With a sharp flick of its wrist, Gengar sent a volley of Shadow Balls screaming into the fractured mask of Cofagrigus. The sarcophagus shattered, and before the spirit could reform, Gengar unhinged its jaw and swallowed the remains whole.
Gengar's belly bulged comically for several minutes as it digested the concentrated essence of the ancient coffin.
Feng Che: Did Gengar just steal the opponent's ability?
Mewtwo: It's a predatory technique unique to high-level spirits in the Spirit Realm. That Cofagrigus had a natural talent for rapid-fire Shadow Balls. By devouring it, Gengar can now fire them instantaneously. Feel its aura—it's standing on the very threshold of the Champion rank. One more victory, and it might even trigger a primal regression.
The Final Showdown
In the second bracket, Dusknoir emerged victorious after consuming Spiritomb. It loomed over the lake, its presence doubling as it neared the breakthrough point.
"This is like a ritual of poison," Feng Che observed. "They devour each other to force an evolution. This is Gengar's greatest opportunity."
Gengar already possessed Shadow Stealth and Shadow Stitching. By devouring Cofagrigus, it gained the rapid-fire bombardment skill.
Feng Che: If it can consume Dusknoir, it should gain Spirit Traverse.
Spirit Traverse was the ability to tear open portals between the human world and the Spirit Realm. For native spirits, it was often a "useless" skill because Giratina's laws prevented powerful ghosts from leaving. But for Gengar, who was born in the human world, it would be the ultimate escape and defense mechanism.
Gengar stared down the Dusknoir with a predatory cackle. The Dusknoir, still stabilizing the essence of Spiritomb, was momentarily vulnerable. Gengar didn't waste the opening. It pointed a finger, conjuring a meter-wide Shadow Ball and hurling it at the titan.
Dusknoir reacted instantly. It opened its palms, and a swirling, distorted Black Hole manifested in front of it. The Shadow Ball was sucked into the void.
With a clap of its hands, Dusknoir opened a second exit-hole directly in front of Gengar. The Shadow Ball shot out of the portal, heading straight for its creator.
"Spirit Traverse used as an absolute defense..." Feng Che noted, impressed. "It's redirecting the damage back to the source."
The ball hit, and Gengar's body popped like a bubble. Dusknoir's eye widened. It was a decoy.
Before the titan could locate the real one, it felt a sudden chill on its back. Gengar had merged with Dusknoir's own shadow. It emerged and delivered a long, spectral Lick. Golden sparks of electricity erupted—Dusknoir was Paralyzed.
The Counter-Attack
Gengar had used the black arcs of its Shadow Ball as a visual distraction to swap with a clone. But the Dusknoir was a veteran of a thousand soul-eaters. It flared with blue-green Will-O-Wisps shaped like mourning skulls.
"That's Spiritomb's lingering power," Mewtwo warned. "If those hit, Gengar's soul will be scorched to ash."
Dusknoir followed up with a barrage of Shadow Punches into its own shadow, preventing Gengar from hiding there again. It then conjured multiple high-gravity Black Holes, each crackling with dark lightning.
Dusknoir: Will-O-Wisp to burn, Black Hole to trap. You have nowhere to run, little ghost. I will devour you and walk through the Spirit Realm as a King!
Dusknoir was confident. Its defense was impenetrable, and its offense was a net of death.
Gengar: You underestimate my shadow-bind. I will be the shield for my trainer, and your power will become my own.
Gengar remembered the day the boy pulled it from the abyss of loneliness. To Gengar, Feng Che was the light that chased away the dark. It would do whatever it took to protect that light.
Gengar suddenly manifested directly in front of the Dusknoir. The Will-O-Wisps lunged, and the Black Holes began to pull Gengar into the crushing void.
Gengar was trapped in a lethal crossfire.