Marius's whole body stiffened, and he whipped his head around.
There was no one behind him, only a massive load-bearing pillar and the shadow it cast, which seemed out of place amidst the surrounding clamor.
The voice seemed to come from the shadow itself.
"If you are afraid, it can only tremble."
The voice was very soft, yet it was like a steel needle, popping the balloon Marius had inflated with fear and panic.
He froze, even forgetting to urge Ralts to dodge.
On the field, Mightyena lunged forward once more, its sharp claws scraping the ground with an ear-piercing sound.
"Dodge..."
Marius opened his mouth subconsciously.
"Shut up."
The voice rang out again, carrying an unquestionable command,
"Give up on defense."
Give up on defense?
Marius's head buzzed.
Wasn't that just waiting for death?
"You are in a battle, not playing hide-and-seek."
The voice in the shadow remained cold,
"Your opponent isn't that dog; it's yourself. Now, look at it."
As if his throat were gripped by an invisible force, Marius was forced to turn his gaze back to the field.
"Watch the moment it exerts force with its left hind leg as it charges. Its upper body will experience a 0.3-second shift in its center of gravity. That is an instinctive movement to maintain balance, and it's also its most vulnerable moment."
The voice was matter-of-fact, as if dissecting a cold corpse rather than analyzing a live battle.
Marius's eyes widened as he stared intently at Mightyena's movements.
This time, he wasn't looking in a panic, but with a clear purpose.
Sure enough!
At the moment Mightyena was about to pounce in front of Ralts, its left hind leg kicked off the ground, and its upper body—specifically the shoulder blade area—indeed had an extremely subtle tilt to the right!
This discovery was like a bolt of lightning, cutting through the chaos in his mind.
"You can't dodge it."
Ariel's voice was like a life-claiming ghost,
"Either exhaust your stamina while running and fall in humiliation, or seize that moment and make it pay for your previous cowardice."
"I... what should I do?"
Marius's voice trembled, but this time, it wasn't because of fear, but because of a spark of fighting spirit he hadn't even noticed was ignited.
"Double Team."
The command was concise and clear.
Marius roared almost instinctively: "Ralts! Double Team!"
Ralts moved upon hearing the command. It didn't look back again; instead, facing the lunging hound, its body instantly split into several identical phantoms that scattered in all directions.
Mightyena's claw struck empty air, and it let out an irritable low growl.
"Good."
The voice in the shadow carried a hint of almost imperceptible approval,
"Now, have all the clones use Calm Mind together."
"Trust your Pokémon; with its aptitude, it can do this easily."
Marius was stunned for a moment.
Have the clones use Calm Mind? Don't the clones lack any offensive power?
"Just do as I say."
"...Yes! Ralts, all clones, use Calm Mind!"
The command was given.
On the field, all the Ralts closed their eyes and sat cross-legged at the same time.
A serene and powerful spiritual energy began to gather, forming an invisible vortex centered around the original body.
The Rich kid opposite him burst out laughing:
"What the hell? Using Calm Mind with clones? Are you trying to kill me with laughter so you can inherit my Pokémon?"
He urged, "Mightyena, ignore the fakes and tear them down one by one! Use Crunch!"
"Ignore him."
Ariel's voice rang out again. This time, he was speaking to Marius while also guiding the Ralts on the field,
"Your Pokémon can sense emotions, right?"
Marius nodded vigorously.
"Then let it feel. Feel that dog's irritability, feel its master's contempt, feel the mockery of everyone around you. Use these emotions as your coordinates."
"When that feeling of contempt reaches its peak, at the moment he thinks you've run out of tricks..."
Ariel's voice paused, and the air in the shadow seemed to freeze.
"...that is the moment it reveals a weakness."
On the field, urged by its master, Mightyena frantically lunged at one Double Team clone after another.
Every clone would vanish into thin air the moment it was hit, but the original body's aura rose steadily with each stack of Calm Mind.
Ralts's original body still had its eyes tightly shut, but the red horns on its head lit up with an unprecedented glow.
It could see.
It could see a dark-red emotion called contempt surging from the boy opposite and his Mightyena, crashing against it like a tide.
That's it!
When Mightyena lunged at another clone again—its old strength spent and new strength yet to form, its whole being immersed in the pleasure of tearing the clone apart—the concentration of that contempt reached its peak!
There was no need for Marius to give an order; even Ariel didn't speak.
A tacit understanding born of battle instinct was quietly established between the Trainer and the Pokémon.
"The opponent is a Dark-type; don't use Psychic-type skills!"
"Okay!"
"Magical Leaf!"
Marius's roar and Ralts's movements overlapped perfectly.
The original body, which had been sitting still, suddenly snapped its eyes open!
In those red eyes, the timidity and unease had long since vanished.
Replacing them was a focus that was almost cold.
Leaf blades shot out precisely, condensed into a line without any energy leaking out.
The target wasn't Mightyena's head or its torso.
It was exactly what Ariel had pointed out earlier—the joint of the left front leg, exposed due to the shift in its center of gravity!
"Bang!"
A muffled thud.
The charging Mightyena let out a howl of pain. Its massive body, like a tripped giant, crashed to the ground and rolled miserably for several meters, its left front leg twisted at an unnatural angle.
Although it hadn't lost its ability to battle, its stamina had already been declining from the continuous charging, and this precise strike made it difficult for it to get up for a while.
The entire venue was dead silent.
The onlookers who were just laughing now had their mouths wide open, as if they had seen something incredible.
The Rich kid opposite him had the smile on his face completely frozen.
As for Marius, he stared blankly at the small figure on the field with its back straightened.
His Ralts didn't look at him again.
Its gaze was firmly locked onto the fallen opponent, its body surrounded by a pale blue Spiritual Field, like a newly crowned, cold king.
Once the flames of battle are ignited, they can no longer be easily extinguished.