"That kid actually lost in the end after all."
In an inconspicuous corner of the stands, Professor Oak, dressed in a cool summer outfit, sighed, but quickly let it go.
"However, losing a bit when young isn't necessarily a bad thing."
To avoid putting too much pressure on his own grandson, Professor Oak chose to stay out of Blue's sight, accompanying him through this "battle of destiny" in his own way.
Although the result was a narrow defeat to Red, seeing that Blue's face didn't show frustration, but rather a hint of wanting more, Professor Oak finally smiled in relief.
"Having a fierce rival who mutually encourages progress is a blessing that many trainers beg for but can't obtain."
"You old geezer, you sure take it easy."
Mustard, beside the Professor, looked up and cursed with a laugh, then followed up with a sigh.
"Tell me, have we already fallen behind the times?"
"Leon can be said to be the personal disciple who inherited all my battle comprehension, and Blue is your own grandson whom you raised from childhood."
"And yet, neither of them made it to the finals—"
Professor Oak smiled and patted Mustard on the shoulder, his face looking completely unbothered.
"If we were only standing on this stage just to win, you and I would never have retired back then."
"There are many things whose significance far outweighs victory itself. Those kids being able to enjoy the battle before them is the best outcome."
"The geniuses of this era are far more numerous than we were back then."
"Sigh, gotta admit when we're old!"
Mustard shook his head, his gaze falling on Red's blazing portrait on the big screen, suddenly expressing his emotions.
"That kid named Red might actually be able to become Aiden's greatest rival."
"Little Leon's resolve came too late, and Little Blue's imagination falls slightly short."
"Looking at it now, he's indeed the only one qualified to compete with Little Aiden for the championship."
Halfway through his sentence, Mustard glanced at Professor Oak, who was smiling with narrowed eyes, a hint of suspicion in his gaze.
"Old thing, let me ask you, does Pallet Town really produce monsters?"
"Hahaha, who knows?"
Professor Oak shrugged, not answering his question directly.
"Compared to Little Red, Aiden is clearly far more terrifying. Up until now, no one has managed to force out his full team configuration."
"And this suspense might have to wait until tomorrow to be revealed."
"Two rookie trainers who just debuted, both stepping onto the highest stage in their very first Masters Tournament."
"I believe the upcoming finals will definitely be an incredibly spectacular match."
---
Nighttime.
Lying on his bed after returning victorious, Aiden felt his mood was inexplicably complex.
"I didn't expect to make it to the finals so easily—"
"Is it because my cheats are too strong, or is it because my Pokémon's strengths are just too heaven-defying?"
"Or maybe it's because the opponents I've encountered haven't reached their peak periods yet—"
Recalling the familiar faces on the Masters Eight roster in his mind, Aiden couldn't help but feel emotional.
If following the timeline where he didn't exist, the true protagonist of this Masters Tournament would probably be Red, right?
After all, Red was the true protagonist of the Pokémon series in the literal sense.
Even Ash, the more well-known anime protagonist, largely drew upon Red's image.
As the symbol of the players, describing this kid Red's resume as "using cheats" was a bit of an understatement.
Daring to pull out a new trick in the most crucial clash of the semifinals, ruthlessly pulling a fast one on his old friend—truly worthy of being the "Fighter"—
However, Red and Blue had just become Champions. Their strength was likely still quite a distance away from their peak periods.
If it were a complete-form Red who had experienced an epiphany on Mt. Silver, even if he went all out, he wouldn't dare say he could steadily win against him.
But the final winner would definitely be himself!
In the realm of Pokémon battles, the current Aiden possessed absolute confidence.
Everything depended on tomorrow's showdown.
Of course, there was another matter that he was very concerned about.
They were already at the finals—
Chairman Rose's little schemes should be surfacing soon, right?
After his battle with Leon ended, the other party quickly left the arena in a hurry, not even having the time to watch the second match that followed.
Clearly, there was a crucial matter that forced Leon to temporarily disappear.
Aiden knew very well that in Galar right now, there was only one thing that could alarm this powerful Champion—Eternatus!
After finishing the battle with Red, he'd probably have to go help clean up Galar's mess.
However, it wasn't a big problem.
If he didn't have much energy left by then, he'd just call for backup.
No matter how strong Eternatus was, it was still just a little brother that was almost soloed by Leon's Gigantamax Charizard!
Furthermore, he had gathered all the elements needed to counter it. The two Sword and Shield dogs plus Calyrex should be able to easily crush it.
Therefore, there was no need to worry too much about the Eternatus trouble.
Aiden sat up from the bed and gently tapped the bedside table with his hand, making a crisp sound.
"Marshadow."
"I'm here."
A ghostly whisper came from under the bed, quite giving off the vibe of a horror movie.
However, what was hiding in the shadows wasn't some terrifying demon or ghost, but the brave and powerful Ho-Oh envoy, Marshadow.
"Help me notify Zacian, Zamazenta, and Calyrex. Something big is very likely to happen in Galar tomorrow."
"Understood."
Marshadow only responded with a single sound before falling silent.
Aiden also quickly felt the subtle coolness beneath him disappear.
It seemed it had already entered Giratina's Reverse World, using it to quickly travel to the Slumbering Weald and the Crown Tundra.
With Marshadow around, Aiden felt much more at ease.
Next, it was time to properly enjoy the battle with Red!
The feeling of standing at the top of the world together with everyone must be pretty great.
---
The schedule for this Masters Tournament was quite tight. There wasn't even a rest day between the semifinals and the finals.
Therefore, by the next day, the attention of all of Wyndon City, Galar, and even the entire world was completely focused on Wyndon Stadium.
Before the gates even opened, spectators had consciously formed a long queue, waiting for the once-in-four-years ultimate feast to be presented before their eyes.
"Is Teacher Azure really going to speedrun his trainer career in one year, anyone get it?"
"That's a master who defeated Mr. Leon! Maybe he really can create new history—"
"What about after the speedrun? It doesn't seem like Teacher Azure wants to be Champion. Could it be that after winning, he'll retire at the speed of light and go back to start preparing for a baby?"
"Something's wrong with you!"
After the audience entered one after another, the stadium was soon filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Not only at Wyndon Stadium, the venue for the finals, but the popularity of this tournament on Pokémon TV also rapidly reached its peak.
[Damn, did everyone fail to snatch tickets for Wyndon Stadium, so you can only watch the livestream for the hype?]
[Even though Teacher Azure hasn't done any stunts for so long, making people wonder if he forgot his main job is being a top streamer, and not some ordinary Champion trainer—]
[But if he can really win the championship today, I'll forgive Teacher Azure!]
[Really can't do anything with you, sit tight—]
[To be honest, today should be the day our stream viewers have the most face!]
Wyndon Stadium's maximum capacity was 100,000+, and as soon as the online stream started, the viewer count rapidly climbed to a terrifying seven figures within minutes.
The sheer popularity, easily in the millions, pushed the online atmosphere to a boiling point even before the contestants entered.
The Rotom Camera in charge of the online broadcast, Rotom No. 1, was very sensible. After the synchronized broadcast started, it immediately switched its view to the spectator stands.
Extremely familiar figures appeared on screen, and the audience almost immediately blurted out their names.
[Look, it's Professor Oak and Blue!]
[And Mr. Steven and Mr. Wallace—wait, that pink diamond Pokémon that looks like a princess between them is so cute, is it the legendary Princess Diancie???]
[Not only Cynthia, Teacher Azure's "scandal girlfriend," but even the Sinnoh League's Elite Four have shown up. Looks like the maiden's family is reliable~]
[Where's the scandal? Didn't he propose in public?]
[You Sinnoh people are really shameless! Didn't you see our Paldea President Geeta and the other three Elite Four members have also appeared in the stands?]
[The supporting regions are making a ruckus. Just wait until Teacher Azure returns to Sinnoh, then you'll know what despair means!]
[Stop arguing, stop arguing, watch the match!]
The bullet comments were bustling, and the live cheers rose and fell, echoing endlessly.
In the front row of the stands, Blue, with an unhappy look on his face, looked up at the big screen. Seeing Red's continuously scrolling "decisive moment," the corners of his mouth immediately twitched violently.
"That guy—he still pulled a fast one on me in the end."
"To be able to battle Teacher Azure on the stage of the Masters Tournament finals... such an opportunity probably won't happen again."
Professor Oak beside him smiled and patted his spiky head.
"You guys are still young. There will definitely be opportunities in the future."
"Experiencing failure earlier on isn't necessarily a bad thing. At least for the next few years, you'll have the most striking benchmark in your eyes."
Professor Oak's tone was a bit emotional; he was speaking to Blue, but also seemed to be summarizing the life experience he had accumulated over the years.
"When a trainer no longer has a goal in their eyes, they are on the verge of losing their dream."
"With a good rival like Red around, at least your trainer career won't be boring anymore, right?"
Blue fell silent for a moment before snorting coldly, turning his head away and crossing his arms.
"My goal isn't just that guy Red."
"If I want to become the strongest, then I must defeat all opponents of the same era."
"Red, Mr. Leon, and Teacher Azure—they are all formidable rivals I must overcome in my life."
Halfway through, Blue suddenly raised his head, his eyes burning with hot blood as he looked at Professor Oak.
"Just wait, Grandpa."
"As the descendant of a Champion, your grandson is definitely not inferior to anyone else."
Professor Oak's expression seemed a bit stunned, but it quickly changed into a gratified and kind face.
"You've grown up, Little Blue."
"However, as a trainer, being able to enjoy the fun of battling is enough. Any other obsession will only become a burden to a trainer on the battlefield."
"You still have a long way to go."
"—I know."
Blue twitched his mouth and stopped speaking.
Although he felt very displeased in his heart—
Who asked his own grandfather to be a battle legend and a battle-hardened master trainer?
He completely couldn't refute it!
---
Amidst the enthusiastic wait of the audience, the countdown on the big screen quickly reached its end.
In the final few minutes, the audience had already raised red and blue cheer sticks, passionately shouting and cheering amidst the never-ending sound of fireworks.
As the time reached 3 PM, a passionate, deep voice immediately came from the commentary desk.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
"Welcome to Wyndon Stadium, a dream theater built specifically for realizing dreams!"
"Today, the Masters Tournament finals, held once every four years, will kick off here, simultaneously crowning the holder of the 'Strongest' title for the next four years!"
Along with the commentator's voice, the big screen, which had gone silent after the countdown ended, suddenly flickered again.
Aiden and Red's portraits charged out from opposite sides, violently colliding with each other in an instant, making the entire screen shine with sparks.
Appearing alongside this were the passionate roars of the audience who had long been awaiting this moment.
"Now, let's welcome the two contestants to the stage!"
Aiden was the first to walk out from the contestant tunnel. Every step he took was accompanied by brilliant fireworks shooting straight into the clouds on both sides of the path.
Even having stepped onto the final stage of the highest-level tournament, he was just like usual today, revealing a relaxed and joyful smile, raising his hands high and passionately interacting with the audience.
On the other side, Red, who had turned his cap around 180 degrees and was openly sweeping a fiery gaze toward Aiden, also marched forward with passionate steps. Just looking at him gave off an imposing vibe.
"Teacher Azure, I've waited a long time for this day."
During the pre-match handshake segment, Red, who was usually a man of few words, actually took the initiative to speak.
When he looked up at Aiden, that pure fighting intent was already overflowing, and even the audience far away in the stands could truly feel it.
"Coming all this way, I never thought I could step by step reach the very top, and finally stand on this stage, which is so significant to trainers."
"So, since I've already surpassed expectations—now I just want to enjoy an all-out battle."
"I look forward to our match, Teacher Azure."
"Same on my end."
Aiden smiled and grasped the hand Red extended. Their right hands tightly clasped together for several seconds before parting.
At the same time, Aiden and Red immediately turned around, walking toward their respective halves of the field without looking back.
"Both contestants are in position!"
After the commentator gave a timely reminder, the Rotom Referee immediately raised its flag.
"Ready—"
"Battle begin!"
Two Poké Balls were simultaneously thrown into their respective halves of the field.
"Go, Sylveon."
"I choose you, Vee!"
------------------------------------------------------
30+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)