~200 PS Goal Completed, Here is Bonus Chapter! Next Is 400PS!
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"Scizor is unable to battle. The winner is Ampharos!"
"Since Nolan's six Pokémon are all unable to continue, the victor of this match is Lanny!"
The referee's voice was drowned beneath an eruption of cheers.
Nolan stood frozen, right hand trembling as he recalled his fainted Mega Scizor. His golden eyes lingered on Kael, the Ampharos who had just toppled his last ace.
Jaw tight, he turned silently and walked off.
For Nolan, scion of the mighty Whiteoak family, there was no difference between second place and last. He had failed his clan. He had failed his pride.
On the other side, Lanny was still staring blankly, struggling to process what had just happened.
He'd been seconds from despair. Then Kael had taken the field three straight knockouts, one of them even a Mega Evolution.
"So… I'm the Champion?"
A laugh burst from his throat, raw and unrestrained. "Hah! Hahaha!"
"The new Champion is crowned!"
The announcer's voice boomed, followed by a wave of applause. Audrey stood at the commentary desk clapping furiously, tears of excitement shining in her eyes.
"I've cast countless tournaments, but never one this wild!" she exclaimed.
Even the usually stoic Professor Ashford gave a rare nod of approval.
Moments later, the broadcast wrapped, but the ceremony continued.
A crimson carpet rolled across the battlefield. Lanny was guided along the line of dignitaries, shaking hands until he stood before League President Damalanth. From the elder's hands, he accepted the golden Champion's Cup.
The stadium roared as if it might collapse.
But then Lanny did something unexpected.
Instead of holding the trophy aloft himself, he drew a black-and-yellow Pokéball and released Kael into the spotlight.
The Ampharos blinked, confused. "What's going on? Don't tell me another battle already?"
Lanny smiled, pressing the trophy into Kael's arms.
"This belongs to you."
Kael pointed at himself, stunned.
"Raise it. It's your glory."
The stadium exploded with sound. Kael's chest swelled with heat and pride as he gripped the heavy trophy and lifted it high.
In that moment, none noticed a faint thread of crimson fire drift down from the Eternal Flame above the stadium Ho-Oh's sacred blessing. It slipped unseen into Kael's body, a gift reserved for champions.
Kael didn't sense it. He only thought, with dry humor: Figures… Damalanth's stingy old self only gave me a gold-plated cup.
After a lap of honor beside Lanny, Kael returned to his Pokéball, uninterested in after-parties or noble banquets.
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The next morning, the streets were still wild with celebration, bottles and banners littering the ground.
In their hotel suite, Kael was shaken awake by Lanny.
"What? Me too?" Kael muttered groggily, pointing at himself.
"Of course!" Lanny said, hands on his hips. "You're the reason I won. They'll expect you to be there when we sign the Champion's wall."
Kael sighed. I never said I wouldn't go…
Soon after, the League's private jet carried them to the headquarters in Kanto.
The grand white tower gleamed in the sun, its tiles catching the light like sapphire fire. Since the League's founding, every Champion had brought their team here to leave their mark.
Standing before its ancient walls, Lanny released all his partners. Together, trainer and Pokémon pressed their hands and paws into the stone.
One large, one small side by side.
The imprint of a hidden agent of the underworld… and a mysterious Ampharos who had risen from nothing.
An eternal mark, carved into the heart of the Pokémon League.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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