1. Ash's Story (Part 10: Galar)

Chapter 70: One Step from Leon

Wyndon Stadium felt different on final day. The same lights shone over the field, the same crowd shook the stands, and the same screens flashed our names, but everything had narrowed to two challengers.

Hop stood across from me in the corridor before we walked out. He rolled one shoulder, trying to look loose, but I could see the tight grip around his Poké Ball. He was not hiding behind Leon's shadow anymore. That made him more dangerous.

"I never would've imagined standing here, facing you of all people," Hop said. "But it's time to finish what I started. The one who'll become Champion is me."

I met his eyes. "You earned this stage, Hop. But I'm winning my way to Leon too."

His grin flashed, fierce and honest. "That's what I wanted to hear."

Pikachu sat on my shoulder, watching Hop with steady ears. Sirfetch'd stood at my side, leek raised like a banner. Across from us, Dubwool stamped one hoof, wool bristling with readiness.

Pikachu pressed one paw against my cheek, eyes bright beneath the stadium light, "He is not chasing anymore. He is arriving."

"I know," I said quietly. "So we meet him properly."

The announcer called us to the field. The roar hit like a storm opening over our heads. Alice, Gloria, Victor, Dawn, Serena, Lisia, Flora, Helen, Elena, Marnie, and Piers were all somewhere in that ocean of faces, but the center of the field belonged to Hop and me.

Leon watched from the Champion's balcony, cape hanging still for once. He was smiling, but not like someone waiting for a warm-up match. He looked at Hop like he saw the whole journey that had led him here.

The referee raised the flags. "Champion Cup final match! Challenger Ash against Challenger Hop!"

Hop lifted his first Poké Ball. "Dubwool, let's show them!"

"Sirfetch'd, I choose you!" I called.

The final began with both of us ready.

For a second before the first command, I remembered the first time Hop had rushed into battle with too much noise and too many expectations. That memory did not make this match feel easier. It made it sharper, because the Trainer across from me had survived every doubt that had tried to pull him backward.

Hop was smiling now, but it was not a borrowed smile. It belonged to the person standing in front of me, and every Pokémon on his belt had helped him build it.

Dubwool charged the instant the flag dropped. Hop did not start cautious. He knew I had seen his partner many times, and he refused to give me a simple rhythm to read.

"Body Slam, take the center!" Hop shouted.

"Sidestep and Brutal Swing!" I called.

Sirfetch'd pivoted, leek sweeping low. Dubwool's weight thundered past, and Sirfetch'd's counter sent it stumbling. The crowd roared, but Hop's command came before the noise settled.

"Zen Headbutt, hit him clean!"

Dubwool planted its hooves and slammed forward with psychic force around its head. Sirfetch'd raised his shield, but the hit drove him back. He recovered with a sharp breath, eyes narrowing.

"We battled a lot of times," Hop shouted across the field. "But I'm really fired up for this match in the stadium!"

"You bet," I answered. "Sirfetch'd, show him that new finish. Meteor Assault!"

Sirfetch'd lowered his leek. Every line of his body sharpened into one straight path. Hop read the danger and called for Cotton Guard, wool thickening into a defensive mass, but Sirfetch'd's charge carried the weight of honor, training, and the whole road behind him.