Asher returned to the backstage. The air there, though frantic with technicians and dancers, felt liberating compared to the cold, Steel chamber of his mother's suite. Countess Elodie D'Ashef, the embodiment of Kalos nobility, had discovered the truth about his Ghost Team—his only real connection to a free soul—and had given him an ultimatum.
"Master. Are you alright?" Gardevoir's psychic voice was a tangible concern.
"No, Gardevoir. I'm not alright. But we don't have time for that," Asher said, nervously adjusting his black jacket.
The band on stage began playing the introduction to his second-to-last song, "Armored Heart," a melodic rock piece. Asher had to be back on stage in less than two minutes. The remaining three songs' duration was now his window for escape.
"Gardevoir, I need you to use your Teleport. Not now. In two minutes, at the start of the encore. But first, I have to make some arrangements."
Asher headed to the main lighting technician, a young man with punk hair and multiple piercings named Zax.
"Zax, for 'Armored Heart,' I want the red and black lights at maximum. And at the end of the song, I need a total blackout for thirty seconds. No dim lights. Absolute darkness. Say it's a dramatic technical failure."
Zax raised an eyebrow, wanted to ask, but refrained, knowing it wasn't his job to question. Asher's fame allowed him to demand anything.
Next, Asher quickly walked to his private locker, taking out a Poké Ball different from the scarlet ones he used on stage. This one was a deep matte black, where two golden lines stood out, almost like a path in the darkness.
"Phantom Flame," he whispered, pressing the button.
With a silent purple flash, his Chandelure appeared in the corner, floating soundlessly. Its violet flames danced slowly.
"Master. I felt the coldness of Steel. The Countess has seen," Chandelure resonated in Asher's mind, its voice older and deeper than Gardevoir's.
"Yes. And I can't face her blindly. Neither her nor the family's drones. I need to buy time. And I need an ally."
Asher knew that his adoptive father, Count Victor D'Ashef, a Psychic specialist and brother of Gym Leader Astrid, was his only hope for negotiating a temporary truce. Victor was rigid, but his Psychic Pokémon tended toward mysticism and patience, unlike Elodie's Steel-type pragmatism.
"Gardevoir, I need you to do two things. First, Telepathy. Project a message into the family home."
His Gardevoir nodded, its red eyes glowing.
Message (Sharp, Unemotional): Count Victor. My decision involves your family. Not mine. We need to meet at the blind spot before dawn. If Elodie knows, we will lose everything. The decision is urgent.
"Second. Gardevoir, take note. At the exact moment of the blackout, you must use Teleport to take me to the rooftop. Phantom Flame, you must create a Dark Pulse to simulate a generator failure and confuse the sensors of the drones that will be watching us."
"Understood, Master," Gardevoir accepted, ready.
"The phantom will be ready to darken the Steel's light," Chandelure promised.
Asher nodded. Now, only the last part of his performance, his façade, remained.
Armored Heart and the Strategy
He stepped onto the stage just as the music exploded into a heavy synth-rock rhythm.
He forced himself to concentrate. As he sang, his violet eyes moved around the stadium's perimeter, searching for the shadows where the surveillance drones would be located.
The lyrics of "Armored Heart" had never been more ironic:
"I hide in the cold metal you gave me, A Steel shell, for the soul you lost..."
The audience was in ecstasy, but Asher was at war. His mind plotted the escape coordinates, his Gardevoir maintained concentration for the Teleport, and his Chandelure awaited the signal from the shadows.
When the song ended, the beat abruptly stopped. It was time for the final encore. Asher took the microphone for the speech he needed.
"Thank you, Luminalia! Tonight has been proof that the heart of Kalos is as bright as its lights!"
He bowed, gaining seconds. Count Victor D'Ashef was a man of order and decorum. Gardevoir's message, speaking of a threat to the "family legacy" rather than his feelings, was the only way to move him. The only way to counter Elodie's Steel was with Victor's Psychic, a balance of power within the nobility.
The last song, "Aegis Star," began with an epic violin intro. Asher knew this was the song where most of the D'Ashef security drones would deactivate, assuming the danger had passed.
Here. Now.
Asher gave an almost invisible signal to Zax, the lighting technician.
Halfway through the climax, just as he was singing a high note, the entire stadium collapsed into absolute blackness.
BOOM!
The crowd's scream turned into a moan of confusion. In the darkness, no one could see the floating silhouette of the Chandelure that had emerged from the stage corner, unleashing a quick Dark Pulse combined with Will-O-Wisp around the generators and key software boxes.
The infrared sensors of the drones went haywire.
"Now, Gardevoir!" Asher ordered.
In the perfect darkness, Gardevoir focused its energy. Countess Elodie, still in her suite, could only see the sudden blindness and feel the disorienting pulse of the Ghost attack.
In a single, silent burst of psychic energy, Asher and Gardevoir vanished from the stage.
The Blind Spot
They appeared on the stadium's highest rooftop, where only the wind and the shadow of the Luminalia Prism Tower were their witnesses. The air was cold.
"Gardevoir, Light Screen!" Asher ordered.
Gardevoir erected a psychic barrier that would give them precious seconds against any drone attack.
Below, the stadium lights began to flicker back to life, revealing a controlled chaos. The Countess wouldn't take long to track them.
But on the rooftop, they were not alone. In the shadow of a satellite dish, in his characteristic designer suit, stood Count Victor D'Ashef. Beside him, there was no battle Pokémon, but his tranquil Reuniclus, floating with its arms crossed.
"Asher," Victor said, his voice lacking Elodie's coldness, but not disappointment. "My wife is organizing a hunt that would make a complete team of Galar region poachers blush. Your message was... dramatic."
"It had to be, Father," Asher said, panting from the adrenaline. "She doesn't understand. My Ghost team is a part of me, of my soul. She wants to eliminate it and force me into marriage with Diantha to solidify her position."
Victor closed his eyes for a moment, a gesture that suggested the mental effort to contain Elodie had been exhausting.
"The Countess is not just forcing you, Asher. The matter of your Ghost team has attracted the attention of dangerous people. The Elite Cup she mentioned is not just a punishment. It's a way to protect you in the public sphere. The Ghosts you use... have ties to a darker past of Kalos. She wants to keep you safe, even if it means ruining your music."
Victor looked at his Reuniclus, which radiated a feeling of mental calm.
"I have gained you an hour's truce, under my supervision. Elodie's Scizor and the surveillance drones have been forced to wait. But you must know the truth: Your choice is not between music and nobility. Your choice is between survival under our control and the disaster that lurks in the shadows your Ghost team attracts."
Count Victor extended a hand.
"Tell me your plan, son. Show me that your Ghost soul and your Psychic intellect can work together to overcome Elodie and whatever you have awakened in the shadows of Kalos. You have one hour, so start singing."