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"Boom!"
The sound of the explosion shook the entire Tower of Mastery, and black smoke engulfed the battlefield.
"Boom!" Another loud bang echoed.
Korrina saw a black shadow flicker in front of her eyes. Mega Lucario had already slammed into the wall behind her with a heavy Tackle, causing fine cracks to spread, faintly forming a gap.
Gurkinn, observing from the side, raised his eyebrows. The Tower of Mastery was an ancient structure—repairs would undoubtedly cost a fortune! Surely, future tests of the Tower of Mastery would need to relocate to a more suitable battlefield.
The light surrounding Mega Lucario on the wall faded as its Mega Evolution was undone. It collapsed to the ground, already unable to battle.
"What...what just happened?" Korrina was in disbelief. She had commanded Mega Lucario to block the Fire Blast with Aura Sphere. How could it still sustain such heavy damage and be defeated in an instant?
And the battle had only just begun—Mega Lucario was already out of commission?
Korrina, who had been prepared for a prolonged fight, was left in a daze.
"You were too careless," Gurkinn said sternly.
He explained, "Your opponent predicted that you'd use a move to counter the Fire Blast. They used the black smoke from the explosion to launch an attack on your Mega Lucario while it was obscured. But you left yourself completely undefended."
Gurkinn was clearly dissatisfied with his granddaughter's performance but still patiently explained. Then, turning to Chris, he said, "If I'm correct, the move you used to defeat Mega Lucario was the Ground-type High Horsepower?"
Chris nodded silently.
Lucario was undeniably strong, particularly in offense. Mega Lucario, with its boosted physical and special attack stats both exceeding 140, and a speed stat of 112, was a peerless offensive powerhouse. However, its formidable offensive capabilities came at the cost of defense.
Mega Lucario's defense only saw a minor increase—each boosted by 18 points through Mega Evolution. This left it vulnerable, particularly to Ground-type moves, a known weakness. Coupled with Garchomp's extraordinary attack power, the outcome was inevitable.
Chris's Garchomp, holding the Shenzang Abundance item, made use of this knowledge to exploit Mega Lucario's quadruple Ground-type weakness. One move—High Horsepower—was all it needed. Chris had calculated everything perfectly from the start.
Knowing Mega Lucario couldn't endure an Earthquake, Chris anticipated Korrina's response. When Kerni commanded Mega Lucario to leap to avoid the Earthquake, it encountered the Fire Blast. Predicting Kerni would counter with Aura Sphere, Chris had Garchomp execute High Horsepower to strike Lucario as it landed, finishing the battle.
Chris had written the battle's script, and Korrina had unknowingly followed it to the letter.
As Gurkinn summarized, the battle was a perfect blend of strength and tactical superiority.
Korrina was left speechless.
Despite her frustration, she couldn't deny the raw power of Chris's Garchomp. The Earthquake alone had created the strongest shockwave she'd ever seen.
"Congratulations! You've passed the Tower of Mastery's test. Here's the promised reward!" Gurkinn approached and handed Chris two boxes and a scroll of techniques.
Chris accepted them and returned to the dormitory.
Chris appeared at the door of the Tower of Mastery on his handheld, and a notification popped up.
[The Tower of Mastery challenge is complete.]
[Rewards obtained: Garchompite (Mega Evolution Stone), Mega Ring, Gurkinn's Cheat Book.]
"Finally, the Mega Ring!" Chris exclaimed with excitement.
This journey to obtain the Mega Ring had been far easier than he anticipated. On top of that, he also acquired a Mega Evolution Stone for Garchomp—a reward that left him thoroughly satisfied.
Chris suddenly realized why the dungeon allowed only one Pokémon. The Mega Evolution Stone reward was determined by the Pokémon used in the challenge. It all made sense now.
Aside from the Mega Evolution Stone and the Mega Ring, there was also a peculiar item labeled "Gurkinn's Cheat Book."
"Gurkinn's Cheat Book? What is this?" Chris raised an eyebrow. Since it was associated with Gurkinn, he figured it might be related to Mega Evolution. He decided to open it and take a look.
After saving his progress, Chris placed the Mega Ring on his wrist and, using an app, placed an order for a custom decoration for Garchomp's Mega Evolution Stone. He also customized head-mounted inlay slots for Steelix and Venusaur and purchased a necklace for Gardevoir to hold its Mega Evolution Stone.
Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Chris opened Gurkinn's Cheat Book with curiosity.
The contents left him dumbfounded. It contained just a few points:
Go to bed early and get up early. Even if the food is delicious, only eat until you're 80% full. Keep things well-organized for maximum convenience when using tools. Rinse your mouth and wash your hands after returning home.
Chris was speechless. "Are you kidding me?"
He shook his head but conceded that this probably was Gurkinn's actual Cheat Book. After all, he had seen similar advice in the anime.
Chris powered on his handheld again and examined the Tower of Mastery. Could he enter again?
He remembered there hadn't been any warning stating the dungeon was a one-time challenge. Controlling his character, he entered once more. Immediately, a prompt appeared:
[Do you wish to challenge the special instance, "Tower of Mastery"?]
[Recommended Level: 80]
[Special rules: Certain Pokémon cannot be used. Only one Pokémon may be selected. (Note: Choose your Pokémon carefully.)]
"Level 80 now…" Chris murmured. "Did the dungeon's difficulty increase by 10 levels because I cleared it once?"
It dawned on him that, as long as he maintained the strength of his level 70 Pokémon, he could repeatedly challenge the dungeon to quickly gather Mega Evolution Stones for other Pokémon.
He grinned at the thought. With enough time, he could become a seller of Mega Evolution Stones. The idea was both amusing and tempting.