"Looks like we're in danger again..." Jorah murmured under his breath.
At that moment, a vivid image surfaced in his mind—the scene of the rampaging beast tide from long ago.
It was during that very battle that he lost his leg forever.
But even so, he had fought alongside his Rhyhorn until the bitter end, ultimately seizing victory.
"That's why... I won't give up!"
"Yanma, let's fight until the very end—no regrets!"
Perhaps spurred on by his Trainer's emotions, Yanma visibly increased its wingbeat speed. With a flap of its wings, a sonic boom blasted out!
"We'll fight to the end as well! Mightyena, dodge and use Sand Attack!"
Peter burst into hearty laughter, as if transported back to the battlefield against the Abyssal Beast—countless knights struggling on the front lines.
"Haha! That's the spirit! Keep it up—both sides!"
The audience's excitement rose with the heat of the battle. They watched the two battling Pokémon with rapt attention.
"It's truly an incredible match."
A smile appeared on Aven's face, nostalgia gleaming in his eyes—it felt like that world had returned.
The bond between a Pokémon and its Trainer carries a mysterious power. Influenced by their Trainers' will, both Pokémon seemed to grow stronger, engaging in increasingly fierce collisions.
Initially, the momentum was entirely in Mightyena's favor.
But at some point, Yanma suddenly erupted with a burst of speed far exceeding Mightyena's. Gradually, it began to turn the tide, suppressing Mightyena's advance.
Caught off guard by the surprise sonic boom attacks, Mightyena took hit after hit, falling into a disadvantageous position.
"Mightyena, use Sucker Punch!"
"Then we'll use Quick Attack!"
Both of these moves are priority moves, boosting the user's speed significantly.
A ghostly blur and a white streak flashed across the battlefield.
In the next instant, Mightyena appeared midair—but Yanma was nowhere to be seen.
Having dodged the attack, Yanma reappeared behind Mightyena. Its wings whipped up rapidly as it unleashed a powerful Sonic Boom!
The strike hit squarely, knocking Mightyena from the air and slamming it heavily into the ground.
Already weakened by numerous earlier hits, that final midair attack was too much. Mightyena lost consciousness at last.
The entire battlefield fell into silence, everyone staring at the fallen Mightyena and the exhausted Yanma slowly fluttering to the ground.
Then, thunderous cheers erupted.
After an intense battle, the final champion had emerged!
"We won! We actually won!"
Mado stood frozen, staring at the two Pokémon. A strange daze washed over him.
His comrade had done it—fighting through countless strong opponents and finally winning in the finals.
"I really won..."
Jorah murmured as well, a look of disbelief in his eyes.
At the start of the match, it had been clear that Mightyena was the stronger of the two. Yet Yanma had won in the end.
Just like that time...
He closed his eyes, recalling the beast tide.
Before successfully repelling the beast tide, no one would have believed that those knights could do it, right?
To never give up on even the slightest hope, to fight unwaveringly until the light of dawn—that was their way of the knight.
On the stands, Aven rose to his feet, giving the match a well-deserved standing ovation.
Even he hadn't expected Jorah to win—but by now, he was no longer easily surprised.
Speed Boost ability—Yanma had unexpectedly triggered its Speed Boost ability.
It was a common ability for Yanma, and when Aven first saw its sudden increase in speed, he'd already suspected it.
At the start, Yanma clearly hadn't activated its ability. But after Jorah's rousing encouragement, its speed skyrocketed—likely when the ability kicked in.
The Speed Boost ability increases a Pokémon's speed each turn while in battle.
As the name suggests, it's an incredibly potent ability. Given enough time, a Pokémon with Speed Boost can accelerate to the limits of its own endurance.
Once Yanma's speed had fully ramped up, Mightyena simply couldn't land a hit anymore, and the outcome was inevitable.
"Huh, I lost," Peter sighed, though there was no disappointment on his face—only admiration.
He walked up to Jorah, extended his hand, and smiled. "That was an absolutely brilliant match. I'm completely convinced of your victory."
"You're very strong too. If we battled again, I might not win."
"Haha, no need to comfort me! But I'll definitely challenge you again in the future."
Peter laughed heartily. "And from now on, let's work together for Lord Aven. I believe that with his leadership, we'll all grow stronger."
Thus, the first official Pokémon Tournament in this world ended with a champion crowned.
Next up, it was time to distribute the prizes.
The top sixteen patrol members not only earned the rank of knight but also received a large amount of training resources.
However, the highlight was, of course, the reward for the champion: the chance to challenge Lord Aven himself.
"The match will be in three days. Come find me at the farm then."
Aven had no intention of making this a public battle—it wouldn't be a fair one.
This would be the case for future league tournaments as well. These leader-guided matches weren't meant to be public—they were partly to protect the Champion's strength and partly to give the winners some dignity.
The audience sighed in disappointment upon hearing this, but after seeing Rhydon battle Torterra earlier, they already knew Aven's true power.
They understood that although Jorah was strong, he still had a long way to go compared to Aven.
But after witnessing a real Pokémon tournament, the spectators were hooked—they wished they could watch one every day.
Sadly, the next battle would have to wait until the next round of knight selection.
Pokémon battles truly deserved their title as the world's most popular future sport.
Seeing the villagers' enthusiasm, Aven chuckled inwardly.
Once Trainers became more widespread, the sport of Pokémon battling will surely become more popular as well. Sooner or later, the scene where groups of three or five people can fight in any place in the wild will come.
Having successfully hosted the first Pokémon tournament, Aven was in a great mood.
Thanks to the event, the aspiring Trainers had become more passionate than ever about nurturing their Pokémon.
After all, who wouldn't want to own a Pokémon, enter a tournament, win a battle, and earn glory and rewards?
Besides, in this dangerous world, having a powerful Pokémon was something everyone dreamed of.
Even though the knight selection was over, the Pokémon Breeding House was still bustling.
Given the situation, Aven was considering whether to recruit a few trusted villagers to help out at the center.
(End of Chapter)