The stadium fell silent for a moment. Only then did everyone's eyes move from Opal's sudden exit to Shiro, who now stood as the victor.
Compared to the Gym Leader who had vanished, the one who had won so decisively became the true center of attention.
A wave of synchronized cheers rose from the stands.
"Shiro!"
"Shiro!"
"A dark horse! I'm supporting you from now on. You have to take the title!"
"Champion!"
"He's from Spikemuth…!"
Shiro heard the voices cheering his name. He lifted a hand in a brief acknowledgment, showing no excitement at all, then turned and walked toward the tunnel.
This win had been much closer than it looked.
If Opal hadn't reacted a beat too slow, giving Drakloak the chance to use Substitute mid-battle, the result could easily have been different.
His original plan was to let Drakloak and Mawile trade blows, then send out Corviknight to finish the battle. The way things turned out was even better. It saved him time.
* * *
The lobby of Wyndon Stadium.
"Whoo!"
Marvin shot his arm up and cheered the moment he saw Shiro win. A second later, Shae's cane knocked him on the head.
Bonk.
He sucked in a breath and crouched down, clutching his forehead.
The lobby fell into a strange silence. Even the other contestants hadn't expected Shiro to win, much less with such sharp and overwhelming execution.
"This kid got stronger again…" Edgar muttered. He glanced at the silent Allister beside him and rubbed his student's head.
Allister couldn't beat Shiro. He couldn't beat Raihan or Leon either, but it didn't matter. He would simply go as far as he could.
Shae looked at Marvin and sighed. She no longer expected the boy to reach a high placement. Defeating his brother and inheriting the Circhester Gym, that alone was already a height most trainers had to look up to.
Behind them, the other participants, whether winners or losers, carried heavy hearts.
Leon had crushed his opponent earlier with his Elite-level Charizard, sweeping the entire team. No one cared. Everyone knew he was the company's golden child, trained with the best resources. Few were convinced.
They all had the same thought: An Elite-level Charizard was nothing but power stacked through money. Overleveling a weaker team wasn't impressive.
The "undefeated Leon" title meant little among the naturally gifted. Very few truly respected him.
They could say Shiro was lucky too. Lucky to catch a Drakloak. But today was different.
This time he defeated a real veteran. An Elite-level Mawile raised over years, with a type advantage. Yet he beat it with precise command.
He used Drakloak's speed and flight to keep building power, bait attacks, and reverse Opal's taunt-and-strike tactic. Every trap she set had already been counted and broken.
The pressure of that kind of commanding skill left everyone stunned.
Leon looked the most serious. He had to win the Champion Cup. He watched every opponent closely.
He had assumed Raihan was his greatest obstacle. Then the company reported that Opal's strength was not to be underestimated. Now she had been defeated… by that Drakloak…
He closed his eyes in thought when Raihan laughed beside him.
"What's wrong, undefeated Leon? Getting nervous?"
Leon snapped his eyes open and smiled. They were the youngest and most gifted trainers of this Galar generation. Who would think they'd lose before they even fought?
And Shiro had far more to face than a simple Champion Cup match.
* * *
In the VIP room of the stadium.
The air between Rose and Shielbert felt heavy and strange.
After watching the entire battle where Opal was defeated, the League Chairman lowered his gaze and tightened his grip on his glass.
Shielbert glanced down at Shiro leaving the stage through the cheers. Something kept bothering him. He felt like he had forgotten something important. It had to do with the fight just now, and the ending felt different from what he expected. His mood sank, yet he still could not recall anything.
He could not remember no matter how hard he tried.
So he finished the wine in his glass in one quick gulp, then drunkenly asked, "Right, Rose, wasn't there some kind of bet on that battle? Why do I keep feeling like I lost something…"
Rose turned his cold eyes toward the drunk man and said, "You're drunk. You must have forgotten."
Shielbert's face flushed. His expression grew even more dazed. Rose's figure blurred before him, turning into three overlapping shadows. He could not understand a word the chairman was saying.
Seeing him in that state, Rose gave a satisfied nod, then lowered his voice and guided him. "Shielbert, do you remember what we agreed on? We decided to get the Unown before the Champion Cup ends."
"Champion Cup…" Shielbert muttered, as if a memory finally surfaced.
Yes. The Champion Cup. He was watching it right now. And the Unown. He needed to retrieve it too.
"Before the Champion Cup ends, we get the Unown." Rose repeated.
Shielbert still looked confused, but the line was already planted deep in his mind. He half-opened his eyes and stared at Rose, struggling to keep them open.
Rose continued, "Your brother, Sordward… that short-tempered guy. You two even fought about it. Still remember?"
"Sordward? Low manners…" Shielbert nodded stiffly. "We argued."
"It was because of the Unown," Rose said and paused before adding. "You're calm, but he's too impatient. He keeps trying to get the Unown ahead of time. You know that would bring trouble to Galar."
"Trouble… to Galar…" Shielbert mumbled, nodding once more. His face was bright red and his eyes were fully shut now.
Just as Rose was about to go on, Shielbert's body suddenly glowed with a soft pink light. It was a psychic connection.
The descendants of the ancient sword and shield heroes didn't like using devices. They contacted each other through psychic power.
Both brothers were psychic, though Shielbert's ability was worse.
For Rose, Shielbert's mind was also getting weaker… easier to control.
He sat back on the sofa and looked at the psychic light around him in silence.
Moments later, since Shielbert showed no response, the psychic energy in front of him shifted and formed the image of a man dressed in blue clothes. His blond hair rose high in the middle and spread out on both sides like a sword.
The man in blue was Sordward. When he saw Shielbert drunk and half-unconscious, anger surged through him. His voice burst out through the psychic link.
"Shielbert! You useless fool... what are you doing? Where's the Unown?"
Shielbert blinked drunkenly. He could barely make out Sordward's face and voice, yet he still muttered a weak reply.
"What are you yelling for... you have such bad manners. How can someone like you be my brother? We agreed to wait until the Champion Cup ends. Why are you in such a rush? You don't act like a noble at all."
Sordword's expression darkened. His psychic projection only showed Shielbert, so he could not see Rose sitting at a distance on purpose. He could only shout again.
"Idiot! Didn't I tell you to go find Rose? Where are you right now?"
"Rose?" Shielbert seemed to sober up slightly. He turned his head on instinct. "Rose is right..."
"I'm here, Mr. Sordward." Rose stepped forward with a polite smile.
Sordward frowned and stayed silent. He studied both of them, suspicion rising in his mind, yet the matter of the Unown was far more important.
Whatever tricks Rose might have used, or whatever stupidity Shielbert had fallen into, none of it mattered compared to obtaining those two Unown.
Without them…
Sordward clenched his teeth as hatred surged. He felt like tearing Shielbert apart.
He said coldly, "Rose, I don't care what you two are doing. Before the Champion Cup ends, I want to see the Unown. If not… don't make me come out there myself."
"Of course," Rose answered with the same polite smile.
The glow around Shielbert faded, and the psychic projection dissolved.
Rose's smile vanished. He stood without expression, walked to the large window, and looked down at the battle happening below.
"Opal actually lost... Shiro, can you beat Raihan too? This will be interesting."
Below them, Raihan's match had already begun.
He and his cousin seemed to have planned it beforehand. Raihan used only a single Duraludon to sweep through all six of Rylan's Pokémon.
**
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