----
The award ceremony wasn't the end.
To be officially recognized as the Sea Warrior of this generation, Kai had to undergo one final tradition: the Blessing Ritual.
The four ceremonial attendants bowed and withdrew from the stage. In their place, High Priestess Maya stepped forward, holding her ornate golden staff.
"Kai," she said solemnly, "please kneel before the altar."
He obeyed without hesitation, lowering to one knee on the raised platform.
Maya lifted the staff high above her head—its golden surface gleaming in the sun. At the top, a radiant blue gem known as the Soul of the Sea pulsed with gentle light.
As the weight of the staff pressed down on Kai's shoulder, he glanced at it sideways.
It was heavier than it looked.
Considering how delicate Maya appeared, it was impressive that she carried such a thing at all tis. Her violet hair floated gently in the sea breeze, and for a fleeting mont, with sunlight glowing around her silhouette, she looked like a goddess from myth.
Her voice rang out clear and proud, broadcast across the stadium speakers:
"O great Sea Guardian! In my na as High Priestess, I beseech your blessing. Grant this warrior your favor—so that he may travel the oceans freely, and bond with Water-type Pokémon in heart and soul!"
Everyone could hear it. The whole stadium fell quiet, caught in the sanctity of the mont.
And while Kai stayed motionless, appearing focused on the ceremony…
His mind wandered.
Sea Guardian… do they an Lugia?
He couldn't help but find it funny. Lugia really had quite the fanbase. Not just in the Orange Islands but here too?
Everywhere he went, it seed, people were calling Lugia "the god of the sea."
But technically speaking, Lugia was Psychic/Flying, not even a true Water type. If anything, the real sea deity should've been Kyogre.
The reason Kyogre wasn't as widely worshipped probably ca down to one thing—a rarity. It lived deep in the oceans and rarely surfaced, while Lugia, despite being mysterious, had shown itself far more often throughout history.
As these thoughts swirled in his head, sothing changed.
The mont Maya's prayer ended, the Soul of the Sea began to glow.
Soft blue light bathed Kai's body. Unlike stage lights, this was natural—ethereal. The sa kind of glow that had appeared during the tournant's opening ceremony.
But this ti… it was different.
This ti, the light was focused entirely on Kai.
He felt calm. Serene. The light was gentle, not blinding, and seed to flow over his skin like warm water.
He understood it was mostly ceremonial. This blessing had been passed down for thousands of years. It was symbolic—a title, a legacy, a gesture of honor passed to each champion.
Even Maya and the crowd likely believed the sa.
It was tradition. Nothing more.
But then—
Just as the blue light started to fade… sothing unexpected happened.
The Soul of the Sea pulsed again—stronger this ti.
A beam of pure azure light burst forth from the gem and enveloped Kai completely!
Before anyone could react, he began to float.
His feet left the ground.
The entire arena gasped.
Kai hung weightless in mid-air for several seconds, glowing blue like a spirit of the sea.
Then, just as suddenly, the light converged—rushing straight into his chest.
And he gently descended back onto the platform.
"...Huh?"
Kai blinked and looked down at his chest, then back at Maya.
"So… uh… is this part normal?"
"Uh…"
Maya was frozen, eyes wide.
And she wasn't the only one.
The attendants behind her were stunned. Everyone had heard of the Blessing Ritual—but no one had ever seen sothing like that happen.
In her four years as High Priestess, Maya had only hosted the Whirl Cup once before. But even speaking with her mother and grandmother—who had held the role for decades—she'd never heard of anything remotely like this.
A second burst of light? One that entered the champion?
Impossible.
"Th-this is strange…" she muttered, her brows furrowing. "Why did it happen? What could it an?"
Kai stood, stretched, and shook his arms and legs. "I feel fine. No changes. Are you sure that wasn't so stage effect?"
"Absolutely not," Maya said firmly. "The Soul of the Sea is a sacred relic—passed down from ancient tis. Its light is not chanical. It reacts on its own. And nothing like this has ever occurred in recorded history!"
"...So you're saying," Kai said, cracking a wry smile, "this might an I'm the first to receive a real blessing?"
Maya hesitated.
Then her expression changed. She looked at him with a mix of realization and awe.
"You… may be right."
"Maybe sothing inside you resonated with the Soul of the Sea. Maybe it awakened a hidden power. There's no other explanation."
Whatever it was, the ceremony had clearly been interrupted by sothing unprecedented.
But with no imdiate answers, the best they could do—for now—was move on.
With the audience still murmuring in awe, and Maya doing her best to stay composed, the final part of the ceremony concluded.
And with that…
The Whirl Cup ca to an end.
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