Walking through the hallways and corridors of the Church in Hearthome City, Odd grimaced at the feelings of oppressive pressure pressing in on him from all sides. While he could once have walked through this building without a care, the energies of the Nine Circles infused into his very being had made that no longer a possibility. Kaya walked behind him, alert for danger after some of the clergy had threatened Odd when they had first arrived. Moving on into the catacombs beneath the Church, the energy around them changed. No longer a place that felt hallowed and sacred but now feeling threatening despite it’s emptiness. The place began to reek of the Nine Circles.

Odd noticed the change almost instantly and could not help asking about it. “Why does this place feel so sinister when the Church should be making people feel comfortable and at peace? These catacombs feel like they’re closer to the Otherworld than to the Holy Plane…”

Strange nodded. “Very astute. These catacombs are carved from a kind of stone that attracts evil spirits.” Strange responded. “The Church was carved from this same stone, which is what ended up creating the catacombs, but above the ground, it’s protected by the blessings of Arceus, preventing the evil spirits from entering.” After a bit longer of leading Odd and Kaya through a twisting series of tunnels with the occasional doorway set in place with chains and locks and other symbols of religious power and purification, she spoke again. “I cannot tell you how to create a new Odd Keystone because that knowledge is lost to the Church outside of them once being carved from this same kind of stone.”

Odd gave the woman a curious look. “So what are we doing down here?” He asked, finally.

“What I -can- do, is… erm…” Pausing for a moment as she opened another door, this one leading into a room, at last, with a locked chest up against the wall directly across from the door. “Catch you stealing one from the Church’s vault.”

Kaya stepped forward at that point and finally spoke up. “That’s absurd! If he were to steal from the Church, he would be branded an enemy and excommunicated!”

“And if he had simply asked anyone else the way he had asked me for help with creating an Odd Keystone or asked for help finding one, he’d be branded an enemy and excommunicated. This kind of relic is considered sacrilege in the modern era of the Church. The only way he’s getting one is by ‘stealing’ it.” Strange retorted, getting a bit snappy with Kaya. “Either Odd takes this chance or he doesn’t. Obviously I’ll not stop him, despite how I don’t agree with his training methods. Odd and I are kin, if not by blood then by our walk of life.”

Odd nodded. “I get it. I don’t follow the Church’s methods. They wouldn’t give me an Odd Keystone no matter what I said to convince them. He shook his head as he stepped through the doorway and up to the chest on the other side of it. “I’ll have to force the chest open to make it look authentic and preserve appearances for your sake, though.” He said as he released Affanoso. “Shadow Punch. Shatter the lock.” He told the Dusknoir.”

“Noooir!” Affanoso noded before rearing back and slamming a Ghost energy infused fist into the lock upon the chest. It promptly bent and fell open. Opening the chest and removing a single Odd Keystone, Odd left the box open as he placed the item into his backpack. “Affanoso, stick close.” He told the Gripper Pokemon. “You too, Kaya.” Looking back to Strange, he nodded. “Lock the doors behind us again as we leave but make sure you don’t let anyone see you when we get back to the entrance. I have an idea.” Following after the woman on the way out, each time she would take the time to lock one of the various doors, Odd directed Affanoso to smash the lock or break through the door with Shadow Punch.

When they finally made it to the final door -the first that they had come through on their way in-, Odd sent Strange on her way. “Get ready to make a long run and pull off a last-ditch escape.” He told Kaya as he summoned a halberd of Ghost energy. “Stand back.” Swinging the halberd, half the Church began to hear the roaring of a raging demon as he slashed at the door and made a noticeable ruckus of breaking through it before commanding Affanoso to use Thunder Punch this time. Between the slashes and the lightning-infused punch, the door exploded off it’s hinges and left a smoking and charred lock hanging from the loose chains. “Run! Back to the chest!” He instructed Odd as he recalled Affanoso. The hybrid headed down just ahead of Odd only a moment before the priests and nuns of the Church began filing into the catacombs behind Odd with Strange at the forefront.

“There he is! He’s after the Keystones!” She called out, sounding surprisingly convincing in her effort to sound alarmed at this revelation to her brothers and sisters.

“The stones are mine!” Odd called back, faking the “evil monster” role fairly well. “Good luck stopping me!” Turning on his heel, he conjured up his halberd again and as he charged ahead of the mob, he used it to break the doors down ahead of him, making him seem to be a stronger and more dangerous being than he was to his pursuers. He could hear the shouts and jeers from behind him as he made his way down and back to the chest he’d already extracted his prize from. When he arrived, he had just enough time to release Glissando from his ball before he would be caught “stealing” the Odd Keystone. Kaya was just out of sight from the door alongside Glissando when the Church’s mob caught up to Odd and saw him putting the Odd Keystone Strange had allowed him to take back into his backpack with the chest blown open behind him. “I told you! I may not have gotten them all but I have one and that’s enough to bring me closer to the goal I seek.” He growled as he closed his bag. “Teleport!”

Odd and Kaya were whisked away in a bright flash as Glissando’s power flared to life, warping them all back to Snagem HQ.

~Complete~