[Bonus Chapter for Powerstones]
In the Footage—
The battle between Raihan and Leon officially began. It was a one-on-one match.
Raihan claimed to be Leon's only true rival, and though his rank was "only" seventh, his actual strength was far beyond that number.
As the strongest Gym Leader in Galar, he specialized in Dragon-types—much like Lance.
However, unlike Lance, who is effectively a "Flying-type Master" in disguise, Raihan's team consisted of genuine Dragon-types.
For this battle, both sides brought out their absolute aces! Leon used his Charizard, while Raihan called upon the Galar region's Dragon/Steel powerhouse, Duraludon!
There was no clear elemental advantage between the two; the battle rested entirely on the command of the Trainers and the capabilities of the Pokémon.
Both were at the pinnacle of the Champion class! The initial exchange was a stalemate, with neither side giving an inch.
Leon commanded Charizard to use Dig, Brick Break, and Dragon Claw—all moves specifically chosen to counter Duraludon.
Charizard's proficiency was terrifyingly high, suggesting Leon had put Charizard through rigorous training specifically for Raihan.
However, Raihan utilized Duraludon's Light Metal ability and its surprising speed to dodge most of the hits while using Iron Defense to bolster its sturdiness.
Duraludon even managed to land a Stone Edge on Charizard!
In the final clash of the base forms, Duraludon used Steel Beam against Charizard's Flamethrower.
The concentrated beam actually began to push back the flames! For a moment, it wasn't just a stalemate—Duraludon was actually suppressing Charizard!
However, Leon's Charizard proved exceptionally resilient. Normally, a Stone Edge from a Pokémon of that caliber would be a finishing blow, but Charizard didn't fall. Instead, the flame on its tail burned even more fiercely!
[Raihan: Did you see that, Leon?! That is the power I've obtained in the future! Your ace Charizard can no longer stop my Duraludon!]
Raihan was ecstatic. He hadn't expected himself to close the gap so significantly in the coming years.
In the footage, he was genuinely pushing Leon's invincible ace to the limit. Was he finally going to become the new King of Galar?!
[Leon: Haha, we're just getting started. Charizard is... at most, just doing a warm-up right now! The real battle begins now!]
Leon remained calm. As the Trainer who knew Charizard best, he could tell by the tail flame that Charizard was only just beginning to find its rhythm.
In the Footage—
After suppressing Charizard briefly, Raihan sought to capitalize on his momentum. He recalled Duraludon and performed Gigantamax! The Pokémon grew dozens of times in size, transforming into a towering skyscraper that pierced the clouds. Its sheer presence exerted an immense pressure.
Leon didn't hesitate. His Dynamax Band glowed with purple light as he Gigantamaxed his Charizard. A uniquely designed, fiery winged Charizard appeared on the field!
Raihan struck first with Max Rockfall—a 4x effective move against Charizard. Leon countered with Max Knuckle. The collision shook the entire stadium! The shockwaves were so violent that a purple barrier—the effect of King's Shield—had to be activated around the spectator stands to protect the audience.
When the dust cleared, Charizard was unharmed, but a visible scar appeared on the skyscraper-like Duraludon. Max Knuckle had pierced through the rocks to deal damage! Soon, a sandstorm whipped up—the secondary effect of Max Rockfall. In this weather, Duraludon was safe, but Charizard's health would slowly dwindle.
Sensing danger, Raihan ordered his signature move: G-Max Depletion! A massive purple vortex of draconic energy surged toward Charizard.
Leon responded with G-Max Wildfire. A flaming phoenix soared into the sky, clashing with the purple cyclone!
The stadium groaned under the pressure. Under the tense gaze of the audience, the purple vortex began to weaken while the flaming phoenix expanded.
Finally, the flames broke through, incinerating Duraludon! Despite the resisted typing, Duraludon's Special Defense wasn't its strong suit.
Under the continuous burn of G-Max Wildfire, Duraludon reverted to its base form and collapsed.
Leon—once again defended his title as the Unbeatable Champion!
[Bea: Ah... so that happened.]
[Nessa: Ah...]
[Raihan: Tsk, I still lost... Next time, it'll be me!]
[Leon: Haha, I welcome the challenge anytime, Raihan!]
Professor Oak's Backyard:
Red sighed as he watched. He was impressed that Leon could still improve while being "unbeatable" for so long.
The Gigantamax Charizard's power was reaching the level of a Primary Legendary Pokémon. Leon's talent was clearly on par with Ash's.
In the Footage—
As the match concluded and the two rivals shook hands, Raihan shouted to the stadium: "I'll win next time! The only one who can beat you... is me!!"
"Haha, I'll be waiting," Leon replied.
Suddenly, Ash stood up in the stands and screamed at the top of his lungs:
"The one who's going to beat Mr. Leon is ME!!"
Chloe: "!!!!"WHAT! ARE! YOU! DOING!!
Seeing thousands of eyes snap toward them, Chloe wanted to find a hole and crawl into it. This was the definition of a social death! Ash, however, showed no fear, continuing to shout: "I'm going to beat Mr. Leon and become the world's greatest Pokémon Master!!"
"Pikachu~~"
Social-butterfly Ash was fearless. Leon blinked, then gave a thumbs-up. "I'll be waiting for you, Ash!"
Raihan, who originally didn't care, narrowed his eyes. Who is this kid that Leon acknowledges? Some regional prodigy?
In the Commentator's Booth:
Cynthia let out a soft giggle. "Hehe, Ash is always so interesting."
"Champion Cynthia, you know him?" the announcer asked.
Cynthia smiled. "Of course. After all... he is the future world's number one Pokémon Master."
"Oh? You think he has that much potential? Even more than Leon?" asked a middle-aged man in a suit—Chairman Rose, the head of the Galar League and the Macro Cosmos Group.
"Ash is a very mysterious boy, Chairman Rose. You'll see if you spend time with him."
"Is that so? Perhaps I'll invite him to dinner. I always welcome talent."
"By the way," Cynthia added with a smirk, "if you're thinking of poaching him for Galar, don't bother. He has Professor Oak behind him."
Rose was startled. Professor Oak? That made things difficult, but not impossible...
"Not only that," Cynthia continued, "Ash is currently the Champion of the Alola League. So, Chairman Rose, don't overthink it."
Rose completely gave up on the idea of poaching. A Champion of another region? How do you poach that? Wait...
"That kid is a Champion??? How old is he???"
"He's a legitimate Champion. As for age... fourteen or fifteen? Around the same as me," Cynthia said playfully.
Rose: "..." Around the same as you? You're in your twenties, aren't you? There's at least a seven or eight-year gap! Did she forge her age?!
"I—said—we're—about—the—same~."
"Cough, yes... about the same. Champion Cynthia is a genius champion, after all."
[Catlin: Hahaha! Chairman Rose, if you're being threatened, just blink!]
[Flint: I can't breathe! Hahaha! I didn't know Cynthia had this side to her! I'm going to tease her for years!]
[Diantha: Age is a sensitive topic for girls~]
[Cynthia: Is there a problem? I'm eighteen at heart, so I'm not that far from Ash.]
[Catlin: Right, right. 'A wife three years older is like a gold bar; ten years older and you're in the bridal chamber.' Seven or eight years is just right for a romance.]
[Karen: Here she comes, Cynthia's number one shipper!]
[Cynthia:? Catlin, are you looking for a fight?]
[Catlin: Cough, never mind. Let's keep watching!]
In the Footage—
The commotion caused by Ash's declaration soon died down. Since his Alola Champion title wasn't yet world-famous, he was just seen as a rowdy kid for now.
As they walked out of the stadium, Chloe complained, "Can you warn me before you scream next time? I need to bring a mask to hide my face!"
"Ha Haha, was it that bad?"
Chloe put her hands on her hips. "Are you kidding?! It was super embarrassing! For a second there, I thought I was going to die!! Everyone's gaze was like fire burning me! I've never felt like that in my life!!"
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