44
The stop at Mossdeep City was supposed to be a quick tactical briefing, but the "Anomaly" magnet in my soul had other plans. We found her in the Mossdeep Space Center gardens—a Gardevoir who didn't just stand; she posed.
She looked at the bustling scientists with a mix of pity and boredom. When she saw me, her eyes lit up with a terrifyingly sharp intelligence.
The Diva's Contract
"This island," she projected directly into my mind, her voice sounding like a velvet-draped chandelier, "is a puddle. I am an ocean. You, Singer, are going somewhere loud. Somewhere... fabulous."
She had been a high-level Gym Pokémon, but the rigid structure of "stand here and wait for a challenger" bored her to tears. I told her the tale of Elizabeth Bathory—the FGO version. The dragon-girl idol, the blood countess, the time-traveling seeker of self-redemption and the "Ultimate Concert."
She was hooked. "A dragon-idol who conquers her darker selves through the power of the stage? My soul has found its mirror. Call me Elizabeth. Eli for short."
The Mossdeep Gym: The "Psychic Duo" vs. The "Goth Idols"
The match against Tate and Liza was held in a zero-gravity arena. They sent out Solrock and Lunatone. I sent out Raven and Eli.
"Eli," I said, tapping the Stamina Band on my wrist. "The crowd is watching. May is ready to back you up. Give them the high notes. Permission granted."
I opened my mind, and Eli reached in, plucking the raw, emotional power of "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence.
[Chat Log: PRIVATE - HIGH SECURITY CHANNEL]
IceCreamQueen_C: Wait, did he just authorize a psychic mind-link for a karaoke battle?!
GymBro_Chuck: LOOK AT THE EFFECTS!
SilentRed: [GIF: Mind Blown]
The Battle-Performance
The music started as a low, psychic hum. Eli stood in the center of the zero-G field, her gown flowing as if underwater.
The Intro: "How can you see into my eyes, like open doors..." Eli used Calm Mind, her eyes glowing a haunting sapphire.
The Drop: As the drums hit, Raven lunged. She used Razor Wind to create a vortex of air, spinning through the zero-gravity like a shadow.
The Synergy: When Eli hit the chorus—"WAKE ME UP!"—she unleashed Dazzling Gleam, but she focused it through Raven's Iron Tail. The result was a shattered prismatic blast that blinded the twins' Pokémon.
Tate and Liza tried to coordinate a Psychic attack, but Eli countered with Hyper Voice, projecting the lyrics with such sonic force that it disrupted their mental link.
"I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside!" Eli finished the match with a massive Moonblast that looked like a falling stage-light, while Raven delivered a synchronized Night Slash. Solrock and Lunatone were gently floated to the ground, unconscious but "honored" by the performance.
The Aftermath: Team #5 Locked In
The twins stood there, blinking in the silence that followed. "That wasn't a battle," Liza whispered. "That was... a reckoning."
"It was art, darling," Eli said, gracefully bowing to the cameras (Lens was getting every angle). "Now, about my travel accommodations. I require a silk-lined Poké Ball and a constant supply of those Lava Cookies May is hoarding."
[Chat Log]
PervySage: Eli is officially the scariest member of the team. She doesn't just win; she reviews your performance while she does it.
Steven_Stone: Jake, the twins were supposed to be training you, but I think you just taught them how to handle a crowd. Get to the Space Center. The blockade is forming.
I checked the Stamina Band. My heart rate was steady, but my mind was buzzing. We had a ninja lizard, a spicy chicken, a hoarding cat, a harbinger of doom, and now a blood-countess idol.
"Titans," I said, looking at the squad. "Next stop: The Sootopolis Blockade."