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"Ladies and gentlemen of the audience! It's decided! The champion of this year's Johto League Silver Conference has finally been determined! Let us give a huge round of applause to the contestant from Ecruteak City—Axu! After a spectacular and fiercely intense battle, Axu has defeated Annon and emerged as the ultimate victor!!!"
With the commentator's hoarse, full-throated roar, the final match—the decisive battle of this Silver Conference—came to a close at last.
Axu stared at the Tyranitar still standing on the battlefield, panting heavily, disbelief still written all over his face.
"Come back, Charizard. You did your very best—an amazing battle. Thank you for your hard work."
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Annon smiled gently as he recalled his Charizard, speaking softly in consolation.
Then Annon stepped down from the command platform, walked over to Axu, looked up at him—who still hadn't quite processed what had happened—and said:
"Congratulations. This time, you won."
"Huh? Ah! Come back, Tyranitar! Thank you! You were incredible! Annon—thank you too! I'm really glad I got to battle you!"
Only when Annon called his name did Axu finally snap back to reality. He hurriedly recalled Tyranitar, then quickly stepped off the platform and shook Annon's hand in response.
With the champion decided, the Silver Conference finally drew to a close. As evening fell and the sacred Ho-Oh flame swayed gently, the tournament entered its final award ceremony. Axu, Annon, and the third-place finisher stood together on the podium, receiving the honors they had earned.
Yet at this point—when the audience should have already begun leaving—not a single person moved. On the contrary, even more spectators poured into the venue until every seat was filled. Their purpose was obvious.
They were waiting for the final—and most spectacular—battle.
"Ladies and gentlemen! I know exactly what you're all waiting for! This has been a special Silver Conference. Though the main events have concluded, the final, newly added stage will absolutely not disappoint! The Champion Challenge Match! How fortunate we are—to witness an ultimate champion-level battle right here today!"
"Now!! Let us welcome our challenger, who has traveled from afar! Some of you may have seen him before—others may not know him personally—but everyone here has heard his legendary name!"
"He is—the reigning undefeated Champion of the Kanto Region!! Liam!!"
As the closing ceremony ended, the central awards platform was dismantled within minutes, revealing an enormous battlefield beneath. The commentator stretched out his arm toward the contestant entrance and loudly announced Liam's name.
Tap—tap—tap—
To the thunderous cheers of the host and the crowd, Liam walked onto the field with measured, rhythmic footsteps, a calm smile on his face.
As Liam entered the arena, several familiar faces in the audience reacted quite differently.
Delia sat together with the Ketchum couple, cheering loudly and excitedly for him.
Axu—the newly crowned champion—was seated with the Hoenn Trio. His face was full of anticipation and confidence, clearly eager for a battle against Liam. Beside him, Steven turned his head away with a dismissive snort, yet his eyes never once left Liam.
Not far away, Annon could only shake his head helplessly, while beside him, Fang stared at Liam in utter shock, disbelief filling his eyes.
"This is an ultimate battle! A clash of the absolute elite! This match was formally proposed by Champion Liam to the Johto League and officially approved and organized by the League! I believe all spectators already know the rules, so I won't waste time repeating them!"
"Champion Liam has now taken his command position! Therefore—let us solemnly welcome our first Elite Four guardian of the championship!"
"Please give your loudest applause to one of Johto's Elite Four—the Electric-type Elite! Elite Black Ape!!!"
"ROAR!!"
The Johto League's preparation for this Champion Challenge was clearly meticulous. As soon as the commentator finished speaking, golden fireworks erupted around the stadium, streaking into the sky like bolts of lightning. The massive screens on both sides of the arena flashed with dazzling electric effects, while heavy, imposing music thundered throughout the venue.
Appearing alongside these effects was the now-familiar Black Ape. With his tall frame and sly expression, he strode briskly to face Liam.
"I'm very pleased to meet you again, Champion. Knowing your strength, I never expected to stop you—but I will still fulfill my duty and show you my strongest power."
Black Ape spoke with a light chuckle; the two were already quite acquainted.
"Likewise. I'll also give it my all this time. I won't allow this match to leave any regrets."
Liam replied calmly with a smile. The more critical the battle, the more composed he became—only absolute calm allowed him to seize every opportunity.
After the exchange, the commentator spoke once more:
"Alright! Both masters are in position! Now—let us raise the battlefield!"
"This arena was specially constructed for this match! It contains four regions: a forest zone, grassland zone, rocky zone, and river zone! These terrains allow Pokémon to fully utilize their strengths—a true masterpiece of design!"
As the commentator spoke, a battlefield nearly half again as large as a standard one slowly rose from the ground. Just as described, it featured diverse terrain—mountains, rivers, and forests—capable of accommodating a wide variety of Pokémon.
Now that the battlefield was ready, only the main event remained!
"Champion, since this is your challenge, I will be the first to send out a Pokémon. I specialize in Electric-type Pokémon. Based on my understanding of your team, I suspect I may be the Elite Four member who loses the most badly—so I ask for mercy! Then, here I go!"
"Go! Electabuzz!!"
"Elek!!"
With the throw of a PokeBall, a yellow-and-black Electabuzz appeared on the field. Brimming with electricity, it raised its thick arms high and roared provocatively toward Liam.
After hearing Black Ape's words and seeing Electabuzz take the field, Liam rested a hand on the six PokeBalls at his waist, thought for a moment—then sighed and threw one decisively.
"Come out, Steelix!!"
"ROAAAR!!"
"Sorry, Black Ape. Just as you said—when it comes to type matchups, you really might be the one who loses the worst."
Black Ape: "..."
At that moment, Black Ape could only sigh inwardly.
'Never provoke Liam again. This man holds grudges way too well.'