Moreover, Icarus had never forgotten how Bellsprout had been harmed by that old man from the Arai Family!
If it hadn't been for the deep bond he shared with Bellsprout—and a little bit of luck—he might still be starting over and training new Pokémon from scratch.
Uncle Sam, after obtaining that evolution plan a few years ago, had raised dozens of Bellsprout. Unfortunately, every single one failed to evolve and died. In the end, he gave up on the plan altogether. Bellsprout might have been cheap, but the evolution materials certainly weren't. Even for Pokémon with Superior aptitude, raising dozens of them was a massive expense.
Now that he finally had a chance to cause trouble for the Third Branch—the branch that old man belonged to—there was no way he would let the opportunity pass.
Airi's third Pokémon was a Mudkip, while Stone's third Pokémon was a Kangaskhan. Surprisingly, it wasn't one he had purchased—it had been entrusted to him during an adventure in the wild.
That's right.
A wild Kangaskhan had willingly given him one of her children!
It was the first time Icarus had ever seen a wild Pokémon entrust its offspring to a human.
He had always assumed scenes like that only happened in anime. In a realistic world like this, he thought it would be impossible.
Stone proved him wrong.
According to Stone, the female Kangaskhan had just given birth when a group of Raticate targeted her.
Those bullying rodents took advantage of her weakened state after childbirth and launched a vicious attack on both the mother and the two newborn Kangaskhan resting in her pouch.
Although the mother Kangaskhan possessed Ordinary-Level High-Stage strength, she was severely weakened after giving birth and had to protect her children at the same time. Eventually, she was overwhelmed by numbers.
Several Rattata managed to force their way into her pouch and bit one of the baby Kangaskhan.
Enraged, the mother Kangaskhan exploded with strength and temporarily turned the tide. However, her injuries continued to accumulate. If things went on like that, she would eventually die.
Just as despair was setting in, Stone stepped forward.
Perhaps he had been moved by the sight of the mother desperately protecting her children. Despite having only three Pokémon, he chose to stand alongside her against dozens of Rattata and Raticate.
In the end, thanks largely to Graveler's incredible defenses, they managed to hold their ground. Even so, Graveler and Stone's two Sandslash were left covered in wounds.
What surprised Icarus even more was what happened afterward.
Rather than treating his own Pokémon first, Stone immediately treated the injured mother Kangaskhan and the wounded baby in her pouch before tending to his own team.
Because of that act, the female Kangaskhan looked at him with eyes full of gratitude.
When it came time to part ways, she left one of her most talented children in Stone's care.
According to the Pokédex, the baby possessed high Superior aptitude. After reaching the Ordinary Level, it even awakened the inherited move Dragon Claw.
This made Icarus wonder if Stone was actually the true protagonist of the world.
After all, Stone's village had been destroyed, his parents had died, and he had been bullied since childhood. Compared to Icarus, his background was far more tragic.
And this was already the second Pokémon that had willingly chosen to follow him.
The first had been a Rattata. Its aptitude wasn't particularly impressive, but it worked harder than almost any Pokémon Icarus had ever seen.
Now, despite only having medium aptitude, that Rattata was actually stronger than many Pokémon with superior talent.
The second was this Kangaskhan.
Not only did it possess excellent aptitude, but it also carried an unusually high concentration of Dragon-type blood.
Many Charmeleon couldn't learn Dragon Claw even after evolving, yet this Kangaskhan had already awakened it.
According to Icarus's estimates, its aptitude would never stop at Superior rank. As its Dragon bloodline continued awakening, reaching Elite aptitude was almost guaranteed.
Compared to that kind of fortune, Icarus felt slightly jealous.
While he currently possessed stronger Pokémon and better resources, every one of those advantages had been purchased through countless dangerous missions and enormous effort.
"Sigh…"
Thinking about that gifted Kangaskhan, Icarus glanced enviously at Stone beside him.
The only thing he still held an advantage in was access to Team Rocket's secret training manuals.
As usual, the three of them participated in the tournament's final stages.
That evening, after returning home, they quietly packed their belongings in secret.
Time passed quickly.
Before long, the final day of the tournament arrived.
Airi and Stone's matches had already concluded.
Airi finished in third place.
Stone finished in fourth.
Compared to their results during the first Qingmu Conference, both had improved tremendously.
Their second Pokémon had already reached veteran Mid-Stage strength.
Perhaps influenced by Icarus, they had begun investing large sums of money into training a year earlier, pouring resources into Graveler and Poliwhirl in hopes of accelerating their growth.
As a result, both Pokémon were already extremely close to breaking through to the Ordinary High Stage.
This year, however, there was only one High-Stage Trainer participating.
Icarus.
His victory was practically guaranteed.
Airi had lost to the eventual runner-up mainly because her opponent possessed Electric-type Pokémon while her Marshtomp was still developing.
The second-place contestant, however, stood no chance against Icarus.
The difference between an Ordinary High-Stage Trainer and Mid-Stage Trainers was simply too great.
Within minutes, Weepinbell swept through all three of the opponent's Pokémon by itself.
Thanks to its numerous recovery moves, it still retained more than half its stamina after winning all three battles.
"Icarus! Icarus!"
"The Light of the Commoners!"
"I knew it! Commoners will never be slaves!"
"Icarus! Break through to Elite Level soon!"
"Icarus! Icarus!"
The entire stadium erupted in cheers.
Perhaps it was because of the atmosphere.
Perhaps it was because everyone took pride in seeing a commoner rise to the top.
Whatever the reason, at this moment, all the glory belonged to Icarus and Weepinbell.
"Sprout! Sprout!"
Weepinbell understood that it had won the championship for Icarus.
Overjoyed, it danced excitedly and wrapped its thick vines around him before lifting him high into the air.
"Sprout! Sprout!"
Icarus! Icarus! I did it! I won your first championship!
It had never forgotten the promise Icarus made shortly after it was born:
One day, we will stand together on the highest podium.
This championship might only belong to a small town.
But Weepinbell believed this was merely the beginning.
One day, it would help Icarus make their names known throughout the entire League.
One day, crowds everywhere would cheer for them.
One day, Icarus would stand atop the Indigo Plateau—on the highest stage of all.
At that moment, two Poké Balls at Icarus's waist suddenly opened.
Red light flashed.
As if sensing their Trainer's excitement, Pidgeotto and Houndoom emerged on their own.
"Beeep! Beep!"
Pidgeotto circled above Icarus's head, crying out excitedly.
"Icarus! Icarus!"
"Awoooo!"
Houndoom sat proudly beside him.
After letting out a long howl, it opened its mouth and released streams of Ember into the sky.
The flames burst overhead like dazzling fireworks, illuminating the entire arena.
For that brief moment, Trainer and Pokémon stood together beneath the glowing sparks.
They were champions.
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