It was just as he had feared.

Renard narrowed his eyes at the Spiritomb, and used several of his tails to prop himself back onto steady feet. His breathing was still a little rapid, but even that was stabilizing. His red eyes shimmered with a hint of concern, but he knew it was futile to try to talk Bee-Bee down now.

Over the past several days, he had done his best to train the hornet in how to properly utilize the Beedrillite she had in her possession, and even with the aid of his Key Stone, it had not been a simple matter. Mega Evolution took such a drastic toll on one's mind and body that even attempting the transformation was risky unless one was adaquately prepared for what they were about to undergo, and Bee-Bee was still young.

But if there was anything that could be said for the Beedrill, it was that she was determined. Eventually, they had succeeded, and after a few more practice attempts, it seemed that Bee-Bee was able to consistently Mega Evolve, at least for a short time. Under ordinary circumstances, Renard would not have recommended Bee-Bee return to the Eterna Forest so soon, but the Beedrill was far too stubborn and tenacious to see reason. She did not like the idea of leaving the rest of the Hive to fend off the active threat, even while she trained to harness the power available to her.

Then there was the matter of the Old Chateau. The negativity within the forest had not yet subsided, and Renard recognized that he inevitably would need to investigate the source at its roots. The very idea of meeting Diablos again, face-to-face, gripped his heart with unparalleled dread, yet Renard knew he could not put it off for too much longer. The longer he put off investigating the Chateau, the more time Diablos might have to complete his goals unhindered.

That was not to say that Renard had rushed into this mess. He knew confronting Diablos alone was a feat far beyond his capabilities, for his heart had been tainted with darkness centuries ago. Ideally, he would have wanted Astrid to accompany him, but he could not really afford to wait for her to become available. Since Bee-Bee already wished to return to the Eterna Forest, it did not take much coaxing to convince her to accompany him to the Chateau and investigate the negative energy infiltrating the forest.

It hadn't taken long for Renard to regret this course of action. No sooner had they entered the Chateau's threshold than a familiar wave of unease and terror had crashed down upon the Ninetales. The negativity in the air was overwhelming, and his instincts urged him to flee the building, yet he had pressed on, and came across the precise individual he had hoped would not be present.

Diablos.

Even the name still sent shivers down the fire fox's spine, combated by a burning anger from within his chest. This instinctive surge of emotion upon seeing the familiar green eyes and yellow pupils was something Renard had not been prepared to experience, and this slip of emotional control had been sufficient for Diablos to latch onto. Just as Renard had warned Shadow earlier, approaching Diablos with the intention of confronting him could backfire easily. In making the very mistake he had urged others to avoid, Renard found himself in a very dangerous position.

Diablos wielded distressingly potent mental abilities for a non-Psychic, to the point that even the decades Renard spent honing his emotional and mental defenses had been for naught. It made no sense for a Spiritomb to be that powerful, and rip through the minds of others as easily as turning the page of a book, but there was no denying the reality of the situation.

Renard's red eyes remained focused on Bee-Bee. The yellow hornet was still buzzing aggressively, and not backing down from her challenge to the Spiritomb. She had no idea what she was up against, and there was nothing Renard could do to stop her from trying. Diablos was openly amused at her gall, and was seemingly making no effort to defend himself from an impending attack.

Bee-Bee flared her wings and launched herself towards the Spiritomb, her forelegs jabbing so rapidly that they appeared to be nothing but a blur. Diablos didn't so much as twitch, even as the Beedrill stabbed her stingers between his eyes...and phased right through him. Her uninterrupted momentum was so great that the rest of her body likewise traveled through the swirling purple fog that made up the Spiritomb's core, and she narrowly avoided a collision with the large leather armchair placed behind Diablos.

"Come now, did you really just try to physically attack me?" Diablos taunted, swiveling his form to follow the hornet's movements with his eyes. "I'm a Ghost-type, deary. I can make myself intangible to such basic attacks."

Bee-Bee buzzed incoherently in response, and one of her foreleg stingers took on a purple glow before she thrust it viciously towards the Spiritomb, again directing it between the Spiritomb's gleaming eyes. To her astonishment, she once again hit nothing but air. She lashed out with several rapid-fire jabs, each glowing with poisonous energy, but each jab was no more effective than the first.

Diablos laughed, and Bee-Bee ceased her assault, retreating a short distance away, and glaring warily at the Spiritomb.

"You clearly don't understand. This form you see is not a physical body," Diablos whispered, his jagged mouth curving into a wicked grin. "It a fog of ethereal energy. Stab it all you wish, but it will recover more rapidly than you can damage it, just like if you were to stab a body of water. You lack the raw destructive power to tear my form asunder. I don't even feel pain from such attacks."

"Don't lose your cool," Renard warned the Beedrill solemnly, his eyes narrowing at the Spiritomb. "That's what he wants."

"No, if I wished for her to lose her cool, I have precisely the means to achieve that on a whim," Diablos retorted silkily. "I am merely noting the futility of her present tactics. Her heart is not truly in this battle, as she only challenged me to distract me from you. How gracious of you to remind me that you're still here."

Renard bit back a growl, his eyes narrowing even further as Diablos turned his gaze upon him again. He would need to take his own advice and keep his thoughts and emotions tightly under control. Any weakness in his defenses was an opening for Diablos to take advantage of.

"Don't they say that a strong offense is the best defense?" Diablos sneered. "Or are you afraid that expressing even the slightest hint of aggression towards me will unleash your thirst for vengeance? I can only wonder what I did to earn a grudge spanning centuries. I'd hate if it turns out I killed your parents or something, because I'd like some diversity on my resume."

Renard said nothing, keeping his mind as blank as a fresh sheet of paper. He could feel tiny prickles along his mind, a feather-light, yet insistent probing from his ghostly adversary. Diablos was not attempting to outright breach his mind, as there was no forcefulness behind his exploration, but that could change at a moment's notice.

A pair of poisonous needles abruptly phased through the Spiritomb from behind, embedding themselves in the wooden surface of the table that the Odd Keystone was placed upon. Diablos blinked down at the needles, then swiveled his body to give the offending Beedrill a bemused look.

"You still wish to fight on his behalf, in spite of how he sits idly by and offers little more than commentary?" Diablos incredulously wondered. Bee-Bee's buzzed response was undoubtedly an affirmative answer, because the Spiritomb chuckled in amusement, but Renard was no longer paying attention to the exchange.

Now that Bee-Bee's Twineedle projectiles had drawn his eye to the table, and by extension, the Odd Keystone, Renard was now aware of the numerous pink, lightly glowing runes etched into the stone-like surface of the Spiritomb's base.

To the casual observer, the runes were little more than decorative inscriptions, although the fact they were glowing might have offered a more ominous appearance. The reason Renard was so taken aback by the crude inscriptions was because they were written in the ancient language his mother had taught to him as a young Vulpix.

He could read the runic seals upon Diablos' Keystone.

It had been countless years since he had last seen anything written in that long-lost tongue, and although he remembered that Diablos had expressed interest in the symbols centuries ago, he never would have imagined that such symbols were legitimately carved onto Diablos' prison.

The Ninetales' gaze traveled over the symbols, effortlessly deciphering them within his brain, his mind buzzing with equal parts fascination and disbelief. It was like discovering a priceless relic in the basement of your house, long-forgotten, yet perfectly intact. For several moments, Renard completely forgot his surroundings, engrossed in the runic symbols carved along the base of the artifact, and he circled around the Keystone, following the trail of glowing symbols.

Bind one with one hundred seven...

Confine the power of dark souls...

Although Renard had no personal experience with the rituals associated with sealing Spiritomb, many of the runes translated to what he imagined was the typical language of sealing spells or power inhibitors. However, there were other sections that used more unorthodox phrasing or grammar, suggesting that whoever had carved these symbols lacked anything beyond the most basic understanding of the language's intricacies and rules. Then again, the language was ancient and the symbols crudely carved, so a flawless and precise translation to the common tongue of the modern day was an unrealistic expectation. Still, something about the unorthodox phrasing of the seals troubled Renard, although he could not quite determine what the problem was.

The Ninetales was jolted from his thoughts when one of his paws stepped upon something hard and metallic. He jumped back, and peered down at the object he had trodden upon. It was a crudely fashioned bracer of some kind, hardly noteworthy, until his eyes caught the glitter of the marble-like stone affixed to its band. Astrid had told him that the group of Pokemon she and the others had encountered a few weeks ago had been in possession of a Lucarionite, but now her claim had been confirmed with his own eyes.

The orange, gem-like stone was pulsing with a faint light, and for some unknown reason, the Keystone worn around Renard's neck came to life, emitting a synchronized pulsing glow from where it sat against his chest fur. In spite of himself, Renard reached his paw down and touched the Lucarionite, running his paw over its smooth surface, like a blind person searching another's face. It felt warm to his touch, and a peculiar flutter passed through his stomach.

"Where did you get this?" Renard spoke aloud, distracting Diablos and Bee-Bee from their silent staredown. The Spiritomb blinked at the Ninetales, perplexed by the question. Either that, or he was bemused by Renard's previously unnoticed proximity to the table.

"Force found it at the Solaceon Ruins," the ghostly Pokemon answered idly. "I had hoped it would be a key to undoing one of my seals, but its power has remained dormant for me. Not unsurprising, considering what we have since determined it to be. What strikes me as far more curious is that it has been resonating since just before the two of you arrived. And why have you become so sentimental all of a sudden?"

Renard inhaled sharply, his eyes widening in conscious awareness of his emotional slip. Diablos chuckled good-naturedly, but the sound still sent intense chills down the Ninetales' spine.

"That glowing stone around your neck...that is a Key Stone that acts as an anchor for a Pokemon to safely achieve Mega Evolution, is it not?" Diablos pressed, his eyes glittering. "You wear it close to your heart."

"It's a convenient placement," Renard said tonelessly, putting every ounce of effort into restoring his impassive and solemn demeanor, and solidifying his mental defenses. Nothing prickled at his mind, but he wasn't going to take any chances right now. "So what?"

"I have been developing a theory for a few weeks now," Diablos murmured. "After Force took that stone for a test run, and I sampled its capabilities for myself, I've upgraded this theory. Many have claimed these stones react to the emotional state of the user, and risk overwhelming the bodies of those unprepared for the surge of power. I disagree, but it is now, in the presence of that stone in your possession, that I have gained more precise insight. Requiem..."

"What are you talking about?" Bee-Bee demanded, the humming of her wings rising to a shrill pitch. Diablos did not bother to look at the hornet, his focus on Renard's Key Stone, but Renard could see that the Beedrillite attached to the Beedrill's middle segment was flashing intensely, casting an ominous yellow light upon the walls of the room.

"You two have come here to confront me," Diablos murmured, his voice dripping with malice. "Unaware, though you are, that I cannot actually conjure up offensive techniques with my current power, your caution up to this point has been well-founded. But that was enough for me. I realize that such caution is not infinite, and it is only a matter of time before you realize I've done nothing to strike back. Therefore, as an opponent, it is only fitting to make you a test subject."

Renard blinked several times, his brain struggling to process what the Spiritomb had just said. Did Diablos really lack the ability to attack them? Was he relying on Renard refraining from aggression, and Bee-Bee's ineffective strikes to discourage further conflict? Or was telling them this nothing more than a bluff to get them to lower their guard and attack now, only to punish them for doing so?

"Watch yourself, Bee-Bee," Renard warned sharply, his tails fanning outwards. Diablos chuckled, his attention still upon the nine-tailed fox as opposed to the more aggressive insect.

"It was you that provided me with my new insight, so I will reward you by telling you what I've concluded," Diablos chuckled. "Some believe these Mega Stones react to emotions, but I disagree. They react to the feelings and desires within a person's heart. There is an overlap with strong emotion...but not everyone reacts the same, or with the same emotions. The desire to surpass one's limits and grow stronger, for the protection of those they care about, or to honor their fallen comrades. Don't you see it yet? Mega Evolution may just operate on the same wavelength of MY specialty. Your Key Stone, the anchor enabling a successful evolution, responds to your heart."

"Nonsense," Renard growled. "You specialize in corrupting aspirations and attachment, and feed off the negativity like a parasite."

"It is a symbiotic relationship," Diablos contradicted quietly. "Those who repress their darkness are the ones doing the most harm to themselves, and those who sacrifice their souls to embrace their darkness...well, that goes without saying, doesn't it?"

At that moment, a pale brown, insect-like creature materialized into the air beside Diablos. Its body did not twitch, yet it seemed able to hover and maneuver just fine. It had tattered, wing-like segments protruding from its back, and a distinct, halo-like ring hovering above its head.

"I am aware you did not gather any more souls," Diablos told the Shedinja. "I merely require you to act as my shield and sword against these intruders."

"Gather souls?" Renard repeated, and his red eyes widened in horrified realization. "You mean...that's what Ariana meant by souls nourishing her cause?!" he demanded, a surge of anger welling up within his chest.

"Indeed," Diablos confirmed. "Those lives had been thrown away like garbage, but there was no need to waste what sustenance they could provide me. Thanks to those sacrifices, I've regained some of my power. If the Hive does not step up its game soon, there will be no shortage of such donations."

"You..." Bee-Bee spat, the rest of her reply an incoherent jumble of syllables, that escaped even Renard's ability to comprehend. Judging by context alone, Bee-Bee had mixed different curse words together, some of which were probably her own creation, which resulted in a nonsensical utterance of pseudo-profanity.

"This is your own fault. You chose the path of violence when you challenged me, deary," Diablos told the Beedrill. Bee-Bee let out a shrill cry of rage, and lunged at the Spiritomb, driving her poison-imbued stingers viciously into the ghostly Pokemon's face, many of the strikes directed specifically at the Spiritomb's eyes, as if attempting to blind him.

The gaseous form of the Spiritomb split with each strike, only to reform within a moment, leaving no signs of damage behind. It was just as Diablos had said - the piercing movements were like attacking water, causing only temporary displacement, followed by immediate repair.

Bee-Bee screeched in pain as the Shedinja latched onto her from behind, and although there was no visible mechanism causing it, Bee-Bee began drooping slightly, her body starting to slow down and wilt, symptoms Renard immediately recognized as the results of some sort of energy-leeching technique.

"That's enough, I don't want her-" Diablos began, but paused mid-sentence as a burst of flame erupted around the Beedrill's body, charring the Shedinja's carapace in an instant. Without a sound, the ghostly insect dropped to the floor like a rock, releasing its grip on Bee-Bee's body. The Beedrill flared her wings to extinguish the flames, but her abdomen nevertheless showed numerous small burn markings. "...dead?" Diablos finished, his voice rising an octave inquisitively.

"I've fought Shedinja before," Renard stated solemnly. "They pass out if so much as a single ember lands on them. I apologize for you getting caught in the literal line of fire, Bee-Bee, but I figured you'd take such a small flame better than your opponent."

Bee-Bee buzzed affirmatively, her red eyes glaring aggressively at the Spiritomb. Diablos floundered for words, so taken aback by what had just happened, he couldn't even begin to come up with a snide remark about Renard's callous tactics.

"You said before, Diablos, that Bee-Bee lacks the raw power required to tear your form apart," Renard commented. One of the Spiritomb's eyes twitched, obviously putting the pieces together of what the Ninetales' intention was. "Deep within my heart, I want nothing more than you to be utterly destroyed," Renard continued coldly, and he reached up to touch the pulsing Key Stone at his chest. "But not in pursuit of vengeance. I want you destroyed because your existence is a blight upon this world, and a threat to anyone who crosses your path."

"You've been absorbing the souls of the Hive's deceased, and using our conflict to benefit yourself. Unforgivable...I won't ever forgive you!" Bee-Bee hissed, the Beedrillite at her center segment pulsing with dangerous intensity.

Diablos managed a skeptical laugh, his eyes nervously darting between the two Pokemon, even as they exchanged a determined look with one another. Renard clasped the Key Stone in his paw, and it began to glow with intense light.

The Beedrillite pulsed rapidly, then brilliant beams of light extended outwards from the marble-like stone, illuminating the room with such an intense light that it was nearly impossible to see anything.

"Barbs imbued with venom, wings that buzz in flight..."

"Resonate with my Key Stone, and unlock her evolution!"

The words, spoken practically as one voice, echoed clearly through the room, and Diablos' eyes bulged, in spite of the painfully bright light consuming the features of the room. Energy coursed all around the room, like an intense wind rushing down a long hallway. The runes upon the Odd Keystone glowed, adding pink light to the overwhelmingly bright room.

The light abruptly faded, as if it had been absorbed into a vacuum, and the Chateau room seemed impossibly dark now. Renard was panting a little bit, the Key Stone at his neck now glowing with a soft, consistent light. The runes upon Diablos' Keystone were still glowing, offering some of the only lighting in the room, as Renard's Will-O-Wisp from earlier had gotten extinguished at one point.

Where a simple Beedrill had been moments earlier, there now hovered a monstrosity of a wasp. Its foreleg stingers had lengthened and sharpened into lance-like weapons, and its back legs now wielded stingers of their own. The wasp's lower abdomen was bulkier and angled forward, ending in yet another vicious, upgraded barb. In addition, it was a good thirty percent larger than the average Beedrill.

Even though it was not his first time seeing a Mega Beedrill, Renard felt genuine horror washing over him at the sight of it. Beedrill were already unpleasant foes on their own, so seeing a significantly larger version, with almost twice as many deadly stingers, and each one weaponized to such a ludicrous extent...it made his heart skip a beat. He couldn't even imagine how terrifying it would feel to be facing the business end of those poisonous lances.

"I regret this experiment..." Diablos breathed, his voice tinged with a mixture of fear and regret. But there was something strange about the ghost Pokemon's tone. It sounded...different, like it was being projected from a different location than the swirling mass atop the table. "Wait a moment...did I sink into the floor again? Why am I so much lower than before?"

That confirmed it. Diablos' voice was definitely not coming from the Spiritomb's location. Renard squinted, peering through the dim lighting, until his gaze fell upon a second shape, and his breath caught in his throat, his red eyes widening in recognition.

The second figure was small, much smaller than the Spiritomb was, and just over a third of Renard's height. Its body blended in with the shadows, as if the darkness itself was an extension of its form. Yet there was no mistaking those eerie green eyes, complete with yellow pupils.

Renard peered closer, his eyes penetrating the gloom. The creature's body was a pale purple, with several pink markings upon its form. A pink V-shaped marking decorated its chest, and it had pink bands around each of its wrists. Upon its head was a pink wisp resembling hair tied into a ponytail. In the center of its forehead was a simple yellow marking shaped like a ring. Two horns jutted from either side its head, resembling a demon's visage, and upon each horn, it carried a large, glittering ring. The creature did not have visible legs, only a single wisp-like extension below its waist, which in itself was marked by a single golden ring.

Renard's eyes darted between this creature, and the Spiritomb upon the table, and back again. The Spiritomb was Diablos...that was the Pokemon they had been interacting with since they entered this room. Everything about the malevolent ghost fit Renard's recollection of the demon...except his appearance. And that appearance perfectly fit the smaller creature in the room, the one that had somehow just appeared.

"I...I don't understand," Renard stammered, struggling to swallow. "This...is this your true form?"

"True form?" the smaller ghost repeated blankly, and then abruptly seemed to register its own appearance. Blank confusion passed over its face as it looked down at itself, marveling at the fact it now had arms, even arms that did not seem properly attached to the rest of its body. It then looked up at the table towards the Spiritomb, and its look of confusion intensified. "Wait...that's me? But then why...am I also here?"

Bind one with one hundred seven...

"It...can't be," Renard murmured, recalling the runes that spelled out the line. It had been phrased so bizarrely in retrospect. Centuries ago, he had only ever encountered Diablos in one form...the form that stood before him now. Could it be...could it really be...that Diablos had been bound within the Keystone AFTER Renard had first met him, perhaps even after breaking association with him? He was one entity that had been bound together with another one hundred seven malevolent souls to create the Spiritomb?

The smaller ghost reached down, and picked up the bracer containing the Lucarionite, and Renard tensed, a growl leaving his throat. The stone pulsed gently within the smaller ghost's hand, and then Diablos' eyes widened, a look of understanding flashing across his face like lightning.

"...I remember now...she broke my Keystone. That bitch fractured the stone," Diablos whispered, his eyes narrowing with sudden rage. "She broke it...she ruined it...she...did this to me. And I've been sealed for two hundred years because of it!"

The roar of Bee-Bee's wings tore their attention back to the situation at hand, and the Mega Beedrill charged at the Spiritomb, each of her stinger legs glowing with vicious black energy. Diablos did not bat an eye, and in one quick flourish, the smaller ghost seized one of the rings dangling from one of his horns and chucked it like a frisbee across the room. The ring spun wildly, expanding in size before halting directly between the charging Mega Beedrill and the Spiritomb, as though Bee-Bee was a circus animal doing a hoop-jumping act. The open mouth of the ring crackled with energy, and a blue energy field appeared in the open space, creating some kind of a portal. It happened so quickly that Bee-Bee had no time to stop or maneuver around the object, and she instead passed right through the ring, disappearing as suddenly as if she had never existed.

Renard didn't even have the time to react to the Beedrill's disappearance before a second hoop materialized into thin air behind him, right beside the far wall. A moment later, Bee-Bee exited the portal with all her speed and momentum intact, and immediately slammed into the wall with enough force to shake the house's foundation. The enormous hornet slid to the floor in a crumpled heap, and the transformation instantly reverted her back to a regular Beedrill, a sure indication that unconsciousness that claimed her.

Renard rushed over to the Beedrill's side, carefully examining her prone figure for signs of more serious injury.

"I can't tell you how unbelievably good this feels!" Diablos purred, a delighted grin spreading across his face. "To be able to do something on my own...to even have the faintest memory of my past...to have limbs! Such a truly magnificent feeling!"

With a delighted cry, the djinn Pokemon hurled the Lucarionite bracer across the room, only to lift his paw and telekinetically pull it back to his hand, as though it were a yo-yo drawn to its string.

"Such a liberating feeling!" Diablos marveled, his eyes glittering with child-like enthusiasm. The Spiritomb's eyes gleamed from the table, and the pint-sized ghost glanced in its direction, intrigued. "Yet I can still inhabit the other one hundred six souls, the same as before...does that mean I am still bound to them, even in this form? No matter...oh, Renard!"

"What?" the Ninetales snapped, tensing his body, and glaring at the miniature demon.

"I just thought of something nice," Diablos snickered, his yellow eyes glittering mischievously. "Your odd Key Stone...it unlocked my Odd Keystone. Isn't that just the most beautiful thing?"