### Chapter 20: Strength Determines Status

Chiyama reviewed Kane's information once more.

"Kane, 7 years old, from Ecruatek City, parents....."

"Seven years old... is this child really only seven?" Chiyama muttered to himself in disbelief. Could such a high level of combat ability be attained by someone so young? Was he truly a genius?

After much thought, Chiyama could only attribute it to "natural talent." Some people are simply born to fight.

Kane, who had just won his battle, stood next to Thunderstorm. Thunderstorm instinctively took a step back.

At that moment, Thunderstorm felt like he was standing next to a terrifying killer. The battle he had just witnessed had made him fear Kane. With such strength, Thunderstorm could only see himself forever standing in Kane's shadow.

The other two qualifiers, unlike Thunderstorm, couldn't quite grasp the level of Kane's battle. They didn't fully understand what had transpired, nor did they feel the same level of fear or awe.

Looking at the four children before him, Chiyama noted that Thunderstorm, the oldest, was only ten. But his mature behavior made him seem older than he really is.

"You four are the finalists, but two of you will still be eliminated. However, even if you lose, it's not for nothing. I will notify your schools to add extra credits to your records. You've all worked hard today, so go home and rest. Tomorrow, you will spend the entire day in the Burned Tower. Your task is to catch a ghost-type Pokémon. It's not going to be easy."

With that, Chiyama turned and walked into the inner hall with Komatsu.

Once inside, Chiyama turned to his son, known as the "little prodigy," and said, "Komatsu, you're the same age as Kane, and you watched his battle. How do you think you'd fare against him?"

Komatsu reflected on Kane's battle and replied, "Kane is really strong, and his control over the battle was impressive. If I were to use ghost-type Pokémon, I think I'd have a fifty percent chance of winning."

Chiyama smiled and ruffled his son's hair. "You only understood half of what just happened."

"Half?" Komatsu looked at his father, surprised.

"I don't think you have any chance of winning at all, Komatsu. You still have a long way to go. Don't let the light you currently shine in blind you to the journey ahead that Kane kid is terrifying."

"I'll remember your advice, Father," Komatsu replied solemnly.

...

The four finalists left the gym.

Thunderstorm approached Kane. "Kane, tomorrow, let's team up to eliminate those other two in the Burned Tower. That way, it'll just be the two of us left. What do you think?"

Thunderstorm was already beginning to defer to Kane, showing the power that strength commands. In any world, power brings authority.

Kane merely glanced at Thunderstorm. "Hmph."

"You!" Thunderstorm was offering a friendly suggestion but was irritated by Kane's dismissive attitude.

"Stop trying to be clever," Kane retorted coldly. "You'd be better off focusing on behaving yourself in front of Chiyama. Those two aren't even in your league, and they'll be eliminated soon enough. But to pull off some meaningless and dangerous stunt under Chiyama's nose? Calling you 'stupid' would be an understatement."

Thunderstorm's face turned red with embarrassment. Kane's cutting words were impossible to refute. His keen eyes seemed to see through everything.

After dinner, Kane returned home with Ditto.

Tomorrow, they would enter the Burned Tower, home to ghost-type Pokémon known for their illusions. Without proper preparation, he would surely suffer.

Kane's eyes flashed with an idea.

"Ditto, can you still transform into Machop?"

Though it had only been a few days since Ditto last transformed into Machop, Kane wanted to make sure it could still perform that transformation. If not, he would have to ask Thunderstorm to bring out his Machop before they entered the tower.

Ditto didn't disappoint, smoothly transforming into a Machop, resembling Thunderstorm's Pokémon in every detail.

Kane nodded approvingly. "It seems my judgment wasn't wrong. This Ditto has an impressive talent to transform."

"Now, let's see if you can use Foresight, one of Machop's key moves."

Ditto concentrated, and its eyes gleamed as two bright beams of light shot out, illuminating the room like flashlights.

"That'll do."

Satisfied, Kane watched Ditto revert to its original form. Thunderstorm's choice of Machop as a partner made sense now. He must have picked it for its ability to use Foresight, a skill invaluable for dealing with ghost-types.

Later that night, Kane put in another three hours of "sword-throwing" training. Progress came slowly but steadily. By the end of the session, he had increased his throwing distance to six meters.

...

At eight the next morning, the four finalists gathered under the Burned Tower's charred remains.

Chiyama handed each of them a Pokéball marked with a special symbol, a reminder to guard against cheating.

"It's now 8:30 AM," Chiyama said. "You must stay in the tower until 5:00 PM. I'll ring a bell outside when it's time. Even if you catch a ghost-type Pokémon, leaving early means disqualification. Understand?"

"YES SIRR!!!," the four replied in unison.

"Good. Now that the rules are clear, enter through the four gates—north, south, east, and west."

Chiyama's assistant Liucheng directed them to their respective entrances.

Kane entered the Burned Tower through the east gate.

Immediately, the smell of age and decay filled the air. The interior was in ruins, with staircases burned to cinders. Climbing up would be difficult, and the creaking of the floorboards underfoot gave Kane an uneasy feeling.

Grabbing the handrail, Kane carefully ascended the stairs. Halfway up, the weakened steps gave way beneath him, and he started to fall.

But Kane caught the railing just in time and pulled himself back up.

Suddenly, dark clouds gathered overhead. Lightning crackled, and a Sky Splitter seemed to descend, ready to devour him.

Kane shook his head. "It's all an illusion. Ditto, transform into Machop and use Foresight to break it."

Ditto, now transformed into Machop, placed a hand on Kane's shoulder. Two beams of light shot from its eyes, scanning the surroundings.

Several ghost-type Pokémon, previously hidden, were revealed and forced to flee in fear.

Kane and Ditto quickly took advantage of the situation, regaining their footing.

On the second floor, Kane immediately had Ditto use Foresight again, uncovering several more ghost-types lying in wait. Once discovered, they too fled.

According to legend, 700 years ago, the Burned Tower and Bell Tower were built in Ecruteak City. The towers symbolized the friendship between Pokémon and humans and the hope of coexistence. Lugia once roosted atop the Bell Tower, while the rainbow-colored Ho-Oh made its home in the opposite tower.

Though Kane had no interest in living in harmony with Pokémon, the idea of meeting Ho-Oh, only to subjugate it, crossed his mind, a fantasy he couldn't help but entertain.

It took most of the day, but Kane finally reached the ninth floor of the Burned Tower. Each floor had been fraught with the same challenges, but Kane was ready for whatever awaited him next.