The energy of Mega Evolution flowed into Chandelure's body, and its form began to change.
It still retained the appearance of a chandelier, yet its overall size became larger and more imposing, filled with a greater sense of tension and presence.
Its head was no longer a simple round shape, but gained angular edges, as if it had truly been carved from crystal.
Its eyes turned into one yellow and one purple, the asymmetry giving it an eerie, sinister charm.
When Silas met its gaze, he felt a strange sensation, as though his soul was being drawn out.
How should he describe that feeling?
It reminded him of the time he fought Mega Gengar in the Kingdom of Azoth, that same sense of power originating from another dimension.
As a Ghost type Pokémon, it was not surprising that after Mega Evolution, Chandelure could connect to another world.
The black tassel like structures above Mega Chandelure's head became thinner, and the purple flames at their tips burned even more intensely. Within those flames, faint, mysterious runes flickered, emitting a light that made one's heart tremble.
The most noticeable change was in its arms.
They increased from one pair to two pairs.
The new arms resembled vines extending from the main body, curving in a graceful yet eerie manner, with the ends shaped like candle holders burning with purple flames.
The flames flickered and twisted constantly in the air as if alive, making anyone who looked at them feel a chill run across their skin.
"Mega Chandelure, huh?"
Facing the new Mega Pokémon revealed by Malva, Silas remained calm, his expression unchanged.
From what he could tell, Mega Chandelure was clearly a special attacker. It was not going to smash opponents with its chandelier body.
"Quick, quick, record everything. Do not miss a single detail." Professor Sycamore personally operated the equipment while urging his assistants.
Coming here had truly been worth it. Two entirely new Mega Pokémon had appeared.
The fourth battle began instantly. Silas gave his command.
"Taunt."
Against Ghost type Pokémon, using Taunt first was almost never wrong. Ghost types excelled at stacking status effects.
Chandelure could use moves like Confuse Ray, Minimize, Curse, Will O Wisp and more.
With Cyclizar's high speed, a well timed Taunt would shut all of that down.
Hearing the command, Cyclizar twisted its body and moved toward Mega Chandelure in a comical yet highly provocative manner, not forgetting to throw out mocking chatter along the way.
An invisible force acted upon Mega Chandelure, and a fiery anger symbol appeared above its head. It fell into a Taunted state, unable to use status moves for a period of time.
"Shadow Ball."
As if she had anticipated this, Malva immediately ordered an aggressive attack.
Raising one arm, Mega Chandelure condensed a sphere of dark energy filled with endless shadows. It spun at high speed and shot toward Cyclizar, leaving a faint dark trail in the air.
"Dodge it and look for a chance to Bite."
The moment Silas finished speaking, Cyclizar used its plus two speed to appear on the other side of the battlefield. It moved as if teleporting, darting back and forth.
While dodging the incoming Shadow Balls, it quietly closed the distance between itself and Mega Chandelure.
Dark type energy gathered in its mouth as it waited for the perfect opportunity.
Another Shadow Ball grazed past it and exploded on the ground, leaving behind a charred crater.
This time Cyclizar burst forward. The muscles in its hind legs bulged, releasing tremendous power as it transformed into a streak of green lightning charging straight at Mega Chandelure.
"Cyc!" (Take this!)
Its sharp fangs, infused with Dark type energy, snapped down fiercely.
The Shadow Ball coming at it was bitten apart first, then it went straight for Mega Chandelure behind it.
Mega Chandelure could not escape. Cyclizar clamped down on one of its candle arms.
With a crisp cracking sound, one of the candle arms shattered. The Dark type energy surged in like sharks sensing blood.
Mega Chandelure let out a ghostly wail as its entire body trembled violently. The Bite attack dealt significant damage.
"Overheat."
After being struck, Mega Chandelure naturally would not sit still. The purple flames at its core and on its arms surged wildly, forming layers of blazing waves that spread outward from its center.
Combined with its powerful special attack, the Overheat engulfed the entire battlefield in an instant, turning it into a sea of fire.
A wide area attack like this was the perfect counter against a high speed Pokémon like Cyclizar. There was no space left to dodge.
"You fell for it."
A smile appeared on Silas's lips as he issued his next command. "Supercell Slam!"
Why dodge?
After taking a double effective Bite, could Mega Chandelure really withstand a same type boosted instantaneous Supercell Slam? That was highly questionable.
Brilliant lightning erupted, enveloping Cyclizar's entire body. Within that lightning, its form seemed to shift for a brief instant.
In other words, it was as if a max level account had taken control.
BOOM!
The explosion and blinding lightning occurred at the same time. Mega Chandelure's Overheat failed to stop it even slightly, as the lightning pierced straight through.
At the center, Mega Chandelure froze as if petrified, then in the next moment it collapsed limply to the ground, reverting out of its Mega Evolution.
The battle was over.
Cyclizar dashed back toward Silas at an even faster speed than before, but because it was moving too quickly, it ended with a perfect face first skid on the ground.
Silas fell silent.
He covered his face with one hand and turned his head away.
Cyclizar always managed to do something like this at the most heroic moment.
Before it was fine, but now this was a live broadcast watched by millions.
This would probably become a lifelong black mark in Cyclizar's history. Silas cautiously took two steps back.
"Hahaha, Cyclizar…"
In the audience, Serena laughed without restraint, while Korrina clutched her stomach, laughing so hard it hurt.
Diantha and Silas's mother also wore amused smiles.
Soft laughter echoed throughout the venue, making Cyclizar even more unwilling to lift its head. It was no longer grinning proudly at all.
Just like that, the image it had built as cool, powerful, and imposing completely vanished. Everyone would only remember its face skid during the Champion Challenge.
"Cyclizar, you should go back into your Poké Ball and hide for a bit."
Silas took out a Poké Ball. As soon as he spoke, Cyclizar eagerly dove inside on its own. It had truly embarrassed itself this time.
Patting the Poké Ball as reassurance, Silas threw out another one.
"Dragonite, I'll leave the remaining two battles to you."
"Dra!"
Dragonite emerged, putting on a serious expression as it entered the field. It tried hard to keep a straight face.
As long as it did not mess up, it would be able to laugh at Cyclizar about this for the rest of its life.
Even though it tried to suppress its laughter, its face still puffed up like a bun, making it look unintentionally funny.
It had accidentally contributed another meme expression, like a younger brother laughing at the older one.
Silas showed a troubled expression. How had he ended up catching these two living comedians?
Weren't Dragon type Pokémon supposed to be cool and majestic? Silas saw none of that in Cyclizar or Dragonite.
This small episode did not affect the continuation of the battle. Even while holding back laughter, Dragonite's strength was overwhelming.
In fewer than ten rounds, it defeated the final two Pokémon, helping Silas clear the third Elite Four member.
Now, only the last opponent remained, and also the strongest one.
(End of Chapter)