Chapter 2: Disheartened, Years of Planning Come to Naught

For Kane's objection, the referee was momentarily at a loss, as this kind of situation had never occurred before.

However, at that moment, Koga spoke up, even yelling at the referee: "This is the distorted space created by Mega Gengar. I applied for permission to use it in battle from the Alliance last month, and it was approved. Check your referee manual properly."

Faced with such a senior Elite Four member's challenge, the referee, being of much lower rank, didn't dare to delay and quickly pulled out the referee manual.

Everything seemed to be under Koga's control.

The referee announced that the battle would continue.

On the battlefield, Ariados had been thrown out of the distorted space, looking like a dried corpse, already having lost its ability to fight. If this hadn't been an official battle where Pokémon's lives were protected, Ariados would probably have died inside.

At this point, the match had far exceeded Kane's expectations. Although he still had five Pokémon remaining, the unpredictable and powerful distorted space of Mega Gengar was something he had no way of countering.

One by one, Kane's Pokémon fought cautiously, but all were helpless against the mysterious Mega Gengar. The ones sucked into the space came out like dried corpses.

Kane's mind was suddenly in chaos.

If he lost today, he would never have another chance. Thinking back, he was just an ordinary businessman from Earth, who, through a twist of fate, ended up in this world over 60 years ago. No relatives, no connections, he had poured everything into this, by any means necessary. And now, just as he was about to reach the pinnacle of his dreams, it was slipping away...

The heavens are vast, but how cruel are they to me!

"The last one is the Drapion, isn't it? How many Poison-type Pokémon have you sacrificed in order to cultivate Ariados and Drapion? How many lives of Poison-type Pokémon have you drained? Has your conscience never been condemned?"

Koga's words shattered Kane's thoughts like a bolt of lightning from the blue.

Kane finally sensed something was wrong. How could Koga know these secrets so well? How was he using them to distract him?

Kane glared coldly at his disciple standing by his side but held back from exploding in anger.

Although the referee and some spectators were confused, not understanding the situation, they just chalked it up to Koga's psychological tactics.

Kane knew that now he needed to stay calm. Even if he lost, at the very least, he had to save his life.

His final Pokémon was none other than Drapion.

Drapion swung its massive pincers wildly, exuding a terrifying aura. Poison dripped from its mouth, and the large rocks on the battlefield were instantly corroded by it.

Even Koga was secretly impressed upon seeing it.

"It's a powerful Drapion, but it's too bad. If Ariados had been sent out after its defeat, perhaps the distorted space created by Mega Gengar wouldn't have withstood such poison. But now..."

Koga let out a cold laugh.

Mega Gengar had already absorbed the life force of five of Kane's Pokémon, and the distorted space had expanded to a considerable size. Drapion no longer posed a threat.

Kane forced himself to stay calm, "Drapion, use Earthquake!"

Drapion raised its pincers towards the sky, and the boulders in the air collapsed, crashing down towards Mega Gengar like a falling mountain.

Mega Gengar shot out Shadow Balls in quick succession. As the boulders fell, they were shattered, sending stone fragments flying everywhere.

Despite the barrage of Shadow Balls, Drapion didn't hesitate. It launched a volley of Pin Missiles like a torrential rainstorm, directly targeting Mega Gengar.

This technique had been perfected by Drapion, and even Mega Gengar found it difficult to resist.

Koga's heart trembled. He couldn't allow Drapion to continue attacking so recklessly. If Kane spotted a flaw in the distorted space, it would spell trouble.

At this point, the warped space created by Mega Gengar had absorbed a lot of energy and expanded. However, Kane's Poison-type Pokémon were so toxic that if Mega Gengar absorbed those energies directly, it wouldn't be able to endure it. The warped space might collapse.

Koga gritted his teeth. Even if he had to sacrifice Gengar, he had to defeat Drapion.

"Gengar, open the warped space and suck Drapion inside!"

Drapion was far too powerful, and forcibly sucking it into the distorted space would surely result in a strong backlash. But Koga was now in a difficult situation, and he had no choice but to take a risk.

Mega Gengar channeled all its power, creating an intense suction in the distorted space. The Pin Missiles seemed to vanish into thin air, disappearing into the dimension.

Even though Drapion resisted desperately, it was no match for the Mega Gengar that had absorbed so much energy.

Kane realized he was at a critical moment and had a sudden burst of inspiration.

"Drapion, release Toxic!"

Drapion, knowing it would lose if sucked into the distorted space, decided to go all out. It spewed toxic sludge like a tidal wave.

Mega Gengar, already struggling to maintain the distorted space, was at its limit. In order to win, it had to rely on the warped space.

Koga was no longer as confident as before. Beads of sweat rolled down his face, and his heart raced.

Even though Drapion was powerful, it couldn't hold out any longer.

The warped space slowly swallowed Drapion bit by bit.

Koga's face finally relaxed.

However, Mega Gengar's expression twisted into one of agony. The entire distorted space felt as if it were about to collapse.

Kane gritted his teeth, clenching his fists, and muttered silently to himself, "Drapion, break free, you can do it."

Koga's expression became serious once more.

Inside the warped space, Drapion realized its life energy was draining bit by bit and launched a desperate counterattack.

Pin Missiles, Toxic, wild thrashing—it flipped the entire distorted space upside down. Mega Gengar had to exert all its strength just to maintain the warped space.

Kane had already spotted the weakness, but it was too late to turn the tide.

If he had sent Drapion to deal with Mega Gengar from the very start, the warped space wouldn't have gathered so much energy. With Drapion's poison and strength, it could have broken free.

What Kane didn't know was that Koga didn't dare let Mega Gengar absorb the energy directly. Those poisonous energies only served to strengthen the warped space.

The distorted space was on the verge of collapse, and Mega Gengar was barely holding on.

Koga's eyes were bloodshot. "If I lose today, I won't have a chance to rise again. If the nest is destroyed, how can there be any eggs? I can't let Gengar go, but the position of the Elite Four is far more valuable than a single Gengar."

Resolving himself, Koga shouted sharply, "Gengar, enter the warped space, absorb the energy, and finish Drapion quickly!"

Mega Gengar quickly submerged into the distorted space, and the energy within it converged. A Shadow Ball, like a meteor from the heavens, struck Drapion.

The battle was over. Drapion lay on the ground, barely alive.

The referee announced the result of the match.

At this moment, Kane was utterly disheartened, feeling as though his life had come to an end.

However, even if he were to die now, there was still one last thing he had to do.

Koga showed no signs of joy in his victory. Only he knew the high price he had paid. He quickly recalled Mega Gengar, had his men push the press away, and jumped into his personal car, speeding off towards the base camp.