"Leon versus Selene, huh."
Dylan watched the unfolding match with great interest.He had to admit—this was definitely a fight worth watching.
Leon's strength needed no explanation, and Selene's current power was just as frightening.
Especially because Selene wasn't only strong through her Pokémon—her tactics were endlessly flexible, downright cruel, and perfectly executed.
Fighting Selene was… a terrible experience.
"I wonder if Selene can take down Leon?" Giovanni narrowed his eyes at the field.
On the field
"No matter what monsters or demons stand in my way—I'll wipe them all out!"
Selene's sweet expression vanished, replaced by a sharp, feral grin.
She tossed out her Poké Ball.
"Gengar!"
"Jie-jie~!"
The grinning Gengar opened its mouth wide, its face full of sinister delight.
"Mega Gengar, huh?"
Leon immediately understood.Gengar was Selene's most iconic lead Pokémon—and infamous for good reason.
Even more importantly—Gengar was her Mega slot.
Shadow Tag paired with Mega Gengar's burst power made it one of the most nightmarish Pokémon to face.
"Yo~ Little Leon is in trouble now. That Gengar is a nightmare."Mustard stroked his chin proudly from the stands.
"Honey, who do you think has the better chance of winning, Selene or Leon?"His wife, Honey, asked curiously.
"I really couldn't say, dear. Their strength is so high… Even at my peak I couldn't beat either one of them~"Mustard sighed dramatically.
"That's not necessarily true. Your undefeated streak from your youth still hasn't been broken," Honey said gently.
"Hahaha! That doesn't count for much~ Besides, the era back then can't compare to now!"
Mustard waved dismissively, but he was clearly enjoying himself.
"It's already amazing I get to watch such battles at my age. Totally worth it~!"
Honey smiled while Mustard's excited gaze returned to the match.
On the battlefield
"Dragapult!"
Leon chose his ace without hesitation.
Mega Gengar's Shadow Tag prevented switching, its raw power was monstrous, and it possessed countless bizarre utility moves.
In every sense, Mega Gengar was the perfect "nightmare."
Leon thought for a moment, then decided Dragapult was his best bet—Ghost vs. Ghost, both super fast, and Dragapult could immediately get close with Phantom Force.
The battle began.
Just as Leon expected, Dragapult used Phantom Force to appear right beside Mega Gengar.Closing distance was normally extremely difficult—but Phantom Force solved the problem.
However—
Just getting close wasn't enough to beat Mega Gengar.Especially Selene's Mega Gengar.
During that instant of approach, Selene successfully landed a Will-O-Wisp.
Dragapult's Clear Body couldn't prevent the Attack drop from Burn.
A burned Dragapult had far less bite—and eventually, Mega Gengar defeated it.
But Mega Gengar had taken damage too.Not that it mattered—since HP was never its real problem.
Leon's second Pokémon, Cinderace, came out swinging—
Only to immediately eat a Pain Split.
Equalizing their HP.
Leon was now definitely at a disadvantage.
"I have to say, Selene's control of Gengar is terrifying."
Blue whistled softly.
"It is… Selene's Mega Gengar is really hard to fight."Yellow nodded seriously.
Speed, Special Attack, Shadow Tag, Curse, Toxic, Hypnosis, Pain Split, Perish Song…And when all else failed—Destiny Bond.
A Gengar that refused to die quietly.
"I don't think Cinderace can beat that thing either."Giovanni frowned after watching for a while.
He was already thinking—"If it were me, how would I deal with this Mega Gengar?"
Even among trainers of equal ability,a one-sided match could still happen.
Leon, unable to handle Mega Gengar, was falling further and further behind.
Though Cinderace changed to Dark-type with Libero,it still fell to Mega Gengar.
Two straight losses.Leon's expression grew solemn.
"Leon has to counterattack, or this will get ugly for him,"Steven muttered.
Gengar was worn down for sure—but with Pain Split, it could recover anytime.
He couldn't let it run wild.
Leon understood this well.
His third Pokémon—Aegislash—came out and Dynamaxed immediately.
Selene, however, didn't stubbornly overextend.She recalled Mega Gengar and sent out Venusaur.
Gigantamax Venusaur.
The two gigantic Pokémon faced off.
Gigantamax Venusaur's body glowed faintly red, the flower on its back blooming huge, two thick vines reaching forward.
It looked… honestly kind of goofy.
But looks didn't win battles.
Selene used Max Quake, Max Guard, Max Quake.Forcing out Aegislash's Dynamax turns.
And both Max Quakes did meaningful damage.
When the giants returned to normal size, Selene brought Mega Gengar back.
Aegislash and Mega Gengar ultimately went down together.
Yes—Aegislash used Destiny Bond.
Leon's desperate backup plan.He hated using it, but removing Mega Gengar was worth it.
The match heated up greatly.
Leon finally sent out his ace—Mega Charizard X.
Selene still had three main Pokémon left, including her fully healthy Incineroar.
And then—
Selene stopped acting human.
Mega Charizard X was indeed strong.
But what if Incineroar Intimidated it three times…and used Parting Shot three times?
Leon's face turned greener and greener with every stat drop.
"This is ILLEGAL—!!"
"How is it illegal? That's called strategy. And Selene was being merciful. She didn't Intimidate from start to finish."
"First he gets beaten by Dylan's Arceus… then by Selene's evil-style torture… Leon, you poor soul…"
"Leon definitely wants to punch someone. His invincible Charizard got turned into a fluffy plushie."
"Three Intimidates + three Parting Shots. Even Leon's Charizard can't take that."
The crowd buzzed wildly.
This level of tactical abuse—on the world's biggest stage—was incredible to watch.
"Charizard is unable to battle. Incineroar wins."
"Leon has lost all six Pokémon.The winner of this match—Selene!"
The referee's voice echoed.
"It's decided! After a tense and spectacular battle, Selene has defeated the mighty Leon and becomes the first trainer to enter the semifinals!"
The announcer's voice boom across the stadium.
"Kyaaa~! I did it!"
Selene bounced happily, fists clenched in delight.
She said she wanted to reach the finals and fight her gym big brother…but that was just trash talk.
Now that she had beaten Leon and entered the Top Four, she was just one step from her goal.Of course she was thrilled.
Her adorable excitement was displayed on the big screen, warming the hearts of many spectators.
Such overwhelming strength—yet still just a cheerful girl.
"Congratulations, Selene."
Leon walked up with a gentle smile.
"Thank you~"Selene beamed.
"Fighting you was really fun! I hope we can battle again someday."
She felt she should say something appropriate for the winner.
"…"
Leon froze.He wanted to speak, but the words wouldn't come.
He wanted to say:
"No need! There is absolutely no need!!"
He didn't mind tactics, but today he had truly felt what suffering meant.
No wonder she was Dylan's student…
Leon knew Dylan used to be called the "Cruel Gym Leader."But when he fought Dylan, it was always high-level combat—Dylan never had the chance to show that "cruelty."
But the pain Leon didn't get from Dylan—
He got ALL of it todayfrom Dylan's student.
Truly… a sin.
(End of Chapter)