"Dragonite fell..."
No one knew who let out that sigh, but it jolted everyone stunned by the battle back to their senses.
Dragonite... had truly fallen.
Seeing that, the referee hurried over to Dragonite's side. After confirming it several times, he raised the Green Flag representing Sato's side.
"Dragonite is incapacitated. Zoroark wins! As Trainer Lance's six Pokémon have all lost their ability to battle, the winner of this match is... Sato of Dark Night City!"
Silence...
Then, thunderous cheers suddenly erupted. Those who had been cheering Sato on had already shouted themselves hoarse, but even the spectators supporting Lance could not help but cheer loudly.
The match had lasted more than three hours without a moment's pause. All twelve Pokémon had fought in turn, and both sides had enjoyed periods of advantage.
Until the very last second, no one could know who would claim the final victory.
And from this moment onward, it signaled that the Johto Alliance's greatest fighting force had completed its generational transition.
The First Elite Four and Second Elite Four were both frighteningly young. For a long time to come, the Johto Alliance could develop prosperously and steadily.
Before long, the unconscious Dragonite woke up. Its eyes were full of guilt and self-reproach as it looked at Lance.
It was clearly already a Half-step Champion, while its opponent was merely an Advanced Elite Four, yet it had still lost.
Lance patted Dragonite on the shoulder, silently comforting it.
Win or lose, he and his partners would bear it together. There was no need for spoken consolation; they both understood very well what they needed to do next.
At this point, Sato also brought Zoroark and walked to the only relatively level patch of ground in the center of the arena.
The two looked at each