Svaraj's Grand Apology, and the Red Opportunity: the Sacred Hot Sand Pool**
With Hydreigon appearing on the battlefield and that terrifying aura continuously overflowing,
everyone present was completely stunned.
No one had imagined that Ethan still had a Pokémon of this level by his side.
This was no longer just "outrageous."
It was outright unreasonable.
"I thought having a King-tier Hatterene was already insane… now he also has a Champion-tier Hydreigon?"
"Damn it, other people are eighteen and walk around with Champion Pokémon. When I was eighteen, I was celebrating my Pokémon evolving!"
"Aren't we all Five-Star Trainers? How can the gap be THIS big?!"
At this moment, the Five-Star Trainers from alliances all over the world were completely numb.
They had all believed themselves to be geniuses among geniuses.
Yet standing before Ethan, they suddenly realized—
they were just ordinary people.
Shock, Awe, and Relief
Among them, Ilam, the White Elephant Alliance's Five-Star Trainer, looked especially bitter…
but deep down, also a little relieved.
If Ethan had sent out Hydreigon during their match, Ilam knew his trainer's heart would have shattered on the spot.
On the opposite side, Aurora's blue eyes sparkled as she stared at Ethan.
She had already been extremely curious about him.
A King-tier Hatterene was unbelievable enough.
But now—Mega Evolution and a Champion-tier Hydreigon?
It was almost impossible to imagine how someone her age could cultivate Pokémon like this.
The Final Blow
While the crowd was still reeling from Hydreigon's appearance, the battle itself continued.
Mega Garchomp, still holding Dusknoir, felt clearly displeased.
His big sister had just appeared and completely stolen his spotlight.
Originally planning to use only seventy percent of his power,
Mega Garchomp decided—forget it.
Ten percent restraint? Gone.
Full power.
Terrifying Dragon-type energy surged violently.
BOOM!
Dusknoir was blasted straight into the sky.
The sheer force shattered Trick Room entirely—it couldn't withstand such overwhelming power.
Moments later, Dusknoir exploded like fireworks midair, crashing back down with streaking meteors.
Even with Dusknoir's legendary defense,
no Pokémon could withstand Mega Garchomp's all-out, peak-powered Draco Meteor.
Before even hitting the ground, Dusknoir had already lost all combat capability.
The referee stared at the devastated battlefield and swallowed hard.
He had officiated more than ten international exchange tournaments.
Never—not once—had he seen a battlefield this destroyed.
This was the kind of damage usually seen in Elite Four-level or higher battles.
Luckily, enough Aegislash had been deployed to maintain the barrier.
Taking a deep breath, the referee raised the flag.
"With all three of Noel's Pokémon losing combat capability—"
"The champion of the 23rd International Newly Promoted Five-Star Trainer Exchange Tournament is—"
"Ethan, from the Donghuang Alliance!"
A Champion Is Crowned
Mega Garchomp roared triumphantly.
"GAAAOHH~~!"
But before he could celebrate too loudly,
Hydreigon shot him a single sharp glare.
Mega Garchomp instantly shrank back, neck tucked in like a scolded kid.
Ethan chuckled softly.
"Alright, Hydreigon."
"Garchomp won the match—he's allowed to be happy."
Then he patted Mega Garchomp.
"You did great."
"How about Central Asian cuisine later?"
"I heard they use a lot of meat."
At the mention of food, Mega Garchomp's fierce face immediately lit up with childish joy, even sticking out his tongue in excitement.
No one mistook that cuteness for weakness.
After all, the last Pokémon that did…
was Dusknoir—now lying like scrap metal on the battlefield.
The Shocking Aftermath
Everyone turned to look at Noel.
And froze.
Noel's entire body had turned purple, swollen to nearly twice its size.
From a handsome young man, he had turned into something resembling a bloated barrel.
Worse—
purple fluid was leaking from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.
"He's… poisoned?"
Before anyone could react—
BOOM.
Noel exploded.
The battlefield was instantly covered in purple flesh and gore.
The exchange tournament—meant only for competition and learning—
had just witnessed a death.
Silence fell.
Ethan instantly understood.
He turned to Hydreigon.
Only now did everything click.
Hydreigon hadn't come out to cheer.
She had come out to save him.
In the stands, Alicia froze.
The one who died wasn't Ethan—
it was Noel.
Her excitement solidified… then shattered into rage.
"Useless trash."
"Can't even handle something this simple."
A Father's Fury
Victor Stone looked at Noel's corpse, then at Hydreigon, then at Alicia.
In that instant, he understood everything.
If not for Hydreigon—
The one who would have died…
would have been his son.
Victor had grown up without parents, living on the kindness of others.
He had always longed for true family.
And when Ethan was born, Victor finally understood what blood thicker than water meant.
Ethan mattered more than his own life.
Now that someone had dared target his son—
In Victor's heart, Alicia was already a dead woman.
Investigation and Resolution
Because of Noel's death, the White Elephant Alliance launched a full investigation.
But faced with Mega Garchomp and Hydreigon,
they didn't dare treat Ethan with any hostility.
The truth was uncovered quickly.
Footage showed Noel firing a poison needle,
Hydreigon destroying it,
and Noel being killed by his own rebounding poison.
The case was classified as attempted murder resulting in self-inflicted death.
Ethan was completely cleared.
Svaraj's Apology Gifts
When Ethan exited the investigation room,
Svaraj, one of the White Elephant Alliance's Elite Four, greeted him with an obsequious smile.
"Lord Ethan, our alliance failed in security. Please don't blame us."
"This is our apology."
He presented a jewel-encrusted box.
System notifications sounded immediately.
Top-Grade CharcoalTop-Grade Black BeltTop-Grade Poison Barb
(and several other treasures)
Ethan accepted calmly.
"Thank you, Elite Four Svaraj."
"This matter wasn't the White Elephant Alliance's fault."
Svaraj finally relaxed.
Then, hesitating, he produced another box.
Inside—
a radiant, rainbow-feather.
System Notification:
Purple Opportunity: Rainbow FeatherCritical Hit ×100Golden Opportunity: Supreme Rainbow Feather
The feather shifted from seven colors… to nine.
A Ho-Oh feather.
After enhancement, it became even more powerful—
especially for healing-type Pokémon like Hatterene.
Ethan accepted it without hesitation.
Before leaving, Svaraj added:
"As champion, you may enter the White Elephant Alliance's holy land."
"It greatly benefits Ground-, Rock-, and Steel-type Pokémon."
And immediately—
System Alert:
Red Opportunity detected: Sacred Hot Sand PoolImmediate acquisition recommended
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