"Let him come up."
After receiving Aiden's permission, the staff member at Hoenn League headquarters turned to Leon.
"Mr. Leon, the Hoenn Champion will see you now."
A smile appeared on Leon's face.
He followed the staff member to the elevator and rode it all the way to the ninety-ninth floor—the highest level of Hoenn League headquarters.
There, he entered the floor reserved exclusively for the Champion.
Steven and Wallace were waiting outside to welcome him.
The moment the three men met, the instincts they had honed as powerful Trainers caused their expressions to sharpen.
This man was strong.
With that thought in mind, Steven smiled.
"You must be Champion Leon. Our Hoenn Champion is waiting for you."
Leon returned the smile.
"You must be Mr. Steven, the former Champion of the Hoenn League."
"Battling powerful Trainers has always been my greatest pursuit. Should the opportunity arise, I hope I can challenge you as well."
Leon's invitation immediately stirred Steven's fighting spirit.
He couldn't defeat Aiden, but that was understandable.
Aiden was practically cheating.
Leon, however, was merely the Champion of the Galar region.
Surely Steven wouldn't lose to him too?
Since he could no longer regain his confidence by fighting Aiden, perhaps he could do so by battling Leon before Leon faced Aiden.
For once, it should be Steven's turn to crush someone else.
With that thought, Steven smiled.
"Of course."
"Actually, the Hoenn League has an unwritten rule."
"Anyone who wishes to challenge our Champion must first defeat the regional Elite Four and both Vice Champions."
The moment Steven said this, Wallace immediately understood what his old friend was planning.
A smile appeared on his face as well.
"That's right, Mr. Leon."
"We understand that the Galar region has neither an Elite Four nor Vice Champions, but this is a tradition of the Hoenn League."
"We hope you'll respect our local customs."
"In other words, before challenging our Champion, you must first defeat me and Steven, the two Vice Champions."
Wallace's thoughts were quite simple.
Like Steven, he was a former Champion of the Hoenn League.
Aside from suffering repeated defeats at Aiden's hands, he had rarely lost to anyone.
Even his battles against Steven were currently evenly matched.
Yes.
Completely even.
What better way could there be to restore his dignity than by defeating the Champion of another regional League?
If everyone learned that Wallace had defeated Leon, it would prove two things.
First, that Wallace truly possessed the strength of a Champion-tier Trainer.
Second, that the Hoenn League was vastly stronger than the Galar League.
As expected of close friends, Steven and Wallace had arrived at almost identical ideas.
Both intended to prove their strength by defeating Leon.
There was nothing they could do about it.
Aiden had become so overwhelmingly powerful that Steven and Wallace could barely hold their heads up within the Hoenn League anymore.
It was time for them to recover some pride.
Steven continued,
"Mr. Leon, you came all this way specifically to challenge Champion Aiden, correct?"
"What do you think of our proposal?"
After hearing Steven and Wallace's words, Leon immediately understood the situation.
Galar was far from Hoenn.
It was only natural that these people did not know the extent of his strength.
However, Leon possessed absolute confidence.
He did not believe he would lose to Aiden.
Much less Steven and Wallace, both of whom Aiden had already defeated.
Even if the two men had previously served as regional Champions.
"Sounds good to me."
"But before the battles begin, I'd like to meet Champion Aiden first."
Hearing Leon agree, Steven and Wallace both smiled.
The three then entered Aiden's office together.
There, Leon finally saw the legendary Trainer he had heard so much about—
Aiden Flint.
The man who commanded Legendary Pokémon and had defeated the Champions of multiple regional Leagues.
Leon's first impression was that Aiden was incredibly young.
He looked almost like a rookie Trainer who had only just begun his journey.
Yet his strength was undeniably real.
Leon did not believe Steven and Wallace would deliberately throw their battles against him.
His fighting spirit rising, Leon looked at Aiden with blazing eyes.
"Champion Aiden, I'm Leon, Champion of the Galar region."
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
Aiden immediately stood and smiled.
"Mr. Leon, although this is our first meeting, I've heard a great deal about you."
"I've heard that your strength is extraordinary."
"I'm also looking forward to our battle."
Leon laughed heartily.
"That's exactly what I've been hoping for!"
"I came to the Hoenn League to battle its strongest Trainers."
"Mr. Steven and Mr. Wallace just told me that anyone wishing to challenge Hoenn's Champion must first defeat both Vice Champions."
"The Galar region has neither an Elite Four nor Vice Champions, so I'm willing to respect Hoenn's customs."
"I'll battle Mr. Wallace and Mr. Steven first."
"After that, I'll challenge you, Champion Aiden."
Aiden froze.
What?
Steven and Wallace had decided to challenge Leon?
Had being crushed by Aiden finally driven them insane?
Filled with confusion, Aiden glanced toward the two men.
Seeing the confidence written across their faces, he could only feel helpless.
"Ahem."
"There is indeed such a tradition."
"However, Mr. Leon is already a regional Champion, so there is no need for him to go through the usual process."
"If you don't wish to battle Steven and Wallace, you may challenge me directly."
Aiden was clearly trying to warn Steven and Wallace in a roundabout way.
Unfortunately, both of them were already carried away.
For the sake of their dignity, they were determined to battle Leon and recover their pride and confidence.
Seeing this, Aiden had no choice but to agree.
As for Leon, he simply loved battling.
He was happy no matter who his opponent was.
Aiden could only silently pray for his two friends.
Steven and Wallace might not know what they were getting themselves into—
But Aiden had seen the results of the Masters Eight Tournament.
Leon had been ranked first in the world.
Steven's highest ranking had only been third, and he had not even reached the final.
Later, he lost to Ash in his very first match and finished seventh.
As for Wallace...
He hadn't even qualified for the Masters Eight.
How exactly were they planning to defeat Leon?
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