The scent of burning asphalt lingered in the air.
"Frosmoth, use Aurora Veil! After the opponent finishes their attack, use Avalanche!" Nathan commanded.
An Aurora Veil formed in the air. As the burning asphalt rained down, it quickly stuck to the Aurora Veil, turning the beautiful shimmering curtain into a massive sheet of tar.
Once Coalossal's attack ended, the Aurora Veil quietly dispersed, and the large mass of asphalt dropped to the ground. At that moment, Avalanche erupted from beneath Frosmoth.
The asphalt sheet fell into the Avalanche and was quickly swallowed by it. The pure white snow surged across the battlefield, rapidly spreading through the arena.
"Coalossal, use Rock Tomb!" Fujiwara Taka quickly shouted as he saw the approaching avalanche.
A wall of scorching rock appeared in front of Coalossal.
Masses of snow slammed into the rock wall. Soon, the piled-up snow reached a height of five to six meters.
But the Avalanche still wasn't over!
As more and more snow accumulated, the rock wall's height was no longer enough to hold it back.
A small crack quietly appeared in one part of the wall. Though a single snowflake is light, an overwhelming number of them becomes a force no wall can withstand.
As the snow kept growing, more and more cracks appeared on the Rock Tomb, gradually widening.
Eventually, the rock wall was completely breached.
Though the Rock Tomb had a special structure, akin to a dam holding back a flood of snow for a moment, it still had its limits.
A massive amount of snow spilled over the broken barrier, surging toward Coalossal.
Fujiwara Taka hurriedly tried to have Coalossal use another move to counter it.
But it was already too late.
If he had used a Fire-type move earlier to melt the snow, he might have had a chance.
Although the snow-covered Coalossal wasn't knocked out, the outcome was already clear!
"Frosmoth, use Hyper Beam!"
…
From that point on, the battle became almost completely one-sided.
A single snowball rolling down from a mountain top becomes an avalanche as it gathers momentum.
The temperature in the Murakami Arena gradually returned to normal.
And Fujiwara Taka had lost.
He recalled his Coalossal and didn't send out any more Pokémon.
His strongest Coalossal had already been defeated—there was no way the others could beat Frosmoth.
The long-delayed referee and camera crew finally arrived and began announcing the results of the match.
Staring into the camera, Nathan let out a deep breath. He had finally won.
Today's battle had been extremely difficult.
But fortunately, his skills had carried him through.
The host, Hana had also returned to the Murakami Arena. Seeing the devastation inside, she was stunned.
Watching from the outside, the battle had seemed intense—but standing here in person, seeing the aftermath with her own eyes, she could now truly feel the destructive power of Champion-level Pokémon.
As a venue built for battles, the Murakami Arena had used durable materials for the flooring and other structures.
Even so, after the clash between two Champion-level Pokémon, it was nearly reduced to rubble.
…
"Tsk tsk. You've become a champion, sure. But if our national hero can't return home, that'll be a real tragedy."
In a manor somewhere in Valar, a man sat watching Nathan on television, clicking his tongue.
After Nathan's victory, cheers echoed across his home country.
This was their champion. Right now, he was only the champion of the Pacific, but it wouldn't be long before he took the world championship title as well!
At an airport in Valar, a beautiful young girl stepped out of the terminal.
"Phew~ finally here. Nathan should have already won by now. I wonder if he'll be surprised when he sees me?"
This girl was none other than Lily, who had come to celebrate with Nathan.
Before coming, Lily had worried she wouldn't make it in time.
But unexpectedly, there had been that incident before the match, which had made her extremely angry when she found out.
Thankfully, the situation was resolved relatively well in the end.
Because of the delay caused by that incident, Lily managed to arrive before Nathan's match ended.
Looking at this unfamiliar place, Lily pulled out the address she had prepared in advance.
She got into a taxi and headed straight for the hotel where Nathan was staying.
She wanted to arrive before he got back and give him a big surprise.
Meanwhile, the exhausted Nathan finally got away from the reporters and dragged his tired body into a taxi.
He planned to rest well tonight—he still needed to find a way to return to his country tomorrow.
When he arrived at the hotel, Nathan took out his room key and opened the door.
Upon seeing the room's interior, he froze for a second, then stepped back out to check the room number again.
"No mistake… but who decorated the room for a victory celebration?"
He looked curiously at the balloons and flower petals scattered throughout the room.
But he didn't know anyone in this country who would do something like this.
Just as Nathan was puzzling over the scene, a pair of small hands suddenly covered his eyes.
"Guess who?"
Nathan instinctively prepared to break free, but as soon as he heard the familiar nickname and voice, he stopped himself.
"Lily? What are you doing here?"
That voice was too familiar. He'd heard it for so many years—how could he not recognize it?
"Ah, you're no fun at all! Couldn't you at least pretend not to know who it was?" Lily pouted, clearly disappointed that she'd been recognized so quickly.
Nathan turned around and pulled her into the room.
"Now's not the time for that. Why did you suddenly come here?"
He wasn't joking—he didn't even know how he was going to get back home yet. Lily showing up now would only complicate things further.
"What's wrong? Nervous? Is it because some Valarian woman is about to show up?" Lily asked suspiciously, sensing betrayal.
Nathan was speechless. So, Lily had come all this way just to interrogate him?
He didn't even need to think to know that the "Valarian woman" she mentioned was Hana.
But his relationship with Hana was purely a professional collaboration—there was nothing more to it.
"This is getting ridiculous… Just check if there are any flights back tonight. You need to leave. I'll explain everything once I'm back home tomorrow," Nathan said seriously.
He pulled out his phone and started searching for return flights—of course, just for Lily.
There was no way he was letting her travel with him. If something happened on the plane, he didn't want her getting caught up in it.
…
"You really hate me, don't you?"
Lily sat on the bed with a choked-up voice.
She had come all this way to celebrate with Nathan, only to have him try to send her away the moment they met!
Looking at Lily's pitiful expression, Nathan felt a splitting headache coming on.
"Alright, alright… don't be upset~" he said gently, trying to comfort her.
He was seriously debating whether to tell her about his current situation.
If he told her, Lily would definitely understand.
But he was afraid that once she knew, she'd insist on staying and face the situation in this country with him.
That was exactly why he had hesitated to explain until now.
"Not be upset? Then give me one good reason why I shouldn't be," Lily said, crossing her arms and glaring at him in disappointment.
Her wide, accusing eyes bore into Nathan, making him feel immense pressure.
"Sigh…"
Nathan let out a long sigh. He decided it was time to tell her the truth—there was no point in dragging this out.
"Actually… I was threatened during the tournament. I want you to leave to protect you. I'll try to find a way to leave tomorrow too."
He briefly explained his situation, hoping she would understand.
But the moment he finished, Lily grabbed her bag and turned to leave.
Nathan panicked. Did she think he was lying?
"Where are you going?" he quickly asked, blocking her way.
"Going home, obviously," she replied, rolling her eyes.
Now that she knew he was in danger, of course she had to go. What else could she do—stay and become a burden?
Hearing she was going home, Nathan breathed a sigh of relief.
"You're really going back already?" he asked, sounding a little disappointed.
He had kind of expected that after learning the truth, she would insist on staying with him and facing everything together.
But now? She was just turning around and leaving?
"What else can I do? You really think I'd be of any help to you here?" she retorted bluntly.
Nathan was speechless. He hadn't expected her to be so straightforward.
Still, it was exactly what he needed.
"Alright then. Hurry back. I'm going to get some rest and try to see you back home tomorrow."
(End of Chapter)