"Battle Phase" [30s]
As the countdown for the third round began.
Both players drew cards in the flow of things, but with two new cards in hand, neither lowered his head to look.
Both players kept their eyes fixed on the field.
The "Ghost King in the Pot" had unleashed "Ghost Serpent Carnival," summoning dozens of Ghost Serpents. More than thirty of them surrounded Espeon, while over ten others fixed their sights on Meowth.
Adapt to circumstances in a duel.
Although Stuart Fawn had laid out six Shadow Dens across the field, the "Ghost King in the Pot" he ultimately summoned did not possess the "Shadow Lurk" ability, so it never used them for roundabout sneak attacks. Instead, it relied on its high-star advantage to adopt a forceful assault.
More than forty Ghost Serpents split into two columns, kicking up a Ghost Serpent Carnival!
Meowth bore the brunt, yet showed no fear.
With one paw it scooped up that plump "Shadow Worm," the coin on its forehead flashing golden light, and one coin after another rained down from the sky, flung out by it.
Each coin shot like a throwing dart, striking with perfect precision the "Ghost Serpents" crawling toward it!
—This was a technique it had learned from how Hawlucha used "[Feather Dance]."
The "Ghost Serpents" struck by the coins were clearly wounded, but did not vanish.
Meowth immediately understood the strength of these "Ghost Serpents."
Its eyes narrowed, and with a move called "Kitten's Harmless Claw," it snuffed out the life of the "Shadow Worm" in its grasp, then charged fiercely at those ten-odd "Ghost Serpents."
It carried quite the air of one warrior taking on a thousand!
On the other side, Espeon, surrounded by more than thirty "Ghost Serpents," held its head high and its chest out, the gem on its forehead glowing without cease.
Its powerful "Confusion" formed an invisible barrier, forcibly holding back those thirty-odd "Ghost Serpents."
The "Ghost King in the Pot" likely never imagined that the "Ghost Serpents" it summoned couldn't even touch the fur of the two Magic Guide Spirits. Its fury unquenched, it gave a violent roar and once again swooped down!
"Bang!"
That black serpent maw smashed straight through the Confusion barrier, this time crashing unstoppably toward Espeon.
The "Ghost King in the Pot's" attack power was already greater than Espeon's; its previous bite being blocked could be called a caught-off-guard fluke, but against this charged-up dive, Espeon's "Confusion" could in no way hold it back.
Stuart Fawn's gaze was stern. Slaying an opponent's high-star Magic Guide Spirit early in a duel could not only weaken the opponent's effective combat strength, but more importantly, strike at their morale.
After all, high-star Magic Guide Spirits were all summoned through multiple operations, and a successful summon brought confidence to the Magic Guide Master—a focal point where conviction gathered.
Once a high-star Magic Guide Spirit summoned with painstaking effort was directly slain, it became all too easy for one's forces to "collapse like a landslide," never to recover.
Many newcomers just starting out in dueling could not handle this kind of psychological letdown well.
But as Stuart Fawn kept his eyes fixed on the situation on the field, the corner of his eye suddenly caught Dark Demon already lowering his head to examine the two newly drawn Magic Guide Cards.
"Has he given up on that Magic Guide Spirit?"
The instant this thought flashed by.
Stuart Fawn's vision was suddenly dazzled by a burst of intense light.
He started in alarm.
"What just happened?"
All he heard was a tremendous boom.
In the sky above the field, without any warning, appeared a golden orb of light like the sun.
That orb instantly burst open, releasing downward beam after beam of light like blades.
The spectators raised their hands to shield their eyes from the sudden intense light, but some endured the stinging pain to look hard, and saw that each beam of light, as if equipped with a guidance system, struck every single red-side Magic Guide Spirit on the field with utter precision.
Those forty-odd "Ghost Serpents," without exception, were all pierced through by the golden light, rapidly dissipating under its continuous radiance.
The "Ghost King in the Pot," which received special attention, let out a miserable howl, its whole body trembling—clearly no light injury.
This suddenly reversed scene left everyone who witnessed it stunned.
No one had noticed how that gradually vanishing golden orb of light had been released.
The situation on the field shifted in an instant.
"Was it a delayed-type trap? But I didn't see him summon any other Magic Guide Card..."
Stuart Fawn's eyes had been irritated to the point of tears, but his mind did not stall—yet he still could not guess the answer.
In his vexation, Stuart Fawn was goaded into roaring: "Ghost King in the Pot, continue!"
...
"Roar!"
The "Ghost King in the Pot" answered its master's command, forcing back the stinging pain throughout its body to let out a roar, and like a high-speed train it once again crashed toward Espeon.
"Meowth! Foul Play!"
Yet in that very instant, Dark Demon's voice rang out in sync.
After the target of its attack had been wiped out by the suddenly appearing beams of light, the gray cat had spun around without a pause in its paws and dashed at full speed, already arriving at the side of the "Ghost King in the Pot."
Upon receiving its master's command, Meowth immediately turned, then leapt rapidly, its right paw raised high, and as if performing "[Cat Punch]," it clawed fiercely at the "Ghost King in the Pot's" scarlet serpent eyes.
But the "Ghost King in the Pot" didn't even glance at this utterly harmless little cat, merely giving a "casual" toss of its head in the midst of charging toward Espeon, trying to knock it flying.
However, when that massive serpent head and the tiny cat paw collided, an extremely bizarre force suddenly arose.
The "Ghost King in the Pot" suddenly felt a softness in its head, the force of its impact plummeting in a straight line, while that soft, limp cat paw possessed a terrifying power!
As one waned and the other waxed.
It found that it was utterly unable to resist the force of that cat paw, and its massive serpent body was sent flying with a forceful smack!
"Boom!"
Tumbling to the ground, the "Ghost King in the Pot" rolled violently.
The whole arena suddenly fell silent, leaving only the sound of its continued tumbling.
Meanwhile Espeon, who had been targeted for attack again and again, still held its head high, casting a light glance at Meowth with an arrogant gaze.
As if an arrogant queen casting a sliver of approving regard upon the warrior who had protected her.
Meowth: ??
...
The field thus fell into a brief silence.
Stuart Fawn drew a sharp breath, his expression gloomy as the sea.
Dark Demon, who had long anticipated this, was seizing the time to think over his next strategy.
That golden orb just now was nothing more than the "Future Sight" Espeon had released in the previous round.
[Future Sight: Foresees the future, placing a designated area into a future-attack state. After 30 seconds, the future-attack state is lifted, and opponents in that area suffer Psychic-type damage.]
But even after enduring the consecutive attacks of "Future Sight" and "Foul Play," the "Ghost King in the Pot" still stood firm and unfallen.
Dark knew very well that the situation, which to outsiders appeared to have reversed, was in fact still unfavorable.
Counting the two Magic Guide Cards drawn in the third round, he still had five Magic Guide Cards in hand.
[Pride I]
[Drifloon]
[Sylveon]
[Fusion]
[Wishful Die]
Of these five Magic Guide Cards, "Pride I" and "Drifloon" were both freshly drawn.
"Pride I" could take effect at a critical moment, while "Drifloon" had to be summoned at the right timing.
To completely slay the "Ghost King in the Pot," he would likely need to wait one more round!
Dark's expression turned serious as he glanced at the countdown on the panel.
Time passed quickly.
The third round was about to end in the blink of an eye.
He reached his hand over the card slot, ready to draw.
...
But Stuart Fawn, after the brief silence, forced himself to calm down.
He was, after all, a top student in his third year; though the situation kept shifting, it was not as though he lacked this kind of experience.
However, before this he had only felt this way when dueling opponents of the same year.
"But he's only a first-year, and I'm a third-year!"
Stuart Fawn nearly ground his teeth to bits.
In the moment the third round was about to end, he did not summon a new Magic Guide Card, but instead issued a final command to the "Ghost King in the Pot," which had risen again.
"Ghost King in the Pot, use your final Ultimate Move—'Seal in the Pot'!"
...
And so the giant python, with folds of skin behind its neck, raised high for the first time the serpent tail where its "weak point" lay.
That ghostly tail tip gradually lit up with black light.
A faint, barely-there "black pot" gradually coalesced amid the flickering black light.
A dim, eerie aura emanated from it.
Espeon, as if sensing the threat in advance, gave a violent shiver.
Meowth too stood upright with a grave expression.
According to legend, after the "Ghost Vine Pot" gave birth to a "Ghost King in the Pot," it would seal away a new "sacrifice," imprisoning it within the pot and slowly refining it into a new "Ghost King in the Pot."
And this "Ghost King in the Pot's" Ultimate Move—"Seal in the Pot"—came precisely from this.
A Magic Guide Spirit sealed by it would not only be locked within the pot, but would have its consciousness suppressed, its mana drained away, and lose its ability to resist.
The gasping "Ghost King in the Pot" swept the scarlet gaze shooting from its eyes back and forth between Espeon and Meowth.
Since Stuart Fawn had not specified a target, it was judging by its own likes and dislikes whom it should seal.
In other words, who was more detestable?
Was it that smug purple cat?
Or the gray cat that had smacked it flying?
The "Ghost King in the Pot" broadly knew it should target Espeon, but the humiliation of being smacked away by Meowth still lingered in its heart.
So after only two seconds of thought, it violently flung the "black pot" on its tail toward Meowth!
"Meow!"
Meowth's fur stood on end, and it instantly wanted to flee.
But that "black pot" was extremely fast, arriving before it in the blink of an eye.
The enormous "black pot" cast a cylindrical shadow, looming down over its head.
"Espeon."
At this hair's-breadth moment, Meowth suddenly felt an object slam into its side.
"Bee-un!"
It heard only a familiar cry, and then was forcefully knocked flying.
"Boom!"
Sent flying to the side, Meowth managed to look back, eyes brimming with hot tears.
That Little Eevee it had never once given a proper look—the evolved Espeon, the very Espeon it had just been grumbling about in its heart—had, at this critical moment, revealed a "self-sacrifice for cat" side, saving it from this terrible crisis at the cost of its own sacrifice!
"Meow?"
Caught up in a self-directed, self-acted moment of emotion, Meowth, the instant it landed, suddenly let out a puzzled meow.
Almost simultaneously.
The vast majority of spectators also made puzzled sounds at this moment.
"Bang!"
Stuart Fawn, who had only just calmed down, slapped his palm on the card table.
Only Dark Demon remained unshocked.
His single call at the critical moment just now had made the originally reluctant Espeon grudgingly act, charging forward of its own accord to meet that terrifying "black pot" laden with the power of sealing.
But the instant that "black pot" struck it, it was reflected back, almost immediately hitting the "Ghost King in the Pot" that had released the "black pot"!
And then that "Ghost King in the Pot" experienced firsthand what "Seal in the Pot" truly meant.
[Magic Mirror: While on the field, the user remains continuously in a magic-reflection state, nullifying certain status-type moves the opponent targets at it, and bouncing them back to the move's user!]
The black mist seeping out of the "black pot" twisted into pitch-black chains that wound around the "Ghost King in the Pot" like serpents, then violently dragged it into the "black pot," which grew larger as it spun.
The "Ghost King in the Pot," summoned from the "Ghost Vine Pot," was once again locked back into the pot amid miserable howls.
The "black pot" closed its lid and floated in midair.
The "Ghost King in the Pot" inside struggled desperately, but as its mana rapidly drained, the strength of its struggles noticeably weakened.
...
"Tick."
The sound of the round switching rang out again.
Stuart Fawn reached out to draw a card with resentment.
Dark, however, seized the opportunity and ordered Meowth and Espeon to find and kill the other "Shadow Worm."
But that "Shadow Worm" hid within a "Shadow Den," dragging the red side's Magic Sphere as it fled swiftly, and simply could not be lured out.
Dark frowned slightly, then drew the two Magic Guide Cards of the fourth round.
[Shuckle]
[Curse Cage: DemiDevimon]
Although the two Magic Guide Cards drawn this time were not ones that could lock down the situation either.
But when he saw "Shuckle," Dark still felt a sense of relief.
He immediately set about summoning "Shuckle."
...
At this point, Stuart Fawn, who had suffered "the blow of painfully losing a high-star Magic Guide Spirit," finally began summoning a new Magic Guide Card.
He beckoned with his hand, and a drop of extremely thick black ink fell from the air.
That drop of ink, upon hitting the ground, did not splatter at all; instead it clung wholly to the ground and was absorbed into one of the "Shadow Dens."
Such an obvious action could of course not be hidden from anyone.
But Dark had not previously seen Stuart Fawn use this move, so he could only leave a warning in his mind, unable to make a targeted decision.
Just a few seconds later.
The "Shuckle" in his hand emitted a strong light.
Almost simultaneously, the "Magic Guide Scribe" finished its incantation.
The other [Magic Guide Spirit Card] in Dark's hand—"Sylveon"—was also activated!
...
And so in the blue side's summoning zone, two Magic Guide Spirits appeared simultaneously.
One was the three-star Magic Guide Spirit—"Shuckle."
The other was the four-star Magic Guide Spirit—"Sylveon"!
This unexpectedly appearing four-star Magic Guide Spirit immediately set the spectators into an uproar.
Only now did people's gazes gradually lock onto that "Magic Guide Scribe" floating in the air, and they grew all the more astonished.
...
"A double incantation?"
Professor Silf within the ring-shaped strip couldn't help but frown; she thought of a technique among the Spirit Secret Arts that could chant two incantations at once.
But she soon shook her head in denial.
What Dark was using on the spot was clearly not that secret art.
Moreover, a four-star Magic Guide Spirit could not be summoned by a simple incantation.
Since there was no trace of any "sacrifice" or "special summon," then it had to be "Normal Summoning."
...
"As everyone knows, normally summoning a four-star Magic Guide Spirit requires at least one minute..."
Zach Wilson's mind was fairly quick; right then he actually saw through to the key point.
But he did not continue; he merely swallowed hard as he looked at the blond youth on the blue player's stand.
A first-year who had studied Magic Guide knowledge for less than a single year.
Just what did one have to do to grow to such a level?
Among the famous star duelists out there now, had any of them been at this level at this same stage?
Zach Wilson's gaze couldn't help but turn toward the entrance of the player's passage.
The four players from the upper-year group who had advanced to the second round were all gathered there, watching this match's duel.
...
By comparison, Stuart Fawn, as Dark Demon's opponent, did not have much spare energy at this moment to ponder this question.
His mind only turned over the thought that "Dark Demon had simultaneously summoned a three-star Magic Guide Spirit and a four-star Magic Guide Spirit," and then he urgently began his next round of summoning.
He had quite a few cards in hand as well.
The four cards he had drawn over the third and fourth rounds combined had to be put to use now.
...
And on the field at this very moment, if one counted carefully, one would find a full seven Magic Guide Spirits remaining!
Dark Demon's Magic Guide Spirits numbered a full five, namely: the "Magic Guide Scribe" positioned in front of the blue player's stand.
The "Shuckle" and "Sylveon" in the blue summoning zone.
The "Espeon" and "Meowth" in the red area.
Stuart Fawn's Magic Guide Spirits numbered two, namely: the "Shadow Worm" hidden within the "Shadow Den."
The "Ghost King in the Pot" sealed within the "black pot."
In addition, a drop of pitch-black, thick ink had been absorbed into a "Shadow Den."
...
The situation on the field was not clear at this moment.
At first glance, Dark Demon seemed to hold a significant advantage, but among his Magic Guide Spirits, none could submerge into a "Shadow Den," nor did he have any means to destroy a "Shadow Den," so it was very hard to harm the red side's Magic Sphere hidden within the "Shadow Den."
Many of the opponents who had dueled Stuart Fawn over the years had been stymied by this very thing, ultimately losing in helplessness.
This was also why many were not optimistic about this first-year student.
Even though, after taking the field, he had displayed extremely strong "prediction" and "field control" abilities, just like the line he had said during the preparation phase—"My eyes gaze straight into the future"!
But if he could not directly and effectively damage the red side's Magic Sphere, this duel was far from decided.
But was Dark Demon really out of options?
Clearly not.
...
No matter what mystery lay in that drop of ink of Stuart Fawn's, Dark would not stop because of it.
After summoning the "Magic Guide Scribe" at the start of the second round, he had ordered it to normally summon "Sylveon."
And Sylveon's successful debut meant that the "Shadow Worm's" good days were over!
"Sylveon, use 'Alluring Voice'!"
Sylveon, swaying its body like a dancing girl, its pink ribbons fluttering in the air, gave off a faint, alluring aura.
Sylveon, with the passive skill "Charming Body," was an impossible-to-ignore little cutie even when disheveled and grimy—let alone with a beautiful appearance after careful grooming.
It quietly glanced at the arrogant Espeon, then opened its throat in song, and under the influence of its competitive spirit, exerted itself all the harder to perform "Alluring Voice."
As the song rose, Sylveon's aura grew ever more enchanting.
A charming allure seemed to flow within its eyes, as if droplets of water were about to drip out.
Although "Charming Body" was specified as targeting the opposite sex, cuteness's charm knew no gender, and even the same sex fell under its enchantment.
Little hearts seemed to spring up in the spectators' eyes; quite a few even grabbed the model catalogs at hand, only to feel regret afterward that this Magic Guide Spirit was not among this batch of models.
Amid the complaints this generated, the "Alluring Voice" pierced into the "Shadow Den," affecting the "Shadow Worm" hiding within.
That "Shadow Worm" had already taken heavy injury from Espeon's "Confusion" attack; although the power of "Alluring Voice" was extremely low, it still dealt damage to it.
But the "Shadow Worm," with only its last breath remaining, relying on the obsession of an old lecher, forcibly dragged the red side's Magic Sphere and poked its head out from a "Shadow Den" closest to the blue side's area!
This scene of defecting to the enemy and betraying its master nearly made the focused-on-summoning Stuart Fawn spit blood on the spot.
Fortunately, his mastery of summoning techniques was honed to the utmost, so he did not break off because of it.
...
Seeing the "Shadow Worm" actually emerge from the "Shadow Den," Espeon and Meowth, who had long been eyeing it covetously, naturally could not let it go.
The "Confusion" released by Espeon almost immediately clamped down on the "Shadow Worm's" head, then with a sudden surge of force, yanked its whole body out of that "Shadow Den"!
Lifted into midair, the "Shadow Worm's" tail, forever hidden within shadow, was finally exposed to the air.
It was, astonishingly, a lump of soft flesh like a snail's head, with eyes, a nose, and a mouth!
And the red side's Magic Sphere was being suctioned onto by that soft body's mouth.
...
"So this is the head?"
Dark's eyes revealed astonishment.
Like almost everyone seeing a "Shadow Worm" for the first time, he had instinctively assumed that the "Shadow Worm's" shuttle-like front end was the head, used to dig holes within shadows.
He never imagined that it was actually the tail, and that its "tail" hidden in the shadows was the real head.
Even as Dark marveled at the wonder of this creature's structure, he mercilessly issued an attack command to Espeon.
"Di-li-bee-un!"
Espeon's red gem promptly glowed, and the continuously mana-consuming "Confusion" activated once more, slamming the "Shadow Worm" toward the ground.
"Bang!"
After this heavy sound, this troublesome "Shadow Worm" finally dissolved into points of mana light.
And the red side's Magic Sphere it had been suctioning onto also fell down.
Meowth, whose claws had long since been bared, raced over with wind-swift speed, its raised claws slashing down hard.
"Riiip!"
At this point in the duel, the red side's Magic Sphere took the first hit!
[Mana: 8000 → 6569]
Meowth's base attack was 1500.
After an all-out slash, it tapped the ground with its hind paws, spun a full circle like a dancer, and abruptly swung out a second claw!
"Riiip!"
[Mana: 6569 → 5070]
But just as Meowth wanted to keep attacking, the Magic Sphere suddenly shuddered and, in this urgent moment, shot upward, soaring into the sky!
It was Stuart Fawn, who had finally freed up his hands, mustering all his mana to pull that Magic Sphere up to high altitude.
"Tch."
Meowth stuck out its tongue and licked its paw, unsatisfied.
Had this been the Rookie Tournament, a Life Barrier of merely 2000 mana points would by now have been utterly shattered.
But right after, Meowth suddenly turned its head; a chill aura emanating from the red side's area made it shiver slightly.
"BOOM!"
The "black pot" in the air suddenly burst open at this moment.
A brand-new Magic Guide Spirit was born from that "seal of the pot"!
...
On the commentary stand, Zach Wilson's eyes lit up, and he proclaimed loudly: "Witness a miracle once again! Could this be the long-lost pot-within-a-pot tactic of the dueling world? A pot nested in a pot, nested in yet another pot?"
Wilson spoke words of unclear meaning, and the spectators listened in utter confusion.
But in any case, Stuart Fawn had indeed, by means of that "Seal in the Pot" and the "Ghost King in the Pot" within the seal, once again summoned a second-tier Magic Guide Spirit!
Breaking through the black mist, appearing in everyone's view, was a black humanoid figure that, like a "ninja," wrapped itself in an extremely fine black silk mesh.
The black humanoid's face revealed only a pair of scarlet eyes; a venomous snake coiled around its neck; its figure was slender and flat, yet unusually tall, with three "kunai" on the outer side of each leg.
The "ninja," appearing balanced on one foot with both hands forming a seal, drew a kunai from the side of its leg the moment it landed, then lifted its veil, tilted its head back, and inserted the kunai into its mouth—performing a "sword-swallowing" trick.
Then, as if having tasted something delicious, it stuck out its tongue and licked around the corners of its mouth.
Baffling.
...
[Card Name: Shadow Play Ninja]
[Type: Spirit Card]
[Level: ?????]
[Species: Undead Species]
[Attribute: Ghost-type / Dark-type]
[Mana: 1900]
[Attack: 2300]
[Defense: 1600]
[Ultimate Moves: Shadow Lurk, Shadow Play]
...
"Shadow Play Ninja, Shadow Lurk!"
Stuart Fawn, having successfully "rescued" his Magic Sphere, issued the command at once.
The "Shadow Play Ninja" immediately reined in its theatrical urge and stepped into one of the "Shadow Dens," submerging into the "Shadow Den" like a ninja performing an escape art.
Just when everyone thought it would conceal itself within, it shot out explosively from the "Shadow Den" in a mere two seconds!
In that instant, the unprepared onlookers saw only a black shadow rush out at extreme speed, then charge straight up into the sky.
Something was attached to the back of the black shadow, spreading open furiously like wings!
The wind howled, and the situation changed abruptly!
...
Dark's gaze flashed across the back of that "Shadow Play Ninja," and he noticed that the target it charged toward was none other than the blue side's Magic Sphere!
Presumably, after the fierce early fighting, Stuart Fawn had finally understood that his Magic Guide Spirits could not constitute an overwhelming advantage, and so had decisively changed his strategy.
And that drop of ink he had dripped into the "Shadow Den" beforehand should be a kind of Magic Guide Spirit able to possess Ghost-type/Dark-type Magic Guide Spirits—similar to Emma's "Golden Insect"—or an "equipment card" with a similar function.
In any case, under the possession of that drop of ink, the "Shadow Play Ninja" had gained the ability to fly.
And if one factored in the "Shadow Lurk" ability as well, that was a genuine "soar the skies and burrow the earth"!
...
Faced with a Magic Guide Spirit that could soar the skies and burrow the earth, if one merely maneuvered the Magic Sphere to dodge, it would sooner or later be caught.
"Then go down..."
Dark's mind was clear as a mirror; right then he pointed with his hand, sending the blue side's Magic Sphere plunging down and back into the blue summoning zone.
And in the blue summoning zone, both "Shuckle" and "Sylveon" were present, and would not fear a mere five-star Magic Guide Spirit.
The "Shadow Play Ninja" instantly lunged at empty air.
But it suddenly hovered in midair, reached to the side of its leg, and drew another kunai into its hand.
The next instant, that kunai was hurled out.
But an extremely thin layer of shadow connected to the end of the kunai, spreading out in the air into a sheet of thin gauze.
"Swish!"
The kunai instantly pinned into the "Magic Guide Scribe," then abruptly exploded.
The bursting Dark-type energy blew the "Magic Guide Scribe" directly into fragments.
"Did you think I couldn't see through it?"
Stuart Fawn's cold sneer came immediately after.
Dark said not a word, merely reaching out again toward his deck.
"Tick!"
The fifth round had arrived.
[Lust III · Moon]
[Push Spell]
"Here it comes!"
With a rub of his fingers, Dark gripped "Drifloon," "Lust III · Moon," and "Pride I" in his right hand.
Three cards, fifteen seconds, and one of his trump cards could make its debut in this duel.
Then he raised his gaze toward Stuart Fawn's "Shadow Play Ninja," and saw this "Shadow Play Ninja" crook its fingers and pull, causing the thin gauze spread out by the kunai to abruptly snap back.
Then it kneaded that gauze into a thin strip, tilted its head back again, lifted its mask, and inserted the strip into its mouth.
"Shadow Play Ninja!"
Stuart Fawn's angry rebuke suddenly rang out.
Only then did the "Shadow Play Ninja" stiffen all over and let go of the hand gripping the strip.
But the laughter of some spectators had already come.
The "Shadow Play Ninja" grinned like a monkey, revealing a silent laugh.
Stuart Fawn immediately issued a command.
The "Shadow Play Ninja" instantly reined in its smile and dove down rapidly.
It drew a kunai with its fingers and, upon diving to midair, abruptly shot it out; as the gauze spread, the kunai flew straight toward the blue side's Magic Sphere.
Sylveon wrapped the Magic Sphere with its ribbons and leapt away abruptly, successfully dodging.
But the kunai hit the ground and instantly exploded.
This time the explosion sent up black smoke.
In an instant the "Shadow Play Ninja" charged into the smoke and vanished from view.
...
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