Winona often wondered how different her life would have been if she had simply followed the path her family had planned for generations.
Her family was relatively wealthy. They owned several successful businesses and enough investments that money had never been something she needed to worry about while growing up. Her parents had always expected that, one day, she would help manage the family fortune.
Instead, she had fallen in love with Pokémon. Not for fame or power, but the feeling of soaring through the sky beside Flying-type Pokémon.
When she was still a child, she announced that she wanted to become a Pokémon trainer.
Her parents didn't immediately reject the idea. Instead, they explained the reality of that profession.
Being a trainer wasn't an adventure like the television shows made it seem. Strong wild Pokémon killed people every year. Even experienced trainers sometimes never returned from expeditions.
After hearing all of that, Winona's answer remained the same. "I still want to become a trainer."
Her parents asked her to think about it for another year.
A year later, they asked again. Her answer hadn't changed.
Only then did they realize this wasn't a childish dream that would disappear with time. It was the future she truly wanted.
Instead of forcing her onto another path, they decided to support her. Doing so came at an enormous cost.
By coincidence, a breeder they trusted informed them that an exceptionally talented Swablu had become available. A born S rank Pokemon. The Pokémon came from an outstanding bloodline, possessed extraordinary potential, and was healthy in every regard.
The asking price was forty million Pokédollars. It was an absurd amount of money. And even this price was so averge because this Sabbalu is still so young and no one knew what innate talent moves it had.
Good or bad innate talent moves could significantly lower or raise the price.
Although Winona's family was wealthy, most of their assets were tied up in businesses, properties, and long-term investments. The forty million Pokédollars represented almost all of the liquid savings they had available.
For several days, her parents debated whether they should make such a reckless purchase.
If Winona changed her mind a few years later—or if something happened to this Pokemon during her journey—they would never recover that money.
In the end, they bought the Pokémon anyway. Not because they expected a financial return or because they believed the Swablu would someday become a Champion-level Pokémon.
They just bought it because they loved their daughter.
When her father handed her the Poké Ball, he smiled and said only one thing. "If you're going to chase your dream, then chase it with everything you've got."
Years later, that tiny Swablu had grown into the majestic Altaria that had carried Winona through countless battles.
Whenever she looked at her partner, she wasn't reminded of the forty million Pokédollars her parents had spent. She was reminded of the trust they had placed in her.
More than anything else, she wanted to prove that their faith had never been misplaced.
....
As Winona slowly made her way back toward the waiting room after securing her place in the finals, she found herself reflecting on everything that had happened throughout the tournament, replaying each battle in her mind and thinking about the different opponents she had overcome to reach this point.
Although every match had required her full concentration and every opponent had presented a unique challenge that forced her to adapt her strategy, none of them had left as strong an impression on her as the young trainer she would be facing in the final.
The Master of tactics, Alex.
She had watched every single one of his matches from beginning to end, carefully observing every decisions he made during battle.
At first, she had expected to see exactly what everyone else talked about whenever Alex's name came up—a brilliant tactician whose victories were largely the result of clever strategies that allowed him to overcome opponents with stronger Pokémon.
Instead, the tournament had shown her something entirely different.
While his tactical ability was undoubtedly every bit as extraordinary as people claimed, what had surprised her far more was the sheer quality of the Pokémon he had raised so fast.
Every member of Alex's team had reached a late elite level where it could comfortably stand alongside the ace Pokémon of most Elite trainers, and despite the differences in species, they all seemed remarkably close to one another in terms of overall strength(level).
That wasn't something tactics alone could accomplish.
Raising a single Pokémon to such a level was already an impressive achievement for most trainers, but raising an entire team whose members were all capable of competing at that standard required an incredible amount of time, money, patience, and luck.
It isn't easy to find so many Pokémon with enough potential, like Alex did.
Winona had always considered herself to be one of the best Pokémon trainers of her generation, and until this tournament she had rarely questioned that belief.
Now, however, She felt that, compared to a true monster like Alex, she was nothing special. Even Steven surprised her with how talented he is compared to her.
She felt as though the younger generation was starting to catch up to her, and she didn't like that feeling. "I'm still young, and I'm far from having reached my peak."
A faint smile gradually appeared on Winona's face as she thought about the battle awaiting her. "So this genuis trainer standing between me and the championship."
For the first time since arriving at this tournament, she no longer felt completely certain that she was the favorite to win.
She still believed she possessed every chance of becoming the Hoenn Champion, and she had complete confidence in both herself and the Pokémon who had fought alongside her for so many years.
At the same time, however, she knew she would be facing perhaps the most unusual opponent she had ever encountered—a trainer whose tactical creativity and balanced team made him unlike anyone she had battled before.
Rather than making her nervous, however, that realization only made her look forward to the match even more, because she knew that regardless of who ultimately claimed the title, the final would almost certainly become one of the greatest battles of her entire career.
"For me, my Pokémon and my family. I will win. "
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