svetikya Chapter 407 Post-War Situation, Hikaru's Inner Thoughts
Chapter 407 Post-War Situation, Hikaru's Inner Thoughts
"Tide Whirl - Throw it at the feet of Wobbuffet!"
Xiao Guang's command was crisp and decisive. Bogarman raised its head and let out a loud cry, its wings flapping violently, and countless streams of water swirled up from its feet, turning into a deep blue vortex.
The whirlpool didn't directly attack Wobbuffet; instead, it snaked along the ground, precisely circling behind it. Sweetie Jessie Rina's pupils contracted sharply. She instinctively wanted to order a counterattack, but the whirlpool moved faster than she anticipated—the water expanded abruptly upon contact with the ground, transforming into a towering column that completely enveloped Wobbuffet!
"Sonams—!" Before the mirror reflection of the Wobbuffet could retract, its body was lifted into the air by the water column.
Its limbs flailed futilely in the air, and the rainbow light gradually dissipated in the chaos. Pogaman seized the opportunity, flapping its wings and leaping high into the air.
"Foam Ray!"
This was the opportunity that Hikari had been waiting for. Wobbuffet, busy using Mirror Reflection, was in no way able to quickly escape the range of Whirlpool's attack.
Once it's lifted up by the vortex, it'll be time for Hikari and Pogaman to launch their attack.
The bubble rays poured down like a torrential rain, each bubble hitting Wobbuffet's body with pinpoint accuracy.
The body, lifted into the air by the whirlwind, quickly fell back to the ground. As expected, the accumulated injuries from the previous battle had all erupted. Without any hesitation, Hikari waved his hand to end the battle.
"The final blow, the drill peck!"
Xiao Guang's voice was almost synchronized with Bogarman's movements.
Using the momentum of its fall and spin, Piplup's beak gleamed with a metallic sheen, piercing through the center of the water column like a bullet and striking Wobbuffet's body directly.
Sure enough, the old man's screams and the roar of the water rang out at the same time, and its body crashed heavily to the ground, splashing up a cloud of muddy water.
The spinning eyes and limp limbs already indicated the victor.
"Wobbuffet is unable to battle! The winner is—Hikaru!"
They defeated Kengo and the dark horse champion, Nozomi, with an overwhelming victory.
However, she lost to Hikaru in the same way on the final stage. Sweet Musashi Rina stood there stunned, not knowing what to do.
A wave of cheers erupted from the stands, and Hikari's palms were already soaked with sweat. She looked at Bogarman, who had let out a sigh of relief, on the field, her heart still pounding. The battle that had just taken place, seemingly overwhelming, had actually been quite terrifying—
Sweetie Jessie Lina's Wobbuffet's combination of Mirror Reflect and Counter is something that makes people dare not be careless at all. If Ash hadn't told her beforehand that the key to facing Wobbuffet is to change the environment so that Wobbuffet can no longer maintain Counter and Mirror Reflect, and then defeat it in one fell swoop, Dawn's fate in this battle might still be uncertain.
"Poga!"
The victor's salute has already been fired.
Bogarman wobbled around, proudly puffing out his chest. Although his feathers were wet and somewhat disheveled, his eyes shone with joy.
Xiao Guang crouched down, her fingertips gently stroking the downy fur on its head. Her voice was filled with relief and barely suppressed joy. Although she had long anticipated this scene, at this moment of success, she still couldn't contain the excitement surging in her chest, and kept saying:
"We did it...we really did it!" Bogarman rubbed her palm, then suddenly spread its wings, spraying bubble beams into the air, which shimmered with rainbow-like halos under the spotlight. The Grand Contest started with a magnificent cannon salute and ended with a beautiful move.
.......
Sweetie Jessie Lina stood opposite, her face ashen. She gripped Wobbuffet's Poké Ball tightly, her nails almost digging into her palm.
She clearly knew how to win, and that not sending out Wobbuffet was the right choice, but she—
"Damn it..." she cursed through gritted teeth, turned and strode away, not even bothering to listen to the host's comments. Kojiro and Meowth in the audience were already sobbing, their light sticks drooping listlessly: "Our money!!!"
Although Kojiro and Meowth lost all the money they invested, at least this was the closest Musashi had ever come to success.
That's all they could tell themselves.
.......
On the awards stage, Bai'an handed the Water Lily Ribbon Medal, symbolizing the champion, to Xiaoguang. The metal felt cool to the touch, but it couldn't suppress the boiling heat in her chest.
Under the spotlight, the Bogarman stood proudly on her shoulder, its tail held high as if proclaiming its glory to the world.
Dawn's gaze swept across the audience—Ash was clapping enthusiastically, Pikachu's tail was waving constantly, perched on Ash's shoulder and waving at her; Brock nodded with satisfaction at the sight, already having decided on the menu for tonight's celebration.
As for Kengo at the back of the stage, he looked at the radiant Hikari under the spotlight, subconsciously pursed his lips, and looked at his Pokémon with complicated eyes. After exchanging a glance with Nozomi at the other end, he got up and walked towards the exit for losers.
When he reached Xiaowang's side, Jianwu stopped and took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, please pass on my message, I just can't bring myself to say it..."
"Heh~" Xiao Wang chuckled and shrugged, not refusing. "We should all face our shortcomings squarely, after all, the grand celebration later is the main event."
"Yes."
Kengo's voice and his retreating figure slowly disappeared backstage.
Having experienced such a crushing defeat, he had some thoughts on his own.
The grand water lily competition, filled with joy for some and sorrow for others, has come to an end.
.......
As night fell, the hustle and bustle of the victory celebration gradually subsided.
Dawn sat alone in the lobby of the Pokémon Center, Piplup sleeping soundly with its head curled up on her lap.
Moonlight streamed through the glass dome, casting a soft glow on the silver ribbon medal. She gently stroked the water lily pattern on its surface, a sense of unreality washing over her—all five ribbons were now collected, and a grand celebration was just around the corner. But the tranquility of the moment was far more unsettling than the challenges ahead.
This inexplicable emotion made her instinctively clutch her chest.
She participated in and won both of the most prestigious competitions, and gained recognition from so many people.
But when she was alone in the dark with no one to talk to, Hikari's mindset and thoughts inevitably returned to the time before she met Satoshi.
Such anticipation, yet also such worry.
This feeling can't be eliminated no matter how many victories she wins, but as long as there are people around her and the competition comes, she can return to her dazzling stage presence.
"I'm so strange..."
Xiao Guang couldn't help but laugh at himself.
......