"Hisuian Zoroark? That's pretty interesting."
Blue had also heard the Pokédex's explanation. After a brief pause, he looked intrigued.
Another Pokémon from the Hisui region. By now, Blue had more or less figured it out—there didn't seem to be a single Hisuian Pokémon that was weak.
The earlier Hisuian Samurott and Sneasler had already proven that.
Not only did they have unique signature moves, their overall strength was also extremely high. It was honestly enviable.
Come to think of it…
Blue frowned thoughtfully. The Hisui region was the ancient name for Sinnoh. If the reason Hisuian Pokémon vanished in modern times was due to environmental changes—
Then if a place's environment were restored to what it was like in the Hisui era, would Pokémon unique to that era appear again?
Blue had actually considered letting his main Pokémon breed with Dylan's Hisuian-form Pokémon. But perhaps because of environmental factors,
the eggs that hatched might produce modern forms rather than Hisuian forms.
After all, many regional forms exist precisely because of environmental differences—like Kantonian Vulpix versus Alolan Vulpix, which came about due to the differing climates of Kanto and Alola.
Of course, this was just a thought. The Hisuian environment might simply be impossible to recreate in the modern era.
"Zoroark itself is already a very special Pokémon. I wonder how well Dylan can use this Hisuian Zoroark."
Giovanni was also very interested.
Zoroark—a uniquely special Pokémon from Unova. Why was it considered special?
Because of its ability: Illusion.
Zoroark's raw combat power was actually quite decent. It was a high-speed mixed attacker. You could say it was strong—and you wouldn't be wrong—but you could also say it was only average, and that wouldn't be wrong either.
It was often described as a fast attacker, but in truth, Zoroark's speed didn't quite reach the level of truly "fast" Pokémon.
Compared to genuine speed demons, Zoroark wasn't especially quick. But its Illusion ability was its real core.
Professor Oak once studied Zoroark extensively and gave the following evaluation of its illusionary powers:
"Zoroark can project scenery or scenes stored in its memory directly into another person's brain using powerful psychic waves, allowing them to see illusions. Many travelers have lost their way on their journeys because of these illusions."
Yes—similar to being led astray by ghostly tricks, though with subtle differences.
Zoroark's ability was the creation of illusions—deception targeting the brain and vision. It was somewhat similar to Latias's light refraction.
It couldn't turn illusions into physical reality, but it could perfectly deceive the senses and confuse opponents through sight.
According to Professor Oak's further research, Zoroark's illusionary ability could be greatly enhanced through training, making the illusions far more "real."
So far, the strongest known Zoroark was capable of making hundreds of people see illusions simultaneously.
Hisuian Zoroark, like regular Zoroark, also possessed the Illusion ability. As a true master of illusions among Pokémon,
how outstanding a Zoroark was depended entirely on how well its Illusion ability had been developed.
Giovanni was very much looking forward to seeing how Dylan's Hisuian Zoroark would perform.
On the battlefield.
"If it's Gym Leader Brother…"
Selene narrowed her eyes slightly as she studied the sinister-looking "Arbok."
She wasn't unfamiliar with Arbok—after all, she hadn't spent all that time at the Rota Gym for nothing.
But something felt off. That Arbok's gaze…
Why did it look so gloomy and eerie?
"Lure it in, then test it."
Selene quickly came up with a rough plan.
Yet she felt as if she'd forgotten something important.
"Does it feel like something's not quite right?"
Dylan seemed to guess her thoughts and asked with a smile.
"?"
Selene returned a puzzled look.
Wait—this Arbok didn't have Intimidate?
She suddenly realized it. She remembered clearly—Dylan's Arbok definitely had the Intimidate ability.
So why hadn't it activated?
"Arbok, Dig."
The smile at Dylan's lips deepened as he gave the command.
"Arbok" lowered its head and drilled into the ground like a bolt of lightning, leaving behind only a dark hole.
"Dig? Then I'll force it out."
Selene felt uneasy, but she immediately gave her own command.
"Gengar!"
Mega Gengar floated upward. It didn't have many perfect answers to Dig—but that didn't matter.
Mega Gengar could float!
"Nasty Plot!"
A dark gleam flashed in Mega Gengar's eyes.
At that moment, the ground beneath Mega Gengar cracked open. A "snake's head" burst out from below, instantly drawing Selene's and Mega Gengar's attention.
"Bitter Malice."
A curve formed at Dylan's lips.
Bitter Malice?
Selene froze.
And at that instant, a bizarre surge of dark blue-black energy erupted behind Mega Gengar.
"Gengar!!"
Selene's pupils shrank as she shouted a warning.
Mega Gengar sensed the danger too and tried to stop its setup and dodge—but it was too rushed.
BOOM!
Terrifying resentment-laced energy exploded across Mega Gengar's body. The bone-chilling malice made it scream in pain as it was blasted backward.
Hisuian Zoroark's signature Ghost-type move—Bitter Malice!
Ghost beats Ghost, and this Bitter Malice dealt heavy damage to Mega Gengar.
"This…!"
Selene was stunned. She looked toward the source of the attack—
But in her vision, there was nothing there at all.
Yet she already understood.
"It's Zoroark, isn't it?!"
Selene gritted her teeth.
"Bingo. Correct~ Your reaction was faster than I expected, Selene."
Dylan replied with a smile.
The air rippled.
Amid gasps of shock, a pale, resentful fox stood upright on two legs. Its long white hair writhed like something alive, whipping wildly, while icy golden eyes filled with hatred stared quietly at Mega Gengar.
Hisuian Zoroark!
And the supposed "hole" and "Arbok" vanished completely. The ground was flat and intact, showing no sign of damage.
Clearly, the earlier Dig and Arbok had all been illusions.
Many people swallowed nervously, staring at the terrifying fox. Just its appearance alone sent chills down the spine.
"Hisuian Zoroark—Normal/Ghost type. Selene, this is its first appearance in this world."
Dylan spoke to her calmly.
"Hisuian Zoroark…"
Selene scrunched up her face. No wonder it used that move—what was it called, Bitter Malice.
She'd guessed it might be Zoroark, but she hadn't expected a Hisuian one.
This was bad.
Normal + Ghost was an awful matchup. How was Mega Gengar supposed to fight that?
Normal was immune to Ghost! Good thing she hadn't opened with Curse—and good thing she'd been wary of Dylan from the start.
"Gengar, Dark Pulse!"
After a moment's thought, Selene decided to probe Hisuian Zoroark's strength with Mega Gengar.
Mega Gengar floated up, dark energy gathering in front of it before firing off waves of black pulses toward Zoroark.
A Dark-type move—Dark Pulse!
"Zoroark."
Dylan chuckled softly.
Zoroark raised its head slightly. Its cold golden eyes, unobscured by white hair, glimmered with eerie light.
Darkness fell.
The entire sky abruptly plunged into pitch-black night.
Gasps and screams of fear echoed all around.
Selene stared upward in shock.
The stadium—was gone.
In her vision, everything had changed completely.
Strange, grotesque dead trees stood all around. In the dark, sinister environment, they looked like sentinels—or vengeful spirits.
Fox-shaped shadows with blood-red eyes crouched beneath the trees, watching her through the trunks. Sharp, resentment-filled cries echoed endlessly in her ears, amplifying the eeriness.
Cold.
Bone-piercing cold.
The deep chill made Selene huddle instinctively, her scalp tingling.
What… is this?
What the hell is this?!
She was completely stunned. One moment she'd been in Indigo Stadium—where the hell had she been sent now?!
Selene knew this was probably caused by Hisuian Zoroark's illusion, but damn it—
This is an illusion?!
Isn't this way too exaggerated?!
And it wasn't just her. It seemed like the spectators in the stadium were affected too—the illusion had engulfed everyone.
Just what kind of illusionary power was this?
Mega Gengar also looked around warily at the gloomy surroundings. As a Ghost-type Pokémon that loved pranks, it wasn't exactly afraid of this kind of atmosphere.
But what it couldn't understand was—
Hadn't it been on the battlefield just a moment ago?
And then…
Mega Gengar felt the sinister gazes crawling over its body. It turned to the left rear.
Behind a barren dead tree, a pale, resentful fox with blood-red eyes noticed Mega Gengar's gaze—and suddenly lunged at it.
"Gah—?!"
Mega Gengar panicked and instinctively fired a Shadow Ball.
The fox was blown apart.
But before Mega Gengar could calm down, more and more eerie foxes emerged from behind the dead trees.
Their hatred-filled eyes, bathed in cold moonlight, made Mega Gengar feel true scalp-numbing dread for the first time.
"Ghh… ghh…"
As Selene's mainstay Pokémon, Mega Gengar stared at the dense swarm of pale foxes completely surrounding it. It swallowed nervously and stepped back.
What are these things?!
Did I stumble into a fox den or something?!
And where did my Trainer go?!
The next moment, all the foxes surged forward, pouncing on the isolated Mega Gengar.
Mega Gengar braced itself and began forming Shadow Balls one after another.
But in reality—
"Looks like this illusion is extremely realistic."
Dylan watched the dramatic scene with interest.
On the battlefield, Mega Gengar appeared completely deranged, blasting wildly at empty air as if it had lost its mind. Its cries gradually shifted from panic to madness.
Meanwhile, Hisuian Zoroark stood quietly at a distance, ensuring it wouldn't be hit by Mega Gengar's attacks. Its left eye glowed with eerie light, and its wild white hair writhed like a living thing.
This—
was the power of illusion.