"Darkrai, use Dark Pulse! Stop Tyranitar!"
Tobias shouted urgently, his composure finally breaking.
But it was already too late.
Darkrai also understood the danger. It prepared to rise into the air and unleash Dark Pulse to interrupt Tyranitar's charge.
However—
Just as it moved, it felt as though its body had been filled with lead.
Its movements slowed drastically.
Its body no longer responded properly.
The sudden loss of control threw Darkrai into panic.
Ignoring Tobias's command, it began to cry out in distress.
Seeing this, Sam could only shake his head.
Strength alone wasn't enough.
In a battle of this level, losing composure at a critical moment was fatal.
"Darkrai! Calm down!" Tobias shouted desperately.
But it was useless.
Panicking, Darkrai could no longer follow commands. It moved erratically like a headless chicken, completely ignoring the imminent danger.
At this point—
The outcome was already decided.
Tyranitar's Tailed Beast Bomb had fully formed.
In its current state, Darkrai had no chance of evading it.
The pitch-black sphere shot forward—
And struck Darkrai head-on.
BOOM!!!
A blinding light erupted from the center of the battlefield, forcing everyone to shut their eyes.
When the light finally faded—
The battle was over.
Darkrai lay unconscious on the ground.
Tyranitar stood tall at the center of the field, completely unharmed.
Silence.
The entire stadium fell into stunned disbelief.
What they had expected was a clash between equals—
A battle between giants.
But instead—
The so-called "Nightmare Pokémon" had been completely overwhelmed.
There had been no real counterattack.
No real resistance.
Just a one-sided defeat.
"...That's it?"
The audience couldn't accept it.
They had been expecting a spectacle—
Instead, they witnessed a crushing stomp.
If tickets had cost money, the crowd might have erupted in outrage.
The disappointment was palpable.
Tobias felt every bit of that judgment.
His expression darkened as he clenched his fist. Without a word, he recalled Darkrai and turned to leave.
His face was filled with anger.
He would never forget this battle.
Sam… he would settle this sooner or later.
But Sam didn't care.
Before this battle, the idea of being targeted by a trainer like Tobias might have seemed troublesome.
Now?
It meant nothing.
Once the mystery was gone, so was the threat.
At the end of the day, Tobias was just a League Conference winner.
And the Lily of the Valley Conference wasn't fundamentally above the Indigo Plateau Conference.
Why would Sam fear someone like that?
What a joke.
"Anyone else want to challenge me?"
Silence.
No one stepped forward.
After witnessing that battle, everyone understood—
Challenging Sam now would only make them a stepping stone.
Most trainers weren't that eager to be humiliated.
And just like that—
The challenge session ended.
---
By the time the Viridian Gym quieted down, it was already mid-afternoon.
The confident challengers who had entered earlier all left in shock.
Only a few people remained.
"Long time no see, Erika. Sabrina."
Sam had noticed them earlier but hadn't had the chance to greet them during the matches.
"I'll be going now, Sam. Come visit the Saffron Gym when you have time."
Sabrina spoke quickly before leaving.
After witnessing the battle, even she felt the pressure.
She refused to fall behind.
Before Sam could respond—
She vanished.
"Teleport… must be nice," Erika said with a hint of envy.
Sam smiled. "Even the famous Erika envies others?"
With the challengers gone and the staff off duty, the gym was nearly empty.
Even Yellow had returned to her room to care for her Pokémon Eggs.
Only Sam and Erika remained.
Erika rolled her eyes playfully.
"It's not easy being a rich girl. If I had a choice, I wouldn't choose this life."
She sat beside him casually.
There was no more subtlety now.
The atmosphere between them grew warm… and slightly ambiguous.
Sam reached out and gently took her hand.
His heart pounded.
It felt like reliving his first love.
The two leaned close, chatting quietly as time passed.
Before they knew it—
Night had fallen.
Sam had originally planned to invite her to stay, but Erika refused with a teasing smile.
"It's not proper to stay at a boy's place on the first day of dating. I am still a lady, you know."
Sam didn't push further.
"Alright. Just be careful on your way back."
"Relax. I'm the Gym Leader of the Celadon Gym, not a child."
"See you."
---
Later that evening—
At the dinner table, Sam hummed to himself, clearly in a great mood.
Yellow looked at him curiously.
"Big Brother Sam, what happened? You seem really happy."
Sam smiled mysteriously.
"Secret."
---------------Author---------------
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