Chapter 245: But Asahi Called Me Champion!
The moment Magneton hit the ground, Nidoking, already prepared, charged forward without hesitation.
Boom!
Nidoking unleashed Earthquake.
With its levitation disabled, Magneton couldn't dodge. Unlike its ancient cousin, Iron Treads, Magneton didn't have any legs to escape with.
The shockwave struck Magneton directly, nearly shaking it apart.
Before Magneton could recover, all it saw was Nidoking's massive foot coming straight for it.
Stomping Tantrum!
"Magneton is unable to battle! Nidoking wins!" the referee announced, waving a flag.
Victory!
Gary clenched his fist in triumph, while AJ's face darkened.
"What a fantastic match! With that Smack Down, Gary managed to defeat AJ's Magneton. Now, AJ has only two Pokémon left!"
"AJ is in a tough spot now!"
No — more than tough. It was downright bleak.
AJ finally realized that Gary's earlier helpless act with Nidoking had been a setup.
The real goal was to bait AJ into attacking, then counter with Smack Down to ground Magneton, making it vulnerable to Ground-type moves.
How did he fall for Gary's trap so easily?
Now, with only two Pokémon left — a Hypno and a Venusaur — AJ was cornered.
He needed to defeat Gary's remaining four Pokémon with just these two.
Was that even possible?
The answer was clear — the odds were slim.
Still, he had made it to the finals. He couldn't give up without a fight.
"Go, Venusaur!"
Compared to the frail Hypno, who likely wouldn't survive a single hit from Nidoking, Venusaur was the better choice.
At least Venusaur could tank some hits. With moves like Ingrain and Leech Seed, along with a variety of powders — Poison Powder, Sleep Powder, Stun Spore — and the stat-boosting Growth...
Maybe there was a miracle waiting.
With a hopeful heart, AJ threw his Poké Ball. Venusaur appeared, the large flower on its back swaying slightly, pollen drifting into the air.
And then—
Gary calmly recalled Nidoking.
Out came Scyther.
Scyther?
AJ froze.
Gary, however, smiled.
With AJ's last two Pokémon being the Grass/Poison-type Venusaur and the Psychic-type Hypno, Scyther was the perfect choice.
Compared to AJ's limited options, Gary had the advantage.
With its Bug/Flying typing, Scyther was a nightmare matchup for Venusaur.
And just as Gary expected, AJ realized his dilemma — neither of his remaining Pokémon could counter Scyther effectively.
Left with no choice, AJ gritted his teeth and commanded Venusaur to fight.
---
Few minutes later—
Venusaur, covered in cuts and bruises, collapsed under Scyther's relentless Aerial Ace attacks.
Thanks to Air Slash's ranged power, Scyther easily avoided Venusaur's powder attacks.
While Scyther did take some damage from Magical Leaf's homing ability, the Grass-type moves barely scratched it.
With Venusaur down, AJ had no choice but to send out his final Pokémon — Hypno.
Few minutes later—
Scyther, slashing Hypno multiple times with Fury Cutter, finally succumbed to Psychic.
Both Pokémon fainted simultaneously.
Yet the trainers' reactions were worlds apart.
The commentator's voice echoed across the stadium:
"Both Hypno and Scyther are unable to battle!"
"AJ has no remaining Pokémon! That means the winner is Gary!"
The crowd roared.
"Our Indigo Plateau Conference Champion has been crowned! As the tournament favorite, Gary has lived up to expectations, conquering the finals. Let's congratulate Gary!"
"Don't go anywhere, folks! After a short commercial break, we'll move on to the award ceremony!"
"Special thanks to the Silph Co. for sponsoring this year's Indigo Plateau Conference! All battle equipment and items used are proudly provided by Silph Co…."
No one paid attention to the commercial.
The audience was too busy chanting Gary's name.
His cheer squad raised their signs high, faces beaming with excitement.
"Gary is the champion!!"
Relaxing slightly, Gary stepped forward to shake AJ's hand — though AJ clearly wasn't happy, he kept it civil.
Then, standing tall with a proud smile, Gary waved to the crowd, his sponsor's cape fluttering behind him.
But when he glanced at the VIP section, there was no sign of Asahi — only Ash, grinning like an idiot.
Gary smirked, waving mockingly at Ash.
Just as the staff reminded Gary about the award ceremony, he noticed someone he'd been looking for.
"Asahi… why are you here?"
Asahi smiled. "Surprise! Looks like I'm the one presenting the award this time."
Hearing this, Gary couldn't help but remember the last awkward award ceremony with Asahi.
But…
"This time's different. I'm the champion!" Gary straightened his back proudly.
Clearly, his decisive victory had boosted his confidence.
"Hmm?" Asahi chuckled. "Well, congratulations!"
"Oh, and by the way — as the Indigo Plateau Conference Champion, you now have the right to challenge the Elite Four. Interested, Champion?"
Gary knew the Elite Four were insanely strong — this wasn't news to him as a member of the Kanto League.
He was about to refuse… but then he heard Asahi call him Champion.
And suddenly, the thought didn't seem so crazy.
But…
Asahi just called him a Champion!
—