In the midst of the Galarian Star Tournament battle, Milo comments, "Your water's got my Pokémon all energized and happy, Nessa!"

Nessa responds determinedly, "I'll extinguish any flame that so much as casts a spark at your greenery!"

Milo's Shiftry opens the attack by using Fake Out on Ash's Scizor and follows up with Throat Chop, dealing some damage. However, Shiftry is swiftly defeated by a combination of Morpeko's Aura Wheel and Scizor's X-Scissor. Milo then sends out his second Pokémon, Cherrim.

Nessa's Golisopod strikes Morpeko with First Impression, inflicting substantial damage. Following Shiftry's defeat, Morpeko valiantly fights on, using Aura Wheel to deal a significant blow to the Water-type Pokémon with Liquidation.

Marnie takes her turn and sends out Scrafty. Scizor initiates with Air Slash before Golisopod can utilize Emergency Exit, causing Golisopod to faint. In return, Scizor is knocked out by Cherrim's Weather Ball after Sunny Day is activated. Nessa sends out her second Pokémon, Toxapex, while Ash switches to Alakazam. Together, Alakazam uses Psychic on Cherrim, aided by Marnie's Ice Punch, ultimately defeating Cherrim.

Milo exclaims with determination, "Time to dig my heels in for my friends! Just need to grow until we can reach victory!" He then sends out his final Pokémon, Appletun. Toxapex utilizes Baneful Bunker, poisoning Scrafty after striking it with Thunder Punch. Unfortunately, Scrafty succumbs to Liquidation from Toxapex.

Marnie's last Pokémon is Grimmsnarl, and both she and Milo opt for Gigantamax transformations. I express my confidence, saying, "I'm counting on you, Marnie."

Toxapex is eventually defeated by the Future Sight conjured by Alakazam, prompting Nessa to send out Drednaw. She says, "Even my last drop is enough to submerge you!"

As Milo is the one Gigantamaxing, Nessa cannot do the same. Drednaw uses Jaw Lock to defeat Alakazam, so I send out my final Pokémon, Pikachu. In the Gigantamax battle, Appletun succumbs to the Yawn effect from G-Max Snooze and is ultimately defeated by Marnie's Max Starfall. Meanwhile, Pikachu and Grimmsnarl combine their powers, using Thunderbolt and Spirit Break simultaneously to take down Drednaw.

Milo appreciates our teamwork, saying, "That was such a fine showing of teamwork that I'm ready to take you both on as farmhands!"

Nessa adds, "The pair of us got washed clean away! You've cut off our flow before it even got going. No wonder you're the Champion..."

"The second match we're facing is Bea and Gordie," I say after looking at the matchup.

"Not bad, Ash. I can already tell we're gonna make a smashing combo after just one battle as teammates!" Marnie says.

"I know. Let's give it all we've got," I say.

As we head to the battlefield, the announcer declares, "The tournament just keeps rolling on! Let's see who's going to battle on Route 2! It's Ash and Marnie facing off against Gordie and Bea!"

Facing each other on the battlefield, Gordie states, "What an ideal matchup for letting both of us show our strength."

"Agreed. We couldn't have asked for better opponents," Bea says. "I will press onward toward victory with every ounce of strength in my body and soul!"

Gordie adds, "Between us, we make a monolith that won't easily be crushed!"

Marnie expresses her concern, saying, "Fighting-types make for a pretty rough match-up for me..."

"Don't worry, I'll help you out with that one," I say.

Marnie is determined, saying, "All my mates from Spikemuth are cheering us on!"

"I see. Then let's give them a reply by winning this battle," I respond.

As we send out Scizor and Morpeko, our opponents, Gordie and Bea, send out Hawlucha and Shuckle.

Gordie declares, "Let's use our rock-solid moves to crush the willpower of any opponent!"

Bea adds, "That's an encouraging sentiment. Let's take the fight to them, Gordie!"

Shuckle sets up Stealth Rock on the field, making it tricky for us to switch our Pokémon. Marnie has Morpeko use Aura Wheel in Full Belly mode, exploiting its super effectiveness against Hawlucha. Scizor uses Metal Claw on Shuckle, leading to its fainting, and Gordie's second Pokémon, Tyranitar, enters the battle. Hawlucha manages to take down Morpeko with Flying Press, powered up by Swords Dance. Marnie responds by sending out Scrafty.

The battle intensifies as Scrafty uses Thunder Punch on Hawlucha, and Scizor follows up with Double Hit, defeating Hawlucha. Bea's next Pokémon is Falinks. Scrafty lands a Drain Punch on Tyranitar, knocking it out. However, both Pokémon are taking damage from the ongoing Sandstorm.

Gordie says confidently, "All it takes is one pitfall to defeat you. How shall I start digging?" He sends out Coalossal as his final Pokémon. Coalossal manages to defeat Scizor with Flare Blitz, prompting Ash to send out Alakazam. Alakazam raises its defenses with Reflect to prepare for physical attacks and uses Future Sight. Eventually, Falinks is knocked out, but it deals significant damage to Alakazam with Throat Chop and Mega Horn before going down.

Bea taunts, "You'd better concentrate! If you make the smallest slip, I'll pounce on it!" She sends out Machamp, and Ash counters with Pikachu. Both Ash and Bea Gigantamax their Pokémon. Machamp uses G-Max Chi Strike to increase its critical-hit ratio, but Pikachu's G-Max Volt Crash manages to paralyze Machamp. After a fierce battle, Pikachu's Max Strike takes down the Gigantamax Machamp.

Coalossal remains, but Marnie's Scrafty steps up, and with another Drain Punch, it defeats the Rock/Fire-type Pokémon. Gordie and Bea reflect on their performance.

"We may fight as one, but it looks like we're still a ways off from being a true monolith," Gordie says.

Bea adds, "Time to make sure my uniform and head are both on the straight and go do some more training. Ash, I wish you luck in the final round. Show them the same skill you showed to us!"

"Thanks, Bea," Ash responds, appreciating the challenging battle they just had.

With the final round upon us, Marnie and I face Raihan and Piers, creating an intense matchup. Marnie is concerned about facing her brother, but I reassure her that we'll give it our all and have each other's backs.

As we enter the battlefield, the announcer hypes up the final battle, creating a sense of anticipation in the air. The audience is eager to see who will emerge victorious in this climactic showdown.

"This is it, folks... The final battle! Who will seize glory? Will Ash and Marnie make it to the top? Or will Piers and Raihan be the ones to triumph?!" the announcer exclaims, setting the stage for a thrilling conclusion to the tournament.

As we arrive at the field, Piers says, "Ash and Marnie, eh? You're gonna be one pain of a pair to battle."

"I've been waiting for a chance to show you how strong Spikemuth's new Gym Leader is, Bro!" Marnie says. "Finally, I get to let you see firsthand!"

"Oh, I'm well aware of how strong you've become. But I'm still your big brother. You know how it is," Piers says as he takes out a microphone stand. "Now, bring it, Sis! Get ready to get crushed down to dust!"

"I was really hoping for a chance to finally beat Leon... But I don't mind missing that chance if it means I get to beat those two!" Raihan says.

"We'll see about that. You're not going to defeat us that easily," I reply.

"No holding back, Ash! You and I are gonna come out on top!" Marnie says as we all head to our stands.

As we take our positions, Marnie says, "This is it... The last big match. Hey, do you need me to cheer you on a bit?"

"I'd like that, but I can also cheer you on as well," I reply as we both send out our Pokémon - Scizor and Morpeko. Meanwhile, Piers and Raihan release Skuntank and Flygon onto the field.

Piers starts singing, "Dark and Dragon, scales and shade! Fairy types get us both afraid!"

Raihan chimes in, "You just keep on singing, Piers! I'll dish out all the damage we need!"

Our first bout sees Scizor swiftly defeating Skuntank with a combination of Quick Attack and Iron Head. However, Skuntank manages to deal a heavy blow with Sucker Punch before going down. Flygon, on the other hand, strikes both of our Pokémon with Earthquake, causing Morpeko to faint.

Piers then sends out Toxtricity, while Marnie counters with Scrafty. Scizor manages to take down Flygon using X-Scissors, but it succumbs to Toxtricity's Overdrive attack. Meanwhile, Scrafty also takes some damage in the process.

I decide to bring out Alakazam, and Raihan goes for Goodra. Scrafty uses Crunch on Goodra, dealing a solid hit, but it gets paralyzed due to a Sludge Bomb from Toxtricity. Alakazam uses Psychic on Toxtricity, causing it to faint due to the move's Super Effectiveness.

"I've got one last number for ya! Get ready to etch it into your ears and hearts!" Piers declares as he sends out Obstagoon. Obstagoon counters Scrafty's Drain Punch with a well-timed Counter, and I watch as Scrafty gets knocked out. Marnie responds by sending out Grimmsnarl as her final Pokémon.

Unfortunately, Goodra falls victim to Alakazam's Future Sight and is knocked out. Raihan, feeling the pressure, exclaims, "All right, Raihan! Time to win this and become the true Galarian star I was born to be!" His last Pokémon is Duraludon, while Obstagoon faces off against Grimmsnarl.

Obstagoon's Shadow Claw takes down Alakazam, prompting me to send out Pikachu. Both Duraludon and Pikachu Gigantamax, as Marnie prefers to face Piers with a normal battle. Grimmsnarl manages to defeat Obstagoon with a powerful Play Rough, but it falls to Duraludon's Max Steelspike.

Now it's just me and Raihan going head-to-head. In the end, Pikachu and I emerge victorious, using Max Knuckle to finish off the Dragon-type Duraludon.

"My throat's ragged from shouting... but that's because it was just that exciting a battle!" Piers remarks.

"I fought on to the end and still lost... Well, that's fine. As long as I fight on to the end next time!" Raihan says, displaying his determination.

Marnie and I cheer for our hard-fought victory, and Piers acknowledges our strength, saying, "Now that's what I call strength worthy of a Champion. Go on, then - the crowd's waiting!"

The crowd erupts with cheers and applause as we bask in their excitement. Leon approaches us, holding the cup and addressing the enthusiastic spectators, "You hear that? The voices of Galar... the excitement we brought to all those people... they can't help but be moved by that fantastic performance you two just put on! Their hearts are crying out for more! And this glorious tournament that's brought so much fire to the people of Galar... Well, its time is up. We have our clear winners. Though it's an awful shame to end it after all the fun it's been..."

He smirks and continues, "I'm pleased to announce the Galarian Star Tournament will continue from this day on! You can have as many tournaments in this Multi Battle format as you can stomach! If you want, you can stick with the same partner next time—or try something different! We'll get all the strongest Trainers in the Galar region into this wild mix... And we'll run wild next time! And the next! And every time after that! As long as Trainers and Pokémon keep aiming for the top together! As long as our fans want to watch our battles, their hands sweaty with nerves and excitement! We'll go on for a thousand years! We'll carry on forever! So, everyone! Until we next meet! Now let's have the Maximizers play us off!"

The band starts playing the music, and the crowd's cheers grow even louder, filling the air with an electrifying energy that makes this victory all the more special.

The year in Galar has come to an end, and I'm relieved to have successfully completed my second grade at Hammerlock Academy. As the new academic year approaches, my parents have decided to enroll me in the renowned Narauva Academy. It means going through the transferring program again, but I'm excited for the new opportunities that await.

However, it's bittersweet because my friend Alice will be attending the Blueberry Academy in the Unova Region. It's a shame that we won't be able to be together.

To my delight, I've learned that Serena will also be transferring to Narauva Academy with me. Having someone I know by my side makes the transition much more comforting. I can't wait to see what this final school has in store for us.

And this is the end of the Galar Arc, now only Paldea is left and I can't wait to write that part. I hope you like this chapter.

Ash and Alice's Pokemon:

Venusaur x2, Charizard x2, Blastoise x2, Butterfree x2 (One Pink), Pikachu, Meowth, Machamp, Rapidash (Galarian), Slowbro (Galarian), Gengar, Kingler, Weezing (Galarian), Lapras, Eevee, Snorlax, Articuno (Galarian), Zapdos (Galarian), Moltres (Galarian), Meganium, Typhlosion (Hisuian), Espeon, Slowking (Galarian), Mantine, Sceptile, Gardevoir (Shiny), Milotic, Absol, Infernape, Lucario, Abomasnow, Gallade, Samurott, Audino, Darmanitan (Galarian), Garbodor, Zoroark, Stunfisk (Galarian), Greninja, Meowstic x2, Aegislash, Hawlucha, Decidueye, Lycanroc (Dusk), Mimikyu (Shiny), Melmetal, Rillaboom, Cinderace, Inteleon, Greedent, Corviknight, Orbeetle, Thievul, Eldegoss, Dubwool, Drednaw, Boltund, Coalossal (Shiny), Flapple, Appletun, Sandaconda, Cramorant, Barraskewda, Toxtricity x2 (Amped, Low-Key), Centiskorch, Grapploct, Polteageist (Antique), Hatterene, Grimmsnarl, Obstagoon, Perrserker, Cursola, Sirfetch'd, Mr. Rime, Runerigus, Alcremie x9 (Each Flavor), Falinks, Pincurchin, Frosmoth, Stonjourner, Eiscue, Indeedee x2, Morpeko, Copperajah, Dracozolt, Arctozolt, Dracovish, Arctovish, Duraludon, Dragapult, Zacian, Eternatus, Urshifu x2 (Single Strike, Rapid Strike), Zarude, Regieleki, Regidrago, Glastrier, Spectrier, Calyrex, Kleavor