"In the final moments, even Sabrina chose to trust her most important partner—no longer obsessing over victory or defeat…"
In the stands, Caitlin sighed wistfully upon seeing both trainers' final Pokémon.
After all, when cornered by Aiden herself, she'd made the same choice—and grown profoundly from the experience.
Reluctant as she was to admit it… 'Fighting Aiden while fixated on winning might drive you mad. Better to relax.'
'Comparing myself to this monster truly is cruel!'
But Sabrina's expression suggested she'd accepted defeat from the start…
"Come to think of it, Sabrina also appeared in Aiden's streams multiple times—just like Lucian in the last match…" Caitlin murmured absentmindedly.
Beside her, Cynthia's gaze turned sharp, scrutinizing her with amused suspicion.
"Oh~?"
"Why do you know so much about Aiden's streams? Weren't you the one who said you 'just happened to stumble upon it once' when I asked before?"
"Could it be… you were lying to me back then~?"
"…"
Catching Cynthia's smile—which radiated terrifying pressure despite its warmth—Caitlin instantly broke into a cold sweat.
'Oh no!'
In that moment, silent Caitlin realized—
'I lied to her about studying Aiden's battle tactics, didn't I?!'
'We've reconciled with Aiden… but what about Cynthia?!'
'Even best friends would be furious if betrayed for so long!'
'She can't hate me… PLEASE!!!'
Just as Caitlin panicked, Cynthia's icy expression melted. She chuckled softly.
"Don't worry—I'm not angry. Just testing your reaction."
As she spoke, Caitlin felt a warm hand gently stroking her head—carefully preserving her hairstyle.
"You really are adorable, Caitlin."
"If you learn to be more honest, Unova's people will adore you too."
"When you meet other fascinating trainers, remember to introduce them to me~"
By the time Cynthia finished speaking softly, Caitlin's face burned crimson. Unable to respond, she simply nodded.
"I-I know…"
'Cynthia's still so gentle… it's wonderful…'
Their interaction, perfectly framed by the Rotom Phone's clever camera angle, streamed to thousands of viewers.
[??? What did they do to my Caitlin from Sinnoh's strongest Battle Facility? terrifying!]
[Is this the perfect, flawless champion Cynthia? No wonder Caitlin acts like this—I'm a girl and even I'm flustered seeing her…]
[Thank goodness Teacher Azure's heart is purely on battle-only. Women are just annoyances to him. with Cynthia's charm… no one could resist!]
[WTF are you talking about?]
From the Poké Dome stands to Aiden's online stream, the entire arena buzzed with joyous energy.
With a 2-0 field score and a clear power gap, nearly everyone believed Aiden couldn't lose—as long as he didn't pull a stunt.
Even Sabrina across from him shared this certainty.
"Teacher Azure—let's cast aside all tactics for this final moment. Let our purest battle instincts decide the victor."
Despite the hopeless situation, Sabrina smiled—even her eyes gleamed with fervor. Her usually cool voice now thrummed with passion.
Aiden was undeniably the strongest opponent she'd ever faced. The pressure rivaled even Kanto's Elite Fours…
Yet this made the battle utterly exhilarating.
'Until the end—I'll savor every perfect moment!'
Aiden merely nodded before commanding:
"Lucario—Extreme Speed to close the distance!"
Facing Alakazam, Aiden immediately leveraged Lucario's close-combat advantage.
After all, Alakazam was a psychic specialist. Judging by Sabrina's earlier performance, her Alakazam wouldn't be ordinary.
Trading special attacks would just invite more dirty tricks…
But Alakazam's physical defense was notoriously frail—almost paper-thin.
'Strike their weakness with your strength. Victory comes easily.'
"Alakazam—use Teleport to escape! Regroup and charge a Focus Blast from cover!"
Receiving Aiden's strategy intel, Sabrina calmly calculated the optimal counter.
Every competent trainer knew Alakazam's fragility. Many opponents, like Aiden, assumed closing distance guaranteed victory.
But Alakazam understood this better than anyone.
Even as weak Abra, it mastered psychic self-defense—vanishing instantly from hostile presences. This made capturing it nearly impossible for non-psychics.
Post-evolution, Alakazam's psychic mastery and Teleport reached effortless perfection.
So even against Lucario's Extreme Speed, Sabrina had absolute faith it would dodge effortlessly.
"Luca!"
Receiving orders, Lucario had already stepped forward—body coiled like a spring.
A roar—then explosive power launched it forward. Its speed left only afterimages in viewers' eyes as it blurred meters ahead.
Yet…
Master Kadabra remained utterly calm. Its eyes widened slightly, faint blue light glowing in its sockets as it scanned the field for safe landing points.
"Luca!"
Feeling his target within range, charging Lucario clenched its fist. It skidded to a halt, momentum fueling a full-power strike toward Alakazam.
But no solid impact came.
Alakazam vanished mid-swing. Lucario pivoted instantly—spotting Alakazam floating mid-air, energy gathering in its hands.
"Psychics are so troublesome—especially for Fighting-types relying on close combat. Landing hits feels impossible."
Commentator Lance reappeared, analyzing calmly:
"Having lost momentum, even Extreme Speed might not stop Alakazam's Focus Blast now…"
"Perhaps shifting to defense would be wiser?"
Aiden knew this too—he shouldn't recklessly charge.
A direct Focus Blast hit would badly wound even Lucario's resilience.
But glancing at Lucario—seeing its focused gaze and right hand unconsciously gripping its left wrist guard—he understood.
He smiled helplessly.
Since Sabrina requested a battle of pure instinct…
"Lucario—do as you wish."
As he spoke, Aiden decisively sat cross-legged on the ground—a physical declaration of trust.
"Lucario…"
With trainer permission, Lucario's eyes narrowed.
Since evolution, it never removed its full-body weights—not even to sleep.
But now—on this critical stage, with Aiden entrusting him the decisive point—its confidence surged.
'I won't fail you.'
Lucario's gaze locked onto Alakazam.
Focus Blast's charging time was longer than expected—its energy unfamiliar to the Psychic-type.
'Perfect.'
'I can make it!'
Lucario's hands flew across its body, expertly unfastening every weight ring and iron plate. Soon, it struggled to hold the sheer quantity—barely clutching the last pieces.
[??? IT'S THE FINALS AND IT'S STILL TRAINING WITH WEIGHTS? THIS LUCARIO'S A FREAKING MONSTER…]
[Wait—you mean it wasn't going all out before?! Are NONE of Teacher Azure's Pokémon normal?!]
[Yo, is this legal?]
[Hold up… weights count as held items too? LITERALLY fighting with weights now!]
The audience gasped in shock.
But the real spectacle was yet to come.
As Lucario dropped the weights, the ground trembled with thunderous cracks—dust bursting from the impact.
"Don't be distracted! Release the move now!"
Sabrina frowned, instantly grasping Aiden's ploy.
'Using the weights to block vision—creating dust like Sand Veil—making Focus Blast harder to aim?'
'So like Teacher Azure… but my solution is simple—'
"Lucario will attack—I'll strike the moment it moves. Impossible to dodge!"
Her words snapped Alakazam's attention back to its surroundings. It abandoned tracking Lucario's vanished form, focusing solely on its own charging energy.
'The second Lucario attacks—I'll fire Focus Blast, crushing its ambush tactic!'
Across the field, Aiden gave no commands. Still seated, he calmly awaited Lucario's move.
'Its earlier Extreme Speed was terrifying… but now—an unburdened Lucario…'
'Could it move faster than even Alakazam can react?'
"Luca…"
Grounded Lucario reset its stance.
This time, without weights dragging it down, it channeled pure power into a single point…
'A speed beyond even my imagination.'
Closing its eyes, Lucario embraced the dust's double-edged effect—obscuring both vision and judgment.
But Lucario never relied on sight alone.
There was something simpler, more reliable—a truth that never lied.
Aura—flowing through all things, always felt within reach.
"Luca!"
Fusing intent with the aura network, Lucario pinpointed Alakazam's location. It roared—
Then—white light erupted.
Its speed transcended human perception. To spectators, Lucario blurred—vanishing completely in one instant.
"Now!"
Sabrina's command and Alakazam's released Focus Blast synchronized—blasting toward Lucario's last position.
Too slow.
As they neared collision, Lucario's form flickered—phasing 'through' the cherished Focus Blast. Unslowed, it surged toward Alakazam, right fist cocked for the kill.
Instinctively, Alakazam triggered Teleport—no wind-up, pure reflex.
It vanished just before impact—reappearing at the field's edge.
'Barely dodged…' Alakazam exhaled in relief.
But as it turned to track Lucario…
'Gone?'
Alakazam's mind froze. A bad premonition struck—its gaze snapped behind it.
Lucario—supposedly distant—now stood directly behind it.
"Lucario!"
As Alakazam realized this, Lucario's fist clenched. A blur of motion—then all its pent-up power exploded in one strike.
To Alakazam, Lucario's movement slowed infinitely—but its own body locked rigid.
'I understand now.'
Alakazam smiled wryly, powerless to resist.
'This terrifying creature… achieved with mere flesh what I need psychic power to accomplish…'
'Perhaps I don't deserve to win after all.'
BOOOOM—!
As acceptance filled it, Lucario's fist landed. The sonic boom echoed through the Poké Dome, leaving spectators speechless.
The already shattered battlefield trembled anew under Lucario's assault.
Predictably, Alakazam flew backward—but didn't land. It rocketed across the entire field, embedding itself in the thick wall beneath the stands.
RUMBLE—
The tremor underfoot sent shockwaves through the audience.
From their viewpoint—unable to track such speed—they saw two Pokémon nearly collide… then Alakazam suddenly flew from a distant corner.
The attack's aftershock vibrated through high seats, lingering long after impact.
"Teacher Azure's Lucario… feels scarier than Bruno's Machamp…"
"After removing the weights, could even Mewtwo withstand that punch? Ridiculous!"
"Lucario with Extreme Speed punches you can't react to, Mewtwo hitting with legendary-level psychic power, Ogerpon's unstoppable second strike, Indeedee's tactical tricks, and Sylveon's unshown potential… I'M ANGRY!"
"So you're saying… this is one of Teacher Azure's mains? We'll face it in the Champion evaluation???"
"About the Psychic Master Tournament champion being Paldea's tutorial village chief… Teacher Azure's stats are too broken. Please stay away from Paldea—I'm scared cryingemoji.jpg"
Reactions varied—but all agreed on one truth:
The champion was decided.
Alakazam—the archetype of glass cannons—couldn't possibly withstand Lucario's full-power blow.
Reality matched expectations.
When the referee arrived, Alakazam—wedged deep in the wall—stared vacantly with swirling eyes.
On the big screen, Sabrina's three Poké Ball icons darkened. Her avatar grayed and vanished.
Only Aiden's giant photo remained—victory symbol blazing beside it.
"The champion of this Psychic Master Tournament is finally crowned!"
"Aiden of Paldea dominated with a king's aura—crushing nearly every opponent effortlessly to claim championship glory!!!"
DJ Mary's impassioned voice ignited the crowd. After a breathless pause, deafening cheers erupted.
"Whatever—I'll stop worrying today. Teacher Azure won! That's all that matters!"
"Won a championship in his FIRST tournament? I can't even imagine how terrifying he'll become!"
"Teacher Azure—please go easy this summer! Don't treat us Paldean students like Master Tournament pros!"
"I think I witnessed a legend's birth… but why does this legend have a dark aura around him…?"
Victory confetti filled the Poké Dome. Aiden absorbed the roaring celebration and fluttering streamers.
"Congratulations, Teacher Azure."
Sabrina approached, smiling as she extended her hand.
"Now—please enjoy your champion moment."
After a polite handshake, Sabrina retreated into the player tunnel.
Aiden, under a sea of spotlights, raised both arms—welcoming the crowd's adoration.
That's when he spotted two familiar golden figures in the stands.
His radiant smile met Cynthia's. Her answering grin held pride.
'Last time, the Dragon-type champion was Cynthia. Now it's my turn…'
'Soon, I'll catch up to her footsteps.'
Two minutes later, Lance emerged from the player tunnel with several Machamp workers carrying specialized equipment.
"Since it's your first Master Tournament, Teacher Azure likely doesn't know the post-match protocol…"
"I took the liberty of having the Machamp bring this over."
Lance approached smiling, explaining:
"This is the League's official recorder. Place your hand and Poké Balls here to log your team into history."
"From today, the Master Tournament champions will include a new superstar named Aiden."
Following Lance's playful gesture, Aiden nodded.
'Normally, this would be a post-game champion perk…'
'But the ceremony is truly special!'
Just then, Lucario—retrieving its scattered weights—reached Aiden's side. Arms crossed, it waited patiently.
"Good work, everyone."
Aiden smiled, recalling Lucario before placing each tournament-used Pokémon into the machine's slots.
Lucario. Sylveon. Indeedee. Ogerpon. Mewtwo…
Gazing at the final empty slot, Aiden turned to Lance.
"Can Pokémon that didn't compete be included?"
"If possible… I'd like Shelgon to share this honor with us."
Lance paused—then nodded solemnly.
"Of course. I'm sure Shelgon will be thrilled."
Relieved, Aiden placed his last Poké Ball in the final slot.
'Well… Miraidon's left out…'
'But it's not really a Pokémon yet, is it? Sorry, buddy…'
'Your perfect moment will come later!'
He pressed his palm onto the machine.
Beep—Beep—
Recording… Do not power off!
Recording complete.
Your championship team: Lucario, Sylveon, Indeedee, Ogerpon, Mewtwo, Shelgon.
Thank you for your stellar performance, Aiden. Continue striving for greatness!
The screen displayed text eerily similar to his Pokégear's system interface. When the mechanical voice faded, Aiden exhaled.
'From today… I'm half a champion too.'
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