Even though the Hip hop man's aura fluctuated wildly—sometimes strong, sometimes faint, like a dying flame flickering back to life, Pete still did not let his guard down. Instead, he adopted a "kite strategy," steadily dragging the Hip hop man to his limits.
Meanwhile, the bespectacled man couldn't afford to hesitate. Seizing the opportunity, he rushed to the leather-clad woman's side to perform emergency first aid.
Linck couldn't help but sigh inwardly, battlefields truly changed in an instant; often, the tide of combat shifted in the blink of an eye.
The three siblings, who had just held the advantage moments before, now found themselves on the verge of defeat.
Intelligence.
This situation arose because of a lack of information.
Had the leather-clad woman known, as Linck did, the true extent of Pete's B-rank strength, she never would have underestimated him so fatally.
In fact, she might have avoided fighting Pete altogether. To Linck's mind, the best solution would have been to pit the Hip hop man against Pete, while the bespectacled man assisted the leather-clad woman in dealing with the two bodyguards.
Though Pete's strength exceeded that of an ordinary Hip hop man by a small margin, his Nen ability—Insect Swarm, wasn't particularly destructive.
Its advantages lay in sheer numbers and in being able to absorb aura from fallen enemies.
But its weakness was obvious: it lacked any overwhelming, explosive finishing move.
The Hip hop man, theoretically, could have withstood the insect swarm's assault. Then, using his unique Nen ability, he could convert that damage into nourishment, steadily empowering himself.
Once sufficiently enhanced, he could close in and eliminate Pete directly.
After that, the three siblings together would have been more than enough to take down the two remaining bodyguards.
But sadly, their lack of information and combat experience turned what could have been a winnable fight into a desperate struggle for survival.
Unnoticed by anyone, in a lonely corner beneath the altar
A massive cluster of black gaseous substance stirred, as though sensing something, and began to move...
"Ding!"
[Pokémon incubation complete!]
Still observing the battle, Linck realized the progress bar had finally reached its end. Which Pokémon would it be?
His eyes lit up with eager anticipation.
The moment he saw the great ball of purple "taffy" in his mindscape, his mouth hung slightly open.
He hadn't expected this Pokémon!
Name: Gengar
Ability: (Unavailable)
Type: (Unavailable)
Strength: B
Moves: Lick (others unavailable)
Gengar?!
If Linck were to rank Pokémon in his heart, both Gardevoir and Gengar would undoubtedly occupy the top tier.
After all, who wouldn't like a mischievous little "ghost" that makes funny faces?
The instant he saw Gengar, countless tactical ideas flooded Linck's mind.
In battle, Gengar excelled at special attacks. Like Gardevoir, it could serve as a mobile artillery piece.
But unlike Gardevoir, Gengar had a unique advantage, it could employ a wide range of status-inflicting techniques.
In reality, unlike in the games, there was no restriction that a target could only suffer from one negative condition at a time.
Linck could have Gardevoir teleport with Gengar in tow, while Gengar relentlessly unleashed Will-O-Wisp, Curse, Confuse Ray, Hypnosis, and more.
Layered with multiple debuffs, the enemy would be overwhelmed and finished off in one fell swoop.
Just imagining that scene made Linck almost feel the enemy's despair.
Unable to catch them, unable to land a solid hit, forced to silently endure the corrosive effects of status ailments, eventually being tormented to death by Gengar.
And that was just Gengar's battle potential. It had other uses, too.
For example, Gengar could swallow objects into its body, functioning as a living backpack.
Now Linck no longer needed to carry supplies when traveling; he could simply summon Gengar whenever needed. Utterly convenient.
Moreover, Gengar could hide within a person's shadow. Linck could simply let Gengar lurk in his own shadow most of the time.
That way, even if he wasn't paying attention, Gengar could still activate protective skills like Protect to guard him.
With Gengar, Linck's already formidable survival ability increased dramatically!
On the surface, he had Gardevoir's teleportation to retreat; in secret, Gengar's constant vigilance.
The only slight flaw was that Gengar's current strength was still a bit lacking.
But that was fine, his Vows and Restrictions had been prepared precisely for this!
Since Gengar was already in his personal top tier, Linck had no trouble recalling its complete data.
The one-minute recitation began!
Name: Gengar. Type: Ghost/Poison. Ability: Cursed Body...
[Name: Gengar]
[Ability: Cursed Body]
[Type: Ghost / Poison]
[Strength: A–]
[Moves: Shadow Ball, Dark Pulse, Toxic...]
Just like Gardevoir, Gengar's strength leapt instantly to the maximum potential allowed by his Vows and Restrictions—an entire full stage of power!
Now Linck commanded not just one, but two Pokémon within the A-rank tier.
As Linck broke into a wide, delighted grin, the battlefield itself underwent a bizarre and sinister transformation...