As the light of evolution faded, Haunter had finally evolved into Gengar.
But something was different.
Unlike an ordinary Gengar, which had a dark purple body, Maen's Gengar remained pitch black—just like Haunter before its evolution. The same mischievous grin stretched across its face, but now, it carried an even more sinister aura.
Maen was both pleased and surprised by this unexpected evolution.
He hadn't originally planned for Haunter to evolve just yet. His goal had been to strengthen its foundation first, ensuring a smoother progression in power. That was why he had acquired three Dusk Stones from the Pokémon Alliance, intending to use them to gradually reinforce Haunter's strength before its evolution.
However, given the circumstances, the situation had forced his hand.
Now that Gengar had evolved, its power had risen dramatically, reaching Gym Leader-level strength. While that was a good thing, it also meant Maen would need to invest even more resources into training Gengar properly.
But right now, none of that mattered.
What mattered was defeating Sabrina's Alakazam—and fast.
The Saffron Gym was shaking violently, showing signs of breaking apart. If the battle dragged on any longer, the entire building might collapse.
Maen clenched his fists.
"This ends now."
"Shadow Ball!" he commanded.
Gengar let out a wicked chuckle, raising its hands above its head.
A massive Shadow Ball formed almost instantly.
Before, Gengar had needed time to charge up this attack. But thanks to the dark energy that Maen had unleashed earlier, the battlefield was now an extension of Gengar itself.
There was no need to charge. The power was already there.
The Shadow Ball shot forward at blinding speed, heading straight for Alakazam.
In response, Alakazam instinctively raised its hand, using Confusion to form a protective barrier in front of itself. The dark energy clashed against the psychic shield, causing powerful ripples to spread through the air.
But Maen wasn't done yet.
"Phantom Force!"
In the games, Phantom Force was a two-turn move, requiring time to prepare before striking. But in reality, it worked differently. Normally, a Pokémon needed to store energy before disappearing into the alternate dimension where the attack was launched from.
But just like with Shadow Ball, Gengar didn't need time to prepare anymore. The dark power lingering in the gym was fueling it directly.
Gengar's body flickered—then vanished.
At the same time, Alakazam focused its Confusion on blocking the Shadow Ball.
That was its mistake.
A split second later, Gengar reappeared behind Alakazam—a fist charged with Ghost energy already swinging forward.
Had Sabrina been in her right mind, she would have commanded Alakazam to dodge or counterattack.
But she wasn't in control anymore.
Her Psychic power had gone completely berserk, and now, Alakazam was acting purely on instinct.
The punch landed cleanly.
Alakazam's body jerked forward from the impact, its psychic energy fluctuating wildly.
But Maen wasn't about to let up.
"Shadow Ball! Full power!"
Gengar immediately complied, beginning to gather dark energy at an alarming rate.
Above its head, another Shadow Ball formed—only this time, it kept growing.
Larger and larger, until it resembled a small meteorite.
Maen watched the colossal sphere of darkness and smirked.
"At this point, I should just call it a Spirit Bomb."
With a flick of Gengar's wrist, the massive Shadow Ball hurtled toward Alakazam.
On the other side of the battlefield, Sabrina's red eyes flickered.
Even in her unstable mental state, she felt the danger.
Her instincts screamed at her to act.
She poured all of her remaining psychic energy into Alakazam, trying to reinforce its defenses and push back against the overwhelming force of the Shadow Ball.
But then—
"What…?"
Sabrina's eyes widened as she suddenly felt her Psychic energy cut off.
---
A Silent Strike
Maen had moved.
At some point during the battle, he had silently approached Sabrina.
Ordinarily, it would have been impossible to get so close.
With her Psychic power at full strength, an invisible barrier would have kept him away.
But now, her focus was entirely on Alakazam. She was using all of her energy to support her Pokémon, leaving her own defenses wide open.
Maen extended his right hand toward her.
"Dark Pulse."
A surge of pure darkness erupted from his palm, sending rippling waves of evil energy through the air.
The attack passed through Sabrina's body.
The moment it did, the red glow in her eyes faded.
Her psychic power vanished instantly—and then, she collapsed.
With her mind no longer controlling Alakazam, its body weakened at the worst possible moment.
The giant Shadow Ball struck Alakazam head-on.
A thunderous BOOM echoed through the Gym. The impact sent shockwaves in every direction, stirring up a thick cloud of smoke and dust.
When the dust finally settled, the battle was over.
Alakazam lay on the ground, its body covered in burns and bruises.
It had fainted.
On the other side, Sabrina also lay unconscious—but her face was no longer twisted in agony.
For the first time in years, her expression was peaceful.
Almost like… a sleeping child.
---
The Winner is Decided
Maen let out a slow breath.
He looked at the fallen Alakazam, then at Sabrina, before finally breaking the silence.
"Well, I remember hearing that when the Gym Leader and their Pokémon both go down, the challenger wins."
He gave a tired smirk.
"So I guess that means I win. Me and Gengar."
With that, he let himself drop onto the floor, utterly exhausted.
The battle had drained him completely, both physically and mentally.
The Gym was still standing—though barely—but at least the fight hadn't destroyed the entire building.
That was enough for now.
Gengar floated down beside him, grinning as always, before leaning its chubby body against Maen's back.
At the same time, Deino—who had been quietly absorbing energy this whole time—trotted over and curled up in Maen's lap.
Feeling the warmth of his Pokémon around him, Maen smiled.
Then, without another thought, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
---
Aftermath
A while later, faint Psychic waves rippled through the Gym.
Gengar and Deino immediately tensed up—but then relaxed when they recognized the source.
A familiar figure stepped inside.
Sabrina's father.
He surveyed the wreckage of the Gym—the cracked floors, the shattered walls—before his gaze settled on Maen, sleeping soundly against Gengar.
Then, his eyes fell on Sabrina, who lay peacefully on the ground.
For a moment, he just stared.
His vision blurred slightly as tears welled up in his eyes.
It had been so long since he had seen his daughter look so… normal.
So calm.
So human.
Swallowing hard, he gently picked up Alakazam's Poké Ball and returned it inside.
Then, he turned toward Maen.
A small smile formed on his face as he whispered:
"Thank you… for everything."
---
End of Chapter 35
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