Most Ghost-type Pokémon are capable of turning invisible, and they can detect one another more easily as well. But as their level increases, their stealth abilities also become much stronger.
So as long as Phoebe's Peak Elite -near Pseudo-Elite Four- Gengar was cautious, it wouldn't be easily discovered by the lower-leveled Litwick.
With Gengar leading the way, the group no longer had to wander like headless flies; they could simply move toward the suspicious location.
Apparently realizing Sato and the others' goal, the Litwick that had been avoiding them began to endure the discomfort of the bright light and silently followed them. More and more gathered behind them.
"This won't work." Sato was the first to stop and turned to look at the dense mass of Litwick.
If it weren't for their strong aversion to bright light, keeping them from getting too close, a swarm like this rushing them -each one taking a bite- would leave them all crippled.
"Lamp~"
Just as everyone was hesitating about whether to attack, a Lampent suddenly jumped out and without a word launched a Shadow Ball at them.
Clearly, even if Sato and the others didn't want to fight, the opponents didn't necessarily feel the same.
To Lampent, the moment Sato's group entered the mansion and used Flash, they had already crossed the line.
"Genge!"
Phoebe's Gengar reacted first, also launching a Shadow Ball. It was faster, stronger, and even managed to explode closer to Lampent, colliding with it in mid-air despite firing later.
And then chaos erupted!
After the first Lampent appeared, two more suddenly flashed out from different directions. All three Lampent used Inferno.
Even more surprising, Litwick started grouping in threes and fives, and somehow, together they were able to use Inferno too…
Inferno: a high-powered Fire-type move that guarantees a Burn if it hits, though its accuracy is notoriously poor.
But in a narrow corridor like this, hitting wasn't a problem at all. Especially not with this many Litwick and Lampent using it at once.
"Gengar, use Scary Face. Sableye, Mean Look!" Phoebe was the first to command her Pokémon, and she chose support moves.
"Umbreon, keep boosting Flash."
"Wigglytuff, use Fake Tears!"
"Swampert, Surf!"
"Togetic… um, use Lucky Chant then!"
In the end, the only one launching a direct attack was Ryoko's Swampert, which she had sent out after recalling Sceptile.
Scary Face slowed them down, Mean Look prevented the invisible Litwick from hiding again, Flash maintained the illumination, Fake Tears lowered their Special Defense, and Lucky Chant protected the team from critical hits.
Finally, a single Surf washed over all the Litwick surrounding them, front and back.
…A wipeout?
Not quite, but close. Aside from two Lampent that managed to dodge by floating up and escaping, nearly all the rest had fainted.
"Lampent…"
The two Lampent, having lost all will to fight, rammed into the wall as they tried to flee. They had forgotten about the effects of Mean Look.
For the first time, the Lampent realized how "solid" the wall was. In a panic, they gave up on breaking through and fled deeper into the corridor.
The group exchanged glances and immediately gave chase. If they'd beaten the small ones…
They couldn't let the big ones go either!
Chasing down the two Lampent, Sato and the others picked up speed. After several sharp turns and descending multiple staircases, they finally reached the basement of the old mansion.
Beneath the rundown mansion, the basement was surprisingly clean, but a gust of cold wind brushed past them, instantly raising goosebumps on their skin.
At that moment, the effect of Mean Look had worn off, and the two Lampent finally escaped, disappearing from view.
"…Something's off. The Flash effect is being suppressed." Sato, ever sensitive to the environment, was the first to notice the anomaly.
"Yeah, the range shrank a lot." Joseph walked to the border between light and dark -barely three steps apart- but upstairs, with dual Flash support, they could practically see the whole room at a glance.
"Joseph, get back!" Sato suddenly said sternly. From within the darkness, violet ghost flames suddenly ignited.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5… Four smaller flames circled a large central flame, slowly floating toward them.
Even though they knew it was just a Pokémon, this kind of entrance still made everyone tense up involuntarily.
Chandelure. The final evolution of Litwick: a Pokémon with potential and talent no less than the regional starters.
And then, more violet ghost flames floated out, followed by a large number of Litwick and Lampent.
"…This must be the one Wilma mentioned, right?" Ryoko whispered, then glanced at Phoebe, uncertain if she was satisfied with what she saw.
However, Phoebe didn't say a word. Instead, she silently pulled out another Poké Ball, ready to provide backup at any time.
"CHAAAAA!"
Next, Chandelure let out a loud cry and charged at Sato and the others. The five ghost flames surrounding it swelled instantly, twisting together into a massive fireball.
It was Inferno again. But compared to the Infernos from the Lampent earlier, this was on a completely different level.
Behind it, a horde of Litwick and Lampent followed. There was no such thing as a fair one-on-one fight here.
Once again, Phoebe commanded Gengar to intercept Chandelure head-on, while Sato and the others intentionally split up the Litwick army to keep Phoebe from being overwhelmed.
"Zweilous, Scary Face. Zoroark, Night Daze." Sato sent out Zoroark to support Zweilous in pushing back the enemy forces.
Umbreon stayed by Sato's side, using Flash while also picking off any stragglers that slipped through.
Ryoko's Swampert held the line on the other side by itself, and she also sent out a rare Lunatone to assist in the fight.
As for Mark, he brought out Arbok and Lapras: his two fully trained main forces. Togetic, not yet fully evolved, was best left to focus on being cute for now.
Joseph didn't charge forward, but he had already released three Pokémon: Chansey, Wigglytuff, and Kirlia.
Heal Pulse restored stamina, Aromatherapy removed status conditions, and Kirlia stood guard to ensure Joseph's safety.
With the support of Joseph's team, Sato and the others were able to fend off the Litwick horde with relative ease.
Phoebe's side, however, was locked in a fierce battle. Chandelure's Special Attack was immense, each blow put Gengar under immense pressure.
But with Phoebe coordinating closely, Gengar didn't back down in the slightest. Victory was only a matter of time.
After several minutes, when its continuous assaults had failed, Chandelure seemed to realize the situation it was in.
Then, as it prepared another Inferno, just as Phoebe was ready to have Gengar dodge, it hurled the fireball not at them… but at a wall hidden deep in the shadows.
Inferno exploded, revealing a dark-blue tunnel.
They couldn't see what lay beyond… but a powerful suction surged forth toward Sato and the others.
"The entrance to the Ghost World!"