Chapter 467: We Are the Champions!
Because Starlight and Frost had entered the Captain's Match with a two-point lead—thanks to Elara and Aaron delivering their best individual performances of the season to pave the way for him—Arthur's four points meant that, at the very least, the match would go into overtime.
Forrest, on the other hand, had been backed into a corner. Although the last round was a draw with both Pokémon fainting, the Starlight and Frost fans were already having a field day with the memes.
"Think you can win out from here? You think you can sweep the rest? Nah, no chance. It's already over!"
"GG! It's over!"
In another section of the stands, the Blaze Team's fans were so thoroughly taunted they were left speechless. Forrest himself could only smile wryly. With the Dragon "senior" temporarily joining his team, he had started the match with a one-ace advantage over Arthur. Four captain-level or stronger Pokémon. His roster was so stacked that even he had considered it unbeatable.
And yet, here they were. Including the Dragon "senior," all four of his aces had been defeated. Arthur had completely withstood the pressure, demonstrating an almost unbelievable level of resilience.
From Greninja's Bond Phenomenon to Lina's growth, and then Mismagius's masterful performance—every single Pokémon Arthur had sent out so far had performed almost perfectly.
Even the commentators could only marvel. "Trainer Arthur's performance in this match has gone beyond excellent. 'Miraculous' is truly the only word to describe it!"
In his personal livestream, the famous caster known as "The Oracle" was singing his praises. "It seems the title of the strongest rookie of the new generation will ultimately fall to the younger Arthur! He is the true child of destiny for the Kubfu Alliance's next decade!"
Fortunately, The Oracle wasn't in the main commentary booth this time. Someone in his chat immediately tried to shut him down. "Alright, Oracle, that's enough. Say less."
The Oracle was not pleased. "Hey, what's the big idea telling me to shut up? You can't jinx this! A lead this big is unjinxable! Arthur is the child of destiny, okay! From this day forward, I am the number one Arthur stan!"
Sure enough, away from the official channels, The Oracle had completely let loose.
And then, not long after he said that, Forrest's Scizor managed to defeat Arthur's Little Eevee in the next round. The livestream chat instantly erupted with laughter.
The Oracle groaned, "Oh, come on! How am I supposed to call this now?!"
Scizor's Bug/Steel typing gave it a strong advantage, resisting Grass, Ice, and Fairy, which made it extremely difficult for Little Eevee to do anything. It was a clear loss due to type disadvantage; no one could argue with that. Fortunately, someone in the chat had managed to interrupt The Oracle's incantation before he could fully cast his caster's curse.
Forrest had managed to catch his breath, but his situation was still dire. After his win, he now had to send out his Pokémon first. For his final slot, he had to consider every single possibility. He spent the entire intermission in deep thought, wishing he had another hour-long break.
In the end, he chose the Dark/Steel-type Bisharp as his final Pokémon.
Arthur, in this final critical moment, also played it incredibly safe. He first sent out Greninja to wear Bisharp down. After Greninja fainted, he sent in Specter to finish the job. It was the safest possible play, giving his opponent absolutely no chance for a desperate comeback. He didn't mind losing a few points; he was only one small point away from the championship.
In the end, with the stage perfectly set by its teammate, Specter entered the field and calmly took the final knockout.
They won!!
The commentator was already screaming. "That's five points! Arthur has secured five points in the Captain's Match! We can now congratulate the Starlight and Frost Team! They are the champions of the Alliance Year 255 Professional League! A new king is born!!"
After securing the point, Arthur didn't linger. He immediately signaled to the referee. "I forfeit the remaining rounds."
There was no need to continue. He had promised not to use the fully-buffed Old Flame, and Specter was now heavily injured. They had done enough. His request was quickly approved by the referee, and the audience gave him a generous round of applause.
With this, Arthur received his first individual loss of the season, but no one would look down on him for it. Because in that moment, he was a champion.
Although Forrest had technically won the Captain's Match with a score of 6 to 5, it was meaningless. Due to the point differential scoring system, he only gained one point for his team. In the overall score, the Blaze Team could not overcome the deficit.
This time, it was really over. Not even The Oracle's jinx could save them.
"We won!!"
With excited cheers, the members of Starlight and Frost rushed out from their lounge and onto the stage, excitedly swarming Arthur.
"We won!! We really won!!"
"WE! ARE! THE CHAMPIONS!!"
"ARTHUR, YOU'RE A BEAST!!"
Aaron was the last to walk onto the stage. Looking at the young man surrounded by his celebrating teammates, he still felt a sense of dazed disbelief. It all felt like a dream. He actually did it!
He remembered at the start of the season, when Arthur had told him to put down his thermos and get serious, the boy had made him a solemn promise: "We'll win the championship within three years." At the time, he had thought the kid was just saying it for the memes.
Who would have thought that just a few months later, looking back, he'd realize he was the one who had been the joke?
Standing outside the crowd, he smiled to himself and whispered, "You liar. You didn't need three years. You did it in one."
His teammates then turned and pulled him into the celebratory group hug.
The commentators could now offer their final thoughts without restraint. "It has to be said, the Blaze Team played an outstanding match today."
"That's right. Their performance was worthy of their title as a new powerhouse."
"But we must admit that the Starlight and Frost Team was simply better today! These young men and women have set a new record for their organization, becoming the new champions of the Kubfu Alliance Professional League! This is an outcome I don't think many people could have predicted at the start of the season!"
"Indeed. And now, let us once again celebrate the birth of a new king with a grand salute!"
As the commentator finished, the cheers and applause in the stadium reached a new crescendo, roaring like thunder through the arena. Some excited fans even released their Pokémon, who shot streams of water and fire into the sky in celebration.
It was like a miracle. And the miracle had happened.
Starlight and Frost had won the championship.
(End of Volume)
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