Chapter 200: The SS-Rank Secret Realm

Chapter 200: The SS-Rank Secret Realm

The discussion grew louder and louder,

Until it eventually turned into an argument.

The reason?

They were debating whether Gardevoir or Pikachu would achieve greater accomplishments.

"That Pikachu—honestly, in all my years, I've never seen a Pikachu with such powerful life energy! It's definitely stronger than that Gardevoir!"

"Nonsense! A Pikachu? What, you think it's going to take over the world?"

Two old men—

On the verge of throwing hands.

Hikaru and Latias were left completely speechless.

("Wait... They're not talking about that Pikachu, are they?")

The one belonging to Ash Ketchum—

A Pokémon Trainer known for using seemingly common Pokémon like Pikachu and Pidgeotto,

Yet having the most absurd talent.

Hikaru found it absolutely ridiculous.

As for Gardevoir and the Damnson Clan...

He had heard that name before.

("Is it a clan that specializes in raising Ralts evolutionary line Pokémon?")

("Well, that's... kind of impressive.")

"Enough, you two old fools, stop embarrassing yourselves."

Thud! Thud!

An elderly woman took her cane and smacked both men on the head.

The sharp sound echoed through the quiet town.

After two loud cries of pain,

The two old troublemakers exchanged pitiful glances,

Before sitting down obediently.

By now,

Hikaru had a clear idea of what was going on.

The town—

Was probably guarded by these elderly people.

Maybe there were more inside the Gym?

And more importantly—

These elderly folks...

Were definitely not ordinary people.

At this moment, the elderly woman who had called Hikaru over spoke again.

"Back to the main topic. I quite like this young man. You're here to challenge the Ghost-type Gym, aren't you?"

Hikaru nodded immediately.

"The challenge requires you to stay in town for three days. At night, Ghost Pokémon will roam around. That's the challenge. As for which Ghost-types appear, that depends on your luck."

"Hm?"

Hikaru was momentarily stunned.

After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "That's it?"

"Yes," the old woman nodded, before suddenly looking in the direction Hikaru had arrived from.

The old man who had been hit just now suddenly chuckled.

"Looks like today's challenge roster is quite full!"

"The Damnson Clan sent more kids again..."

Hikaru's Aura extended toward the town's outskirts.

Soon,

He sensed two young trainers approaching, each accompanied by a Gardevoir and a Gallade.

("Them?")

Hikaru was slightly surprised before turning to glance at Latias.

---

Outside the Town

Emma and Leo landed at the town's entrance, glancing at the withered tree with the Yamask perched on it.

Then, they proceeded toward the town.

Their goal was the same—

To challenge the Gym,

And prepare for the upcoming Youth League.

"Every time I come here, it gives me the creeps,"

Leo muttered, shivering as he glanced around.

Every time he visited this place, his entire body would break out in goosebumps.

Other people might not know,

But he was well aware of how eerie this town could be.

At night,

It was a paradise for Ghost Pokémon.

And the secret realm behind Phantom Town—

It was an SS-ranked domain!

To prevent the Pokémon inside from causing havoc,

The trainers stationed here were all high-level experts—

Even Elite Four-level trainers specializing in Ghost-types!

Just thinking about having to stay here for three nights,

He felt utterly hopeless.

But when he turned to see Emma's cold, expressionless face,

He sighed.

As a psychic,

Any excessive emotion would hinder her psychic abilities from advancing.

And his cousin—

Handled it flawlessly.

Any other girl,

No matter how mature,

Would feel uneasy in such an ominous environment.

But Emma—

Her face was devoid of any emotion.

("Maybe that's the difference between us.")

"Hm?"

Walking ahead, Emma's brows furrowed slightly.

The Gardevoir floating beside her also paused briefly.

They exchanged a glance,

Then looked toward the town center.

A moment ago,

They had felt an unknown force scanning them.

"Gardevoir, Teleport!"

The next moment, she vanished from sight.

Leaving Leo standing there, confused.

His Gallade—

Wasn't skilled enough in Psychic energy to teleport them that far.

But in this eerie atmosphere—

He had no choice but to sprint toward the town center.

---

When Emma and her Gardevoir suddenly appeared before Hikaru,

He wasn't surprised.

When he had used his Aura to scout them earlier,

He had already realized they would detect him.

It seemed that—

When dealing with Psychic-type Pokémon or psychics with higher abilities,

His Aura still wasn't refined enough to probe them undetected.

"You?"

Upon seeing Hikaru and Latias,

Emma was visibly taken aback.

After Hikaru's identity was reported,

Her family's elders had taken the matter quite seriously.

They had even instructed her to stay in contact with him as much as possible.

In other words—

Try to get information from him.

If she could learn anything about Latias, even better.

But over the past few days,

She had sent Hikaru several messages—

Only for them to vanish into the void without a single reply.

Not even the League's bounty had gotten him to respond.

Hikaru scratched his head and said apologetically, "Ah... Investigator, hello!"

Getting caught red-handed trying to scan someone was definitely awkward.

Emma nodded slightly.

She had many things she wanted to ask,

But for now, she turned her attention toward the elderly folks beside Hikaru.

She greeted them respectfully, "Greetings, elders."

These people—

Were all Elite trainers specializing in Ghost-types.

"You Damnson Clan people sure are persistent about challenging the Ghost Gym."

Emma replied softly,

"Our family has strict traditions. To prove ourselves, we must first pass Grandma's test. We have no choice."

"What a strange rule. Honestly, your clan's customs are absurd... Never mind, forget it. I'm heading home to get some rest."

One of the elderly men waved dismissively.

As if he was tired of the conversation,

He turned and walked into a nearby house.

The other elders also seemed to lose interest in chatting.

Or perhaps, since dusk was approaching,

They simply headed home for the night.

Leaving only Hikaru and Emma standing there.

Now—

Emma turned toward Hikaru again.

Her gaze inevitably lingered on Latias before she finally asked,

"You're here to challenge the Haunted House Gym too?"

But—

Her tone carried a distinct hint of surprise and disbelief.

Hikaru...

Hadn't he just competed in the National College League?

And now, so soon, he was already challenging a National-Level Gym?

"Yeah, the Youth League is at the end of the year. I wanted to try my hand at it. Since I was already in the Guizhou province, I figured I'd take this challenge while I was here."

Hikaru spoke openly, without hesitation.

Hearing this,

Emma frowned slightly and asked,

"Aren't you rushing this too much? You just finished the College League. Shouldn't you take it slow...?"

---

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