Chapter 1: Decades of Hardship, Cain Aiming for Koga
League Year 750
The 9th Elite Four Challenge held every four years
Time had passed, and Cain was now an old man with white hair. The years had left deep marks on his face.
Cain looked up at the sky, where the wind was gentle and the clouds were thin. Another four years had passed, and his Drapion and Ariados had been successfully raised. This time, victory was within his grasp.
"Come on out, Ariados."
A blood-red giant spider with piercing eyes appeared. Its two exposed fangs rubbed together, making a "clack" sound as it searched for its prey.
Cain, the current gym leader of the Ecruteak Gym, was the strongest gym leader in the city's region and had long coveted the position of Poison-type Elite Four member held by Koga.
"Cain's first Pokémon is Ariados. This is the old man's third attempt at challenging for the position of Poison-type Elite Four member. Will he fulfill his dream this time, as he's now over sixty years old? Let's wait and see."
The announcer held a microphone and shouted, his voice deafening.
The atmosphere among the audience was stirred up.
"Now, please welcome our Poison-type Elite Four member, Koga."
Amidst the cries of the announcer and the noise of the audience, an older ninja with white hair appeared opposite Cain.
Koga, a senior Poison-type Indigo Elite Four in the Kanto region, was on par with the Psychic-type Elite Four member, Will. However, Koga's strength was somewhat inferior to Will 's.
"Cain, you're too obsessed. You should enjoy your twilight years."
Koga looked at his familiar yet strange "old friend" opposite him and teased.
Cain still had a gloomy face, unmoved by Koga's words.
"Enough talk, let's battle."
Koga showed a mysterious smile and shook his head, saying, "Arbok, come on out."
Arbok's eyes were cold, and it constantly flicked its forked tongue.
Ariados and Arbok stared at each other, and the field was silent. The atmosphere was freezing cold.
A gentle breeze passed by...
Arbok slithered forward in an S-shaped motion, its mouth wide open and its fangs like hooks, exuding a chilling light.
Ariados kept its eyes on the rapidly approaching Arbok.
In the blink of an eye, Arbok closed the distance to Ariados, just as it was about to strike.
A spider web unfolded, blocking Arbok's path and binding it, preventing it from moving forward.
"Fire Fang."
Seeing Arbok fail to land a hit and fall behind, Koga issued his command.
The spider web was sticky and strong, its greatest weakness being fire.
Arbok's fangs were wrapped in flames as it bit towards the spider web.
"Now's the time, Ariados."
Cain seized the opportunity, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
As Arbok opened its mouth, Ariados shot a powerful poison into it.
"What's the meaning of this? Why would Cain, a Poison-type expert, use a Poison-type move against another Poison-type?"
The host's puzzled words had just fallen when Arbok was already writhing in pain on the ground, confusing everyone present.
At this moment, Koga spoke, "Cain, the power of your Ariados is truly extraordinary."
"Koga, are you trying to deceive me?"
Cain calmed his mind, and by now, Ariados had already dealt with Arbok.
Koga's heart remained undisturbed as he silently withdrew Arbok. After all, the first five Pokémon he had used were merely meant to weaken Cain mentally, so he threw the Poké Ball to a disciple by his side.
He knew that Arbok was now useless, as the Ariados that Cain had cultivated had an incredibly potent poison that Arbok simply couldn't withstand. Its poison sac had been ruptured.
At this point, Arbok could no longer use its poison and was as good as a useless snake.
Cain's Ariados was on a roll, and Koga's five consecutive Pokémon had their poison sacs ruptured, resulting in defeat!
The match was one-sided, and both the host and audience sighed, unable to believe that Koga, who had been the Poison-type Elite Four member for so many years, could be so easily defeated.
Even Cain was continuously suppressing his excitement, as if he could already see the dawn of victory.
Koga withdrew his fifth fallen Pokémon, Arbok, and casually tossed it to a disciple on the side.
After losing five in a row, a sinister smile appeared on Koga's face.
"Come out, Gengar."
As soon as Gengar appeared, Koga revealed the Mega Stone on his left wrist.
The bond of hearts, the connection of energy.
Gengar underwent Mega Evolution, and only the upper half of Mega Gengar was visible to the naked eye, while its lower half was said to be hidden in a twisted void.
At this moment, Cain's mind was filled with countless thoughts.
Mega Gengar – if he could defeat it, he could claim the title of Poison-type Elite Four member. Then, he would have access to more resources, and his strength would rise to another level. In time, the name Cain would surely be etched in the history of the Indigo League.
"Fame and fortune" – two simple words, yet many have spent their entire lives chasing them "Ariados, use Toxic Thread."
Cain commanded Ariados, almost grasping the hand of victory.
Dozens of poisonous purple spider threads seemed to be given life by Ariados as they coiled towards Mega Gengar in midair.
Koga gave no command but chuckled at Cain.
"Cain, are these childish attacks all you have?"
Cain ignored him, thinking that Koga was just trying to have the last word before his defeat.
However, the situation in the next moment left Cain dumbfounded.
The dozens of spider threads disappeared before even touching Mega Gengar, and no matter how many poison threads Ariados spat out, they vanished without a trace, like clay oxen entering the sea.
"Ariados, use Megahorn."
Cain gritted his teeth and launched an aggressive attack, filled with murderous intent.
Ariados didn't hesitate. Under the guidance of the poison threads, its horn on top of its head suddenly grew several times larger, resembling a sharp sword stabbing towards Mega Gengar.
"Gengar, take action."
At Koga's command, the space below Mega Gengar showed obvious distortion, and an unknown fear emanated from within.
To the naked eye, the space appeared gloomy, with transparent yet unclear vortexes rotating below Mega Gengar, creating a massive suction force.
Ariados' entire body plunged into the twisted space, disappearing without a trace.
Faced with this sudden change, even the experienced Cain began to panic.
On the field, all that was visible was the ghostly smile of Mega Gengar and Koga's somber face.
"Referee, I object. Ariados has disappeared from the battlefield. I cannot accept this kind of battle."
Cain's restlessness became evident. Koga's strategies were unprecedented, causing a sense of uncertainty
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone