The strength of Trick Room was tied to the user's level; the higher the level of the user, the more solidified Trick Room became, making it exceedingly difficult to shatter. (Fanon)
Evidently, Aegislash's strength had already surpassed the limits of the Trick Room generated by Spiritomb.
The Team Flare executive widened his eyes in astonishment, unable to believe what was transpiring before him. He knew Spiritomb's power better than anyone; how could the Trick Room it generated possibly be shattered?
Could this Aegislash really be this powerful?
Yet facts spoke louder than words. While the Team Flare executive stood in utter disbelief, Aegislash had already launched an assault toward him and Spiritomb.
Dark energy flickered along Aegislash's blade as Night Slash activated. Accompanied by the sound of tearing air, the sword light slashed toward the Team Flare executive.
Seeing this, Spiritomb flew forward and blocked the path directly in front of its trainer.
Boom! Spiritomb was blasted backward through the air.
"Spiritomb!" the Team Flare executive cried out in panic.
Spiritomb wobbled as it flew back up, immediately coalescing a Shadow Ball to hurl at Aegislash.
Upon witnessing this, Aegislash unhesitatingly executed the new move it had acquired upon evolution—King's Shield—transforming itself into shield form.
Once Doublade evolved into Aegislash, its No Guard ability shifted to Stance Change.
This was the unique signature ability exclusive to all members of the Aegislash evolutionary line.
An Aegislash possessing this ability would shift into blade form when utilizing attacking moves, and transform into shield form when executing King's Shield.
Such a transformation entailed far more than a mere change in appearance, additionally inducing a radical redistribution of Aegislash's base stats.
In blade form, Aegislash's base stats concentrated heavily into Attack and Special Attack, with both offensive stats soaring as high as 140 (150 prior to Generation VIII).
In shield form, Aegislash's base stats concentrated heavily into Defense and Special Defense, with both defensive stats likewise soaring as high as 140 (150 prior to Generation VIII).
As Aegislash transitioned its form, a transparent barrier unfurled directly in front of it, blocking Spiritomb's Shadow Ball on the exterior.
After taking Spiritomb's Shadow Ball completely unscathed, Aegislash promptly reverted to blade form, launching another Night Slash toward its opponent.
Spiritomb attempted to defend itself, but without the augmentation of Trick Room, coupled with the massive boost to Aegislash's speed following its evolution, it failed entirely to keep pace, getting instantly slashed backward once more.
Over on Comatose's side, all the other Team Flare members had already been completely defeated.
Seeing his subordinates and their Pokémon sprawled haphazardly across the ground, the Team Flare executive knew he could not allow the situation to persist, or he would inevitably suffer the exact same fate, prompting him to issue a prompt decision:
"Spiritomb, let's get out of here!"
Spiritomb immediately followed its trainer as they sprinted toward the exterior.
Meanwhile, outside the Pokémon Center, Officer Jenny and Diantha caught the commotion echoing from within.
"What is going on in there?" Officer Jenny inquired with a puzzled expression.
Diantha pondered for a moment before replying, "Perhaps the trainers inside have gotten into a conflict with Team Flare!"
That was entirely plausible, and Officer Jenny nodded in understanding upon hearing her words.
Diantha thought it over and suggested, "How about this: Gardevoir and I will quietly slip inside to investigate." They could not simply sit back and wait indefinitely.
Officer Jenny raised no objections. "Please be careful, then."
Diantha nodded, then proceeded quietly into the Pokémon Center accompanied by her Gardevoir.
No sooner had Diantha departed than Ange arrived overhead at the Pokémon Center, riding atop Latios and Latias alongside Leilani and the others.
Upon catching sight of the police forces surrounding the Pokémon Center in a tight blockade, he wore a bewildered expression.
"What happened here? Such a massive turnout?"
He patted Latios on the neck and instructed, "Let's head down."
"Lati~os!" Latios nodded before diving downward.
Latias followed closely behind.
After Ange touched down in a concealed corner, Latios and Latias instantly turned invisible. Ange then led Leilani, Flabébé, and Floette toward the entrance of the Pokémon Center.
Upon spotting Ange, Officer Jenny exclaimed in surprise, "It's you!"
"Officer Jenny, good to see you again!" Ange greeted Officer Jenny with a smile, promptly following up with an inquiring look, "What happened here?"
Officer Jenny proceeded to recount the events that had transpired at the location.
Upon hearing the explanation, Ange wore a concerned expression. Glaceon and the others were still trapped inside; hopefully, nothing had gone wrong.
Although Doublade and Comatose were present inside, unexpected twists always arose, prompting him to propose entering the Pokémon Center to investigate.
However, Officer Jenny turned down the request. She felt that the interior was far too hazardous; once Ange entered, not only would he fail to guarantee his own safety, but he would also likely endanger the hostages.
Ange insisted, "Officer Jenny, I will just sneak in and take a look; nothing bad will happen."
"No, Champion Diantha has already gone inside. She will handle things accordingly, so please don't cause any extra trouble!" Officer Jenny refused firmly.
Ange wore a helpless expression. Departing from the entrance of the Pokémon Center, he stationed Leilani and the others in a secure spot, then patrolled the perimeter of the Pokémon Center looking for an opportunity to sneak inside unnoticed.
Yet the police officers were far too diligent, surrounding the Pokémon Center airtightly and leaving him entirely devoid of an opening.
Simultaneously, inside the Pokémon Center, the Team Flare executive and Spiritomb fled all the way to the Pokémon Center's garden.
He peered stealthily outward, attempting to spot an opportunity to escape the Pokémon Center, though his prolonged observation yielded no openings whatsoever.
The police had established an excessively tight perimeter.
Having finished surveying one direction, he prepared to check another, but the moment he turned his head, he found Diantha and Gardevoir standing directly before him.
Diantha wore an equally astonished expression, entirely unexpected to encounter this individual head-on.
Yet she hesitated for merely a single instant before immediately commanding Gardevoir to launch an assault against the Team Flare executive and Spiritomb.
The opponent had no hostages in hand; if they did not strike now, when would they?
"Gardevoir, Dazzling Gleam!"
"Gar~" A full moon materialized behind Gardevoir, silver radiance channeled and cascading outward as a silver beam of light rapidly formed, shooting straight toward Spiritomb.
To protect its trainer, Spiritomb hastily deployed Dark Pulse to retaliate.
The silver beam and the black energy pillar collided, yet the energy pillar generated by Dark Pulse persevered for merely a few seconds before shattering completely.
Dazzling Gleam slammed squarely into Spiritomb, which let out a miserable shriek and was sent flying backward.
Gardevoir possessed a level of power vastly superior to Aegislash, and furthermore, Fairy-type moves held a double-effectiveness advantage over Spiritomb, resulting in Spiritomb being instantly taken down in a single blow.
Gazing at the Spiritomb that had collapsed right at his feet, the Team Flare executive instinctively retreated backward.
Although he had long since steeled his resolve to sacrifice himself for Team Flare's grand cause, when faced directly with mortality, his inner self still trembled uncontrollably, a profound wave of fear welling up from within.
Observing the trembling figure across from him, Diantha remarked, "You were quite arrogant earlier; what happened now?" With those words, she stepped forward.
The Team Flare executive's face flushed crimson as he took another step back, only to trip over a cluster of green grass and tumble to the ground.
Right at that moment, Aegislash, having pursued the Team Flare executive, arrived on the scene.
Diantha was unfamiliar with Aegislash and assumed it was in league with Team Flare, prompting her to declare, "An accomplice, then? Gardevoir, Shadow Ball!"
"Gar~" Gardevoir acknowledged the command, coalescing a sizable Shadow Ball to hurl at Aegislash.
Aegislash had never anticipated receiving such a greeting right upon arrival, hastily deploying King's Shield for defense.
Diantha's Gardevoir was excessively powerful; the barrier formed by King's Shield underwent violent tremors under the force of its assault.
"Gardevoir, Shadow Ball!"
Diantha afforded Aegislash no opportunity to recover. Under her direction, successive Shadow Balls were controlled by Gardevoir to pummel Aegislash, leaving the latter entirely incapable of executing a counterattack.
Crack, snap~~
Amidst Gardevoir's continuous onslaught, a crisp sound echoed as the defensive barrier of King's Shield shattered, sending Aegislash hurtling backward through the air.
Fortunately, Aegislash possessed a sufficiently high Special Defense stat in its shield form, which, combined with King's Shield having already drained a portion of the Shadow Ball's power, left it unharmed.
"Gardevoir, Shadow Ball!"
Diantha brooked no hesitation, intending to take down Aegislash in one final strike.
Aegislash plummeted toward the ground as the Shadow Ball rapidly formed, hurtling straight toward it.
Just then, a petite figure materialized directly in front of Aegislash, raising its log to deliver a gentle strike that instantly shattered the Shadow Ball, dispersing it into scattered specks of black energy.
Diantha stared in astonishment at the newly arrived Comatose. She remained unfamiliar with Comatose, assuming it too was aligned with Team Flare, which caused her brows to knit tightly together.
Unlike the clueless Team Flare members, she recognized the sheer power of the little creature before her at a glance.
"Gardevoir, Dazzling Gleam!"
Diantha commanded Gardevoir to launch an offensive.
A silver moon materialized behind Gardevoir as a silver beam of light was directed toward Comatose.
Comatose leaped high into the air, its body spinning rapidly as Ice Spin activated, transforming rings of solid ice into sharp ice wheels that chopped the incoming silver beam into absolute fragments.
Gardevoir proved itself a Champion's ace Pokémon indeed; the silver moon behind it continuously cast radiance, projecting one consecutive silver beam after another toward Comatose with unbelievable fluency.
Any other Pokémon would have been entirely incapable of holding out under such frequent assaults.
Yet, small though Comatose was, its energy reserves were immense, allowing it to easily absorb every single one of Gardevoir's attacks.
Furthermore, Comatose was far from a Pokémon that merely absorbed passive beatings. Following multiple defensive maneuvers, it used a single Wood Hammer to smash the Dazzling Gleam apart, subsequently charging relentlessly forward toward Gardevoir.
Upon witnessing this, Diantha's expression shifted drastically as she hastily commanded, "Gardevoir, Reflect!"
"Gar~" Gardevoir barely managed to erect a barrier in front of itself, successfully defending against Comatose's strike with close calls to spare.
Yet before it could even draw a breath of relief, web-like cracks fractured across the surface of the Reflect barrier.
Diantha and Gardevoir had ultimately underestimated Comatose's strength.
Taking advantage of the moment before the barrier completely shattered, Gardevoir utilized Teleport to put distance between itself and Comatose.
The instant it flashed away, the Reflect barrier fractured entirely.
Upon landing on the ground, Comatose did not continue its advance, instead remaining on the grassy lawn while swaying gently while hugging its log, maintaining an air of complete composure.
Seeing this, Diantha refrained from giving further commands to Gardevoir, which stood in the distance, silently locking into a standoff with Comatose.
At that moment, Diantha suddenly noticed that the Team Flare executive was attempting to use the distraction to escape.
Yet the instant he made a move, Aegislash blocked his path, pinning its sharp blade right against his neck; the chilling steel sent shivers running continuously down his spine.
Diantha raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Huh? They weren't accomplices?
Over on Ange's side, with the assistance of Latias and Latios, he finally managed to bypass the police line and enter the Pokémon Center.
Before he had walked more than a few paces, he suddenly heard a tremendous commotion echoing ahead, sounding distinctly like Pokémon battle noises.
Consequently, he followed the sound, and upon laying eyes on the opposing parties locked in a standoff, he froze in place.
"Lady Diantha, Comatose, what are you two doing?"
Furthermore, although Aegislash had evolved, its aura remained unmistakably its own; Ange recognized it as his own Pokémon at a single glance.
However, this was hardly the appropriate moment for that.
"Ange?" Diantha wore a look of astonishment. "You know this Comatose?"
Ange nodded. "Yes, it's mine!"
Diantha: . . .
No wonder... All of this turned out to be an absolute misunderstanding.
"What... exactly is going on here?" Ange still felt somewhat lost regarding the situation.
Aegislash wrapped its flexible ribbon-like arms around the Team Flare executive's neck, dragging him like a limp dog over to Ange to lodge a complaint:
"Gir~ Gir~ Gir~~" Ange, while I was chasing this guy, she suddenly jumped out and attacked me!
Ange first addressed Aegislash: "Aegislash, congratulations on your evolution!"
Then, turning to Diantha with a wry smile, he explained, "My Aegislash is lodging a complaint against you, saying that while it was pursuing a bad guy, you inexplicably leaped out and attacked it."
The astute Diantha naturally grasped the nature of this blunder entirely, offering a similarly wry explanation:
"It appeared out of nowhere, so I assumed it was an accomplice of Team Flare! I never imagined it turned out to be your Pokémon.
Then again, given that you are here, I should have realized long ago that you wouldn't just sit idly by."
Diantha had witnessed Ange's power firsthand back in Geosenge Town, considering that he was a legendary trainer capable of commanding Darkrai.
Ange replied, "As long as the misunderstanding is cleared up!"
Diantha hurriedly asked, "By the way, what is the status of the hostages who were captured?"
She had assumed Ange had been inside the Pokémon Center the entire time and was fully briefed on the internal situation.
Ange turned his gaze toward Aegislash with an inquiring look.
"Gir~ Gir~~" Aegislash succinctly explained the situation inside the Pokémon Center.
Upon hearing the summary, Ange relayed it to Diantha, who let out an immediate sigh of relief upon learning everyone was safe.
"Ange, I truly owe you thanks."
Ange shook his head. "The credit goes to Aegislash and Comatose; I was out taking care of business earlier and wasn't inside the Pokémon Center, only just returning from outside now!"
Hearing this, Diantha looked in astonishment at Aegislash and Comatose, then bent down to offer a solemn apology to the two Pokémon.
"Aegislash, Comatose, I am deeply sorry for just now; I attacked you both without figuring out the situation."
Comatose paid Diantha no mind whatsoever, climbing all the way up Ange's trouser leg into his arms to resume dozing soundly.
As for Aegislash, it magnanimously forgave Diantha.