The Pokéball felt warm against Sasuke's palm as Blastoise disappeared into its protective interior.
"You were incredible," he murmured to the device. "Rest now. You've earned it."
Nurse Joy had already arrived at the battlefield, her Chansey partner carrying medical equipment designed for exactly this kind of situation. Her expression mixed professional concern with genuine awe at what she'd just witnessed.
"Both Pokémon need immediate transport to the Center," she said, approaching Sasuke while her colleague attended to Venusaur. "The damage is extensive but not permanent. Full recovery is possible with proper treatment."
"Thank you."
"Thank you for giving us something to talk about for years." Her professional composure cracked into a brief smile. "That battle will become legend."
Tsunade crossed the devastated arena floor with measured steps, her recalled Venusaur's Pokéball held gently despite the loss it represented. There was no defeat in her expression, only satisfaction that bordered on joy.
"That was magnificent."
The words carried weight that simple praise couldn't capture. Tsunade had faced countless challengers. Most had failed. Many had provided reasonable battles. But magnificent, that word she reserved for moments that reminded her why she still did this.
"You overcame type disadvantage through pure bond," she continued. "Not tricks. Not special techniques. Just the connection between you and your partner, pushed to its absolute limit."
"Blastoise did the work. I just provided direction."
"False modesty." Tsunade's slight smile suggested she saw through the deflection. "Your bond allowed that work to happen. Without your connection, Blastoise would have fallen to the status combination. You gave it reason to fight beyond its body's limits."
She reached into her formal robes and withdrew a case that gleamed under the arena's emergency lighting.
"The Rainbow Badge."
The flower-shaped emblem rested on velvet cushioning, petals in seven colors that caught light like a prism, the symbol of Celadon's mastery over Grass-type Pokémon.
"You've earned this and more. My respect, which I give rarely. My admiration, which I give even more rarely." Tsunade placed the badge in Sasuke's palm. "And my gratitude, for reminding me why battles matter."
"Thank you." Sasuke studied the badge, its weight somehow more significant than its physical mass suggested. "Blastoise and I couldn't have done it without our team. They helped develop the strategy. They supported us through the preparation. Victory belongs to all of us."
"A trainer who shares credit is a trainer worth following." Tsunade's gaze drifted toward the stands where Miyuki sat with the others. "My granddaughter chose her companions well."
The Pokémon Center's private recovery wing had been reserved for the battle's participants.
Blastoise and Venusaur rested in adjacent treatment bays, medical equipment monitoring their recovery while healing technology accelerated their natural regeneration. Nurse Joy's assessment had been cautiously optimistic.
"Both Pokémon will fully recover," she reported to Sasuke and Tsunade, who waited together in the observation area. "The damage is extensive, shell fractures for Blastoise, cellular stress for Venusaur, but nothing that time and proper treatment can't heal."
"Timeline?" Tsunade asked.
"Complete rest for three days minimum. Light activity after that, with full clearance for battle in approximately two weeks." Nurse Joy consulted her chart. "They pushed themselves beyond normal parameters. Recovery requires patience."
"Three days." Sasuke nodded acceptance. "We'll stay in Celadon until Blastoise is cleared for travel."
"Longer, ideally." Nurse Joy's expression suggested she knew that request would be ignored. "Trainers and their ambitions. At least promise you won't push him until he's ready."
"I promise."
Tsunade observed the exchange with quiet approval. "A trainer who prioritizes his Pokémon's health is a trainer who will achieve lasting success. Many young challengers would already be planning their next battle."
"Blastoise gave everything for this victory. The least I owe is patience during recovery."
"The least and the most important." Tsunade rose from her seat. "I must attend to estate matters, but I expect all of you for dinner tonight. We'll celebrate properly."
The Senju estate's formal dining hall had been transformed for celebration.
Lanterns cast warm light across tables laden with dishes that represented the best of Celadon's culinary traditions. Staff moved with elegant efficiency, ensuring every guest's needs were met before they could be expressed. The atmosphere was festive without being overwhelming, sophisticated celebration rather than rowdy party.
Tsunade presided from the table's head, but her attention focused primarily on the guests rather than protocol.
"That's the best match I've had in years," she announced during the meal's early courses. "Most challengers come with type advantage and standard strategies. You came with disadvantage and innovation. I haven't been surprised in a gym battle since..." She paused, calculating. "since Mikoto challenged me actually. Your mother knew how to make battles interesting."
Sasuke filed that information away for later consideration. His mother's history continued revealing itself in unexpected ways.
"The Senju value excellence," Tsunade continued. "Not just victory, but the quality of achievement. Sasuke demonstrated excellence today. That deserves recognition."
She raised her glass, and the assembled guests followed suit.
"To Sasuke Uchiha. May his journey continue with the same brilliance it's shown thus far."
"To Sasuke!" the room echoed.
Miyuki glowed throughout the dinner.
Her grandmother's approval, rare and valuable, reflected on her choice of companions. Every compliment Tsunade offered Sasuke implicitly validated Miyuki's judgment in choosing to travel with him. Every acknowledgment of the group's capabilities confirmed that her path away from family expectations had led somewhere meaningful.
"You've chosen your path well," Tsunade said during a quiet moment between courses, leaning close to her granddaughter. "These people will be your support forever."
"I hope so."
"Don't hope. Choose. Choose them every day, as they're choosing you. That's how bonds become permanent." Tsunade's gaze drifted toward Sasuke. "Some of those choices may become more complicated as you grow older. But the foundation, the decision to stay together, that's what matters."
Miyuki felt heat rise to her cheeks at her grandmother's implication. "Grandma we are not..."
"Not yet." Tsunade's slight smile carried knowing that decades of life experience provided. "But you will be. All of you will have to navigate what you're building together. I hope you do it with more grace than we managed."
The evening had grown late when Miyuki found Sasuke in the estate's gardens.
He stood beside a pond where Lotad and Lombre played their eternal games, the same spot where Tsunade had given him instructions days before. Moonlight painted everything in silver, creating an atmosphere that felt removed from the day's chaos.
"Thank you," Miyuki said, joining him at the water's edge.
"For what?"
"For taking my grandmother seriously." She wrapped her arms around herself against the evening chill. "She respected that you didn't hold back. Many challengers become intimidated by her reputation, pull their attacks, try to play defensively. You gave her everything you had."
"She deserved nothing less." Sasuke's gaze remained on the water. "Your grandmother is strong. One of the strongest trainers I've ever faced. Maybe the strongest until I reach the Elite Four."
"She said the same about you."
"Did she?"
"Called you 'magnificent' remember? She doesn't use that word lightly." Miyuki's voice softened. "I see where you get your strength. Both of you, stubborn, driven, refusing to give up when logic says you should."
"Sasuke Uchiha the Magnificent? I could live with that. Anyway, she would say the same about you."
"Me?" Miyuki laughed quietly. "I'm not a battle prodigy. My strength is different."
"Different isn't less." Sasuke finally turned to face her, his crimson eyes meeting her beautiful gold eyes in the moonlight. "You heal what battles break. You nurture what training exhausts. Your grandmother fights with overwhelming power, you fight by keeping everyone strong enough to continue."
Miyuki's heart fluttered at the observation. He saw her. Really saw her, in ways that others often missed.
"Sasuke..."
"Hot cocoa ready!"
Kasumi's voice echoed from the estate's interior, cutting through the moment with cheerful obliviousness.
"Kiyomi found the estate kitchen and there's chocolate and it's going to be amazing so get back here before I drink all of it!"
Miyuki's words died on her tongue. Whatever confession had been building, the feelings she'd been circling for months, retreated before the interruption's mundane reality.
Sasuke's expression flickered with something that might have been frustration, but his smile appeared almost immediately afterward.
"Hot cocoa sounds good."
"It does," Miyuki agreed, disappointment carefully hidden beneath practiced composure.
They walked back toward the estate together, the moment passed but not forgotten.
In the kitchen, surrounded by friends and warmth and the simple pleasure of chocolate, Miyuki caught Sasuke's eye across the room.
His slight nod suggested he understood. Suggested that what hadn't been said remained waiting, patient, for another opportunity.
The pattern was becoming familiar, intimate moments building toward confession, interrupted by circumstances or companions or simple timing. It couldn't continue indefinitely. Eventually, someone would speak plainly about what everyone clearly felt.
Tonight was for celebrating victory, enjoying friendship, and trusting that the future would provide what the present kept deferring.
The hot cocoa was excellent too.