Chapter 28: Triumphant
Habits die hard. Living in Johto, Sam was exposed to the rich culture of the small town adjascent to Kanto where the leagues intertwined, the guardian beasts roamed the land with watchful eyes, Team Rocket no longer had a strongarm over the land, and he befriended the previous hero to Johto, Gold. Apart from the memories within, the things he brought with him from the legacy of Johto were few and far between. He'd have a successful career becoming a Champion himself, adventuring to several other regions, and falling for a stern-but-fair personality in the fair lady, Oleana. In his heart he felt his bucket list was, for the moment, 'complete'. Having seen and accomplished all he had wanted to, he was willing to put it all behind him.
...but memories have a funny way of showing up when they manifest as a vice.
'Game Corner' locations were not only infamous for attracting stuffy old business men into sitting at machines and gambling their money away until sunrise, but Pokemon trainers would follow suit en masse. The chance of striking rich was ever just out of reach for many, but avoiding the high of dopamine is a challenge in of itself. Trainers who were looking to try and gain extra cash for Pokemon battle items or tools such as recovery items were oft punished by having a more difficult time in their journeys as to-be-Pokemon-masters. Misery oft followed the 'normal' customer of a Game Corner who had finished his stay, but the thrill of the gamble was half the entertainment alone. Sam had come here to restart fresh for himself, and all with a new love in his life, so why, Haru would ask himself, would he feel the need to do this?
The questions started firing at his direction with both Haru and Sevan crossing their arms, and Haru leaning against the wall of the nearby casino. Sam held up his hands in a surrendering gesture, and stood up after dusting his kneecaps. "For the record...I was gambling ONE TIME, you two. One time!"
Sevan took a look at him, then the Casino staff that was eyeing Sam from behind the glass doors. "A supposed 'one time' usually has a history behind it...especially if you're being this defensive." He extended a hand with the palm facing upwards. "Let me see your membership card Sam. They stamp it by the day."
Sam looked to his pair of friends and felt a bead of sweat form on his brow. He hesitated. "Listen, back in Johto the Game Corner in Goldenrod City is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I know this isn't Goldenrod City, but I-...I need the cash for stuff, allright?"
The hand extended from Sevan had twitched, and he felt a vein throb in his forehead. "Let. Me see. the membership stamps."
Looking to Haru to pre-emptively see what he'd say, Sam blinked. Haru only nodded towards Sevan with his arms crossed as he looked disappointed. Momentarily seeing what his odds were of being able to get away by running with the case, Sam gave up and reached within his jacket's inner pocket. Retrieving a small card, he slapped the item into Sevan's hand. "There."
Leaning towards Sevan, Haru looked at the card with him before both men eyed Sam with a unified glare. "Only 'one time', huh?" He flashed it to the other side, showcasing the history before putting it into his own pants pocket. "3 days in a row this month alone, 2 times last month, and 5 the month before."
Looking a little shocked, and more or less disappointed, Haru gawked at Sam. "Dude. This is why it's been hard to get a hold of you lately? I just thought you were busy with..."
"With what?"
"With what?" both Sevan and Sam asked Haru simultaneously.
Haru threw up his arms in surrender and sighed. "Getting used to the new job Oleana landed you in, for one thing. I know it's not the best, but it should have kept you busy and your nose clean."
Sam threw his eyes to the side in irritation, huffing. "Listen, I need to move stuff over from Johto and I've been running low on cash, okay?"
His 'captors', so to speak, both sighed as Sevan groaned in annoyance. Shinrin had suddenly yelped at Sam's direction showcasing her own disapproval. "You are with the fucking CHAIRMAN of Galar. She can get you the stuff at low to no cost. What's so important that you need to risk pissing her off or losing everything you have with her?"
Chorui caw'd at Sam, making the man reel back from the huge bird Pokemon 'yelling' at him, with him now holding on one arm. "My Gym badges from both Kanto and Johto, for one. They're expensive to ship due to counterfeits causing their value to rocket upwards."
/He didn't hesitate to answer.../ Haru thought, wincing.
Putting his fingers on the bridge of his nose, Sevan's irritation was rising. "Sam...you put them in your coat. It's not illegal to just bring them with you here."
The trio of men exchanged glances to each other, with Sam appearing like a mouse trapped in a maze. His initial bravado failed him visibly, now looking to the ground. "Okay fine, you caught me." He paused. "I'm also doing this to get an engagement ring for Oleana. We were out on a date recently when she saw a ring she wanted. Ever since then I've begun working my way up to pay it off in full."
Not one to let him get away with such loose hands on money, Sevan yells. "YEAH? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LOSE EVERYTHING AND HAVE TO START OVER?! MOTHER FUCKER, IT'S CALLED 'GAMBLING' FOR A REASON, SAM!"
Bouncing back, Sam furrowed his brow and clenched his fist. "I know it's a problem, I'm sorry. This habit needs to be broken, but I haven't lost yet, and I'm not in there for more than an hour. I set a timer, go in and play the slots: nothing more."
"...so that's why they kicked you out. You either figured out which of the machines pays out more, or you're using a Pokemon's precognition to ease earnings to your liking." Haru scratched the back of his neck and sighed.
Sam nods.
"For fuck's sake, man..." Haru says, shaking his head.
Taking a step forward, Sevan tapped Sam on the chest near his diaphragm. "Earn the money the RIGHT way, okay? Battles, Jobs, whatever earns you the cash the right way will be better for you, because if Oleana finds out about this when she sees your shared finances next time, imagine how angry she'll be if I show her this!" He waves the member card around then slides it into his sleeve to keep it from Sam.
It may have not been the best thing to say, but Haru folded his arms and looked to the side. "Imagine not having saved up from being a Champion." He turns to look at Sam. "So what is the deal then? Have you been coursing every Game Corner when you were traveling? Is that what gave you the 'tick' in the first place?"
Sam held up a finger, and laughed weakly. "About that whole 'me having a job at her office' thing, Haru? Uh..."
Haru felt a vein in his forehead pulsate. "...yeah?"
"There's one problem. I would have to publicly announce my retirement from the Pokemon League. I'm not sure if I'm ready to do that quite yet since it may put her into a compromi-"
It was time for Haru to hold up his hands in a 'hold on, stop' gesture to Sam. "Are you for real? You're waiting on some conference to do this shit? Are you waiting for some blessing from Oleana? Do you really think you're going to get hounded when you're found out as her lover?" /Then again, he has a point. I don't personally see why an ex-Champion dating the Chairman would be a problem since Sam isn't involved in the League, but then again doing sketchy things with your lover in a public setting isn't beyond me either. I'm still thankful Syra's kept quiet about it, and that Milo's efforts to reveal what we did were shut down effectively, but Sam's hopped himself on some hot coals with this. He's gone about this all wrong, but he really does care for Oleana./
"Know what Sam? Let me just text Oleana the picture of all these time stamps since I'm not hearing you agreeing to earning it the right way out of that mouth of yours." Sevan threatens.
Shockingly, Sam didn't seem scared of what both of them were saying. "There's something I want to do before I announce this retirement: go out in a blaze of glory. Won't know what that 'blaze of glory' is until it comes to me, but I'll figure it out. A lot of stuff has been going on for some time, and I'm gonna need some time to process it."
"Sam, quit the lone wolf act." Haru replied bluntly.
"Look! For the first time in my life, I don't know what to do: professionally speaking." Sam ruffled his own hair and sighed. "I'll have an answer for you both, soon. Trust me."
In that moment, Haru felt Sam's struggle. He didn't agree with how he was going about it, but in that moment Haru understood his angle. /Fuck, there I go feeling sorry now./ Sevan had stayed back from commenting, just silently huffing in irritation.
Whether it was in the heat of the moment, or he got another idea, Sam clicked his tongue and changed his stance. "In the meantime, Sev, go ahead and rip up the membership card you have: I don't need it anymore."
"Nah. I think I'll hold onto it. Never know when I need to motivate you."
"Sam." Haru called out.
"Hmm?"
Haru removed his cap and let his medium fluff of hair bounce out. "You may have fucked up big time, but you should open up to us okay? I can't replace the family you made in Johto, but I hope you know my eyes and ears are open to you. Just...lately I'll be busier than usual. The League is probably going to reach an apex real soon."
Sevan squinted at Haru inquisitively. "Something you know that you're not letting us in on?"
The Soul of Steel shook his head and bit his lip, then turned away from the group with a dismissive handwave. "I'm League Staff now: can't exactly be sharing all my secrets."
2 months later...
- - - - - Wyndon, Wyndon Stadium - - - - -
- - - - - Interior, Pokemon Challenger side - - - - -
Rows of seats would be filled to adoring fans both hardcore and casual alike. All of those whom had arrived were anticipating a fantastic set of challengers to try their hand at the Championship title, with talk coming from a few hoping it would be 'as good as the last one'. In the build-up to the current Pokemon League Tournament, many more people sought to attempt the Pokemon Gym Challenge. Many would end up with badges, but fewer would make it in time via either withdrawal or skill level with a full set of a medallion. Galar had shown itself to be able to give citizens within Galar reasons to be excited again. Klara had been able to make the rounds as a new favorite introductory Gym Leader, and the shuffled teams for the rest would be on the top of many a fan's minds. Within the circle of Gym Leaders, Allister had been known as the most introverted, quiet of the group, yet lately he had chosen to be far more reclusive. Hubub would stir with both fans and casual attendees alike as to what was going on with the youthful prodigy of Ghost Pokemon. While the opening ceremonies would begin soon, Haru has inquired some staff to see if anyone had spotted Allister, as he had not yet arrived into the VIP seating area. /Whatever is going on with Allister I hope he's okay. I'm not used to him just disappearing on us like a Misdreavus./ He thought, sitting next to Nessa, Hop, Sonia, and joining them for the first time would be his mom, Lana.
"Mister Allister, the others have been asking about you." Says a staff lady who found the boy trying to sneak out of a sole men's room only to sink back inside with his facemask staring out back. He appeared nervous, and only spoke in the lowest of voice.
" - - - - - - " He appeared unable to go above a whisper, if even that.
Much to her chagrin, the staffer couldn't figure out what he was trying to say, but before reattempting to get the skittish prodigy of phantasms out of hiding, a taller figure tapped her on the shoulder from behind.
"I can help." It was Sevan. Perking up almost immediately, Allister stuck more of the front of his mask to the open gap of the doorway. His eyes darted between Sevan and the now leaving staff woman before eyeing the floor. Crouching into a squat and letting his arms cross over, Sevan spoke low. "Hey man, what's going on? Haru and the others were wondering where you were. Glad I found you myself first."
The boy would just appear to grip onto the door moreso out of a defense for himself, and took a deep breath. "I'm...m...uhm.." He looked around to nothing and then back to Sevan. "My voice is...acting up."
/Well shit. Allister here going into his next phase of fans without realizing it./ "...and you're scared of how the others would react about it, right? Because you can't control it?"
Allister nodded in agreement without comment.
"You know...I think you'll find out that the ones that have your back will still like you for who you are, man. Your fans may take a bit to adjust, but I don't think you should be scared about it." Sevan sat cross legged on the ground to give his knees a rest, and to be more eye level with the child prodigy. "Everyone's got a weird 'thing' about them: look at me. I like making coffee, and somehow that got me a new job for yours and Bea's Gym."
"...b-but they say it's really good.." Allister countered.
Sevan held up both hands dismissively. "Regardless...it's weird how fixated people got on it." He sounded a mix of confused and irritable. "They're just beans. Anyway, my point is that even if you think people will find you weird since it's something new and scary, it won't be as big of a deal as you think. I won't ask you to just 'get over it', since you're growing up, and this is just a part of life. I'll let the others know but you have to come out of that door, okay?"
"Hey guys, found Allister. He's fine." Sevan said in a nonchalant manner while the others happily noted the return of Sev, with Allister in tow. The boy was halfway gripping part of Sevan's sleeve as the one he denoted as a big brother figure explained why he was in hiding: simple growing pains. Nobody would try to force Allister to speak for the time being, and Haru walked away with a small grin. It pained him to see Allister grow past being a kid to a degree, but it was inevitable nonetheless, and seeing the friendship that he shared with Sevan was endearing, too.
As Oleana would appear within the stadium's battlegrounds to publicly welcome some special guests from other regions, the combative air grew thicker with tension. Figureheads from across the globe that arrived would get their own special attraction, but the real attention came when Leon walked out onto the field and presented himself as the final challenge that the winner of the tournament would have to face. As if he had never left, the crowds cheered, hollared, and chanted 'Le-on!'. While in the VIP room, Haru would just grimace at seeing the audience react to his pose that helped shape his career. /Guess it's no different than what I do./ He thought to himself.
The audience knew what was next: the challengers. "I've kept you all waiting, and I know you're all eager to meet them. Let me present to you the finalists of the Pokemon Gym Challenge who will fight our Champion for his title!" Oleana says, welcoming with a sweep of her arm the horde of hopeful Champs-to-be, as they walked onto the field. Spotting the man who fought him in his own Steel Gym, Haru was able to see the one named 'Ray' plainly displayed on the jumbotron, though naturally most of the crowd's reaction did not come from him. Walking in formation a row behind was Syra. Stonefaced and battle hardened, she had been working on keeping her psyche trained. Knowing that everyone who is aware of her career will be gunning to shoot down her chances of a turnabout victory, for now, she figured, it was time to be serious. A few rows of fans in the stands had begun chanting 'Sy-ra!', 'Let's go Sy-ra, Let's go!', and wearing home-made cosplays with her colors. She chose not to acknowledge them outside of a simple nod, and felt the venom start to brew from her nearby challengers.
Once the brackets were revealed to the crowd and challengers, it would appear that Syra was the first match: against Ray. In short order, Oleana dismissed the challengers. The explosive first round was edging near to a point one could almost feel it. Leon squints through the edge of his cap seeing Syra walk off. /She exuded a much different aura this time./
In the locker room, Syra had a small box of Pokemon she was looking through and was hunched over staring at it. She had narrowed her choices of possible Pokemon League fighters to 20, and was trying to think of her best options within the current limited Pokedex of Galar. Shuffling through it, she came across a letter that was tucked in safely with minimal possibility of getting torn. The letter came from her brother, who decided to write on his journey so far in Kanto.
- Dear Big Sis,
I hope you are doing okay sis. The landscape and distance away from home has made me a little homesick: something I wasn't counting on happening, but it is unavoidable. The best thing I can do currently is huddle up with my Yamper while we get a nice hotel stay in one of the small cities. Compared to us in Galar, Kanto is very...lacking in verticality. It's not a bad thing! But it does make me miss the grandeur of Motostoke and Hammerlocke at times. I'll take the Gym Stadiums, too. Did you know that the Gyms here are more like small buildings with an enclosure between you and the Gym Leader? I've gotten a few badges by now, but I hope to return to Galar one day to the loud cries of the audience. If you become Champion, then I'll do that with the intention to defeat you myself. In the meantime, you know what was funny to me? One of the Gym Leaders is a Rock Type master who is a Pokemon Breeder as well. It makes me wonder if he and Haru would get along. How is he doing?
Is mom okay? I hope I haven't made her worry too much, but let her know I'm doing okay. To this point I know it's useless to work myself up wondering what you're doing; fate will probably have me find out about your accomplishments, anyway. Thanks for everything, Syra. I know you're unsure if you ever did the right thing even when you were scared of what Dad was doing to you, but not once have I lost faith in you nor hate you. Write back!
- Gabe
Syra closed her eyes thinking back to when she read the note and just chuckled, commenting to nobody else but herself in saying "Cheeky brat thinks he's going to beat me one day. We'll see to that..." before looking to her ball that held Tsukiyomi. The shiny Eevee had grown considerably stronger since they met, but she made the decision to put it aside. "When you're stronger, buddy, I plan on having you as my partner. You can shiny brightly when a tournament isn't on the line. For now, please believe in me." kissing the top of the PokeBall before gently having it sit in the case. Doing her best to shut out all negative thoughts, she recalled the training sessions she had with Bea. Feeling the eyes of the other challengers on the back of her head left an impression, and at first she wanted to fire off and yell at those thinking she wouldn't be up to task. A budding instinct kept pestering at the back of her mind to just 'go and tell everybody to fuck off', but had felt she was moving past such a need.
/"As you feel your mind empty, remember that your improved ability to meditate equals a sharper mind. The 'you' of the past will not only cease to exist, Syra, but will be a stranger within your own home. What do you do with strangers that aren't wanted? You have them leave by any means necessary."/
Raising her face, Syra felt as if she saw a past visage of herself from the year before staring back. Full of hatred, indignance, short-sightedness, and with no end goal in sight, the sensation of such a past self still existing within almost like a virus that should be eradicated. "You don't have control over me anymore. I'm not going to go in this tournament with the purpose to win, anymore, but to show what I have become nowadays."
The darker figure of her past self said nothing, and only stared in silence. Tying her hair back into a high ponytail, Syra huffed, then settled on her 6 Pokemon team. Putting the small box in her backpack, Syra stood up: ready to take on Galar's finest that they could throw at her.
- - - 20 minutes later - - -
The explosion from the final hit upon the Dynamaxed Pokemon on the field ruptured through the stadium, and with it, Syra clenched her left hand into a fist with a grin. Standing across from her was the opponent, one named 'Ray', who was sighing. As much as he wanted to curse from his journey coming to an end, he had to hand it to his opponent. Syra had simply shown her stuff with the Togekiss that saved her skin, and was wrapping her arms around the flying egg-shaped Fairy Pokemon after it downsized to normal scale. It was only the first match, but deep down Syra couldn't help but let out a bit of a squeal of glee in satisfaction. The two combatants shook hands, then returned to disappear inside the stadium grounds, where Ray would finally call out to her.
"Hey you. I know you're the one who's gunning for the Championship title harder than anyone else, and I want you to know...no hard feelings." Ray said, putting both hands into his pockets.
Syra had stopped walking forward when he called out to her and when he aired out his commentary, she just snickered. "I know you're actually irritated you lost, so don't try to hide it. Rather than garner your animosity with my victory, I'll say this." She put her hands on her hips and whipped her head back to look at him. "I realize that respect tastes better to me than attention: something I've gotten a whole lot of ever since that fateful day. When today is over, I'm going to earn the former and ONLY that from now on."
"Even if you lose?" Ray asked.
She rolled her shoulders and exhaled slowly before exiting to the female locker room and letting the door close behind without so much as a reply.
On the jumbotron the scores were displayed, Syra's mugshot moved up on the bracket, eliciting a cheer from the audience. What would happen later was something nobody unexpected, but everybody hoped. Mere hours later, Syra would reach the finals and be the one who would face down Leon. Before Leon got up from his chair within the VIP seating, he took a glance to Haru, who only blinked back: the two of them remembered the plan.
Back on the main grounds where combatants would walk out, Syra was tapping herself on the cheeks in preparation. She had now successfully twice gotten to this very spot where she would face the current Champion. /Okay, just take a lot of deep breaths. You had a few close calls where you didn't think you'd come out on top, but now you've made it to the Grand Finals. You're facing Leon, not Haru, so it's a bummer, but once I'm done with him I'll become the next Champion of Galar. I will.../ She stopped to take a deep breath, looking down to her waistline of chosen Pokemon for the final match. Leon's group of chosen Pokemon would most likely be similar to when he fought Haru, but she could not be 100% certain on that, and the anxiety of being incorrect began to creep on her. As the hypeman announcer in the stadium began to talk over previous matches, ergo leading the crowd unto the big match, she felt her heart go into her throat.
Then she heard the same person start talking about herself and she nearly hiccupped. /Come on Sy, you came this far and not just on your own. This isn't something you did alone, so you can hold yourself up higher than before./ Her mind flashed back to her original fight with Haru and the oncoming fight that was happening in a few moments. Tears came budding at the corner of her eyes as the difference was night and day. Gritting her teeth, she reminded herself. /Your friends are out there on the stands ready to cheer you on so you need to bring that A game! Which is what I ALWAYS DO!/ she told herself one final time before holding her head up high, and standing with a regal aura upon walking out onto the grass. Twice now she had proven her mettle with her skills, and twice now she had shown she knew what to do in order to battle it out with the best of them. Looking to the stands, she finally spotted Haru and the others in the VIP section, but then her cheeks turned pink when her peripheral vision spotted others. Blue, Silver, Zinnia, Steven and Cynthia were all in a row towards the front whistling for her in support. "Yo, go ahead and kill it out there, 'Miss Blue!" Blue had said, grinning from ear to ear whilst calling attention to the cheeky nickname she used to have more prominently awhile back. Her face turned away from him grumbling to herself. /Nobody invited you here.../ She would tell herself, but it did make her happy to see several from that operation come to cheer her on.
Opposite of her, Leon would finally meet her shortly after a small pause, and exhaled when the two met at the center. The crowds around the two got even louder with cheers, and Leon couldn't help but chuckle.
"You know...I'm having a bit of a déjà vu here. When I fought Haru, I commented about how I never saw a crowd as wild as this: seeing so many seats sold out and all for the joy of the battle was a thrill to behold." Leon said while sounding nostalgic, stroking his facial hair. Syra looked at him and just exhaled with a halfhearted grin.
"If anything, it's all the same to me...except I'm on the side where my fate is different." She said, as Leon's eyebrows raised.
"Oh? Everyone knows what you did not only for yourself to change your image, but for them. If it wasn't for you, I don't know if Galar would have been saved. You turned yourself around and saved the world from Giovanni, and have done nothing but whatever possible to make Galar see the 'you' that you are now. So...what do you think of their cheers; nothing but a clear conscious now in your mind?" He asked, as the crowd cheered her on, hearing the conversation that they were sharing reminding them of where she came from before. If nothing else, her fanbase she had before had only strengthened twice over since then.
Holding a hand to her heart, she smiled. "Surreal. I feel like I finally belong here."
"You're now also a real hero: one who Zacian has chosen to pair herself up to and guard." Leon would say, before getting a smug grin. "Now that I've seen just what kind of strength you possess as the greatest of challengers...crushing you into the dirt will show everyone just how strong their Champion truly is!" The charismatic, previously unstoppable Leon would strike his iconic pose and then stare Syra down. "...I couldn't think of a better way to bring back my winning streak!"
Syra shared that combative spirit as her hands clenched suddenly into fists.
The two walked away from the center as part of the crowd was heard chanting for Syra now, with the other going "Le-On!" in chants all the same. The jumbotron displayed the words 'Grand Finals: Leon vs Syra' with their profiles facing each other, and a score counter appearing. Health Points and number of remaining Pokemon would appear alongside both trainers on video, and the crowd cheered as the Championship music for Leon started to play. Hopping from side to side and clapping his cheeks twice, Leon was jazzing himself up for battle. It would be a simple Single Battle just as before, and with a toss of his iconic cape, he tossed out his first Pokemon at the same time as Syra did on her end.
A Kommo-o landed on Syra's side with a rambunctious roar of pride while Leon's Aegislash appeared, nodding to its master. "LET THE GRAND FINALS BEGINNNNNNN! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN PREPARE FOR A POSSIBLE NEW CHAMPION TO BE CROWNED - - TODAY!" came the hypeman announcer shouting from the speakers, and the audience responded in kind by stamping their feet.
/Going with Aegislash first again? Gotcha./ Syra grinned, then beckoned to her partner Pokemon. "Kommo-o, use Flamethrower and melt that opponent!"
Leon saw the move coming and tries to call to his Pokemon. "Aegislash, dodge and counter with Shadow Ball!". As the Pokemon stared each other down, the Kommo-o charged to the sword-and-shield bodied opponent with its mouth glowing, ready to heat things up from the start. Its speed catches the Aegislash offbalance, as its ability to prepare for Shadow Ball remained missed. Turning to attack a bit too late, the Kommo-o leaps up, reeling both of its large arms behind its long form and spewed a blazing inferno of fire. As the beam of fire spits out, Haru, and the others in the VIP seats, throw a fist pump into the air as the scoreboard updates. With the Aegislash rightfully knocked out in a single attack from Syra, Leon's Pokemon team count is down to 5.
"FUCK YEAH! She's doing it: letting Leon know that she's not going to take it laying down easy!" Haru says with a wide grin across his face. Sevan just chuckled, looking at him.
"Relax Haru, of course she's going to start off great. It's Syra of all people." He said, arms folded, but nevertheless enjoying himself, and accompanied by Allister who was kicking his feet watching.
"I know, I know, but still!" Haru replied, then clearing his throat as Nessa looks to him with a bit of a smile forming.
"You seem really happy for her on this." She says.
Nodding, and taking a step towards the glass window, the Steel Gym Leader exhaled calmly. "I just got a good feeling about this is all."
Back on the field, Syra beckoned her Kommo-o to come back to formation as Leon is seen withdrawing the knocked out Aegislash. "A supereffective hit... I'd expect nothing less from your team!" He'd retaliate by bringing out Dragapult, who stares down the fellow Dragon Pokemon as the tiny, smaller Pokemon within its Hammerhead-shark-like-face hissed at it. "Dragapult, Dragon Breath!"
/Right, it's faster...!/ "Kommo-o, watch out!" She sees her Pokemon try to find an opening and lunge out of the way, but Leon's Dragapult is no spring chicken, and aimed its head at just the right moment to beam down a Dragon Breath attack. The jumbotron shows the health points of her Kommo-o go all the way down.
...to ONLY ONE HEALTH POINT!
The audience gasps as an item that Kommo-o was holding onto, a Focus Sash, is seen in burned tethers on the ground. "Looks like that paid off in such an emergency. In any case, Kommo-o, Ice Punch!" Locking eyes with the Dragapult that now drained so much of its health points, the Kommo-o's foreclaws clenched and ready for the attack and struck hard. Leon braces himself with an arm shielding himself from a whiff of the cold air from the attack, and sees his Dragapult faint.
Even as the crowd cheers her on, Syra wipes a bead of sweat from her forehead and withdraws Kommo-o to try and prepare for the next Pokemon Leon may choose. /That was way too close. For now, I'm glad that I chose not to go nuts on too many redundant types, but him pulling out Dragapult could have been bad for me had I not simply guessed my Pokemon would need it./ She looks down to her waist. /I can only hope that the next one may work out in my favor, too./
BRRRRZZT!
The ticker on the jumbotron updates yet again: Leon with 4 Pokemon remaining, and Syra still with a full team of 6. The trainers look at each other, and throw PokeBalls towards the other. A Tyranitar appears for Syra, and a Haxorus from Leon. /Is his entire team filled with Pokemon conveniently faster than my own?!/ she thinks in frustration, but then blinks in realization. /Wait a minute, no, this works out./ "Tyranitar, Ice Fang!"
"Haxorus, don't let it hit you first, use your speedy advantage and use Earthquake!"
A gleam in her Tyranitar's eye was seen, if only for a moment. It takes a step forward, meeting the Haxorus across from it at a pace unrecognizable. Seen only for a split second, Leon catches the reason behind it: a necklace carrying an item that was wrapped around one of the Tyranitar's arms like a small gauntlet. /...a Quick Claw?!/ Leon thinks to himself via a horrible realization. It's too late for said realization, as fate worked against him. The giant pseudo-legendary Pokemon bites down on the Haxorus with its fangs letting off an icy cold, frozen bite, and upon letting go the Haxorus roared out. Its health points are seen on the giant displays going to null, and Leon's point updates to show 3 Pokemon versus Syra's still strong showing of 6.
The crowd erupts as Leon takes a second to ponder his next move. In silence, Syra decides to keep her Pokemon out as she takes a moment to exhale from of her stress off, and then wave to the crowds.
Back up in the VIP seating area, Haru just smirks, then stands up and heads out. Nessa takes notice that he's leaving. "Babe?"
"Hmm?" Haru turns his head to look back at her, and the other Gym Leaders who look back: Marnie and Gordie.
"Bathroom break while the match is getting good? You could miss out on a rebound from Leon!" Nessa argued.
As casually as he could make it appear, Haru just laughed, then handwaved. "Promise I won't be long, okay? Just let me know if I miss anything." Readjusting the front of his cap, he motions to the guards at their side of the door before exiting.
Not thinking much of Haru's response, Nessa sat back down and had her shoulder tapped on by Marnie. "You seem bothered."
"Haru doesn't usually make an effort to miss big moments like this in battles. If he had to go, he'd have held it in until it was over...so I guess...I don't know." Nessa squinted, then turned back to the door that led outside of the VIP room like she expected him to come back in any second. "Hmmm..."
Haru walked down the hallway, smirking, and paid no mind to the people who recognized him as his thoughts were in another place. /Your move, Leon./
On the field was a Rhyperior from Leon's side, facing down the Tyranitar. /I'm taking a gamble with this.../ "Tyranitar, use Hydro Pump!" The Pokemon let out a victorious cry, and then aimed a beam of water that bore the force that pressure washers wish they could reach at its opponent. In silence, the audience watches as the large amount of water seemingly floods over where the Rhyperior would have been, but the Rhyperior is seen then suddenly leaping out of the way. The attack missed! /Shit!/ Syra feels a bead of sweat as the rock/ground Pokemon lands on the ground, roared, and heard its master, Leon, shout "Earthquake, Rhyperior!". The terra beneath the feet of Tyranitar gave way, and as the Earth itself attacked the Pokemon, Syra's lead would give way, if only just a little bit.
It falls onto its side, knocked out completely, and she withdraws it. Scoreboard now sits at Leon 3, Syra 5. She looks down to her waistband and thinks about the leftover teammates that Leon could have, and figures out her next step. In her heart, she knows what to do, eyeing the sole PokeBall that was older than all the rest of them. Grabbing it, she tosses forward a PokeBall as an Inteleon appears. Her starter, Josef, had made it with her to the Grand Finals, and proudly got into battle formation. Now bearing a stronger bond with her than before, he looks back, nods quietly, and smirked.
A few rows within the crowd of the stadium get exceptionally louder; most notably the ones who were wearing Sobble foam hats since they were Syra fans who knew it was her starter Pokemon. Leon smirks defiantly. "Aiming for supereffective hits is a surefire way to claim victory...and you know I'll be the one to take that today, right Syra?"
She clicks her tongue. "Pft. You wish! Hey Josef!"
The Inteleon whips its face to look back at her, and it was as if she understood what he was saying though they were different species. "Snipe Shot that Rhyperior!" Before Leon could bring a counter attack, the Inteleon had merely crouched and pointed with one hand to the bulky Pokemon opponent before a single piercing streak of water shot out. It was supereffective! The health points go all the way down on the Rhyperior, and Leon's team begins to look skinnier by the second.
/Syra has the lead and she may be able to pull this off just as she said she would...but I'm not going to go down without a struggle./ Leon thinks to himself, holding one PokeBall in hand and then sending it out. Drumming away the second it pops out of the ball comes a Rillaboom, who yells defiantly at the Inteleon across from it. Syra looks to the crowd as they take note at the fact she's not yet Dynamaxed any of her Pokemon to this moment, and then to the glowing wristband. There's no longer any apprehension on whether or not the time was right, because she felt that the time was right. Aiming her ball at Josef, she chooses to Gigantimax right on the spot. Leon still holds out on Gigantimaxing, hoping to somehow eke a victory with his Charizard, but both him and his Rillaboom are then quickly staring down a self-made tower where the now Gigantimaxed Inteleon perched on. Utilizing the increase of stats in the middle of battle, Syra wastes no time and narrowed her eyes. "Josef! Max Airstream, now! Give that Rillaboom a gust to sweep him off his feet!"
Leon watches as the giant cyclone of air blast hits the Rillaboom from all sides, and then creates an airstream where Josef gets a speed boost. He's down to one final Pokemon. The crowds know who's coming, and so does he. The victory seems nearly impossible, but can he pull it off? He's come across hard odds before, so what makes this different?
Elsewhere, back in the VIP room, Nessa was antsy. Haru had missed several Pokemon fainting, and now the match was about to be finished. Almost expecting him to show back up any minute, she was unable to fully enjoy the match since Haru's infectious enthusiasm wasn't there to match her own. Now brought down to simply whimpering in her seat, she grumbled and crossed her arms. "Does Haru know you get like this when you're grumpy?" Sonia teases, having popped in at the last second just to mess with her bestie.
"Sonia! Wha-?" Nessa, completely caught off guard, turns to see the orange hair professor with a smug face.
"I think you should just keep watching..." she said quietly.
On the field, the audience sees as a giant Charizard go into a Gigantimax form and stare down the Inteleon that remained perched up on its sniper-like tower. The audience would then go 'OOOhhh!' in apprehension as Syra ordered "Gmax Hydrosnipe that Charizard, Josef!" loudly. Taking careful aim, Josef would let out a powerful, piercing water-based attack to the Gigantimaxed Charizard. It's not enough, and everyone watching lets out a suspenseful 'OoooOooooh!', followed by claps.
Leon is no slouch and counters. "Charizard! Max Overgrowth!"
"WAIT WHAT?! CHARIZARDS CAN USE GRASS MOVES?!" Syra said, suddenly feeling a rise of panic in her throat. As several thick, green vines lash out at Josef, the crowd, and Syra too, react in kind. He's not knocked out, and the applause and 'ooOoohh's double from last time. Turning back to Leon, she grits her teeth. "Josef you have a few moves left in you but I need you to take it out for me this time. Please! GMAX HYDROSNIPE THAT CHARIZARD AND GET US THE WIN!"
Time froze solid and still as the air over the stadium echoed on the final hit. The torrent of water that hit its mark on the Charizard turned into a cooling mist upon impact, and would refract light in the form of a rainbow upon the final moment.
''Critical' Hit!' showed in bright lettering across the marquees lining the stadium, and the jumbotron. Leon's counter would update to show 0, and Syra still with her team.
It had been almost a half hour, but even so, the crowd goes wild as the stats for the Gigantimax'ed Charizard finally, and unequivocally, went to 0 Health Points. There's an explosion from the last hit occurring, and Leon withdraws Charizard back into his Poke Ball. Syra stares in a bit of disbelief, and looks as the crowd then roars in cheers.
"She did it?!" Blue yells from the stands.
"SHE DID IT!" yells Nessa, Bea, Sevan, and Sonia.
"She did it." Haru says to himself, grinning from ear to ear while looking on from an undisclosed spot.
"I...I did it?" The velvet haired girl's cheeks turn pink as Leon is seen tossing his hat up to the sky, and he laughs. He appears satisfied.
"Thank you, Syra..." She stared up as he walked over to her and offered a hand for a shake. "...for the best battle I've ever had in my life!" As if she didn't get what happened, Leon had to even tell her. "You did it!"
Then it happened, she leapt forward and gave Leon a hug, as if an apology for her past behavior and personality, and before allowing herself to celebrate for too long, Leon let the folks hear their conversation via the mics they were all wired up to. "Now now, I'm sure this is possibly, if not THE absolute best moment in your life."
She'd be too busy and unable to think straight for words, but nodded.
"I want to thank you properly for doing everything in your power and skills to reach to the top, but I think you don't want to hear all this from me. Do you?" Leon said, leaving not just the audience but Syra confused. She tilted her head and felt her sense of victory slip away.
"...what?"
Elsewhere, Oleana, who was well on her way down to the field with a trophy and cape for the winner, saw Haru leaning against the walls where combatants would walk down to the field. "Haru, I wasn't expecting to see you down here with the victor. Were you really watching the battle down here the whole time, away from the others?" Oleana asked, but then squinted studiously when the Soul of Steel himself only smirked and tilted his cap forward. "Wait a minute...what are you up to?"
Haru just chuckled, and through the speakers instead of the victory music that was expected to be played, was a familiar jingle and video. Heavy metal had begun playing, and walking onto the field, much to the eruption of the whole stadium, was Haru. Wearing his renewed Gym Leader outfit that he debuted at his own personal Gym, he strut down towards the center of the stadium where Syra and Leon stood.
Up in the VIP arena, Nessa leapt up from her chair and nearly implanted herself against the glass. "HARU WHAT THE FU-." She turned behind herself. "Sorry Allister."
"It's okay...go ahead." he says quietly, handwaving to her.
"WHAT THE FUCK HARU?!" Nessa would then quickly say, making up for her own reaction, as Haru walked up to where Syra stood as the two trainers now had locked eyes and staring at each other. Deep down inside, the audience had a feeling they knew what was happening. The crowd began to hoot and hollar a mix-up of cheers and jeers for Haru as they sensed he was coming to put the celebration to an end. Even through the piercing sounds of the jubilation around them, Syra and Haru gave off so much tension between them it could mirror the last time they stood in the very same stadium together.
As the crowd settled down, Leon looks to Syra, then Haru. "Now, I know what you're thinking. 'Why is my previous opponent, of whom I lost to, standing on the field like he's going to try and stop me?' and you'd be perfectly correct on that...but Syra, allow me to let him explain."
"Syra, allow me to congratulate you on your official win, but before you walk out of here as the new Pokemon Champion of Galar, I'd like to hold a wager. You know as well as I..." he then turned and pointed to the crowd "AND THE MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMILLIONS!" the crowd suddenly cheered to that, while Haru clenched a fist. "...of fans who were watching, that there's something between you and I that can't be expressed with words. Whether it was right here in this stadium, or across the globe, untold numbers of people saw you and I duke it out. You were unable to defeat me then, so would you truly be satisfied in calling yourself the Champion if you simply." he took a step forward, now seeing Syra's forehead get a vein throbbing in it. "Did not." He leaned towards her with a snide grin. "Win against me?"
The crowd took the angle that Haru chose with his Gym Leader persona as a 'heel' well, booing him as if he asked them to do so. Showing up the new to-be Champion's win like this was unprecedented. Yet as she stood there with her fists clenched, Haru asked. "What do you say? For ol' times, do you want a rematch? JUST ONE MATCH!" He turns to the crowd with a sweeping arm motion "DOUBLE BATTLE!" then back to Syra "You win that match and you can walk out with your head held high as the new Galar Champion, and you can put this part of your past behind you."
He turned away and grinned smugly. "But if you don't..." his head whipped back to her. "You have to do this all over again, for a third time." Syra felt the fire behind her eyes grow to such a size that she didn't lose her cool or revert back to the older self. The self that would have so quickly jumped to hurl insults in his direction merely had now evolved to a woman that saw nothing but victory ahead. It didn't matter if Haru wanted a single, double, or even a rarely-performed triple match: she'd still win. Leaning forward and putting a hand on his forehead, flicking his cap right off, Syra grinned. "I accept."
The audience's cheers echo for many kilometers away in response to her accepting the challenge. Now as Haru stared back silently, the two were frozen in place as if daring the other to start the battle.
Not satisfied with what appeared to be Leon and Haru working behind the scenes to do something to upset the balance of the match, Oleana would then walk onto the field with several referees in tow with her. She had heard everything, and was going to put a stop to it. However when she got centerfield with Leon, Haru, and Syra, her eyes locked onto Syra alone. The girl with the velvet hair stared back as her bright magenta eyes had a level of determination behind them. 'Re-match!' was now being chanted by the whole crowd. Admittedly, Oleana was still getting used to the means of which Haru had chosen to be such a thorn in the side of others via his persona, but it no doubt would also mean Galar would make a splash for years and years to come if an event did happen.
She silently weighed her options, and then looked one final time to Syra, then patted her shoulder. It would be the only response she'd give to act as an approval for such a crazy scenario happening. Walking off the field, Haru nodded towards Oleana while refixing his cap back on his head. /Thank you Miss Chairman. I promise you this match will be talked about for generations to come./ Leon would follow suit to the Chairman, leaving Haru and Syra to stare each other down. Alone centerfield together, Syra could now also see that the glasses he wore for such events had the natural turn-into-shades technology while outside, but she knew those stupid amber eyes were looking right back at her in defiance. Much as it made her angry to have the victory of becoming a Champion effectively thrown from her so quickly, she knew Haru was right: the feeling of glory would not be felt for long if she never resolved this dispute with him. That the 'Grand Finals' would now effectively have a once-in-a-lifetime extra match-up would make this tournament legendary.
Continuing to stare each other down, the two trainers would walk away from each other.
Looking onwards from the VIP room, Nessa had sat back down with the others while Sevan had chuckled to himself. "Man. This is too fucking weird almost; seeing Haru intentionally act a prick. But the crowd is eating it up!"
"It's his persona, Sev." Bea commented, noting just in case he didn't know.
"Hey: I never said it was a bad thing." He said, then looked over to Nessa.
Squirming a little in her seat, she huffed quietly. /Damn it. Always finding new ways to catch me off guard.../
As the pair of combatants on the field departed, a new tune would start up. It would not be the Champion fight music that accompanied Leon, but instead a variant of the Gym Leader music. For Haru himself, a Gym Leader and former Champion, the final obstacle in Syra's career before she achieves total victory, it was important to have a more hype theme than normal. Still within the opener of the song, Haru and Syra would walk towards each other yet again, then went into a full sprint just as the crescendo of the opening started: the Gym Leader theme. The second the theme had effectively started, the Jumbotron displayed the words 'THE SUPER GRAND FINALS! HARU VS SYRA!', as the two had appeared to throw a punch to the others, but upon closer inspection, were shown having a PokeBall in both hands. They bounced off of each other's forearms, landing on the other side of the battleground in the center of the field, and both threw their opening teams of Pokemon onto the field. The final match had truly come to a start in the most hype of mannerisms where both opponents knew that holding back was an insult to the other's legacy.
A shiny Metagross and Nora, the Glaceon, appeared on Haru's side, while Syra had now started the battle with a Mimikyu and Togekiss. Erupting in near blinding shouts of hype, the audience could not contain themselves as vuvuzulas were already being blown before the first attack had started.
"I remember the first day we met! You were a different person back then..." Haru snickered, as Syra folded her arms and stuck her chin up.
"I was stalking you that day, but your then-new-girlfriend Nessa caught me. It was pretty embarrassing of me, to say the least. But one thing I never lost since even then, is my pride."
"..."
"..."
The pair stared at each other as Haru gestured to his pair of Pokemon. "Nora, Ice Fang her Togekiss, and Archimedes: aim a Flash Cannon at it too! Get it off the field!"
Syra smirks, looking to her Pokemon with confidence as she knows the start of the field is to her advantage. /Whatever the results here, I'll be satisfied if he doesn't hold back. Deep in my heart, I know he won't!/ "Mimi, use Shadow Claw to his Metagross, and Togekiss, blow out that Glaceon with Fire Blast!"
The second that Haru's Pokemon are seen charging up for their moves, an explosion of dirt and grime from the middle of the field erupts and catches the pair off guard. Togekiss successfully hovers just above Nora's vision like a stealth jet before blasting her with Fire Blast. The Metagross paired with her is seen missing the Flash Cannon at the same Togekiss, and feels a cold chill alongside its geometric spine when the Mimikyu appears to Shadow Claw it fiercely with the appendage that only appeared from under its mysterious cloak. Haru feels a bead of sweat form while he sees Syra's Pokemon double back, and both of his collapse.
"Holy shit...two in one move?! Syra's already got him on the ropes!" Gordie says from within the VIP booth albeit a bit more enthusiastic than he anticipated getting. The rest of the group grows silent.
As the jumbotron updates to showcase Haru at 4 Pokemon, and Syra at 6, another boost of cheers comes out. Alongside the update of the remaining HP, the words 'Super Luck' appear alongside her Togekiss.
"WHAT?!" Haru says, genuinely surprised.
Syra, having her arms crossed and smirking, nods. "It may have been a bit of overkill, but yeah: my beautiful Togekiss has the ability Super Luck. You're welcome for that...'pal'!" she grins.
The hypeman commentator couldn't help himself in saying "Whoooaoaaaaa hooooohoooo! Within the first move from both opponents and Syra showcases exactly why she is the one to be awarded the Champion title, and will now tell Haru in actions, not words, why she is the #1! What a display of tactic at the start! Will Haru be able to counter attack?!"
Withdrawing the 2 Pokemon, Haru smirks and looks to her. "Super Effective, AND a heightened Critical Attack percentage in one go? You're not messing around anymore, are you?"
"The last time I made a casual mistake, it cost me a whole other year of my life to be taken away from me with the loss of a tournament. When I made my last major mistake, it cost me my dignity." Syra said, feeling flashbacks of her past come back. Gritting her teeth, she makes a fist.
"Then show me what kind of person you are now, Syra! The one who will lead this region to a new age!" Haru shouts, tossing 2 more Pokemon onto the field. His Cinderace, Goji, and a Chandelure, Daeva.
"Mimikyu, take on that fellow Ghost Pokemon and take it down with Shadow Claw!" Syra says, trying to interrupt Haru, who then catches on quick.
"Daeva, Protect yourself just in case! Goji, you're a Cinderace so you don't have the type advantage, but you're MY Cinderace, so show everyone else that you can still damage the opponent when it matters!"
"Togekiss, Ancient Power to his Cinderace! We don't need secondaries in this tournament!" Syra says through grit teeth. True to the way how the order came out, the Mimikyu's attack bounced right off of the Chandelure, and just grumbles to itself while staring idly at the Fire/Ghost Pokemon, who growled back at it with its chime-like cry. As the Heat Wave attack came from Goji, showboating as he does, both the Togekiss and Mimikyu brace for impact.
To be expected, it does nothing to the Mimikyu. The tip-top of the "costume" it wore is seen now drooping, and the message on the jumbotron displays that Mimikyu's decoy is now taken out. Syra's Togekiss takes some damage, but ultimately brushes it aside, as if 'nodding' in midair like it's 'got this'.
"Goji, Iron Head to the Togekiss! It needs to go! Daeva, YOU use Heat Wave this time!"
"Mimikyu, Substitute! Togekiss, Baby-Doll Eyes the Cinderace he has and make him an easier target!"
Eyeing the target as one would do, the Togekiss successfully locks eyes to the Cinderace and lowers its attack, but not before it would try to run at the Mimikyu before it uses substitute. Roaring with the same pride that it has when showboating, Goji uses Iron Tail!
*hop*
Syra's Mimikyu moved out of the way at the last second, then disappeared entirely with a Substitute plush sitting on the field in its place. Haru grimaces at the missed attack, but feels a wave of comfort hit him when his Daeva Chandelure coats the opponents in the Heat Wave attack. The substitute plush burns up immediately, and Syra's Togekiss takes just enough damage to be knocked out of the fight. It's her first one, but it's nothing to lose herself over.
Withdrawing it back to her waistline belt, Syra looked at her opponent with a grimace. "You and I came from a similar background: a random nobody from a tiny town brought up to higher positions in life. I guess even when I made you my enemy, I admired how far you came!" /He wants to rely on his Cinderace? Fine./ She grabbed a specific ball that came from a special friend, and tossed it onto the field. A shiny Cinderace leapt forward, posed, and stared down Goji. It was Cyrus, the now-grown-up Cinderace that came from Hestia, and by extension, Haru. Now ready to face the final battle and make its master proud, it walked to the other Cinderace before both rabbit-like Pokemon puffed their chests together defiantly.
She called it back as Haru replied. "You'll never catch me thinking anything little of you Syra. Even when you were a pain in my ass, a part of me still looked forward to every interaction we had! Like the one where it was in the middle of the street! Ha!" Gesturing to his Pokemon, Haru smirked. "Goji. It's a Cinderace vs Cinderace match, so let's not let down our fans into thinking the new blood can always take over! Try to out-Pyro-Ball it! Daeva, Shadow Ball her Mimikyu!"
On the jumbotron a new animation for the battle kicked in. Cyrus leaned forward while Syra grimaced for the attack. "Oh Haru...this time you're the one being burned." As the other Cinderace's fireball landed on Cyrus's fur, it handwaves, or rather, paw-waves it off like it barely made a dent. It was merely waiting for the attack as the words 'Libero!' are exclaimed onscreen. Just as Haru gasped from the realization, Syra countered. "Zen Headbutt, Cyrus!" As the ability turned Cyrus temporarily into a Psychic Pokemon, it rushes down the other, non-shiny Cinderace, and knocks it clean out with a HEAVY and hard hitting move that causes Goji to fly past Haru. Not one to be shown up by its partner, the Mimikyu out-peforms the Chandelure in terms of speed, and hits Haru's Daeva with a Shadow Claw. The second the attack makes contact, 'Critical Hit % increase x2!' displays on the jumbotron, and a new update for the battle.
Haru is down to a staggering 2 Pokemon left, and with that, he just looks at the opponent across from him. With a single hand on her hips, Syra holds her head up high and turns to the crowd, putting another hand behind one of her ears. She is playing up for the sake of the cameras around her, but being on this side of the adoring fans around her, knowing what she has put behind her, was too much to ignore. /I have never felt a bigger high in my life...I hope as many eyes as possible are watching me in this very moment!/
On the opposing side, Haru throws out onto the field his final pair of Pokemon: a Vikavolt and a Flygon. It was indeed a very different kind of team than what Syra was anticipating, should she have had the opportunity to fight him anytime soon. Not figuring he would only opt in a few of his legacy Pokemon for this final team, Syra shook off any doubt she had for the moment. "Your team may be different, but my victory is still straight ahead of me! Cyrus! Don't make your fellow teammates wait for victory! Go for that bug and burn it up with Pyro Ball!"
"Vikavolt, Protect!"
Just as the Pyro Ball left the foot from Cyrus, a see-through shield makes the attack bounce right off, causing Syra to counter-attack. "Crap. Mimikyu, go for the Flygon with Shadow Claw if you can!"
"Flygon, stop her meddling Mimikyu already with an Iron Tail!" Haru commands, shouting to his Flygon. The luck of Iron Tail was sketchy, but if it landed, it would start to slowly abridge the balance back into his favor. Haru and Syra watches as the Mimikyu made an attempt to dodge, but gets slammed by the move from Flygon, and faints.
It was a long time coming, but Syra finally lost another Pokemon. Yet, as she withdraws it and puts it aside, she stood up confidently. Chest poked outward and her eyes closed, she exhaled slowly. "It's only appropriate that even as I've lost only a pair of Pokemon in this battle, I can think of nobody else I want by my side to the end, than the same one that got me to this spot!" Syra declared, throwing a ball as an Inteleon appeared beside Cyrus. To the fanservice of the more nerdy side within the audience, it was a show in of itself seeing her slay the opposition as is, but now attempting to solidify her position as the Galar Champion with 2 of the 3 starters was extra icing on the proverbial cake.
Josef and Cyrus smirk at each other. They knew what was heading next. The glows of the wristbands called forth to both trainers, and with a simple tap, Haru would Dynamax his Flygon as Syra would yet again Gigantimax her Inteleon. In a staredown that was very much like the last time, Syra got an ethereal feeling in the back of her mind. Haru may have won his match against Peony choosing not to Dynamax at the end of the fight, but if she pushed him to do that here, then clearly she was worthy. "Josef! Hear my heart. You know what to do! That Flygon: give him a Max Hailstorm to make him chill!"
"Flygon, try to outlast it and retaliate with Max Quake!"
Of course with the difference of speed, it was a fruitless endeavor. The Inteleon locked onto the Pokemon across from it and sent down a torrent of frozen ice and bustling wintry mist to the Dragon Pokemon, causing its HP to go straight to nothing. Not waiting for Haru to gain the upperhand, Syra called out one final time, eyes ablazing: "Cyrus! Pyro Ball to Vikavolt, now!"
"!" Haru held his arms up from the sheer speed of counter attack that Syra displayed as a ball of fire exploded in front of him. The audience watches as the Vikavolt's wings flutter to a stop as it faints, and the explosion from the Dynamaxed Flygon pop off. It shrinks to its normal size and Haru turns towards where it was sitting at, and smirks. Behind the façade of his persona, he's an extremely pleased person.
Forgetting what she was doing for just a moment, Syra had her confidence-filled grin broken by the slow realization that...she did it.
"She actually..." Blue would say to himself in awestruck.
"Syra really..." Oleana said quietly, still watching from the ground level off within the stadium.
"She actually, factually, one hundred per-fucking-cent DID IT!" Marnie said, catching everyone off guard with the random vulgarity in her cheer. Looking around herself, she blinked as the Gym Leaders eyed her. "...what? I can show emotions sometimes."
On the field, Haru walked back to where Syra stood and was seen grinning ear to ear. Syra now felt the gravity of what she just accomplished hit her as her anxiety came back, if even a tad. "I...I did it..?"
He nods. "Yep. Syra, you did it."
The hypeman commentator would fill in the rest as he was heard shouting "AND NOW...YOUR NEW GALARIAN CHAMPION IIIIIiiiiiiIIIISSS...SYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYRAAAAAA!" and while the crowd erupted in cheers, a familiar theme that was often used to be the anthem for Pokemon trainers everywhere, about 'wanting to be the very best, that no one ever was' played across the speakers. Extending a hand forward, Haru eyed Syra, who now had her emotional constitution shaken up. Slowly going for his hand, Haru then squeezed, and raised it as high as he could before pointing to her, looking at the audience as they joined him in cheering. As Syra would turn to face the crowd of people in the untold numbers who were either for or against her, seeing all of them go along with the theme caused her eyes to water.
"Haru..." she said weakly, unable to form a sentence.
"Hey...it's okay. This time you have every reason to let it out." Haru said to her, noticing that Syra's face turned into a frown.
Her biggest goal of all time had come to pass, and as it hits her that she is now the Champion of Galar, all 6 of her Pokemon pop out of their PokeBalls to give her a big hug. Being held together by her Tyranitar, Togekiss, Mimikyu, Cinderace, Inteleon, and Kommo-o causes her to start bawling her eyes out. All she says to herself, while being drowned out by the sounds of the crowd, is 'I did it, I did it' much to the love and care by her Pokemon right there giving nuzzles.
As with anything else that is a climactic end to such events, Oleana and Leon would now return onto the field together. Holding a shiny trophy with the words 'Pokemon Champion of Galar' with the current year written on it, Syra eyed it while Oleana turned to the crowd. "Everyone, it is with immense pleasure and joy that I introduce you all to the new Pokemon Champion of the Galar Region: Syra! For everything that she had to endure up until now, you can rest assured that for the best of the best, she represents it and more for us!" Making sure to get it on her properly, Leon and Haru would cooperatively wrap the winner cape around Syra from behind, as it was easy to tie on. With one hand holding onto the trophy and seeing her own reflection, Syra's tears wouldn't stop; both eyes reddened.
Even though it wasn't a race, her Inteleon and Cinderace, Josef and Cyrus, would then hoist their master on their shoulders and carry her all the way around the perimeter of the field. Waving to all of the fans and standing on the shoulders to be as close to them, Haru would decide to help her by having his Metagross be the moving platform. Caped like a superhero, Syra would laugh between tears of joy as the Metagross from her former opponent would be large enough to have her give repeated high fives to all of the fans who wanted to touch hands with a new celebrity.
Elsewhere, at the very same moment, in a prison somewhere, Ritsu is groaning to himself while dealing with the consequences for his actions of the past. Yet even as he comes into the break room, he sees what the other inmates are watching: the Pokemon League Championship. He sees Syra hoisted by her friends and loved ones, a brand new family for her to be a part of...and he just exhales through the nose silently. Not commenting on how she got there, or what it means for him. A part of him, however, is proud.
Syra would ride on top of the Metagross giving repeated high fives and laughing while tears bled through the corners of her eyes. It was so unbecoming of her to suddenly let down the amount of vulnerability she had before, but yet seeing her finally act without needing to put up a front was so emotionally moving that Nessa and the other Gym Leaders were moved. Sevan, even in the hardened state he was known to be in, went with the others and applauded her. Down in the front rows, Syra stops to where Blue and the others were, now being hugged by all of them, with Cynthia giving her a necklace as a gift. Cynthia leans down to whisper in Syra's ear "Now your true journey begins! I'm looking forward to what you'll do next!" before Syra hops off the top of the Metagross and is brought to the center of the field. On the grass a bunch of lights are shown to display her name, and off into the distance as the song reached its climactic end, singing 'Oh you're my best friend, in a world we must defend', pyrotechnics started to go off to the beat of the music, only to end in just a flurry of firework explosions: both in the shape of Pokemon, and other miscellaneous things. In the distance past the dome of the Wyndon Stadium an array of fireworks would explode in the sky.
Blinded briefly by the first one going, Syra stares in awe that such a display happened for her becoming Champion. But she did it. As she stared off past where the jubilee occurred, and began to laugh through the tears. All the walls were down, and Syra felt like she truly did something for herself, and made it through to the end.
For once in her life she had been able to truly move forward. For once...
Syra was happy. In the back of her mind she hears the end of the song... 'Gotta catch 'em all, Pokemon!' and feels inner peace, the one thing she wanted in life since she was a little girl, reach her.
Welcome the new age of Syra, the newly titled Champion of Galar!
- - - - - END OF CHAPTER 28 - - - - -