"This is troubling..." Koga's face tightened as he saw his Crobat caught by Mean Look, a bead of cold sweat rolling down his cheek.

He couldn't tell if Agatha had seen through his tactics or simply happened to counter them, but either way, the situation was now highly unfavorable for him.

His initial strategy had been to use Crobat's speed and Confuse Ray to disorient Gengar, creating an opening to switch to Venomoth, which could utilize Psychic-type moves. However, this plan had been effortlessly thwarted by Agatha with just a Mean Look.

"There's no choice but to keep fighting with Crobat..." Clenching his fists, Koga was aware this was his third attempt at the Elite Four challenge. If he failed to become one of the Kanto Elite Four this year, his path would be severely limited...

"Crobat, use Air Slash!" Knowing Gengar's speed was formidable, Koga opted for a long-range attack as cover, seeking an opportunity to close in for more effective strikes.

"Cro—!" With a flurry of motion, Crobat's wings sliced the air, hurling a barrage of spinning air blades toward Gengar. The sheer volume of blades, over twenty, tore through the air with a piercing sound.

"Gengar, Dark Pulse!" In response to the swarm of air blades, Agatha calmly tapped her cane and issued her command with understated ease.

"Geng—!" With a bizarre laugh, Gengar unleashed a surge of dark energy. A coffee-colored force gathered in front of it and exploded outward as Gengar spread its arms, sending a violent wave across the arena.

"Boom—!"

The energy instantly spread across the field, momentarily freezing the atmosphere. A terrifying torrent of air swept up, obliterating the air blades mid-flight. Visible ripples of energy radiated from Gengar at the center, slamming into Crobat.

Crobat was swept away by the ferocious blast without even a chance to cry out, flung beyond the battlefield and towards the spectator stands. Just before impact, a transparent energy barrier emerged, protecting Crobat within, though the barrier itself rippled as if on the verge of shattering.

The spectators behind the energy shield, far from panicking, seemed accustomed to such spectacles, even cheering loudly as they watched Crobat struggle.

Moments later, the terrifying impact subsided within the arena. Crobat, pressed against the energy shield, slid to the ground unconscious, clearly unable to continue the battle.

"Crobat is unable to battle, Gengar wins!" The referee immediately declared the outcome, and the first round ended in such a manner. Koga's Crobat, without even a chance to resist, was effortlessly defeated by Gengar.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"How... frustrating..." Koga gritted his teeth as he watched his Crobat on the ground, then turned back to see Agatha, who appeared unflustered. He realized he had perhaps taken for granted the depth of skill Agatha possessed as the most experienced among the Elite Four. Her strength was certainly not limited to what was apparent on the surface.

This time... it seemed he was doomed to fail again...

Back at home, the boy was also stunned by the display of power from Gengar. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts. Unlike the games of his previous life, where battles were merely numerical representations and tactics that could lead to a weaker Pokémon defeating a stronger one thanks to the turn-based system, the reality was different.

Here, the disparity in Pokémon strength wasn't something that could be bridged by simple tactics. Many strategies viable in the games simply weren't possible in reality, like Crobat's failed attempt to use Confuse Ray, which Gengar had effortlessly dodged.

The power of both Pokémon and trainers is crucial. Trying to train a Pokémon to level 100 and steamroll through competitors like in the games just doesn't work in the real world because none of this is just data!

"It seems... Mr. Koga might... not stand a chance," the boy sighed as he watched Koga recall his Crobat, his voice tinged with slight regret.

Yet this outcome was somewhat expected by the boy. He had watched the Pokémon anime, where Koga was still a Gym Leader in the original series, and in the games, he wasn't one of the Kanto Elite Four, but part of the Elite Four in the Johto region.

It seemed that after the events of the original series, Koga had left the Kanto region to challenge the Elite Four in the Johto region, eventually becoming one of its members.

As the boy had predicted, the battle was overwhelmingly one-sided. Koga had barely managed an effective resistance and was effortlessly defeated by Agatha, who had only needed to use her Gengar.

"Even though Mr. Koga lost to Master Agatha, his strength should not be underestimated. His abilities truly are at the Elite Four level, and all his Pokémon possess Elite Four strength. Unfortunately, he faced Master Agatha, an exceptional presence even among the Elite Four." After the Elite Four challenge ended, the boy turned off the TV and lay in his bed, the battle still vivid in his mind.

"Elite Four level… The Elite Four…" The boy lifted his right hand, spreading his fingers to block the light, feeling melancholic, "I wonder… if I can ever reach their level and become one of the Elite Four."

"No!" Suddenly, the boy clenched his fist as if trying to grasp something tangible, shouting loudly, "I don't just want to be one of the Elite Four. I want to be the Champion, even the strongest legend in the world!"

"Ash! Aren't you going to bed? Don't you have to leave tomorrow?!" The voice of the woman downstairs reached him.

"I know, going to sleep now!" Startled, the boy responded and turned off the light, pushing aside further thoughts. He wasn't even a trainer yet, let alone a champion…

"Tomorrow is the day I leave... Should I choose one of the starter Pokémon, or follow the path fate has set for me and choose Pikachu? Pikachu seems like a great choice too..." The boy's thoughts faded into darkness as he drifted off to sleep.

In his dreams, he saw himself reaching a summit no one else had ever reached, becoming the strongest trainer in the world, revered by all.

"World's… strongest…" he murmured in his sleep…