After confirming that Misaki Takahashi had conceded, the referee raised his right arm, holding the flag high.
"Contestant Takahashi has conceded! Therefore, the winner of the third and final match is—Xinhai Bai Mu!"
He paused, sweeping his gaze across the entire venue as his voice rose several notches and echoed through the quiet battle arena.
"With that, this tournament has officially concluded! The final results are: champion—Mr. Xinhai Bai Mu! Runner-up—Ms. Misaki Takahashi! Third place—Mr. Ryosuke Onodera!"
Thunderous applause erupted from the stands.
In the VIP section, Allen Dicolik set down his champagne glass and applauded lightly, a smile of approval on his lips.
A glimmer passed through Diska and Moska's cool eyes, and they too began to applaud.
Near the middle and rear of the stands, Ryosuke Onodera abruptly rose from his seat and clapped hard, his chestnut eyes brimming with excitement as he shouted something.
Yuma Kamiya pulled his hands from his coat pockets and joined in the applause, a sincere smile on his face.
Rika Yuzuki held Roselia in her arms and clapped softly, a smile appearing on her face as well.
Xinhai stood in the command area and let out a long breath, his tense shoulders gradually relaxing.
He turned toward the center of the field—Grovyle was slowly getting to his feet there, still carrying the numbness caused by Thunder Wave. Tiny golden arcs of electricity occasionally flickered over his dark green scales.
He raised his head, his golden eyes looking toward Xinhai as a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Xinhai quickly walked over and reached out to support Grovyle by the shoulder. Feeling the numbness of the current coursing through him, he instead tightened his grip on Grovyle's arm.
"Thanks for the effort, Grovyle." His voice was soft, yet filled with