Love in the Time of Tenacity

Chapter 23: An Exhibition

I'll be the first to admit that a large bulk of this chapter will seem...strange. But I have hinted at it, and I used it with the full knowledge of what's to come for a very important reason. Ah, but you don't care! You just want the result of the League! Well, here's Chapter 23, full results contained!

Chapter 23

An Exhibition

Breathe...Keep breathing...

His chest rose up and down, in and out, as he steadied himself.

His heart beat wildly.

His fingers trembled, and all around them, the entire stadium had fallen silent as Pikachu was about to collapse from his rather titanic battle with Silvally. Ash prepared himself for the result, right as that bated breath seemed about to burst. He was fine with that kind of ending, except for breaking his promise to Lillie; he had managed to reach Gladion and repair their broken friendship.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, the heavy strain evident in his voice as he did so. Ash's gaze snapped upwards once more, and he blinked. Pikachu had stopped himself from falling. His tail was planted in the ground, digging into a cut of dirt in order to prop himself up for as long as it would take. He looked absolutely ready to keel over, but he had the strength and energy to look over to Silvally and grin.

The opposing Pokémon, still kneeling, glanced across at Pikachu, like it saw him as a worthy foe and most admirable adversary. It chuckled, loud enough to definitely be heard in the completely silent stadium around the combatants. Then, it stiffened, eyes going white, and it fell, slamming upon the ground with such a loud thud that Ash was absolutely sure it could be heard all over Alola. Ash's fingers started to tremble even more, disbelief washing over every inch of his veins. The referee stepped forward, and not a sound was heard but for his feet on the crunching grass.

The man raised his hand, and Ash saw it rising in his direction.

"Silvally is unable to battle!" he declared loudly, his voice the only one that everyone there heard. Ash swallowed, and even though he didn't expect it, his whole body was starting to shake. His eyes looked upwards, towards the stands, before the final judgement came, and he saw Serena there with the others, each of them practically holding on to each other. Then... "The winner is Pikachu! The Alola League Champion is Ash Ketchum!"

Seconds of ticking silence. Muted disbelief. Then Ash fell to his knees, and he felt tears prick at his eyes, ones he didn't even know were forming in the first place. At the same time, the crowd erupted with such a frenzy of noise that it was beyond unbelievable.

"IT'S OVER!" Kalas cried with amazing enthusiasm as the scoreboard changed to a single shot on the screen, displaying Ash's face as the victor. His face! "The Alola League is over, and the winner is none other than Ash Ketchum! After such an intense battle of back and forth between the two trainers below, it's reached an ending! What a moment of excitement! Wouldn't you say, Maika?"

"Yes, very much so! This is quite the time to be alive!" Maika called. Ash still couldn't move, only looking as Pikachu turned back, practically crawling over to Ash. He finally noticed, lunging forward and picking up his very best friend in the entire world, cradling him in his arms as they both cried together. Perhaps it hadn't mattered if they'd won or not, but having done so, Ash couldn't believe it.

"We did it! We did it, Pikachu!" he cried out. Pikachu threw his exhausted arms up high and the two snuggled against each other. They had been through so much together. Every win. Every defeat. Every struggle, trying to figure out who they were as a team and each other, and now they had finally managed it. They had won a League! "Pikachu and all my Pokémon are the greatest!"