Light and Darkness

After Vivian's announcement, Terrance glanced at the stage, looking rather eager to get started. Finally, it was his turn. Having waited for seven matches, Terrance was itching to get up there.

He had just finished devising a new illusion skill for Mismagius in Petalburg Gym and was eager to test it out in real battle, though the opportunity came a bit late.

Although she wasn't a well-known Coordinator, Mayumi has proven her skills by advancing from the preliminary judging to the finals. Despite being a girl, her Pokémon was a Croagunk with an unrestrained fighting style, creating a rather unusual combination.

Mayumi and Terrance's paths had only crossed during this match. Aside from that, she didn't have much to say about the commotion Terrance had caused previously. Instead, Terrance's few byes made Mayumi realize that his success might not be just due to luck.

"Croaguuuunk~ Croaguuuunk~" Croagunk puffed up its poison sac and called out, crossing its arms and staring at Mismagius with its dead fish eyes.

"Mmmm~~" Mismagius hovered in front of Terrance, waiting for his command.

Whoosh!

As soon as the match started, Croagunk darted out like a blur, trying to use its speed to disrupt Mismagius' sight.

"Swoosh!"

The fast-running Croagunk stopped, looking around as Mismagius had vanished from its sight.

"Don't panic, use poison to attack in all directions!" Mayumi scanned the stage and decisively commanded.

"Croaguuuunk~ Croaguuuunk~" Hearing this, Croagunk clasped its hands and crushed a purple Energy Ball. Boom! countless droplets of poison scattered out in all directions, completely enveloping the area around Croagunk.

As the poison droplets scattered everywhere, Mayumi's attention sharpened, trying to locate Mismagius' hiding place. However, as she scanned the area, she noticed that the droplets all followed their original trajectories. Her eyes widened as she said, "How is this possible?"

"The ceiling?" She looked up, wondering if Mismagius had flown that high in such a short time.

"Or the ground?" Mayumi's perspective shifted rapidly, reacting so swiftly that even Croagunk couldn't keep up with its Coordinator…

"What are you looking at?" Terrance's words startled Mayumi. "Don't you know the move Phantom Force?"

"Croaguuuunk~~~"

Boom! A series of Shadow Balls unexpectedly struck from behind Croagunk like a machine gun, bombarding it. But it wasn't over; as Croagunk tried to get up after getting blasted away, a barrage of Shadow Balls quickly cut off its escape routes.

"Not good!" As Mayumi was momentarily stunned, Mismagius unleashed Shadow Balls as if they cost nothing. However, she realized that their power was not very strong; even if Croagunk took a few hits, it could still withstand them. Nevertheless, this didn't ease Mayumi's mind. The precise control made her suspect that the opponent might be aiming for appeal points, casting a shadow of doubt over her.

"Use Double Team—" Mayumi didn't dare hesitate and quickly ordered. Croagunk split into a dozen figures, and for a moment, Mismagius couldn't identify the real one. Mismagius had no choice but to scatter the Shadow Balls, and without the threat of the numerous Shadow Balls, the real Croagunk managed to escape from the continuous attack.

"A clever escape method, but the attack isn't over yet."

"Mismagius, use that move—"

That move?

Which move is that?

Mayumi looked completely baffled, and Vivian didn't know what to comment. As the Shadow Ball destroyed the Double Team, Mismagius had already rushed towards the real Croagunk and concealed itself.

"Phantom Force again?!" Mayumi exclaimed. "It's useless, I've already figured out how to counter it. Croagunk, keep using Double Team!"

Confidently, Mayumi awaited Mismagius's sneak attack, but with a sudden "Ong—" sound, an incantation echoed, causing sound waves to spread out, startling Croagunk. At the same time, Mismagius revealed itself.

"Quick, counterattack!" Mayumi shouted.

However, all the Croagunks present seemed to be agitated, covering their eyes with Poison Touch and running around wildly.

"How is this possible…" Mayumi's words were caught in her throat. "Damn it, I forgot about Mismagius' incantation. Even if Croagunk splits using Double Team, it can still hear the incantation…"

Seeing Croagunk's reaction, Mayumi took a deep breath, realizing something. This attack method, which she couldn't understand, must be an illusion: "Croagunk, don't be afraid, it's an illusion, snap out of it!"

"Croaguuuunk~" Although it was an illusion, whenever Croagunk tried to open its eyes, it felt as if it was being exposed to extremely intense sunlight, causing it unbearable pain. It couldn't focus, let alone open its eyes.

"Use your moves. Croagunk, use your moves and break through the illusion." Faced with such an intangible thing as an illusion, Mayumi had no experience in breaking it, so she could only make a guess and command Croagunk.

At this moment, energy flowed through Croagunk's body, forming various moves, attempting to break free from the illusion's cage. But how could Mismagius give it the chance to react.

Flash Illusion was simple, yet it worked both ways. Constructing such a small illusion took little effort, but Croagunk's reaction gave Terrance and Mismagius new hope.

Could this simple illusion…really be this effective?!

"Well... Mismagius learned these complex illusions during its time in the Haunted House to train and test students' illusion skills. After a few years of practice, these illusions naturally became the core of Mismagius' illusion abilities. It's us who are trapped by our own thoughts..."

"Croaguuuunk~~~" Croagunk cried out; it felt itself break through the illusion's barrier with its moves, and it truly heard the sound of the illusion shattering. But the scene before it sent Croagunk's heart into the abyss, leaving it more panicked than before.

In the boundless darkness, where one couldn't see a finger in front of them, the pitch-black environment filled Croagunk with fear and unease. Its first reaction was that it had gone blind.

Under the scorching light, even though it opened its eyes, the world still remained dark. This change left Croagunk's mind in utter confusion, and it was on the verge of collapse.

At this point, it lost even the will to run around. Croagunk stood there dazed, beginning to question its frog-life.

On the stage, the three red gems on Mismagius flickered, and Confuse Ray enveloped Croagunk, plunging it into a second layer of illusion—darkness.

Seeing the motionless Croagunk, Mayumi realized she had never experienced such an absurd battle before.

She shouted at Croagunk, trying to wake it from the illusion, but no matter how much she shouted, there was no response.

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