~ Chapter 44 ~
Route 209, The Two Towers
"The Two Towers. That's what we called it. Hey, we were dumb kids, don't judge us too harshly. Sounds like a fantasy epic, huh? That's what I thought too. Anyway, when Cynthia said she didn't want to spoil too much she was right. If she had told us what was in store I can tell you Lyss would have made us skip both the Hallowed Tower and the Lost Tower. The Hallowed Tower was supposedly a place of worship for the people of Solaceon Town after they came down from Mt. Coronet and founded a settlement where the town is now located. It fell apart, but in the past few hundred years was rebuilt in the form of a massive obelisk-shaped tower called the Lost Tower; that's now a graveyard to dead Pokémon. Spooky right? Yeah, well, it got spookier."
Sam, Niya, Jeremy and Alyssandra sat around the campfire.
Jeremy's Pikachu sat resting on Jeremy's lap, while the rest of the group's Pokémon were huddled nearby as well. Everyone had eaten and now the only sound was the crackling of the fire and chirping of crickets and Kricketot.
Everyone sat, listening intently to Alyssandra's scary story.
"They say in the Johto Region, in Ecruteak City, there was once a little girl named Eiko who had just moved in to a new house," began Alyssandra, using a tone of voice that made this harmless little girl seem spooky, "Shortly after moving in, Eiko made a new best friend. Her name was Ari, but Ari wasn't what she seemed, because Ari was invisible. The two girls grew very, very close, and would always play together in the family's yard. One day, while Eiko and Ari were trying to plant flowers, Ari warned Roxanne not to plant any under the old oak tree in the corner of Roxanne's backyard. Apparently, that's where Ari's daddy was sleeping."
Pikachu felt a shiver run up his spine, and the story hadn't even progressed that far. The small Pokémon immediately ran up Jeremy's leg and jumped into the space between his shirt and his jacket. Pikachu poked his head out of the collar of the jacket, his ears hitting Jeremy in the face.
Jeremy simply chuckled as his Pokémon attempted to get warmer and hide from the already creepy Ari.
"The next day, Eiko brought Ari to school for show and tell; but her teacher Mrs. Sato wasn't happy with that. She yelled at Eiko and hurt Ari's feelings. When Eiko tried to explain to her teacher that Ari was upset, Mrs. Sato told the girl that Ari wasn't real, and was just a figment of her overactive imagination. Ari got so upset, that she hid the chalk eraser," continued Alyssandra.
"A few days later, during the weekend, Eiko had a birthday party. She was turning nine and invited her friends to come over and celebrate with her. But because of Ari, Eiko became known as the 'Weird Ghost Girl' all because she still had an imaginary friend. Eiko was upset at first, until Ari told her that people had come to the door and left gifts on the porch but didn't stay. This made Eiko feel a bit better, and she spent the rest of the day playing with her new toys and Ari."
"After the weekend, Eiko, having forgotten about no one coming to her birthday party, with Ari having done her best to make it all better, Eiko returned to school. That day however, everything was different. Her regular teacher, Mrs. Sato was absent, and replaced by a temporary substitute, Ms. Inoue. Ms. Inoue was, in Eiko's opinion, much nicer than Mrs. Sato, letting the kids have snack time after diary time. When Eiko's classmate, Jonathan, stole her pencil case, Ms. Inoue did her best to look everywhere for it, but couldn't find it and made Jonathan give Eiko his pencils for the time being."
"Ms. Inoue and Roxanne talked a lot after that, and Roxanne told her teacher about Ari. Ms. Inoue, though she couldn't see Ari, introduced herself, and told Eiko that she believed Ari was real. From then on, Roxanne wished with all of her heart that Ms. Inoue could stay her teacher."
A cold wind blew across the camp, and the fire dimmed and flickered as the breeze blew over the flames and reduced it to embers for a moment.
Niya and Sam shivered, as did Jeremy, and all three of them pulled their sleeping bags up closer around them and scooted closer to the fire; it was an unusually cool night for the summer. The wind began to die down, and Alyssandra, knowing the time was right to speak again, leaned in close, and her voice grew a bit softer.
"As the days went by, Ari and Eiko grew closer and closer, and one day, the two went out on a long walk all day. Ari said it would be a good idea, and the two walked all around the neighbourhood until the moon came out. When they finally came home, Eiko's dad was very upset at her for leaving like that. When Eiko tried to explain it was Ari's idea, her father got upset, and yelled."
"He called Ari stupid, and fake. Just like Mrs. Sato, and Ari grew sad and began to sob. Ari disappeared shortly after, and Eiko was sad because she had lost her best friend. Days went by, and still no Ari. Eiko wrote letters and left them in the attic where they had met, and all the time, continued to talk to Ms. Inoue about Ari. While they spoke one day, Ms. Inoue told Eiko that Mrs. Sato, her old teacher, wasn't coming back anymore, and that Ms. Inoue would remain Eiko's teacher for the rest of the school year."
"That night, Eiko's dad didn't come home; her mother told her that he was at work. A day passed, a whole weekend, and still Eiko's father still didn't come home. Her mother was worried and angry, and Eiko was oblivious."
The wind began to whistle through the trees, picking up as it shook the branches with force. Everyone continued to draw closer, and with a wry smile, Alyssandra finished the story.
"Ari finally returned, and Eiko was happy to have her friend back. When Eiko tried to explain everything that had happened in her life since Ari left, Ari already knew. Ari told Eiko not to worry about Ari's hurt feelings, but that Mrs. Sato and Eiko's dad were sleeping, just like Ari's father."
Niya let out a small shudder, and even Jeremy and Sam pulled their blankets tighter around their necks.
Pikachu was asleep; unaware of the chilling end to the chilling story that Alyssandra was telling.
It was late, it was dark, and the group was exhausted after a full day of walking. They had let the Rapidash rest that day and opted to go on foot. It had been a long day up and down hill and it was well past sundown, and it was finally sometime around ten in the evening before the group had arrived at their destination—the Hallowed Tower.
By now, that story was twice as chilling, with exhaustion taking the place of comfort, and the cold wind only adding to the discomfort.
"That…that was a scarier story than I expected," noted Sam as he pulled himself even closer to the fire.
"At least coming from you," added Jeremy, who had just returned from tucking Pikachu into bed back in the tent.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Alyssandra in defensive protest, "I can't tell scary stories?"
"You can," replied Sam, "You just normally don't—at least not this well. Where did you get this story from anyway?"
Alyssandra shrugged. "I think I heard it from Valentina when we were kids; to be honest I don't really remember. It just sort of…came to me."
"I don't know if it's the unusually cold night or the exhaustion, but something just made what you said even more unnerving to me," stated Niya, pouring some hot water into a tin cup so she could prepare her pre-bedtime tea.
"Finally scared of something Niya?" smirked Sam as he lay back on a bedroll, looking up at the stars.
"Don't make me spill this on you," motioned Niya to her hot tea, giving a quick look to Sam.
"Settle down now both of you," warned Alyssandra, "Or I'll set the ghost of Ari on you."
"Right, and on that note, I'm going to bed," said Jeremy, getting up from the ground. He brushed himself of dirt and with a stretch, gathered his blanket and made his way towards the boys' tent.
"I'll probably fall right asleep," noted Jeremy, Pikachu snoring peacefully in his jacket.
"I'll try not to make too much noise when I come in then, I shouldn't be long though," Sam said, looking at Jeremy.
"Okay, I'll see you in a bit," smiled Jeremy, "Goodnight everyone."
Everyone called out their goodnights in turn, and Alyssandra stood up next to head to bed herself.
Niya went next, and finally Sam.
Within fifteen minutes of Jeremy heading to bed, the fire had been reduced to a pile of simmering logs and everyone else had turned in for the night.
It was the middle of the night when Jeremy had heard the thump, and the howl, and the hiss. At first, he dismissed it as nothing—the wind, or a Pokémon. But then it continued, louder and closer; a wailing sound, then a cry, a howl.
The hairs on the back of Jeremy's neck stood up.
Jeremy looked over to Pikachu, usually sleeping beside him, so that they could go explore the source of the noise together. Then Jeremy's stomach dropped as he noticed Pikachu wasn't there, worse yet, was that the tent door was still zipped closed.
Pikachu hadn't snuck out, and Sam was still in the tent.
Pikachu hadn't gotten out of the tent, not by himself anyway—as far Jeremy could tell. He doubted that one of the girls had let him out, because Jeremy hadn't heard talking outside the tent.
With a start, Jeremy threw the covers to the side, and slowly zipped open the tent. He peaked out—making sure that whatever was out there wasn't there, ready to attack him—but Jeremy saw nothing. With a short, sharp breath, he snuck from the tent flap and out into the darkened, misty campground.
The wind had stopped, but a mild fog had crept around the campsite in the past few hours since the group had gone to bed, and the fire was an almost non-existent glowing pile of blackened coal and ash.
There was a faint rasping whistle coming from…somewhere, though from where exactly Jeremy had no idea. Looking around, Jeremy also saw that there was no Pikachu in sight, and fear gripped him, as he wondered where his Pokémon could've gone.
"Pikachu?" whispered Jeremy, his voice raspy and rough from disuse as he slept. He spoke as loud as he could, without waking his friends. "Pikachu?" asked Jeremy again, clearing his throat so that he spoke clearer; still no response.
Jeremy shivered a bit, as a cold suddenly drew itself around him.
There was a whoosh behind him, as if something flew by. Frightened a bit, Jeremy spun around, looking for the source of the noise. Jeremy couldn't see anything but kept his guard up.
He raised his fists, realizing he didn't have his Pokémon with him, having left them behind in the tent. "Who's there?" called Jeremy, a bit louder, replacing his unease with a confidence. Whatever happened he wasn't going to go without a fight.
Then there was a whirring sound, a cosmic sound; a sound that pulsated like something out of a sci-fi movie.
Jeremy went stiff, fear gripped him, but he kept pushing forward. He spun around, came face to face with his attacker, the mystery, the source of the noises and all the commotion.
Jeremy let out a scream, there was a bright flash of light, and he disappeared.
Sam's eyes shot open as he heard his friend scream. He threw the covers off of himself, grabbed his Poké Ball belt, and ran out into the campsite to see what was wrong.
As Sam left his tent he saw fog slowly dissipate from the area, and Alyssandra was looking around, screaming for Niya and Jeremy and Pikachu.
"Lyss!" shouted Sam, trying to get her attention, "What's wrong?"
"It's Niya, Jeremy and Pikachu, they've all gone missing," said Alyssandra, exasperated, and worried, "I heard Jeremy scream and when I woke up I saw Pikachu and Niya were missing too."
"How?" asked Sam, as he tried desperately to wrap his mind around what was going on.
"I don't know," replied Alyssandra, "Do you think it was the Black Claw? Did they come back to get revenge?"
"No, I don't think so," said Sam firmly, "They'd be trying to lay low now. Kidnapping would bring too much attention to them; especially since Valentina and Cynthia know about their presence in the Sinnoh Region."
"So, what happened then?" asked Alyssandra.
Sam shrugged. "I don't know…" was all Sam could come up with.
"I know," said a voice, coming from the darkness.
Sam and Alyssandra jumped and spun around to face the speaker.
What they saw was a young woman, with long black hair, pale skin, wearing traditional robes one might see in the Johto Region; a white kimono with long, billowing sleeves, and a red hakama skirt over it. In her hand was an ōnusa with several shide streaming from it.
"Who are you?" asked Sam, putting a hand in front of Alyssandra as she stepped behind him.
"My name is Maki," said the woman calmly, "I'm a Shrine Maiden at the Lost Tower nearby. I heard your friends scream, and I think I can help you find them."
"How do we know we can trust you?" asked Alyssandra, taking a step forward, "How do we know you didn't take them?"
"You don't," came Maki's simple reply, "But you also don't have much of a choice. If you want to save your friends, you will need to hurry, and you will need our help."
"Our?" asked Alyssandra curiously.
Maki turned around, facing off towards a nearby path that led off into the darkness, presumably towards the Lost Tower. "Come. Bring that stone you were bestowed by the blonde one. You will not need more," said Maki, slowly disappearing as she continued down the path. Sam went to protest, but Maki cut him off.
"My sisters and I have been watching your encampment since you arrived," she said simply, "They shall keep your belongings and your Pokémon safe. Now hurry."
Sam and Alyssandra looked at each other but weren't given much time to decide. Maki had disappeared off down the path and was still going no doubt.
So, the two grabbed their ball belts, and Sam shoved the Odd Keystone in his pocket, and then the two dashed off down the path towards Maki and towards the Lost Tower.
"Come," said Maki in her calm, whispery tone.
She had led Sam up into the Lost Tower; tall stone obelisk tower that poked its way up into the sky like a massive needle. The sides of the obelisk shaped tower were carved with glyphs and images that Sam couldn't see clearly in the dark, but he assumed were Pokémon and people.
From what Sam knew of the Lost Tower, it was a tall grave. Pokémon were interred outside at marked graves, and inside, their ashes were interred in labelled urns and in-wall mausoleums.
The Shrine Maidens, also known as Channelers or Shamans, maintained the graves at the Tower, and kept the spirits of the Pokémon pacified and calm.
They were originally a group from the Kanto Region—with even deeper origins in the Johto Region—specifically from Lavender Tower, where they had performed much the same role at the infamous Pokémon Tower there.
Maki had led Alyssandra and Sam from their camp, down the dark and narrow path, travelled by few but those who knew where to look for the Lost Tower.
Once they had arrived at the tower, Sam was surprised to see how many Shrine Maidens there were. Many carrying ōnusa, some chanting in front of graves, others burning incense on and cleaning them, and even more still just keeping watch along the path, with lanterns hanging from poles in one hand and ōnusa on the other.
The Shrine Maidens looked like they were standing a constant vigil, as if keeping watch for some sort of enemy attack.
Once at the Lost Tower, Sam and Alyssandra were led inside, and then up several long, tall, exhausting flights of steps until they had finally reached the highest room on the highest floor of the tower.
There Sam and Alyssandra came face to face with several Shrine Maidens whose eyes were covered by a single strip of white cloth, and red eboshi hats with red strings tied beneath their chins. Their long hair was tied back and plaited into a long braid that extended down their backs to below their waist—like all Shrine Maidens.
Each Shrine Maiden, or at least as far as Sam could remember from the history books, had a ring of metal clamped around a part of their braid to indicate certain achievements, each ring being differently coloured to signify different achievements.
There were rings of metal for how many years of service a Shrine Maiden had under her belt, rings indicating acts of bravery or loyalty, and many more Sam couldn't remember.
These girls each wore a gold ring where their braid began, followed by a red ring, then another gold and another red. A black ring, a white ring, and finally another gold ring followed these rings. A few of the girls had a silver ring beneath all of other coloured rings they wore, but the silver rings were few and far between.
These girls stood, ōnusa in their belts and shakujō staves held in hand as if they were soldiers standing guard.
Maki led Sam and Alyssandra down the rows of these blindfolded girls towards a dais with a long silk curtain that divided the main part of the dais from the rest of the room. Behind the curtain burned two braziers of flame and between them sat a shadowy figure as if in meditation.
Maki knelt down before the curtain, and the figure behind, and placed her head to the floor.
"Great Mother, I bring guests," said Maki, a tone of great respect in her voice, "They were in possession of an Odd Keystone."
The figure behind the curtain shifted slightly, and then spoke. "Gifted to them by her?" asked the figure. It sounded like a woman.
"Yes, we believe it was given to them as foretold," responded Maki, "It has awakened one by its presence here alone."
"So, this Keystone definitely has its matching pair in the vault then?" asked the figure.
"Yes, it is more than likely," responded Maki, her head still hung low, "These two are only part of the group that was in possession of a Keystone. The others were taken by it."
The figure did not respond to Maki, but instead stood up and moved a hand. The curtains parted instantly, revealing an old woman sitting on the dais between the two flaming braziers. She dressed just the Maidens that were guarding her, with the exception of the blindfold.
Her hair was the longest Sam had ever seen, going down so that the tip of the braid just slightly dragged on the ground behind her as she walked. The entirety of it, except for the very end of the braid, was covered in several, well-polished gold clasps that clanked and jangled as she walked.
"You are?" asked the woman as she approached Sam and Alyssandra. The woman wore a kind smile, with her wrinkles creasing as her eyes shone with a warmth and kindness.
"I'm Alyssandra," responded Alyssandra.
Sam took a moment longer to gather his thoughts, but soon introduced himself as well.
"I see, wonderful names. I am the Great Mother—my real name is not important, I have gone without it for so long," the old woman smiled, she placed a hand on each of their shoulders, "I lead the Shrine Maidens of the Lost Tower and have for several decades."
"A pleasure to meet you," said Sam calmly, "I do have a few questions though."
"You want to know what's going on, and you want to know who these girls are standing around me like a personal vanguard, correct?" asked the Great Mother with a smile.
"Mind reading?" asked Alyssandra curiously, to which the Great Mother let out a chuckle.
"No, my dear, logic," she responded smiling at Alyssandra, "It's what anyone would ask in your situation."
The Great Mother passed between Sam and Alyssandra and turned towards the right wall. As she approached her wall of guards, they parted to allow her through.
The old woman scoured the wall as if looking for something; Sam didn't know what it was, but moments later a doorway opened up in the wall leading to a small lift elevator that seemed to be operated by a chain.
Everything was happened so fast for Sam, despite him trying to keep up, each answer led to another question, and it didn't help that questions were also leading to more questions as well.
"Come. I have much explaining to do, and we have little time to waste," said the Great Mother calmly; "It is best if I explain while we go, if we are to rescue your friends in time."
Sam looked over at Alyssandra, who simply grabbed his hand, entwining her fingers with his, and looked at him with a reassuring smile.
"Come on, let's go," she whispered to him, "We'll go together. We have to save Jeremy, Niya and Pikachu."
Sam nodded, given newfound strength by Alyssandra's touch and reassurance—and also some newfound nausea as well as the object of his affection was now holding his hand.
The two teens filed into the small opening and onto the elevator. Maki followed close behind, and then the Great Mother came last, the stone door closing behind her with a loud thud after everyone was assembled.
"I suppose I shall start with the easiest question first," began the Great Mother not moments before the elevator gave a lurch and began to descend down into the unknown, "The girls you saw up there were known as the Kagemusha Elite. They are the best at pacifying angry spirits—human and Pokémon—and they have spent their entire lives training. The red and gold rings signify their status as Kagemusha Elite, while the black ring signifies their two decades of service, for Kagemusha Elite are chosen at birth. The white ring signifies that the girls have passed the final test of any Kagemusha and taken the Final Vow."
"What's the Final Vow?" wondered Alyssandra.
"And what do those silver rings mean?" added Sam, curious in his own right.
"Those silver rings, Sam, signify an act of bravery or service that is worthy of commendation. As for the Final Vow, it is the vow all Kagemusha Elite take after they are ready to become fully realized, followed by ritually blinding of them. These girls cannot see, not by conventional means anyway, and that is why they wear the blindfolds," explained the Great Mother, "A Kagemusha Elite never removes her blindfold once she has had her eyes removed. They also swear oaths of chastity, in order to remain pure for their job fighting the restless spirits of the dead."
"Don't all—" Alyssandra began, to which the Great Mother responded quickly and pre-emptively.
"Yes, we all take oaths of chastity, but while a regular Shrine Maiden may retire at any time in order to start a family, a Kagemusha Elite can never retire. They are born Kagemusha Elite, and they shall die Kagemusha Elite, such is their tradition," the Great Mother explained proudly, "This is how it has been for centuries, and how it will always be."
Sam had so many more questions to ask about the Shrine Maidens. They seemed like such a harmless, unsuspecting order in the history books, but from what Sam was learning, there was an air of mystery about them, an unknown quality and mysticism that made them seem fantastical and magical.
But there was always a great tragedy about them as well, and it put Sam on edge, and made him wary.
These Maidens were powerful and secretive, and if angered, they were dangerous; that much Sam could figure out by himself.
The rest of the elevator ride was spent in silence, but with each passing moment Sam could feel another question come to mind. He didn't even notice when the lift gave a slight lurch as it touched the ground.
They were at the bottom of a hole, probably underground, with a dimly lit tunnel stretched out before them.
Still no one said anything. Not Maki, not the Great Mother, nor Sam or Alyssandra. It was another silent walk down the corridor. Sam practically bit off his tongue every time he had a question, knowing that each minute he wasted with another question was a minute lost towards saving his friends, and that was paramount.
Besides, Sam had a feeling no one was going to answer any more questions—at least not the kind that Sam had in mind. They were more than likely too personal for the Shrine Maiden's; too many secrets would be revealed, and of course without secrets they would no doubt lose some of their intrigue to Sam.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, but was probably closer to a ten-minute walk, the group emerged into a well-lit chamber—relatively well-lit anyway, for torchlight.
There were four Kagemusha Elite standing in the room, at the entrance and at the far wall where a large stone door stood sealed.
Sam noticed that the walls were made of a smooth black stone. It looked like it had once been polished regularly, and indeed in another time long forgotten it might have been, but age had worn down these walls and exposure to human hands was what made them this smooth nowadays.
There was a beauty to them though, and they were carved with all sorts of images and pictures, some Sam recognized as Pokémon, others he might've thought were people. It was hard to make out, as the designs were so stylistic. Sam saw what might've been a Pokémon battle, but he wasn't too sure.
There was something else about the walls; they were marked with writing that looked like the alphabet, but there was something different about them. They looked stylized, or changed, primitive. Each letter looked like they had little eyes; a single, solitary, unblinking, unfeeling eye in the middle of each letter.
Then there was the door; the massive stone door at the other end of the antechamber.
It was the same black stone as the rest of the room, and only the small, barely visible seam between the door and the wall gave it away as an entrance. It wasn't carved with any letters or pictures that Sam recognized, but of a shape.
In the centre of the door there was a white, marble sphere, small, the size of a large toy marble, set in an alcove in the door. Arranged around it in a triangle seemed to be a pearl, a diamond, and yellow gem that Sam thought might've been citrine.
They were connected to each other by engraved lines that formed the sides of the triangle, and then each of the gems were connected again to the white marble sphere in the centre, the engraved lines sprouting from between two sides of the triangle on each side.
Arranged in a larger triangle around the other were three, small red gems that looked like rubies. They were also connected to each other to form a triangle, but not to the centre sphere of marble, instead they were each connected by a single straight line to the inner three gems that formed of the corners of the smaller triangle.
All together the shape looked like a weird triangle within a triangle, but he knew it stood for something else. It had to with how much detail was put into it…but…what?
Sam did not have time to dwell on these thoughts however, as he drew his attention away from the carvings as the Great Mother started to speak again. Part of him regretting that he would not have time later to examine these carvings, as he would most likely never be allowed down here again.
"It is time I told you everything that is going on; we do not have long, and I have kept you in the dark long enough," she stated matter-of-factly, "Your friends have been taken by a powerful ghost Pokémon known as Spiritomb."
"Spiritomb?" asked Alyssandra, "What's that?"
Maki walked over to the wall and pointed to a picture that looked like a swirling galaxy with a face. It seemed to be projecting itself out of…something small and round, with a crack down the middle.
"It is a Pokémon that was created thousands of years ago; predating even our order," explained Maki, "They were created by the ancient Sinnoh Tribes during the wars that got them banished from Mt. Coronet. The tribe that would eventually settle down in Solaceon town was known for its mystics and shamans, and they used their powers to bind one hundred and eight vengeful, angry spirits to a single, carved rock and use it against their enemies."
"Of course, they inadvertently created a being that would become a Pokémon by doing so," continued the Great Mother, "But no one knows exactly how. What we do know is that the rock they took from—which itself is found only on the highest peaks of Mt. Coronet—was cracked down the middle, and the spirits were bound within that crack."
"So, you're saying our friends were taken by a mystical man-made ghost Pokémon?" asked Sam, to which he got an affirmative nod from Maki and the Great Mother, "Why though? What did we ever do to it?"
"After the war between the tribes, and after the tribes had been pushed from Mt. Coronet, the Spiritomb became not only a hard to control liability, but obsolete," explained Maki, "There was no war, and therefore no need for the Spiritomb. They are vengeful spirits, even when bound to the stone—perhaps more so. Too many accidents happened because of a weapon they no longer needed."
The Great Mother walked over to the other wall, and then pointed to a picture that seemed to show a group of people hiding small, round objects inside of a vault.
"They locked away the Spiritomb inside of the chamber just ahead," continued the Great Mother, "And just as an extra precaution, paired each Spiritomb up, and placed a curse upon them, so that they would only awaken when both halves of the pair are near each other. So, they built the vault, and this chamber, and then buried it beneath the ground. They marked it with the Hallowed Tower, which is now in ruins, in case a great calamity would require them to dig up their own weapons in times of great need; of course, they never did."
"The tribe left half of the each of the pairs behind and took the other half with them. They moved farther north to their now permanent settlement of Solaceon Town and sent the Spiritomb they brought with them as far away from the vault as possible. They buried them all over Sinnoh, some being as found as far away as the Hoenn Region. Some remain hidden, but some have been discovered by accident, or on purpose."
"Tried as they did, the Solaceon tribe could not erase the legend of the Spiritomb and people continued to look. Every time a Spiritomb senses its other half, it awakens and seeks it out, along with the poor travellers who hold the Keystone. They will try to consume the souls these poor people. That is why if we do not get to your friends soon, they will be gone forever; they have only until sunrise."
"That sounds…well it sounds a bit nutty, but then again, we've seen weirder things happen I suppose," said Sam frankly, "One more question, if I may. Are you saying because we possess this Odd Keystone, sorry, this Spiritomb, that our friends were kidnapped by its other half?"
Maki and the Great Mother nodded.
"We have done our best to reunite the halves and pacify them whenever one would turn up," said the Great Mother as she looked towards the vault door, "The blonde one who gave you yours helped us with that task once, and she must've found another and thought you worthy of the task as well."
"Cynthia knew about this?" asked Alyssandra in disbelief, "Why would she send us here with the Odd Keystone if it was so dangerous?"
"Perhaps she did not foresee the Spiritomb attacking, or perhaps she thought you would arrive at the Lost Tower before anything happened; still it is possible that the blonde one was not sure it was even authentic," said Maki calmly, "Regardless of her reasons, we know now that it is a real Keystone, and it must be reunited with its other half, and both Spiritomb defeated and pacified so that they do not pose a threat to anyone ever again."
"So, what do we need to do?" asked Sam with determination, "Throw open that door and go in guns blazing? So, to speak."
The Great Mother let out a small calm laugh and returned to Sam and Alyssandra to explain their mission. "No, no, you cannot defeat a Spiritomb like that," she said calmly, "You will enter the vault once my girls open the door, when you do, you will see the bodies of your friends, but do not approach them! They are meant to lure you there as a trap, so the Spiritomb can take your souls as well. Instead, you will look to the right wall; it will be covered in alcoves. You must seek out the third alcove from the ground, and the fifth one in from the entrance. Place the Keystone in the alcove next to its pair. It will summon both Spiritomb in their physical forms, and when they appear, my girls shall weaken them with our rituals."
The Great Mother placed her hands within her sleeves, and then drew them out a few moments later, producing two Poké Balls; at least they looked like Poké Balls. They were covered in small writing that was no doubt meant to bind the Spiritomb within the Poké Ball, and they were pure white instead of red and white.
"A special creation of ours," smiled the Great Mother, "When we give you the signal, use them on the Spiritomb and they shall be yours."
Sam and Alyssandra took the Poké Balls and nodded their understanding. Their hearts were racing, pounding out of their chests, but they weren't scared—not entirely—they were excited. They'd never done anything so supernatural or cryptic as this, it was like solving a mystery.
There was a certain thrill to it; the only fear came out of a worry for their friends' safety. The lives of Jeremy, Pikachu and Niya depended on their success, and if anything went wrong, it'd be a very lonely, guilty filled journey home.
"Girls, open the door," said the Great Mother with a newfound hardness and confidence, "And be alert. Once the door opens, anything can happen. Once you see that Spiritomb, you must strike with vigilance!"
"Yes, Great Mother," was the response from the four girls who guarded both entrances.
As Sam and Alyssandra approached the massive stone door, Sam got one final glimpse at the odd pattern of triangles and gems before it slid down into the floor at the pull of one of the torches.
Sam and Alyssandra were the first in the room, followed by the four Kagemusha Elite, then Maki and the Great Mother.
"Remember what she said," whispered Alyssandra, "Right wall, fifth alcove in, third one from the ground."
Sam nodded and took the Keystone from the outstretched hand of one of the Kagemusha Elite, who had passed it to him from the Great Mother.
"I'm ready," said Sam to Alyssandra, holding the Keystone tight in his slightly sweaty palm, the Poké Ball given to him by the Great Mother in the other hand. The two teens walked down the sandstone room, across the thick slabs of tile that made up the floor, and past rows and rows and columns and columns of alcoves. Some were empty, some held matching pairs of Keystones, and some had only one.
Something about all the carved faces of the Keystones, and the Pokémon within, watching him made Sam uneasy but he pushed on. He froze for a moment when he saw the unconscious bodies of Niya, Jeremy and Pikachu lying at the other end of the hall by an altar, but he forced himself to keep going, a task made only easier as
Alyssandra grabbed his hand and squeezed tight, giving Sam the courage to keep going—and herself as well. Together, hand in hand, Sam and Alyssandra pushed onwards towards the alcove.
They walked past a beam of light that seemed to flow down from a distance through a hole in the ceiling, which Sam only assumed was from the remains of the Hallowed Tower.
Finally, after what seemed like an even longer eternity than the walk through the tunnel to get to the antechamber, Sam gave a deep breath, and reached his hand out, slowly, and carefully.
The Kagemusha Elite were already in position to get the two Spiritomb once they appeared, and Sam knew it was now or never. He placed the Keystone down in its spot in the alcove gently and froze as he waited for something to happen.
At first there was nothing, and Sam thought he was in a horrible dream, then there was a blast of air, and Sam and Alyssandra were thrown backwards in the chamber, landing on the ground.
They took a second to recover as their senses returned, and they saw that a Spiritomb had emerged from each Keystone. Each was a part of the Keystone itself, emerging from the crack in the two rocks, and levitating themselves and it high in the chamber.
Alyssandra let out a quick yelp, and even Sam felt himself go pale as he saw the two Spiritomb were inches from their face, but they weren't attacking.
Sam looked over at the Kagemusha Elite and saw that they were chanting furiously quickly, shooting a red beam of light from the tips of their shakujō staves, which were aimed right at the Spiritomb.
These beams kept the Spiritomb frozen and seemed to drain them of their power a bit, but it seemed to be extremely hard for the Kagemusha Elite to maintain their control without extreme focus and concentration as the Spiritomb shuddered each time it tried to break free of the hold.
"Quickly!" cried the Great Mother, who was—between encouraging words—helping the Kagemusha with their chant, while Maki sung and danced around ceremoniously, waving her ōnusa in an attempt to pacify and calm the other Spiritomb and assist the other Kagemusha in their concentration.
Sam and Alyssandra looked for their Poké Balls given to them by the Great Mother; it seemed Alyssandra still held hers, but in the burst of wind that knocked them back, Sam seemed to have dropped his.
Rushing as fast as he could, Sam got to his feet, dashed to the edge of the room, and grabbed the white, marked Poké Ball. He held it tight in his hand, and gave it a kiss for good luck, then threw it with all his hopes and prayers and strength at the frozen, weakened Spiritomb.
There was a burst of light and Sam and Alyssandra covered their eyes. When they looked next, the red beams had enveloped the violently shaking Poké Balls, and the fervent chants of the Kagemusha had quickened and grown even more fanatic.
The Great Mother ceased her assistance and quickly ran to the Poké Balls, placing two paper seals over the button that released the Pokémon and over the seams of the Poké Ball. This two-fold seal on each Poké Ball ended its violent rocking, and the orbs grew still and the chamber silent.
Three of the Kagemusha fell over, the one that remained standing was extremely exhausted and was bleeding from her nose.
Maki, who ceased dancing immediately, ran over to each of her sisters to ensure that they were alive and well. When she was satisfied that they were okay, she told the Great Mother that she was off to fetch medical attention, as well as food and water for the exhausted Kagemusha.
The Great Mother wiped sweat from her bow, let out a deep breath, and prayed calmly for a moment before picking up the two Poké Balls and walking over to Sam and Alyssandra.
"I will need a little longer to truly cleanse these two Pokémon of their rage and malice, but when I am finished, I shall send them to you. Do you plan on heading to Solaceon Town next?"
Sam nodded, out of breath from the adrenaline rush he was coming off of. "Yes. It'll be another day or two until we're there, and we should be there a few days once we arrive."
"I've got a contest," explained Alyssandra, "And I know Sam wanted to check out the Solaceon Ruins. Besides after this I think we've all earned a small break."
The Great Mother smiled and touched the teens on their shoulders. "A wise choice," she agreed, "When I am done, I shall send your new Pokémon over to the Solaceon Pokémon Centre."
"Wait, wait, you want to give us those dangerous Pokémon?" asked Sam in disbelief, "I thought we were just going to leave them here in the vault?"
"No, no, of course not!" laughed the Great Mother, "No, we do not lock them up in here. Once they are cleansed, we either care for them ourselves, or we give them to worthy Trainers like yourselves. That is how Cynthia came into hers, and how you will come into yours. We would like them to learn what it is like to be around people and Pokémon, to replace the hate we take from them with love and caring."
Sam and Alyssandra looked at each other, not sure of what to make of what they were being told.
"Once their malice is removed, they are not bad Pokémon," explained the Great Mother, "I will not force you to take them if you truly do not wish to, but I ask that you consider it."
Sam and Alyssandra looked at each other again and came to a silent agreement. "Send them over once they're ready. We'll care for them," said Sam calmly, his breath finally returned.
The Great Mother gave a kind smile, her wrinkles becoming more pronounced as she did, then gave a hug to both Sam and Alyssandra briefly before she resumed speaking.
"Now go see to your friends," said the Great Mother, motioning to the stirring bodies of Pikachu, Niya and Jeremy, "Make sure they're all right and our healers will look after them once they arrive. You may return to your campsite when you're done. We've given you some fresh supplies for the trip to Solaceon, and we'll have a guard detail placed around your campsite for however long you wish to recuperate from today. Those guards will also act as an escort to Solaceon Town, so you will not have to worry about anything else happening to you while you're travelling. You've had a hectic enough trip as it is."
With that, Sam and Alyssandra could not help but agree, and so they left the conversation there and rushed to their friends' sides to ensure that they were okay and to reassure them that medical attention was on the way.
To this day, none of them could make sense of what had happened that night at the Hallowed and Lost Towers and have kept the secret closely guarded between them and only their most trusted of friends, though this would not be the last time a legacy of the past, or the Shrine Maidens, would cross paths with them.
