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"This place is called 'Gluttony'. It's one of the Nine Circles of the Otherworld. Some people in our world call this place: Hell, The Underworld, Duat, The Afterlife, The Hereafter. There are many names but the simplest explanation is that this is were the souls of the evil ones in our world end up when their time on Earth is done." Odd explained, staring Dull down the whole time.

"And In this place, I am much stronger than I am in the Land Above. Here, if I can't kill you, I have enough power to banish you from the world of the living. I'm going to seal you in here so that you can't ever escape and hurt anyone else, if nothing else." His voice dropped an octave as he finished explaining, his eyes growing sharper now. "But first... I'm going to hurt you for what you did to all those people. For what you did to my friends."

~Sterling, this has gone far beyond protecting people! You need to stop!~ Cadenza cried into Odd's spirit, trying to bring him back from whatever precipice he was balancing on.

"Shut up, Cadenza. He deserves this and more for what he's done." Odd snapped, drawing his Honedge-tipped spear back, spinning it around once to take aim. "It's time to feel the pain you've caused to others." As he drove his weapon forward, intent on plunging it into the hybrid's chest, the sound of a roaring demon filled the air but was it the attack that ripped the air asunder or Odd's own voice? He wasn't even sure at this point, not that it mattered as long as Dull got what was coming to him.

Beat, forging his sword of ice behind Odd heard his little monologue and stopped. This wasn't what he had agreed to. Odd didn't hurt people needlessly. Even his enemies. Dropping his weapon, he quickly made his way over to Odd, trying to get his attention. His attempts went ignored.

Odd was already moving too fast and was far too close to try and avoid Dull's attack by the time he realized what was happening. His eyes grew wide with shock at first, then slammed shut when the Shadow Ball was driven into his chest. The pain was certainly more than he had expected. He hadn't even had a chance to have his direction reversed by the impact of the attack when he felt Dull reaching for him. "You might've noticed my abilities have evolved since we last fought." He told the hybrid, smirking slightly as the Hybrid's hand passed through his body. "You actually inspired me here." He explained, sure that Dull must be confused as how his own distortion had being used against him. Physical attacks passed through him these days in the same manner that Dull's distortion protected him. Unfortunately, it was entirely involuntary so Odd couldn't decide to use it or not.

The hand in Dull's pocket definitely had him a bit concerned, though. Whatever he was doing in there was something to be concerned about. The hybrid was by no means an idiot. He had to be figuring out a way to hit him again already.~We need a stronger seal than the last one.~ He relayed to Cadenza.

~Focus. I'll be supplying you with all the energy I can.~ Cadenza replied, taking up position directly behind Odd and channeling energy into him.

"Beat! Get ready!" Odd called to his Marowak. The Bone Keeper Pokemon nodded and rushed to Odd's side, bone club held aloft, an thin, icy edge visible on it.

As focused as he was on weaving the strongest seal he could manage in order to bind Dull to the Otherworld, Odd failed to sense the hybrid sowing discord into his work. Knowing that his trainer would need time, Beat stood fast before him, frozen Bone Club held aloft, pointed directly at Dull, though it was clear in his eyes that the Marowak knew he was outmatched. He would not be able to defeat this enemy if he attacked and could only hope to buy Odd time.

When Dull began to approach, Odd's expression began to lose it's edge of determination. Dull had broken his seal once already. If this one wasn't strong enough, what good would it do? His drive quickly faded to his own desperation as he tried to maintain his concentration. He'd need all of it to do this right and it was down to do it right this time or get killed by a ticked off extradimensional ghost. There was no third chance and he was lucky he had a second one to begin with.

Rather than continue waiting for the inevitable, Beat decided to proactively attempt to put an end to Dull's advance. Taking a deep breath, he began to sing a low, ominous song into the vast emptiness of Gluttony. In the distance, several screams could be heard as whatever made them fled from the Bone Keeper's voice. Beat had always possessed this power but Odd had practically forbade him from using it. Now there was little choice remaining and so he belted out his Perish Song, pouring the energies of death and sorrow that had stewed within him for all his life into each and every chord he released into the air. Dull would have to stop them very soon or they would all remain here, the power of Gluttony changing the nature of the attack from a simple knockout to exactly what it was described as.

Beat would, in fact, look away as Dull had expected, stopping his song unintentionally in process. This would, in the end, leave him unable to see the beating Odd was receiving at first. The Channeler had been so focused that he didn't even hear Beat's attempted Perish Song, only the rhythmic pounding of thread after thread of harmonic energies weaving themselves into place.

And then the attacks came. So focused, had he been, that the first hit him like a moon falling from the sky. His concentration completely eradicated, all the channeler could feel after that was one blow after another pummeling him all over his torso. The hits came so hard and so fast that he hadn't even the time to gasp for air. And even as he tried to regain his composure, he felt an attack coming in. He tried to bring himself back into focus, bringing his and Cadenza's energies back into unison so that Dull would phase through him but he ended up achieving only just enough to save himself from a shattered nose. The rest of his face, however, was not safe and the headbutt connected with it, full force. The result was a battered body, badly beaten and bruised all over with a splitting headache and a clear concussion.

With Odd reeling from the devastating attacks dealt against him, Beat settled his gaze back on the Ghost hybrid that had attacked. "Marowak wak arro marow!" He shouted, his normally smallish bone doubling in length and glowing with a blue energy, the bo staff readying for a Bone Rush to return the attacks Dull had delivered to his trainer. The hybrid's words to Odd, however, made him slow for the briefest of seconds. Was this man trying to help Odd? How strange. Weren't they enemies? Then, of course, came the cryptic warning and that was enough for Beat to resume his charge.

Odd managed to recover from his daze just in time to chase after Beat, having missed the strange glow enveloping his Marowak. Recalling Cadenza to keep him safe and chasing after Dull, the channeler attempted to throw the flames of a Wicked Wick at Dull, the fires falling short before Dull made it through the portal. They would, however, be scooped up on Beat's bone club as the Marowak continued his chase. By the time the duo had caught up to him, however, he was already gone. He'd made it to the portal ahead of them, just barely, and slipped away.

"Damn it!" Odd screamed, turning to Beat. "He got away... Thanks for trying to help, though." He said, upset but clearly thankful for his partner's help. "We may as well go on through and see how far he made it. If we're lucky, he'll be close by and we can keep on him. He'll have to run out of fight eventually." Pulling Beat's Ultra Ball free from his belt, he recalled the Ground-type. Except that he didn't. "What the-?" He tried again only to witness the beam hitting Beat and stopping. It didn't spread over him. It didn't try to recall him. It just hit him and did nothing. "Did he use something on you? Anything?!"

Beat thought for a moment and then remembered that cryptic warning. "Maro wak maro marowak arro."

Odd held up his finger to the Ground-type, causing him to pause for a moment, releasing Cadenza again. "Translate please."

Beat repeat his answer to Odd's question to Cadenza and the Shedinja relayed it. ~He says 'His eyes turned bright red and he warned you.'~

"Warned me?" Odd asked. "What did he say?" The two Pokemon repeated the process of speaking to one another and having Cadenza translate for Odd in order to give him Dull's message.

"Before I lose anything else?" He asked, trying to think of what he meant. "It sounds like he's just trying to get inside my head." He assured himself, recalling Cadenza with a word of thanks. "He must be gone by now..." He ended up telling Beat as he looked at the portal. "If I can't recall you, I'll just have to go through with you beside me."

With his Pokemon at his side, he'd walk to the edge of the rippling mass of not-quite-visible energy and took a step in. Beat made to follow but when he touched the portal, he was knocked back, a read glow enveloping him. "I know that light..." Odd said as he rushed back to Beat's aid. "He must have used Mean Look..." He realized. "Oh no." Gluttony changed the nature of attacks used by Pokemon here in the same way it increased the power of his Channeling. Mean Look wouldn't just prevent him from being recalled to his ball. It would prevent him from escaping entirely. "You..." He paused, feeling the tears welling up in his eyes. "You... you can't..."

Beat could tell where Odd was going with this and he smiled. "I'm so sorry... This is my fault." Beat shook his head at the Channeler and laid a paw on his shoulder, looking him in the eyes wordlessly. He didn't blame the boy for his fate. It had been his choice to stand between the two of them and he could have brought himself back into his own Ball for safety if he had wanted. He gave Odd a massive hug, holding the young trainer tightly for a moment, giving his silent goodbye and one final thanks for being his trainer. As Odd released him, Beat watched him stand, then shoved him through the portal behind him before he could try and stay. So long as Dull remained alive, the Mean Look that held him here would not allow him to leave. Perhaps even beyond the hybrid's death, he would remain. The Bone Keeper now a Gate Keeper, taking it upon himself to stand vigil over the portal and keep anyone else from passing through it.