Janine reached for a necklace around her neck, detaching a pendant. From it, she released a Tentacruel.
This specimen was terrifying to behold. It featured two large, red agate-like orbs on its head, but one of its eyes was scarred over and blind. Its body was a deep, bruised black, and instead of the usual 80 tentacles, Feng Che's psychic scan revealed well over a hundred. Purple venom seeped from their tips, sizzling as it hit the arena floor and eating out small pits in the stone.
The Tentacruel erupted with a genuine Elite-level aura.
"Go, Corviknight!" Feng Che countered.
The armored bird flapped its wings, soaring into the sky with a series of harsh screeches.
"So this is Feng Che's true ace. It's already at the Elite level," Lorelei whispered to Agatha. "He's much stronger than I anticipated."
"I told you he has Champion potential," Agatha replied meaningfully. "A golden dragon isn't meant for a shallow pond; he's destined for the clouds."
On the field, the battle was fierce. Tentacruel's tentacles whipped through the air like steel cables, striking Corviknight with enough force to shatter boulders.
"Tentacruel, Acupressure!"
The jellyfish struck its own red gems with its tentacles, letting out a piercing shriek. Suddenly, more tentacles sprouted from its base—it had become a literal mountain of lashing limbs.
"Corviknight, Flash Cannon!"
Corviknight's steel plumage gleamed. Beams of silver-gray light shot forth, but Tentacruel countered with Brutal Swing, its hundred tentacles forming a shield of black blurs that swatted the beams aside. However, the sheer cutting power of the Flash Cannon eventually sliced through half of the tentacles.
To the audience's shock, the severed limbs regrew almost instantly.
"How can it regenerate that fast without water?" Brock asked.
"Tentacruel are 98% water," Misty explained, her eyes wide. "Look closely—it's using Aqua Ring. It's constantly healing. Janine's father bred this one perfectly. My strongest Gyarados wouldn't stand a chance."
Feng Che narrowed his eyes. "Regenerating? Not if Corviknight is faster. Corviknight, Agility!"
The bird became a teal streak of light. The audience lost sight of it entirely. All they saw were the tentacles of Tentacruel being sliced away at a rate far exceeding its ability to regrow. It shrank in size as its internal fluids were depleted.
"I forfeit!" Janine cried out, seeing her partner exhausted and unable to maintain its form.
"Winner: Feng Che!" Agatha applauded. "The final spots for the training camp are set: Feng Che, Sabrina, Misty, and Blaine."
Agatha warned those staying behind to be vigilant. "I suspect bad actors may try to stir trouble while our best are away. I will have my Ghost-types monitoring the cities."
The Secret Briefing
That night, Feng Che and Sabrina reported to Giovanni via a secure line.
"Feng Che, Sabrina... when you enter the World League HQ, strip yourselves of any Rocket insignia," Giovanni warned, his face shadowed. "The security there is absolute. I once attended their training; there is much to learn, but the current head, Sky, is the world's only Master-class trainer. He despises underground organizations."
"If you are exposed, you will be thrown into a dungeon you'll never escape. However, if you perform well, you might be stationed in Unova or Hoenn as an Elite. That would be a massive boon for our expansion."
"And one more thing," Giovanni's eyes turned cold. "If they send you to Poacher's Island... be wary. King Kai is a viper. He has rigged that island with traps that can kill a Champion."