Every needle was formed from pure Ghost-type energy, deep dark purple throughout and glimmering with an eerie light.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of needles condensed before Banette, hovering in midair with their tips all aimed at Banette's own body.
A hint of mad amusement flashed through Banette's red eyes.
The next second, the needles moved.
Dozens of black energy needles shot out at once, pouring down like a rainstorm and piercing Banette's body with precision—its left arm, right arm, chest, abdomen, legs...
The instant the needles pierced it, Banette's body trembled slightly.
At the same time, tiny, nearly invisible black spots appeared wherever each needle entered its stitched doll body.
The old ranger had already vaguely sensed that something was wrong when Banette condensed and compressed the Ghost-type energy into long needles.
His gaze swept quickly over the shadowy figure, Chandelure, and Sableye before finally settling on Banette. A sharp glint flashed through his weathered eyes.
"Their target isn't Celebi. It's me..."
The moment the old ranger realized this, cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
"Exeggutor! Milotic!" His voice was short and sharp, without the slightest hesitation. "Safeguard!"
As soon as he spoke, Exeggutor's three heads lifted at once, and blue-white light blazed from its six eyes.
A milky white, translucent energy barrier spread from Exeggutor's body, swiftly enveloping the old ranger.
Milotic followed immediately after. Light flowed through its red eyes as another milky white Safeguard barrier formed over Exeggutor's, adding a second layer.
Together with the Safeguard formed before the battle, three layers of Safeguard shielded the old ranger completely.
The next second—
"Sizzle—!"
More than a dozen tiny black spots appeared out of nowhere on the Safeguard barrier in front of the old ranger.
Like drops of ink on glass, those black spots slowly