With the Mismagius captured into the Poké Ball, the crisis was finally resolved.
Aven let out a long, heavy sigh of relief, gathering all of his Pokémon back to his side.
From the thickets of the forest, Froslass also drifted back, dragging along the unconscious forms of Nidorino and Nidorina.
When they awoke, both Nidorino and Nidorina looked dazed and confused. But as soon as they realized what had happened, shame quickly overcame them, and both lowered their heads in guilt.
When they recalled the earlier battle, anger also surged in their hearts—the image of another Nidorino and Nidorina suddenly appearing and abducting away their companions left them seething. Only now did they finally realize the truth: it had all been an illusion. Of course their true partners would never abandon them!
"Don't worry, it's all over now." Aven, however, still felt a stab of regret.
Looking back, it was his fault for being careless. If only he had noticed the existence of the second illusion sooner, things wouldn't have turned out so badly.
"Lil, lil…"
"Lass…"
Petilil and Froslass both took the blame upon themselves as well.
In their hearts, they knew very clearly—if not for Kirlia at the critical moment, they might never have forgiven themselves for letting Aven be placed in such danger.
That thought only strengthened their determination to become stronger. They must grow more powerful as quickly as possible. Next time, it would be their turn to stand before Aven and protect him.
"So, Kirlia, what exactly happened at the very end when you saved me?"
After listening to his Pokémon describe the illusion, Aven suddenly realized something didn't quite add up.
According to Kirlia's explanation, it had seen him about to be struck down, and at that very moment, it suddenly completed its evolution and managed to save him.
"Kir~lia~"
Kirlia immediately hovered up when asked.
It then closed its eyes, concentrating hard as though trying to recall and reproduce the technique it had used before.
But no matter how much it tried this time, it could not replicate that mysterious move. Eventually, its little face drooped in disappointment.
"Can't bring it out again?" Aven frowned slightly.
"It seems that in that urgent moment, you unleashed a power you hadn't yet learned to control."
Reaching out, Aven gently patted Kirlia's head, speaking in a calm and reassuring tone. "Don't worry. Since you were able to use it once, you'll definitely be able to use it a second time. I'll help you."
"Kir~lia!"
Kirlia nodded earnestly, then shut its eyes again. This time, instead of forcing the move, it gathered its psychic energy and activated its telepathy.
The scene of what had happened was projected directly into Aven's mind.
The world within his consciousness shifted, and suddenly he saw himself standing in place, while Mismagius appeared at his side, gathering a Shadow Ball brimming with ghost energy.
Through the projection, Aven clearly felt Kirlia's emotions at the time—nervousness, panic, anger, desperation—all tangled together in a storm of raw intensity.
And in that very instant, Ralts broke through its final evolutionary barrier. Its psychic power skyrocketed in a sudden surge.
With the emergence of dazzling white light, Ralts's figure vanished from where it stood and reappeared between Aven and Mismagius. Then, without holding anything back, it unleashed its vast psychic force!
Before Aven's very eyes, the space in front of Kirlia distorted violently. A split second later, that space tore open, and a black hole formed out of nothingness.
The Shadow Ball fired by Mismagius was sucked into the black hole instantly, vanishing completely as though it had been banished into another dimension.
The vision ended there.
Aven's eyes snapped wide open, shock written all over his face. He could not hide his astonishment. That move… just now, Kirlia had actually torn open space itself and created a black hole!
"The legendary Power of Space!"
"Kirlia has actually grasped the legendary power of space!"
His mouth opened, yet no words could adequately express the awe surging through his heart.
The Power of Life, the Power of Space—these were forces spoken of only in legend, powers nearly impossible for most Pokémon to ever wield.
Yes, moves like Teleport could be considered a rudimentary application of spatial force, but they were still bound to the framework of the move itself. That was not the same as truly mastering spatial power.
But Kirlia's ability to split space open and create a black hole had completely transcended the constraints of a move—it was genuine control over the Power of Space!
Then Aven recalled—back when Kirlia was still a Ralts, it had already shown an extraordinary aptitude for teleportation. It seemed that talent had always been the manifestation of its innate spatial affinity.
"Kir~lia!"
Hearing Aven's words, Kirlia's eyes lit up brightly.
It then turned its gaze toward him with anticipation, as though eagerly waiting to hear how it might fully master this power.
"The Power of Space… we'll definitely have to start from Teleport as the foundation." Aven's voice grew serious.
Truthfully, he wasn't entirely sure yet how to train such an ability. But precisely because of that uncertainty, a faint thrill of excitement welled up inside him.
A Pokémon with spatial affinity—this was the dream of every breeder. The ultimate project, the rarest treasure. To nurture one properly could lead to achievements rivaling the greatest Pokémon Masters.
If this were in his previous life, and he had truly discovered a method to cultivate spatial power, Aven believed without doubt that he could have risen instantly to the level of a Pokémon Breeding Master, standing on equal ground with League Champions!
"Don't worry, I'll work hard too!" Aven declared with firm confidence.
"Kir~lia!"
Kirlia beamed happily and nodded. Its clear eyes shone with absolute trust—it believed he would succeed.
"Alright then, now that we've figured this much out…"
Aven stroked Kirlia's head again. With the most pressing mysteries cleared up, he finally felt himself relax.
Next, he pulled out Mismagius's Poké Ball. "Now we need to get to the bottom of what's going on with this Mismagius."
With a flash of light, the ghost-type appeared once more.
After spending some time resting within the Poké Ball, it had regained part of its strength. Now awake, Mismagius floated there, glancing warily at everyone around.
The instant its eyes landed on Kirlia, however, fear flashed across its face. Clearly, it remembered all too vividly what had happened before it fainted.
That black hole—it was like a force that could devour everything. If not for its quick reflexes, it might have already been swallowed whole by that void.
"Lil, lil!"
"Lass!"
Petilil and Froslass drifted closer as well.
This time, both exuded menacing auras. They had not forgotten the grudge of being trapped in illusions.
Froslass in particular showed no restraint—her king-level aura burst forth fully. The Odd Keystone around her neck floated up, radiating a chilling light.
"Maaa!"
Sensing Froslass's pressure, Mismagius's expression twisted in terror, its pupils dilating sharply.
From her presence, it suddenly recognized a familiar aura—one deeply etched into its memory, one that made its body tremble uncontrollably with primal fear.
Then, to Aven's shock and the astonishment of all the other Pokémon, Mismagius abruptly dropped to the ground. Its head lowered low, its entire body pressed against the earth—an unmistakable gesture of submission!
"Lass?"
Froslass blinked in surprise.
Even she hadn't expected this supposedly powerful Mismagius to fold so quickly, without even a shred of dignity.
"Kir~lia?"
Kirlia tilted its head in puzzlement, then the twin red horns on its head suddenly glowed faintly.
Even after evolving, it had retained Ralts's unique gift for sensing emotions—except now, that ability had grown even stronger.
Through its psychic perception, Kirlia carefully probed Mismagius's feelings.
A moment later, it too was left stunned. The submission coming from Mismagius wasn't fake—it was completely genuine. It was truly surrendering of its own free will!
(End of Chapter)