With the second round of the Top Ten Tournament over, the competition had clearly entered its fever pitch.
While fierce battles raged inside the Grand Arena, the outside was equally bustling.
As the first Unova Kingdom League Conference reached this stage, only eight contestants remained. Almost every spectator was heatedly discussing who the ultimate Champion would be.
In inns, restaurants, and on the streets, the sounds of people's discussions could be heard everywhere.
Inside the castle, Draconis sat on a reclining chair, leisurely sipping red tea.
This red tea was brewed from leaves harvested by his subjects from the Pokémon known as Deerling. It tasted sweet with a hint of tea fragrance, making it quite pleasant to drink.
Outside were the heated shouts and cheers from the Grand Arena.
Inside the castle, however, was a scene of peace and tranquility.
Minccino were happily playing hide-and-seek in the castle, while in the ecological park behind it, the group of Pokémon that had once been harmed by humans were leisurely basking in the sun.
In the sleeping chambers, several Pokémon by Draconis's side lay relaxedly on the carpet, enjoying this beautiful time.
Although the tournament hadn't ended yet, being in this atmosphere, Draconis seemed to have already envisioned how wonderful his life would be afterward.
Once the Elite Four and the Champion were born, he would hand over all Pokémon-related affairs from various regions to these five workhorses and let them handle things on his behalf.
Tsk tsk, just thinking about it made him happy.
"His Majesty Draconis."
Alfred's footsteps approached from behind.
The Old Butler walked to Draconis's side and reported to him: "Your Majesty, the fourth round of matches has ended. Only one final match remains before the final roster is decided."
Draconis closed his eyes and said, "No rush, be patient, Alfred."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Time ticked away, and before long, an excited voice came from behind.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Top Ten Tournament have completely concluded!" a guard reported. "The five contestants who ultimately advanced are Miss Anna, Koharu, Derick, Lucas, and Raphael!"
The list of workhorses was out.
Draconis opened his eyes and smiled. "It seems the Champion will be among these five."
"Will Your Majesty go to watch the match?" Alfred asked.
Draconis shook his head. He had a general idea of the strength of these five; it was actually quite easy to guess who the final winner would be.
After all, the real world wasn't a game; those who could use a single year to overtake Trainers with several years of training experience were a minority.
And the facts turned out exactly as Draconis had predicted.
After these two days of competition, Lucas, Raphael, and Koharu were the first to be eliminated.
The three of them took the bottom three seats of the Elite Four.
As for the final Champion and the head of the Elite Four, they would be decided between Anna and Derick.
Two days later, the final showdown officially raised its curtain.
On this day, the entire Grand Arena was packed to capacity.
Even the aerial seats were completely full.
With no seats left on the ground, those spectators specifically rented flying Pokémon from the Pokémon Flying Taxi Company, riding them in mid-air to watch the finals.
The stands were a cacophony of voices; the cheers and shouts almost blew the roof off. Everyone's gaze was firmly locked onto the two Trainers on either side of the field.
On the left, Derick, dressed in a deep blue training suit, had eyes as sharp as a hawk, his whole body radiating a sharp, aggressive Aura.
He was the recognized genius of the Dragon and Fighting types in this conference, crushing his opponents all the way to the finals!
On the right, the young girl Anna stood tall, her long golden hair tied in a high ponytail. Her smile was calm and composed, yet her eyes were filled with battle intent.
"Both Trainers have confirmed their lineups!" The referee raised the flags high, his voice echoing through the speakers across the venue. "A 6v6 full battle, until all of one side's Pokémon lose the ability to fight—the match begins!"
"It's finally starting!"
"Derick's Dragon-type legion is an unstoppable existence! Can Anna hold her own?"
There was much discussion in the audience; almost everyone favored the imposing Derick.
Derick moved first, his arm swinging violently as the Poké Ball traced a cold arc in the air: "First battle, don't let me down, Lucario!"
A flash of blue light!
The agile and robust Lucario landed with a thud. With a stomp of its feet, fine cracks appeared on the surface of the battle platform. A double pressure of Fighting and Steel types swept across the field as its eyes calmly locked onto the opponent.
"Oh? Starting with Lucario?" Anna chuckled and threw her first Poké Ball. "Then we won't be polite either, Braviary!"
A sudden gale erupted!
The raptor Pokémon with a wingspan of over three meters circled overhead, its sharp hawk eyes scanning below. This Braviary had been trained to near perfection!
"The battle begins!"
Facing a powerful enemy of this level, Derick chose to attack aggressively without hesitation. He commanded in a low voice: "Lucario, Metal Claw, break through from the front!"
Lucario's paws pushed off the ground, its body shooting forward like an arrow. Its right claw was covered in a cold, hard metallic luster, slashing straight at Braviary with the sound of breaking air!
"Avoid it, then use Brave Bird!" Anna commanded calmly.
Braviary flapped its wings, its body suddenly rising to narrowly dodge the Metal Claw. The next second, it was enveloped in violent Flying-type energy, diving down like a golden meteor!
Boom—!
The heavy blow exploded. Lucario was knocked back repeatedly, carving deep furrows into the ground, and several savage wounds instantly appeared on its body.
"What?!" Derick's pupils shrank.
He hadn't expected Anna's Braviary to have such a fast reaction speed.
"Aura Sphere!"
A blue Energy Ball condensed in Lucario's palms, blasting toward the sky with the pressure of Aura.
"Gust!"
As Anna's words fell, Braviary flapped its wings frantically. The violent airflow instantly shredded the Aura Sphere, followed immediately by an Air Slash striking down!
Lucario stumbled to the ground, struggling a few times before finally losing the ability to fight completely.
"Lucario is unable to battle!"
As the referee's voice fell, the whole crowd went into an uproar.
No one expected that the tournament's favorite, Derick, would have his starter instantly defeated!
"Lucario..." Derick's heart sank slightly. He recalled Lucario and decisively threw his second Poké Ball: "Don't be careless, Druddigon!"
The evil dragon with crimson scales roared onto the stage. Its Dragon-type pressure spread out, and its rough, hard skin radiated indestructible brute force.
"Braviary, Tailwind!" Anna didn't choose to attack but instead raised her hand to command.
The raptor flapped its wings, and a circle of pale green whirlwind enveloped the field.
"Oh no!" Derick's heart tightened. "Druddigon, Dragon Claw, interrupt it!"
Druddigon pounced with a grin, but under the enhancement of Tailwind, Braviary dodged easily. Air Slashes hit one after another, making Druddigon's movements sluggish.
"Brave Bird, finish it!"
The figure wrapped in majestic airflow dove again, a one-hit kill!
Druddigon's massive body crashed to the ground, completely losing its combat capability.
Derick had lost two members in a row, and his expression became very grim. He and his opponent were simply not on the same level!
However, the battle continued.
"Beartic, I'm counting on you, Icicle Crash!"
The giant ice bear slammed the ground, and countless sharp ice pillars fell from the sky. This sudden large-scale attack left Braviary with no time to dodge, and it was hit on the spot by a huge ice pillar.
Ice types are effective against Flying types; Braviary's wings froze, and it fell to the ground with a cry.
"Braviary, get up!" Anna immediately called out.
But Derick would not let this opportunity pass.
"Beartic, Ice Beam!"
A frigid beam swept out, swallowing the Braviary that didn't have time to stand up.
"Braviary is unable to battle!" the referee announced.
In the first stage of the confrontation, both sides had wins and losses, but the atmosphere became increasingly tense.
"Not bad!" Anna recalled Braviary, but a smile appeared on her face as she spoke: "Magmar, take the stage!"
Flames gushed out as Magmar made a proud entrance. A scorching heat wave hit them, the Fire-type Aura directly suppressing Beartic.
"Close Combat!" Derick threw caution to the wind.
Beartic roared and charged, its brute force astonishing.
"Flamethrower!"
Raging fire swallowed the area. Ice and fire collided violently, and Beartic's thick fur seemed so fragile and vulnerable under the burning flames.
Derick wanted to fight more, but Anna had already given the command: "Fire Punch, end it!"
A fist burning with flames slammed hard into Beartic's head. The giant bear's eyes rolled back, and it fell completely.
Derick gritted his teeth and took out a new Poké Ball. With a flash of white light, Haxorus's agile figure appeared.
Derick knew deep down that he had fallen into a great disadvantage. He was unwilling, but his opponent's strength was truly too great.
Derick tried his best to remain calm: "Haxorus! Strengthen with Dragon Dance!"
One of his trump cards for this conference!
Haxorus swung its two giant axes, and the energy around its body surged. Its Attack and Speed rose level by level, its Dragon-type majesty intimidating the whole field!
"Fire Blast!" Anna commanded calmly.
The flames exploded. Haxorus tanked the damage but remained as steady as a mountain.
"Now, Dragon Claw!"
The giant axes slashed down with unparalleled power!
Magmar didn't even have time to dodge before it was instantly killed by the single blow.
Anna's eyes narrowed slightly; this was the battle she wanted!
She decisively threw her next Poké Ball. With a flash of white light, Electivire's tall body crashed down.
"Electivire, Thunderbolt!"
Violent electricity surged out, crackling as it wrapped around Haxorus, causing its whole body to start twitching uncontrollably.
"Slash!"
Haxorus counterattacked frantically, but Electivire tanked the damage and countered with a Fire Punch to a vital point!
The Dragon-type trump card crashed to the ground!
Derick was already breaking out in a cold sweat. He suddenly threw his fifth Pokémon.
"Throh! Circle Throw!"
The Fighting-type Throh was highly skilled; it grabbed Electivire and slammed it hard onto the ground. After a bloody battle, it finally defeated Electivire, but it was heavily injured itself. Although it hadn't fallen, Derick recalled it into its Poké Ball.
At this point, Derick only had his final trump card left—
Hydreigon!
Meanwhile, Anna still had three left: Lilligant, Krookodile, and Zoroark.
Facing Hydreigon, Anna chose to send out Lilligant.
Facing the Lilligant opposite it, the three-headed dragon threw its heads back and roared. The terrifying Dragon-type pressure made the entire field tremble slightly. This was Derick's last hole card and his only hope for a comeback.
"Draco Meteor!" Derick took a deep breath.
A giant Dragon-type Energy Ball shot straight into the sky. In the next instant, the sky was dyed purple, and countless meteors burning with raging tail flames fell from the heavens.
This move's power covered the entire field; it was almost an inescapable area-of-effect ultimate move!
Lilligant's small body appeared so tiny and fragile.
Seeing this, the hearts of countless spectators raced wildly.
Power... such terrifying power!
If this hit landed, Anna would probably lose immediately!
However, facing this move, Anna only gave a short shout.
"Protect!"
A white barrier instantly unfolded in front of Lilligant, forcefully withstanding this earth-shattering blow!
But Protect only blocked the first meteor. More meteors followed closely behind, crashing down onto Lilligant's body.
Protect shattered, and Lilligant was swallowed by the explosion. Its body was clearly heavily injured.
Seeing this scene, a smile finally appeared on Derick's face: "It's over! Dragon Pulse!"
At least... at least we didn't lose too embarrassingly, right?
However, facing this near-fatal Dragon Pulse, Anna didn't panic at all. Instead, she commanded calmly:
"Dodge it and use Nasty Plot!"
Just as the Dragon Pulse grazed past, Lilligant spun gracefully, and a mysterious power enveloped its entire body.
"That is...?"
Most of the audience couldn't understand this maneuver, but a victory-is-mine smile curled on the corner of Anna's mouth.
"Dark Pulse!" Derick frowned and continued his pursuit.
Hydreigon's three heads moved in unison, and dark energy crushed toward her.
Anna's eyes suddenly became as sharp as a knife, her voice clear and firm:
"Now—Disarming Voice!"
Boom——————!
The Fairy-type sound wave, greatly amplified by Nasty Plot and carrying the terrifying power of a fourfold advantage over Hydreigon, pierced straight through the Dark Pulse and accurately struck Hydreigon's heads!
"Roar—!!"
Hydreigon let out a shrill, mournful cry. Its massive body twitched violently a few times before crashing heavily onto the battle platform, unable to stand up again.
A desperate counter-kill!
"Hydreigon is unable to battle!" the referee announced.
Seeing this, Derick's face turned ashen.
He was down to his last one, the low-health Throh.
But in this situation, even a Throh at full strength would probably be helpless.
"You are a very formidable opponent; I noticed you a long time ago!" Anna said.
She slowly threw her final Poké Ball.
A dark shadow appeared like a phantom.
Zoroark!
Derick was slightly stunned.
"Come, let us have this final battle!" Anna said.
"Throh, Circle Throw!" Derick closed his eyes, trying to make a final struggle.
Throh pounced, but it was already at the end of its rope.
"Shadow Claw!"
Anna's voice was casual, yet it carried an unquestionable decisiveness.
Zoroark's figure flashed, dodging the pounce like a ghost. Its pitch-black Shadow Claws, carrying the momentum of a killing blow, slashed hard across Throh's back!
Bang!
Throh stumbled to the ground, its eyes closed, completely losing its ability to fight.
The whole field went silent for a moment, but following immediately after were sky-high shouts and cheers.
Because they had personally witnessed the birth of the Champion!
The referee raised the flags high, his voice echoing throughout the venue:
"Throh is unable to battle! All of contestant Derick's Pokémon are unable to fight!"
"The winner of this match—contestant Anna!"
Boom—!!
The cheers erupted like a tsunami!
The Champion was born!
Derick stood dazed on the spot, looking at the calmly smiling Anna on the field. Finally, he gave a bitter smile and slowly recalled his Poké Ball.
He had lost.
Lost to an opponent so powerful it was frightening.
He was utterly convinced of his defeat.
Anna gently stroked Zoroark's head and looked up at the top of the venue, her eyes bright.
Anna knew that her teacher was watching her from there.
She flashed a happy smile toward that spot.
She had done it; she had not failed her teacher's expectations!
....
Power Stones PlZZZZ
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