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"What just happened???"
"Mr. Leon's Aegislash was actually taken out so easily?"
"Teacher Azure really came prepared. He completely saw through Leon's tactics and lead setup before the match—"
Not only were the audience's expressions extremely surprised, but even Leon himself was somewhat bewildered, staring at the fallen Aegislash and falling silent for several seconds.
Aegislash's tactics were simple to explain, mainly revolving around its ability.
By using King's Shield to constantly switch between offensive and defensive stances, it could focus all its limited power entirely onto the blade or the shield, greatly enhancing its immediate combat power.
It looked simple, but it heavily relied on the art of command.
If it could predict the opponent's moves, it would appear incredibly suppressive, easily dealing with the opponent's counterattack methods with every move.
But if it was the one being suppressed—
The weaknesses of insufficient defense in Blade Forme and the inability to flexibly handle status moves in Shield Forme would be infinitely magnified.
So, rather than saying Aegislash lost, it was more accurate to say that he, as a trainer, had lost to Aiden in terms of ability.
Teacher Azure really was amazing.
Using overly conventional tactics wouldn't yield any benefits against him.
As expected, he had to force himself to change his approach.
After recalling Aegislash, Leon didn't have much time to think.
He soon threw out another Poké Ball—
"It's up to you next, Haxorus!"
A massive bipedal dragon, its head adorned with giant axe-like horns and its body covered in hard armor, landed on the ground. Its crimson eyes flickered with fighting spirit.
Aiden raised an eyebrow, not too surprised by Leon's choice.
Haxorus was a Dragon Pokémon first discovered in the Unova region and specifically cultivated by the local Dragon Tamers.
However, due to its incredibly strong offensive capabilities and wide regional distribution, many elite trainers from other regions actually chose to raise it as well.
And Leon's Haxorus was one of his steadfast main picks. It could often single-handedly sweep multiple opponents by virtue of its own strength, helping the trainer turn the tide of the battle.
Aiden didn't even need to analyze this intel; anyone could know it just by watching a few match replays of the Galar League's Champion Cup.
As a defending Champion active in the arena for over five years, both players and various tactical analysis bloggers would heavily study him. Match replays could be found all over the internet—
So, in a sense, this was also one of the reasons why repeating as Champion was so difficult.
The more famous a trainer was, the more fatal the tactical dissection and targeting they faced. Often, it was the fledgling "dark horses" that were more troublesome to deal with.
Leon, who had burst onto the scene four years ago, had long proven this point.
When he first debuted, he was praised for his excellent match-reading ability and tactical setups, ultimately winning many victories through various unexpected moves.
This moment was exactly like back then.
"Ogerpon, suppress it with Play Rough!"
"Ogerpon~"
Upon Aiden's command, Ogerpon didn't hesitate. It immediately raised its Ivy Cudgel again, fearlessly charging toward the Haxorus that towered over it.
It was true that Dragon Pokémon could resist Ogerpon's main output method, but Play Rough perfectly made up for this.
Facing the aggressive Ogerpon that had just taken down one of his main forces, Leon chose a head-on clash this time.
"Haxorus, use Poison Jab!"
"Roar—!"
Through Aegislash's defeat just now, he had realized that defending blindly was impossible if he wanted to restrict the opponent.
Once the opponent caught an opportunity again, Ogerpon's Encore would make him repeat the same mistake.
Therefore, without even giving Dragon Dance a chance, he had to attack fiercely!
The two Pokémon on the field sprinted with all their might. As the distance rapidly closed, Ogerpon took the lead, swinging the Ivy Cudgel wreathed in Fairy energy and striking at Haxorus's thick, scaly armor!
After a dull thud, a look of pain appeared on Haxorus's face.
The restraining effect of Fairy energy on Dragon Pokémon goes without saying. The fact that it could tank this hit without letting out a painful howl showed its willpower was already terrifying.
And it quickly counterattacked. After fiercely spinning around, its long tail—which had somehow become coated in poison—turned into a whip, lashing straight at Ogerpon's back.
"Oger?!"
Ogerpon reacted immediately, subconsciously wanting to use its mask to block the attack.
However, the highly experienced Haxorus didn't give it a chance to defend. Its agile tail accelerated and changed direction, directly throwing off Ogerpon's center of gravity.
Smack!
"Oger!"
The long tail solidly struck Ogerpon's back, causing its figure to stumble several steps forward.
"Ogerpon, hold on and keep attacking!"
"Haxorus, show them our spirit!"
This time, because the distance between them was too close, there was almost no room left to think. Both sides tacitly chose to brawl head-on to the bitter end.
The battle instantly turned into a close-quarters grapple filled with the aesthetics of violence.
Ogerpon's Ivy Cudgel landed consecutive hits, practically denting Haxorus's scaly armor, looking shocking to the eye.
And Haxorus, having completely abandoned defense, didn't give an inch either. Its tail, dual claws, and even its teeth and twin horns all became tools for its offense, retaliating promptly with every hit it took.
Soon, many wounds also appeared on Ogerpon. After taking consecutive Poison Jabs, its body was gradually corroded by the venom, with several distinct purple poison spots appearing on its skin.
"Ogerpon!!!"
Injured, it frowned, converting all its pain into strength. It raised the Ivy Cudgel once more, fiercely leaping high into the air and smashing it down onto Haxorus's head.
Bang—!
The power of this strike made the over-two-meter-tall Haxorus practically shrink. Under the force of the "descended from the heavens" blow, more than half of its lower legs were driven into the dirt.
As for Haxorus, which had taken Ogerpon's all-out attack head-on, its willpower finally reached its limit. Still maintaining a defensive posture, it crashed heavily to the ground, completely unconscious.
"Ogerpon!!!"
Ogerpon let out an imposing roar, fully venting its emotions. Afterward, it clearly showed signs of fatigue, almost planting its butt right on the ground.
Fortunately, the moment it noticed its imbalance, Ogerpon propped itself up with the Ivy Cudgel, forcefully stabilizing its body.
"This is way too fierce, another one taking out two—"
"Ever since Teacher Azure caught Ogerpon, I feel a sense of security every time I see it. I can't even imagine what it looks like when it's taken down!"
"Leon is down 2:0, is Teacher Azure going to crush him today too?"
For this Ogerpon—cute in appearance but incredibly resolute and heroic on the inside—the audience didn't hold back their high praise.
If Teacher Azure really won this match, Ogerpon, which secured the first two points, would definitely be today's MVP!
Aiden naturally kept an eye on Ogerpon's performance.
However, having fallen into a poisoned state, it was now at the end of its rope. Leaving it on the field was clearly unwise.
So, as Leon raised his hand, Aiden similarly took out a Poké Ball, recalling Ogerpon, which still showed obvious fighting spirit on the field.
"What terrifying power—"
Leon sighed in genuine admiration.
Ogerpon's existence made Aiden's already versatile lineup even more flexible.
When it wore masks of different types, the roles and tactical functions it assumed were completely different. It suited Aiden's style perfectly—a style that revolved around using tactics to induce opponent mistakes and gradually secure victory.
However—
After having two points taken from him in a fierce offensive, Leon unexpectedly felt that he had finally sobered up a bit.
How long had it been since he last experienced defeat?
Leon didn't rush to throw out the next Poké Ball. Instead, he stood in place, questioning his own heart.
Ever since he won the Championship four years ago, it seemed he had been deliberately avoiding this eternal dilemma that plagued all trainers.
Leon was the Galar Champion, and even more so, the strongest Champion who won the Masters Tournament with an undefeated record.
Therefore, everyone in Galar entrusted their wishes to him, and he was happy to provide whatever meager help he could to the people of his hometown.
For everyone's sake, he had persevered on this path for four years. He had persisted until now and had never once felt lost.
But now—
Leon took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.
Today seemed to be the first time he had the thought, "I might actually lose."
The moment this thought appeared, fear surged into his heart like a tide.
What he feared wasn't himself losing the title of "Undefeated Champion," but rather that he didn't dare face the people of Galar who had given him their expectations.
Especially that child who had entrusted their wish to him to fulfill—
But if he continued to hesitate now, he would absolutely lose!
Leon clenched the Poké Ball in his hand, his expression instead breaking into a relieved smile.
'I'm sorry, kids who are probably watching my match right now.'
'Today, I might very well disappoint you.'
'Aiden is a good opponent, so strong that even I, going all out, might find it hard to defeat him.'
'But—'
'Because of that, I should enjoy this hard-earned "defeat"!'
"Teacher Azure, it's my turn to go on the offensive next."
Leon said with a smile, his eyes sparkling with a starlight that slightly surprised Aiden.
As expected, is everyone in the Pokémon world destined to achieve battle enlightenment?
Seeing that he was no longer lost, Aiden quickly revealed a smile and nodded at him.
"Even so, I won't easily hand the victory over to you."
"That's even better!"
As he spoke, Leon had already thrown the Poké Ball with all his might.
"It's up to you next, Rillaboom!"
"Go, Salamence!"
Two flashes of red light blinked simultaneously.
Rillaboom stomped onto the ground, and the field was quickly covered in a layer of green grass. A vibrant aura of life surged from below.
"Rilla!!!"
Salamence, upholding the dignity of the "King of the Skies," stopped in the air and arrogantly looked down, letting out a clear, intimidating roar.
It didn't choose to appear in its Mega form this time, so its Intimidate ability quietly activated upon entry, causing Rillaboom's hands gripping its drumsticks to tighten.
"Salamence, use Hurricane!"
"Rillaboom, dodge with Grassy Glide!"
Due to the Grassy Terrain spread when it entered, before Salamence could flap its wings and whip up a storm, Rillaboom had already reacted. A sliding glide allowed it to narrowly dodge the aerial assault.
The hurricane swept across the field, countless wind blades slicing the grass into fragments that fluttered in the air.
At the same time, while finishing the move, Rillaboom could use the momentum to leap up, attempting a counterattack in a "monkey fishing for the moon" posture.
Although it was dodged by Salamence, it was harmless.
As expected, Grassy Glide—
Aiden nodded.
If one had to name Rillaboom's most "authoritative" move, it was undoubtedly this priority attack that combined flexibility and power.
Even if the lethal power of this move was practically negligible to Salamence, he still had to be careful of its other tactical shifts.
Leon is a sly old fox; I definitely can't capsize in a ditch here—
"Salamence, harass it with Flamethrower!"
"Rilla!!!"
Salamence's greatest advantage was that it was a Dragon Pokémon capable of both physical and special attacks, with an incredibly wide movepool.
Even if Flamethrower was dodged by Rillaboom using Grassy Glide, the flames would also cause large-scale damage to the Grassy Terrain, rapidly compressing its dodging space.
As long as Rillaboom couldn't hit Salamence, it could practically wear down its stamina loss-free until the end of the match.
And Aiden's idea was quickly seen through by Leon, so he straightforwardly chose to recall Rillaboom.
Already at a type disadvantage and having suffered the effects of Intimidate, managing to force out the battle pattern of Aiden's Salamence was already a big win. It was better to focus on preserving stamina.
"It's up to you next, Seismitoad!"
Another flash of red light passed, and a blue-and-white, muscular giant toad appeared on Leon's half of the field.
The flames spewed by Salamence roared past, but the moment they touched Seismitoad's moist skin, their momentum immediately weakened significantly.
Seismitoad didn't suffer any substantial damage. Instead, the residual heat from the flickering flames struck the Grassy Terrain, quickly creating a small gap.
"He actually chose to switch?"
Because part of Leon's roster was fluid, Aiden genuinely hadn't expected him to pick Seismitoad this time.
After all, he had Ogerpon on his side. Seismitoad's fatal 4x weakness to Grass could easily be seized and infinitely magnified, allowing Ogerpon to easily set up—
But right now, Ogerpon's stamina no longer supported it going back on the field. Salamence didn't seem to have any effective offensive means against it either, and might instead have to take an Ice Punch or other Ice-type moves.
After thinking for a moment, Aiden also decided to recall the Salamence he had just sent out, just like Leon did.
And it was this brief moment of a flash of red light that gave Leon a chance to reshuffle the deck. "Seismitoad, use Rain Dance!"
"Seismi!"
Seismitoad forcefully raised both hands, mobilizing the energy throughout its body, which quickly gathered into a small water sphere.
As the small water sphere slowly rose into the sky, a dark cloud quickly drifted over the field, followed by a patter of light rain.
Rain, huh?
Aiden narrowed his eyes.
It was almost certain that Seismitoad had the Swift Swim ability.
In that case, Leon's side had actually gained the speed advantage?
After pondering for a moment, Aiden took out another Poké Ball from his pocket.
"Since that's the case, I'll leave the opponent to you."
"Go, Indeedee!"
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