Dazzling Gleam, a Fairy-type move, had decent power and could easily cause brief blindness in its target.
As for Spiritomb, a Ghost/Dark-type Pokémon, it happened to be weak to Fairy-type moves.
In truth, there was no shortage of Fairy-types among Sato's team: Joseph's Florges and Wigglytuff.
Unfortunately, Florges was too deceptive in appearance. It looked more like a Grass-type than actual Grass-types…
And Wigglytuff was so commonly recognized as just a Normal-type that no one would even question it.
Until the Pokémon League reconnected with Kalos and other regions, the Fairy-type -long "forgotten" by Kanto and similar areas- had finally returned to the spotlight.
Mark blinked twice, still not really understanding, but shouted out the command anyway: "Togekiss, use Dazzling… GLEAAAAM!"
One of the [Top10 unsolved mysteries of the Pokémon world]: humans can't understand Pokémon speech, yet Pokémon have no problem understanding human language.
Togekiss gave a clear chirp and, without a moment's hesitation, flew after Tyranitar and the others already surrounding Spiritomb.
On the other side, Spiritomb had already finished absorbing the souls of numerous Ghost-types, the speed of which was astonishing.
Because of that, its stamina had recovered significantly, and even the gashes Togekiss had left on the Odd Keystone were quickly fading.
At that moment, Tyranitar and the others launched their attacks. Colorful moves lit up the night with dazzling brilliance, yet carried terrifying destructive power as they struck Spiritomb with full force.
When the different energies collided and landed on Spiritomb, a violent explosion erupted instantly.
But Sato didn't relax in the slightest. Under [Dark Energy: Energy Detection], Spiritomb's aura hadn't vanished at all.
"Houndoom, Odor Sleuth."
The pace of battle was far too fast. Sato couldn't rely solely on [Energy Detection] to call out Spiritomb's exact location to his Pokémon.
Better to just have Houndoom use Odor Sleuth again to force the invisible Spiritomb out.
It was only then that Togekiss's Dazzling Gleam finally arrived: after all, it rarely used the move.
A large pink energy sphere floated in the air, instantly dispersing the surrounding darkness.
At the same time, Odor Sleuth took effect. Spiritomb appeared behind the other Pokémon, landing squarely within the range of Dazzling Gleam's light.
A sharp cry rang out. It was, of course, from Spiritomb, who had just attempted to sneak-attack Togekiss.
To Spiritomb, being dominated, by a Pokémon that hadn't even reached Ace level, for so long was an utter humiliation.
Moreover, its instincts told it that unless it defeated this "weakest" Togekiss, it probably wouldn't be able to escape today.
But just as Togekiss unleashed Dazzling Gleam, Spiritomb ran headlong into it at exactly the wrong time.
Togekiss chirped with excitement. Ever since sensing Spiritomb's presence from inside its Poké Ball, it had been filled with anticipation, eagerly hoping Mark would send it out to fight.
But no matter how long it waited, it never got the call. Then, after seeing Arbok and the others struggle in battle, Togekiss couldn't resist anymore and released itself.
It had always felt a voice within telling it, 'I, Togekiss, can defeat Spiritomb!'
The pink light orb of Dazzling Gleam fell abruptly, hitting the still-screaming, unresponsive Spiritomb without a hitch.
Under Dazzling Gleam, thick white smoke visibly billowed from Spiritomb's body. Its ghostly face became far more distorted, as if it might vanish at any moment.
Mark stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the magnificent performance of Togekiss.
"Close your mouth and have Togekiss press the attack. This is its last chance…"
"Right right… Togekiss, use Dazzling Gleam again!" Mark responded eagerly. If Togekiss defeated such a powerful Spiritomb, leveling up would be all but guaranteed.
But if Spiritomb escaped with another surprise attack, Sato would definitely have Tyranitar take it down quickly.
Upon hearing the command, Togekiss gave a strong flap of its wings and began charging up energy far more smoothly than before.
Soon, another Dazzling Gleam shot toward Spiritomb, who still hadn't recovered from the previous hit.
After all, in all its long existence, Spiritomb had truly never been struck by anything that painful.
And then… Dazzling Gleam came again!
"Chanel, the Chubby Bird is really amazing! That ugly ghost face can't even move every time it sees it!" Yamato exclaimed in shock.
"Brat… call me oneesan!"
"Chanel, I've decided! I'm going to become a Pokémon Trainer! I'm going to catch a powerful Pokémon like the Chubby Bird!"
"You little brat! It's not called Chubby Bird! It's called To…Togekiss! WITH HOW CLUELESS YOU ARE, STOP DAYDREAMING ALREADY!"
Chanel shouted furiously. Not only did her annoying otouto refuse to call her oneesan, now she definitely had to find an excuse to hit him again once they got home…
"Hmph! I won't, I won't~ I'm going to be a Trainer-"
Yamato protested loudly, prompting Houndoom to throw a sharp glare his way. He immediately fell silent, not daring to make another sound.
At that moment, the situation on the battlefield was becoming increasingly clear. Togekiss's advantage over Spiritomb wasn't just a matter of type effectiveness.
What was truly fatal… was Togekiss's absolute superiority in luck.
From the triggering of Flinch Status with Air Slash to Spiritomb running straight into Dazzling Gleam, the moment Togekiss appeared, Spiritomb's luck had been completely stripped away.
Another Dazzling Gleam was unleashed. Spiritomb tried desperately to dodge to the side!
…Only to trip over a small bush right at its feet.
Then, under everyone's stunned gaze, Spiritomb… fell flat on its face!
Dazzling Gleam struck Spiritomb squarely, engulfing it completely.
The now-familiar wail rang out once more. As the pink light gradually faded, the scream disappeared along with it.
Where Spiritomb had once been, now there was only a dull gray Odd Keystone left behind, completely indistinguishable from an ordinary roadside rock.
Togekiss, upon realizing it had truly defeated Spiritomb, surged with rising momentum and quickly broke through to Ace level.
Mark screamed and rushed over to Togekiss, joyfully hugging it tight.
Beside them, Arbok and Lucario, laughed and cheered for Togekiss's victory.
Only Tyranitar stood with arms crossed, wearing an expression of deep existential confusion: 'Who am I, where am I, and why did I even come out here?'