Chapter 27

The Sealed Ruins

Alex and Blaze walked East for what seemed like hours. The Sableye must've gone the wrong way, at the pace the duo was moving they should've at least seen them by now.

Alex and Blaze decided their best bet was to find Nigel, they had decided to take things one step at a time. Find Nigel, then find a way home. A single-minded goal was what they needed

As they followed the path they came to a massive temple, one with a massive circular stone covering the door, it was moved ever so slightly to the side, allowing a single pokemon to slip through.

"Guess he went through here" Blaze mentioned as he noticed leaf blade marks on the door, Nigel likely scratched the edges as he crawled through.

Luckily they had less trouble getting in, as they entered the ruins, they saw a frozen pillar of water falling from the ceiling. It wasn't ice, the water was simply frozen in place, sprays of water were suspended in the air as well.

"That's new" Alex admitted.

"Hey, that gives me an idea, touch the water, maybe you'll see something!" Blaze suggested.

"I get it, I have been getting better at causing visions on command, I'll give it a try" Alex said, he ran his hand over the water, but nothing happened, he tired even longer than he did at the Groudon statue but nothing happened.

"I'm not sensing anything" Alex admitted, discouraged.

"It's fine, let's keep moving" Blaze conceded.

The depths of the sealed ruins were obviously a mystery dungeon, which is why seeing no Pokémon was rather odd.

Eventually, they came to a pit with a small passage on the other side that leads out of the ruins. As they entered the pit, a few feet from them was an all too familiar green Pokémon.

"Nigel!" Blaze shouted.

Nigel was lying on the ground, an aura of purple energy swirling around him, immobilizing him in place.

"You two, run, that Pokémon is strong" Nigel pleaded.

"What, where is it?" Alex asked, his mind instantly going into combat mode.

"Right in front of you!" Nigel warned.

Alex looked straight ahead, there was nothing in front of him except a small odd-looking rock with a single large crack.

"This can't be…" Alex was cut off by a sinister laugh as a being emerged from the rock. Its body was an ethereal composition of swirling purple fog. Its face was set in the middle of the fog and contained green, crescent eyes that are connected to its jagged mouth. Its pupils were composed of a spiral. Swirling around its face were green orbs with yellow centers.

"We are spiritomb, a collection of spirits,108 of them! For those who trespass in our home, we will show no mercy! Prepare to be added to our collective" the ghost type threatened.

Spiritomb's eyes began to glow, letting out a purple wave of energy, Alex was fast enough to avert his eyes but Blaze was caught by the hypnosis. He turned to Alex with a bloodthirsty look in his eyes.

"Now Blaze, kill him!" Spiritomb ordered.

Blaze rushed at Alex, his fists glowing with fire, he was trying to tear his partner limb from limb.

"Blaze STOP! This isn't you!" Alex said as he dodged the Monferno's attacks.

"He cannot bear you!" He is ours now!" Spiritomb cackled.

Alex knew he had to focus, he couldn't save Blaze until Spiritomb was dealt with. Even if it meant fighting his friend, it was the only way He reached into his treasure bag and threw a stun seed. Blaze countered with a flamethrower but that was exactly what Alex was counting on. He and Blaze had trained together and that was the opening he needed. Using his dragon type resistance to fire, he charged through the flames, the pain was severe but not unbearable.

As the flames parted Alex appeared inches from Blaze's face, he shoved a sleep seed in Blaze's mouth, rendering his partner unconscious almost instantly. With the sleep seed directly consumed, he would be asleep for a considerable amount of time.

What Alex didn't know was that Spiritomb had been watching from the sidelines, waiting for the former human to get distracted. As Alex turned around, Spiritomb had snuck up behind him and was now face to face with him.

Spiritomb began to hypnotize Alex, the former human's eyes began to go blank as Spiritomb said "you are my slave!"

"I am you slave, your….no!" Alex yelled as he unleashed a dragon claw to the ghost's face, locking him backward.

"That isn't possible!" Spiritomb stammered. This Axew has resisted his mind control with sheer willpower, something very few living things were capable of.

"My will gives me strength, I will protect my partner!" Alex yelled defiantly.

"I have no use for one who cannot be subjugated, DIE!" Spiritomb yelled as he fired a massive beam of purple energy, the beam bigger than Alex's entire body.

Alex took his Tutaminis stance, he knew the ability had limits, but once again, his will gave him the strength he needed. A familiar bluish-white glow emanated from his body as his eyes became blue lights with no pupils. The same energy that had defeated the fake Groudon was once again flowing through him. He channeled the entirety of the beam into his body, disappearing into him as he redirected it.

Spiritomb's mouth was agape, he was too stunned to even try to evade as Alex fired the massive beam out of his other hand, the purple energy mixed with the blue light as it hit Spiritomb head-on, the blast completely enveloping him.

The light around Alex completely consumed him, he felt his body for lack of a better term "blur" when he could see again he was a whole foot taller. His tusks were longer, with blue tips protruding from the sides of his mouth. His dark eyes now had red irises and a gray face. His arms now had three blue-tipped fingers, and its lower body is gray, with blue speckles on his underbelly. His toes and tail also were now tipped in blue. The green armor-like hide that previously only been around his neck now covered his entire upper body and head.

The Spiritomb popped back out of his smoking keystone, so weak that he could barely manifest his form.

"S-strong…..run away!" Spiritomb screeched as the one spirit subduing Nigel left the Sceptile's body and returned to the keystone before the rock hopped away in fear, disappearing into the ruins as Alex fell to his knees in exhaustion

The newly evolved Fraxure took a deep breath as he regained control of his body, once again the inner power had forced his mind to take a backseat. He still had no control over it, whatever the energy was only triggered when he thought Blaze's life was in danger. Something he had no explanation for, but as he took in his new appearance, a groan could be heard from behind him as Blaze woke up.

Alex ran over to his partner who immediately smiled, "nice job evolving, thanks for the save" Blaze said happily.

"Sorry about knocking you out, that light that defeated the Groudon illusion emerged again" Alex explained.

"Really! If only you knew how to do that at will.." Blaze admitted.

"I wish, maybe someday," Alex said somberly

Blaze looked at Alex's new body closer and cocked his head, asking "I thought Fraxure's tusks and hands were tipped in red?"

"They are?, guess I'm just special" Alex guessed.

Before they could say anything further, Nigel got up on his own and walked up to them.

Nigel scratched the back of his head and said "thanks for the save, are you two gonna come with me now?"

Blaze looked Nigel dead in the eyes and said "we want to get home and you're our best shot, explain this world and what you were planning with the time gears then I'll decide to trust you or not"

"Fair enough, I can respect you not taking things at face value, come on, once we find a safer location I'll explain everything I know," Nigel said with a look at Alex.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"Nothing, come on," Nigel said as he waved to follow.

Unbeknownst to the two apprentices, Nigel was very suspicious of the Fraxure behind him. Nigel didn't know why, something was off about the Fraxure, and it wasn't his unusual powers. the way he stood so strong for his partner and faced impossible odds was unique, traits that were very useful to Nigel….

Author's notes- thoughts on Alex's different colors, just something to make him stand out a little

See you for the next batch on Monday or Friday. Leave a review:)