Chapter 0834: Tobias: My Turn—Draw!(Two-in-One)

May 10th, Tuesday.

Prism Tower soared into the clouds, its glass panels gleaming in the sun. At the base, in the central plaza, a massive crowd of citizens had gathered.

At the center of the arena, a PTCG card battle was underway—and it had reached a fever pitch.

One of the players, wearing a cape and sporting silver hair, was none other than the famed “Divine Beast Man,” Tobias.

His opponent was a well-known PTCG enthusiast and the Seventh of the Eight Masters—Dragon-type master Raihan!

“Crush his Latios ex,” Raihan commanded. “Detach two Fighting Energy—Duraludon V, use Metal Claw!”

On the holographic field, Duraludon’s metallic body glowed white as it unleashed a fierce Metal Claw.

Latios ex let out a mournful cry, fell, and was immediately Knocked Out—its card “cracked” in two with a loud shatter.

“Latios ex is out, so I get two Prize cards.”

Raihan smirked.

“One more four-Prize sweep, and victory’s mine!”

Tobias’s brow tightened as whispers buzzed among the audience.

“He’s got unreleased V card packs… Raihan’s way ahead in meta!”

“Maybe Raihan’s in cahoots with the Pokémon Company. Even Natsume-sensei is running a V deck.”

“Come on, it’s Tobias! True pros can even rewrite their topdecks!”

Tobias drew a steady breath, stared Raihan down, and calmly began:

“Your Duraludon V is strong… In my prep bench, none of my Pokémon can secure victory over it.”

“In fact…” Tobias’s eyes narrowed. “You haven’t even triggered its VMAX Evolution yet.”

“Oh? Looks like Natsume-sensei already told you about VMAX Evolution.” Raihan grinned. “Duraludon V is my only ace… and that’s my path to victory!”

“We’ll see.”

Tobias placed his hand on his deck for his next draw, silver hair swaying, his gaze steely:

“Let me show you—the bond between me and Darkrai.”

“My turn—draw!”

Tobias snapped the next card off his deck, eyes flashing as he whipped it out:

“I play the item card—Master Ball!”

The crowd erupted as a red-and-purple Master Ball spun through the air, snapped open, and drew a specific Pokémon from the deck.

“That—wait, isn’t that a special print from last year’s world champion? Natsume-sensei printed that as a custom bonus, didn’t he?” Raihan gasped.

Tobias ignored him and said coldly, “Master Ball’s effect: Search your deck for a Pokémon, reveal it to your opponent, add it to your hand, then reshuffle. My choice is—”

“[Darkraigx]!”

The viewers stirred: “Here it comes!”

“At the same time, I move [Darkraigx] to my bench and activate a Trainer card—”

Tobias revealed an intense card: “[Giovanni’s Exile]!”

“The effect: Choose up to two of your Benched Pokémon and all cards attached to them and discard them—”

Tobias looked grim. “The Pokémon I’m sending to the discard pile is—Darkraigx!”

“Throwing away your ace?” Raihan blurted.

“My turn’s not done. I activate Darkraigx’s graveyard Ability—Resurrection.”

Tobias intoned, “Once per turn, if this card is in the discard, I can put it right into the Active spot. Then, I attach one Dark-type Energy from the discard to it. Rise again from the grave—”

“My soul, Darkraigx!!”

A blood-red moon glowed over the holo field as Darkrai emerged in billowing shadow, arms folded, eyes icy cold.

“I attach another Dark-type Energy.” Tobias said, voice flat. “I end my turn.”

“My turn—draw!” Raihan called, “Duraludon, VMAX Evolution!!”

Duraludon VMAX was the latest card from Sword and Shield S7D, featuring a massive 330 HP bar and the ‘Skyscraper’ Ability—immune to damage from Pokémon with special energies attached. A true tower of resistance and power.

VMAX Evolution in TCG mirrors Sword and Shield’s Dynamax—while gxMoves are like Sun/Moon’s Z-Moves, bridging generations of mechanics.

Still, when Duraludon VMAX is knocked out, Tobias will claim three Prize cards at once.

On the field, Duraludon V’s body ballooned until it became a towering metallic skyscraper. Not quite real-world scale, but the holo battle’s pressure was immense.

“Your Darkraigx just has 180 HP, and it's doubly weak. Can you even survive one hit?” Raihan grinned. “I attach a Fighting energy and end my turn!”

“You seem to forget,” Tobias said calmly, “Duraludon VMAX is still Burned.”

Raihan blinked. “And?”

“Yes, Duraludon VMAX has unstoppable defenses,” Tobias said seriously, “But I have a once-per-game gxMove.”

“This turn, I attach another Dark Energy. That’s three Dark on the field. It’s time!”

“I activate Darkrai’s gxMove, Final End.” Tobias commanded, “Remove three Dark Energies—if your opponent’s Active Pokémon is affected by a Special Condition, it’s immediately Knocked Out.”

“A one-hit kill ignoring resistance and HP?!” Raihan’s eyes bulged. “No way, that effect’s broken—this has gotta be a fake card!”

“This is the bond between me and [Darkraigx].”

Tobias’s silver hair flew as he extended his arm:

“Darkrai—Final End!”

Darkrai shot up into the air, firing a black-red fissure beam from his palm right at the towering Duraludon VMAX.

With a roar of explosions, the Gigantamax Duraludon collapsed, shattering into fragments!

[Tobias: 3→0]

“I’ll claim my last three Prize cards,” Tobias said. “That’s game—I win.”

The arena fell dead silent. Raihan looked shell-shocked, the audience gaped.

Suddenly, applause rang out from the crowd.

Natsume, perched with Victini on her shoulder, clapped and called:

“Subarashii! That was one amazing duel.”

Tobias and Raihan both jolted: “Natsume-sensei?!”

“You’re both important partners for our company,” Natsume beamed. “I heard about your match, so I came to watch in person.”

“The Duraludon VMAX you gave me isn’t even that strong, Natsume-sensei,” Raihan grumbled, hands in his pockets.

“Just means you don’t know how to use it,” Natsume replied. “Or, how about I battle Tobias next and show you how VMAX Evolution really shines?”

Tobias shivered, instantly declining, “No thanks.”

Last year, Natsume’s [Never Even] deck left psychological scars he’d never forget.

And with finals ahead, Tobias had no intention of losing his cool.

“Suit yourself.” Natsume sighed, disappointed.

He’d actually wanted to test a new print card on Tobias.

For PTCG to become the world’s hottest and most lucrative card game, the hype from players like Tobias and Raihan had been essential.

“That’s the legendary Trainer, Natsume-sensei, right?”

“Shouldn’t you call her President Natsume?!”

Before the press could descend, Natsume-sensei invited Tobias and Raihan back to the café as guests.

“So, why are you competing too?” Natsume asked.

Raihan shrugged and sipped his coffee, “Leon’s handling things in Galar, Hammerlocke Stadium’s still under repairs—so I thought I’d travel a bit.”

As a social media star, Raihan was super into selfies, new games, and all things trendy.

Of course, he’d never beaten Leon in a battle, so every post of his had tons of salty comments underneath.

“Nothing big going on in Galar lately?” Natsume asked, recalling Professor Fennel’s ‘special event.’

“Big stuff?” Raihan scratched his bandana. “Hammerlocke has a solar eclipse coming up soon. It’s all over the observatory’s forecasts—want to come see?”

Natsume froze.

Not another solar eclipse! Seriously!?

It was Arceus once, Necrozma another time, and now this?!

Natsume laced her fingers in front of her nose.

Stay calm… maybe it’s just a routine astronomy event…

At his waist, the Dream Ball shimmered faintly.

Darkrai, arms folded, hovered at his back in a shadowy state, giving Natsume a dry, sidelong glance.

Do you even believe that yourself?

“Oh, Senior…”

The Darkrai floating behind Tobias also caught sight of Natsume’s Darkrai, eyes wide with shock:

“Y-you joined a Poké Ball too…?”

“Yes,” Natsume’s Darkrai nodded, very matter-of-fact. “At least the food’s decent here. Look—try one.”

Darkrai’s paw flexed, tossing his counterpart a golden pokéblock.

Tobias’s Darkrai politely accepted it, and the instant it touched his tongue, tears welled up.

“Why are you crying…”

“It’s nothing… it’s just, it’s been so long since I tasted a Pokéblock.”

The café’s Darkrai patted his opponent’s shoulder, looking a little emotional.

Your choice, little Nightmare Pokémon!

Elsewhere in the garden, Latias looked arrogantly at her worn-out brother, arms folded, “Latty!”

You dumb big brother.

I’m the strong one now!

Latios looked at his sister with a faint smile.

Normally in the Eon family, brothers are the better fighters.

But after being with Natsume, Latias’s strength had grown by leaps and bounds.

The siblings’ reunion put Latios at ease.

In the front hall—

Tobias made his exit, citing his next match challenge, heading out with Latios and Darkrai.

This anime character, based on the real-life PTCG World Champion, had really become champion—a true worldline convergence.

“Are you up for the next World Tournament match, Natsume-sensei?” Raihan asked as they sat.

“Not yet, the scheduling’s impossible,” Natsume admitted.

“Well then…” Raihan’s eyes gleamed, “Let’s battle, you and me!”

Natsume blinked. “You serious?”

“Absolutely.” Raihan bared his fangs.

Raihan, the current seventh seat of the Eight Masters, always challenged the likes of Leon, Mustard, and the other greats.

Battling a Battle Legend had always been on his wishlist.

Natsume’s gaze sharpened, “So… you’re feeling bold, huh?”

Raihan rocked his chair back on two legs, arms crossed, laughing: “Place and time—Galar, Wyndon Stadium.”

“Deal.” Natsume nodded.

With Darkrai fresh on the roster, battling the world’s #7 wasn’t too bad a debut.

“Oh, and—”

“What?”

“Careful with the chair.”

Mid-sentence, Raihan lost his balance and toppled to the floor: “Ow!”

Natsume looked down and spotted the chubby Gengar poking his head out, sneakily wiping the footprint off the table leg, and giving a big thumbs-up:

“Gengar! o(^▽^)┛”

……

Two days later, as the curtain fell on the second PTCG World Championship, Tobias lifted his second trophy in triumph.

Whether in the Trainer world or the realm of tabletop gaming, Tobias could now be called nothing less than a legend.

After this second world tournament, the influence and popularity of the PTCG soared once again, and Pokémon Company continued to pour its profits into children’s charities and the Pokémon community, earning universal praise both inside and outside the industry.

Meanwhile, the next round of the World Tournament was announced, sending shock waves across the entire scene.

It would be held at Galar’s most prestigious arena—Wyndon Stadium.

The two contenders: one, the legendary Trainer, Natsume.

The other, none other than Raihan, one of the Eight Masters!

Even though Natsume was currently ranked 27th, no one doubted his strength.

Meanwhile, Raihan—who had been widely predicted to climb even higher in the rankings—was now seeing his support dropping fast.

“Seems like Raihan’s spot is about to get overtaken by Blue Oak or even Natsume-sensei.”

“If you want my opinion, he’ll be lucky to stay top ten.”

“Taking on Raihan? Pfft, that’s like battling a rookie these days!”

After the closing ceremony, Natsume packed his bags and left Lumiose City for Galar again.

The only difference was—the Dream Ball now clipped to his belt, home to Darkrai.

Wyndon, Rose Tower.

The spire climbed high into the sky, its upper-floor windows reflecting the faces of Leon and Chairman Rose.

“Raihan’s really going to battle Natsume-sensei?”

“That’s right,” Rose said, twisting a lock of his curly hair. “It’s always been Raihan’s dream to battle with the best.”

“Makes sense,” Leon replied with a hint of nostalgia, gazing out at the clouds building outside the window, brow suddenly tense. “On the day of the solar eclipse… Are you sure that Pokémon will show up?”

“Even if it doesn’t,” Rose answered gravely, “the fate of all Galar is at stake. We have to be ready for anything.”

Rose’s voice turned hard. “And there’s no way we can cancel the match between Natsume and Raihan. The losses would be catastrophic… The league can’t take another financial hit.”

“I understand.” Leon’s golden eyes burned. “While they’re battling… I’ll go stop Eternatus.”

Rose turned to the Champion, offering a faint smile. “Leon… there’s something I want to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Next month, I’ll be submitting my resignation to the league. I’m handing the position of Chairman over to you.”

Leon was thunderstruck, his cape billowing behind him.

Rose pressed a tired finger to his lips, an exhausted smile twisting his features:

“Running Macro Cosmos alone has worn me out… and overwhelmed me at times. I worry that if I slip just once, my decision could cause Galar to spiral into decline.”

“But you, the Champion who never stops striving, will lead Galar to a better future.”

“Just as Steven Stone passed the mantle of Champion to Wallace.”

Chairman Rose twisted another strand of hair, gentle now:

“I hope we’ll always be friends, Leon.”

Leon’s eyes flickered as he looked at this comrade-in-arms who’d stood by his side all along.

He and Rose were both idealists, both willing to carry the weight of Galar on their own shoulders.

“Rose, I won’t accept your resignation.”

Leon, cap pulled low, cape covered with sponsors’ logos, golden eyes burning like the sun.

“I’ll defeat Eternatus myself—with my own hands.”