Lance raised a hand to shield his face from the wind that cut like blades, his eyes fixed on the spot where Altaria was suspended.

Within the raging [Blizzard], a thin layer of frost had formed over the [Protect] barrier surrounding Altaria. The shield's glow flickered under the relentless assault of the storm.

"She held on…"

Lance let out a breath of relief.

Only to suck it right back in the next second.

Without missing a beat, Dragonite halted the [Blizzard]—and in the same breath, switched seamlessly to [Hydro Pump].

A torrent of water blasted from its mouth, slamming into the unsuspecting Altaria and her frozen shield. The icy temperature from the earlier [Blizzard] made the [Protect] barrier especially brittle.

Crack—crack—crack—

With a series of sharp, escalating snaps, Altaria was quickly engulfed in a cocoon of solid ice. The sphere plummeted from the sky and crashed into the ground, where it froze over, sealed tight in a bed of frozen runoff.

Altaria had taken no damage thanks to [Protect], but Lance's face darkened.

At this level, mobility was everything.

And now, Altaria was frozen in place.

"Altaria, break the ice!"

Chirp—!

Inside the icy prison, Altaria grew frantic. She lashed out with [Dragon Claw].

A pair of pale blue, stubby claws thrust out from under her downy feathers and raked across the ice, sending a bone-jarring screech through the air. Cracks webbed across the surface.

But Lance didn't look encouraged—if anything, his expression turned grim.

It's too late…

That thought had barely crossed his mind when Luo Yuan's voice rang out.

"Now—Dragonite, [Extreme Speed]!"

He'd been waiting for this moment.

With psychic perception monitoring the entire field, Luo Yuan's awareness of the battle was nearly flawless. Abandoning the idea of countering Altaria's Fairy typing with more Ice-type moves, he chose a priority attack to finish things before Altaria could escape.

Dragonite shot skyward.

A faint white glow shimmered across its body as it launched downward in a flash of motion.

To the spectators, it looked like Dragonite vanished into thin air.

The next instant—

BOOM!

A violent explosion erupted around Altaria, carving a crater nearly ten meters wide at the point of impact.

Dragonite now crouched atop the frozen sphere, one claw wrapped around Altaria's neck—cutting off any chance she had to use [Disarming Voice]—the other fist glimmering with frost.

It came down hard.

That was the last thing Altaria saw.

WHAM!

Struck cleanly by [Ice Punch], Altaria passed out immediately. Her body reverted to its normal form as she lost the ability to battle.

"Altaria is unable to battle! Dragonite wins!"

The referee's voice was now flat, no longer charged with excitement.

After all, the outcome was all but certain. Even the most casual spectator could see it now—Luo Yuan had this match in the bag.

"…"

When had this battle started slipping out of his grasp?

Was it back when Luo Yuan used psychic power to cancel out [Disarming Voice]?

Thinking back now, every one of his defeats seemed to involve Luo Yuan's psychic abilities in some way.

Maybe I should pick up a few books on psychic powers when I get back…

Lance recalled Altaria's unconscious form.

Four straight losses.

His last hope for a comeback had just vanished.

All he had left were two Pokémon—Kingdra and Hydreigon.

Both were part of his main team, but compared to the ones he'd already sent out, they were definitely a tier below.

"No matter what… I'm not done yet."

Surrender wasn't in his vocabulary. The words simply didn't exist for Lance the Dragon Master.

Well—mostly because neither Steven nor Leon had surrendered to Luo Yuan either. If he were the first to throw in the towel, it'd be beyond embarrassing.

"Let's go all six rounds."

Resolved, Lance released his fifth Pokémon.

…

Fifteen minutes later—

A flash of steel cleaved the air, and Hydreigon's body was split by a blade of light. Its eyes dulled as it spiraled downward from the sky and crashed to the ground.

"Hydreigon is unable to battle! Zacian wins!"

"All six of Lance's Pokémon have been defeated. The winner of this Champion Challenge is Luo Yuan!"

"Let's hear it for the new Champion!"

As the stadium erupted with thunderous applause, Luo Yuan calmly returned Zacian to its Poké Ball.

This had been Zacian's first battle since he caught it.

And the reason he'd brought Zacian out wasn't just to flex—it was partly out of respect for Lance's pride. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn novel⟡fire.net

After all, if you're going to lose, it stings less if the final blow comes from a Legendary. Plus, Lance had asked him to go all out.

Luo Yuan stepped forward onto the ruined battlefield. Lance came to meet him.

He'd worked so hard to win the title, only to lose it within a year—before the crown had even had a chance to warm in his hands.

Lance's feelings were complicated.

But he had to admit it—Luo Yuan's strength far exceeded his own.

"With your strength, you deserve to be Johto's Champion."

Lance believed that Luo Yuan had the potential to earn the title of strongest Champion across all regions.

"Don't worry," Luo Yuan replied with a smile. "I'll take good care of Johto."

Somehow, that sentence made Lance feel… weird.

He shook his head, brushing it off. Under the blinding flashes of media cameras, the two Champions shook hands and smiled for the photos.

The screen froze on that image.

Moments later, the news of Johto's Champion changing hands spread like wildfire through every League region via the holo-broadcast network.

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T/N: psychic tsk