"It's about time we wrap this up."
Glancing at the timer, which was almost out, Hakuya murmured to himself.
Although he had the upper hand the entire time, due to the judges' stricter point deductions in the finals, the gap in Contest Points between him and Lisia wasn't actually that large. If this back-and-forth continued, they might get dragged into overtime.
The testing phase needed to end early; it was time to crush all strategy with overwhelming force.
"Floragato, full power Petal Blizzard."
"Ali, careful! Strike back with Hurricane!"
Facing the thousands of petals raining down like a blizzard, Lisia didn't hesitate for a second to meet it head-on.
But to her shock, the full-power Hurricane unleashed by Altaria couldn't hold back the torrent of petals at all!
"Not only did it ignore the resistance of a powerful, STAB Hurricane, but it actually hijacked the wind and used it for itself?" Sitting at the judges' table, Wallace also furrowed his brow, staring intently at the clash before him.
Rather than saying the [Hurricane]—which whipped the air into sonic booms—blocked the incoming storm of petals, it was more accurate to say the [Petal Blizzard] rode the fierce, howling winds, using that very momentum to crash back down onto Altaria.
Even though Altaria and Delcatty managed to dodge the attack, Lisia's Contest Points visibly plummeted.
However, before she could issue her next dodge command, Hakuya shouted loudly.
"Latias, no need to hold back anymore! Use Draco Meteor!"
"La-woo~"
Instead of the standard version where she fired it straight up into the sky, once the little jet plane finished gathering energy, she aimed straight ahead and fired the blast directly into the swirling petal storm.
The meteorites, packed with terrifying Dragon-type energy, instantly shot through the raging winds wrapped in flower petals.
The Petal Blizzard Hurricane Draco Meteor was complete!
We're doomed...
Seeing the meteorites—accelerated by the petal storm and flying at them like artillery shells—Lisia stood frozen on the spot.
The [Petal Blizzard] infused with the [Hurricane] was terrifying enough on its own, but now it was layered with a much faster [Draco Meteor]. Even if her Ali and Yaya had ten lives, they'd be hard-pressed to survive this combination attack.
Is this Mr. Hakuya's terrifying commanding ability as a Coordinator?
Looking at the black-haired young man across from her, who remained as calm and composed as ever, Lisia momentarily lost herself in a daze.
At this moment, countless pink and white petals spun at high speeds around the hurricane. The meteors, trailing brilliant tails of fire, shot straight through the dead center of the storm. Then, as if reaching a critical mass, the entire thing detonated like a heavy artillery shell!
Countless meteor fragments and razor-sharp petals simultaneously bombarded Altaria and Delcatty, who had absolutely no time and no space to dodge. Accompanied by a deafening series of explosions, the countdown timer finally stopped in its last minute.
When the breeze cleared the dust and smoke...
The center of the stage revealed the invincible backs of Floragato and Latias, and their opponents, both sporting swirly eyes.
"The winner has been beautifully decided! The champion of this Rustboro City Wallace Cup has emerged!"
"Let us congratulate Contestant Hakuya from Littleroot Town for seizing the ultimate victory in the Wallace Cup!"
Amidst Host Lilian's passionate shout, the fan club Hakuya had spontaneously amassed at the venue erupted in cheers. They jumped up from their seats, hugged each other while crying, or frantically waved their hands and screamed in excitement.
The regular audience members enthusiastically clapped until their hands turned red, their eyes filled with admiration as they looked toward the stage.
While Lisia's fans were deeply saddened, they still offered their applause—not only for the idol girl who fought hard until the very end, but also for Hakuya, who had given her such an incredible battle.
"You worked so hard, Ali, Yaya."
Lisia pulled out her Poké Balls and recalled the unconscious Altaria and Delcatty.
The previously vibrant and energetic girl visibly deflated.
Even though she was affectionately called "Lissi" by thousands of fans, and even though as a premier Contest Idol she had to always face difficulties and failures positively to show everyone her brightest side... at the end of the day, she was still just a young teenage girl. She felt frustration, annoyance, and the sting of disappointment and dejection after a loss.
I guess I really did lose, huh...
Lisia looked at the black-haired young man currently surrounded by Floragato and Latias, and let out a sigh.
Drooping her head after being overwhelmingly defeated, the girl forced a smile to deal with her equally heartbroken female fans before stepping off the stage and slowly walking alone down the contestant corridor.
"Miss Lisia, that Contest Battle just now was truly excellent."
Just as the girl lowered her head in disappointment, a gentle, pleasant voice reached her ears.
Looking up, she saw a black-haired young man walking toward her with a bright smile.
"Eh~"
Probably not expecting Hakuya to chase after her and specifically strike up a conversation to validate her performance, the previously dejected girl froze. Then, a shy blush instinctively rushed to her fair, pure face.
"That Waterspout combination you used earlier was incredibly creative! To be honest, it really gave me a huge shock," Hakuya continued, looking at Lisia's surprised and unusually shy expression.
Although he was comforting her, it wasn't a lie he made up just to be nice.
—It was only because Floragato and Latias had been brutally beaten so many times in the randomized world that their overwhelming stats allowed them to crush her. If she had faced any other contestant, they most likely wouldn't have been a match for this idol girl.
"To be able to pull that off, you must have practiced it specifically for a very long time~" Hakuya tilted his head and said, "As expected of the premier Contest Idol, your strength truly lives up to your reputation. Battling you taught me a lot as well."
"Ah, hehe... you're praising me a little too much."
Even as an idol girl accustomed to all sorts of situations, Lisia instinctively looked away and mumbled to herself.
Even though the combination move she had painstakingly prepared was effortlessly dismantled, and even though she was overwhelmingly crushed without any ability to fight back throughout the entire match... the black-haired young man before her showed absolutely no arrogance or contempt as the victor. Instead, he immediately sought her out to sincerely—perhaps even overly sincerely—validate her strength.
Looking into those genuine, unfeigned eyes, the girl's grip on her skirt loosened slightly, and her heart skipped a beat.
Mr. Hakuya really is such a gentle person~
As everyone knows, battling isn't just a shortcut to building synergy between Trainer and Pokémon; it's also the best way for Trainers to communicate with each other. Personality, habits, and demeanor are all perfectly translated through combat.
Besides his overwhelming strength, Lisia had also noticed the deep emotional bond Floragato and Latias shared with Hakuya.
If you are determined to draw out a Pokémon's charm, you must first be able to perceive and understand their feelings.
And she felt it...
Both Floragato and Latias relied on and adored Hakuya immensely.
To be able to forge such a profound bond with his Pokémon was truly admirable.
As her pretty face grew slightly flushed and hot, a novel and bold idea suddenly leaped into the girl's mind.
But before she brought it up, there was a more pressing matter to address.
"Using honorifics all the time is a bit too distant! From now on, just call me Lisia!"
"In that case... then you should just call me by my name too." Hakuya nodded in agreement.
Trainers often became acquainted this simply; a passionate, fiery battle was all it took to bridge the gap between them.
Although there was a significant height difference, they weren't actually that far apart in age. Constantly using formal titles felt awkward and strange to him anyway; addressing each other like normal friends was perfect.
"Alright! Then I'll just call you Hakuya!" the naturally lively Lisia replied, putting her hands on her hips with boundless energy.
"However, since we can be considered friends now..."
The girl suddenly placed a fingertip lightly against her lips, her shallow dimples making her look exceptionally playful and cute.
Drawing out her crisp, clear words, her emerald eyes carefully scanned Hakuya up and down.
For some reason, even though her smile was as bright as the morning sun, Hakuya felt his eyelid twitching violently.
Something's wrong. There's something very wrong with this idol girl's starting stance—
And his intuition was spot on. Lisia practically skipped over to him, her emerald eyes practically shooting stars.
"Then, then, then... Hakuya! Are you interested in becoming an idol with me?!!"
He hadn't walked onto the wrong set.
This wasn't Love Live! Superstar!!; this was the genuine, authentic Pokémon world.
The girl's fair, snow-white hands enthusiastically grabbed Hakuya's right hand, her face bursting with anticipation.
Hakuya's expression froze. He pointed to himself with his free hand and asked:
"Me?"
"Yes!!!"