"As expected, there's nothing wrong with Leon."
Elsewhere in the crowd, Milo sighed in relief beneath his straw hat.
"Yeah. The problem's Dylan," Nessa agreed, arms crossed and expression firm.
The brutal way Dylan had crushed Leon in their match had shaken the entire Galar Gym Leader corps.
They had all questioned themselves—was Galar just… weak?
But today's match made one thing clear: Leon was not weak. Dylan was simply terrifying.
"Leon's my eternal rival, after all," Raihan grinned, lounging back with his hands behind his head, legs swinging confidently. "No average Champion stands a chance against him."
"Word is that Elite Four Giovanni used to be Kanto's strongest Gym Leader. You feeling confident, Raihan?" Gordie teased.
"The Earthshaker, huh? Sounds fun," Raihan bared his teeth. After this match, he'd head to Kanto immediately. Tomorrow was his World Cup battle against Giovanni.
Before Dylan came along, Giovanni was considered the strongest Gym Leader in Kanto.
And Raihan? The strongest in Galar.
If Galar did have an Elite Four system, Raihan would undoubtedly be its top member.
Well… maybe not. Because the strongest Trainer in Galar after Leon was actually Gloria.
Yeah, Raihan knew full well: that sweet-faced girl was a monster of talent.
"Don't go crawling back after getting stomped," Gordie jabbed again.
"Hah! If that Giovanni guy can beat me, he's earned it." Raihan shrugged. He could take a loss.
Not that he expected to lose.
Back on the battlefield, the match was ending.
Iris had sent out her ace: Haxorus.
The pure Dragon-type evolved from Axew was formidable—and her undisputed trump card.
Leon paused… then didn't withdraw his heavily wounded Rillaboom.
Leon was just… too kind.
Alder exhaled in relief. If Leon had swapped out Rillaboom, Iris would've been swept—a full 6-0.
But Leon, in his own way, still gave her an out.
Rillaboom "gave up its head," so to speak—and was defeated.
Leon's second Pokémon: Dragapult.
And even though Iris fought with everything she had, her Haxorus stood no chance.
That Dragapult was even stronger than Rillaboom.
"Haxorus is unable to battle. Dragapult wins!"
The referee raised his flag.
"All six of Iris's Pokémon are unable to battle. Leon defends his title."
Iris stood frozen, eyes locked on her fallen partner.
She'd… lost.
The stadium erupted with deafening cheers.
"WOOOOOO!!!"
"LEON! LEON!! LEON!!!"
"He's back! He's finally back!!"
"He might not be #1 anymore… but I'm still yelling it: LEON IS NUMBER TWO!!!"
"Hold on now—our Steven's ranked second! That spot's his!"
"Lance fans here too—he ain't giving it up either!"
"Joke of the day: Dylan showed the whole world how to beat your boy Lance."
"Cough cough, this is Rika of Johto's Elite Four speaking. Gotta disagree—I think my teacher is still #2."
The internet instantly spiraled into debates over who the "Second Strongest in the World" truly was.
"Told you," Dylan nudged Wallace, pointing toward the dazed Iris on the field.
"If you'd challenged Leon, that would've been you."
Classic defeated CG.
Even as a Champion, once the gap became clear, the crash was hard.
Especially for a proud, talented girl like Iris.
But Dylan knew she'd bounce back—probably stronger than ever.
Still… catching up would take time.
"Doesn't make much difference," Wallace mumbled. "Blue trashed me too."
"Blue specifically countered your team. Everyone knows your lineup. But Leon? That was just raw power," Dylan replied.
"He's one hell of a Trainer," Steven added, stroking his chin. He was already mentally strategizing against Rillaboom and Dragapult.
Planning was one thing. Facing Leon in real-time? That was a different beast.
Leon's match with Iris added a new fire to the global discussion.
No one had expected this much strength from a guy who'd been swept by Dylan.
And everyone knew—Leon could've swapped out Rillaboom to complete a 6-0.
But he didn't. He gave Iris a shred of dignity.
That only made people ask a more pressing question:
If Leon is this strong… how terrifying must Dylan be to have swept him?
As the debate grew, attention soon turned to another match:
The Galar "Storm of Dragons," Raihan, versus Kanto's top Elite Four member, Giovanni!
It wasn't a "Masters Eight" matchup, but in the digital age, any fight between top-20 Trainers had insane hype.
Indigo Plateau.
"Uncle, don't embarrass Kanto's Elite Four, okay? Beat that loudmouth good!"
Blue leaned back with his leg crossed, looking as smug and cocky as ever.
"Heh… Storm of Dragons."
Giovanni chuckled, casting a glance at Raihan's profile on his phone.
That was his title.
Didn't matter.
Giovanni sipped his tea with serene confidence. No matter who the opponent was… he wouldn't lose.
After all, he was Giovanni.
And this time, his son, Silver, would be in the stands watching.
Giovanni was going to show him what a father could do.
Red stayed quiet, scrolling through the World Cup app to pick his next challenge.
He'd have started his own match already if not for wanting to watch Blue and Giovanni battle.
"Why do I feel like I'm the odd one out here?" Leaf muttered, filing her nails.
She wasn't too invested in rankings. As long as she kept her current spot, she was satisfied.
For the record, Leaf was currently ranked #20.
She wasn't slacking—just had other priorities.
Like… what to name her and Dylan's future kid.
She glanced over at Dylan, who was peacefully napping on Lillie's lap, enjoying a knee pillow.
Leaf puffed her cheeks.
Stupid man! You and Lillie aren't even blood-related! Have some boundaries, will ya?!
Lillie, blissfully unaware, continued gently stroking Dylan's hair.
1:00 PM – Indigo Stadium
Every seat was filled.
No surprise.
Giovanni was wildly popular in Kanto—not just as a Gym Leader, but now as an Elite Four member.
And today, a Galar Trainer was challenging their top-ranked elite.
Of course the whole region showed up.
After the MC's introduction, Giovanni stepped into the arena, dressed sharp in his signature black suit, exuding calm dominance.
Across from him: Raihan.
One hand in his pocket, the other snapping selfies with his Rotom phone.
Raihan loved life—and loved posting about it.
His social media was flooded with photos and battle clips. Even though he got mocked for his ten consecutive losses to Leon, he never let it bother him.
The guy had thick skin.
"Yo~ Mr. Giovanni, looking forward to this!"
Raihan flashed a bright grin and waved.
Outside of battle, he was friendly and easygoing—on the surface, at least.
"Likewise," Giovanni replied coolly.
"They say you specialize in Ground-types, huh? Funny—I've got a little experience with those myself."
Raihan's smile widened, flashing teeth.
"Hope you're ready to go all-out. I'm kinda strong, you know?"
He couldn't imagine losing.
Sure, Kanto's Elite Four were famous—but he wasn't worried.
He'd heard that even the third-ranked Kanto Elite Four member, Blue, had just crushed Wallace.
But whatever.
Giovanni used Ground-types. Raihan knew how to deal with those.
And besides—Ground-types would never beat Dragons.
"I hope you take this seriously, Mr. Raihan. It'd be a shame to send you back to Galar looking like a fool."
Giovanni's tone was calm… but the confidence behind it? Ice-cold.
"Oh?" Raihan's eyes sparkled. "Interesting guy!"
The referee stepped in to explain the match rules.
The scoreboard's arrow began to spin.
"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Blue grinned. "That's the spirit Kanto's Elite Four should have!"
No pushovers. No apologies.
Just pride.
Blue was loving it.
What, you thought anyone could compare to Kanto's crew?
Please.
Frankly, Blue thought Kanto deserved four slots in the Masters Eight.
Not five—Leaf didn't count.
Sure, she was strong. But her heart wasn't in it. All she ever thought about was Dylan.
No big deal though.
Dylan #1. Himself #2. Giovanni #3. Red could scrape by at #4.
That was plenty.
Let the world see Kanto's power.
"Who do you think will win?" Wallace asked curiously.
Wallace and the others were currently in Kanto too. No scheduled matches for them today—and with the tournament in full swing, regional travel was frequent.
"Raihan's strong," Leon said cheerfully, arms folded.
Naturally, he was rooting for his friend.
"Hey, Leon. What's the most Pokémon Raihan's ever knocked out in a battle against you?" Dylan asked casually.
Raihan's power level was… hard to pin down.
According to his league card, "If Raihan went to another region, he'd be Champion."
No doubt—he was Champion-level.
Also from his card: "Though he's lost to Leon ten times, he's defeated more of Leon's Pokémon than any other Trainer."
Sure. But considering he challenged ten times, that stat didn't exactly impress.
The real question: how many of Leon's main team had he ever defeated?
"Uhh… best showing?" Leon thought for a moment.
"Maybe… two."
"You held back, didn't you?" Dylan asked.
Leon didn't reply.
But everyone knew the answer.
When Leon wanted to enjoy a battle, he had to hold back.
"Then let's see how many of Giovanni's team Raihan can take down," Dylan smiled.
Champion in another region?
Sorry, buddy.
Every single member of Kanto's Elite Four could be a Champion—anywhere else.
(End of Chapter)