Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 429: Reaching the Top! Gengar: Hand It Over! (BONUS)

Boom!

Another Poké Ball dimmed on the screen.

That's four.

Including Latios, Tobias had already lost four Pokémon—more than half of his team!

But instead of dwelling on victory or defeat, Tobias had started genuinely enjoying this battle against Johan.

So, without hesitation, he sent out his fifth Pokémon.

A humanoid Pokémon, clad in heavy metallic armor, sat firmly on what looked like a chair made of its own hair. It had the presence of a mighty general, radiating an intense aura.

The massive golden blade on its head was particularly intimidating.

"Tobias's next Pokémon is Kingambit!" the announcer called out.

Kingambit—the Big Blade Pokémon. A Dark/Steel-type.

It was said that among a group of Bisharp, only the strongest one at the top could evolve into a Kingambit.

There were even rumors that Kingambit's presence could bring war, though in battle, it relied more on brute force than complex strategies.

And more importantly, Kingambit had a very special ability—Supreme Overlord.

[Supreme Overlord: For each fainted ally, this Pokémon's move power increases by 10%.]

Judging by the overwhelming aura surrounding Kingambit, it was highly likely that it had this ability.

With four of Tobias's Pokémon already down, that meant Kingambit entered battle with a 40% boost in move power!

As soon as Kingambit appeared, multiple Poké Balls on Johan's belt shook at once.

Tinkaton, Urshifu, and Charcadet.

Tinkaton's reason was simple.

Besides its natural rivalry with Corviknight, Tinkaton also harbored a grudge against Bisharp and Kingambit.

Also, Kingambit's armor looked interesting.

Urshifu, on the other hand, had a different reason.

The opponent had finally sent out a proper "general."

As Johan's strongest frontline warrior, Urshifu wanted to challenge it!

As for Charcadet...

Well, it had been sidelined for too long.

That Kingambit looked important, so maybe it would respect its presence.

Johan's face twitched slightly.

After some thought, he made his choice—Charcadet.

Tinkaton had no direct type advantage, and there was a real risk that Kingambit might walk away missing some armor.

Urshifu was still locked into Choice Scarf.

Charcadet, on the other hand... hadn't battled in a while and had a natural advantage.

So, after recalling the still-excited but injured Dragonite, Johan tossed his next Poké Ball.

"I'm counting on you, Charcadet."

"Goka!!"

With a serious expression, Charcadet emerged from the red light.

Its eyes burned with determination as it faced the mighty Kingambit.

"Goka!"

Please, show me some respect.

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Boom!

Before Charcadet could even finish speaking, Kingambit suddenly dropped to its knees.

Charcadet: "?!"

Hiss—

Wait, since when was I this respected?

Did Kingambit just bow to me?

Charcadet was utterly confused.

"Be careful!" Johan's voice rang out.

At that moment—

Kingambit's eyes gleamed with cunning malice.

Taking advantage of Charcadet's brief distraction, it lunged forward at lightning speed.

Its massive golden blade shot straight toward Charcadet like a spear.

Kowtow Cleave!

Kingambit's signature move—a deceptive attack where it kneels to lower the opponent's guard, then strikes with full force!

Boom!!

Kingambit's colossal blade slammed into Charcadet's chest.

A heavy impact—sparks flew everywhere.

But—it didn't pierce through.

Because—

Charcadet had caught the blade with both hands.

Barehanded blade catch!

Johan's timely warning, combined with Charcadet's own Aura abilities, gave it just enough reaction time.

If Kingambit's attack had landed fully, Charcadet would have been in serious trouble.

Even so, a deep wound had formed on its chest.

But at the core of the wound—

Crimson threads began to weave together.

Faint streaks of gold flickered within.

"Garruu!"

Kingambit let out a deep growl, pressing forward with its full strength.

Meanwhile, Charcadet's expression tightened, its feet digging into the ground as it tried to hold its position.

"Goka!!"

Gritting its teeth, Charcadet refused to back down.

As fire surged from its body, a fierce struggle of strength unfolded.

Physically, Charcadet was weaker.

But just when Kingambit thought it had the upper hand—

Something was wrong.

Hot!

An intense heat radiated from its blade.

And it was getting hotter.

"Garruu?" Kingambit looked up—

And locked eyes with Charcadet's blazing gaze.

"Goka!"

Nice sword.

Fwoosh!!

Flames erupted from Charcadet's body.

Its hands, now glowing red-hot, had heated Kingambit's blade to scorching temperatures.

"Blast Burn!" Johan commanded.

"Garruu!"

Kingambit tried to retreat.

But it was too late.

It had walked straight into a trap.

A wave of fire exploded from Charcadet, completely engulfing both itself and Kingambit.

"Kowtow Cleave vs. Barehanded Blade Catch... am I watching a kung fu movie?!"

"This reminds me of that one line—'100% successful blade catch!'"

"Kingambit probably would've been fine, but... it literally handed itself over."

BOOM!!

A towering inferno erupted.

When the flames subsided—

Kingambit lay unconscious, its once-golden blade blackened from the heat.

The referee immediately called it.

"Kingambit is unable to battle!"

On the big screen, Tobias had only one Pokémon left.

And everyone knew what it was.

"Wait, it's already 5-0?!"

"Tobias still has a chance! His Darkrai is insanely strong!"

"What if he pulls off a 5-6 comeback? Is Darkrai about to carry?"

Tobias took a deep breath and silently recalled Kingambit.

"My turn?"

From behind Tobias, Darkrai emerged from the shadows.

Sigh... so it's come to this.

Darkrai let out a deep sigh.

Well, whatever.

Might as well fight.

If things got bad, it could always just put everyone to sleep.

Tobias sensed Darkrai's thoughts and hesitated. "I have a feeling... that might not work against Johan's Pokémon."

"How could it n—" Darkrai scoffed—

Then froze.

From Johan's shadow, another figure emerged.

Grinning mischievously, Gengar waved at Darkrai.

Darkrai: "..."

The world's most notorious Pokémon psychologist.

And a hypnosis expert.

"Crap. Maybe we should just... forfeit?" Darkrai muttered.

Tobias, however, wasn't giving up.

"No. We fight until the very last card is played!"

Darkrai: "..."

Easy for you to say.

But with no other choice, Darkrai drifted onto the battlefield.

A shroud of black mist surrounded its body, giving it an intimidating presence.

"And Tobias's final Pokémon is... Darkrai!" the announcer declared.

The crowd held its breath.

Was this the start of a miracle comeback?!

"Gengar."

"Ka-kaah~"

With a cheerful hum, Gengar bounced onto the battlefield.

It had waited long enough.

Darkrai's face stiffened.

This wasn't going to be easy.

Tobias swung his cloak dramatically and called out, "Darkrai, Nasty Plot!"

If Dark Void wouldn't work, then boosting Darkrai's offensive power and breaking through with pure force was the best choice.

Buzz—

Darkrai's misty form swirled violently, and a sinister black aura gathered around it, its power surging higher.

"He's going for a direct showdown!"

"That makes sense—Dark Void might not work against Gengar, but if Darkrai can overpower it in a straight fight...!"

"This is actually a smart move. Gengar probably wouldn't be affected by Dark Void, and Darkrai might resist Gengar's Hypnosis as well."

As the audience debated, both Johan and Gengar grinned at the exact same time.

Their smiles were identical.

"Gengar." Johan chuckled. "Shadow Theft."

Darkrai: "???"

Tobias: "???"

The audience: "???"

"Wait, what move is that?!"

"Is that even a real move?!"

"I've never heard of it before! What does it do?!"

Most spectators—and even the announcer—had no idea what Johan had just called.

But one Pokémon knew exactly what was coming.

Darkrai.

Gengar vanished in an instant, appearing just a short distance away from Darkrai.

Then, with a mischievous grin, it reached out—

And grabbed something invisible from Darkrai's body.

"Hand it over!"

A dark misty energy was ripped away from Darkrai, condensing into two shadowy bats that flapped their wings and flew toward Gengar's hands.

The sinister aura that had surrounded Darkrai just moments ago...

Was now wrapped around Gengar.

Darkrai's power surge abruptly vanished.

Meanwhile, Gengar's own power spiked sharply.

For a moment, Darkrai felt empty inside.

"Wait—this move steals stat boosts?!"

"That's insane!"

"Unfair! That's not just unbalanced, that's illegal!"

Darkrai's plan to overpower Gengar had been ruined before it even began.

Tobias reacted quickly.

Since boosting power had failed, and Gengar had even more offensive power now, there was only one thing left to do.

Gamble.

Bet that Dark Void could still work!

Tobias clenched his fist. "Darkrai, Dark Void!"

Darkrai's icy blue eyes flashed.

Dark mist billowed around its body, and a swirling black vortex formed in its hands.

If this attack landed, Gengar would be put to sleep—

"Hmph."

Gengar smirked.

"Let me show you how it's really done!"

It spun its fingers in circles.

"Wait—Gengar's going to use Hypnosis against Dark Void?!"

"You can't tell me Dark Void is weaker than Hypnosis—right?!"

"Gengar is way too confident!"

Dark Void vs. Hypnosis!

The moment both attacks activated—

Darkrai felt strange.

Drowsy.

Why did its head suddenly feel so heavy?

Gengar tilted its head and blinked.

"Ka-kaah?"

You're weaker than the one from Newmoon Island.

Darkrai: "..."

"Ka-kaah..." (And by a lot, too...)

If there was ever a definition of "salt in the wound," this was it.

Darkrai's eyes rolled back, and it collapsed onto the battlefield.

Meanwhile, its own Dark Void attack...

Landed straight in Gengar's hands.

Gengar curiously played with the swirling black vortex.

This was Darkrai's infamous Dark Void?

The entire arena fell silent.

It was as if the entire audience had been put to sleep themselves.

Everyone just stared blankly at Gengar, their minds unable to process what had just happened.

Darkrai—the Nightmare Pokémon.

The master of sleep and dreams.

Had lost a sleep battle.

"Wait, hold on—let me think about this..."

Before anyone could react, the referee's voice broke the silence.

"Darkrai is unable to battle! Tobias has lost all of his Pokémon!"

"The winner is Johan!!"

"The champion of the Lily of the Valley Conference has been crowned!!!"

A split second later—

The entire stadium exploded.

"JOHAN IS THE CHAMPION!!"

"WE ARE CHAMPIONS!!"

"WE ARE CHAMPIONS AGAIN!!"

"WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN CHAMPIONS!!"

"Ka-kaah?"

Gengar scratched its head.

It took a moment to process—

Then, suddenly—

It jolted in realization.

"Ka-kaah!!"

We won again!!

More prize money! More food! More fun!!

Gengar grinned wildly, tossed the leftover Dark Void into its mouth, and gleefully dashed toward Johan.

"We won again, Johan!!"

As Gengar casually ate the Dark Void, Tobias felt a cold sweat on his forehead.

But then—he sighed in relief.

At least...

At least the Dark Void didn't get flung back at him.

Tobias walked toward Johan and smiled.

"Congratulations, Johan."

This battle...

He had lost completely and utterly.

But—

Johan patted Tobias's shoulder.

"Don't worry. The future belongs to you."

Tobias froze.

Wait.

Did I... just get recruited into the 'Future Club'?!

"As for that collaboration... I'll accept." Johan smiled.

"Huh?!"

"The Pokémon card game expansion. I've got an idea."

Darkrai's eyes lit up.

"Seriously?!"

"Let's find a time to discuss it in detail."

"Absolutely!"

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Powerstones?

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