"Come back, Exeggutor. Get some good rest now." A trace of gravity flashed through Liu Qing's eyes as he watched Dragonair flying overhead. He tossed out Gyarados's Poké Ball. "I'm counting on you again, Gyarados!"
"Roar!" With a mighty roar, the golden-pink light scattered, and Gyarados appeared on the field once more. Its enormous body, combined with its Intimidate Ability, struck fear even into Dragonair, which instinctively flew backward.
"Dragonair, don't be afraid! Use Thunder!" Drake encouraged it.
At his words, Dragonair stopped retreating, and electricity began flashing around the horn on its forehead again. Liu Qing immediately ordered, "Gyarados, Ice Fang!"
"Roar!" Gyarados bellowed, bitterly cold air pouring from its mouth. The chill formed a lightning-shaped mass of icy energy beyond its jaws as it lunged to bite Dragonair.
"Dragonair, get away!" Ice-type moves were the bane of Dragon-types, so Drake dared not let Gyarados sink its teeth into Dragonair. Fortunately, Gyarados had limited mobility. As long as Dragonair was fast enough, it could still avoid the attack, so he hurriedly shouted his command.
"You can't escape," Liu Qing said with a cold smile. "Because my Gyarados's special power is having two Abilities!"
"What?" Drake was shocked. Two Abilities naturally meant that, in addition to Gyarados's Intimidate, it retained Magikarp's Swift Swim, which doubled its speed in rain. Sure enough, Dragonair had barely flown any distance before Gyarados caught up and bit into its body, making it scream in agony.
Boom! Just then, Dragonair's Thunder crashed down, engulfing both Pokémon. Golden lightning flashed, and Gyarados let out a pained roar as well, releasing Dragonair.
"Dragonair, clear the weather! Dragon Rush!" Drake ordered.
As a Dragon-type Pokémon, Dragonair was highly resistant to Electric-type attacks, so it quickly broke free of Thunder's power. A ring of blue light radiated from its tail, then a layer of blue light enveloped its entire body as it charged at Gyarados.
"Gyarados is both Water-type and Flying-type, so Electric-type attacks do tremendous damage to it. But mine is an exception." Liu Qing glanced at the fin in the middle of Gyarados's body. That fin served as an electricity storage sac, allowing Gyarados to absorb and rapidly discharge electricity like an Electric-type Pokémon. When Thunder struck, the clever Gyarados had already released the electricity stored in that fin, offsetting some of the attack's power. That was why it was still able to battle. Watching Dragonair charge toward it, Liu Qing shouted, "Gyarados, dodge!"
Dragon Rush was powerful, but its drawback was low accuracy. Without the rain, Gyarados's sheer size would have made dodging impossible. Now, however, it had an opening. Dragonair had only just changed the weather, and the rain had not completely stopped. Gyarados swiftly slithered aside, easily evading Dragonair's strike.
"Aqua Tail!" Liu Qing immediately countered.
"Dodge!" Drake hurriedly shouted.
The enormous tail swung nimbly, raising wave after wave of water. Dragonair dodged left and right, but one of the sheets of water finally struck it, sending it tumbling through the air.
"Gyarados, chase it down! Ice Fang!" Liu Qing pressed his advantage.
"The weather has changed now. Do you really think you can still catch up?" Drake raised a hand to shield his eyes from the dazzling sunlight that had just emerged. "Dragonair, Dragon Rage!"
"Woo!" Blue light glowed in Dragonair's abdomen, and then it fired a pure blue beam resembling a dragon straight at Gyarados.
"What pure Dragon-type power," Liu Qing murmured in admiration. It seemed neither of this Dragonair's parents was ordinary.
Boom! Dragon Rage and Ice Fang collided in a violent explosion, sending fierce winds blasting outward. Dragonair was driven steadily backward. Despite its enormous body, Gyarados had exhausted its strength and had nothing left to resist the blast. It was blown backward and slammed to the ground. Only after the energy dispersed did it struggle up, panting, and let out a mighty roar at Dragonair.
"Dragonair, one final strike! Hyper Beam!" Drake ordered. He cared for Dragonair attentively and knew its condition inside out. He knew it had little stamina left. Although Liu Qing still had two Pokémon remaining, both were at the end of their strength. As long as Dragonair defeated Gyarados, victory would be within reach.
"Gyarados, one final strike! Giga Impact!" Liu Qing gave his final command as well.
Orange-yellow light gradually gathered at the tip of Dragonair's horn, while a pale purple glow slowly enveloped Gyarados. Then an enormous orange-yellow beam and a spinning pale purple column of light crashed into each other. Explosions thundered without end. Fortunately, the ground was still wet; otherwise, there was no telling how much dust would have been thrown up. Even stronger ripples of energy spread from the point of collision. Gyarados, being closest, was hurled away and crashed to the ground, unable to battle. Dragonair fell immediately afterward, but continued struggling as though it still intended to fly. It only made it partway up before falling to the ground again and losing consciousness.
"Gyarados and Dragonair are both unable to battle! Since Liu Qing still has Arcanine remaining, the winner of this match is Liu Qing!" the referee announced loudly, and the entire stadium erupted.
"We finally have our winner!" the Announcer's booming voice rang out over the speakers. "After a series of thrilling matches, the champion of this Indigo League Conference has finally been crowned! Starting with his very first Preliminary Qualifiers match, Liu Qing..."
"I won!" For a moment, Liu Qing could not describe what he felt. It was as though his heart had filled to the brim in an instant. He barely heard the crowd's thunderous cheers as he walked mechanically over to Gyarados. Only when he saw his own photograph on the big screen did he cry out in delight, "Gyarados, we won..."
"That was amazing! Big brother, you're the best! You won!" In the VIP seats, Liu Yuan was already dancing with joy, while Bofeng Yu and Mili exchanged beaming smiles.
"Congratulations, Namikaze Liu Qing!" After recalling Dragonair, Drake walked over to Liu Qing and extended his right hand.
"Thank you!" Liu Qing extended his own right hand and shook Drake's.
"The next time we meet, I'll definitely beat you." Drake withdrew his hand, left him with those words, and turned to leave the field.
"Next time? I'm looking forward to it too!" Liu Qing murmured before turning and leaving the field himself.
The closing ceremony would not take place until dusk, after semifinalists Reggie and Yue'er decided third place that afternoon. This gave the mentally exhausted Liu Qing plenty of time to rest. After leaving the stadium and handing his Poké Balls over to Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center, he returned to the hotel with Bofeng Yu, Mili, and Liu Yuan.
"Big brother, big brother, tell me! How does it feel to win the championship?" After dinner, the moment they returned to their rooms, Liu Yuan eagerly began asking questions.
"How else would I feel? Besides being grateful to the Pokémon who helped me win the championship, I just feel exhausted." Liu Qing ruffled Liu Yuan's hair.
"You and Lance were evenly matched, so of course a battle like that left you mentally exhausted. Get some rest now. Mom will wake you before the opening ceremony tonight," Mili said gently.
"All right!" Liu Qing nodded, opened the bedroom door, and went inside, flinging himself onto the bed. He slept until the sky began to darken, when Mili woke him. After washing up, he headed to the stadium with the others.
When Liu Qing arrived at Quartz Stadium, the stands were packed. The closing ceremony was about to begin.
"The venue of the Pokémon League's Indigo League Conference, where outstanding Pokémon Trainers and their Pokémon have competed in strength and spectacular moves, is now ready to welcome the closing ceremony!" the Announcer announced loudly.
Once the Announcer finished speaking, it was time for Liu Qing and the other tournament participants to enter. The spectators cheered and applauded as the Trainers emerged.
"President Charles Goodshow will now present commemorative gifts to the competitors as proof of their participation in the tournament!" the commentator announced loudly again. The Trainers formed a long line, and President Charles Goodshow stood on the presentation platform, handing each participant a commemorative gift. Liu Qing examined his. It was an exquisite piece: two white wings formed the base, with green beneath them. At the front was a crystalline ornament with three points, shaped like the head of an ancient Chinese three-pointed, double-edged spear. At its very center was an upright square, with a small golden Poké Ball in the middle.
Reggie and Yue'er's match that afternoon had ended with Reggie taking third place. Now Liu Qing, Drake, and Reggie remained on the podium. Liu Qing stood on the highest step, with Drake to his right and Reggie to his left. Seeing the spectators truly waving and applauding for him, Liu Qing realized for the first time just how exhilarating victory could be.
"I'll let you stand up there this time, but you'd better keep working hard. Otherwise, I'll pull you right off that podium!" Drake waved to the crowd as he deliberately spoke in a fierce, low voice beside him.
Liu Qing smiled faintly. "Don't worry. My footing is solid. You won't be able to pull me down," he replied quietly. A soft chuckle came from Reggie.
"The people waving are the tournament's top prizewinners, and their faces are full of joy. Now, the entire stadium is giving them a tremendous round of applause!" the Announcer announced again, and the applause grew even louder.
"The closing ceremony is entering its final moments, bringing us to a moving conclusion!" the Announcer continued. As his voice faded, the stadium lights went out as well. Then several sparks shot into the sky directly ahead of them and burst into beautiful patterns. Fireworks!
"So it's fireworks. They really are beautiful!" Liu Qing said in admiration.
"Now, please welcome President Charles Goodshow to present the awards to our top finishers!" the Announcer said.
Three formally dressed people entered the stadium and walked up behind President Charles Goodshow, each carrying a trophy and a certificate. President Charles Goodshow took the trophies and certificates and presented them first to Reggie, then to Drake, and finally to Liu Qing.
"All three of you performed exceptionally well. Your thrilling battles and outstanding abilities make you truly deserving winners. I hope you will carry this honor with you and continue working hard," President Charles Goodshow said with a smile. Liu Qing, Drake, and Reggie all nodded solemnly.
Liu Qing examined his trophy closely. Its surface was coated in gold paint, and its base was engraved with "Champion of the 109th Indigo League Conference." The certificate had a red cover bearing the words "Indigo League Conference" and a Poké Ball, both in gold. He opened it to find his photograph on the left, with "Liu Qing, Champion of the 109th Indigo League Conference!" written beneath it. On the right was a vertical column of six Pokémon photographs, each followed by the Pokémon's name. From top to bottom, they were Salamence, Gyarados, Gengar, Arcanine, Exeggutor, and Scizor.
"I now declare this Indigo League Conference officially closed! I wish everyone a wonderful evening!" President Charles Goodshow announced. Beneath the beautiful fireworks lighting the sky, the Indigo League Conference officially came to an end.
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