Indomitable Will and the End of the Trial

They had lost, losing very thoroughly.

On the contrary, Giant Dragonite let out a long breath; despite its defense, it was still covered in wounds.

Its body of that level had reached its limit, and had it not released some of its own power, it would have collapsed long ago.

This just goes to show how well their eight Pokémon had done to push Giant Dragonite to this extent.

Giant Dragonite said with a hint of pity, "Clearly, as long as any Pokémon could stand in the Twister just now, you would have won. What a shame..."

Just as Giant Dragonite intended to say something more, its pupils constricted, as if it had seen something incredible.

Liu Xin was even more incredulous, his eyes brimming with pleasant surprise.

They stood up.

A Pokémon stood up. As long as Giant Dragonite hadn't declared it over, they still had a chance.

Cubone, Cubone!

A roar rang out. Arched in pain, Cubone used every ounce of its strength to prop itself up on its bone club and stand.

Its entire body was covered in scratches, and one of its eyes was even scratched shut.

At a time like this, standing up was simply impossible.

Yet, it stood up!

It even roared, continuing to challenge Giant Dragonite, never giving up.

Well, aren't you a hothead.

Liu Xin's heart churned with emotion as he clenched his fists and shouted, "Giant Dragonite, did you see that?!"

"My Pokémon didn't go down. It stood up. I won!"

"The victory of this match belongs to me!"

"It belongs to us!"

He grabbed Ito Hei by the arm. Ito Hei was also infected by his passion, his heart surging.

Before Giant Dragonite could speak, another roar erupted.

Cubone, Cubone!

Liu Xin and Giant Dragonite looked at each other in astonishment. This fellow was actually calling for the other Pokémon to stand up.

Ito Hei muttered in a low voice, "Is your Shiny Cubone beaten silly? Why is it keeping up that roar?"

"What is it even yelling about?"

Stand up, all of you, stand up!

Do you really think you only have this much strength?

The battle isn't over yet, and you're just going to collapse like this?!

After hearing the explanation, Ito Hei was left completely speechless.

This Shiny Cubone was simply too hot-blooded, pretty much like a chūnibyō teenager.

How could the other Pokémon have any stamina or ability left to stand? Being conscious was already a miracle.

Gabite!

Truly, another Pokémon responded to Cubone's roar, using all its might to support itself and rise.

Though it stumbled many times along the way, it still slowly stood up.

Panting heavily, it gazed at Giant Dragonite and took up a battle stance. Though weak, its gaze burned with spirit!

It stood up; it stood straight.

Giant Dragonite hadn't expected a second Pokémon to stand.

Phanpy!

A second Pokémon stood up: Mutant Phanpy.

Its whole body was covered in wounds, yet it paid them no mind as faint flames slowly rose and scorched the surroundings.

This represented its fighting spirit, completely refusing to submit to the Giant Dragonite before it.

Its eyes were fiercely aggressive!

The ground began to tremble slowly. Onix, which had fallen several times, also stood up.

It likewise refused to yield to the Giant Dragonite in front of it, roaring to declare its combat intent.

Four bellicose Pokémon, four disobedient Pokémon, four rebellious Pokémon—they all stood up!

This was their indomitable fighting spirit, even while battered and exhausted.

Liu Xin and Ito Hei couldn't help but feel a deep sense of respect; victory and defeat no longer mattered in their eyes at all.

The most important thing was that these four Pokémon deserved respect.

As for Ito Hei's side, not a single one had stood up, but he didn't say anything either.

After all, not every Pokémon could be as stubbornly resilient as those four belonging to Liu Xin.

Sometimes being bellicose is a flaw, but it is also a virtue.

The four fellows assumed battle stances. Giant Dragonite waved a hand and said, "I lost. You—you have won!"

"Truly astonishing fellows. To be able to stand up when injured so heavily."

"An indomitable will. I truly admire you."

Having won the recognition of Giant Dragonite, the four fellows let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

Liu Xin called them back, as they had already tried their absolute best.

This completely changed Liu Xin's perspective on their bellicose personalities.

A treasure gleaming with golden light was handed over. Giant Dragonite said in a low voice, "This is the final treasure."

"I never expected all five treasures to fall into your hands. Truly a rarity."

"The strongest fellows in the past only ever managed to acquire two."

Before they even realized it, they had surpassed the previous challengers of the trial.

When they set up their traps, it was already evident that they were no ordinary people.

Ito Hei scratched his head. "Good thing Liu Xin and I are teammates, otherwise whether I could even be standing here today would be a question."

Giant Dragonite and Liu Xin shared the same view. "If not for him, there wouldn't be a Liu Xin standing here either. You two are thoroughly a team."

Without you, there would be no him; you are inseparable.

Giant Dragonite's chubby hand waved as it said in a good mood, "This trial and duel allowed me to learn a great deal, and my harvest has been bountiful."

"Therefore, I shall additionally reward you with a fine thing: my power blessing!"

Giant Dragonite's blessing?!

Isn't this just the quest reward? It seemed Liu Xin had successfully completed the quest.

Sure enough, the next second, the system in his mind rang out.

Ding, congratulations to the host for completing the quest, obtaining Giant Dragonite's blessing and 50 Points.

"My blessing can only be given to one of your Pokémon. I'll give you one minute to consider: who shall receive the blessing?"

Liu Xin quickly figured it out. Since his own four Pokémon were all extraordinary, there was only one target left to choose.

That was the yet-unhatched Pet Egg.

"Are you certain you want the blessing applied there?"

Both of them nodded.

With a movement of Giant Dragonite's hand, two small dragons emerged, flapping their little wings as they flew toward their targets.

Ito Hei was very straightforward, giving the blessing to Rapidash.

A small Dragonite imprint appeared on Rapidash's head region; though faint, its attributes were comprehensively enhanced.

Meanwhile, the other target drifted down and landed lightly upon the Pet Egg.

Gurgle.

A strange sound issued forth. The Pet Egg rolled over once, and a small Dragonite imprint appeared on its outer layer.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's happening? It suddenly started moving."

"Could it be hatching?! Don't hatch so fast yet—your dad hasn't come out yet, wait a little longer!"

Sen Anxiang started panicking and flailing, because in her knowledge and memories, newborn pets would identify the first living creature they saw upon birth as their mom and dad.

Wouldn't the first thing this little fellow saw upon birth be herself?

That wouldn't do, absolutely not! She hugged the Pet Egg and ran around in a panic.

Yet after trembling for dozens of seconds, the Pet Egg grew quiet once more.

Only now, two pairs of small wings had sprouted, poking out from the eggshell in a most magical fashion.

"Chubby little wings, so cute."

"Then just what kind of Pokémon is this? I'm so curious, I'm looking forward to your hatching."

The blessing complete, Giant Dragonite slowly departed.

Leaving behind a sentence, it vanished into the clouds, "Until we meet again in the future, interesting trainers."

The light of the lighthouse vanished in the blink of an eye as well.

The trial of Bill's Lighthouse thus came to an end.