"The second semifinal has concluded! The trainer who advances is none other than—Ash!"
The announcer's booming voice overlapped with the referee's call the very instant Sawyer's Sceptile fell.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Sawyer, however, only exhaled in relief.
To be honest, battling Ash had felt like being crushed under a mountain of pressure.
Mentally and physically, the strain Ash put him under was overwhelming, far beyond what most trainers could endure.
"You did great, Sceptile. We've still got a long way to go. Return."
Sawyer recalled his reverted Sceptile, not with discouragement but with renewed resolve.
Because deep down, he had always known just how strong Ash truly was.
The only conclusion? He had to work harder—much harder.
"Ash won, just like I knew he would."
Delia spoke with pride, but even her words couldn't fully capture what everyone had just witnessed.
The final clash between Mega Sceptile and Ash—Greninja had stolen the show, making people forget that Ash still had all six Pokémon standing, while Sawyer had been pushed to his very last one.
Ash's victory? Inevitable.
Serena, meanwhile, felt a pang of pride swell in her chest… only to be followed by something more complicated.
A tangle of emotions she didn't know how to sort out.
Forget it. I'll wait until the Kalos League ends before deciding anything.
But even as she thought that, she knew the truth—she couldn't bear the thought of leaving Ash.
Yet now, she realized Ash had so many other girls in his life, all of whom shared bonds with him as deep as her own.
And over the past two days, she had spoken with each of them, realizing that every one of them had shared unforgettable journeys with Ash, just like she had.
Only Sabrina was different—yet even she held a unique and profound place in Ash's life.
"Ladies and gentlemen! The finals are set—Ash versus Alain! Based on what we've seen so far, Alain's Charizard and Metagross have utterly dominated every battle they've appeared in. Yet Ash, too, has cruised through each match with astounding ease. Their clash promises to be one of the most explosive in League history!
To allow both trainers and their Pokémon to recover, the finals will begin at exactly 6 p.m. Don't miss it!"
The announcer's words snapped everyone back to the present.
In the observation corridors, Lysandre had quietly taken his place.
Even Malva, the Kalos Fire-type Elite Four member, acknowledged him with a discreet nod.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket—Jessie, James, and Meowth—had their own misfortune.
Hoping to profit off the Kalos League, they'd disguised themselves as TV crew. But Malva's piercing presence had forced them into "volunteering" as her personal camera crew, documenting the entire tournament.
"This is torture, nya! With that woman watching us, there's no way we can catch any rare Pokémon!"
Meowth whimpered, near tears.
"Then if we can't steal Pokémon, we'll just work ourselves to the bone filming and try to make a fortune instead!" Jessie declared with conviction.
"Guess… that's all we can do," James sighed, resigned.
Elsewhere…
Alain's "little friend," Mairin, had also been brought here—under Lysandre's manipulation.
The man used her, along with other things Alain held dear, to bend the boy to his will.
Now, both Mairin and Lysandre stood in the viewing corridor.
Steven Stone was there too.
Lysandre masked himself perfectly, presenting the image of a refined patron of research. He even spoke to Steven, requesting an introduction to Ash.
And Steven, unsuspecting, agreed. Lysandre's facade was flawless.
After all, Team Flare hadn't yet shown its true colors in public. No grand crimes. No visible atrocities. Nothing to expose them.
Time flowed steadily.
Finally—6 p.m. arrived.
By 5:50, every seat in the Grand Lumiose Conference was filled.
The finals. The climax of the Kalos League.
"Here we are! The moment we've all been waiting for—the grand finals! Our two finalists will now enter the battlefield! And for the first round, the arena will be… Water and Rock!"
The stage shifted, rising dramatically, revealing a battlefield split between crashing water and jagged stone.
The atmosphere turned electric.
Ash and Alain stepped onto the field, facing each other.
"Ash, I'm here. I promised I'd challenge you again in the Kalos League."
Alain clenched his fist.
Ash was, without question, the strongest opponent he had ever faced.
No exceptions.
Not even Steven had given him this kind of overwhelming sense of power.
"Ash," Alain thought, "you're stronger than even a Champion."
"Alain," Ash called out, eyes burning with resolve. "I told you before—this time, your Charizard's opponent will be my Greninja."
"I'll make sure you see it with your own eyes!"
The air between them crackled.
The final battle was about to begin!
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