Meanwhile, all sorts of battles broke out in the venue's other passageways, but only a handful of them ultimately produced victorious Trainers.
The rest were naturally imprisoned by Darkrai beneath the Black Crystal Pillar, also known as the Nightmare Pillar, supplying an endless stream of energy.
Within the Nightmare Pillar, Darkrai's eyes flashed, and a carefully prepared puppet stepped onto the stage to clear away every obstacle to the grand performance.
Still, more Trainers passed the test than I expected. It seems a few rats slipped in.
No matter. Whether they're helping Celebi or not, they must all be eliminated!
Darkrai thought coldly, then slowly closed those blue eyes again. Creating a dream space capable of trapping Celebi was no easy task.
Especially since Darkrai intended to bring a pawn along, which was why the Nightmare Pillar had been built to provide a constant supply of energy.
Even then, only one Trainer and three Pokémon could enter.
Hence the plan to invite the strongest Trainers, all to select a suitable individual.
At the same time, to prevent excessively powerful individuals or other complications from arising, the Elite Four, Champions, and other exceptionally famous humans had been excluded.
Thus, all the selected candidates were highly promising, outstanding individuals who had been listed by Team Rocket or even committed to memory by that woman.
Even Darkrai felt wary at the thought of Team Rocket's woman. Had Darkrai chosen a direct confrontation instead of subtly guiding and influencing her through hypnosis in her dreams, things would likely have become very troublesome.
That was why beings on the level of the Elite Four and Champions had been excluded.
The most important quality in a pawn was controllability. Only then could it serve Darkrai's interests with absolute certainty.
Anyone who could not be controlled or