Karen was surprised.
Originally, when she received Luo Yuan's order to hold back, she assumed it meant Gary's strength was mediocre—so much so that she needed to go easy on him.
But now…
It was clear that he wasn't weak at all.
If this continued, there was a real chance that Scizor could take down her Gengar.
Even without her deliberately holding back, Gary wouldn't have lost too badly.
With that realization, Karen became serious.
Even if her opponent wasn't as strong as her, this Silver Conference was directly tied to Team Rocket's future plans—
She couldn't afford any mistakes.
Her expression sharpened as she waved her hand at Gengar.
"Gengar, [Night Shade]!"
Upon hearing Karen's command, Gengar—who had just deflected Scizor's [Bullet Punch]—swiftly pulled away, creating some distance.
Then, the shadow beneath Gengar stretched outward, slithering toward Scizor's feet.
Once the shadow reached its target, a dark figure rose behind Scizor.
"Scizor, watch your back!" Gary warned.
Scizor, already wary of Gengar's sneaky tricks, immediately turned around.
Whoosh!
The ghostly [Night Shade] attack was shattered instantly, breaking apart like fragile bubbles as Scizor struck it with a rapid [Bullet Punch] combo.
But—
That was exactly what Karen wanted.
Her real attack was never the [Night Shade].
From the front, Gengar's grin widened in eerie delight.
It suddenly reached behind its back—
And hurled a fully charged [Shadow Ball] at Scizor while it was still preoccupied.
Neither Gary nor Scizor had expected it.
Before they could react—
The [Shadow Ball] was already upon them.
With no other option, Gary shouted:
"Scizor, [Protect]!"
A barrier of green energy flared up around Scizor, sealing it inside just before the [Shadow Ball] could land.
But—
Since [Protect] was activated in a hurry, the energy shield was weaker than normal.
Crack, crack—
The [Shadow Ball] struck the barrier, causing it to tremble and creak under the strain.
Inside, Scizor crossed its pincers in front of its chest, watching the attack tensely.
But Karen wasn't done.
Seeing that one [Shadow Ball] wasn't enough, she immediately launched a second one.
Whoosh—!
Trailing a dark energy afterimage, the second [Shadow Ball] collided with the first.
BOOM!
The combined force exploded violently.
The already unstable [Protect] barrier shattered on impact.
Scizor—unable to withstand the blast—was sent flying.
However, it didn't faint immediately.
The barrier had absorbed most of the impact, and Scizor's natural defenses were far from weak.
"Scizor!"
Gary's voice carried clear urgency as he watched his Pokémon struggle.
Scizor tumbled across the battlefield, rolling several times before it skidded to a stop.
Now kneeling, it planted one pincer on the ground, using it for support to prevent itself from collapsing completely.
It tried multiple times to stand back up—
But each attempt failed.
It was at its limit.
Karen wasn't about to let it recover.
Pressing the advantage was the mark of a great Trainer.
"Gengar, finish it!"
At her command, Gengar sank into its shadow, quickly closing the distance.
Scizor, barely able to move, didn't react at all.
It looked like the battle was over.
But—
Just as Gengar moved in for the final blow—
The seemingly motionless Scizor suddenly sprang to life!
It grabbed Gengar's arm with its pincer—
And slammed its [Iron Head] attack directly into Gengar's stomach!
Gengar was completely caught off guard.
The sheer shock prevented it from breaking free in time.
It took the full impact of [Iron Head]—
And was sent flying.
"An incredible feint! Scizor tricked Gengar and landed a direct hit!"
Gengar tumbled across the battlefield, rolling several times before coming to a stop.
It was heavily injured.
But—
Scizor had used up the last of its energy to land that strike.
With nothing left to give, its body finally collapsed.
"Scizor is unable to battle!" the referee announced.
Karen glanced at her wounded Gengar, then at the fainted Scizor.
She had to admit—
She had underestimated it.
She had been one step away from losing control of the fight.
If not for the lead she had built earlier, Scizor might have turned the tables completely.
Across from her, Gary recalled Scizor.
His expression was heavy.
He had expected Scizor to secure victory.
But reality had crushed that hope.
His trump card had failed to turn things around.
And now—
His chances of winning were slim.
Reality soon proved him right.
With Karen fully focused, she didn't give Gary a single opportunity in the next rounds.
Three battles. Three victories.
Final score: 6-1.
Karen defeated Gary and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Gary's journey ended in the Top 16.
"Lost, huh…"
Lance sighed.
He had misjudged.
Gary was strong, no doubt—
But he had simply run into someone stronger.
"This Karen… she should be considered as a potential Elite Four candidate."
Luo Yuan spoke up from beside him.
Lance nodded in agreement.
By midday, all morning matches had concluded.
The first four quarterfinalists had been determined.
Luo Yuan, meanwhile, spotted Gary, Ash, and the others at a restaurant.
Ash's match was in the afternoon, so that wasn't surprising.
But what did surprise Luo Yuan—
Was that Gary didn't look particularly dejected despite his loss.
"You're handling this well," Luo Yuan remarked, pulling out a chair and pouring himself a glass of water.
"Hmph, as if I'd let one match bring me down."
Gary scoffed, shooting Luo Yuan a look of defiance.
Sure, he had felt pretty awful right after the match.
But once he had time to think things over, he came to terms with it.
He was already strong.
The only reason he lost wasn't because he was weak—
It was because his opponent was simply stronger.
Still…
"That Karen… what's her deal?" Gary asked.
He was genuinely curious about the Trainer who had beaten him.
"How should I know?" Luo Yuan replied casually. "But I heard she's Pryce's apprentice."
To become an Elite Four, one needed both strength and a clean background.
So, Karen and Will had both been taken in as Pryce's disciples, allowing the veteran Johto Gym Leader to vouch for their credibility in the League.
"Pryce?"
Gary had fought Pryce before—he remembered the old man well.
He nodded thoughtfully.
Then, shifting his focus—
He turned to Ash.
"Ash, you ready for your match this afternoon?"