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When Merg shoved the heavy door open, a spark of gold flashed across his vision.
"Oh?"
He blinked, eyes adjusting.
The room was the same open, empty layout as the earlier floors except for the black-clad, frail-looking young woman sitting in the corner. Probably the floor attendant, he guessed.
At the center stood the floor's guardian Pokémon.
"…Flaaffy?"
Interesting.
In Merg's mind, Flaaffy was more the timid, docile type often seen in peaceful pastures, not on the battlefield.
Sure, being placed here meant it probably wasn't ordinary, but he couldn't help underestimating it. He had complete faith in his new partner.
"Let's go, Kirlia!"
"Kii-yaa!"
Rynce's attention drifted up from her phone at the sound of the door. Her gaze lingered briefly on the trainer's face before recognition clicked.
A member of Dark Star's research division the so-called "genius" scientist, if she recalled correctly.
Merg, wasn't it? She remembered his ace was supposed to be a high-potential Xatu. But today, he'd brought a Kirlia likely a new catch in training.
A faint, amused smile touched her lips as her gaze swept between the Psychic/Fairy-type and the Flaaffy, her crossed leg swaying idly.
Kael's eyes narrowed at his opponent.
Barely a meter tall, her white dress-like body flared like a ballet skirt, long green legs poised beneath.
Twin red crests peeked from beneath her hair-like bangs, and amber eyes glimmered with psychic energy.
Kirlia.
Psychic for precision and control; Fairy for unpredictable, often devastating coverage.
A faint pink shimmer spread through the air Psychic energy, subtle but deliberate.
"Already setting the stage, huh?" Kael thought, swinging his tail. The crystal orb at its tip blazed, releasing a magnetic surge.
Bang!
The invisible clash cracked the air. The magnetic field ripped through the forming psychic terrain, scattering it to nothing.
Kirlia staggered slightly. Normally, she could lay her domain without resistance strengthening her moves, sharpening her control.
But this opponent… his magnetic field was aggressive, oppressive, and utterly disrupted her work.
In that brief contact, her psychic senses brushed against the heart of Kael's field and recoiled.
It was like staring into the heart of a lightning storm.
Her composure faltered. Cold, instinctive fear replaced calm calculation.
Merg frowned from behind. "Kirlia focus! Use Confusion to end this quickly!"
The command echoed through their telepathic link, but Kirlia's mind felt sluggish. Her power stuttered, tangled in the static of her own fear.
A move she could normally fire off in an instant now dragged on, precious seconds slipping away.
Kael, unaware she was rattled, assumed she was charging a stronger attack. His instincts screamed caution closing the distance now could be a trap.
Instead, he pumped electricity into his legs and darted into motion, racing in an irregular circle around her. His body blurred, afterimages flickering in the magnetic haze.
"Hnn!"
Kirlia's [Confusion] burst forth at last no, not Confusion. [Psybeam]. A ribbon of prismatic light lanced across the arena, its shifting colors almost hypnotic.
Zap!
One of Kael's afterimages evaporated under the hit, leaving a small scorch on the floor.
He skidded to a halt, exhaling in sharp, crackling breaths. His gaze flicked to the shallow mark in the ground.
"That's it?"
Merg's lips pressed into a thin line. "She was fine a moment ago… Now she's like she's lost her edge entirely. And that Flaaffy is faster than I expected for a tower defender."
But his confidence remained. "It's still just a Flaaffy. Kirlia, again! This time, focus!"
Kirlia tried to obey, gathering energy once more.
Kael's expression shifted. He'd seen enough to guess at her real condition.
Electricity surged violently over his wool, the room ringing with a high-pitched whine. The light intensified until it painted the walls gold. A grin tugged at his lips.
"This time… my turn."
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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