"The harvest this time was massive, if I'd known, we should have brought John here last year!"
In the private dining room, John, Damian, and Harrison raised their glasses in celebration. They had returned from the ancient sanctuary on Halloween Island, and this was their victory feast.
This trip to the ancient sanctuary had yielded incredible gains for everyone, so a celebration banquet was absolutely necessary, along with some quality drinks.
Damian nodded slightly, seeming to agree with Harrison's sentiment, but then added: "I hadn't fought him personally and didn't fully understand his abilities back then."
"Right, you hadn't fought him personally." Harrison remembered that Damian and John had gone to Halloween Island after the Elite Tournament.
"So... who actually won the Elite Tournament. in the end?"
"Tell me!"
"I swear I won't tell anyone!" Referring to the final results of the Elite Tournament., Harrison pounced on John like an overeager puppy, emboldened by alcohol, with a look that screamed "I won't get up until you tell me!"
John smiled and was about to deflect as usual, but Damian's voice suddenly cut through.
"The final battle of the Elite Tournament. was between me and John, and the winner was John."
"I knew the final winner had to be you, Damian—"
"Wait... WHAT?!" Harrison, normally slow on the uptake, was suddenly sobered by this explosive revelation.
His eyes fixed on John with laser focus.
"John, you actually won the Elite Four Tournament.?!"
John looked at Damian curiously. Damian hadn't mentioned anything before, so why speak up now?
"Just got lucky," John replied modestly.
"Bullshit! You said it was luck when you beat me, you said it was luck when you beat Damon. When do you ever admit you won through actual skill?" Harrison had completely seen through John's humble act.
Damian ignored John's questioning gaze, he knew what John was thinking.
Not revealing it earlier had actually been beneficial. But after watching John battle Zoroark, Damian finally understood John's true strength.
If John had used Greninja against his Gengar, Damian would have lost even more decisively.
His previous brooding, upon reflection, had been completely unnecessary.
This kid John was destined to surpass him.
Judging from John's current combat effectiveness, Draconia's Championship was already in his grasp. Before long, he'd probably be working toward the highest Trainer achievement, "Pokemon Master."
As an Elite Four being defeated by a future Pokemon Master? That wasn't worth being depressed about at all.
"This is the Phanton General training manual I promised you earlier. Remember to burn it after reading." Damian pulled out a notebook and placed it on the table. This was the reward he'd promised, his gift to a future Pokemon Master.
"Then I won't be polite," John quickly accepted it. He'd been craving this technique for ages.
Especially now that he'd captured the Ghost-type Zoroark.
If both Gengar and Zoroark could master Phanton General , John figured he could push for the Championship with just those two.
"When are you planning to challenge for the Championship?" Damian asked.
"Give me another two months," John replied.
That had been his original timeline anyway, let his Pokemon develop further and master some exclusive moves, plus integrate the newly acquired Zoroark into his "main roster."
And with the creation-level item, the Spooky Plate...
John didn't believe the effects were limited to what his Pokedex displayed.
Just the Psychic-type suppression alone made it equivalent to a legendary Pokemon item.
"Perfect. I'll clear my schedule and watch your matches live."
"Me too!" Harrison clenched his fists, eyes blazing with excitement.
The three chatted and drank until eleven or twelve at night.
Damian and Harrison both ended up completely plastered, leaving John to escort them home one by one. Unfortunately, he'd forgotten to remove his Orbs while drinking, and John's Pokemon-level physical constitution made him practically immune to alcohol.
By the time he remembered to take off the orbs and actually enjoy getting drunk, Damian and Harrison were already passed out on the table.
After safely delivering both seniors home, John had Gardevoir Teleport him back to his manor.
Since he wasn't drunk, John didn't plan to sleep so early.
Perfect timing, before bed, he could examine the Phanton General training manual Damian had given him.
Gardevoir poured him a glass of milk and ensured the balcony lighting was just right as John settled in to read.
The content wasn't too lengthy, about five or six thousand words. For someone who'd read countless novels, John could finish a five or six thousand word piece in roughly ten minutes.
After reading through it, John had a general understanding of the Phanton General move.
Ghost-type Pokemon naturally enjoyed scaring humans and other Pokemon, which was intrinsic to their typing.
When Gengar wanted to frighten opponents and invoke fear, it would manifest whatever it found most terrifying.
To learn Phanton General, one first needed extremely high proficiency in Night Shade.
That meant mastering "horror."
What needed to be demonstrated was the "terror" that Phanton General required.
According to Damian's analysis, Night Shade's attack method utilized the fundamental characteristics of Ghost-type energy.
These two requirements alone would take most Ghost-type Pokemon years to master.
The third requirement was exploring Night Shade's core essence.
Night Shade was an attack move, but not purely a Ghost-type attack, rather, it used terrifying manifestations to "intimidate" opponents and cause damage.
And because each Pokemon felt different things in their heart's depths, the shadow constructs created by each Ghost-type Pokemon were destined to be unique.
The third point was the most crucial.
Fortunately, John's Gengar and Zoroark were both ancient kings. With the Spooky Plate's assistance, meeting these two basic conditions shouldn't take much time.
The core concept was making the original Night Shade attacks carry a "horror" effect, thereby causing psychological damage.
To use a simple analogy:
The Phanton General move was built upon Night Shade as its foundation.
Second, it required extremely high Ghost-type energy control abilities.
Phanton General allowed Pokemon to manifest the "terror" inherent in Ghost-type energy.