-137- The Truth

Spiritomb was successfully captured by Baichen.
However, even inside the Dark Ball, it remained somewhat restless.
Tong Si noticed that the Dark Ball in Baichen's hand trembled from time to time.
Spiritomb seemed desperately eager to break free from the constraints of the Dark Ball.
Meanwhile, those Ghost-type Pokémon that had been controlled by Spiritomb gradually regained consciousness.
One by one, they looked utterly bewildered.
They had no idea why they were in this place, let alone why they had been fighting the Pokémon before them.
"Everyone, stop fighting."
Tong Si shouted toward Electabuzz.
Both Electabuzz and Murkrow halted their attacks, while Eevee had already scurried behind Shuckle.
It was best to avoid trouble whenever possible; Eevee had already taken down several Ghost-type Pokémon, rendering a truly magnificent service.
Yet, this bunch of Ghost-type Pokémon were truly like street rats scurrying about.
Just as Eevee defeated one, even more Ghost-type Pokémon would appear. Who on earth could withstand such a relentless wave?
Clever Eevee had quickly hidden beside Shuckle, using the Pokémon as a shield.
Now that it was finally over, Eevee let out a long sigh of relief.
"Second-Star Baichen, please give us a reasonable explanation."
The police officer approached Baichen immediately after the capture of Spiritomb.
The Pokémon police needed to file an official report regarding everything that had transpired here.
"I will, Officer. Please head downstairs for the moment; I will give you a satisfactory answer shortly."
Baichen requested of the police officers.
The officers exchanged glances, cast a final look at Baichen, and decided to head downstairs.
Under normal circumstances, the Pokémon police would never let such a serious incident slide.
However, Baichen was a representative of the Pokémon Association and frequently assisted the police in solving cases as an old acquaintance.
Therefore, the officers were willing to grant Second-Star Baichen this courtesy.
As they made their way down from the eighth floor, they caught a glimpse of the gigantic Honchkrow's corpse, leaving them utterly shocked.
"Tong Si, I really have to thank you for this."
As soon as the police officers departed downstairs, Baichen expressed his gratitude to Tong Si.
Had it not been for Tong Si's insistence, Baichen might have already left the Seven Crows Tower.
In fact, he might not have even ventured up to the eighth floor in the first place.
"No need to thank me."
Tong Si smiled faintly, then turned his gaze toward the two elderly individuals.
Noticing Tong Si's inquiring gaze, the old man slowly stepped forward.
"Both of you must have many questions in your minds right now, don't you?"
Tong Si and Baichen nodded simultaneously.
By dismissing the Pokémon police, Baichen hoped the two elders would speak with absolute honesty. Anything that had to be officially recorded in the police files would inevitably be subject to concealment.
"As you have both witnessed, this Seven Crows Tower is a sealing tower erected to suppress the giant 'demon' Spiritomb. It has been this way for three hundred years. Even when the tower is open to the public, entry above the sixth floor is strictly prohibited. The seventh floor is warded with a barrier set by Ghost-type Pokémon, ensuring that anyone who breaks in without authorization will inevitably fall into an illusionary space. And I am the sixth Guardian of the Tower in three hundred years, responsible for protecting this Seven Crows Tower and preventing anyone from trespassing on the seventh floor,"
the old man explained.
"As for me, I am the sixth Reincarnator, responsible for chanting the demon scriptures to suppress the evil entity at the bottom of the tower. At the same time, I am tasked with guarding the eighth floor and caring for the Crow God,"
the old woman added, recounting her duties after the old man finished.
"In other words, the two of you are the traditional guardians of the Seven Crows Tower? Within this tower, you bear the dual responsibility of watching over the structure and suppressing the Spiritomb trapped at the base?"
Baichen asked, puzzled.
Prior to this, he had never heard a whisper about the existence of two guardians within the Seven Crows Tower.
"I have a question."
Upon hearing the words of the two elders, Tong Si suddenly felt a sense of doubt.
All three of them turned their gaze toward Tong Si.
"You mentioned that the Seven Crows Tower suppresses a giant 'demon' Spiritomb. But why is the Spiritomb we just encountered not nearly as massive as the legends suggest?"
Tong Si expressed his confusion.
Hearing this, Baichen also looked toward the elderly couple.
The old woman slowly elaborated: "Firstly, my demon scriptures have continuously suppressed Spiritomb's power. Secondly, three hundred years of sealing have already caused many of the wandering souls within Spiritomb's Keystone to be reincarnated and liberated."
"Young man, since this Spiritomb has already been captured by you, it is now your Pokémon. Let me warn you earnestly: you must tightly control this Spiritomb and never allow it to wreak havoc! Of course, judging by its condition just now, its power is far inferior to its peak and it should be no different from an ordinary Spiritomb. The only distinction lies in its ability to control other Ghost-type Pokémon. Therefore... you must proceed with extreme caution."
Hearing the old woman's warning, a bead of sweat trickled down Baichen's forehead.
Indeed, this Spiritomb was far from simple.
It was true that he had captured Spiritomb, but would it willingly obey his commands?
Clearly, the answer was negative.
In the days to come, Baichen would likely have to spend a tremendous amount of time subduing and controlling this Spiritomb.
Catching Spiritomb was hardly a stroke of good fortune; it was tantamount to inheriting the old woman's solemn mission of suppressing the demon.
"I will do my utmost."
Baichen nodded and said.
"No! It is not a matter of doing your utmost; you must succeed!"
The old man interrupted Baichen.
This matter allowed for no margin of error.
"Very well, I will definitely keep Spiritomb under control!"
Baichen declared with unwavering resolve.
"Sir, what you told me downstairs during the day regarding the cause of the Seven Crows Tower's destruction—was that true?"
Tong Si suddenly shifted the topic.
The old man glanced at Tong Si. "It was half-true. Thirty-one years ago, the Seven Crows Tower was indeed struck by a fierce lightning bolt, but the lightning was actually triggered by Spiritomb's rampage. In fact, around that time, the Crow God was already nearing the end of its life, and it expended a vast amount of vital energy merely to suppress Spiritomb."
The old woman picked up the narrative and continued: "And after that, the Seven Crows Tower was severely damaged and reduced to a cursed tower ever since."
"I see... Then, that Honchkrow is the Crow God you spoke of—the very same Honchkrow that belonged to Old Man Black Crow over three hundred years ago?"
Tong Si pointed toward the corpse of the Honchkrow and asked.
The old man nodded silently, while the old woman lowered her head.
Neither of them seemed able to accept the passing of the Crow God.
"Yami~"
The three Murkrows crouched beside the Crow God, still mourning the death of their guardian.
Tong Si slowly took a few steps forward.
"If I am not mistaken, these three Murkrows are the children of the Crow God, aren't they?"
Tong Si walked up to the Crow God and bowed deeply to its remains.
The slightly larger Murkrow glanced at Tong Si upon seeing this.
Initially, it had no intention of letting Tong Si approach, having no idea what his intentions were.
However, seeing Tong Si's respectful gesture, the Murkrow remained in place without moving.
"Indeed, all three Murkrows are descendants of the Crow God, though they were hatched from eggs laid only in recent years. Because the Crow God was already quite aged, its bloodline had thinned, and none of the three Murkrows fully inherited the Crow God's extraordinary abilities."
The old man regarded this as a matter of great regret.
Tong Si understood what the old man was implying.
Putting aside special abilities and looking solely at potential, apart from the slightly larger Murkrow which possessed Champion-level potential, the other two Murkrows possessed only Gym-level potential.
None of them had been born with Quasi-God-level potential.
In that regard, it was indeed a considerable pity.
... (To be continued)