"I can't believe it! Selene has defeated the legendary Zekrom! She advances to the Top 8!"
The slick-back–haired announcer's excited shout boomed across the entire stadium.
Of course he was thrilled—he was from Kanto. And although he had to maintain neutrality as a professional host, seeing a Kanto Elite Four member advance in such dominant fashion naturally made him proud!
The crowd erupted.
"ELITE SELENE!!! (voice crack)"
"I knew it! How could one Zekrom just run wild? Kanto's Elite Four is built DIFFERENT!"
"Too dirty! Destiny Bond into Explosion? Shameless!"
"You joking? Smart tactics suddenly become 'shameless' to you?"
"Forget 'clean' or not. Did she beat your unbeatable Zekrom or not? And with just TWO main battlers."
The internet went wild as well.
Especially Unova netizens—every last one of them felt stifled and bitter.
Zekrom's strength wasn't in question. One Thunder took out the weakened Mega Gengar, another nearly knocked out Weezing in one shot.
Zekrom was monstrously strong.
But instead of losing through sheer power, it got outplayed.
To them, that was infuriating.
"So strong~!"
Hilda looked at the girl on the field and sighed in admiration.
She and the other top Unova trainers knew exactly how strong Zekrom was.
And yet Selene had handled it with only two Pokémon.
"Indeed. As expected of Dylan's student."
Alder nodded, convinced.
"But I suppose this is good for Rosa. One less terrifying opponent for her."
Unova now only had Rosa left—N was out.
Although… the remaining contestants were all monsters anyway, so it wasn't exactly comforting.
On the field, Selene and the thoughtful-looking N exchanged a few polite words before heading off.
Next was the final match of the day.
"There are ten contestants left. The chance of drawing Dylan is one in nine…"
Leon rubbed his cheek. He absolutely did NOT want to face Dylan right now.
If Dylan dared to bring Primal Kyogre in his very first match… who knew what he'd throw out next?!
"Come on, big bro's luck is always good! No way you'll get that unlucky~"
Hop grinned, hands behind his head.
"Besides Dylan, big bro can beat anyone!"
He adored Leon—Leon was his idol and lifelong goal.
"That's not true, Hop. I'm not scared of Mr. Leon anymore."
Chloe tilted her head with a smile.
She lost to Leon at the end of last year, but now she believed she was fully qualified to fight him again—
And to win.
"Yes, even without Dylan, we can't get careless. We must give everything."
Leon laughed, looking at Chloe with fiery enthusiasm.
This was why he loved the World Championship!
Trainers from all over the world gathering and fighting their hardest for the title of strongest—
Nothing was more exhilarating.
Battle! Yes!!
Half an hour later, the giant screen spun through the final contestants.
Everyone looked up nervously.
Soon, the first portrait stopped.
A cute girl appeared on the screen, wearing a bow-like head accessory—bright and cheerful.
May.
"Huh? My turn?"
May's eyes sparkled as she stared at the still-spinning second portrait.
Steven watched nervously—
Please don't be Dylan! Please!
"Kyogre bless us! Kyogre bless us! Don't match May with Dylan, please please please!"
Wallace clasped his hands, praying dramatically.
Big ol' pancake-fish, do SOMETHING! You're Hoenn's legend—protect us Hoenn folk!!
Under Wallace's "prayer," the second portrait slowed…
and revealed a chic girl wearing a red hat, with ash-blonde wavy hair—
Kalos Champion Serena.
May vs. Serena!
"Whew… Kalos's champion. May, do your best."
Wallace patted his chest in relief and encouraged her.
"Mhm~ don't worry, Wallace!"
May smiled brightly, eyes curving.
"Victory never slips past my fingers. Watch me."
Across the stadium, Serena studied May's portrait.
Hoenn's "monster," huh?
"Be careful, that girl is the one who caught Latios," Diantha reminded softly.
May wasn't Hoenn's champion—
but everyone knew it was only a matter of time.
Currently, Hoenn's strongest was undeniably May.
"I know. I'll treat this seriously—and I will win."
Serena nodded firmly.
"I'm not who I used to be. I'll win. I'll keep winning. Until…"
She pressed her lips together, straightened her clothes, and walked toward the battle entrance.
"Serena…"
Diantha watched her go, expression heavy.
"This should be interesting."
Dylan raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
The protagonist of Emerald vs. the protagonist of XY.
A main-character showdown.
Who would win?
"Alright! Both contestants are ready! Let's welcome them to the field!"
The announcer's enthusiastic voice echoed.
"May!"
"Serena!"
The two girls stepped out from opposite entrances.
"Whoa—them both being this cute is illegal. Who do we even cheer for?"
"May all the way!! Hoenn's last hope!"
"Shut up! Serena is Kalos's CHAMPION. What's May?"
"LMAO, Kalos champ has no weight. May's a Master Rank No.7. Your Serena is what, No. what exactly?"
"Oh-hoh! FIGHT! I want chaos!!"
The stadium atmosphere was lively and positive,
but online?
Hoenn and Kalos fans were tearing each other apart.
Both regions had only one contestant left—
they were desperate to see their favorite reach the Top 8.
May and Serena, unaware of the online war, stood in their positions.
The referee announced the rules.
The first-move indicator stopped on Serena's side.
Serena drew her Poké Ball. Her expression turned serious.
"Sorry, but I'm not handing you this win."
Her voice was calm, disciplined—Serena had always been this type.
She worked so hard to become Kalos champion. She fought so hard to reach this point.
Only one step away from the Top 8—
She would not fall here.
"Of course. We'll fight with everything we've got—I want to advance too!"
May blinked in surprise, then smiled.
Her eyes sharpened.
For herself…
For Steven and Wallace…
For her parents watching proudly…
She could not lose.
But she knew—this would be tough.
Serena was one of those trainers who hovered between Master Rank and Ultra Rank late in the season.
She didn't hit Master Rank during placement,
but she was still extremely strong.
"Alright."
Serena didn't speak further. There was no need.
Battles spoke best.
She removed her pink hat and tied up her wavy hair—a gesture she always made before serious battles.
"Meowstic, let's go!"
Her female Meowstic landed gracefully before her, staring coldly at May.
"A Psychic-type Meowstic, huh?"
May considered briefly, then threw out her own Poké Ball.
"Aggron!"
The ferocious Aggron slammed onto the field, growling at Meowstic.
Meowstic narrowed its feline eyes, unfazed.
"A battle between two monsters… this is gonna be intense."
Nemona squeezed Penny's hand, practically shaking in excitement.
She'd been eliminated by Serena earlier, but she treasured thrilling fights more than rankings—Serena had given her an amazing match.
Now Serena vs. May?
She could barely sit still.
"Mm. I really don't know who'll win."
Penny agreed, watching the two Pokémon closely.
"Ever since Blue defeated her, Serena has been training nonstop—really pushing herself."
Leaf tilted her head.
"Yes, and the results show. Her team is much stronger now."
Penny nodded. Had she not improved, there was no guarantee she would've beaten Nemona in the Top 32.
Nemona was also a monster.
(End of chapter)