The stage was set, but the music had changed. Mismagius hovered in the center of the arena, its purple robes swaying as if caught in a wind only it could feel. Unlike the mischievous Gengar or the playful Drifloon, this Pokémon felt like an ancient sorceress.
I racked my brain, pulling up every bit of data I'd studied about the "Magical Pokémon." Mismagius was a pure Ghost-type, but its move pool was legendary—it could learn attacks from twelve different types. In the hands of a Top Coordinator like Fantina, it wouldn't just be throwing Shadow Balls; it would be weaving a tapestry of destruction.
"Julian~ I think I should clarify something before we begin," Fantina said, her voice dropping to a serious, velvety tone. "This Mismagius is not the partner who travels the world with me to the grandest stages. However, I raised her from a tiny Misdreavus. She has learned every trick, every spell, and every graceful movement from my primary partner."
She extended a gloved hand toward the field. "You have earned my respect today. Even if you lose this match, I will grant you the Relic Badge. You have shown me the heart of a true Coordinator."
My grip tightened on my hat. "I appreciate that, Lady Fantina. But I didn't come here for a participation trophy. We're going to earn this badge the right way—on the battlefield!"
"Ooh, such fire! Then let us see if your Fairy-type can withstand the master of illusions!" Fantina's eyes flashed. "Mismagius! Show them our power! Psychic!"
Mismagius emitted a low, vibrating hum. A faint, purplish glow enveloped its body, and almost instantly, a matching aura seized Sylveon.
"Fly!?" Sylveon cried out in surprise as her paws were yanked off the polished marble. She began to thrash in the air, her ribbons flailing as she tried to find purchase in the empty space.
"Stay calm, Sylveon!" I shouted over the hum of psychic energy. "We've practiced this with Floette, remember? Don't fight the lift—fight the source! Disarming Voice!"
Usually, I would have used Hyper Voice, but there was a catch. Because we had used Ability Swap to ground Gengar, Sylveon no longer had her Pixilate ability. Without it, Hyper Voice was just a Normal-type sound wave—it would pass right through a Ghost-type like Mismagius without leaving a scratch.
But Disarming Voice was inherently a Fairy-type move. And with two Calm Mind boosts still surging through Sylveon's system, it was more like a sonic boom of pink energy.
"Sylv~! Sylveon-fiyau~!"
The beautiful, high-pitched melody rippled through the air in visible pink waves. The sound hit Mismagius like a physical wall. The Ghost-type winced, its concentration shattered by the piercing Fairy-type frequency. The psychic grip on Sylveon snapped, and she landed gracefully back on the floor.
"Not bad at all," Fantina noted, her smile never wavering. "You countered the mental lock with a vocal one. But the stage is large, and we have many more tricks! Mismagius, it is showtime! Shadow Sneak!"
Mismagius didn't just release one shadow. Dozens of small, jagged ink-blots erupted from its base, racing across the floor like a swarm of dark piranhas. They fanned out, circling Sylveon to block her escape routes before the largest shadows lunged directly at her chest.
"Sylveon, Light Screen, now!"
"Fly-ah!" Sylveon slammed her ribbons into the marble.
Instead of a giant wall appearing in front of her, she pulled the energy upward, wrapping it around her body like a shimmering, transparent cloak. It was a technique we'd developed specifically for high-mobility battles—a "wearable" barrier.
The Shadow Sneaks slammed into her. Thump-thump-thump!
The impacts kicked up a massive cloud of dust, obscuring the field. The referee immediately triggered the industrial exhaust fans, clearing the air in seconds. When the dust settled, Sylveon was standing tall, the thin film of the Light Screen shimmering with a faint iridescent glow. Thanks to her boosted Defense and the halving effect of the screen, she looked like she hadn't felt a thing.
"Magnifique!" Fantina applauded. "To wear the Light Screen as a garment... it adds such a dazzling flair to her silhouette! Though I suspect that if you switched her out, the effect would vanish, non?"
"You're sharp," I admitted. "It's a specialized technique for a solo finisher. We're still working on the 'relay' version."
"Beauty and utility... you truly are a man after my own heart," Fantina sighed happily. "But defense only delays the inevitable. Let us see how you handle a repeat performance! Mismagius, Psychic once more!"
"We've already seen this move, Fantina!" I called out. "Sylveon, you know what to do! Disarming Voice!"
Once again, Sylveon filled her lungs, ready to unleash the sonic interference. But this time, Fantina was ready for the counter.
"Mismagius, use that move for defense!" Fantina commanded with a mysterious wink.
As Sylveon's voice began to ripple toward the Ghost-type, Mismagius didn't flinch. A thin, vibrating barrier of its own appeared around its ears—not Protect, but a specialized application of its own mystical energy.
The Disarming Voice hit the barrier and simply... slid off. It was as if Mismagius had tuned its own aura to ignore Sylveon's frequency.
Without the interference, the Psychic hit with full force.
"Sylveon!" I yelled.
The blue energy turned into a crushing weight. Sylveon was hoisted high into the air, her body glowing intensely, before Mismagius flicked its head down. Sylveon was slammed into the marble floor with bone-shaking force.
CRACK.
A crater formed in the tiles. Sylveon lay still in the center of the dust, her ribbons limp.
"What!?" I breathed, my heart dropping into my stomach. How had she bypassed the sound?