Upon reaching the hut, Althalos threw his body weight into the door and forced it open. Hapi shrieked as she sailed out of his Abyss Clouds and rolled into a chair in the back. While she dizzily picked herself up, Althalos slammed the door shut and used Poltergeist to move the furniture in front of it.
A hatch popped open into the floor. Marsaili and Rogier poked their heads out in alarm. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Boss, where's the fire?!"
"No time." Althalos finished arranging the barricade and glared at them. "Frank informed you The Ghost was here before he left, right?"
Marsaili glared. "Well, yeah, but—"
"Have you made preparations? Did you back away the essentials?"
Rogier saluted. "Everything's been secured onto the escape sled, sir! We were just about to load Terrick on when you busted in. Also…" He turned and pointed at the befuddled Pignite. "Who is this small child?"
Hapi pouted. "I'm thirteen!"
"Long story," Althalos said with a huff. "We don't have much time. The Ghost is on his way as we speak. We can't fight him in our condition." He looked down. "Actually, I'm not sure we stand a chance against him."
Marsaili frowned. "Hey, don't count us out just yet! We can handle the Foresters decently enough. Some chump in an old coat doesn't scare me—"
"Don't be idiots!" Althalos snapped. "There's no way I'm letting any of you go out there to face that monster! You hear me?!"
Marsaili and Hapi stumbled back from his shout, their eyes wide with shock. Rogier, the calmer of them, narrowed his eyes. "Boss. Where's Frank?"
Althalos' eye widened, then he turned away toward the barricade. He pressed his hand against the wardrobe, clenching and digging into the wooden surface. He could still hear the blast from earlier ringing in his head, and it made him tremble.
"…He's dead."
Marsaili and Rogier gasped. "He…killed Frank?" Rogier mumbled.
"But that's…that's…" Marsaili couldn't say the words. Instead, she let her ears droop as her bravado faded away. "Oh dear Arceus…"
"Now you see the danger we're really in." Althalos turned and pointed at the floor hatch. "All of you, head down to the escape sled and wait for my single. I need to buy us some time."
Marsaili gritted her teeth. "Why can't we just escape now? He hasn't torn the walls down yet, so—"
"We wouldn't be able to get away. Frank knew this when he stalled for Hapi and me. He sacrificed himself understanding this possibility. That idiot…" Althalos pressed his fist into the barricade. "I'm the only one of us in decent fighting condition. Besides, I have a plan that'll guarantee our escape."
"What?" Rogier asked.
"I noticed something from the way he was fighting. If I'm right, I can exploit it and give us the distance we need. After that, we need to find a place to lay low until I can get us somewhere safer. Fortunately, I have resourceful contacts."
Marsaili glared. "You're seriously going to fight that monster when not even Frank can kill him? Boss, you're strong, but there's no way you can outmuscle that creep."
Althalos tapped his forehead. "It's not just about outmuscling. I learned my mistake when I was struck down by the Foresters. I'm not leaving anything up to chance this time."
"Still…"
"We're wasting time. Get back into the cellar and prepare the sled for our escape. Rogier, make sure we have a path way cleared. We're using the cellar doors behind the hut to escape, and we'll need a slick ramp to fly off."
Rogier saluted. "I'll see what I can do."
Marsaili glared. "You're insane, Boss. You really are." She sighed. "Fine. You better not die on us. Come on, kid—" She reached for Hapi, but the Pignite stepped out of her reach with a grimace.
"She has haphephobia," Althalos said.
"Ugh. Of course." Marsaili kicked the hatch open and pointed down. "Well? Are you going to stand there like a sack of potatoes? Move!"
Hapi yelped. "Y-Yes, ma'am!" She quickly scrambled down the hatch ladder. Rogier followed seconds after her.
Marsaili climbed down and grabbed the hatch. She stalled for a moment to look up at Althalos. She sighed and said, "You better know what you're doing, Boss." She slid down and closed the hatch behind her.
Althalos took a deep breath as he conjured Abyss Clouds around his hand and hook. "I hope so, too."
Snow crunched under The Ghost's feet as he descended into the silent valley. He finished cleaning the blood off his face with an old handkerchief, smearing its pristine white with the filthy red. He tucked it back into his jacket and glared down at the hut ahead, stationed between two towering rock walls several meters below the surface. A deep part of the Outlands, out of sight for most.
Not for him.
The Ghost took five steps forward before stopping again. He narrowed his sights on a figure in the distance, standing just outside of the hut. He recognized them instantly.
"Althalos." The Ghost reached inside his jacket. "Have you stepped into the blizzard to succumb to its chilling embrace, or do you wield a spear in face of ten thousand men?" He pulled out a gun. "The choice is yours, but meaningless." The cryptic jackal let his limbs go limp, then he took off into a mad sprint toward the hut.
Althalos glared at the blur of yellow charging toward him. I need at least ten minutes. That's it. He roared and slammed his hand down. The ground crackled beneath his palm and spread out into the rock walls around him.
The Ghost's eyes flickered between both walls and spotted black mist jettisoning from the cracks. They ruptured open from the Abyss Clouds digging inside, sending down a shower of rock onto the valley. Swift on his feet, The Ghost skipped through the raining debris without taking his eyes off Althalos.
Althalos struck the ground again and lifted large boulders wrapped in Abyss Clouds. "Will-O-Wisp!" He clicked his fingers and set the rocks ablaze. He wound his arm back and simulated a throw, commanding the boulders to leap across the air.
The Ghost's eyes flickered between the boulders as they came down. One by one, he sidestepped each of them with a burst of speed, vanishing just as soon as they came with a hair's reach of his head. When the third boulder landed, he stalled in front of it to glare at Althalos before continuing his chase.
Althalos grunted. "What will it take to slow this guy down?" He swept his hand across the ground, tearing it apart with his Abyss Clouds. A wave of rubble rose up in front of him and collapsed toward the speedy Lucario.
"Please. No more redundancy." The Ghost dove toward the falling wave and fired one of his guns, blasting a hole through. His gun crumbled from his hand. He flipped through the hole before it closed in under itself and dove toward Althalos with another gun already drawn. "One spear cannot take on ten thousand."
"I beg to differ." Althalos flicked his cloak, revealing a belt of alcohol bottles wrapped around his hook. He threw them at The Ghost, then snapped his fingers. "Will-O-Wisp! Poltergeist!"
The Ghost's eyes widened as the bottles exploded into brilliant purple fireballs. He hid within his coat as the pressure and flames pressed into him. However, when he landed, he saw flaming shards of glass coming down on him. He tried to back away, but they tracked his movements like they were afflicted by Lock-On.
Althalos guided the flaming shards with his hand, keeping a close eye on the jumping jackal. "I'm not giving you a chance to turn this fight into your favor. It's you and me, Ghost, and it ends with you."
The Ghost's eyes flashed. "The Ghost." He stopped on his heels and activated Metal Claw. He furiously clawed through the shards peppering into him like bullets. Broken pieces of glass and flickering embers cascaded around him as he carved through what seemed like an endless stream of ammunition, yet his cold resolve remained fixed on Althalos.
Althalos quietly backed away into the door and pulled it open with his hook. "Abyssal Fog." He clicked his fingers, then took shelter inside the hut.
After finishing off the glass shards, The Ghost pursued toward the hut. He stopped as the ground trembled and groaned. A rush of darkness shot out in front of him, nearly swallowing him amidst the growing black mist shooting out all over. He jumped back until he landed on one of the discarded boulders and glared as the land became infested in a black sea. He felt his current platform sinking and being grinded down beneath the crushing mist.
"A combination of…Infestation and Gravity, transforming both their properties into a gravity-crushing mist. Fascinating." He stood up and stared at the hut. "But a pointless trick. You rely too much on these fanciful techniques. So exploitable, you dedicate so much time to a style that you forget how to fight. Can you even throw a punch, Althalos? You're half the man you once were."
He kicked off and glided over the black sea. Waves breached the surface and tried to drag him down, but he slashed through with Metal Claw and cut himself a path, parting the darkness for a straight shot toward the hut. More and more of the dark mist rose up to swallow him, but his Metal Claws and Extreme Speed gave him the edge to shoot through.
Tendrils shot through out from the parted darkness to hook his arms, but they were shredded to pieces before they could begin crushing him. Not a single particle could stick to The Ghost before being obliterated. His focus remained solely on the hut.
With his destination in sight, he jumped before the Abyss Clouds could collide down around him. He pulled out two guns and held them out as he flew into the hut. He charged the barrels with silver light, narrowing his eyes through the window.
"And I am The Ghost."
BOOM!
Marsaili, Rogier, and Hapi covered their heads as the main floor shook above. Dust worked itself out of the cracks and rained down on them. Marsaili covered her mouth as she fell into a sneezing fit. "That—achoo! That maniac is in the—achoo! He's inside."
Hapi quivered and backed away into the sled. "Oh no."
Rogier growled. "This is stupid. I used to be a knight of the Algus Kingdom. I will not run and hide from some two-bit bounty hunter."
Marsaili glared. "You'd be a dead man like Frank if you think of going up there. And you were banished from Algus for that hotheaded attitude of yours!"
"Oh, like you can do any better?! All you're good for is hiding!"
"I took on an elite Forester. You got your butt handed back on a dumpster platter by a nobody and that runt, Harlow!"
They clashed their foreheads together, snarling back and forth. Rogier clenched his fist with an Ice Ball forming over his knuckles, and Marsaili glowed with a pink outline.
"What happened to him?"
Their eyes widened. Having forgotten their surprise guest, they turned to Hapi, who was standing over something loaded onto the sled. They frowned (or, in Rogier's case, made a sad look) as the young Pignite crouched down over the comatose Sawsbuck. She kept her distance, but enough to look him over.
Marsaili looked down for a moment, then sighed. "Ainsley was a lunatic, and Frank…wasn't any better. You…are least tried to do something useful with yourself before you got wrapped up in this criminal business. That's more than I can say about myself." She glared at Rogier. "As much as I want to flee the region, we're stuck with each other. No more boneheaded mistakes, and no more deaths. We're limping along, one of our own is MIA, and we have a very sick teammate to look after. So, for once, please use your head and think about the team than your pride."
"…"
They looked up at the sound of footsteps, and it was fairly obvious who they belonged to. Hiding from a Lucario was near impossible as is. It was likely he knew they were below, but was still focused on Althalos. The fact they weren't being bombarded yet meant Althalos was still alive and doing everything he can to give them an escape.
"…" Rogier sighed and turned to the sled. "I should start making that ramp. Secure Terrick to the sled."
Marsaili narrowed her eyes. "That might just be the smartest decision you've made today."
"Don't hold your breath." He marched around the sled and toward the cellar stairs.
She sighed, then smirked. "Wouldn't dream of it."
"Excuse me, ma'am?" She turned to Hapi, who was nervously wringing her hands while staring up at the ceiling. "Will Mr. Althalos be alright? That guy looked…super strong. Super scary, too."
Marsaili frowned. "…You want my honest opinion, kid? Al's going to get slaughtered up there if he fights that maniac head on."
Hapi grimaced. "Oh no."
"But—" Hapi's eyes widened as Marsaili hopped onto the sled and pulled out some rope. As she crouched down over Terrick's body, she smirked at the ceiling. "Unlike us, the boss isn't an idiot."
The dust settled after the explosion. A gaping hole stood behind The Ghost, where the Abyss Clouds faded away and left behind the crumbled ruins of the avalanche. He stood up, rolled his neck, and walked around the main room. His eyes searched the walls for any hidden auras, but couldn't seem to detect Althalos'.
He stopped and gazed down at the floor. He spotted four auras below. One was incredibly weak, like the Pokémon was barely clinging to life. The other two were hardly relevant, but he focused his attention on the fourth. The one that ran away with Althalos.
"Solberg. You can't keep running away from this." The Ghost rested his hands in his coat pockets and gazed around the tattered hut. "I know that blast didn't kill you, Althalos. Hiding won't save you. You'll have to come out eventually."
As he searched around, a shimmer of light danced across the ceiling. A single red eye appeared from the void as the shape of a Dusknoir descended from hiding, lowering down on The Ghost's position. He brandished his hook and extended it toward the neck.
The Ghost turned around, but saw nothing behind him. He narrowed his eyes for a moment before continuing to pace around. "I never did tell Frank his wild accusations were something of truth. You should of heard the things he said. He was a smart one underneath all that brawn, you know.
"Tell me something, Althalos. Why do we long for the past? The unenlightened would say we learn from the past's mistakes, and they should stay buried with all the other relics. Such is the nature of progression, to cast aside what brought us this glorious present as ancient or the old way. Do you agree with such a sentiment? If you ask me, that's naivety disguised as secondhand wisdom. The past, the present, and the future are all littered with mistakes. There will always be mistakes, and those who don't take action to correct them are doomed to succumb to an ill fate.
"But see, I'm not interested in such trite. The truth is, there will always be tragedy at the hands of the other, and they scorn the existence of us. Why, though? Envy? Pride? Hatred? No matter the time, everything becomes irrelevant. Would you not agree there was a time when Virdis actually thrived? It seems like a fleeting dream, but peace was actually an established part of Old Virdis. There was infighting, yes, but hardly anything worthy of being called a war. And look at everything now. Do you call this progress? Ten royal powers all coming together and decimating that peace just to take this land, its resources, and its people. What a strange occurrence. The winds of change blew hard on that day. And what became of this invasion? Peace was destroyed, and now we have ten unruly kingdoms going about business at their own leisure. Slave trade, genocide, barbaric sports, an entire section of land dedicated to the scum of Virdis…no, no, clearly Old Virdis was the one riddled with mistakes."
Althalos floated around The Ghost, trying to stay parallel with his back. He kept his hook aimed at the neck, ready to dig the tip through.
"Why must Pokémon destroy? What drives a man to do such heinous actions?" The Ghost looked at his hand. "I ask myself that whenever I execute a man. What drove all these cretins I slaughtered today to do what they do? I hear the same thing over and over. All selfish, vague reasons of justification. Power, wealth, revenge, honor…is that what brought the ten kingdoms to this land two hundred years ago? How shallow. Ripping away lives and claiming land because you wanted it more. Everyone was happy in those days.
"But see, that's why I rid myself of such trivial emotion. I have no desire for power or wealth. I speak not as a hypocrite, because I am simply washing away the trash that has plagued Virdis' outer regions. I want to see these kingdoms collapse under their hubris. They've caused more harm than good in their establishment. What do you suppose the people wanted from the war going on? What do you suppose the subjects will feel if they knew their royals had twisted secrets inside their wardrobes? What do you suppose those innocent families and children were thinking before some army came by and eradicated their village? What do you suppose the dead are thinking?"
Althalos wrapped his hook around The Ghost's neck and carefully aligned the tip with his throat. Die, monster.
Althalos pulled back, but The Ghost reached up and grabbed his arm, startling the Dusknoir out of his invisibility. He tried to pull free, but the shady cowboy had a tight grip on his arm. It was like trying to free himself from a steel vise.
"I am one side of a silver coin, Althalos. One side wants to preserve the good from the past…" He turned and flashed his haunting, blank stare. "…and the other destroys its evil."
He delivered a one-inch punch to Althalos' gut and sent him flying into the wall. Althalos trembled as he held his aching head. He arched forward with a gasp as The Ghost slammed his foot into his stomach. Immediately after, he was seized by his cloak, flipped over the shoulder, and slammed down on his back.
The Ghost pressed his foot down on Althalos' chest. "Can you guess which side I am?"
Althalos swung his hook, but The Ghost jumped back and blasted him with a Dragon Pulse. He tumbled across the floor, but bounced back up and waved the smoke off his cloak. "Will-O-Wisp!" Miniature, purple fireballs fired from his palm.
"Metal Claw." With barely any movement in the rest of his body, The Ghost swung his arms and destroyed the fireballs. He slowly advanced toward Althalos, who increased the volley of his attack but to no avail. The Ghost walked through them with no concern or fear. Only that blank, unblinking stare.
Althalos growled. "What exactly is your point? Do you have some vendetta against the ten kingdoms? Did they hurt your pride? What's your sad-sack backstory?"
"I have no point for such trivial motivations." His eyes flashed. "I am simply The Ghost. I am and I will. That is all there is." He performed a hard cross slash into the stream of fireballs. The pressure blew into Althalos, intimidating him into ceasing fire. The Ghost lifted his gaze. "And your only part left in this game is to hand over Solberg."
Althalos backed away. "I have no idea who that is."
The Ghost sighed. "And I have no reason to explain anything to you."
"You literally just broke into a monologue about change or some—" Althalos ducked back from a Dragon Pulse. He mistakenly took his eye off The Ghost, who surprised him with a knee to the face. He went flying back through the furniture, breaking it under his weight.
The Ghost pulled out a gun and aimed it at him. "My goal is beyond your comprehension. You are but a footnote in this region's lost history."
Althalos pushed himself up and panted. "Yeah? Well then, let me send you back there with the rest of the wayward phantoms." He clicked his fingers, influencing the broken furniture to rise up with Poltergeist. "You made a mistake coming in here. You rule in open spaces. I exceed in closed spaces." He thrusted his hand and sent the furniture flying.
The Ghost's eyes flashed. "Please. Don't make a mockery of yourself." He walked forward, shifting his body with minor adjustments. He weaved through the furniture as he took aim with his gun. "Die with some dignity."
Althalos chuckled as his form melted into shadows. "The old me died a long time ago. Let me show you some new tricks I picked up."
The Ghost felt a presence and dodged a hook slash from a shadowy visage of Althalos. He aimed and fired into the visage, but it faded into the air after taking a silver beam. He glared as his gun crumbled from his hand. "Shadow Sneak. You've learned some new moves. Based on what I've seen so far, you've tossed aside your Darkest Lariat or Icy Wind."
"Incorrect." He turned as another ghostly visage darted straight at him. He sliced with Metal Claw, but it passed through him without resistance. "I've ditched them both."
The Ghost looked at his claws as a dark aura surrounded them. They groaned weakly as they morphed back into his hand spike. "Spite. If I hadn't used Metal Claw when I did…" He tipped his hat. "You're being much more cautious than usual, Althalos. Are you truly that frightened by me?"
"Don't flatter yourself." The Ghost looked around as more and more shadowy visages formed along the walls of the room, glaring down on him with their single red eyes. "I'm not taking any more chances with tricksters. Poltergeist!" Broken furniture rose up from the ground once more. "And Will-O-Wisp!" With a snap, the furniture became engulfed in purple flame.
The Ghost's eyes darted around the room with a blue flash. One-by-one, he dodged flaming upholstery and frames. This time, they didn't go limp and fall to the ground like before. They remained aloft, swirling around the room and firing to cut off the cowboy's escape. He skipped and spun through the fiery furnishings as he scanned the Dusknoir visages plastered across the walls.
"Dragon Pulse." He extended both hands and fired off a barrage of draconic spheres into the walls. A chain of explosions went off around him. The furniture ceased flying and fell to the floor, spreading their ethereal flames. His eyes detected life through the smoke. "There." He fired one last Dragon Pulse followed by a pained shout.
"AAH!" Althalos fell from the smoke, but turned as he felt with his hand wrapped in shadows. "Spite!" He fired off a ghostly shade of himself that passed through The Ghost, weakening his Dragon Pulses.
The Ghost rolled his shoulders and approached the downed Dusknoir. "This would go by much sooner if you stood still."
Althalos pushed himself up once more, panting heavily. "Yeah? Did you tell Frank the same thing before you offed him?" He glared up at the Lucario, his eye glowing a vibrant red. "Or do we all just look like anxious Joltik in your eyes?"
Before The Ghost could respond, Althalos swung his hand up and commanded a wall of Abyss Clouds to rise from beneath his cloak. The Ghost sped to the other side of the room and glared cautiously at the swirling mass of darkness around Althalos.
"Insects like my team and me…can survive anything, even if our numbers are picked off. Just like our spirit, each particle of my Abyss Clouds will contribute to your death!" Althalos roared and sent forth a wave of darkness.
The Ghost jumped off the floor as everything below became submerged into dark mist. He impaled his Metal Claw through the ceiling, then fired off Dragon Pulse at Althalos. Althalos phased through the wall before the Dragon Pulses reached him, then moved along as a shadow. His eye flashed and summoned up broken down furniture pieces infested with his Abyss Clouds.
The Ghost swung around the room, dodging the flying material while more of the clouds spread along the walls. He looked down and noticed a huge chunk of the clouds missing. He jumped down onto the bare spot to dodge a chair.
"You can create more than this. Did that ambush earlier drain you?" He fired off more Dragon Pulses at the shadow flying around on the wall. The Abyss Clouds converged on The Ghost, but he jumped back onto the ceiling before they could grab him. "Or have you withered from an age long forgotten?"
A hand phased out from the wall and fired Will-O-Wisp at him. Once more, The Ghost sprang across the room, dodging the spectral fireballs. Althalos appeared from the ceiling and, with a wave of his hand, made the Abyss Clouds leap up around The Ghost to submerge him. They came crashing down, but the swift jackal flicker-vanished before they could drown him.
Althalos froze as a hand grasped his cloak. Quickly, he turned and tried to strike The Ghost with his elbow, but his foe struck faster with a hard punch to the throat. The Ghost clung to the wall and pulled the Dusknoir out into the open while he was dazed, then kicked him into the floor.
Althalos sprang up and sent forth his Spite attack. The Ghost deftly weaved through the specters and lunged at him. He punched Althalos in the stomach, following up with a barrage of punches into the face. They came too fast for Althalos to block them. He turned intangible once he found his concentration and retreated back into the walls.
"Dragon Pulse." The Ghost sprang forward and touched the wall. The palm of his hand glowed and released a draconic shockwave across the wall. The vibrations reached to both sides, hitting the bulky phantom and jettisoning him back into the open. "Die." The Ghost whipped out a gun and fired.
Althalos, unable to dodge, twisted his body so the shot wouldn't pierce anywhere vital. He winced as the silver beam passed through his left arm. He collapsed to the floor, gripping his bleeding wound.
The Ghost tossed aside his crumbling gun and pulled out another. "This is just sad. How long must you insist on this game of jumping? I've yet to see a ghost who flitters about so far from its grave."
Althalos pushed himself up and shuffled back against the wall. "Shut up…"
"A sad retort from a sad corpse."
"You're not making any sense."
The Ghost narrowed his eyes. "My words are beyond your understanding."
"Tch. Enlightened. You said something like that early. Or that you called everyone else unenlightened. You claim to be a higher being?"
"I am beyond the mortal coil."
"Sounds like a load of shit to me." Althalos paused for a moment as his wound acted up. He shook his head and glared at the Lucario. "You called…Hapi something earlier. Solberg, was it?"
"…"
"How do you know that kid?" Althalos narrowed his eye. "No, no, that's not right. You don't know her. So, what is it?"
"…" The Ghost charged up his gun. "I'm not in the mood for these worthless ponderings."
Althalos sighed. "Of course you aren't." He glared, then swiped his hand across the air. "In that case, I won't let you take her!"
The Ghost's gun sprung from his hand and turned on its wielder. The inside of his coat shook as dozens of guns flew out wrapped in the same purple hue as the first. They spun gently over his head, just out of reach.
Althalos pulled himself up and huffed. "Interesting trick you've got there. You normally make sure the first shot kills, don't you?" He shrugged his shoulder, the same one that got hit earlier before Frank saved him. "I was wondering why those guns of yours kept breaking after you fired them. Was it the recoil? But why would you need a gun in the first place? Why not just use the attack normally? That's when I saw this."
He wiped his thumb across his bloodied shoulder and gently rubbed the fingers together. Metallic flecks sat on the pads of his fingers.
"Metal. I've heard of this move. It's called Steel Beam. Long range Steel-Type moves are something of a rarity, and the only other two I can think of use concentrated blasts of light. But this? A beam powered by metal. Normally, a Steel-Type only has two shots in reserve with this move as it requires the metal naturally occurring in their bodies to fire. You found a loophole. You trained to use this move with substitutes. The gun's just a gimmick to make you look intimidating. Or…Or maybe it gives your shots that piercing quality they're known for."
Althalos clicked his fingers and set the guns on fire with Will-O-Wisp. The Ghost didn't even flinch as he watched his arsenal slowly deforming above him.
"You're a lot less scary without your fancy toys, Ghost."
"…The Ghost."
"Tch. You are really insistent on that the, aren't you?"
The Ghost let himself go limp. "You fail to think creatively, Althalos. You've correctly discerned my loophole, as you called it. Tell me, though…" His eyes flashed. "What's your point?"
Althalos' eye widened as The Ghost vanished before his eyes, and a yellow whirlwind whipped up around the room. Broken furniture went scattering through the air, as well as the floating gun. He quickly clenched his fist and crushed the weapons before they could be snatched out of the air.
"You have no point."
The chilling whisper in his ear didn't compare to the high speed punch bashing across his face. Althalos smashed through the wall and into the kitchen, breaking an old table under his weight. Just as he sat up, sharpened stakes flew into the kitchen. He barely managed to catch them in his Poltergeist, but The Ghost appeared above him and kicked his face.
Althalos gasped with purple blood spraying from his shrouded head. The Ghost brought his foot down on his head and buried his face into the floorboards.
"You're pointless."
The Ghost picked him up and spun around, dragging his body through cabinets, drawers, and a pantry. Old cans of food flew out and smashed open across the walls. Rusty silverware and broken plate shards cut across Althalos' skin, with a few forks and knives digging themselves into his ethereal flesh.
"You are nothing."
The Ghost punched him through the wall, landing the battered ghost into a small bedroom. Althalos tried to grab a nightstand with Poltergeist, but was interrupted with a knee to the face. He flew back into the bed's backboard, then cried out as The Ghost landed hard on his stomach, breaking the bedframe's legs.
"And I am The Ghost. This was inevitable."
Althalos tore open the bed and made the springs fly out with Poltergeist, straightening them into needles. The Ghost tore them apart with Metal Claw and stomped down on his head. In desperation, Althalos clicked his fingers and set the bed on fire with Will-O-Wisp.
"So, why do you still resist?"
The Ghost leaped off the flaming bed and bombarded down with a volley of Dragon Pulses. Althalos rolled off and flew back from the explosion, hitting his back against the wall. From the dust, The Ghost flew at him with a dropkick that knocked them both back into the main room.
"Spi—" Althalos tried to say, but The Ghost decked him in the face. He was lifted off the ground and slammed down with all the force centered on the back of his head. Althalos' whole body shudder. His eye lost focus for a moment, his vision spinning and blurring.
His arms finally went limp to his sides. He was barely conscious, panting as he tried to keep himself awake. He groaned as a foot pressed down on his chest. He glared up at the glimmering Lucario.
"The Savage Era was a very different time, my friend, but no one understands the truth behind its turning point. We have much to thank from that time, and this is the only way to save Virdis from destruction."
He reached inside and pulled out his last gun. Althalos groaned. "I…destroyed them—"
"I snatched one before you did." He pressed the barrel against Althalos' head. "You have to be one step ahead of everyone to get anywhere. I'm fifty steps ahead of you."
Althalos tensed up from the silver glow emanating from inside the gun. "You…You're strong. Stronger than me. I yield. I can never…best you."
"Is that the gasp of a dying fish I hear, or an attempt at requesting mercy?"
Althalos closed his eye and took a deep breath, resting his racing heartrate. "…You asked me earlier if I was satisfied with the way things are."
The Ghost narrowed his eyes. "Yes?"
"Well…I'm not." He clenched his fingers into the floorboards. "I've never been happy with the way Virdis turned out. I had to survive in the ruins into my adult years. I lost my family to disease, watched them all die…all because this region can't decide how to take care of itself anymore. I can't go anywhere anymore without feeling like some outsider. Everyone…Everyone from outside the ruins treated me like a freak. A Freak. An outsider who doesn't know order. Just some heathen in their eyes…"
The Ghost pulled his gun off Althalos' forehead, enough so it wasn't pressing down on his skull. "You understand, then?"
"…I do. The kingdoms are responsible for all of this. They're the reason my family and I could never leave the ruins. We're just…relics of a forgotten history." He sighed. "My family was one of the remaining bloodlines from two centuries ago. My father, a proud Dusknoir, was only a tiny Duskull when the Great Kingdom fell to ruins from that invasion. He told me stories of what he experienced, and he told me how beautiful the land was under King Ogden. I wish I could've seen it…"
The Ghost, for once, narrowed his eyes with a sympathetic gleam. Though he didn't cancel his Steel Beam and take his aim off, he stepped off of Althalos. "That is why I'm The Ghost. You understand. You understand the pain the ten kingdoms brought on that day."
"…Yeah. I do."
"Then it is a shame you must be executed." The Ghost steadied his aim, intensifying the gun's light. "I will make this swift and painless, my ancestral brother. You're suffering ends here. Take comfort knowing that the old Virdis will be reborn under a new order, and no one will take that peace away again."
"…That does sound nice." Althalos faced down the cowboy with a sad glare. "May I ask for one request before I depart from the world?"
"You may, brother. Speak your mind, and I shall carry out your last wish." The Ghost took his hat off and placed it against his chest. "That is my vow to you."
"Thank you." Althalos closed his eye and sighed. "My last wish. I ask you…"
"Yes?"
"I ask you…to tell my family I miss them dearly."
"…" The Ghost glared. "You said your family was dead."
Althalos opened his eye, blazing with purple light. "I know."
With a sudden clench of his fist, the house around them groaned and ripped itself apart. The floorboards and ceiling tore open, scattering splintery wood flying everything. The walls came undone, disappearing into the gaping floorboards. The Ghost lost his balanced and stumbled away from Althalos. He tried to aim his gun, but something leaped from below and grabbed it. A dark mist coiled around the barrel and crushed the gun. He dropped it before the clouds reached up to his hand.
"What the…?" The Ghost looked down, barely standing on two planks of wood. To his surprise, he was completely surrounded in walls of black mist. Althalos' Abyss Clouds had completely taken over the hut.
"Perhaps that's too demanding of a final request." He glared as Althalos rose up from the ground, massaging his wounded shoulder. "But I'm willing to wait as long as possible."
"How did you—"
"You were right earlier. I did exhaust myself from overusing my Abyss Clouds, but not because I was too weak. The ones I used in the ambush weren't just meant to stall you. Once you entered the hut, I infected the exterior and inner walls. I just needed to buy some time until I had this place completely sealed off."
The Ghost relaxed his posture. "You tricked me."
"Hardly. I wasn't lying about what I said. I hate the way Virdis turned out, and how I've had to live for nearly fifty years." He glared. "But I made a promise to my family that I'll live a long life. Besides, there's been enough bloodshed for one day. This one goes out to Frank."
The Ghost tried to approach, but stumbled as his two planks started to sink. He stood on one while the other was chewed up in the dark clouds. He glared at the Dusknoir. "This isn't over, Althalos."
Althalos sank into the Abyss Clouds. "I know." He phased through into the basement.
The clouds started growing restless and converged on the Lucario. He fired Dragon Pulses into the shrinking walls, but they absorbed his attacks effortlessly. He could hear the muffled explosions. Tendrils leaped out to grab him, so he sprang into the air and destroyed them with Dragon Pulse.
Unfortunately, he didn't have any room to move. Just as he landed, his feet sank below the clouds. They coiled around his legs and traveled up his body. He blasted into the floor to destroy them, but his Dragon Pulses were growing weaker with each blast. He overused it during his fight with Althalos.
More and more tendrils shot up and grappled his limbs. They crawled through his fur and tangled him up in a dark, misty web. They spun around him, locking his arms and legs together. The mist coiled around him, forming something like a cocoon. More of the hut came down on The Ghost to bury him alive. Already, he could feel its crushing power squeezing around his body.
The Ghost remained as stoic as ever as the mist wrapped around his face. He plunged into perpetual darkness, unable to move his body and helplessly wait for the clouds to crush him into paste.
…Well played, Althalos. Well played.
Two shining blue eyes pierced through the darkness, followed by a silvery glimmer.
Althalos phased through the cellar's ruined ceiling and collapsed onto the sled, startling his team and Hapi. "Boss! Are you okay?!" Marsaili yelled.
"You look like shit," Rogier mumbled.
Althalos pushed himself up and groaned. "I'm fine. Is the exit prepared?"
"Yeah. We have a straight shot out of the cellar."
"Good." He winced as he raised his arm. He concentrated energy through his hand. "This is going to exhaust me for weeks. Poltergeist!"
His ghostly influence spread over the sled. A cold shiver ran up his passengers as the energy passed under them. Marsaili and Hapi grabbed onto the edges of the sled while Rogier kept a hand on Terrick. They could feel the intense trembling of their improvised escape vehicle.
"Hang on tight," was Althalos' only warning before flicking his wrist.
His passengers screamed as the sled rocketed forward. It struck the makeshift ramp and propelled them through the cellar doors. They lowered their head as they arched through the air with a rush of cold wind biting at their skin. The sled touched down with a hard landing.
Marsaili and Rogier kept their balance, but Hapi slip over. She clung to the edge while the tips of her feet dragged across the ground. "AAAAAHHHH!"
Marsaili gasped and reached over to her. "Kid, take my hand!" Hapi gasped and nearly slipped off the sled as she tried to get away from Marsaili's reach. "Are you serous right now?! This is not the time to—"
Rogier reached over, grabbed Hapi by the back of the jacket, and plopped her back down onto the sled. "There. I didn't touch you. Now sit tight and don't fall off again."
"…" Hapi hid inside her scarf. "Thanks…"
Marsaili sighed and glanced at Rogier. "Okay, sometimes your simplistic thinking has its advantages." She glared back at the collapsing hut. She smirked as it was swallowed up by the Abyss Clouds. "HAHA! Take that, you maniac!"
Rogier punched his fists together. "That's what you get for taking on the boss!"
Althalos glared. "Don't celebrate."
Marsaili grinned over her shoulder. "Why? There's no way he can escape that."
"That guy nearly killed me more times in a single day than anyone could in one year. We're not fleeing from an execution. We're fleeing the executioner."
Marsaili and Rogier stared at him with confused grimaces, but their attention was pulled back to the sound of an explosion in the distance. They, plus Hapi, turned back to see a tower of silver light shooting up from where the hut was. Scatterings of the Abyss Clouds disintegrated inside the beam, tearing their crushing power apart. They could feel the breeze from the blast's shockwave catching up with them.
Marsaili frowned in realization. "You mean…"
Rogier glared. "Shit."
Althalos nodded. "We didn't win. We're retreating. That's all we can do."
Hapi stared at the tower of light before looking around at the group. To see them so weathered and beaten down, an air of despair hung over their heads that could be felt by the weary Pignite. It was a sad state of being, like watching the adults around her losing the will to live. It was an uncomfortable familiarity, and here she was with strangers who skated through the edge of the Underworld.
What have I gotten myself into now?
Remains of the hut rained down on the valley, most of it falling into where the cellar once was, now nothing more than a deep depression in the ground. Remnants of the Abyss Clouds that survived the blast eventually faded away.
Inside the depression, The Ghost picked himself up from the rubble buried on top of him. He shrugged off his jacket, which was ripped to shreds. His hat took a beating inside the crushing clouds, now sitting upon his head crumpled and bent. Blood dropped down his face and arms.
He panted quietly, trembling after using Steel Beam. The metal spikes on his hands and chest dulled in color, with the left spike's tip crumbling away.
He caught his breath and glared out into the distance, catching the tail end of the fleeing sled before it vanished over the horizon. He bounced on his feet, gauging his current leg strength, and grunted. Though nothing was broken, his legs got the worst of the Abyss Clouds. They ached after enduring the crushing force. A few more minutes buried under those clouds, the bones would've been turned to dust.
"…You surprise me, Althalos." The Ghost reached behind and pulled out his canteen, taking a swig of water. "You're the first in a long time to escape The Ghost. You're actually making me try now. Hmph."
He capped the canteen and hooked it back onto his waist, but he missed the belt loop, causing the canteen to drop instead. However, it landed on a conveniently timed tumbleweed that rolled by.
The Ghost plopped down and leaned back into the walls of the destroyed cellar. "Enjoy your reprieve, Althalos. You've yet to see me at my worst."