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As electricity surged into it, Electivire's surrounding current grew wilder, scorching the ground with blackened trails.
Yet Electivire soon sensed something wrong—its Motor Drive kept drinking power, but the current felt limitless, pouring in without end, like an infinite battery!
Motor Drive could absorb electricity, yet it had a ceiling, and a conversion delay into speed; if this continued—Electivire would explode!
Now Paul also felt it; this move called Brave Bird—why was it lasting so long?
Although Electivire's Motor Drive could swallow Electric moves and turn them into speed, the intake wasn't boundless—certainly not for the present Electivire.
Were Electivire ever to reach God Domain Level, or even the Champion-level peak, then its Motor Drive might drink everything; right now, against Elite high-grade Electric power, the absorption would already strain it.
As for Champion-level, that was absolutely impossible.
Ash's Pikachu had unleashed an Electric move; Paul couldn't gauge its exact tier, but it felt at least Elite Four Class. Sustained Elite output this long was no gift for Electivire. "Electivire, vent all that power!" Complete absorption was impossible, but absorb via Motor Drive and then release everything—Electivire should still manage that.
"——" Paul's shout met no reply; Electivire's face twisted in agony, sweat dripping only to be vaporised instantly by the current.
The pressure crushing Electivire now far exceeded Paul's imagination; besides endlessly drinking power, it couldn't act—answering Paul was beyond it.
Paul saw it too; Electivire, who always answered, had not even grunted. If he still failed to grasp its plight, he would be unworthy of the title Trainer.
Though Paul's face stayed blank, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles whitened—he was nowhere as calm as he looked.
"Pikachu, finish it!!!"
"Pika Pika!!!" At Ash's cry, Pikachu's crackling aura flared brighter, the already-blinding light now dazzling; the sheer power made the protective barrier creak.
Mere stray sparks were shaking the shield; a direct hit would shatter the barrier in an instant!
Daimalanji wiped sweat from his brow; the Indigo Stadium's barrier wasn't the League's strongest, yet it could withstand Elite junior force.
Now, however, Pikachu's move was nearly shattering the shield with its aftershocks—how terrifying was its true might?
Seconds crawled; Electivire's expression grew ever more pained. Five short seconds felt like five years to it.
Normally, under Motor Drive, lightning behaved like an obedient child, but now it turned feral; Motor Drive could absorb no more.
In other words, Electivire's own body was taking the damage; Pikachu's Brave Bird had begun to truly hurt it.
Coupled with earlier strikes, Electivire was reaching its limit—then "Boom!!" Brave Bird detonated across Electivire!
A thunderous roar burst across the field as Pikachu dropped from the air; until now the mouse had floated aloft upon the lightning, and only after it faded did gravity claim him.
The Haze cloaking the arena soon lifted, revealing Electivire—still standing!
Pikachu's relaxed gaze snapped tight; the foe could still fight, a fact that caught Pikachu off guard.
Even for Pikachu, that Brave Bird had cost half its energy; logically Electivire should have collapsed—had pride for its Trainer kept it upright?
Yet after several tense seconds Pikachu noticed Electivire hadn't budged from its stance.
The referee sensed something odd and leaned forward, spotting Electivire's eyes rolled back—battle capacity lost.
Though defeated, it remained on its feet: death on one's feet?
Uncommon as it was, the victor was clear.
"Electivire is unable to battle; Pikachu wins. With all six of Paul's Pokémon fainted, the winner is—Ash!!"
"We have it!! The Champion of the Indigo Plateau Conference is Ash from Pallet Town!!" the announcer's voice thundered through the stadium.
Spectators who had held their breath finally exhaled, then erupted into wild cheers!
"Feels right—this title is earned!"
"Paul was strong, but he ran into someone stronger."
"Tch, he just needs more training; the gap with Ash is huge."
"Exactly—Ash took first because first is the highest, while Paul got second because that's all he could reach!"
"Honestly, Gary at least beat one of Ash's Pokémon; Paul took down zero!"
"Doesn't Infernape count?"
"Come on, Infernape looked rough but never fainted."
"True, but pit Paul against Gary and Gary would lose for sure!"
"Gary's still young—bright future ahead."
"Hey, aren't we drifting? Ash just won—cheer for him instead of debating who's second-best!"
"Right, right!"
A new Indigo Plateau Champion was crowned; the stands buzzed—some cheering for Ash, others comparing Paul with Gary—
As the man of the moment snapped out of his daze, Ash rushed forward, hugged Pikachu, and tossed him high. "We did it! We won, Pikachu! We're Champions!!"
Even though the title of Champion was already within reach, the moment he actually claimed it, the excitement was impossible to contain.
This was Ash's first time competing in the Indigo Plateau Conference, and it was his very first championship!
And it definitely wouldn't be his last—becoming Champion wasn't the end; it was only the beginning.
Beyond Conference Champion lay the Elite Four, the true Champion, and the Masters Eight tournament for the strongest Trainers. His journey was still impossibly long. Even so, nothing could dampen the thrill coursing through him right now.
Paul silently recalled Electivire, lifted his gaze toward Ash for a fleeting second, then turned and walked away. His back was as straight as ever, yet it carried a hint of loneliness.
Once the rush subsided, Ash spotted Paul's retreating figure and shouted, "That was one amazing battle—let's have a rematch someday, Paul!"
Paul: ————
He only paused for an instant, offering no reply, and soon his silhouette was swallowed by the shadows.
The Indigo Plateau Conference had crowned its Champion, but the event wasn't over; third place still had to be decided. In previous years this hadn't mattered, but this time third place earned a trip to Dragon Island.
That made the bronze match crucial. Gary and A Qin's battle began less than an hour after Ash's final.
It should have started immediately, but repairs to the field took nearly an hour.
The clash was fierce. Gary pulled out every trick he knew and only just scraped past A Qin, claiming the last ticket to Dragon Island.
Afterward came the awards ceremony. League President Damalanqi presented the trophies, and when Ash lifted the heavy golden cup his face lit up with pure joy.
"I'm the Indigo Plateau Conference Champion!!"
"Pika-Pikachu!!" Trainer and mouse yelled in perfect unison, just as they did when they earned Gym Badges.
But this wasn't a Gym Badge—it was a League trophy!
Under the sun the golden cup blazed. Standing beside Ash, Gary and Paul couldn't help looking over; the grin on Ash's face was simply blinding.
Once the ceremony ended, the crowd in Indigo Stadium began to disperse. The matches had been broadcast worldwide; from this day on, Ash's fame would only rise. Unbeknownst to him, the Johto League had already begun revising the rules for the upcoming Silver Conference.
This year's Silver Conference would be different from any before, but for now Ash hadn't the slightest inkling—
They would set sail for Dragon Island in seven days—time for everyone to rest. Lance returned ahead to prepare the island; certain areas would remain off-limits even to the invited guests.
He also had to ready three separate sets of location clues for the competitors—plenty of work still remained.
The other three Elite were off hunting for evolution stones. At the moment only Lance possessed a mega stone; they had to secure their own before the next title match. Especially Lorelei—if she couldn't find a mega stone, she might not be able to stop Lance next time.
Though the Indigo Plateau Conference had concluded, its ripples continued. The stalls crowning the plateau hadn't yet packed up.
That provided the perfect backdrop for Ash and Misty's date.
Yes, the two were on a date—though Ash remained adorably clueless while Misty's face glowed crimson the entire time. She'd blurted the word "date" on impulse, and now that it was actually happening she hardly knew what to do with herself.
Did Misty like Ash? Absolutely—more than merely like, she loved him.
After more than half a year together, Ash's talent and, frankly, good looks made that inevitable. Perhaps from the instant she saw the boy battling a Spearow with his bare fists, he'd claimed a place in her heart.
Now she'd finally spoken her feelings aloud. A date wasn't quite a confession, but it came close—and Ash had accepted, which meant he'd accepted her feelings, even if he hadn't quite thought it through.
With Pikachu and Togepi in tow, they wandered aimlessly across Indigo Plateau with no plan at all. Simply walking side by side filled Misty with happiness.
Ash felt something strange unfurl inside him. Normally only unknown Pokémon or battles could excite him like this. The sensation wasn't quite excitement or joy—more like a warm tingling he couldn't describe. If pressed, he could only sum it up in two words: it felt—
Comfortable.
A comfortable feeling: calm, peaceful, warm.
The silence finally broke when they reached a shooting gallery; Misty spotted a Starmie plush on the shelf and froze.
Following her gaze, Ash saw the Starmie doll and instantly understood. "You want that, Misty?"
She nodded like a hungry Pidgey, and the Togepi in her arms copied her.
"Leave it to me—I'll win it for you!" Grinning, Ash patted his bare arm, then instinctively caught Misty's soft hand and pulled her to the booth.
"Hi, how much for a round?" He hadn't noticed Misty's sunset-red cheeks, focusing instead on the vendor.
"Two hundred for ten shots. Don't gasp at the price—these are premium plushies, top quality, way better than street junk. Knock one down and you're already prof—huh?! Aren't you Ash, the Indigo Plateau Champion?" The man shot to his feet, his lazy face suddenly bright.
Ash took two startled steps back; he'd been walking around unrecognized so long he'd forgotten he was now famous.
"Since you're the Champion, special deal—one hundred for ten shots. Have fun, and tell everyone you beat the game here, okay?" The middle-aged vendor rubbed his hands together with a hopeful smile.