Chapter 422: The Rage Phantom's Ascension
[Prismatic Hex Core: Hedge Fund]
Description: Select one Pokémon to receive a "Temporal Loan." The target
instantly gains two years' worth of natural growth and experience.
Penalty: For the next two years, the target's experience gain and growth rate
are reduced by 60%.
Kenji stared at the screen, his heart skipping a beat. This version of Hedge
Fund didn't grant gold—it granted time.
Two years of growth in the blink of an eye. For a Pokémon with elite potential,
two years was an eternity. It was the difference between a promising prospect
and a world-class disaster.
I can literally manufacture a Champion-tier Pokémon right now, Kenji realized.
The penalty was a 60% reduction in future growth for two years, but Kenji didn't
care. With his resources and the System's buffs, he could compensate for that
later. The immediate power spike was too valuable to pass up.
The question was: Who gets the investment?
He ran through his secondary roster—the ones currently struggling to keep pace
with his "God-tier" starters: Annihilape, Ditto, Serperior, and Slaking.
Serperior and Ditto were underleveled simply because they were the newest
additions. Slaking, much like his Gyarados, was capped by his S+ potential and
further hindered by his Truant ability, causing him to fall behind the main
group's frantic pace.
In reality, none of them were "weak." Compared to the geniuses of his generation
like Tyson Tang or Bai Bai, Kenji's "weakest" Pokémon were still monsters. But
Kenji wasn't competing with his peers anymore; he was challenging the Road to
the Championship.
He quickly eliminated the candidates.
Serperior was the "model student." She was disciplined, followed every training
regimen to the letter, and was perfectly content being a support specialist. She
lacked the raw, burning desire for individual dominance.
Ditto was basically a toddler. Despite its Mew-infused DNA, its playfulness was
its primary trait. It struggled to focus on a single training session for more
than ten minutes. It wanted to see the world, not conquer it.
Then there was Slaking. Slaking's life goal was to eat until full and sleep
until noon. To Slaking, "getting stronger" was a chore that got in the way of a
good nap. If it could survive by doing nothing, it would.
That left Annihilape.
Kenji pulled a Poké Ball from his belt and tossed it.
"ANN-HI!"
Annihilape materialized in the hotel room. It immediately began picking its nose
with one hand while its eyes darted around, looking for something to break or
prank. Mischief was literally vibrating off its fur.
To ensure things didn't get out of hand, Kenji also released Darkrai.
The moment Annihilape saw the Nightmare God, it froze, its hand dropping from
its nose. It still had trauma from the time in Metropolis when it tried to blow
up a lab building and Darkrai trapped it in a nightmare for twenty-four hours
straight.
Seeing the monkey settle down, Kenji focused his mind. Select Target:
Annihilape. Activate Hex Core: Hedge Fund.
Instantly, a pillar of blinding white light—similar to the light of
evolution—engulfed Annihilape.
Before the boost, Annihilape was Level 64, a solid Gym Leader-tier combatant
after six months of hard training. But two years of "loaned" time was about to
change everything.
The light flared, then slowly receded.
Standing in the room was the same monkey, but its aura had undergone a total
metamorphosis. The gray, ghostly mist surrounding its body was now thick and
roiling like a storm cloud. Its eyes glowed with a terrifying, lucid malice.
[Pokémon Status]
Name: Annihilape (4-Star) Gender: Male Level: 86 Type: Fighting / Ghost Base
Stats (Total 715):
- HP: 145 / Atk: 155 / Def: 110 / SpA: 65 / SpD: 120 / Speed: 120 Abilities:
Defiant, Confidence (Moxie) Items: Radiant Bloodthirster, Radiant Sterak's
Gage, Radiant Edge of Night. Potential: Limit (Max)
Level 86.
Kenji's breath hitched. In two "loaned" years, Annihilape had gained 22
levels—nearly one level per month. Given Kenji's infinite supply of high-grade
resources and the monkey's own "Limit" potential, this was a perfectly logical
progression.
At Level 86, an Annihilape utilizing a fully-stacked Rage Fist was a threat that
even a Master-tier Pokémon would have to take seriously.
The power spike made Annihilape incredibly arrogant. It flexed its muscles, the
ghostly energy around it flaring as it looked at Darkrai with a sudden,
rebellious glint in its eyes. It felt like it could finally take its "bully"
down.
Darkrai tilted its head, its blue eyes remaining cold and unimpressed.
It didn't even bother to move. Darkrai simply snapped its fingers, releasing a
localized Hypnosis.
Before Annihilape could even throw a punch, its eyelids grew heavy. Its newfound
power couldn't save it from the sheer gap in mental authority. The monkey
wobbled, let out a confused snort, and face-planted onto the carpet, fast
asleep.
Darkrai looked at Kenji as if to say, "He's still a brat."
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