Hilda carefully recalled the battle—she hadn't made a mistake in her commands.
Her Braviary had completely suppressed Arcanine from start to finish. Sure, Braviary had taken some hits, but nothing too serious.
So how did that Arcanine suddenly explode with power like that?!
Nothing unusual had happened—except when Yellow had firmly said, "The bond between me and Arcanine isn't that weak!"
But… she'd said similar things before herself! Sure, a Pokémon might be touched and push through for a bit, but this level of power-up was ridiculous!
Hilda couldn't understand it. Her mind was a whirl of confusion.
"Go, Krookodile!"
Quickly regaining focus, she threw her next Poké Ball with determination.
Her Ground/Dark-type Krookodile was, on paper, the perfect counter to Arcanine.
Hilda was undeniably strong, and though Arcanine had gone wild earlier, it was clearly in bad shape now.
After a hard-fought exchange, Hilda's Krookodile finally defeated it.
Yellow's second Pokémon was Flutter Mane—a Fairy-type that had the advantage over Krookodile.
Still, given that Krookodile was immune to Flutter Mane's Psychic moves, Hilda didn't switch out.
The match began again, and Hilda fought cautiously. Flutter Mane wasn't exactly known for raw offense; it was more of a defensive support Pokémon.
Even with a type advantage, it was being gradually pushed back by Krookodile's steady assault.
Hilda was confident. If she just kept playing it safe, Flutter Mane had no chance—no matter how durable it was.
She was certain this one was hers.
And then—
"Krookodile is unable to battle! Flutter Mane wins!"
Hilda froze, staring blankly at her fallen Krookodile, then at the panting Flutter Mane, baring its sharp little fangs in a fierce expression.
What the hell just happened?!
She was sure—absolutely sure—that Flutter Mane hadn't been this strong before!
Yes, it had used Calm Mind once, but how could a single Dazzling Gleam completely overpower Krookodile's Shadow Claw and knock it out cold?!
Hilda clutched her hair in disbelief. This doesn't make any sense!
The audience—especially Yellow's supporters—burst into cheers.
"Wait a minute, something feels off."
"Yeah! Didn't Flutter Mane just get way stronger all of a sudden—like that Arcanine earlier?!"
"Hilda's completely dumbfounded, hahaha!"
"If this weren't being broadcast live, I'd swear Flutter Mane was juiced. How else could it suddenly hit that hard?!"
"You don't get it! That's the power of the trainer–Pokémon bond! Flutter Mane broke its limits for her trainer! Haven't you ever had that happen before?"
"Honestly… kinda. Once my Jynx went berserk like that so I wouldn't lose—and yeah, I gave her a treat later."
"Bro, you're a menace. But seriously, it's rare, not impossible. Still… this is the second time it's happened for Yellow! Arcanine went off last round, and now Flutter Mane?!"
The chatter filled both the stadium and the livestream—trainers from around the world debating in awe.
As many of them pointed out, the bond between a trainer and their Pokémon was an elusive yet undeniable force.
Dylan had once told Yellow: "As long as you haven't lost, as long as you don't give up, miracles can still happen."
And that didn't just apply to Yellow—it applied to all trainers.
Pokémon were creatures driven by emotion. For their trainers—and for themselves—desire, willpower, and sheer defiance could push them to unleash power beyond their limits.
It wasn't unheard of; the anime, games, and manga had all shown moments like that. But usually, those bursts were fleeting—just brief flashes during a decisive clash.
Yellow, though… was different.
"How is she doing that? Her Flutter Mane really did just get stronger," Ilene murmured, crossing her legs as she watched in disbelief.
Once might've been chalked up to luck or emotion—to the deep bond between Yellow and Arcanine. Arcanine could've surged in strength to protect her, to make her proud.
But this too?
Were all her Pokémon like this? What on earth did she do to them to make them fight like that for her?
"…"
Lance frowned deeply. He had noticed something most others hadn't.
The pulse of Viridian Power.
Could it be the source? Was her Viridian Power strengthening her Pokémon mid-battle?
That didn't make sense—his didn't do that!
"What a terrifying ability," Giovanni muttered from the stands, eyes narrowing in awe.
With each surge of determination and will, Yellow's Viridian Power seemed to temporarily amplify her Pokémon's strength.
It was absurd. Utterly broken.
The stronger her conviction, the stronger her Pokémon became.
That was basically a divine cheat code!
Even Giovanni couldn't help feeling a bit jealous—his own Viridian Power didn't have anything like that!
The battle pressed on.
Hilda wasn't stupid—far from it. She quickly realized that this seemingly pure, sunny girl in a straw hat wasn't "normal."
So she went all in, giving the rest of the match everything she had.
The fight raged on to its final stage—Yellow's ace Pikachu versus Hilda's ace Emboar.
Hilda tried to stay calm, to keep her emotions steady.
But when Yellow shouted, "You can do it, Pikachu!" something in the little mouse snapped awake.
Electricity crackled violently around it as it launched itself forward—its Volt Tackle bursting into a blinding storm of golden light.
The surge of energy crashed through Emboar's Blast Burn head-on, overwhelming it completely. Lightning consumed the field, and the shockwaves scrambled the giant screen into static.
It was breathtaking.
"Too much!!"
Hilda finally lost it, shouting in disbelief.
"What the hell is this?! You're just a little electric rat—how are you overpowering my Tera-Fire Emboar's Blast Burn?!"
"HOW?!"
Pikachu landed hard, arcs of electricity still dancing around its fur. It winced from the recoil but stood proud, facing the smoldering, fainted Emboar.
The glow of Terastallization faded from Emboar's body before it stumbled and fell.
"Emboar is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!"
"Hilda has no remaining Pokémon—Yellow is the winner and advances to the next round!"
The referee's announcement echoed across the stadium.
Hilda bit her lip, watching her fallen Emboar in silence, emotions swirling too deep for words.
At last, she let out a long sigh. She had lost.
"Wha—what…?" Blue gasped from the stands, wide-eyed.
"How could this happen?" Iris was equally stunned.
"I knew it. Something unexpected was bound to happen," Alder said with a helpless shake of his head.
"…" N watched quietly.
"That was amazing, Pikachu!! We did it!"
"Pika~chu!"
Yellow caught her leaping partner in her arms, hugging it tight with pure joy.
The little mouse licked her cheek affectionately, squeaking with delight.
Winning for Yellow made it just as happy as she was.
"You two have a wonderful bond," came a voice.
Yellow looked up to see Hilda walking over, her Emboar—now treated and back on its feet—standing behind her.
"Hilda," Yellow greeted softly.
Hilda didn't reply right away. She studied the girl who had beaten her, as if trying to uncover a secret.
But there was nothing strange about her—just an ordinary, sincere girl.
"Congratulations on advancing, Yellow. You deserve it."
Hilda smiled and extended her hand.
Though she was undeniably disappointed—losing meant her year's effort had ended here—she wasn't the type to sulk. In battles like these, you win or you lose. That's all there is.
"Thank you, Hilda. You were really strong too—I almost lost," Yellow said earnestly as she shook her hand.
"Hah, maybe," Hilda laughed. "But I think your team's… special. Even if we fought again, I doubt the outcome would change."
She had chosen her words carefully.
Her gaze lingered on the Pikachu on Yellow's shoulder—adorably decorated with a little flower by its ear.
She'd heard that Red, the world's number-two trainer, also used a Pikachu as his ace—but this was her first time actually facing one this powerful.
"My Pokémon are my best friends," Yellow said shyly.
"I can see that. Keep going, Yellow—the next rounds will be even tougher."
"I will! I promised my Gym Leader brother that I'd fight my way to him!"
Yellow turned, her eyes locking on the guest stands where Dylan sat watching, her expression full of determination.
That was her vow from the very beginning—and she hadn't forgotten it for a second.
"Champion Dylan, huh?"
Hilda followed her gaze, landing on the black-haired man sitting calmly among the champions.
"That won't be easy," she said softly. "Worst case, you might have to face him in the finals."
It was true—making it to the finals was brutal. Trainers like Leon, Red, Giovanni, even Dylan's senior disciple Selene—all stood in the way.
If she was lucky, she might encounter Dylan earlier, maybe in the Top 16 or Top 8.
But otherwise… she'd have to reach the championship match to stand before him.
And that was no easy feat.
"No matter what, I'll give it everything I've got."
Yellow patted Pikachu's head gently. It would be hard, but that was exactly why it mattered.
Her Gym Leader brother had believed in her—and she wanted to make him proud.
That was all the reason she needed.
Even if her next opponent were the invincible Dragon Master Lance—
Yellow would face him head-on, and fight with everything she had!
(End of Chapter)