A ghost!

Not only Bai Ze, but even his Jangmo-o was a little bewildered.

Was this Pikachu really that tough?

Its hands had gone numb from hitting Pikachu!

Since entering the tournament, the worst injury Pikachu had suffered had come not from an opponent, but from Volt Tackle's recoil.

After all, that stuff ignored both defensive stats.

Su Bai shook his head with a chuckle. Sorry, a cheater like me is the perfect counter to prodigies like you.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu fired off a Thunderbolt, knocking out the already somewhat exhausted Jangmo-o.

Jangmo-o hadn't even managed to use Protect.

"Damn it! Go, Hakamo-o!"

"Pikachu, Volt Switch!"

The moment Hakamo-o appeared, Pikachu hit it with Volt Switch, dealing damage.

Growlithe took the field again, and its Intimidate lowered Hakamo-o's physical attack.

"Hakamo-o! Use Drain Punch!"

"Growlithe, come back!"

As Hakamo-o charged over, Su Bai recalled Growlithe and sent Pikachu out again.

Bai Ze's brows knitted tightly. He was getting a little carried away.

"Hakamo-o! Drain Punch!"

"Don't let it hit you! Quick Attack!"

Pikachu kept using Quick Attack to dodge Hakamo-o's attacks, moving faster and faster.

"Let's see you dodge this! Hakamo-o! Earthquake!"

"Climb onto Hakamo-o!"

Hakamo-o stomped both feet on the ground to use Earthquake. Pikachu made a little hop, then scrambled up Hakamo-o's body and onto its head.

Hakamo-o was furious.

As a Dragon-type-and a proud fighting dragon at that-Hakamo-o couldn't tolerate a little mouse climbing onto its head.

"Hakamo-o, calm down! Use Giga Impact to shake Pikachu off!"

"Pikachu, use Grass Knot!"

Naturally, Su Bai couldn't let Bai Ze have his way. Pikachu's eyes shone, and a loop of grass suddenly appeared on the ground, tripping Hakamo-o.

"Now! Thunderbolt at full power!"

"Pi-ka-chu!"

Pikachu clung tightly to Hakamo-o's head with its stubby little paws and unleashed Thunderbolt.

Aside from a few exceptions, the head was a weak point for any Pokémon.

Hakamo-o felt as though its brains had been grilled by the electricity. Sprinkle on some cumin and barbecue seasoning, and they would be ready to serve.

With a dull thud, Hakamo-o collapsed reluctantly onto the ground.

The entire venue erupted as the host excitedly announced Su Bai as the champion of this Health Cup.

The stands became a sea of joy, with everyone caught up in the excitement.

Even the J University students who hadn't supported Su Bai earlier applauded as though they had forgotten all about that.

In the guest seats, directors and teachers from the various schools shook hands with one another, the relief in their eyes speaking for itself.

Although the trophy hadn't gone to a student from their own school, at least it had stayed in J City.

Director Li hurried down from the stage. She was delighted.

But she was also the busiest person there.

As Su Bai's teacher, she had to take part in the award presentation, photographs, and other publicity activities.

Moreover, Director Li could clearly see that quite a few companies selling Pokémon items and nutritional supplements had already approached Su Bai outside the arena.

Su Bai had reached the finals without a single loss, relying on Pikachu alone in the early rounds. His victories had been nothing short of impressive.

These companies were probably approaching Su Bai to discuss endorsements and promotional work.

She had to help vet those offers, lest the joy of victory go to Su Bai's head and he casually agree to some trap of a contract, suffering a major loss later.

That was also Qi Shijun's wish. If his position hadn't made it inconvenient for him to get involved personally, he would have come himself.

Su Bai had no time to worry about any of that right now.

The system's "Press Onward" quest was complete. Su Bai had received ten bottles of Special Attack Potion and accumulated another ten random draws, bringing his total to ninety.

Once he received the credits awarded for winning the Health Cup and earning two Gym Badges, Su Bai would get his second Chosen Lucky One random draw.

Just thinking about it was exciting.

"Man, you're really strong. Come visit Ji Province sometime! Dinner's on me!"

Bai Ze came over openly to shake hands. To him, this tournament had been nothing more than an ordinary chance to gain experience.

To put it bluntly, he had just been playing around.

Rather than winning a city-level amateur tournament trophy that would be a nuisance to carry around, he was happier to have met a promising expert like Su Bai.

"Not at all. You're strong too, man. Thanks for the match!"

Su Bai shook his hand just as openly. Bai Ze had none of the obnoxious habits of those spoiled rich kids, which made him pleasant company.

Next came the award ceremony.

Su Bai took first place, Bai Ze second, and Zi Shang third, and each received their prizes.

Su Bai received a Devon Scope, a Devon Good Fishing Rod, and a Thunder Stone of genuinely high quality.

Although Su Bai couldn't judge its quality, the system could.

The system's assessment of the Thunder Stone was: [Top-grade Thunder Stone with extremely high integrity ×1]

After the award ceremony, Bai Ze insisted on getting to know Su Bai and Zi Shang, along with Zhang Zhi, who had narrowly lost to Zi Shang earlier.

They were all talented young people who had just competed, and they respected one another, so none of them refused.

Bai Ze's choice of entertainment was rather distinctive too: the gang would book an all-night gaming session!

Only after turning on a computer did Su Bai believe that Bai Ze really had meant an all-night gaming session.

"You're different from the usual rich kids."

"Brother, read fewer webnovels. Not everyone from a wealthy family is an idiot whose brain contains nothing but women and anger. We prefer winning people over to crushing them. Besides, I'm different from your average rich kid."

Bai Ze smiled slightly, his hands clattering away on the keyboard.

"Next time we meet, you're welcome to challenge my Gym!"

"Your family runs a Gym?"

Seeing the others exchange bewildered looks, Bai Ze grinned cheekily and told them he was the trainee Gym Trainer of the True Martial Gym in Ji Province.

"Then give me a Gym Badge right now."

"In your dreams!"

At midnight, Su Bai received a call from Qi Shijun asking where he was.

Hearing that Su Bai was out having fun, Qi Shijun told him that having fun was fine, but he absolutely must not go outside.

Someone had reported an extremely powerful Gengar that had drifted into J City at some unknown point. It was now roaming around, playing ghost and frightening people, and had already scared several people unconscious.

Qi Shijun was searching everywhere for it, but this Gengar was very crafty. Su Bai must not go outside under any circumstances.

Su Bai assured him that he wouldn't leave before dawn.

He finally made it to four o'clock, when the sky had begun to brighten faintly. After eating two tubs of instant noodles, Su Bai simply couldn't hold out any longer, so he said goodbye and headed home.

If he didn't go home soon, never mind Pikachu-even Growlithe would go stir-crazy inside its Pokémon Ball.

Fortunately, their gathering place wasn't very far away, and he could walk home.

It's only a short walk, and it's already getting light. Surely I won't be unlucky enough to run into a ghost?

On the way back, Su Bai let Growlithe out to romp around nearby.

But when they entered an alley, Growlithe suddenly turned around and bared its teeth viciously at Su Bai.

Pikachu seemed to realize something was wrong too, and arcs of electricity crackled from the electric sacs on its cheeks.

Su Bai was still puzzled when he suddenly felt something touch the back of his neck. Then the temperature around him began to drop.

Bright red blood began seeping from the white walls on either side, while faint ghostly figures drifted around him.

No way. I can't be that unlucky, can I?

Su Bai remembered the Devon Scope he had just received. Luckily, he hadn't exchanged it.

Once he put on the Devon Scope, all the eerie things around him disappeared.

Su Bai turned around and found a huge face right in front of him, its scarlet tongue sticking out, corrosive acid dripping from it.

"A ghost!"

Despite having prepared himself mentally, Su Bai still jumped in fright. The huge face opposite him jolted too.

"Where's the ghost? Where's the ghost?"

Watching it bounce around in a panic, Su Bai was at a loss.

"Hey! Stop yelling. You're the ghost!"

"Oh, right! I'm the ghost!"

Gengar giggled, its stark white teeth and blood-red eyes looking creepy no matter how he looked at them.