Chapter 355: The Grand Finale!!!
Xun Zhurong had lost. It was a total, soul-crushing defeat.
Before the match, Xun had imagined that if he failed to beat Kenji, he would be consumed by rage and indignation. But when reality finally struck, he found himself feeling something far more hollow: pure aimlessness.
Was there resentment? Of course. But more than that, he felt lost. It was as if the sun he had been chasing his entire life had suddenly blinked out of existence.
Until today, Xun's only goal had been to surpass Zhurong Yun and seize the title of Huaxia League Champion. But Kenji's arrival had shattered that trajectory. Without his path, Xun felt like a moth with its wings clipped—staring into a void of uncertainty.
On the high platform, the four regional masters looked down at Kenji with expressions of profound contemplation.
They finally understood why Zhurong Yun had remained so unshakably confident that Kenji would win the Conference—and perhaps even the seat of the Champion itself.
The "impossible" feat now seemed within reach. With Darkrai as his trump card, Kenji's raw power likely already eclipsed that of the Elite Four themselves.
In the center of the arena, Kenji stood bathed in falling ribbons and the glare of a hundred spotlights. The cheers from the stands were deafening, a physical wall of sound vibrating through the stadium.
Everyone understood: they were witnessing the birth of a new era. The name Kenji would now resound across Huaxia and every other League corner of the globe.
And the boy at the center of it all was only nineteen years old.
"Hahaha! Yes!! That's my boy!!!"
In the private lounge, Grandma Liu was clapping her hands like a delighted child. Seeing a Zhurong get bullied on the world stage was more satisfying to her than actually winning the trophy herself. She could almost picture the look on Xun's face without even seeing the screen.
The first day of the semifinals ended. Tomorrow would be the ultimate showdown:
Kenji vs. Elder Venom!!!
Interestingly, the public's predictions had undergone a massive 180-degree flip. Before the semifinals, almost no one believed Kenji could stop the Zhurong juggernaut. Now, following the debut of the God of Nightmares, the internet was almost universally betting on Kenji. They saw Elder Venom as just another obstacle to be steamrolled.
Kenji, reading the forums, merely shook his head. These "experts" were vastly underestimating Grandma Liu. Even Kenji, who knew her better than anyone, couldn't guarantee a win against her Gengar.
A Level 100, Master-rank Gengar.
That was the mountain he had to climb before he could even look at Zhurong Yun. If he couldn't overcome the ghost, he had zero business challenging the Champion's Blaziken.
Time blurred as the night passed. The city of Metropolis didn't sleep; every bar and public square was filled with people debating the final match.
The next day arrived with a heavy, electric tension. The world was waiting for a historic coronation.
"Move it!! When Kenji comes out, I want you all screaming like your lives depend on it! You hear me?!"
In a prime section of the stands, Director He was red-faced and shouting, leading a massive contingent of Metropolis Academy students. He was the most invested man in the building. If Kenji won, Metropolis Academy would cement its legacy in the history books of the Huaxia League. A student winning the senior circuit while still enrolled? It was a feat that would never be repeated. Metropolis would finally be the undisputed #1 school in the nation.
Kenji stood in the entrance tunnel. He could already hear the rhythmic chanting of his name from the crowd outside. It was a surreal moment—the dream he had chased since he first opened his eyes in this world was finally manifesting.
He reached for the Poké Ball on his belt, feeling the faint, confident pulse of energy from within.
"I'm ready. Are you?" he whispered.
The ball vibrated in response, a fierce, eager hum.
Kenji smirked. "Let's go then."
Outside, the commentators signaled the start. Kenji took his first step out of the shadows and into the blinding light of the arena.
Coming from the opposite tunnel, Elder Venom approached. She was hunched over, her face hidden behind the demonic Arbok mask. But today, she carried something different: her gnarled wooden cane, its head set with a Poké Ball containing her primary partner.
High on the platform, Zhurong Yun's brow furrowed as he watched the woman enter. He stared at the cane, a nagging sense of familiarity pricking at his mind. He had seen that staff before... but he couldn't remember where.
Grandma Liu hadn't used her Gengar once in the entire tournament. She had swept every bracket with her secondary team.
Standing across from her, Kenji felt a strange, heavy weight in the air. He had sparred with her in private many times, but those were lessons. This was different. This was a battle for the throne, and for the first time, his mentor was looking at him not as a student, but as an opponent.
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