Even after taking such a powerful, wide-ranging energy attack, Banette had not lost the ability to battle...
A flicker of surprise crossed Yong's mind, but Miss Pheobe soon gave him his answer.
"Now! Banette! Use Wraith Curse!"
Wraith Curse!?
A Fusion Technique Skill!?
The space within the battlefield suddenly darkened.
An enormous black shadow rose from the ground!
Its exact form was indistinct, but everyone could vaguely recognize Banette's shape. The enormous Demonic Shadow was a murky gray mass, with only a pair of gigantic scarlet eyes, like bright red lanterns, hanging high in the air and fixing their gaze on Rhyperior.
"Heeheeheeheehee~~~"
Eerie, shrill laughter came from every direction!
Cold purple, gray, and black light suddenly flared.
"Rhyperior! Use Earth Power!"
"Rhoar!"
Deep brown energy gathered into a pillar of light and blasted toward the enormous shadow!
But...
"Heeheeheehee~~~"
Earth Power sank into the darkness and was swallowed without so much as a ripple...
A second later, the black mark left on Rhyperior's side, where Banette's earlier Sucker Punch had struck, suddenly blazed with a deep black glow!
Accompanied by the laughter filling the battlefield, the black mark silently expanded, shifting between substance and illusion. As though summoned, the Demonic Shadow overhead stirred, its black mist churning. Its scarlet eyes flashed, and Rhyperior's body suddenly froze unnaturally, leaving the Pokémon standing there in a daze...
Black light flickered across Rhyperior's body, but that body seemed to turn insubstantial in an instant, then fractured like a mirror!
"Rhoar..."
Bang!
A low cry of pain rang out as great clouds of black mist erupted from all over Rhyperior's body. Like nourishment, they were devoured completely by the enormous shadow!
Then-
Crash!
As though every last bit of stamina had been consumed, Rhyperior's eyes rolled back, and the Pokémon collapsed straight onto