Gardevoir raised both hands high, and a phantom image of the moon suddenly appeared above the palace.
Next, the moon phantom exploded with a burst of pink light, then transformed into a beam that shot straight down toward the Domain crown in the center of the hall!
The dazzling pink light completely overpowered the bluish candlelight within the palace.
Sato and Wilma both instinctively squinted, but still used their Dark Energy to try and sense what was happening.
"FUS! RO! DAH[1]!"
Suddenly, a dragon's roar echoed through the palace, and a massive surge of Dark-type energy erupted from the Domain crown at the center!
Gardevoir's Moonblast was instantly dispelled. Within a blink, it had completely vanished without a trace.
The moment the roar rang out, Sato had already sent out Zoroark.
Zoroark, in perfect sync, used Protect to shield both itself and Sato, even covering Wilma a little on the side.
As the malicious energy slowly faded, Sato immediately looked toward Gardevoir and saw that it too had formed a Protect barrier in front of itself. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief.
Then, everyone simultaneously turned toward the Domain crown. The first thing they saw was a field of shattered white bones, now indistinguishable as to which Pokémon they once belonged to.
Above the bones, the Domain crown floated in midair, flashing with unstable black energy, as if it were still recovering from the sudden explosion.
"Zoroark, Nasty Plot! Gardevoir, Psych Up!"
A sharp light flashed in Sato's eyes. The more things unfolded, the more convinced he became of his theory, and he gave his next commands without hesitation.
Zoroark suddenly grinned wickedly, its narrow fox eyes gleaming with scheming malice. At the same time, Gardevoir used Psych Up on Zoroark, copying its Special Attack boost exactly.
"Gardevoir, hit it again, Moonblast!"
"Voir!"
With its Special Attack greatly boosted, the moon phantom Gardevoir conjured this time was noticeably larger, and its power was self-evident.
Behind them, Wilma opened her mouth in shock. She was so stunned she couldn't even speak.
'Had the Domain just… counterattacked? The Domain… it had consciousness!'
"STRUN! BAH! QO[2]!"
Another thunderous dragon roar rang out. The raging Dark-type energy collided with Gardevoir's enhanced Moonblast.
But this time, it was different, Moonblast didn't shatter instantly. Instead, it held its ground for half a second before being pushed back.
"There's hope!"
Sato clearly noticed this subtle change and was overjoyed. He quickly ducked behind Zoroark and sent out a third Pokémon.
"Honchkrow, protect Gardevoir."
Zoroark, striking a cool pose, flung a furry version of itself from its long mane, placing the Substitute in front of it.
The residual energy from the attack in front of Gardevoir was blocked by Honchkrow using Protect, while Zoroark, now slightly weakened, used Substitute to intercept the blow.
"Gardevoir, Moonblast again!"
Without hesitation, Sato issued the next command to Gardevoir.
From all signs, the original master of this Domain was most likely Hydreigon[3].
And Fairy-type moves were 4x effective against Hydreigon!
In the Pokémon world, not even Legendary Pokémon could overcome the law of type advantages.
Which meant Gardevoir's Elite Four level Fairy-type move with 4x effectiveness was more than enough to pose a serious threat to the Domain crown in front of them!
The third clash began, and this time, Moonblast maintained a stalemate with the Domain crown for over ten full seconds.
Both Sato and Wilma could clearly sense that the Domain's power was rapidly declining.
Every blast of Moonblast dealt severe damage to it.
Just as Sato was preparing to order a fourth strike, the Domain crown suddenly shot upward.
It was trying to escape the underground palace!
…But in the next moment, the Domain crown suddenly slammed into one of the white pillars.
Ting!
Not even a mark was left on the pillar, while the Domain crown dropped like an ashtray, whizzing straight into the pile of bones… completely still.
A strange silence suddenly filled the underground hall...
Sato: …Eh?
Gardevoir turned back and gave Sato a meaningful glance. Then, using Telekinesis, it picked up a bone from the ground and used one of the few physical moves it had learned.
Fling!
Bang…
"ROOOOO~"
The bone struck the Domain crown precisely, and the crown immediately let out a synchronized dragon roar.
But compared to the earlier titanic clash between Moonblast and Dark-type energy, this Fling attack looked like child's play.
And yet, the roar wasn't small at all!
"So it's just a Blissey with no HP left..."
Sato finally couldn't help but comment, then sent out his fourth Pokémon.
"Tyranitar, Stone Edge. Shatter that Domain for me!"
Clearly, the Domain crown was physically fragile. But even so, Sato remained cautious and didn't let any of his Pokémon make direct contact with it.
Long-range physical moves were an option, and Stone Edge from Tyranitar was perfect for this.
Tyranitar lightly raised its hand, and two hard, sharp stone blades appeared beside it.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~
The blades turned into two yellow streaks of light and, in the blink of an eye, struck the Domain crown.
Crack!
A crisp shatter echoed. The Domain that Wilma's family had guarded for over a thousand years… was completely destroyed before her eyes.
And in the instant the Domain shattered, a faint cry echoed in the hearts of Sato, Zoroark, and the others.
For a moment, they all felt a deep, heavy sorrow, as if they were being overwhelmed by the grief of the voice's owner.
Yet for some reason, Wilma felt no guilt in her heart. In fact, she even felt a sense of relief and release.
'If the Domain truly had consciousness…' then what was the purpose of her family guarding it for all these generations?
'A demon?'
Wilma shook her head in a daze. Even though deep down she now agreed with Sato's theory, she still couldn't admit it aloud.
A thousand years of ancestral devotion… how could she deny it herself?
She had no right.
The only thing worth feeling grateful for was that, from now on, the children of the Village of Dragons would no longer face this burden.
As these thoughts swirled through Wilma's mind, the shattered Domain crown began releasing a surge of pure Origin energy.
"Toto! Quick! Let out Lefty, Righty, and Sharpie! Get everyone out now!"
Gardevoir's Telepathy suddenly echoed in Sato's mind.
In the next moment, Sato didn't hesitate to release Zweilous and Sharpedo.
For this trip, Sato had brought a total of seven Pokémon. Among them, Honchkrow had been registered as a Ride Pokémon.
With Gengar guarding the entrance, the remaining six were all gathered here.
Zoroark, Gardevoir, Tyranitar, Sharpedo, Zweilous, and Honchkrow… all of them, without exception, had the Dark type!
"Calm your minds, feel the Dark-type Origin energy released by the Domain, and absorb as much of it as possible!"
Gardevoir's Telepathy rang in the hearts of the whole team.
At the same time, they all quickly sensed the intoxicating richness of Dark-type energy in the air.
Without hesitation, Zoroark and the others began absorbing it as much as they could!
And even Sato joined in.
Still wrapped in vines, Wilma also began to sense the Dark-type Origin energy and instinctively activated the Dark Energy within her, starting to absorb it as well.
In the next instant, a blinding blue glow drew the attention of every Pokémon present.
And the source of that light…
Was Zweilous!
Chapter 779: Hydreigon, Awakens!
[1] Hahaha…
[2] He~
[3] Alduin