Several days had passed since Paul defeated Leon.
In that short time, the Masters Eight rotation battles had turned into an awkward spectacle.
On the third day of Paul's reign as one of the Masters Eight, former Champion Cynthia was challenged. Her opponent was Alain, the trainer from Kalos who had long been quietly honing his strength.
Their battle was fierce, and to everyone's surprise, it ended in a draw.
But according to the rules, a draw did not count as victory. Alain was unable to take Cynthia's place in the Masters Eight.
Yet before two days had even passed, Iris from Unova stepped forward and issued her own challenge.
This time, fortune was on her side. Iris' strength was undeniable. Using Volcarona, Swanna, and Lopunny, she defeated Cynthia's team of Roserade, Garchomp, and Togekiss.
But Iris barely had time to settle into her new role before another challenger appeared: Wally.
In a heated match, Iris sent out Serperior, Lopunny, and the Mythical Meloetta against Wally's Gallade, Garchomp, and the Mythical Diancie.
In the end, the heroine of Unova was toppled. Another region's "side character" had overturned the main character's fate and seized her position in the Masters Eight.
But the story didn't end there.
Just days after Wally joined the Masters, yet another challenger emerged—
Lucas, the long-suppressed "protagonist" of Sinnoh, who had endured under Paul's shadow. After finally amassing enough ranking points and weighing his options carefully, Lucas stepped forward to fight Wally.
From the very start, his strategy was clear.
He sent out his Salamence, Mega-Evolving it instantly and soaring into the skies.
Wally answered with his own choice: Altaria.
Seeing Lucas' decisiveness, he wasn't about to back down. Altaria Mega-Evolved as well, taking on its Fairy typing—"the traitor dragon."
Wally's reasoning was simple:
A Mega Altaria, with its Fairy typing, was immune to Dragon-type attacks. With Cotton Guard boosting its defenses, it could easily shrug off Salamence's physical assaults. Surely, this was the perfect counter.
And then… he and his Altaria were left stunned.
Lucas laughed: "Didn't you know? Special Attack Salamence exists."
Salamence was feared for its close-range power, yes. But what many overlooked was its formidable Special Attack.
In both games and reality, its movepool was more than sufficient.
After a long aerial bombardment of moves, the battle of "dragon and traitor" raged across the skies until, at last, Altaria was struck down by Salamence's final Hyper Beam.
For his second Pokémon, Wally avoided Gallade due to its poor typing match-up, and instead sent out Diancie.
A Rock/Fairy Pokémon that could Mega-Evolve at will, the perfect counter to Salamence.
But Salamence hadn't just been spamming attacks. It had slipped in multiple Dragon Dances, and with the tailwind at its back, its speed was overwhelming.
Even with the typing advantage, Diancie took heavy damage before finally taking Salamence down.
That was when Lucas revealed his second Pokémon: Infernape.
With ferocious firepower, masterful martial arts, and even Earthquake—a move it had learned from Flint—Infernape forced Diancie into a corner despite the type disadvantage, and narrowly secured the win.
Wally's third Pokémon was his ace, Gallade.
But Lucas only smiled knowingly. Withdrawing Infernape, he countered with Togekiss.
Fairy/Flying typing—perfect against Gallade's Fighting type. On top of that, he Dynamaxed it. Lucas couldn't imagine how he'd lose now.
The result was predictable.
Without even relying on his Darkrai, Cresselia, or Regigigas, Lucas won handily. Wally accepted his defeat with grace.
"The protagonist isn't always stronger than the supporting cast… but in the end, a protagonist is still a protagonist."
...
On the edge of the Tree of Beginning, overlooking the World Arena, Paul let out a quiet sigh after watching both battles unfold.
Then, slipping his phone away, he straightened his focus and spoke to the companion floating nearby, seated atop a pink bubble while playing Pokémon Shuffle:
"Mew, if you would—"
"Mii~!"
Without lifting its head from the game, Mew chirped in reply.
Beside it, Hoopa, who had been peeking at the screen, grumbled reluctantly before floating over to Paul. With a shimmer, the rings on its body expanded as it rose into the sky.
"Alright, alright… let's see… where is it, where is it… ah! Found it!"
Hoopa's eyes lit up. With a gleeful cry, it scooped into the void with its golden rings.
"Hoopa's got a surprise for you!"
...
Meanwhile, far away in the Unova Region, Iris had finally tracked down her quarry after months of searching. Drawing on her gift of Dragon Affinity MAX—her unmatched bond with Dragon Pokémon, she prepared to step forward and communicate.
But then… a shimmering halo of light appeared above her target's head and dropped in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, the Pokémon vanished before her eyes.
"Wha—?! Where did it go? Where did it—where—?!"
"Ughhh… nooo! I spent over half a year investigating to find it…"
She dashed to the spot where the Pokémon had disappeared, her heart turning cold, as frigid as the air itself.
A roar shook the emptiness.
...
Far away, at the Tree of Beginning, the very same halo split open the sky. Wrapped in a storm of icy air, a massive figure descended. Its wings ended in jagged stumps, its body resembling a gray-blue tyrannosaur wreathed in frost.
It was none other than the Boundary Pokémon—Kyurem, the strongest Dragon-type of legend!
'Why have I been summoned?'
Newly arrived, Kyurem's eyes narrowed in suspicion. It sensed no worthy foe, only a few humans and small Pokémon nearby. Its voice rang out coldly, projected straight into their minds through telepathy.
"Kyurem." Paul answered evenly, stepping forward and raising a Poké Ball.
"I called you here to battle—and to capture you."
He and his Pokémon had remained at the Tree of Beginning for days, training and sharpening their resolve. With Mew and Hoopa's abilities, almost any Pokémon in the world could be summoned here. After long deliberation, Paul had made his decision: he would claim Kyurem.
Of course, there was one condition—he intended to capture a Kyurem capable of shifting freely between its three forms: Normal Form, White Kyurem, and Black Kyurem.
'Human.'
Kyurem rumbled, frost mist spilling from its jaws.
'You are confident. But words alone are not enough.'
In its mind flickered bitter memories of nearly a year ago, of the time it was shackled and exploited by Team Plasma. That wound had left it with little patience for humankind.
Paul? He seemed no different. To Kyurem, humans were weak. Even their so-called 'champions,' even with all their Pokémon combined, were nothing before its frozen might.
And these two beings—Hoopa and Mew, it recognized instantly as not belonging to Paul. That made this duel feel even more meaningless.
"Enough talk. You'll know if I'm worthy once we battle."
Paul's voice cut through the frost. In one swift motion, he hurled the Poké Ball forward.
"Electivire, battle ready!"
"Vireeeee!"
Bursting forth, Electivire bared its fangs at Kyurem, arcs of lightning crackling fiercely between its fists.
It had been far too long since its last true fight, not because it had grown tired or complacent, but because it had grown stronger.
Through relentless pressure and the combined support of its teammates, Electivire had broken through its limits—rising into the ranks of the Champion tier.
Now, facing ordinary champions was child's play. Even Lugia—the legendary Guardian of the Seas, had once been struck down by its thunder.
And here, at last, was a chance to prove itself against the strongest Dragon of legend.
Electivire grinned, sparks bursting across its body.
The future's strongest Electric-type Pokémon was ready to clash with the embodiment of ice and void itself.
Kyurem's eyes narrowed, frost and lightning colliding in the silence of the World Arena.
The battle of legends was about to begin....
(End of Chapter)
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