like it, doesn't it," murmured Ron, his eyes roving the stone carefully. "Doesn't seem very lively."
Keeping an eye firmly on the stone Harry reached into his bag, pulling from within the very thing he needed, 'Gods on Earth'.
"Spiritomb," he murmured, flicking to the chapter dedicated to it as he constantly glanced back at the stone. "Here it is." Turning his gaze finitely away from the stone Harry began to read.
Spiritomb is one of few legendary Pokémon whose origins are known, or at least are believed to be known, said the book. The story is thusly that Spiritomb is the manifestation of trapped souls seeking vengeance for their imprisonment.
The specifics, as they are told, are that Spiritomb is formed by precisely one hundred and eight souls trapped in a stone, often referred to as the Odd Keystone, for misdeeds of a certain, unspecified, nature. It is said that, as a result, Spiritomb are violent by nature and are to be avoided at all cost.
"No shit," muttered Ron.
"I suppose that's why Voldemort felt so comfortable leaving the Spooky Plate out in the open like this," Hermione considered. "Though I'm still not sure how this all works. If Spiritomb is supposed to be one hundred and eight trapped souls then how did this one suddenly become free."
Harry turned back to the book.
Methods of trapping souls vary depending on the customs of those doing the trapping, he read. Some require a form of geometric structure to act as a cage, with the geometric properties having a supposed influence over ones soul. As a result change to the geometric structure runs the risk of releasing Spiritomb, making it a rather poor method of containment.
Alternatively others have managed the same process without the reliance on geometric properties, removing a key weakness to the design. However the prison itself is not so strong and so large amounts of concentrated energy, such as those contained in Pokémon attacks, can lead to the Spiritomb breaking loose.
The level of energy necessary is unknown. There are no reported incidents of this occurrence.
"A source of energy," Hermione murmured, looking over to where the Spooky Plate rested in Harry's hand. "That's brilliant."
"Guess Voldemort did know what he was doing," Ron muttered reluctantly. "Even if it didn't come off. On that note, what happens with Spiritomb now?"
"Without coming into contact with a powerful energy source it is trapped," Harry told him, gently closing 'Gods on Earth' and placing it back in his bag. He approached the Odd Keystone. "Spiritomb is stuck in there until someone lets it out."
"Like Voldemort," said Ron. "You reckon he could release it without the Spooky Plate?"
Harry wasn't sure. Clearly the Spooky Plate could be used but if all that was needed was a source of power then surely any Arceus Plate would have the same effect. And Voldemort still had plenty available.
"We should take it with us," Harry decided, reaching down to pick up the Odd Keystone. Looking down at it in his hand he'd expected it to be cold to the touch, much like the Spooky Plate had been, but it felt normal, almost as though it wasn't home to one hundred and eight tortured souls.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry looked up. "Spiritomb is very dangerous. I'm not sure having it around with us all the time is safe."
"Spiritomb is only dangerous if we give it power," Harry told her. "So long as we keep it out of contact of the Arceus Plates we should be fine. My biggest concern right now is to keep it out of Voldemort's hands. A creature like that… no way could we let Voldemort use it."
Hermione didn't look happy, and in truth neither was Harry, he would rather be anywhere but standing beside such a potentially dangerous and malevolent Pokémon, but she understood and did not argue. Harry placed the Odd Keystone into his bag along with 'Gods on Earth' and turned to Ron, handing over the Spooky Plate.
"You're in charge of this now," he told him. "And remember, don't let either of the Plates touch the Odd Keystone." Pale faced but determined, Ron nodded.
A rustle caught Harry's attention and he turned. The ghost Pokémon had returned.
"They look so sad, don't they," Hermione murmured, genuine regret in her voice. "It seems so unfair to take the Plate away from them. It's like taking away their home."
"We've got no other choice," Ron reminded her softly. "We've got to weigh up both sides of this and honestly there's no contest. These Pokémon will get by without the Spooky Plate, but we need to get these Plates to Arceus."
Ron was right but Harry understood what Hermione was saying. These Pokémon didn't mean any harm. It wasn't like in the cavern when they were going after the Flame Plate but even then, thinking back, Harry felt sorry for the way the lives of those Pokémon had been damaged by their intervention.
And even though his purpose was true and he was not to be stopped from completing his quest it was with regret that Harry walked past the many desperate faces as he, Ron and Hermione, left their forest behind.
A/N: So I'm back from my holiday and I'll be going straight back to my usual upload schedule.
If you enjoyed this chapter please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for more updates.
Until next time.