The world had become silent once again.
The mist was thinning.
The ice, cracked and scarred from endless battles, glittered like glass under the artificial aurora.
Skylar stood alone now.
Darkrai had fallen.
Lucario, Arcanine, Gyarados—all resting.
Only two remained.
Charizard.
And Gardevoir.
Across the arena, Lorelei released her final Pokémon.
The PokéBall burst open like a small sun.
From it emerged a colossal figure—
Walrein.
The sheer presence of it made the air heavy.
Massive tusks gleamed.
A hide thick as ancient glacier stone.
Eyes calm.
Unyielding.
Skylar's heart pounded.
This wasn't just a strong opponent.
This was a wall.
A quasi-champion, raised for decades under Lorelei's guidance.
A monster in every sense of the word.
Skylar grabbed his next PokéBall.
He had no illusions.
But Charizard deserved this moment.
He had grown so much.
And he had burned so brightly.
"Let's do it," Skylar whispered.
He threw the PokéBall high.
It burst open with a roar.
Charizard soared out, wings slicing the mist.
The black-scaled, crimson-eyed dragon of fire landed heavily, snarling.
He glanced at Skylar.
And smiled.
They both knew.
No regrets.
Only forward.
The referee raised his hand.
"Final match—begin!"
Skylar moved instantly.
"Dragon Dance—twice!"
Charizard's body flared.
He spun in a tight corkscrew, his muscles bulging, speed and strength rising.
He needed every ounce.
Because Walrein wasn't just heavy—
He was an unstoppable fortress.
Lorelei's voice cut like winter wind.
"Walrein—Hailstorm!"
The ceiling above cracked.
And snow began to fall.
Tiny flecks at first.
Then heavier.
Blinding.
The entire battlefield began to heal Walrein slowly, as his Ice Body passive ability activated under hail.
Skylar gritted his teeth.
A battle of attrition.
He had to hit hard. Fast.
Before Walrein became unkillable.
"Flare Blitz! Full power!"
Charizard howled.
He ignited into a comet of fire, streaking across the ice.
The heat momentarily melted the hail.
He smashed into Walrein's chest—
An explosion of steam and flame.
The arena shook.
But when the smoke cleared—
Walrein stood firm.
He slid back two steps.
But he was far from finished.
His skin barely singed.
Skylar's heart dropped.
Lorelei's counterattack came swiftly.
"Walrein—Surf."
The ground cracked.
A titanic wave of water rose and crashed forward.
Charizard roared.
He tried to climb.
Tried to dodge.
But the wave was too massive.
It swallowed him whole.
Skylar's breath caught.
The water slammed Charizard down.
He hit the ground, rolling across the frozen floor.
Steam hissed from his body.
He staggered up.
Wings drooping.
Breathing ragged.
But still fighting.
Skylar clenched his fists.
One more time.
"Thunder Punch! Center mass!" he roared.
Charizard's claws crackled with electric energy.
He sprinted forward—
Leapt—
Punched.
The blow cracked against Walrein's armored gut.
For a heartbeat—
It looked like it might work.
But Walrein grunted.
Shook his body like a mountain shrugging off a storm.
And smashed Charizard with a sudden, brutal Body Slam.
Charizard flew backward.
Hit the ground hard.
Tried to rise—
Then fell, unconscious.
Silence.
The referee raised his flag.
"Charizard is unable to battle! Victory to Walrein!"
Skylar closed his eyes.
Pain twisted in his chest.
Charizard had given everything.
He recalled his partner quietly.
"Thank you," he whispered.
He reached down to his belt.
Only one ball left.
He smiled faintly.
Of course.
It had always been her.
He tossed the ball forward.
"Let's finish this."
In a burst of pure white light—
Gardevoir landed softly.
She rose gracefully.
Elegant.
Calm.
Unbreakable.
The arena shifted.
The hail still fell.
The air still roared.
But Skylar felt calm.
Because he wasn't alone.
Because he trusted her.
And she trusted him.
Skylar reached to his wrist.
Felt the cold metal of the Mega Bracelet.
He raised his hand.
"Are you ready?" he asked softly.
Gardevoir turned.
Nodded once.
A soft smile on her face.
The Keystone gleamed.
The world around them warped—
And the Mega Evolution began.
Light exploded outward.
Rainbow energy spiraled around Gardevoir.
Her form shifted.
Became sharper.
Brighter.
More divine.
Her gown became a flowing robe of crystal light.
Her aura became a blazing star.
Mega Gardevoir hovered above the ice.
A goddess of battle.
Ready.
Lorelei watched without a word.
But her Walrein growled low, preparing.
Both sides knew.
This was it.
The referee raised the flag.
"Continue!"
Skylar pointed sharply.
"Calm Mind—double stack!"
Mega Gardevoir's body pulsed.
Power and focus merged.
Her special attack.
Her special defense.
Both rising sharply.
She became a singularity of psychic force.
Lorelei struck back.
"Walrein—Earthquake!"
The ground rumbled.
Glaciers cracked.
A shockwave blasted outward.
Gardevoir was thrown into the air—but caught herself mid-hover.
Skylar grit his teeth.
Earthquake hurt.
Even floating—she felt it.
But she held.
Skylar snapped his fingers.
"Moonblast! Precision shot!"
A silver sphere of pure fairy energy condensed between Gardevoir's hands.
She launched it like a sniper shot.
It struck Walrein square in the forehead.
This time—
Walrein grunted in real pain.
The hail kept falling.
Healing Walrein.
But Skylar smiled.
Because he wasn't done.
"Future Sight—lock it in!" he commanded.
The air shimmered.
A future blast of psychic force was now anchored, destined to strike later.
Lorelei's eyes narrowed.
She saw the setup.
Knew what was coming.
She gambled everything.
"Walrein—Blizzard! Full power!"
A roar of snow and ice.
A tsunami of freezing death.
It consumed the battlefield.
Skylar clenched his fists.
"Gardevoir—Protect and counter Moonblast—full channel!"
Gardevoir raised a green shield just long enough to deflect the worst of the Blizzard.
Then she channeled the cold—turned it into raw power—and unleashed another devastating Moonblast.
It struck.
Harder than before.
Walrein reeled back.
Cracks appeared across his icy armor.
And then—
The world itself ripped open.
From above—
The Future Sight triggered.
A meteor of pure psychic destruction rained down.
It struck Walrein with apocalyptic force.
The ice floor shattered.
The mist vaporized.
Walrein roared.
Fell.
Silence.
The referee, stunned, looked over the battlefield.
Then raised his flag high.
"Walrein is unable to battle! Victory to Skylar of Sinnoh!"
The world held its breath.
Then—
The glacier arena erupted into cheers.
Skylar sagged slightly.
Gardevoir floated down to him.
He caught her in his arms.
Held her tight.
Felt her heart pounding against his chest.
His partner.
His victory.
Their dream.
Across the arena, Lorelei approached.
She smiled—a rare, genuine smile.
"You earned it," she said.
"You fought with more than strength. You fought with heart."
She held out a badge.
Shaped like a glacier crystal.
The Glacier Emblem.
Skylar took it with trembling hands.
Stared at it.
This was it.
Eight badges.
The League awaited.
He turned to Gardevoir.
They smiled at each other.