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

Chapter 72: The Champion Cup Finals

Morning returned to Wyndon far too brightly after Rose Tower. The hotel lobby shone with polished floors, soft lamps, bright League banners, but every black pair of glasses near the entrance made Hop's shoulders rise.

A League staff member approached with both hands raised before he even reached us. "Challenger Ash? The Finals will be starting shortly. I'm here to escort you to the stadium."

Hop stepped in front of me so fast that Pikachu nearly fell from my shoulder. "What's all this? Didn't you learn your lesson yesterday? If you need another helping of Hop and his trusty Inteleon, I'll be happy to give you one."

"No, wait, please," the staff member said, face paling. "I'm not like those other League staff. I heard about what happened yesterday. Ms. Oleana can be extreme in her desire to assist the chairman, but today's staff are here for the right reasons."

Pikachu settled back against my shoulder, ears still angled toward the staff member, "He smells scared, not sneaky."

"I trust him," I said, and Hop slowly lowered his guard. "So it's time."

The staff member gave a relieved bow. "Yes. Since you advanced through the challenger side, you now enter the Champion Cup Finals. The Gym Leader rematch bracket is Galar's path before anyone earns the right to challenge Champion Leon."

Dawn nodded as we followed him outside. "So this is what replaces Elite Four battles in Galar."

Flora adjusted her hat against the morning wind. "A Finals bracket against Gym Leaders instead of four fixed specialists. It fits Galar's stadium culture."

Elena looked toward Rose Tower in the distance. "And it proves the chairman cannot simply erase the day because he is afraid of tomorrow."

Hop grinned, his nerves turning into fire. "You're going to show everyone the greatest battle ever, mate. Set the whole stadium alight and get yourself checked in."

I looked toward Wyndon Stadium, where the crowd noise already rolled over the waiting streets. "One round at a time. Leon comes after the Finals, not before."

At the stadium entrance, the staff checked my registration twice and handed me a fresh challenger pass. The pass felt heavier than paper should have in my hand. It was not a badge, a Ribbon, or a trophy. It was a reminder, steady and real, that Galar had built its own answer to the question every region asked differently: who deserved to stand before the Champion.

Alice stopped beside the tunnel before the staff could guide me away. "Do not let yesterday sit on your shoulders during the battle."

"I know," I said, though I could still see Rose Tower whenever I blinked.

Serena squeezed my shoulder. "The crowd came to see a Finals, not Rose's fear."

Gloria flashed a grin. "And if any suspicious staff show up, Hop can yell at them before they breathe."

Hop pointed at himself proudly. "That's a proper job for me."

Their voices followed me into the private corridor, warm enough to push back the cold glass feeling Rose Tower had left behind.

The locker room smelled of clean uniforms, rubber soles, and battle nerves. Gym Leaders stood in clusters, some quiet, some smiling like they had been waiting all year to fight without holding anything back.

My first scheduled opponent was supposed to be Opal. She sat with her cane across her knees, smiling in a way that made me feel like I had already answered a quiz wrong.

"You're looking very pink today, Ash," Opal said.

I looked down at my jacket. "I'm not wearing pink."