Chapter 207: The Damnson Clan’s Rules

Chapter 207: The Damnson Clan's Rules

Dawn Breaks...

A grueling night had finally passed. Hikaru checked the time.

6:58 AM.

He let out a sigh of relief and placed the Spirit Stone back into his bag.

The challenge officially ended at 7:00 AM.

Now, he could clearly sense the ghostly energy outside fading away.

After wrapping the Spirit Stone in telekinetic energy last night, a few stubborn Ghost Pokémon still tried to approach.

But Latias and Gardevoir had easily driven them off.

Now that it was over, Hikaru collapsed onto the bed, staring at the plain white ceiling.

This challenge... was even more exhausting than I thought.

Gardevoir plopped down beside him.

She was completely worn out.

While maintaining the Psychic Barrier wasn't particularly difficult, keeping it up for hours had drained her energy.

As she lay there, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier...

Until she completely passed out.

Hikaru chuckled, but quickly covered his mouth to avoid waking her.

Looking down, he had to admit—

A sleeping Gardevoir looked incredibly peaceful.

Her elegant white gown-like body draped softly over the bed, lips slightly parted, breathing evenly.

Instinctively, Hikaru pulled a blanket over her before carefully standing up.

He glanced at Latias, who showed no signs of fatigue.

Despite everything, she still seemed completely fine.

Hikaru lowered his voice and asked, "Do you need to rest?"

Latias shook her head, indicating she was perfectly fine.

Hikaru didn't press the issue.

Stepping outside.

A thin mist still lingered in Ghost Town's early morning air.

The streets, however, were a mess.

Even though last night's battles had been mostly mental warfare between Ghost-types and Psychic-types—

The environment had still suffered.

Looking around, Hikaru noticed that some Ghost Pokémon were still loitering around the Damnson siblings' lodgings.

They seemed reluctant to leave but eventually dispersed due to exhaustion.

Most Ghost Pokémon prefer nighttime activity and rest during the day.

Their schedules were the complete opposite of humans.

After a chaotic night of battling, most of them were now too tired to stick around.

As the Ghost Pokémon disappeared, Emma and Damon finally emerged from their rooms.

The mist gradually thinned, but the heavy clouds still blocked the sun.

Perhaps this was why no vegetation ever grew in this cursed town—

It simply never received any sunlight.

The three challengers quickly gathered together.

In a way—

They were now comrades, having survived the same battlefield.

As soon as they met, Damon couldn't hide his confusion.

"Why did this challenge feel way harder than usual?"

Logically, as morning approached, fewer Ghost Pokémon should have been appearing.

So he had let his guard down near the end—

Only to be suddenly overwhelmed by a massive wave of Ghost Pokémon.

His Gallade, a Fighting-type specialist, had struggled to react in time.

Before he knew it, his Spirit Stone was swarmed... and he had no idea how much energy had been drained.

Emma furrowed her brows.

"It was definitely more difficult than expected."

Then, turning to Hikaru, she asked,

"What about you?"

Hikaru nodded in agreement.

"I expected it to be tough, but I didn't think it'd be this tough."

It really was difficult.

Gardevoir had completely passed out from exhaustion.

But at least... the next two days should be much easier.

Emma gave a polite smile.

Yet, for some reason, Hikaru found her expression oddly fake.

"Actually, there are some tricks to this."

"Most Ghost Pokémon tend to be timid. If you act aggressively from the start, they'll hesitate to approach."

Hikaru blinked in surprise.

"Wait... seriously?"

"Yes. My apologies—I should have mentioned it earlier."

She offered a mildly apologetic smile.

"No worries, no worries. I appreciate the advice."

Hikaru casually waved it off, keeping his response polite.

But deep down—

He knew exactly why she was being so friendly.

Their first meeting had been very different.

Back then, she had descended from the sky like an ice queen.

Her cold violet eyes had barely acknowledged the enforcers below—

As if they were nothing more than ants.

She didn't strike him as someone who would "warm up" to people so easily.

And Hikaru had a simple rule:

If someone is suddenly overly friendly for no reason... they're definitely after something.

He knew exactly what Emma was after.

And he had no intention of getting involved.

Hikaru's subtly distant attitude did not go unnoticed.

Damon, standing nearby, felt slightly puzzled.

Unlike the Damnson Clan, where every heir had a fair chance at training in "Dragon Island" and receiving a "Dragon Pool Baptism"—

The Damnson Clan had strict hierarchical rules.

And one of their most brutal rules was:

"Power and talent above all else."

Everything else was meaningless.

This was why Damon always followed Emma's lead.

In their family, even being the child of a clan leader meant nothing.

If you failed to awaken psychic powers within a certain age—

You would be forced to pick from leftover Pokémon when forming your team.

And when it came to resource allocation?

Those without potential were completely ignored.

But the most terrifying rule was:

If you failed to reach the Master-level before the age of 30—

You would be stripped of your Psychic Pokémon and erased from the family registry.

It was a true survival-of-the-fittest system.

This was why every Damnson heir had to challenge the Ghost Gym before entering any official competitions.

It was meant to temper their resolve.

Young trainers who rose to fame too quickly—

Could experience either soaring success or crushing failure.

Both outcomes could trigger emotional instability.

And emotions were the greatest weakness of psychic users.

So this challenge served as a mental test, ensuring that Damnson heirs could maintain absolute self-control.

In such a high-pressure environment—

Damon understood why his clan was so ruthlessly competitive.

But the boy standing before him was different.

Hikaru was from a small town, yet his talent and power were monstrous.

Despite being just 16 years old, he had already reached the Master-tier.

And over the past few days, Damon had noticed something unsettling—

Hikaru never once displayed arrogance or impatience.

Which was bizarre.

Most trainers with such overwhelming talent would have some degree of pride or ego.

But Hikaru?

He was completely composed.

Almost as if...

He had already seen and experienced much more than them.

And then—

There was Latias.

Last night, when the Ghost Pokémon attacked—

Damon had caught a brief glimpse of Latias's aura.

And in that moment, he realized—

This wasn't just some ordinary Legendary Pokémon.

She was at least Master-tier... if not stronger.

A 16-year-old with a Master-tier Legendary...

That was terrifying.

So when Emma suddenly lowered her pride to speak politely to Hikaru—

Damon understood immediately.

She was trying to pull him into the Damnson Clan's orbit.

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