Chapter 233: The Unsealable Plate
After Gardevoir used Teleport once again to dodge Spiritomb's Shadow Sneak, Cynthia brushed her slender fingers through her hair, a trace of surprise flickering across her face.
From the brief exchanges so far, she had already gauged Asahi's Gardevoir's strength.
It had reached the Champion level — but there was still a noticeable gap compared to Diantha's Gardevoir.
Cynthia's judgment was spot on—Gardevoir hadn't posed much of a threat to her Spiritomb.
But…
Her gaze fell on Gardevoir, who, after using Teleport repeatedly, still appeared perfectly composed and elegant, showing no signs of fatigue.
Was Asahi's Gardevoir's stamina a bit too extraordinary?
Even if Asahi had focused Gardevoir's training on endurance… this was ridiculous.
There could only be one explanation!
Cynthia's eyes locked onto the floating plate beside Gardevoir.
Asahi noticed her gaze.
[She figured it out…]
On its own, Gardevoir's stamina couldn't possibly sustain such high-intensity, continuous use of Teleport.
But with the Psychic Plate, it was a different story.
As long as Gardevoir held the Psychic Plate, it could continuously replenish its mental energy…
In other words, Gardevoir's least concern was running out of stamina!
Realizing this, Cynthia immediately adjusted her strategy.
"Spiritomb, Shadow Ball!"
The purple mist above Spiritomb's head suddenly expanded, and several Shadow Balls formed at its core.
Then—
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The Shadow Balls shot out, charged with dark Ghost energy, hurtling toward Gardevoir.
Faced with the barrage, Gardevoir didn't intend to take a direct hit. She swiftly used Teleport again, dodging out of the attack range.
Seeing this, a slight smile tugged at the corner of Cynthia's mouth.
"Spiritomb, target the empty spaces—Imprison!"
The purple light within Spiritomb's swirling body flared up, sending shimmering energy toward the areas Gardevoir could teleport to.
Just as Gardevoir reappeared from her latest teleport, the glowing purple energy struck her before she could react.
On the sidelines, Ethan quickly looked up Imprison's effect on his phone. "This is bad! That move seals away the target's ability to use their held item…!"
"If Gardevoir's hit, she won't be able to use the Psychic Plate anymore!"
Though Ethan didn't fully understand the Plate's power, he knew that Gardevoir always clung to it like a prized possession—it had to be important.
Hearing this, Green's face showed concern, while Sabrina seemed more than happy to watch Asahi struggle.
As for Gary…
He was already recording the battle with his phone.
Asahi losing a match was a rare sight!
He absolutely had to capture this moment—and maybe even turn Asahi's loss into a meme.
Next time Asahi gave him a hard time, he'd whip out this footage and mock him mercilessly!
Just when everyone thought Gardevoir, hit by Imprison, was about to lose the ability to use the Plate—
…nothing happened.
The Psychic Plate continued floating beside Gardevoir, glowing faintly.
Gardevoir remained unaffected by Imprison.
Cynthia's eyes widened in disbelief.
Shouldn't the Psychic Plate have been "sealed" by Imprison?
Asahi, however, looked completely unsurprised.
The Psychic Plate wasn't just any ordinary held item—it was part of Arceus' power.
Even though Gardevoir was the one wielding it right now, Imprison wasn't enough to lock it away.
If it were that simple, wouldn't Arceus' Plates just get stripped off by a single Imprison move in battle?
How could Arceus keep its dignity in the Legendary Pokémon hierarchy then?
Cynthia quickly realized this wasn't a simple item.
"What exactly is that Plate…?"
Just as the thought crossed her mind, Gardevoir—who had been dodging this whole time—suddenly raised an arm, seizing the opportunity to counterattack!
"Dazzling Gleam!"
A radiant light shot toward Spiritomb.
Not wanting to take a direct hit, Spiritomb quickly used Shadow Sneak to evade.
Asahi, instead of looking frustrated, smiled.
"Gardevoir!" Asahi snapped his fingers.
Behind Gardevoir, a shimmering image of a full moon appeared.
The moon's power gathered into a glowing pink energy orb in Gardevoir's hands—Moonblast!
Seeing this, Cynthia felt a flicker of unease but still ordered, "Shadow Sneak!"
Spiritomb prepared to slip back into the shadows—
But just then, Gardevoir's eyes flashed blue, locking onto Spiritomb's position with psychic energy.
Disable!
Spiritomb froze mid-attack, forcibly ejected from the shadow realm, its movement completely halted.
Before it could react—Boom!—the Moonblast struck Spiritomb head-on.
Fairy energy exploded, engulfing Spiritomb in a brilliant flash.
When the glowing fragments of Fairy energy finally dissipated, Spiritomb reappeared—badly injured.
However, with its high Special Defense, a single Moonblast wasn't enough to knock it out completely.
So…
"Don't give it a chance—Dazzling Gleam!"
"Spiritomb, Protect!"
Bang!
The sparkling light of Dazzling Gleam clashed against the green protective barrier of Protect, shielding Spiritomb and giving it a brief moment to recover.
But Cynthia knew relying on Protect wasn't a long-term solution.
"Pain Split!"
A beam of light shot from Spiritomb, aiming to transfer its damage onto Gardevoir.
Yet Asahi was prepared. "Gardevoir, Double Team!"
Multiple Gardevoir copies appeared, throwing Spiritomb off—
Then—"Light Screen!"
A glowing wall of psychic energy formed in front of Gardevoir, neutralizing Spiritomb's attempt to split its pain.
To stop Spiritomb from pulling any more tricks—
"Gardevoir, use Taunt!"
Gardevoir's elegant demeanor vanished. She crossed her arms, smirking at Spiritomb with an arrogant expression, even curling a finger in a mocking "come at me" gesture.
Spiritomb took the bait—falling straight into the Taunt trap.
Realizing she could no longer rely on status moves like Destiny Bond, Cynthia sighed.
"Shadow Ball!"
Spiritomb launched one last desperate attack.
But without the element of surprise, there was no way it could hit Gardevoir, who could teleport effortlessly.
At this point, while Spiritomb still had some stamina left—
The outcome was clear.
Ten minutes later—
After another direct Moonblast landed, all that remained in Spiritomb's place was its Keystone.
Minutes passed, but Spiritomb didn't emerge again.
Spiritomb was unable to battle.
"Return, Spiritomb." Cynthia recalled her Pokémon into its Poké Ball.
Yet there was no disappointment on her face—only curiosity.
"Asahi, what exactly is that Plate?"
It was her first time seeing an item completely unaffected by Imprison.
Asahi smiled. "Oh, that?"