As soon as Nurse Joy finished speaking, a violent explosion erupted in the center of the stage.
Raoul Contesta quickly turned his head, just in time to see Altaria's heart-shaped Dragon Rage collide with Dragonair's seemingly plain Dragon Rage.
What happened next completely shattered the audience's expectations.
The dazzling, love-shaped Dragon Rage that had amazed everyone was instantly crushed upon impact—completely unable to withstand Dragonair's attack.
But it didn't end there.
After breaking through the heart-shaped Dragon Rage, Dragonair's attack continued forward without losing momentum, slamming directly into Altaria, which was still frozen in shock.
"BOOM!!!!"
Another deafening explosion echoed across the stage.
When the smoke cleared, Altaria lay on the ground, completely unable to battle.
Silence.
The entire venue fell into a stunned quiet.
"It's unbelievable! Contestant Xiaoyou's Altaria has lost its ability to battle from a single Dragon Rage!" Host Vivian was the first to recover, her voice filled with shock.
Moments later, the audience erupted.
"Awesome! That was insane!!!" Dawn cheered excitedly, her earlier worry completely gone. "He turned it around instantly!"
At the judges' table, Raoul Contesta's expression turned serious.
He had already abandoned the idea of recruiting Sam.
Now he finally understood—this wasn't a Coordinator.
This was a true Trainer… an orthodox Trainer through and through.
"Jerry, do you think this Trainer named Sam will win the championship?" Raoul Contesta emphasized the word Trainer heavily.
Jerry immediately understood what he meant and sighed slightly.
"If Sam wants to win, no one here can stop him."
"Not even Miss Johanna?" Raoul pressed.
"Miss Johanna is strong," Jerry admitted calmly, "but Sam is not an ordinary Trainer. His strength has already reached the Elite level. If I'm not mistaken, he'll have a seat in the Kanto Elite Four in the future."
"Are you serious?!" Raoul Contesta couldn't hide his shock.
Even Nurse Joy and Susaki were stunned.
An Elite Four–level Trainer… appearing in a Contest?
That was almost absurd.
But Jerry wasn't finished.
"My friend Steven discussed him with me very seriously," Jerry continued. "In his opinion, Sam will surpass him sooner or later."
This time, no one spoke.
Raoul Contesta's expression darkened.
If a pure Trainer swept through the Contest and claimed victory, it would be a huge blow to Coordinators.
"Mr. Raoul Contesta," Jerry said calmly, "you don't need to see this as a bad thing."
Raoul looked at him, confused.
"This is actually an opportunity," Jerry continued. "The purpose of Contests is to help Pokémon grow better—not just look beautiful."
"Too many Coordinators have gone down the wrong path. Without real strength, all that elegance is nothing more than flashy fireworks."
Raoul Contesta fell silent, deep in thought.
Jerry was right.
Coordination without strength was incomplete.
And Sam… was the perfect example to remind everyone of that truth.
After Sam's match, the next battle began.
Johanna stepped onto the stage.
Unlike the others, she was the only Coordinator whom Sam truly acknowledged.
Her Kangaskhan was both elegant and powerful—a perfect balance of beauty and strength.
Her opponent was Ichiraku, the first contestant from the preliminaries who had scored an impressive 95 points.
But despite his strong performance, the gap between him and Johanna was obvious from the very start.
As a Fire-type Pokémon, Typhlosion struggled heavily against Water-type techniques—and Johanna's control over water was far beyond normal.
Her opening Surf alone forced Typhlosion completely onto the defensive.
Within just three minutes, Ichiraku's Contest points were reduced to zero.
A clean, overwhelming victory.
The difference between a Coordinator and a Trainer was clear in their methods.
Sam ended battles with overwhelming force.
Johanna, on the other hand, dismantled her opponent step by step, elegantly reducing their score.
After watching both matches, the audience reached the same conclusion.
The champion would be decided between these two.
One was the embodiment of pure strength.
The other represented the pinnacle of coordination.
Naturally, most of the audience supported Johanna.
They had come for Contests—and Johanna represented everything they loved about them.
If she could defeat Sam and claim the ribbon, it would be the perfect ending.
A spectacular battle… and a victory for coordination over raw power.
As expected, both Sam and Johanna easily defeated their semifinal opponents.
And just like that—
The finals were set.
The entire venue held its breath.
Who would claim the Sootopolis Ribbon?
Everyone was waiting.
---------------Author---------------
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