"Now! Flare Blitz!"
Night had fallen over the Anping City Pokémon Battle Center.
Inside the main training arena—
The instant Gao Tianming gave the command, Charmeleon, still spinning through the air, suddenly halted.
The flame on its tail blazed as if someone had poured fuel onto it.
In an instant, roaring fire engulfed its entire body.
"Be careful! Its power has increased!"
Watching the Charmeleon hanging in midair like a miniature sun, Qiao Cheng's expression grew serious.
"Meet it head-on with Thunder Punch!"
Ever since Meloetta's guidance, Electabuzz had become increasingly synchronized with Qiao Cheng.
Before the command had even fully left his mouth, Electabuzz was already charging forward.
The two antennae atop its head crackled with electricity as golden lightning wrapped around both fists.
"Electaaa!"
Facing the blazing "sun" descending toward it, Electabuzz showed not the slightest trace of fear.
It swung both fists straight ahead.
BOOM!!
The instant the two immense forces collided—
The special energy absorption devices surrounding the battlefield roared to life, preventing the overflowing energy from reaching the Trainers watching nearby.
Even so...
The battlefield itself fared far worse.
Fire and lightning intertwined violently.
The ground seemed to cook beneath the impact.
Scorching heat billowed upward as the arena floor blackened and split apart.
"Char!"
Several seconds later...
The clash finally ended with Charmeleon landing steadily on the ground.
Although both sides had intentionally held back...
Gao Tianming still couldn't hide his disappointment.
Charmeleon had already reached its limit.
It had even activated Blaze.
Meanwhile, although Electabuzz's body was covered in burns and it panted heavily...
Compared to Charmeleon—
Who could no longer even stand—
Its condition was clearly much better.
They had lost.
"Brother Qiao."
"Thanks for staying up this late to train with me."
"No problem."
Qiao Cheng waved it off.
Watching the young man skillfully tending to Charmeleon's injuries, he couldn't help sighing inwardly.
The day after the Pikachu Cup finals...
All Trainers selected for the Extreme Challenge Summer Camp had begun undergoing brutal official training.
Physical conditioning.
Trainer lectures.
One-on-one specialized coaching.
Move mastery.
Weakness correction.
Daily practice matches.
Weekly rankings.
Even many adults found the schedule overwhelming.
Yet among all the participants...
Two minors adapted astonishingly quickly.
Not only that—
They voluntarily added extra training every single day.
One was You, who had joined the authorities long ago and was already familiar with this sort of regimen.
The other...
Was Gao Tianming.
It was obvious that Gao Tianming had struggled terribly at first.
On the very first day...
The training had exhausted him so badly that he'd vomited.
Even so...
He had gritted his teeth and persevered.
Together with Charmeleon, he continued growing stronger at an incredible pace beneath the camp's harsh discipline.
Inspired by Gao Tianming and You...
Every aspiring professional Trainer in the camp pushed themselves even harder.
At the same time, however...
Many people secretly wondered something.
Why was Gao Tianming working this hard?
This wasn't simply diligence anymore.
It bordered on desperation.
Those questions remained unanswered...
Until everyone watched Chen Mo's livestream a few days earlier.
Once...
A group of like-minded people had gathered together with dreams of changing the world.
Now...
Only Gao Tianming remained.
What emotions lay hidden behind the cheerful smile that young man always wore while battling?
No one knew.
"I knew you guys were secretly doing extra training again."
A familiar voice suddenly echoed from the entrance.
Gao Tianming and Qiao Cheng both looked over.
Chen Haoran.
Song Qingyun.
Xiao Fan.
Wu Zhenghao.
The four approached together with their Pokémon.
Looking at the battlefield, now practically in ruins...
Song Qingyun rubbed his forehead with a sigh.
"Sigh..."
"Do you two have any idea that the Rhydon responsible for repairing the battlefields already have enough complaints without having to work overtime every morning because of you?"
"Well..."
Qiao Cheng looked embarrassed.
"Honestly."
"What are we supposed to do with you?"
Suddenly, Song Qingyun grinned.
"Fortunately, I planned ahead."
"I brought Brother Fan along."
"With his Graveler, repairing the field shouldn't be difficult."
"But before that..."
"Zhenghao."
"Want to have a match with my Loudred?"
"Sure."
Wu Zhenghao nodded and immediately headed toward his Trainer's position.
Gao Tianming blinked.
"You guys..."
"What?"
Song Qingyun raised an eyebrow.
"Only you're allowed to stay behind for extra training?"
"We want to get stronger too."
"The first ranking tournament is almost here."
"I refuse to finish dead last."
"And besides..."
"Don't think you're leaving us behind."
The true purpose of the Extreme Challenge Summer Camp wasn't merely professional instruction.
It was bringing together these talented young Trainers—each with wildly different personalities, yet sharing the same goal.
Their rivalry.
Their friendship.
Their constant competition.
All of it would accelerate everyone's growth.
Watching Song Qingyun walk toward the battlefield...
Gao Tianming stood frozen.
Once upon a time...
Someone had said nearly the same thing to him.
"Xiao Ming, you're a genius."
"But don't think you'll leave us behind."
"Even if you become the world's strongest Trainer..."
"We'll keep chasing after you."
"And if you ever slack off..."
"We'll be the ones to surpass you."
"So..."
"Never stop moving forward."
It felt like something from another lifetime.
Yet at the same time...
As though it had happened only yesterday.
He had continued running desperately toward his dream of becoming the world's strongest.
Never once slowing down.
Yet...
Those people who had promised to stay right behind him...
Were all gone.
Why...?
Gao Tianming slowly raised a hand toward those blurry memories...
Then quietly lowered it again.
Xiao Fan and Qiao Cheng exchanged worried glances.
Just as they were about to say something—
Rapid footsteps echoed down the hallway.
"Ah Hui?!"
Chen Haoran stared in confusion.
"Didn't you say you were staying in tonight to watch Brother Mo's stream instead of training?"
"Something happened."
"Something huge."
Panting heavily, Ah Hui's gaze landed directly on Gao Tianming.
"Brother Mo encountered a ghost during the stream."
"It wasn't a Ghost-type Pokémon."
"It was the ghost of an actual dead person."
"And Brother Mo said..."
"His name was Qin Kaicheng."
"...!"
Hearing that familiar name—
Gao Tianming's entire body trembled.
He slowly turned around.
His voice shook.
"...What did you say?"
Life at the Extreme Challenge Summer Camp left everyone incredibly busy.
Although everyone knew Chen Mo had been investigating Gao Tianming's former companions...
They had no idea how far those investigations had progressed.
"...That's basically what happened."
As Chen Mo's most devoted fan—who always found time to watch every evening—Ah Hui briefly recounted everything that had happened in Crescent Moon Town.
Then he looked toward the silent young man.
"Tianming."
"What are you going to do?"
"Are you going back?"
"I..."
Gao Tianming opened his mouth.
Countless memories replayed inside his mind.
After a long silence...
He slowly shook his head.
"...Forget it."
"I'm not going."
"Why?!"
Song Qingyun immediately jumped to his feet.
His voice rose.
"Weren't those people the most important people in your life?!"
"Qingyun."
"Calm down."
Xiao Fan quietly tugged at his pants leg.
Keeping his head lowered, Gao Tianming remained silent for a long time.
Only then did he force out an awkward smile.
"Brother Mo already explained it."
"He can only see spirits because he's the Hero of Ideals."
"Normally..."
"Aside from Ghost-type Pokémon..."
"Ordinary people can't see the spirits of the dead."
"So even if I returned to Crescent Moon Town..."
"I still wouldn't be able to see Brother Cheng."
"Besides..."
"My goal is to become the world's strongest."
"To show everyone the bond between humans and Pokémon."
"That was the promise I made with them."
"The competition here is already so intense."
"Everyone's improving every single day."
"If I left now..."
"Wouldn't all my hard work go to waste?"
"And besides..."
The more Gao Tianming spoke...
The more emotional he became.
Then—
"Enough!"
Song Qingyun suddenly roared.
"...Qingyun."
"Tianming."
"The person standing here right now..."
"Isn't the Gao Tianming I know."
Song Qingyun looked directly into his eyes.
"The Gao Tianming I know..."
"Faces every hardship."
"Faces every setback."
"And keeps moving forward with passion and a smile."
"If this is the version of you who's staying here at summer camp..."
"Then I honestly believe..."
"Even I can surpass you."
"I'm serious."
Silence filled the arena.
Xiao Fan once again helplessly tugged at Song Qingyun's pants.
Just as everyone stood there, unsure what to say—
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Slow, steady applause echoed from nearby.
Everyone turned.
At some point...
Zhou Yichuan, still dressed in his white lab coat, had quietly arrived.
"Qingyun's right."
His gaze slowly swept across everyone.
"Brother Chuan..."
Song Qingyun looked awkward.
After all...
According to camp rules, sneaking out for extra training after lights-out wasn't allowed.
Being caught red-handed by one of the supervisors...
Was naturally embarrassing.
Zhou Yichuan ignored the others.
Instead, he looked directly at Gao Tianming.
"Tianming."
"If I remember correctly..."
"Your goal is to surpass Xiao Mo."
"And become the world's strongest Trainer."
"...Yes."
For some reason...
The confident "Yes!" Gao Tianming would normally shout never came.
Facing Zhou Yichuan's sharp gaze...
He merely nodded uncertainly.
"Then the answer is simple."
Zhou Yichuan spoke each word slowly.
"Someone who cannot face his past..."
"Can never become the strongest in the world."
"..."
Gao Tianming stared blankly at him.
Unable to say a word.
Zhou Yichuan didn't wait for a response.
"Go back."
"Think carefully about what I just said."
"And..."
"I'll keep a leave request ready for your trip to Crescent Moon Town."
"When you've figured things out..."
"Come find me."
"But don't take too long."
With that, he turned toward the rest of the group.
"How many times have I told you?"
"Training requires balance."
"The training plans we've designed are customized specifically for each of you."
"Don't think working yourselves to death will make you stronger."
"Overtraining will only destroy your bodies."
"So..."
"What are you all still standing around for?"
"Go back and get some sleep!"
Seeing the anger gradually appear on Zhou Yichuan's face...
No one dared linger.
Song Qingyun and Xiao Fan hurriedly dragged the stunned Gao Tianming away, chasing after Ah Hui and the others who had already fled.
Only after everyone disappeared...
Did Zhou Yichuan sigh helplessly.
Looking up at the bright lights illuminating the stadium...
He muttered to himself.
"I knew it..."
"Xiao Mo."
"No matter where you go..."
"You always stir something up."
"...Tch."
"So humans really do become ghosts after death."
"The higher-ups are going to have another headache."
"What a pain..."
Throughout human history...
Stories of spirits and ghosts had existed in every civilization.
Among them...
No question fascinated humanity more than:
What happens after death?
Does the soul exist?
Where does it go?
Now...
It seemed that veil had finally been lifted—
If only by a corner.
Without question...
After news of "A Ghost Appears in Crescent Moon Town" spread from Chen Mo's livestream...
The already explosive viewer count surged even higher.
"...I haven't really talked about this topic before."
"Since we've encountered it today..."
"This is probably a good opportunity to explain a little."
"The Pokémon world..."
"Is actually extremely complex."
"It contains many parallel worlds."
"And even within a single world..."
"There exist numerous alternate dimensions."
"Some Pokémon that inhabit those dimensions even invade the Pokémon world's primary world."
"That's right."
"Even the Pokémon world itself can be invaded by outsiders."
"Sounds complicated, doesn't it?"
"But that's how it is."
"We'll go into the details another time."
"Back to the main topic."
"Among those many dimensions surrounding the primary world..."
"There is one particularly special place."
"Much like the underworld described in our traditional culture..."
"It's said to be the final destination of all departed life."
"Whether human..."
"Or Pokémon..."
"Once life comes to an end..."
"They all journey there."
"And that place is called..."
Chen Mo paused.
He glanced at the flood of comments filling the screen.
Then quietly spoke two words.
"The Spirit World."
🌟 60+ Chapters Ahead!
👉 [email protected]/plotwired
💬 10 Reviews = 🎁 Bonus Chapter
🔷 100 Power Stones = ⚡ New Chapter
🔥 The more you support, the faster the story grows!