"Sakaki Tsuna, if you can survive the baptism of Hellfire, you will become a new member of the Pure Heaven Sect," High Priest Shaka declared, his voice a manic, religious fervor.
"Our members are immortal and indestructible. Our souls are held in the palm of the Great God of the Skies. Death is merely a return to His embrace, and as He descends upon this world, we shall attain a new life in the abyss!"
At that moment, the Hellfire in the bronze brazier surged upward several meters, crackling violently. Black sparks spat from the flames, corroding the cavern floor into jagged pits where they landed. Wisps of black mist curled from the embers, whispering like the god of death, weaving spectral skeletons in the air.
"Come, Tsuna. Surrender your flesh to the God. Let the Hellfire burn within you—use your vast psychic power as the very fuel for this transformation!"
Shaka extended his left hand, which was missing a pinky. He plunged it directly into the black flames; his skin charred instantly, yet he didn't flinch. He pulled out a small, dancing wisp of Hellfire that flickered with a dark light.
The wisp bloomed into a phantom black lotus, and for a fleeting second, the cry of a Shadow Ho-Oh echoed in the cave. Shaka pressed the flame into Tsuna's forehead.
Black mist flooded into Tsuna's skull. An agonizing shriek tore from his throat as the pain swept through his entire nervous system. He collapsed, thrashing and clawing at the stone floor. The black fire began to devour his physical form.
In heartbeats, the screaming stopped. Only the sound of the Hellfire crackling against his bones remained.
The Unown Intervention
Tsuna's psychic energy flared in a desperate attempt to protect his consciousness. But the Hellfire was relentless, slowly tainting his purple aura with a corruptive black.
Suddenly, a brilliant purple light erupted from his skeleton. Several Unown—ancient, enigmatic symbols—manifested, drawn out of Tsuna's soul by the intrusive heat.
"Original Unown!" Shaka gasped, recognizing the primeval power. Greed flashed in his eyes. He lunged forward, his miasma-coated hand transforming into a massive claw to snatch the symbols.
But the Unown were faster. They broke through the layers of Hellfire and vanished into the void, leaving Shaka grasping at empty air.
"Hmph. Even if you escaped the fire, you've been tainted by its scent. I can find you anywhere now," Shaka muttered, his gaze drifting back to the flames. "That fool Tsuna... he possessed such treasures and never knew how to use them. If I had those a thousand years ago, I would never have had to bow to the Shadow Phoenix."
He looked down at the charred remains. If the ritual had failed, Tsuna would be ash. But the skeleton began to move.
The Birth of a General
The black skeleton of Sakaki Tsuna rose from the floor. Miasma coiled around his ribs like smoke, and a black lotus mark was seared into the center of his skull. Soon, a thick, black substance began to coat the bone, knitting together to form a new body.
Moments later, a living "Tsuna" stood in the cavern once more, though his eyes were now twin pits of burning Hellfire.
"High Priest Shaka... I feel it. A power without limits," Tsuna said, his voice a hollow echo. He slammed a fist into a massive boulder; the stone shattered into dust instantly.
"Excellent. You are now a child of the Sect. I have a mission for you: hunt down Feng Che. Bring me his head and let his soul burn in our fire. Do this, and the God of the Skies will ensure you rule over what remains of Team Rocket."
"With pleasure," Tsuna grinned, his gaze predatory. "Feng Che and I have unfinished business. His head is already mine."
The Echo of the Island
Back on the deserted island, Feng Che, Alivia, and Lewis were suddenly surrounded by a group of furious Loudred.
Loudred were purple, bipedal creatures with speakers for ears and massive, cavernous mouths. They were living sound cannons, capable of generating ultrasonic waves strong enough to level a building.
"Go, Kangaskhan!" Alivia shouted. "Go, Aggron!" Lewis added.
The Loudred didn't wait. They unleashed a synchronized Uproar, waves of sonic pressure rippling through the air.
"Kangaskhan, Dig!" Alivia commanded. The mother Pokémon dived underground to escape the sonic blast.
"Aggron, Rock Tomb!" Lewis's Aggron slammed its foot down, raising three massive stone walls. The sound waves slammed into the stone, shattering them into rubble, but the shield held long enough for the trainers to brace.
"The power of sound..." Feng Che noted, his Psychic shield glowing as it absorbed the remaining vibrations.
Suddenly, the ground beneath the lead Loudred buckled. Kangaskhan erupted from the earth, delivering a massive Dizzy Punch to the creature's head. The Loudred collapsed instantly, a massive lump rising on its brow.
The remaining Loudred inhaled deeply, preparing for a second volley, but Kangaskhan slammed her feet down in a powerful Stomp, causing the ground to fissure and throwing the pack off balance.
"Now! Aggron, Rock Tomb again!"
Stones erupted from the earth, pinning the scattered Loudred. The clan was broken and retreating.
But then, a much deeper, more resonant roar thundered from the forest. The shockwave of the sound was so powerful it sheared through tree trunks like they were straw. A massive, hulking shape emerged from the treeline with a deafening boom.