In the Aether Isle Dark clouds swirled above and The Third Key floated before Zeff.Golden energy filled the ancient chamber.For thousands of years, nobody had reached this place.
Yet now—
The Three Keys were finally together.
Aetherdrake remained silent.
It did not interfere.
It did not attack.
As though it knew this moment was inevitable.
The instant Zeff touched the Third Key—
A massive shockwave exploded across the island.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Ancient ruins awakened.Forgotten symbols began glowing.The sea around the island started violently shaking.
Far below the waves...Something ancient stirred.Something that had slept for centuries.A gigantic eye slowly opened in the darkness.
Meanwhile, the Luminara League Championship continued.
The Round of 32 had finally ended.
Many strong trainers had already been eliminated.Others had risen to become fan favorites.
Inside the Pokémon Center,
Elior sat beside Infernarx.
The battle against Aero had been one of the toughest of his journey.Yet they had won.Barely.
A giant screen displayed the remaining competitors.One by one, names appeared.Many familiar faces were gone.
Only the strongest trainers remained.
At that moment— Mira entered the room.
She looked exhausted.But she was smiling.
"I won."
Elior immediately stood up.
"You qualified too?"
Mira nodded.
For the first time since arriving at the League—Both trainers allowed themselves to relax.Not because they had won the championship.But because they had survived another round.
Elsewhere...
Aboard a ship leaving Aether Isle—Zeff stood alone at the bow.The Three Keys floated around him.
For the first time—His goal felt close.Very close.
The official League rankings appeared on every screen across the stadium.The remaining trainers were announced.Only fourteen competitors remained.Among the names were:
ELIOR
MIRA
The crowd erupted.Two trainers who had once begun their journeys as ordinary rookies.Now standing among the strongest trainers in the entire region.
Elior and Mira had officially qualified for the Top 14 of the Luminara League.
And neither intended to stop there.
TO BE CONTINUED...