The concept of luck was elusive and mysterious, but with someone like Mark being so real, even Sato had to admit that sometimes luck truly mattered.
Houndoom was focused on Sato's safety and didn't join the siege against Spiritomb. Yet, even when facing three opponents -Gengar, Arbok, and Lucario- Spiritomb still wasn't at a disadvantage.
1v3!
But this time, it was Sato and Mark who were being overwhelmed. Spiritomb's strength, at the same level, was downright terrifying.
Even more crucially, luck hadn't been on their side since the moment Spiritomb appeared.
Lucario's Aura Sphere was intercepted nine times out of ten. Gengar and Arbok's attacks were dodged seven or eight times out of ten, and the remaining few ended up colliding with each other, interfering with their own side.
Moves with high accuracy were intercepted mid-flight, and those with lower accuracy couldn't hit Spiritomb at all. It felt as if all their training had been rendered useless…
Sato and Mark exchanged glances, completely unable to sense the coordination they usually had with their partners.
Thinking back on the legends about Spiritomb, Sato realized: it wasn't that their opponent was unusually lucky, it was that their own side was being plagued by bad luck.
Even Mark's special ability was being completely suppressed.
"Tomtomtom~"
That eerie, sinister laughter echoed again. Spiritomb miraculously dodged Arbok's Toxic, then turned and used Psychic once more, pushing away all nearby attacks.
Sato didn't want to waste any more time. Spiritomb's abilities were outrageously unfair: it was best to finish this quickly.
"Tyra-"
"Kiss!"
The Poké Ball in Sato's hand had already grown in size, ready to send out Tyranitar to finish Spiritomb off!
But at that exact moment, a white figure flashed past and interrupted him…
It was Mark's Togekiss!
Sato instinctively frowned. Togekiss hadn't even reached Ace level. Why send it out now? It couldn't possibly-
Whoosh~ Whoosh~
Air Slash landed!
Sato: …?
Several pale blue blades of wind sliced through the air and hit directly against the Odd Keystone embedded in Spiritomb, visibly leaving deep gashes.
Critical hit!
Even more astonishing, the previously erratic Spiritomb froze in place. Its constantly shifting ghostly face stopped for a split second.
Spiritomb was now trembling in fear from a single round of attacks by a mere Elite Togekiss!
The next second, more pale blue blades followed. Spiritomb shrieked while helplessly watching its Odd Keystone take yet another round of slicing damage.
Still, Spiritomb didn't move…
Flinch +2!
Sato glanced sideways at Mark with a strange look on his face, only to find him equally stunned by Togekiss's sudden power burst. And Mark wasn't even holding an empty Poké Ball.
Clearly, Togekiss had freed from its Poké Ball on its own and rushed out to hack away at Spiritomb without any orders.
Watching the previously "unstoppable" Spiritomb now being sliced up by Togekiss, Sato was just about to press the attack when something else occurred to him.
He turned to look at Mark, only to see him still frozen in shock. Sato couldn't help but remind him, "Don't just stand there! This is a perfect chance for Togekiss to advance!"
"H-Huh? Oh, right! Togekiss, go go go~ Keep slicing it up!"
Mark snapped back to his senses and began shouting "Go go go~" enthusiastically from the sidelines.
Sato: "..."
So what exactly are you here for as a Trainer?
But thinking about how Togekiss had only been using Air Slash from beginning to end, it was true: there really wasn't much need for command.
Shocking.
This Pokémon only used one move from start to finish, and it wasn't even an Unown!
Back on the battlefield, Togekiss flew gracefully through the air, and after every loop, it rained down multiple indiscriminate Air Slashes toward Spiritomb.
Poor Spiritomb. It had just broken free from its seal, only to be pinned down and pummeled repeatedly by a mere Elite Togekiss, utterly unable to resist.
The fierce battle had suddenly lost its tension. Seeing how thoroughly Togekiss suppressed Spiritomb, the other Pokémon who had regained their rhythm all stopped attacking in unison, hoping Togekiss could push through and advance.
Chanel and Yamato's eyes sparkled as they stared at Togekiss, thinking, 'That terrifying Spiritomb that even three Pokémon couldn't beat was now being tamed by Mark's plump bird.'
'Plump white bird… so strong!'
'Mark, so… strong(?)!'
Mark: This is too much. I can't believe I'm actually being praised for once…
'I, Mark…
Am not a mascot!'
"Kiss…"
A pained cry suddenly pierced the air, instantly shattering all of Mark's fantasies. Spiritomb had taken five Air Slashes in a row, but finally stopped triggering the Flinch status.
It seized the moment and used Sucker Punch to strike the unguarded Togekiss, knocking it back, and then…
Turned and fled!
Odor Sleuth's lock-on duration had long ended, and though Spiritomb had persisted in battle until now, the moment it encountered Togekiss, it chose to run.
"Togekiss, Air Slash! Stop it!" Mark panicked and quickly gave the command.
But Spiritomb vanished with a fade, and the Air Slash inevitably missed.
Just as Sato was about to command Houndoom to use Odor Sleuth again to force Spiritomb out, the thing jumped out on its own.
Sato: 'You might not believe this, but I've lost count of how many times my actions have been interrupted.'
---
When it reappeared, Spiritomb had already moved over a hundred meters away from the group.
There, a crowd of fearless Ghost-type Pokémon was happily spectating the battle, completely unaware that danger had arrived.
"Tomtomtom~"
A sinister cry rang out behind them. When they turned around, the wild Ghost-types were already engulfed in a wave of darkness.
Togekiss flapped its wings, sending another round of pale blue wind blades slicing through the sky toward Spiritomb.
But it didn't dodge this time. Instead, it used a full-range Psychic to block all the incoming Air Slashes.
"Spiritomb is devouring souls…"
Sato spoke grimly. At this point, he couldn't afford to give Togekiss more leveling opportunities. He finally sent out his ace: Tyranitar.
"Tyranitar, Stone Edge. Gengar, continuous Shadow Balls."
"Togekiss, Air Slash! Arbok, Poison Tail! Lucario, Aura Sphere!"
Seeing that Mark was still using Aura Sphere with Lucario, Sato pressed his lips together, then couldn't help but remind him, "Spiritomb is a Ghost/Dark-type Pokémon. The only reason I didn't stop you earlier was because of Odor Sleuth…"
"Huh? Boss, why didn't you say that earlier! Lucario, switch to Flash Cannon!"
"Maybe you should let Togekiss use a different move," Sato continued, ignoring Mark's complaints.
"What move? Better than Air Slash?"
"When it comes to Spiritomb… have Togekiss use Dazzling Gleam."