Chapter 145: Securing Victory, the System Speaks

"Dragonite, use Dragon Claw."

Dragonite rushed forward swiftly, unleashing a Dragon Claw attack at Gardevoir, but it struck empty air. Gardevoir had already vanished in an instant dodge.

"Gardevoir, Shadow Ball."

A Shadow Ball fired rapidly, striking Dragonite dead on.

"Dragonite, Dragon Rage."

"Gardevoir, dodge."

"Gardevoir, Shadow Ball."

The Shadow Ball was sent flying, but Dragonite sidestepped it with ease.

"Dragonite, Agility."

"Thunder Punch."

Dragonite charged forward at blistering speed, following up with a Thunder Punch aimed at Gardevoir. Yet, Gardevoir once more evaded the attack using Teleport.

It had to be admitted that Dragonite's speed was terrifying. Under normal circumstances, Gardevoir had no way of dodging in time, forced instead to rely on Teleport just to change position.

"Dragonite, use Twister."

A colossal gale began to whip up, severely impairing Gardevoir's vision and mobility.

"Dragonite, use Thunder Wave."

"Gardevoir, use Protect."

Just as that happened, Dragonite closed the distance to Gardevoir's side.

"Use Slam."

Dragonite struck Gardevoir directly, driving her crashing down onto the ground.

"Use Dragon Rush."

Immediately after, Dragonite launched into a Dragon Rush, intending to finish Gardevoir off in a single combo.

Although Dragon Rush was not super effective against Gardevoir, the sheer kinetic force of Dragonite's high-speed descent would be enough to render Gardevoir unable to battle.

"Gardevoir—"

As Dragonite plummeted, Gardevoir managed to struggle back to her feet just in time, rolling out of the way.

"Dragonite, use Thunder Punch."

Dragonite sprinted aggressively toward Gardevoir once more.

"Gardevoir, dodge."

Though Gardevoir managed to evade, Dragonite kept up the relentless pursuit, pressing the attack.

"Gardevoir, Shadow Ball."

Dragonite sliced right through the incoming Shadow Ball with a Dragon Claw, then pressed the offensive with another Thunder Punch.

"Maki, if you've got the guts, stop running!"

"Only a fool wouldn't run!"

Gardevoir kept dodging frantically, but Dragonite's offensive tempo was too relentless, and a stray blow eventually grazed Gardevoir.

The Thunder Punch dealt heavy damage, leaving Gardevoir severely wounded.

*Gardevoir, let's switch to telepathic communication.*

Cheng Cheng was about to play his trump card. His hidden ace was using psychic powers to communicate directly with his Pokémon, rendering opponents entirely clueless about what move he would call next. At the same time, psychic synchronization allowed Gardevoir to react faster and execute battle strategies more fluidly.

This was Cheng Cheng's first time using psychic communication in an official match. He wondered how effective it would turn out to be.

"Gardevoir, Shadow Ball."

Gardevoir condensed a Shadow Ball and hurled it straight at Dragonite.

"Dragonite, Dragon Claw."

Dragon Claw sliced the Shadow Ball cleanly in half.

*Gardevoir, use Shadow Ball, then Teleport.*

With a wave of her hand, Gardevoir materialized another Shadow Ball, launching it at Dragonite before instantly vanishing from sight.

Maki had no idea what Gardevoir was plotting, so she had Dragonite focus on evading first.

However, the moment Dragonite dodged the Shadow Ball, Gardevoir materialized directly before its eyes.

Hypnosis.

Gardevoir unleashed Hypnosis. Caught completely off guard, Dragonite took the full brunt of the technique and drifted off to sleep within seconds, beginning to plummet toward the ground below.

Use Dream Eater.

Gardevoir followed up with Dream Eater, dealing massive damage to Dragonite.

Shadow Ball.

Another Shadow Ball hurtled toward the sleeping Dragonite.

"Dragonite, wake up!"

Dragonite snapped out of its slumber, hastily crossing its arms to block the incoming Shadow Ball.

Maki was utterly bewildered. *Could Gardevoir be fighting entirely on instinct?* Then a thought struck her: Cheng Cheng had the ability to communicate with Pokémon using psychic powers.

"Damn it, Cheng Cheng, you're playing dirty!"

Cheng Cheng realized Maki had figured out his secret mid-battle coordination.

"That's just another aspect of combat capability."

"Even so, I am going to beat you!"

"Dragonite, Thunder Punch."

*Gardevoir, dodge, then counter with Shadow Ball.*

Gardevoir sidestepped the Thunder Punch, planting a point-blank Shadow Ball squarely against Dragonite's chest.

"Dammit, this is so infuriating!"

Dragonite already struggled to land hits on Gardevoir, and now, with zero predictability regarding her next move, the match had turned into an uphill battle for Maki.

"Dragonite, from here on out, fight on your own."

Maki decided to let Dragonite rely purely on its own instincts. Perhaps that would work better—at least that way, Cheng Cheng wouldn't be able to predict Dragonite's actions either.

"Gardevoir, you fight on your own too."

The arena descended into a pure, instinctual clash between the two Pokémon.

Gardevoir and Dragonite traded blow after blow high in the air. Dragonite unleashed a barrage of Dragon Claws, Slams, Thunder Punches, and Dragon Rages, while Gardevoir dodged incessantly, retaliating with Shadow Balls. Throughout the fierce exchange, both sides nimbly evaded most attacks; Dragonite failed to land a single clean hit on Gardevoir, while Gardevoir managed to connect only once.

When Dragonite lunged into another Dragon Rush, Gardevoir countered directly with Dazzling Gleam.

Though Gardevoir had not undergone Mega Evolution, she was still capable of wielding fairy-type energy, even if the output wasn't quite as overwhelming.

Dragonite took the full impact of Dazzling Gleam and collapsed, unable to battle. At the same time, the shockwave of the Dragon Rush caught Gardevoir, leaving her completely exhausted and barely able to stand, though she managed to remain upright.

"Dragonite is unable to battle! The winner is Hekima Cheng Cheng!"

"Congratulations!"

*Bang, bang, bang!*

Celebratory confetti exploded across the stadium.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby announce that the champion of the Unova League Higaki Conference is Hekima Cheng Cheng from Fallabor Town!"

Cheers erupted across the entire stadium. The winner of this year's tournament had finally been decided.

"Cheng Cheng, congratulations."

"Just pure luck. If most of Dragonite's moves hadn't been ineffective against Gardevoir, I would have lost long ago."

"Alright, a win is a win. Go on and claim your prize!"

"Got it, wait for me."

"Will Hekima Cheng Cheng please come to the stage to receive your award."

Cheng Cheng stepped up to the podium, where Champion Alder personally presented him with the trophy.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the quest and winning the tournament. Reward calculation is now underway."

As Cheng Cheng took hold of the trophy, the system's voice rang out suddenly. He realized he hadn't heard the system's voice in quite a while and felt a strange sense of nostalgia. However, once the system finished speaking, it fell silent again, presumably compiling the final tallies.

After accepting his prize and offering a few brief words of gratitude to the crowd, Cheng Cheng walked over to Maki.

"Maki, this is for you."

Cheng Cheng handed the trophy straight to Maki.

"Why are you giving this to me? It's yours... I'll win my own next time."

"I know you will, but this is my very first tournament trophy, so I want you to have it."

"Fine, you hold onto it for now. I'll put it on display at home later."

"Deal."

Carrying the trophy, Cheng Cheng left the tournament grounds alongside Maki. Although every tournament victor earned the right to challenge the Elite Four, Cheng Cheng knew the vast gulf in strength that still separated him from them, making any such challenge pointless for now. He would wait until he had grown truly powerful before seeking them out. Without hesitation, he passed on the opportunity.

"Cheng Cheng, congratulations!"

At that moment, Ash, Iris, and Cilan walked over to greet them.

"Thank you, guys."

Cheng Cheng and Maki headed to the Pokémon Center first, handing their Pokémon over to Nurse Joy for treatment. Afterward, the group of five headed out to a local restaurant to properly celebrate.

"Dinner is on me tonight, order whatever you want!"

"Awesome!"

Ash and his friends didn't overdo it, but Maki, still smarting from her defeat against Cheng Cheng, decided to make him pay dearly through the menu.

Luckily, Cheng Cheng's daycare business had brought in a tidy profit recently; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to foot this bill.

After a joyful celebratory meal, they returned to the lodgings building. Once Cheng Cheng stepped into his room, the system chimed once more.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for winning the tournament. Distributing rewards now."

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining a Super Wish."

"System, what is a Super Wish?"

"A Super Wish allows the host to make a single wish, which the system will endeavor to fulfill to the greatest extent possible."

"Can I wish for a Mewtwo, then?"

"It is within the realm of possibility. The system cannot directly guarantee the outcome, but it will fulfill the host's request to the absolute maximum limit."

"Would the host like to make a wish at this time?"

"Not right now, let's hold off on it."

"Understood. The host may utilize the wish at any time."

Cheng Cheng didn't have any pressing needs at the moment. Since the wish could theoretically grant anything, he would save it for when it was truly critical.

"System, why haven't you spoken to me for quite some time lately?"

"The host needed to undergo personal growth, and the system refrained from excessive interference. The system only issues major milestones, leaving the host free to complete them independently."

"I see. That actually sounds pretty good."

"System, what on earth was that Dark Poké Ball from earlier? Why wasn't there any record of it in your database?"

"The Dark Poké Ball originates from deep space. The system currently lacks any data on it, which will become accessible after the next system upgrade."

"When will you be upgrading, then?"

"Not yet; the timing is not right. The upgrade will initiate once the host concludes travels across the Unova region."

"Fair enough, I'll wait."

Cheng Cheng's thoughts drifted to another lingering question.

"System, do you know how the Pokémon world came into being?"

"Unknown. I arrived here alongside the host, so naturally, I have no record of that."

"Ah, oh well. Never mind."

Cheng Cheng had hoped to uncover the origins of the Pokémon world through the system, but it seemed even the system lacked the answer. He would simply have to discover the truth on his own.

It looked like a visit to Reshiram's ruins was next on his itinerary.

Having finalized his travel plans, Cheng Cheng settled down to meditate. Though his psychic abilities were already quite formidable, they were still not enough.