As the Air Cutter closed in, a burst of flames erupted around Chandelure, shooting several meters high. Its natural purple fire mixed with a deep, burning orange-red, surging forward like a living tide.
But neither Allister nor Chandelure expected what happened next. The blazing Inferno barely withstood the wind blades before it was cleaved cleanly down the middle, splitting into two seas of scattered fire.
"Inferno… just got cut in half?" Marvin gasped in disbelief from the spectator area. He then looked toward Edgar and Shae for answers.
The old man crossed his arms and rubbed his chin, then shook his head. "Allister shouldn't have used Inferno to counter directly. He probably thought even if the flames broke apart, the remaining fire would still harass the opponent. Fire-type moves like this are easy to disrupt by certain attacks... but for it to be split so easily, without even slowing the slash..."
"That Corviknight's best and most practiced move is Air Cutter." Shae said it with certainty.
Marvin nodded, finally understanding. If he were to face Corviknight, he would definitely be careful of its Air Cutter and wouldn't end up at such a direct disadvantage like what's happening on the field right now.
But battles are a test of a trainer's ability to react on the spot. Allister must have had a plan in mind. It just hadn't gone the way he'd hoped.
Back on the battlefield, the blades of wind didn't lose momentum. It kept flying straight toward Chandelure.
Allister had no time to think about how solid and sharp the attack was. In a panic, he shouted, "Use Minimize!"
Minimize would make the Pokémon smaller and increase its evasion. It would make it harder for the opponent's moves to hit.
Chandelure immediately stopped casting Inferno and began to shrink its body.
"Corviknight, Quick Attack!" Shiro's command came right on time.
The steel bird launched forward in a blur, its wings stirring up a gust that scattered the lingering flames into the air, where they vanished.
Before Allister could even see Corviknight's movement clearly, it had disappeared.
A flash of gray-white light streaked across the sky and appeared right in front of the shrinking Chandelure. Its glowing yellow eyes widened in horror as Corviknight's beak lunged forward without mercy.
"Use Inferno now!" Allister had been waiting for this exact moment. when Corviknight got close. If Chandelure could release Inferno fast enough, it could deal serious damage.
Flames started to rise again on Chandelure's body, but the steel bird was faster. Its beak clamped down on the black tuft atop its foe's head. While the Ghost-type recoiled in pain, Shiro's next command came through telepathically.
'Steel Wing!'
Corviknight flung its head upward, tossing Chandelure into the sky.
Its wings gleamed with metallic light and swung like massive blades, slashing through the air again and again.
Chandelure's fire move was interrupted mid-cast and the searing pain drove it nearly mad. Its body trembled as it instinctively tried to absorb Corviknight's soul and life force with its purple flames.
Right then, Unown A yelled in Shiro's mind.
'Chandelure is trying to absorb a soul! Call Corviknight back quickly!'
The moment the message ended, Shiro reached for his Poké Ball. But as Chandelure's purple fire flared up, a beam of red light shot out, recalling it into its ball.
It was Allister who took action just in time.
Almost simultaneously, a Vaniluxe and a Gengar blocked the path in front of Corviknight.
"This Chandelure can't be used for now!" Edgar's expression turned unusually serious as he walked straight up to Allister and took the Poké Ball from him.
Most Ghost-type Pokémon have an innate craving for life energy and souls. It's in their nature, not something inherently evil. But absorbing life energy inevitably harms other creatures, which is why they've long been seen as dark and dangerous.
Training Ghost-types requires strict control to suppress their natural urge to feed on life force.
Some species, like the Gengar line, are mostly indifferent to life energy, which makes them easier to handle. But others, like the Chandelure line that feed on souls, require constant supervision and careful training.
Pokémon like Gastly and Haunter are widely favored by trainers because they have little interest in draining life. At most, they just enjoy scaring people.
But Pokémon such as Chandelure or Dusknoir, which thrive on souls and vitality, possess great combat potential but are hard to manage. They must be raised from a young age with rigorous habits around feeding and behavior.
This particular Chandelure had been raised by Edgar himself since it was little. He never thought something like this would happen.
"Right in the middle of a battle... it actually tried to absorb a soul," Edgar spoke through clenched teeth, furious. But seeing Allister remain quiet, he softened his tone. "I'm talking about Chandelure, Allister, the problem is with it, not you. Don't blame yourself."
Marvin came over, supporting Shae as they watched Edgar lead the silent Allister away from the battlefield.
Seeing this, Shiro also took out his Poké Ball and recalled Corviknight.
That had been a close call. He'd already grabbed the Poké Ball the instant Unown A spoke, but Allister had withdrawn his Pokémon first. He was just a second too late.
"This battle... seems like it's over." Marvin sighed, looking somewhat disappointed.
He had been hoping to finally redeem himself with his Frosmoth by beating either Allister or Shiro.
Nessa came jogging up and asked, "So how are we deciding the challenge order now?"
Shae glanced in the direction Edgar and Allister had gone, then snorted. "Same as always. Forget those two. The rules still apply. If they can't go on, they'll be ranked last."
She turned to look at the three remaining trainers and continued, "Shiro first. Marvin second. Nessa third. That's the order."
"Ugh..." Marvin groaned, clutching his head. But deep down, he didn't really want to face Shiro anyway.
He had seen the strength of that Corviknight. It was simply not something a Pokémon of the same level could defeat. Frosmoth couldn't match it in attack, defense, or speed; and as for its signature ice control, everyone had already seen what it could do.
If the steel bird launched a direct, aggressive assault, his Frosmoth wouldn't even have a chance to resist.
Shiro gave a simple nod, then turned and walked toward the garden, preparing to leave and return to the building.
"Hey! Shiro!" Shae suddenly called out. "I'm not done talking yet. What's the rush?"
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!