The roar of the crowd was loud. Sunlight streamed down on the battlefield.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" The announcer's voice boomed across the arena. "The moment has arrived! It's time for the final round of Novice Clash!"
"Two trainers remain. Only one trophy. Who will it be? Let's find ooouuuut!"
"On right side, the force that has crushed all of his opponents... Elias!"
The cheer was massive, edged with a visceral thrill for power.
"And his opponent... the calm beauty who has beaten her every opponents... give it up for... Faith!"
They took their boxes. Faith adjusted her glasses, her face a mask of concentration. Elias stood motionless on his side.
The referee's flags went up.
"This is the final match! Trainers, begin on my signal!"
Both trainers held their pokeballs.
"BEGIN!"
"Glaceon, let's go." Faith's choice was immediate and confident.
The pokemon materialized in a flash of blue light, its chilling aura causing the air to shimmer.
Elias's hand closed around the familiar, warm capsule.
"Krokorok, let's go."
His partner emerged with a thud, its red eyes narrowing at the glacial foe.
A tense silence fell for a fraction of a second, broken only by the distant roar of the crowd. Elias didn't waste it.
"Krokorok, use Bulldoze!" Elias's command was sharp.
Krokorok's powerful legs tensed and it slammed into the packed earth of the arena floor. A visible shockwave of distorted energy rippled outward, tearing up chunks of ground as it raced toward Glaceon.
"Glaceon, jump, then use Ice Beam to the ground!"
Glaceon jumped in the air as the Bulldoze shockwave tore through where it had just been standing. Then, Glaceon opened its mouth, and fired a brilliant, concentrated beam of freezing energy at the middle of the arena floor.
The earth crackled and hissed, a sheet of mirror-smooth ice spreading rapidly from the point of impact. The sunlight glinted off the sudden, treacherous surface.
"Krokorok, use Bulldoze again."
Krokorok braced itself, the ground trembling as it prepared to unleash another shockwave.
"I won't let you! Glaceon, use Blizzard!"
The Bulldoze began, a weaker ripple this time, just as Glaceon's Blizzard hit.
The world between them vanished in a howling, white maelstrom. The icy wind met the trembling earth, and the freezing particles didn't just blow past—they seized the emerging shockwave and the moisture in the air, flash-freezing it into a jagged, crystalline wall. And Krokorok was at the epicenter.
Within seconds, Krokorok stood, a menacing statue of glittering ice, its red eyes visible behind a thick, frozen prison.
The crowd gasped, then erupted.
The announcer screamed:
"Incredible! Faith's Glaceon has frozen Krokorok solid! Is this the end for Elias?!"
Elias's heart hammered against his ribs.
What the hell is this feeling? Is this concern? Am I about to lose?
He clutched his chest. His other hand moved before his mind could fully process the dread. He snatched the Krokorok's pokeball from his belt, the recall beam flashing out.
Faith simply nodded, a slight, respectful tilt of her head. She had forced his hand.
Elias hand went to the next ball on his belt.
"Go, Staravia!" He shouted, hurling the ball into the air.
With a piercing cry, the avian pokemon burst forth, wings beating powerfully, scattering glittering ice dust from the blast. It hovered, glaring down at the Glaceon.
"Here comes Elias's Staravia! Will it be enough to defeat Faith's Glaceon?!" The announcer boomed.
Faith's eyes narrowed behind her glasses.
"Don't let it move. Use Ice Beam!" She commanded.
Glaceon unleashed a lance of freezing energy, aimed precisely at the hovering Staravia.
Staravia barrel-rolled sideways, the Ice Beam grazing just past its wingtips and shooting harmlessly into the sky.
"Staravia, use Whirlwind!"
Staravia twisted in the air, then flared its wings and beat them with a powerful rhythm.
The force was immense. Glaceon dug its claws into the ice, but it was no use. The Whirlwind wasn't an attack of damage, but of pure, irresistible force. With a cry of surprise, Glaceon was ripped from the icy ground and sent tumbling end over end in the howling cyclone. There was a flash of red light as Glaceon was forcibly returned to its pokeball.
The Whirlwind subsided. In the center of the icy field, a new pokemon stood, looking momentarily disoriented. It was a sleek, feline figure with a pink flower on its chest—Floragato.
The crowd roared in shock and delight. The announcer was practically screaming.
"Unbelievable! A masterful play from Elias! Staravia's Whirlwind has forcibly withdrawn Glaceon, pulling Faith's second pokemon into the fray! The advantage is gone, and in comes Floragato!"
Faith adjusted her glasses, a flicker of surprise finally breaking through her calm.
"I see... you're showing more emotions in this match than any of your past matches. Are you now seeing your pokemon are not just a tool?" She said, putting a hand on her hips.
Emotions?
Elias looked down at his hands. They were clenched into fists, knuckles white. His heart was still pounding, a drum against his ribs. His jaw was tight. Was that… frustration? Fear? When Krokorok froze… was that…
A hot, unfamiliar wave of something surged in his chest, messy and chaotic. It wasn't the cold thrill of a plan coming together. It was something else. It was the echo of Krokorok's roar. It was the fierce, proud cry of Staravia. It was the warmth of their presence around him.
He stared at Faith, his usual blank expression completely gone, replaced by a bewildered confusion. He hadn't noticed. He'd been so focused on the battle, on the win, that a whole other war had been raging inside him, and he was only now becoming aware of the casualties and the triumphs.
He looked at Staravia, hovering protectively, waiting for his command with unwavering trust. He thought of Krokorok's smirk against Grant. Was that... enjoyment?
Elias closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.
So this was emotions?It feels... different.
He opened his eyes, a small, calm smile formed on his lips.
"They were never tool to begin with." He simply said. Then, he clenched his fist. "Staravia, I believe in you. Use Aerial Ace!"
The command was different. Staravia felt it, its cry sharpening with a new intensity. It became a blur, a feathered arrow shot from an invisible bow. The Aerial Ace was unavoidable, a move of such speed it seemed to warp space.
"Floragato, Magical Leaf!"
Floragato snapped into a graceful battle stance. The flower on its chest glowed, and a storm of shimmering, homing leaves materialized around it, shooting unerringly towards the diving Staravia.
The two attacks collided in a spectacular mid-air explosion of green light. But Staravia emerged, its trajectory unbroken. It slammed into Floragato with a solid thump, sending the feline skidding backwards across the ice, claws screeching against the ice.
"Now, Quick Attack!" Elias pressed, his voice charged with a newfound fire.
Staravia wasted not a millisecond. It vanished again, aiming to bowl Floragato over completely.
"Floragato, use Low Sweep!"
As Staravia blurred in, Floragato dropped low, its leg glowing with a brown energy. The Low Sweep connected with Staravia's legs just as it closed in, upending the bird mid-attack.
Staravia cried out, crashing heavily onto the ice, its agility compromised.
"Floragato, finish it with Seed Bomb!"
The flower on Floragato's chest glowed again, and this time it formed a pulsating, volatile orb of green energy. With a flick of its wrist, Floragato launched the Seed Bomb point-blank at the grounded Staravia.
"Protect yourself! Use your wings!"
Staravia responded to the raw urgency in its trainer's voice. It didn't try to stand. Instead, it flung its wings forward, crossing them in front of its body in a desperate, instinctual guard.
The Seed Bomb detonated.
A cloud of dust and ice shards erupted, obscuring the avian pokemon. The crowd fell silent, leaning forward.
As the debris cleared, Staravia was revealed, struggling to its feet. Its wings were scorched and covered in sap-like residue, but it was standing. It let out a defiant, rasping cry.
It had held. Because Elias had asked it to.
Elias felt a lump in his throat. Pride. This was pride. It burned brighter than any victory he'd ever planned.
"Staravia... one more time. Give it everything you've got. Aerial Ace!"
Faith saw the shift. She saw the bond, raw and new, shining in Elias's eyes and in Staravia's unwavering gaze. She smiled, a real, genuine smile. This was the battle she had wanted.
"Floragato... our own all. Magical Leaf, full power!"
Both pokemon gathered the last of their strength. Staravia pushed off, its flight wobbly but its spirit a laser. Floragato braced, summoning every last leaf, the glow from its flower almost blinding.
They shot towards each other, a final, beautiful clash of speed and spirit.
The impact was a deafening crack. Light and sound swallowed the arena.
When it faded, both pokemon lay on the ice, motionless. Their eyes swirling.
"I-I-I-I-Incredible!!!! Both pokemon fainted at the same with that beautiful attack of theirs! Now, both trainers are left with one pokemon. This will determine the final round, and who will be the champion!"
The crowd erupted into a thunderous, standing ovation.
Elias recalled Staravia, his fingers gentle on the pokeball's surface.
"Thank you." He whispered, the words foreign but right on his tongue.
"You were magnificent." Faith recalled Floragato with a similar tenderness.
Both trainers now had one pokemon remaining. The icy field, scarred and melting in the sun, waited.
Elias's hand went to the last ball on his belt. The weight of it felt different. This was his partner, his first pokemon.
"Krokorok! Stand by me!"
With a roar that shook the very air, Krokorok erupted from the beam, the last remnants of ice shattering from its scales. Its red eyes blazed, not with mindless fury, but with a focused, answering fire. It looked at Elias, and gave a sharp, confident nod.
Faith's hand rested on her own final ball. The calm beauty on her face was now alight with the fierce joy of a true challenge.
"Go, Glaceon! We'll win this tournament!"
Glaceon materialized once more, its crystalline fur catching the sun, its breath forming mist in the air.
The battlefield was now a mess—a sheet of melting ice, patches of torn earth from the Bulldoze, and scorch marks from the explosive final clash.
Elias met Krokorok's eyes. The unspoken understanding between them was now a tangible thing, a thread of shared experience and trust.
"Krokorok, I'm sorry for not seeing it soon. But I see it now. Let's do this." Elias's voice was calm, assured. "Use Sandstorm!"
Faith's eyes widened slightly behind her glasses.
"Glaceon, be ready!"
Krokorok threw its head back and let out a guttural roar. From deep within its body, a swirling sand erupted, howling outwards to engulf the entire arena. The sunlight dimmed, obscured by the abrasive cloud. The remaining ice was instantly pitted and scoured by the flying sand.
Elias and Faith vanished from each other's sight, their pokemon mere shadows in the ochre haze.
"Your Sandstorm won't help you land a hit!" Faith called out, her voice slightly muffled by the howling wind. "Glaceon, use Blizzard! Clear a path and find it!"
From within the storm, a blue glow pulsed. Then, a concentrated beam of cold, wider and more powerful than a mere Ice Beam, erupted. The Blizzard howled, a white torrent cutting through the sand.
"Krokorok, use Dig!"
As the Blizzard scoured the surface, Krokorok was already gone.
The Blizzard subsided, having cleared a temporary tunnel of vision. Glaceon stood poised in the center of the newly frozen patch, its ears twitching, searching for any sound.
"Where will it come out?" Faith said, her calm cracking with a hint of unease.
Then, the ice beneath Glaceon's feet exploded.
Krokorok erupted upwards in a shower of frozen shards and dirt, its jaws glowing with vicious, dark energy. It slammed into Glaceon's underside before the it could even react, lifting it clear off the ground. Glaceon cried out in pain, the attack landing with devastating force.
"Glaceon! Quick, use Ice Shard!"
Even as it was flung backwards, Glaceon summoned a burst of ice shards in the air around its body and fired downwards at point-blank range, peppering Krokorok's face and shoulders.
Krokorok flinched, snarling, but held its ground, shaking off the frost.
"Don't let up!" Elias shouted, the sand whipping around him. "Bulldoze!"
Krokorok stomped down. On the ice, the shockwave was less earth-shattering, but it turned the slick surface into a treacherous, rolling wave. Glaceon, still struggling to find its footing, was thrown off balance, sliding helplessly.
"Now, close in with Assurance!"
Krokorok charged across the shifting ice, its body cloaked in a malicious dark energy. It was a move that grew stronger if the target was already hurt.
And Glaceon was very hurt.
Faith saw the knockout blow coming. A desperate light entered her eyes. Not despair, but the fierceness of a trainer who would fight to the very last second.
"Glaceon! Meet it with everything! Use Last Resort!"
It was a gamble. Last Resort, a move of immense power that could only be used when all else was failing. Glaceon's body glowed with white energy. Ignoring its pain, it gathered every last ounce of its strength and launched itself towards Krokorok.
The two pokemon collided in the center of the sandy, icy battlefield.
A shockwave of energy blasted outwards, finally dissipating the lingering Sandstorm. The air cleared.
Both pokemon stood frozen in the aftermath, locked in their final struggle.
Then, Glaceon's glow faded. Its legs buckled, and it sank to the ground, its eyes swirling.
Krokorok remained standing, swaying, its chest heaving. It turned its head, seeking out Elias through the settling dust.
A silence blanketed the arena for a single heartbeat.
The referee's flags shot up.
"Glaceon is unable to battle! The winner... Is Elias!"
The roar that followed was deafening, a physical wave of sound that shook the stadium stands. Confetti, real and digital, began to rain from the sky.
Elias was already running, his boots crunching on the broken ice, sliding to a stop beside his partner. Krokorok looked up at him, a low, tired rumble escaping its throat. Elias dropped to one knee, placing a hand on its rough, sandy head.
"You did it." He said, his voice thick with an emotion.
Faith recalled her fallen Glaceon, holding the pokeball to her forehead for a moment before walking across the field. She stopped before Elias, offering a smile that held no bitterness.
"It was a beautiful battle, Elias. Truly magnificent. You and your pokemon... you found it, didn't you? The thing that connects you."
Elias stood, helping Krokorok to its feet. He looked at Faith, then at his partner, then back at the trainer who had been his mirror and his key.
"Yes." He said, simple and sure. "Thank you."
"No need to thank me. You did it all yourself. I merely said the words you need to hear." Faith turned her back to him. "Perhaps we'll meet again... somewhere."
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! YOUR NOVICE CLASH CHAMPION FOR THIS YEAARR! ELIAAAAAS!" The announcer's voice boomed, struggling to be heard over the celebrating crowd.
As the officials approached with the gleaming trophy, Elias didn't look at it first. He looked at Staravia's pokeball and at the weary but proud Krokorok at his side. The cold, hollow feeling was gone, replaced by a warm, vibrant, and utterly terrifying fullness. He had won.