At the same time, Magic Beautician activated her effect. For every Spirit Core sacrificed, she could increase one Pokémon's attack by 500. Including the Spirit Core she came with when she entered the field, its attack could be increased by a total of 2,000!
Phile decisively chose Defender, the Magical Knight, whose abilities were higher, as the target for the boost. Its attack instantly surged to nearly 4,000, and it unleashed Mirror Shot once more. The beam it fired was more than twice as thick as before.
Flame Cerberus had no time to dodge and was struck head-on by the beam. It let out a miserable howl as it was blasted away, then lay motionless on the ground, seemingly unconscious.
"Don't let your guard down. Be careful, it might be playing dead. Magical Knight, use Body Press! Pin it down and don't let it get back up."
After spending more than half a month clearing wild Pokémon alongside You Zhi, Phile had suffered quite a few setbacks but had also accumulated plenty of real combat experience. She was eighty percent certain that it was faking.
Steel-type attacks only dealt half damage to Fire-types. Even with its attack increased, it was impossible for it to kill a Six-Star Pokémon in one blow.
Sure enough, just as the Magical Knight approached Flame Cerberus with its shield in hand, the beast suddenly sprang up from the ground. It first released a wave of EVIL attribute energy that stunned the Magical Knight, then turned and lunged at Magic Beautician.
"Quite clever. You know there are no more Spirit Cores on the field—but you're still just a beast. A Pokémon having no Spirit Core doesn't mean its Trainer has none."
Phile wore an unsurprised expression. She extended her palm, gathered spiritual power, and instantly condensed