Gengar

All eyes were locked on the swirling smoke. Whether the hip-hop guy could withstand the attack would determine the course of the battle. No. 1 and No. 2, exhausted after pouring nearly all their remaining Nen into their ultimate move, could barely stay on their feet. They were spent—completely incapable of continuing the fight.

A soft breeze rolled through the cavern, pushing the smoke aside to reveal a looming figure. The hip-hop guy was still standing. His labored breathing filled the air, heavy and ragged, like a beast on the verge of losing control. Every step forward caused the cracked ground beneath him to creak and groan under his weight. "Hoo... hoo..." His chest heaved like a bellows, rising and falling with each strained breath.

Now that the smoke had cleared, everyone could finally see the extent of his injuries. The explosion hadn't been enough to take him down, but it had left its mark. His dark skin had been scorched to a charcoal black, his mouth the only contrasting white against the burned flesh, teeth faintly visible through lips stained with blood. His clothes were in shreds, barely clinging to his battered frame. Blood trickled freely from numerous wounds, staining the rocky floor beneath him. But his body—his body had grown even larger. He now resembled a towering black bear, radiating sheer brute force, standing there with unwavering determination. 

Larry silently assessed the situation, his eyes narrowing. 'That attack just now… it had definitely reached B-level strength.' Normally, an attack of that caliber should have been enough to put the hip-hop guy down for good. His gaze shifted toward the glasses man, still sitting cross-legged on the ground, sweat pouring down his face, his complexion pale as a sheet.

'So that's it…' Larry mused. 'He must have transferred a massive amount of Nen at the last second to mitigate the damage.' The hip-hop guy's resilience was impressive, but it came at a cost. He was nearing his limit, and it was only a matter of time before his body gave out entirely.

On the other side of the battlefield, No. 1 and No. 2 stared in horror, their faces drained of color. The sight of the hip-hop guy standing despite their ultimate attack drained what little hope they had left. Before they could react, a wave of black, writhing insects surged forward, layering on top of each other like a living tide, blocking the hip-hop guy's path.

His eyes snapped toward Neguro. Neguro stood half-crouched on the ground, his hands splayed across the dirt with a smug grin plastered across his face. Wave after wave of insects crawled forth from the shadows, their collective chittering filling the air like an ominous symphony. They swarmed toward the hip-hop guy in relentless droves.

The leather-clad woman, who should have been holding Neguro at bay, was sprawled on the ground, grievously injured, unable to rise. "Gardevoir," Larry muttered under his breath. His Pokémon's gaze softened with understanding.

Moments ago, when the battle had been focused on the hip-hop guy, Neguro had seized the opportunity to launch a devastating assault on the leather-clad woman. Even though she had only been distracted for a moment, that brief lapse had been enough for Neguro to strike.

The truth was, Neguro had been holding back from the very beginning. He had masked his true strength, concealing his B-level abilities beneath a facade of mediocrity. Throughout the fight, he had kept his output at a C+ level, matching the leather-clad woman perfectly, lulling her into a false sense of security. Then, when the time was right, he struck with full force, taking her out in a single calculated move.

Larry sighed. 'This guy's a real piece of work.' Neguro's strategy had been simple yet ruthless—he had used his two bodyguards as bait, drawing the siblings' attention away from him, all the while waiting for the perfect moment to eliminate the biggest threat first.

Now, with the leather-clad woman down, Neguro's next target was obvious. "Big sis!" The hip-hop guy's voice thundered across the cavern, his eyes burning with rage. His fists clenched, veins bulging beneath his scorched skin. He didn't hesitate. With a roar, he charged forward like a runaway truck, aiming straight for Neguro.

Larry's eyes flickered with interest. The hip-hop guy had finally reached the peak of his ability. But it came at a price—his body was already at its breaking point. Larry knew that if the fight dragged on any longer, the hip-hop guy wouldn't last.

Neguro, on the other hand, remained calm. He watched the charging figure with a predatory gleam in his eyes, his hands still planted firmly on the ground. The swarm of insects thickened, growing into an impenetrable wall.

Despite the hip-hop guy's ragged breathing and the flickering aura surrounding his battered body, Neguro remained cautious. Instead of rushing in for the kill, he employed a methodical approach—keeping his distance and slowly dragging the hip-hop guy to his absolute limit with relentless hit-and-run tactics. Meanwhile, the glasses man wasted no time. Seizing the opportunity, he rushed to the leather-clad woman's side, administering basic first aid in an attempt to stabilize her condition. Larry couldn't help but sigh at how quickly the tides of battle had shifted. Moments ago, the siblings had the upper hand, but now they were on the brink of defeat.

'Intelligence.' That was the real reason for their downfall. If the leather-clad woman had known from the beginning that Neguro was hiding his true B-level strength, she wouldn't have been so careless. In fact, Larry thought she shouldn't have fought Neguro at all.

'The smarter move?' Let the hip-hop guy take on Neguro directly. With the glasses man providing support, the leather-clad woman could have focused on the two bodyguards. Neguro may have been stronger overall, but his Nen ability—Swarm of Resentment—lacked immediate high-impact damage. Its strength lay in overwhelming numbers and the ability to absorb Nen from fallen enemies, gradually growing stronger over time.

The hip-hop guy, with his endurance-based ability, could have turned Neguro's attacks into fuel for his own strength. By absorbing the damage inflicted by the swarm, he would only grow stronger, eventually closing the distance and finishing Neguro off in close combat. Once Neguro was dealt with, the three siblings could have easily overwhelmed the two exhausted bodyguards. 

'But reality doesn't work on hindsight,' Larry thought with a sigh. A lack of information and experience had turned a battle they could have won into a desperate struggle for survival.

In the midst of the escalating fight, something stirred beneath the forgotten altar in the far corner of the cavern. A mass of black, gaseous energy quivered, sensing the chaotic Nen signatures around it. It began to shift and pulse ominously.

Suddenly, a familiar chime echoed in Larry's mind. "Pokémon successfully bred!"

Larry's eyes widened in anticipation. 'Finally, it's done!' 

Inside his mind, a large ball of purple "gummy candy" floated in place. Larry blinked in surprise. 'No way... It's Gengar?!'

***

Species: Gengar

Type: [Data Unavailable]

Ability: [Data Unavailable]

Strength Rank: B-

Known Moves: Lick (Additional data unavailable)

Description: Data insufficient. Further observation required to unlock full entry.

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