Chapter 458: The Devil's Deal
With the coronation complete, Kenji finally had a moment to himself. He
retreated to his private suite within the Phoenix Nest, locked the door, and
prepared to claim the reward he had earned for becoming the Grand Champion of
the Huaxia League.
An extraction from the Prismatic Hex Core pool.
Kenji rubbed his hands together, his heart racing. Prismatic cores were the
highest tier of the System's power; every one he had obtained so far—from
Dazzling Speed to Spectral Cutlass—had fundamentally broken the rules of the
world.
"System! Extract!"
DING! Commencing Prismatic Hex Core extraction... DING! Processing... DING!
Congratulations! You have obtained the Prismatic Hex Core: Devil's Deal!
Kenji froze. "Devil's Deal?"
In the source game, this was one of the most high-risk, high-reward augments
available. It replaced the cost of leveling up (Gold) with the player's own
Health. You could hit the level cap in a single turn, but one mistake afterward
would mean instant death.
He quickly pulled up the localized description.
[Prismatic Hex Core: Devil's Deal]
Effect: The designated Pokémon may "sacrifice" a portion of its maximum
lifespan/vitality in exchange for immediate experience and level growth. The
greater the sacrifice, the more explosive the power spike.
Passive: The target receives a daily infusion of Vitality Essence to slowly
replenish their life-force reserves.
Kenji's eyes lit up with a predatory glint. The System had translated the
mechanic perfectly. In this world, the "currency" for growth was time and
training. Devil's Deal allowed a Pokémon to bypass years of effort by "paying"
with its own biological clock.
"This is broken," Kenji whispered. "If I give this to a standard Pokémon, I
might accidentally kill them. But if I give it to a God..."
He knew exactly who this belonged to: Darkrai.
The Nightmare God was his second-strongest asset, but it was currently stuck at
Level 89. Because of its Mythical nature, the amount of experience it needed to
reach the Master Tier was astronomical. At its current rate, it would take years
to hit Level 100.
But Darkrai was functionally immortal. Its lifespan wasn't measured in decades,
but in eons. Sacrificing a few centuries of life for the power of a Tier-1 God
was a bargain of a lifetime.
With Devil's Deal, Darkrai could reach the Master Tier before the World
Championship even began. A Level 100 Nightmare God wouldn't just be an "Eight
Masters" contender; it would be a world-ending threat.
The following weeks were a whirlwind of administrative duties. Kenji quickly
learned that being the Grand Champion was less about battling and more about
being the nation's primary crisis manager.
Though R-Organization had been dismantled, the underworld remained. As the
saying went: When a titan falls, a thousand scavengers rise. The vacuum left by
Silas Matsuma's empire had sparked a turf war among smaller, more reckless
criminal syndicates.
They lacked Team Rocket's discipline and subtlety, making them easier to catch
but more prone to causing public chaos. Kenji spent his days coordinating League
Investigators and deploying rapid-response teams.
Under his leadership, the Huaxia League began a "Zero Tolerance" policy toward
these upstarts. Kenji also began pushing for a "Civilian Talent Initiative." He
knew that many kids joined gangs because they lacked the resources to become
legitimate trainers. By lowering the barrier to entry and providing
League-sponsored grants for commoners, he aimed to starve the syndicates of
their recruits.
It was a slow, "tug-of-war" game of politics and social engineering, but Kenji
was determined. He wanted a League that was strong because of its people, not
just its icons.
As the months passed, a second bombshell hit the Huaxia news cycles.
Zhurong Yun, the recently retired Champion, had officially accepted a new post.
He was now the Northwest Elite Four.
This was almost unprecedented in the League's history. A former Champion
"stepping down" to fill a regional seat was a massive power move.
But Yun's motivation was clear. After his defeat, he had undergone a period of
intense soul-searching. His Blaziken had emerged from its "Baptism of Fire"
stronger than ever, its power now surpassing even Elder Qi's Emboar. Yun didn't
want to retire; he wanted a seat in the Eight Masters. By taking the Northwest
post, he remained active in the League's top tier, ensuring he stayed eligible
for the global circuit.
This transition finally allowed Rainey Chang to achieve her dream. With a
Champion-tier replacement secured, she officially handed over her duties and
vanished on a world-tour vacation.
To help Kenji navigate the mountain of paperwork, Elite Four Lawson remained as
his primary advisor. The old man's experience was invaluable, ensuring the young
Champion didn't get buried in bureaucracy while he continued to train his team
for the final stage.
Between his duties and his training, Kenji was happy. He was the most powerful
man in the country, his team was reaching the level of Gods, and for the first
time, he felt like he was truly building something that would outlast him.
The horizon was calling. The World Championship was next.
♧♧♧
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