"This is… an illusion?"
Looking at the gloomy, eerie environment on the field, Wallace broke out in a cold sweat.
He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he even felt a dense chill creeping over him, raising goosebumps all over his body.
"I can't believe it… this is simply unbelievable!"
Steven was equally shocked. This level of illusionary power could practically be called sorcery.
To completely envelop such a massive battlefield in an illusion—and even affect everyone in the entire stadium—could Zoroark really reach this level?
"Terrifying. N, could your Zoroark do something like this?"
Off to the side, Rosa's eyes were wide as saucers. Perhaps because she was a girl, the dark and sinister environment filled her with a bit of fear.
"You're overestimating me."
N gave a bitter smile and shook his head. His Zoroark was also one of his core Pokémon, among the strongest on his team.
But this kind of illusion…
His Zoroark absolutely couldn't pull it off.
"My Zoroark might be able to affect a few thousand people with an illusion, but it wouldn't be this realistic. And… this Hisuian Zoroark's illusion is different."
N lowered his voice.
As a Zoroark trainer, he was keenly aware of the most critical difference.
"What's different?" Rosa and the others were taken aback.
"Zoroark's illusions are purely visual deception. No matter what it turns into or what it shows you, it's fake at its core."
N explained in detail.
"For example, a Zoroark with especially strong illusion abilities can make you see daytime at night, night during the day, or snow in the middle of summer."
"But no matter what you see, it's only visual deception. It doesn't actually create those substances."
Rosa and the others nodded. Even if they hadn't raised Zoroark themselves, they knew this much.
At its core, it was still just an illusion. It was impossible for Zoroark to use illusion imagery to physically affect an opponent.
That was why most Zoroark battles relied on the Illusion ability to deceive an opponent's vision and fight that way.
"But this Hisuian Zoroark is different," N said gravely.
"It created this gloomy forest scene and tricked our vision into seeing nighttime. Logically, this should only affect our sight, but…"
"We actually felt cold?"
Alder immediately grasped what N meant, his expression tightening.
"That's right. We genuinely felt a deep, biting cold."
N frowned. This shouldn't be happening. The weather was great today, with bright sunshine.
Even though visually they couldn't see the sun and only saw a dark sky, that was just the illusion affecting their vision.
In reality, the sun was still shining over the Indigo Plateau. They shouldn't be feeling cold.
"Could it be psychological?" Rosa tilted her head.
"No. Absolutely not."
N shook his head. His mental state was steady—he wasn't affected by the 'ominous forest' or those vengeful foxes. He was simply amazed by how well-developed this Hisuian Zoroark's illusions were.
But that deep chill had made even the hairs on his arms stand on end.
That was real, physical cold.
It shouldn't have been possible. Was there a fundamental difference between Hisuian Zoroark's illusions and normal Zoroark's?
And N's guess was actually correct.
There was a fundamental difference.
A normal Zoroark's illusion was purely illusion, but Hisuian Zoroark's illusion could truly cause damage.
That was because the long fur covering Hisuian Zoroark released resentment-filled energy. It didn't just show terrifying phantoms—it inflicted harm on the opponent both mentally and physically.
Why?
Because Hisuian Zorua itself was born from deep resentment.
Hisuian Zorua came into existence when the powerful hatred of Zorua that died during the Hisui era—toward both humans and Pokémon—was transformed into strength, eventually reincarnating into this form.
As a result, every Hisuian Zorua and Hisuian Zoroark carried intense resentment energy, and that deep hatred allowed their illusions to possess tangible destructive power.
This was the fundamental difference between Hisuian Zoroark's illusions and those of ordinary Zoroark.
On the field.
"Gengar! Calm down! They're all fake!"
Selene shouted urgently at Mega Gengar, which was wildly attacking the vengeful foxes around it.
She was anxious. She knew these were illusions, but Mega Gengar was already being affected. If this continued, it would sink deeper and deeper into the illusion.
Mega Gengar heard Selene's voice. Trusting its Trainer, it forced itself to calm down—but when faced with the terrifying foxes baring their fangs, it still instinctively wanted to fight back.
It held itself back… but—
"Gah?!"
A vengeful fox tore into Mega Gengar's body, ripping open a wound. Mega Gengar groaned in pain and immediately formed a Shadow Ball, blasting the fox to pieces.
"How is that possible?"
Selene stared in disbelief.
Weren't these terrifying foxes just illusions? That had to be the case—so how could they actually injure Mega Gengar?
"Bitter Malice."
As Mega Gengar struggled to deal with the foxes, a dense surge of dark blue energy slammed heavily into its back.
The violent explosion of energy made Mega Gengar scream in pain as its entire body was blasted away.
The next second, it was as if the world had changed.
The dark forest vanished. All the vengeful foxes disappeared. Sunlight poured down once more.
Mega Gengar bared its teeth in pain. Behind it, the pale Hisuian Zoroark hunched slightly, its shadowy gaze coldly fixed on Mega Gengar like a silent wraith.
Seeing that eerie white fox, Selene gritted her teeth and swiftly took out a Poké Ball, recalling Mega Gengar.
This was the best option—to prevent Hisuian Zoroark from continuing its assault.
Besides, Mega Gengar's mental state had clearly been affected. Letting it rest was the right call.
As the sunlight returned, the entire stadium erupted.
"We're back? What just happened?"
"I thought I got isekai'd or something—those foxes were terrifying!"
"So it wasn't just me? That was Zoroark's illusion? How the hell did it do that?!"
"That illusion was way too realistic—damn, I nearly got scared to death!"
"This immersive illusion… guys, I've got a bold idea! Do you think it could make me a Water Dragon Pleasure Park or something?"
The crowd exploded with discussion, many people swearing as they vented their emotions.
Some of them had known about Zoroark's abilities before, but after experiencing it firsthand, they finally understood how people who got trapped by wild Zoroark illusions in the wilderness must have felt.
It was absolutely terrifying.
"An unbelievable illusion… so strong."
Cynthia's beautiful eyes shone with amazement. This kind of illusion was simply unparalleled.
On the field.
"As expected of Gym Leader Brother's Zoroark."
Selene's expression was grave. That brief exchange had already revealed a great deal.
Damn it. She would rather fight something like Articuno than face a Pokémon with abilities like this.
With illusions on this level, defeating Hisuian Zoroark through normal means was just too difficult.
"So how are you planning to deal with it?"
Dylan asked with a gentle smile.
Selene thought it over. Hisuian Zoroark's combat power wasn't weak, but the real threat was that near-divine illusion.
Illusions deceived vision. Even though Hisuian Zoroark seemed to be standing right there, who could say whether that was its real body?
For all she knew, the Zoroark she was seeing was just a fake projection created by the illusion.
An opponent whose true body couldn't even be confirmed was the most troublesome kind.
If only she had Lucario—Aura would let her pinpoint the real Zoroark.
But not being able to find the real body didn't mean there was no way to respond.
Keep it simple.
If you can't find it, don't bother looking.
Just carpet-bomb the field with AoE moves!
"Enamorus!"
Selene didn't hesitate as she threw her second Poké Ball.
A flash of white light, and a pink Pokémon appeared in front of her—one of the Forces of Nature, Enamorus (Incarnate Forme).
Its body was entirely pink, slender in build, with a cloud forming its lower half. A serpent-like tail extended from the cloud, coiling around its body.
"Beep—Enamorus (Incarnate Forme), Fairy/Flying type, the Love-Hate Pokémon.
Ability: Cute Charm
Moves: Springtide Storm, Outrage, Moonblast, Healing Wish, Mystical Fire…
Description: When it flies over the sea, it signals the end of the harsh winter. Legends say its kindness allows new life to sprout across the land of Hisui. (Incarnate Forme)"
"Enamorus!"
Selene raised her Poké Ball and recalled it immediately, as the Dynamax Band on her wrist lit up with a red glow.
"Oh?"
Dylan raised an eyebrow, roughly understanding her plan.
"Decisive. Nicely done."
He chuckled, praising Selene's decisiveness.
Indeed, using Dynamax against Hisuian Zoroark was the best choice. Dynamax moves covered massive areas—if used deliberately, they could blanket the entire battlefield.
That would leave Hisuian Zoroark nowhere to hide.
It was the optimal solution. If Selene stubbornly insisted on fighting normally, Dylan wouldn't have minded letting her experience just how terrifying "illusion" could truly be.
"But this isn't a Gym battle."
Dylan also recalled Hisuian Zoroark. This wasn't a Gym match—he had every right to switch freely.
"If we're fighting Enamorus, then using Hisuian Pokémon is still the most fitting choice."
He took out another Ultra Ball, the corner of his mouth lifting.
"Goodra—prepare for battle!"