When Did Ash Ketchum Pokémon Win His First Big Tournament?

Revenge runs in Matteo Dragonetti’s blood. When he storms into Amara Cerulli's wedding, he isn't there to toast her happiness—he’s there for revenge. The ruthless heir to New York’s most feared mafia family, Matteo is out to settle a blood debt that left his mother crippled and his family shattered. His price? The Cerulli princess—stolen straight from the altar. Amara never wanted a life tied to her father’s sins, but Matteo doesn’t care about her innocence. To him, she’s a trophy, a pawn in his deadly game of revenge. Little does he know Amara is no delicate prize. Beneath her blood-stained dress lies a fierce will Matteo didn’t expect—and a fire he can’t resist. But in this twisted war for power, the line between captor and captive blurs, and the most dangerous game of all begins. *** “Your parents are still alive, and I am hoping they try and get you back just so they can see how much I’ve ruined you.” I say, grinning as horror inches into her eyes. “You’re a monster…” she trails off, her blue eyes brimming with unshed tears, and I chuckle darkly. “Oh, you have no fucking idea, Princessa,” I say, then letting her go and watching as she cringes away from me. She sobs silently, still dressed in her blood-stained dress and looking like a vengeful angel. Only I will snuff the light from her eyes; her ruination will be mine to savor. I’ll show him what happens when he f*cks with the Dragonetti family.

A month before the SATs, I, Jenny Reid, could see my score. Literally. It was just floating right above my head. But there was a catch. Every time I cracked open a prep book, my score would drop by ten points. But if I skipped a day of school? It jumped right back up by ten. So, I played the system. For a whole month, I barely lifted a finger. And on the day of the test, the number glowing over my head was a solid 1560. When the scores finally dropped online… I'd scored a 500. And the 1560? That was my little sister Patricia's score. My parents lost it. As punishment, they got me a grueling night-shift job at a local electronics factory. That first night, a bunch of guys I'd never seen before cornered me in the parking lot and beat me half to death. Fading in and out of consciousness, I heard my sister's voice right by my ear. "You just had to one-up me, didn't you? Thought you were so smart… but you never figured out I was the one controlling that number over your head." The truth hit me like a physical blow. The score had been her trick all along. I opened my eyes—and I was back. One month before the SATs. The number above my head read exactly 1300. "Hey," my sister said, all fake sweetness. "Want to study together tonight? We can go over the practice tests." I looked at the stack of papers in my own hands. Without a word, I pulled out my lighter and set them on fire right there in the driveway. "Exams are coming," I said, watching the flames. "I'm not studying." My score ticked up to 1310. My sister's face was this perfect mask of disappointment, but the second I turned away, I caught the sly smile she couldn't quite hide. She had no idea… the real performance, the one I'd been rehearsing just for her, was finally about to begin.

Julian Vale—the undefeated actuarial prodigy—finally lost. In an international match, he got taken down by an intern who had just come back from overseas. The story blew up that same day. Reporters swarmed the training room entrance. "Ms. Clermont, Mr. Vale once said if anyone beat him even once, he'd marry her. Now that he lost to an intern, what do you think?" "Ms. Clermont, we heard the intern is his ex from overseas. Did you know?" My head buzzed. I thought about the five years I spent with Julian. I gave everything every match—and never beat him. I used to think he was just respecting the game. Thought I just wasn't good enough. Not until today—when he threw the match to that intern. That's when it clicked. The girl he wanted to marry was never me. I faced the mics and forced a smile. "That match was rigged."

Before the final match of the national championship, I received some devastating news. As the team captain, I was accused of having stimulants in my water. I was immediately disqualified from the competition and faced severe penalties, including the possibility of a lifetime ban. Amid the overwhelming boos and jeers from the audience, all I wanted was to prove my innocence to my girlfriend. When I called her, she said in mockery, “It’s just 300,000 dollars. You aren’t that broke, are you?” “You’ve already earned more than enough honors. If you’d let Ethan play earlier, I wouldn’t have had to pull this move. “He’s been diagnosed with cancer. He doesn’t have much time left. I had to make his last wish come true.” She had no idea that this match was not just any competition for me. It was my last before retirement. I wanted to win the championship. I wanted to propose to her. I also planned to reveal my identity as the heir of Everglory Group.

I'll make everyone who's humiliated, bullied, and harmed me get a taste of their own medicine tenfold!I don't know what people mean when they say I'm young and reckless. All I know is that the winner takes all!

My childhood friend and I were a pair of show-offs. Ever since I was little, I had to come first in exams, or I would feel miserable all over. My childhood friend was even worse. Not only did he have to come first, but he also wanted to make it look effortless. We pushed ourselves to the limit and shattered the citywide record. After taking first in so many things, even winning had lost its thrill. So when we transferred into the honors class at the state's top high school, we immediately asked what the highest score was. A classmate waved us off and told us not to get our hopes up. "Don't even think about first or second. Our top two are a couple known as the Genius Gemini. Forget about third place, too. The one in third place has held that spot forever, and nothing could change it." The homeroom teacher assumed we were transfer students who had pulled strings, so she coldly sent us to the seats beside the trash can. "You two new ones take the seats in the back on your own. This is the best class in the state. Know your place, keep your heads down, and don't drag down our average!" My childhood friend and I exchanged a look. Instead of getting angry, we were practically tingling with excitement. The Genius Gemini, huh? We would gladly take that title off their hands!