NOOO!
Ralts's consciousness suddenly let out a furious roar.
Within its mental perception, the Shadow Ball and Aven were already only a hair's breadth apart!
If that Shadow Ball struck Aven, even if he did not die, he would surely suffer devastating injuries. This was something Ralts absolutely could not accept!
BOOM!
In the very next instant, Ralts's psychic energy erupted like a raging storm, surging uncontrollably.
In that moment, the psychic power within its tiny body burst forth with overwhelming force, causing the very space around them to ripple violently. Waves upon waves of psychic energy ripples spread outward, crashing straight toward Mismagius.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The terrifying energy storm swept across the field.
Crack… crack… crack…
Accompanied by the sound of shattering space, the very world itself seemed as though it were about to collapse!
On the battlefield, Froslass's figure suddenly froze for a moment, her icy form stiffening midair.
"Lass~?"
Her eyes widened in surprise.
Because before her eyes, the opponent she saw was no longer Mismagius, but rather Petilil, who was in the middle of condensing an Energy Ball!
But hadn't she clearly been battling against Mismagius just a moment ago? Why had Mismagius suddenly vanished, only for Petilil to appear before her instead?
And behind Petilil, the ground was covered in thick frost. At that instant, realization struck her—just now, the one she had been fighting all along… had actually been Petilil!
The Shadow Balls that had been flying toward her earlier were not Shadow Balls at all, but Energy Balls! Each one blasted open deep craters into the earth, filled with dense Grass-type energy!
"Lil!"
Petilil, too, froze in shock at first. But then, her expression instantly changed.
Her eyes darted quickly toward Aven's position.
At the same time, Froslass's gaze followed.
What they both saw was Aven's body enveloped in a brilliant white light.
The light spread rapidly, and with it, the surrounding space began to twist and warp. A tremendous psychic force emanated outward from within the white glow, shaking the entire forest.
BOOM!
A deafening roar followed, echoing through the Black Forest.
Then, under the astonished gazes of Petilil and Froslass, a shadowy figure was suddenly blasted away as though it had been struck by an invisible hammer, flying through the air like a ragdoll before crashing heavily to the ground!
That figure was none other than Mismagius.
Yet now, this terrifyingly powerful Ghost-type Pokémon had already lost all strength—completely unconscious!
"Lass!"
Upon seeing this, Froslass immediately floated quickly over, checking on Mismagius's condition.
Only after confirming that it had fainted and was no longer a threat did she finally let out a sigh of relief. Then, her gaze shifted back to the field, to the source of that blinding white light.
"Lil~ lil~ lil!"
Petilil, too, was staring intently at the glow.
Suddenly, her body shuddered. Through her innate connection to life energy, she clearly sensed a familiar life force fluctuating within that light!
Within the radiance, a Pokémon was undergoing evolution. Its energy level was climbing rapidly, ascending to an entirely new stage, while bursts of terrifying psychic energy rippled out in waves.
As the white light gradually faded, Aven's figure slowly emerged once more.
But beside him, there now stood a new Pokémon—one whose appearance closely resembled Ralts, yet was clearly different.
The bangs that once hung down over Ralts's eyes had now transformed into shoulder-length, sky-blue hair. Its single red horn had split into two, resembling delicate hairpins adorning both sides of its head.
"This is… what happened?"
"No, this isn't Ralts anymore… this is Kirlia!"
Aven blinked blankly, still looking around with a dazed expression, his mind clouded with confusion.
Something had definitely happened just now, yet his memory was completely blank. All he knew for certain was that Ralts must have evolved during that mysterious moment!
"That's right—Mismagius!"
Aven quickly came to his senses. His eyes darted across the battlefield until they landed on the unconscious form of Mismagius lying on the ground.
Froslass floated beside it, keeping watch, which reassured Aven greatly. Though he still did not fully understand what had just occurred, it was clear the battle had ended.
"Kir~lia, Kir~lia~"
Kirlia turned her gaze toward Aven.
The instant she saw that Aven was unhurt, she secretly let out a deep sigh of relief.
Yet the memory of that terrifying crisis lingered in her mind, making her heart tremble.
If not for the sudden eruption of psychic power at the last moment, Aven would have been struck directly by Mismagius's Shadow Ball.
Thankfully, her desperate burst of strength had turned the tide, repelling Mismagius's assault and dispelling the nightmare.
"Kir~lia, Kir~lia~"
At last, Kirlia found a moment to look down at her new body.
The form of Kirlia was not unfamiliar to her. And now… she had finally achieved her evolution.
Clenching her tiny fists, she could feel the powerful psychic energy coursing through her veins, far stronger and more refined than before.
She even thought to herself—if she were to return to her tribe now, her combat power would no longer be inferior to that of an ordinary Gardevoir!
"Lil~ lil~ lil~!"
Petilil hurriedly ran over at this time.
When she confirmed that Aven was safe, her heart settled, and she immediately turned to Kirlia, bowing her head in gratitude.
It was obvious now. She and Froslass had both been trapped in Mismagius's illusion. In the end, it was Kirlia who had broken free, protected Aven, and defeated Mismagius.
"Kir~lia, Kir~lia~"
Kirlia only smiled and shook her head gently, reminding them that they had already promised one another long ago: if Aven were ever in danger, any one of them would give their all to protect him.
A faint but profound sense of camaraderie filled the air. Petilil and Froslass exchanged glances, both nodding with joy.
"So… all that earlier, we were still inside the illusion?"
Aven finally began piecing the puzzle together.
His mind recalled the moment when he tried to use his Poké Balls, only to find them unresponsive. Instinctively, he reached to his waist now—and sure enough, the Poké Balls were still securely fastened there.
The reason they had "failed" earlier wasn't because the Poké Balls themselves had malfunctioned, but because he had never actually taken them out at all. Everything had been nothing but an illusion.
Clearly, Mismagius had no knowledge of how Poké Balls truly worked. Even though it created illusions of him pulling them out, the balls never released his Pokémon as expected.
Just like how Mismagius had once conjured a Skuntank within its illusion, yet had no idea that Skuntank could never learn a move like Poison Sting. Its ignorance betrayed it.
Nevertheless, Mismagius's power was terrifying. Its illusions were nearly flawless, and even after "breaking free," they had still been trapped without realizing it, lowering their guard.
If not for Ralts awakening at the critical moment and successfully defeating Mismagius, they might have been doomed today.
Still, beyond its illusionary might, Mismagius's actual battle strength seemed somewhat lacking. Otherwise, Kirlia would not have been able to defeat it so quickly.
"Even so, this is an incredibly promising Pokémon. Its illusion abilities alone make it more than worthy of cultivation!"
The spark of the breeder's spirit ignited within Aven's chest once more.
Having made up his mind, Aven turned his gaze toward the unconscious Mismagius.
Taking an empty Poké Ball into his hand, he tossed it forward decisively.
The red-and-white sphere struck Mismagius, opened, and with a flash of light, the Ghost-type was pulled inside.
Click.
Without the slightest resistance, the capture was complete.
Aven had successfully caught Mismagius!
"Good… just a little bit more!"
Chapter 415: Ralts Evolves!
(End of Chapter)