Gengar burst into laughter.
Clutching its stomach, it laughed so hard it fell backward, rolling on the ground.
Seeing Feraligatr being toyed with like a fool, it simply couldn't hold it in anymore.
---
That kind of mockery—
Was unbearable.
---
Feraligatr finally snapped.
Ignoring the pain, it turned around instantly, opened its massive jaws, and attacked again.
Another Crunch.
---
Its bulky body moved with surprising agility. Dark energy surged around its fangs, twisting into a deep black aura.
There was no doubt—
Ah Hai had real skill.
Judging from Feraligatr's battle instincts alone, it fully deserved its third-place finish at the Silver Conference.
---
But—
That was all it deserved.
---
If Gengar were at the same level, this ambush might have worked.
But the gap between them—
Was simply too large.
---
What looked like a perfect sneak attack to Ah Hai—
Was nothing more than a clumsy move to Sam and Gengar.
---
The moment Feraligatr moved—
Gengar had already seen through everything.
---
Still smiling, it casually formed a sphere of ghostly energy in its hand.
---
A Shadow Ball.
---
As Feraligatr lunged forward, jaws wide open—
Gengar's grin widened.
---
Whoosh—
---
It tossed the Shadow Ball straight into Feraligatr's mouth.
---
Inside—
Ghost energy collided with Dark energy.
At first, the Dark energy had the advantage of position—
But its quality was inferior.
---
The moment they clashed—
It began to collapse.
---
In seconds, the Dark energy was completely overwhelmed.
---
Then—
The Shadow Ball expanded.
---
Larger.
And larger.
---
Until—
---
"BOOM!!!"
---
A violent explosion erupted from inside Feraligatr's mouth.
---
Everyone present instinctively touched their own jaws.
Even without experiencing it—
They could imagine the pain.
---
The entire arena fell silent.
---
"Feraligatr! Are you okay?!"
Ah Hai rushed forward in panic.
---
"Don't worry."
Sam spoke calmly.
"Gengar knows its limits. It only looks serious."
---
After carefully checking several times and confirming there was no lasting damage—
Ah Hai finally relaxed.
---
Without another word—
He recalled Feraligatr and left.
---
He didn't even look back.
---
Being defeated like that—
Toyed with so easily—
---
Was something he couldn't accept.
---
He had walked onto the field full of confidence—
And left in complete defeat.
---
At the very end—
He still couldn't believe it.
---
Is the gap between third place at the Silver Conference…
…and champion of the Indigo Plateau Conference really this big?
---
For the first time—
Ah Hai began to doubt himself.
---
"Is there anyone else?"
The staff called out again.
---
Silence.
---
No one moved.
---
After watching Gengar's performance—
Most challengers had lost the courage to step forward.
---
Ah Hai was no weak Trainer.
Anyone who could place third in the Silver Conference had real strength.
And his Feraligatr had performed impressively.
---
But against Sam—
It looked completely powerless.
---
Anyone with eyes could see it—
Gengar hadn't even used its full strength.
---
It was just playing.
---
That realization crushed the remaining challengers' confidence.
---
At this point—
Very few still believed they had any chance.
---
Sam calmly observed the crowd.
---
Less than twenty people remained—
Who still had the will to fight.
---
These were either highly confident Trainers—
Or the kind who refused to back down, even knowing they would lose.
---
"Waiting like this isn't going to work."
A voice suddenly rang out.
---
"If no one else is going up—then I will."
---
A young man stepped forward.
Around seventeen or eighteen.
Wearing a headband, with sky-blue hair—
Rare in Kanto and Johto.
---
He smiled brightly, like the sun.
---
Though stepping out of order technically broke the rules—
No one objected.
---
Sam didn't care either.
---
Whoever came first—
Made no difference.
---
"Tengshu, are you sure?" the ponytailed girl beside him asked.
---
He shook his head dramatically.
"Are you kidding, Kenin?"
---
"We can't deal with Gengar like that."
---
"Lorelei wasn't exaggerating."
---
"He really is the strongest among the younger generation in Kanto and Johto."
---
"I'd even say—add Hoenn to that list."
---
"We haven't seen anyone like him there either."
---
He exhaled.
---
"I don't want to admit it—but it's true."
---
"His strength is already at the level of the Elite Four."
---
"And he's only been traveling for less than a year."
---
He clenched his fist slightly—
Excitement rising.
---
"I don't think I can beat him."
---
"But I'm not running away either."
---
"Facing someone like this—"
---
"A once-in-a-decade opponent—"
---
"If I don't fight him at least once…"
---
"Then my journey would be meaningless!"
---
After confirming no one objected—
Tengshu stepped onto the field.
---
"You're Tengshu, right?" Sam said with a smile.
---
"Haha, I'm honored you recognize me, Leader Sam!"
---
"I heard about you from Bruno."
Sam replied calmly.
---
"You're not just anyone."
---
"The Gym Leader of Dewford Town's Gym in the Hoenn Region…"
---
"If I didn't recognize you, that would be my mistake."
---------------Author---------------
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