Ash's Story (Part 6: Unova)

Chapter 86: Vertress Champion

The morning of the final felt different from every other League morning.

I had battled rivals before, and I had stood in stadiums where the crowd sounded like thunder, but Hugh waiting across the field made the air feel sharper. This was not just another battle for a trophy.

Hugh had chased Team Plasma with anger burning through every step. He had found his sister's stolen Purrloin as a Liepard, but getting someone back did not erase the years spent hurting.

His sister sat near the front with Liepard beside her. She smiled at Hugh when he looked up, and he smiled back like he still needed practice believing that smile was real.

Alice stood beside me in the tunnel, close enough that her shoulder touched mine. "Do not carry his whole pain for him," she said quietly.

"I know," I answered, though part of me still wanted to.

Golly checked the official match board. "Six-on-six final. Substitutions allowed. No special modifications."

Pikachu stood by my foot, tail twitching. His meaning came steady and warm. "This battle is his answer too. Let him give it."

I crouched and touched his head. "I will."

The Vertress field looked clean again after the semifinal, but I could still remember Jolteon's sparks and Eevee's last stand. Every match had left something behind, even when the staff repaired the ground before the next battle.

Hugh noticed me looking at the field and gave a short, almost embarrassed smile. "Virgil pushed you hard. Cameron did too. I am not here because your path was easy."

"That is why this final matters," I said. "Nobody here reached it by accident."

The referee stepped forward under the stadium lights. "The Vertress Conference final between Ash Ketchum and Hugh will now begin!"

The crowd roared, but Hugh's voice cut through it clearly.

"The more Pokémon battles you have, the stronger you get, right?" Hugh called. "This is really it, Ash."

"It is," I said, taking my first Poké Ball. "Let's see how strong we both became."

His sister held Liepard close without gripping too tightly. That small detail stayed with me. She trusted Liepard to stay, and Hugh saw it too.

For a second, his face tightened. Then he looked back at me with a steadier expression than before.

"Do not hold back because she is watching," Hugh said.

"I would never insult you like that," I answered.

Hugh threw first. "Unfezant, go!"

His Unfezant spread her wings with a sharp cry, feathers catching the light as she circled over the battlefield.

"Vanilluxe, I choose you!" I shouted.

Vanilluxe appeared in a rush of cold air, both faces focused on Unfezant's movement. Hugh's eyes narrowed because he knew the type disadvantage mattered immediately.

"Aerial Ace!" Hugh called with sharp focus.

Unfezant dropped from above like a white streak. Vanilluxe tried to drift aside, but Aerial Ace curved perfectly and struck before she could escape.

"Keep going!" Hugh shouted. "Do not let the ice settle!"

Unfezant hit again, then turned for a third pass. Vanilluxe shuddered under the repeated blows, but frost gathered around both faces.

Vanilluxe's meaning came cold but determined. "She is fast. Make the air heavy."

"Uproar!" I called, trusting her voice.