Chapter 219. Match Over!
"Ah, Charizard has gone down. With that, all six of Ash's Pokémon are…"
The "Ash" contestant—the same guy who thrashed Sirin earlier—always wore a red cap to cosplay Ash in every match, so everyone jokingly called him the "Ash contestant."
As a regional champion, his strength was top tier among all participants. He reached the grand finals with barely a scare and now, at last, found himself in dire straits.
Charizard had collapsed from exhaustion, while the opposing Blastoise—though on its last legs as well—could still stand.
Just then, he pulled out his very first Poké Ball.
The commentator's voice came right on cue: "So it really is the curse that keeps Ash from ever becoming champion?! No, wait—hold on! The system says the Ash contestant hasn't lost yet! The Pikachu he recalled earlier is awake—it's not down!"
"However, both Pokémon are in critical condition. The final outcome will be decided in a flash of electricity!"
The commentator's voice leapt an octave. A battered Pikachu burst from the Poké Ball in a flash, stared down its foe, and radiated defiance from head to toe.
"Go, Pikachu!!"
He shouted.
"Pika pika!!"
Answering its partner at the top of its lungs, Pikachu kicked off hard with its four short legs and turned into a streak of golden lightning.
"Pikachu, use Tackle!"
"Turtle-turtle, we'll use Tackle too!"
The golden bolt slammed into the solidly braced Blastoise. With a thunderous bang, both Pokémon were knocked back a step.
Pikachu shook its head, then rushed in again.
"Iron Tail!"
"Rock Slide!"
The surging rocks flipped Pikachu off its feet, sending it flying. At that moment, the Ash contestant shouted, "Now—use Thunderbolt!"
The opposing Trainer's eyes narrowed. He knew Blastoise couldn't possibly stomach that in its current state and hurriedly yelled, "Turtle-turtle, Protect!!"
"Ka-meh!!!"
He bellowed, and Blastoise raised its guard. Midair, Pikachu also began the Thunderbolt windup, sparks crackling at its cheeks.
But right then, Pikachu's little feet landed on a chunk of rock blasted up by Rock Slide—and its figure vanished.
Crap—Quick Attack! Thunderbolt was a feint!
The Blastoise Trainer scrambled to say something, but there was no time to salvage it.
In the blink of an eye, Pikachu appeared atop Blastoise's shell. Braced in a defensive stance, Blastoise couldn't react at all.
"Pi—ka—chu!!!!"
Blinding electricity exploded from Pikachu at point-blank range. The shock made Blastoise scream in agony on the spot.
Golden light roared on at center field, lingering for a long moment. When it finally faded, the audience—who had been holding their breath—stared, unblinking, at the center of the platform.
Boom!
Blastoise's massive body toppled, smoking, its eyes spiraling.
And on its back, a yellow-furred mouse trembled slightly, yet still stood proud, basking in the victor's spotlight.
"Whooooaaa!!!!"
The crowd erupted in an instant, and the system handed down its verdict at that very moment.
Clutching the mic, the commentator shouted hoarsely, "Blastoise is down! Pikachu stands last!! Let's congratulate the Ash contestant for winning this tournament's championship!!!"
Bang!!
Golden confetti rained down. The loser left in dejection, while the winner remained at center stage, accepting the praise and cheers of all.
"This guy really did win, huh? Sirin, losing to the champion isn't a bad look."
Sitting in the stands, Kiana sighed.
"You dare bring that up!!"
Shooting Kiana a displeased look, Sirin huffed.
Still, the fact that this person took the championship did lift Sirin's mood. If everyone lost, then she wasn't the odd one out~
A week had passed, and the championship finally reached its finale.
These past few days had been like New Year's for Pokémon players. Most of the daily trending searches were Pokémon-related. Today's finals were even wilder—ever since the result came out, the top ten trending terms had all been occupied by Pokémon.
#Pokémon World Championship Winner Announced!!
#Ash Finally Won!
#Pika-god!!
#…
Soon, Xander Masato and Elysia stepped onto the stage and walked over to him.
"Congratulations on becoming the champion."
Seeing the Ash contestant trembling all over, Xander Masato smiled. "I can tell you're really emotional right now. Anything you'd like to say to everyone?"
"I…"
He raised the mic to the winner's lips, but after a single syllable, it was as if something lodged in the man's throat and the rest wouldn't come out.
"Sorry—I'm getting a little carried away."
Wiping his eyes, the contestant showed embarrassment for the first time.
Hey, hey, hey—your cool-guy persona just fell off!
Xander grumbled inwardly, but he could understand.
To rise from an ocean of players, battle through the crowd, and seize the final victory—anyone would be over the moon. For this guy to only shed a few tears—his self-control was actually pretty good.
"Understandable, understandable. Need a consoling hug from me?"
He teased with a smile, drawing a burst of laughter from the audience.
"Eh? Th-that…" Not expecting Xander to say that, the contestant suddenly got bashful. "W-well, it's not like I'd say no…"
Xander: "?"
Seriously, man.
He was just joking—why are you taking it seriously?
"Pfft~"
Beside him, Elysia couldn't help but laugh. She picked up the mic and fanned the flames: "My, what a touching scene. Our game designer—won't you grant a fan's little wish?"
Hearing that, the audience started to chant.
"Hug! Hug! Hug!"
Kiana's voice was especially loud, and Sirin couldn't even hold her back.
Pushed along like this, Xander Masato could only spread his arms with a helpless look and give the contestant a hug.
A quick, light embrace, and they immediately stepped apart—sending the room into even higher spirits.
"All right, all right. Comfort segment over. Let's move on to the next part."
"Eh? I haven't given my victory speech yet."
"Next time for sure!"
"?"
Ignoring the man's dazed look, Xander coughed lightly. "Ahem. Remember the special reward I mentioned at the Opening Ceremony?"
He tipped his head back. "Now is when the reward appears."
As his voice fell, a clear birdsong rang through the venue.
Above, the sacred flame that had burned bright for a full week suddenly detached.
It returned to Ho-Oh's blazing form, spreading its wings and soaring. After a lap over the crowd, it dove toward the center of the field.
Only as it neared the ground did the flames suddenly contract. The dive halted at once, and it became a single Rainbow Wing, drifting down. The winner reached out and gently took it between his fingers.
Players were more than familiar with this item—Ho-Oh's Rainbow Wing, straight out of the anime.
The scene also made the audience recall the very first Pokémon PV—the moment where Ho-Oh bestowed a feather.
They just didn't know what it would do in reality.
"This…"
Before he could examine the description, Xander Masato explained the feather's function: "Ho-Oh's Rainbow Wing, a special item. Under special conditions, it can summon Ho-Oh to descend."
He paused, then smiled. "If you defeat Ho-Oh in the trial she bestows—or earn her recognition—then the player holding the Rainbow Wing will gain a chance to catch Ho-Oh."
In a calm voice, he dropped a bombshell.
Catch Ho-Oh!!!
At those words, everyone's eyes changed.
That's a Legendary Pokémon—and even after Pokémon's open beta for so long, almost nobody has ever seen a Legendary.
What's more, the lore paints Ho-Oh as a solitary individual. What does that mean?
It means world-unique!
Thinking back to the awe when Ho-Oh appeared at the Opening Ceremony—if that were their Pokémon…
Everyone started to burn with desire, and so did the champion. But soon he tamped down his excitement and stowed the feather in his bag.
To face a Legendary head-on, he still needed more training!
The awards ceremony after that was fairly by the book.
The top eight all received a Master Ball—guaranteed to catch any Pokémon except Legendaries and Mythicals, and with greatly increased success rates even against those. There were also generous cash prizes, special Pokémon titles, and—what they cared about most—a chance to be inducted into the Pokémon Hall of Fame.
They would be remembered by future players as the first-generation Eight Masters.
With the ceremony over, the media interviews came next, and the audience began filing out.
These visitors from afar didn't choose to go home, because there was still one thing tomorrow they were dying to experience.
The grand opening of Gensokyo Park!!
Every audience member found a ticket to Gensokyo Park in the gift bag on their seat—along with a fixed-amount voucher.
The amount wasn't huge, but enough to cover food and drink and pick up a small souvenir.
Reading the park's introduction, Pokémon fans had no reason not to go.
After a full week of spectacular matches, everyone was satisfied to the brim. They'd already made plans with the new friends they'd met over these days to go wild at the park tomorrow.
First opening day with a hundred thousand visitors—here's hoping nothing goes wrong.
With a silent prayer, Xander Masato prepared to head home and rest.
It was nearly dinnertime. He'd grab a bite, then get things ready for tomorrow's press conference.
Just then, having just changed, he heard a knock at the door.
He glanced at Elysia, who had also finished tidying up, then walked over and undid the deadbolt.
"Bronya, and Seele—what are you two doing backstage? I was just about to head home."
Seeing the two enter, Xander asked in puzzlement.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a timid voice sounded at the door: "S-sorry to bother you…"
He turned—and saw a blonde girl peeking around the doorframe, gazing inside shyly.
Looking at her, Xander suddenly felt she looked a bit familiar.
"Brother, this is Susannah, a friend Seele and Bronya made over the past few days."
As if to stake her claim, Seele hugged Xander's arm and tugged him over to Susannah's side.
Sadly, the moment Xander got close, Susannah went blank and didn't even notice Seele's little move.
"She's a fan of my brother, so we wanted to bring her to meet him."
Bronya added, "We originally planned to come by the night the Opening Ceremony ended, but it was too late that day, so we put it off until now."
Bronya wasn't full of little schemes like Seele. She didn't really mind Xander mingling with others, but seeing Seele already hugging him—well, leaving Xander's other hand empty looked odd, so she hugged that too.
Yup—totally not a schemer.
"Susannah?"
Hearing the name, relevant info flashed through his mind, and he called out in realization.
"…"
Seeing no response from Susannah, Seele and Bronya were confused and called as well.
"Susannah?"
"Susannah?"
"…"
Looking left and right at Seele and Bronya, Xander asked, "What's going on here?"
"…"
Who could know.
Unbeknownst to them, Susannah's whole world had changed.
It was like she'd stepped into a shoujo romance manga. Xander Masato before her was sparkling all over, glowing from head to toe.
"Miss Susannah, delighted to meet you."
"I—I'm so happy too!!"
"To have a fan like you—I'm deeply honored. If you don't mind, may I kiss the back of your hand?"
"Eh? T-that… wouldn't that be too bold…"
"…"
The above conversation was pure fantasy. Susannah had sunk into her daydream and couldn't pull herself out for the moment.
Right now was—Imagination Time!!
Outside, the three called her a few more times. Seele even patted Susannah on the shoulder, but she still didn't react at all.
"In that case, Xander, leave Susannah an autograph. Seele and I will keep an eye on her and hand it to her right away."
They could have snapped Susannah out of it, but judging by this girl's thin skin, if Xander stayed, she'd probably want to crawl into a hole from shame. For her friend's sake, better not.
"…All right."
He grabbed a signing board, wrote his name, and added a line of well-wishes. Then he handed the board to Bronya.
"I'll head out first, then."
"Mm, see you later, brother~"
With that, Xander walked over to the long-waiting Elysia on the other side.
"Who was that?"
"A new friend Seele and Bronya just made. Apparently she's a fan of mine."
Xander answered Elysia offhand as he took her hand and left the lounge with her.
"I see. And yet another very cute girl~"
"Don't slander me. I didn't do anything!!"
"Pfft~ That's not what I meant~"
Xander's fear of her getting jealous was kind of cute. Elysia couldn't help but giggle, hugged his arm with a playful "hey!", and the two walked down the road home, slowly disappearing at the end of the path.
Lounge.
After Xander left, Susannah's cheeks turned visibly crimson.
She pressed her burning face and crouched down as if she couldn't bear to see anyone.
Waaaah!!! Imagining things about your idol the first time you meet—that's social death!!!
"Here. The autograph. Honestly, what a shameful spectacle, you."
At Bronya's slightly disgusted tone, Susannah ducked her head even lower.
Seele didn't know how to comfort her either and could only smile awkwardly.
"Wuuuu, stop saying that already!!"
Hugging the autograph to her chest, Susannah let out a muffled wail of embarrassment.
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