Chapter 354: Semifinals!! Victory!!
"Mega Houndoom!!! It's just a fraud!!! Tear through it with Infernal Abyss!"
Xun Zhurong refused to watch his Ace fall to a shadow. He screamed through the Mega Link, his voice echoing in the hellhound's mind, trying to ignite its pride.
Mega Houndoom gritted its teeth, its expression twisted in a mix of agony and desperation. Bolstered by its trainer's frantic encouragement, the hound summoned every ounce of its remaining strength, trying to force its internal furnace to ignite for one final, incinerating strike.
It unhinged its jaws.
PHUT!!! —
A tiny, pathetic spark of purple fire escaped its throat. But the moment it touched the air, the flame simply popped and vanished like a guttering candle.
"What??!"
"HEI-JIA!!!! —"
Mega Houndoom began to shake uncontrollably. Its eyes, usually predatory and cold, were now wide with a very human-like panic. It tried again and again to call upon the Zhurong fire, but the element refused to answer. It was as if its very soul had forgotten how to burn.
Kenji watched with narrowed eyes. He realized now that Mega Houndoom's nightmare wasn't just facing Ho-Oh.
Its true fear—the one buried deepest in its subconscious—was having the divine power it worshipped reclaimed. It was the fear of being abandoned by its God.
Under the influence of [Nightmare Manifestation], that fear had become reality. The hound's blessing wasn't actually gone, but it was psychologically and energetically "sealed." Within the boundaries of this manifested dream, it had been stripped of its divinity.
And without the Sacred Flame's protection, how much power did a mere Houndoom have left to face a Mythical being?
The Nightmare Ho-Oh didn't wait. It beat its dark wings, raining down waves of shadowy fire. Mega Houndoom could only stand there and endure the pummeling, its will to fight already starting to crumble.
Kenji watched Darkrai with a look of awe.
In theory, [Nightmare Manifestation] was a reality-warping move. If the target's greatest fear was Arceus, it could potentially manifest the Creator itself.
But such absolute power carried a catastrophic cost.
Dragging a nightmare into physical existence required a volume of energy that exceeded standard Pokémon biology. It wasn't just a stamina drain; it was a total depletion of Darkrai's internal reserves. The cost was a hundred, perhaps a thousand times greater than a standard move.
Even a 4-Star Mythical being had limits. Kenji could see Darkrai's shadowy form flickering. It wouldn't be able to use this move again for at least a week, and its overall power level would be significantly suppressed for the remainder of the day.
Furthermore, anything manifested by the nightmare was anchored to the Dark Void. If an opponent was strong enough to physically break out of the shadow domain, the manifestation would instantly dissolve.
Kenji had originally intended to save this for Grandma Liu. But seeing how resilient and dangerous Xun's Mega Houndoom was, he had decided to play the card early.
It doesn't matter, Kenji thought. I still have Beedrill for the final boss. Today, Darkrai gets its glory.
SCREEEEEECH!!!! —
The Nightmare Ho-Oh let out a final, piercing shriek. It folded its wings tightly against its body, and a violent aura of black and violet fire erupted from its core. The flames swirled behind it, forming the majestic, ethereal shape of a fire phoenix.
The audience watched in total confusion, unable to identify the move.
But in the VIP box, Zhurong Yun and Xun both stood frozen, their faces pale.
Sacred Fire!!!!
The move the nightmare was currently channeling was the signature, exclusive move of Ho-Oh itself.
In the games, Sacred Fire was a powerful physical move. In this reality, used by the true God of the Skies, it was a force that could melt glaciers and level mountain ranges. Zhurong Yun had seen the true version once—it had turned a battlefield into a lake of molten glass in seconds.
In the records of the League, no other Pokémon besides Ho-Oh and a specific Entei from the original trio were capable of this move.
The fact that a shadow construct could replicate it was a slap in the face to all known Pokémon biology.
Of course, the power was a shadow of the original's. And where the true Sacred Fire was a holy purple-gold, this version was a sickly, cursed black-violet.
"FIRE!!!" Darkrai commanded telepathically.
KRA-KOOM!!!! —
With a final shriek, the black-violet phoenix of fire roared forward, slamming into Mega Houndoom.
The nightmare Ho-Oh dissipated the moment the attack landed, its energy spent. Darkrai hovered in the air, its eye looking tired but its posture still radiating the arrogance of a God.
When the smoke cleared, Mega Houndoom was gone. In its place lay a scorched, battered Houndoom, its Mega Evolution broken.
It was defeated.
"Houndoom is unable to battle!!! Darkrai wins the round!!!"
The referee's voice boomed through the speakers, snapping the crowd out of their trance.
With his Ace gone, Xun Zhurong's spirit was broken. The "Destined Champion" was now just a boy with an empty belt.
The remaining two Pokémon in Xun's roster didn't even require Kenji to swap. Despite being low on energy, Darkrai treated them like insects. It was a one-sided slaughter. Against ordinary Champion-tier Pokémon, a God—even an exhausted one—was a wall they couldn't climb.
"Contestant Xun Zhurong has lost all six Pokémon!!! The winner of the match is!!! KENJI!!!!"
Darkrai floated in the center of the arena, looking down at its fallen foes. It snapped its fingers one last time, and the Dark Void on the ground contracted and vanished.
The sunlight returned. The monochromatic gloom lifted.
The jumbotron flickered, Xun's portrait fading away to be replaced by a massive, high-definition photo of Kenji.
The Phoenix Nest exploded. The sound was like a physical shockwave—a hundred thousand people cheering, screaming, and stomping their feet.
In the semifinals, Kenji had used only two Pokémon—Arbok and Darkrai—to achieve a 6-0 sweep against the Zhurong family.
The "House of Champions" had just been turned into a stepping stone.
Xun Zhurong recalled his final Pokémon, his hands trembling. He looked lost, his gaze wandering toward his uncle in the VIP box.
He had lost. He hadn't just lost a match; he had lost his future.
Kenji didn't say a word. He gave Darkrai a respectful nod, recalled it, and walked toward the tunnel, his eyes already focused on the final wall standing between him and the throne: Elder Venom.
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