"Cresselia, I choose you!"
Without hesitation, Tobias recalled Articuno and swiftly tossed another Poké Ball onto the field.
"Thunder!"
The moment the elegant Cresselia appeared, a bolt of lightning cracked down from the sky above her head.
"Protect!"
Just before the strike landed, a shimmering barrier materialized out of thin air, intercepting the blow perfectly.
"Full-power Thunder!"
Paul didn't waste a single word. Electivire unleashed another terrifying thunderbolt, streaking down in a flash toward Cresselia.
At that moment, Tobias' mind was clear.
His only hope of winning lay in reviving one of his other Pokémon.
So, without hesitation, he completely ignored the incoming Thunder and commanded:
"Lunar Dance!"
"Liiyaa~"
Amid the roaring lightning, Cresselia began to twirl in a graceful, ethereal dance, seemingly unfazed by the electric barrage. A full moon appeared to rise behind her, its glow enveloping her body.
"Psychic!"
Just as she reached the climax of her dance, a sudden surge of telekinetic force erupted, freezing her in place. The psychic energy overwhelmed her, rendering her completely immobile.
At the same time, the searing Thunderbolt crashed down. Despite the interference, its power had barely diminished—both forces collided with Cresselia's delicate form simultaneously.
Paul had anticipated the possibility of Lunar Dance. He had held off on using Psychic for this exact moment—it was his hidden trump card.
With the full boost from Mind Reader, even Electivire could suppress Cresselia with Psychic alone!
"What?!"
Tobias hadn't expected Electivire's Psychic to be this effective at such a crucial moment.
Watching his final Pokémon being utterly locked down—unable to move and unable to retaliate—was almost too much. Even the ever-calm Tobias couldn't help but shout:
"Cresselia! Hang in there—Lunar Dance!"
At the sound of his voice, memories of their journey together flickered through Cresselia's mind—every moment they'd shared.
"Liiyaa~!"
In a sudden burst of will, Cresselia began to move. Despite the crushing weight of Electivire's psychic hold, her body continued to dance. No matter how Paul tried to restrain her, her Lunar Dance could not be stopped.
"A meaningless struggle. Stop this." Paul said quietly, shaking his head.
"Vireee..."
Electivire ceased his attack, breathing heavily as he planted his hands on his knees. He looked up, eyes flickering as he watched Cresselia's final elegant motion.
As Lunar Dance came to an end, Cresselia fell softly to the ground, eyes closed in peaceful sleep. A mysterious violet light spiraled up from her body and flew toward the Poké Ball Tobias had just drawn.
"You did well. Rest now." Tobias said gently, recalling Cresselia before turning and throwing out his final Poké Ball.
"It's up to you, Articuno!"
That's right—after careful consideration, Tobias had chosen to revive not Darkrai, but Articuno, using Cresselia's Lunar Dance.
Darkrai was powerful, yes—but the way it had been pressured since the beginning made it clear that it couldn't gain any meaningful advantage against Electivire.
Even more so now, with Electivire having powered up to such an extreme level, it would be even harder for Darkrai to hold its own.
Heatran? If forced into the air, its inability to fly would become its greatest weakness.
Latios was out of the question. As for Latias—without the ability to Mega Evolve again, she too was a no-go.
Which left one unlikely candidate as the optimal choice: Articuno—who had already been defeated once!
As soon as Articuno took the field, an overwhelming pressure covered the entire stadium.
Its Ability—Pressure—immediately began draining the opponent's stamina with each move.
Paul's Electivire was already breathing heavily, its shoulders rising and falling with every gasp. It had been fighting non-stop for a long time, and its strength was near the limit.
But even so, its fighting spirit hadn't dimmed in the slightest.
"Ice Beam!"
Tobias wasted no time, commanding Articuno the moment it appeared.
The Legendary Bird spread its wings wide, and a chilling beam of energy burst from its mouth, surging across the battlefield like a slash of frost.
Paul didn't flinch.
"Protect!"
A translucent green barrier materialized just in time, shielding Electivire as the Ice Beam crashed into it and shattered into a thousand shards of glittering frost.
But Paul knew full well—stalling wouldn't win this fight.
The Protect had bought a brief moment of respite, but every second mattered now.
"Thunder!"
A roar erupted from the sky—thick black clouds swirled into place as Electivire, with trembling fists raised high, summoned yet another ferocious bolt of lightning.
The blast lit up the battlefield like a midday sun.
Articuno flapped its wings, twisting through the air with incredible grace, narrowly dodging the direct hit—but not entirely.
Electricity arced across its left wing, and it winced, letting out a cry as the attack partially connected.
"Keep it up—Thunder again!"
Tobias' eyes narrowed.
"Blizzard!"
Articuno countered with a spinning surge of frozen wind. The temperature plummeted as ice and snow howled across the arena.
Electivire's body tensed, bracing against the frigid storm. Its fur stiffened with frost, but it stood its ground, pushing through the cold with sheer willpower.
A spark lit in its eyes.
With a defiant roar, it launched yet another Thunder attack, this time striking true—lightning coiled around Articuno mid-air, sending the Legendary Pokémon crashing to the ground in a burst of static and snow.
Tobias' heart skipped a beat.
Articuno was struggling to rise.
And yet… it flapped its wings, shakily lifting itself into the air once more. Its resolve was as unyielding as Electivire's.
This was no ordinary battle—it was a clash of champions.
Tobias clenched his fists.
"Ice Beam—full power!"
A blinding spear of ice shot forward.
Paul's voice rang out, firm and unwavering.
"Thunder Punch—charge in!"
Electivire leapt into the oncoming attack, fists glowing with raw electric energy.
The Ice Beam slammed into its shoulder, sending shards flying—but Electivire didn't stop.
With a primal yell, it closed the distance in a flash—its Thunder Punch connected squarely with Articuno's chest.
A shockwave erupted on impact.
Articuno let out a final, pained cry before collapsing to the ground.
"Vireeee!"
Electivire let out a thunderous roar, channeling all the emotion surging in its chest into that cry. A wild grin lit up its face—a grin of pride, defiance, and triumph.
The stadium fell silent.
Then—
"Articuno is unable to battle—Electivire wins!"
"As all of Tobias' Pokémon are now unable to battle, the victory goes to Paul!"
The referee raised his hand and made the official announcement.
"Return, Articuno… You did well out there."
Tobias retrieved his Legendary Bird with a flash of red light, then shook his head with a wry smile. After a brief pause to compose himself, he turned toward Paul and said:
"That was an incredible match, Paul. You're far stronger than I imagined. If fate allows, I'll challenge you again someday."
With that, Tobias turned and walked off the field, leaving the stage to Paul.
"Not bad at all. All that training really paid off."
Paul stepped up and gave Electivire a solid pat on the shoulder, a rare smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Vireee~"
Electivire puffed out its chest and gave a proud, satisfied grin.
At that moment, the voice of the announcer rang out from the broadcast speakers—
"After a fierce and unforgettable battle, the champion of this year's Lily of the Valley Conference has been decided! He hails from Veilstone City—give it up for Paul!"
"Let's give him the loudest round of applause and cheers we've got!"
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
"YAAAHHH!! WHOO!!"
"...!!"
Amidst the roar of the crowd and thunderous applause, the stadium trembled with excitement and celebration.
In the spectator stands—
"What a phenomenal battle." Dawn said with a bright smile.
Nearby, Paul's self-proclaimed #1 fan, Barry, chimed in excitedly:
"That's my ultimate rival! The trainer I admire most! Paul is amazing!"
Clapping enthusiastically, Lucas added with a wistful tone:
"If it were me, I probably wouldn't have been able to defeat Tobias either. Without even realizing it, the gap between me and Paul has grown this wide…"
At the Pokemon Center Garden…
"Gaaaar!"
"Ursaaah!"
"Grrrrr!"
"Chaaah!"
Standing in front of a TV screen tuned to the live broadcast, Garchomp, Ursaluna, Metagross, and Hisuian Samurott all let out cries of joy as Paul's victory was announced.
"I knew you could do it."
Watching Paul and Electivire on the screen, Reggie smiled gently, pride shining in his eyes.
Indigo Plateau — Special Viewing Deck, Pokémon League Finals Arena...
High up in the stadium on a secluded observation platform, a silent boy leaned against the railing, his eyes not on the battlefield but on the screen of his phone.
"Hey, Mr. Champion, the finals are about to start, how can you watch a live broadcast of the conference games in other regions." A spiky-haired youth with a cocky grin walked up beside him.
Red didn't respond—he simply tilted his phone to show the screen to Blue Oak.
On it was a paused image: a screenshot of Tobias' full team lineup.
"Huh? This guy… What's his deal? So many Legendary Pokémon? That's wild."
Blue Oak's eyes narrowed in surprise, though he tried to keep his tone casual.
"With a lineup like that, even without perfect training, he could easily sweep most tournaments. Crushing your opponents with overwhelming power—what's so fun about that?"
Red didn't say anything. Instead, he swiped to the next image.
This time, the screen showed both trainers' teams—Tobias' six Pokémon icons were all greyed out, while several of Paul's were still lit.
"Wait… he lost?"
Blue Oak's casual demeanor vanished. His brow furrowed as he studied the screen, voice serious:
"Even the two of us a year ago… we might not have been able to win against that kind of team. Who is this Paul guy?"
Red remained silent, but Blue Oak seemed to understand anyway.
"..."
"A newcomer, huh? Interesting… He might actually be a worthy opponent someday."
"..."
Red gave the slightest nod, and in his eyes, for just a moment, a flicker of interest sparked to life.
Lily of the Valley Conference – Final Stage...
On the battlefield where so many dreams had risen and fallen, a temporary podium had been lifted. After a brief intermission, the award ceremony commenced.
Standing atop the podium, Paul looked around, his gaze sweeping across the arena. For a fleeting moment, it all felt surreal—like a dream. But the roar of the crowd, the gleam of the lights… it was all very real.
"I… I'm the Champion of the Tournament now!"
Paul clenched and unclenched his fists. His eyes then caught sight of the person walking toward him—Cynthia, the reigning Champion of the Sinnoh League.
"And now, as the curtains fall on this year's Lily of the Valley Conference, let us welcome with thunderous applause the Sinnoh League Champion, Miss Cynthia, who will present the Championship Trophy to this year's champion—Paul!"
The host's voice echoed through the arena, followed by a wave of applause. Cynthia stepped up beside Paul and accepted the trophy from an attendant before handing it to him.
"That was a phenomenal battle. Champion—you've earned this title. Keep pushing forward."
With a gentle smile, she offered her congratulations, then stepped aside to give Paul center stage.
"I will. My journey to become stronger has only just begun."
Paul nodded, lifting the trophy just slightly above his head.
One journey had come to a close—at least for now.
The screen froze.
In the image, Paul stood at the center, trophy in hand, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Beside him was Cynthia, smiling warmly in celebration.
Off-screen, a young man with purple hair looked at the photo with a quiet smile.
Beside the picture was a trophy—and a badge case containing all eight badges.
Paul's victory at the Conference marked a fitting conclusion to his journey through the Sinnoh region.
(End of Chapter)
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