"Mega Evolution?"
That one simple phrase completely captured Leon's attention.
Of course he had heard of this special way of empowering Pokémon.
While Mega Evolution didn't boost a Pokémon's endurance to the same degree as Dynamax…
In terms of raw output and other aspects, Mega Evolution was by no means inferior—if anything, it could even surpass Dynamax.
What was even more important: this form of power-up wasn't limited by time or location.
As long as a Pokémon could withstand the force, Mega Evolution could be maintained indefinitely—far more flexible than Dynamax.
As a battle maniac through and through, Leon had naturally thought about mastering Mega Evolution himself. If he could, he might try combining it with his Charizard's Gigantamax form.
Who knew? Maybe the two stacked together would spark some strange chemical reaction.
A Gigantamax Mega Charizard Y, perhaps? Just imagining it made him giddy—the sunlight-boosted signature move of a Gigantamax Mega Charizard… what a thrill.
Unfortunately, Mega Evolution was nowhere near as simple as he had imagined.
Just tracking down the right Mega Stones already took a tremendous effort, and Leon never had the time to spare.
At this point, if Leon truly wanted to push his strength to the next level, his best option might be to… retire.
That way, he could devote more time to researching battles, much like Master Mustard, who had gone into seclusion on the Isle of Armor.
But for now, Galar still needed him. He couldn't just cast aside the responsibilities of Champion for the sake of his own ambitions.
"Mhm, I've been researching this special evolution recently. I even caught a few Pokémon specifically for it," Haru explained.
The group didn't linger long on the subject. Considering the dangers of Glimwood Tangle, they decided it was best to leave first.
According to Cynthia, Steven was currently at a mine near Spikemuth. Supposedly, he had dug up some extraordinary fossil and was planning to have it appraised later.
Still, Haru didn't feel any rush to seek him out. Steven had just finished a miner's shift and deserved some rest—there was no need to disturb him now.
So the group returned to Leon's house.
By this time, Liko and Korrina were already growing anxious, but the moment they saw Haru, both let out a breath of relief in unison.
Sure enough, Haru was always reliable.
Leon sent the shaken-up Gloria and Hop off to rest first. The rest began preparing dinner—
That was when Mew suddenly jumped in, declaring she could handle the cooking herself, promising it would be far better than anything the others could make—and she didn't need help.
Haru wasn't so sure and wanted to watch over her in the kitchen.
To his surprise, Mew readily agreed. But when she nodded, her face carried an unusual flush of red.
That made Haru hesitate. Was this all just a ploy to get him alone with her in the kitchen?
He stared at her for three whole minutes before concluding she truly seemed "fine." At last, he stepped out of the kitchen—
But not before deliberately leaving Mewtwo behind. If Mew tried anything suspicious, Mewtwo would put a stop to it immediately.
Mew only smiled at that, without a single objection.
---
With everything settled, Haru returned to the courtyard where everyone had gathered earlier.
He saw Leon handing out the Galar starter Pokémon to Gloria and Hop.
In front of them, three small Pokémon stood quietly, nervously eyeing the trainers before them.
On the left stood a green monkey, in the center a blue lizard, and on the right a standing rabbit.
At this stage, they all looked quite adorable.
These were the three Galar starters: Grookey, Sobble, and Scorbunny.
And each of them, in their own way, was heavyweight material.
Grookey's final evolution, Rillaboom, was so powerful it was nicknamed the "Fifth Tapu." With its ability Grassy Surge and access to moves like Grassy Glide and Fake Out, it was a menace.
If Scarlet and Violet hadn't axed Grassy Glide, Rillaboom would still be terrorizing the meta, paired with Ogerpon as the terrifying "Sliding Siblings." But Game Freak gutted it—utterly merciless.
Like releasing Dragoon Knight only to send Lockcat Serpent straight to the banlist.
In doubles, Rillaboom and Incineroar were legendary as the infamous "Tiger and Gorilla" duo—both absolute titans.
Scorbunny's final form, Cinderace, was no slouch either. Its ability Libero—nicknamed "mini-Arceus Plate"—ensured it could never truly be weak.
By changing its type to match the move used, a Cinderace with diverse coverage could never be type-countered.
Of course, the downside was a gutted movepool, and in Scarlet/Violet it was nerfed to "once per battle." The so-called "freedom" of Libero was left as hollow as the "free fall" meme.
But that was in the games. In real life, there was no "once per battle" limitation. Such Pokémon would never be weak.
Both Gloria and Hop had clearly studied ahead of time—hence their hesitation now.
Leon let them take their time, then finally smiled:
"Kids, have you decided?"
"Hmm… which one should I pick?" Gloria murmured, nervously biting her finger.
At last, she made her choice.
"Scorbunny—would you like to come with me?"
She crouched down gently to ask.
The little rabbit circled her twice, then excitedly leapt up for a playful high-five strike.
"You chose Scorbunny, huh? Then I'll take Grookey," Hop said after some thought.
From a typing standpoint, Hop would be disadvantaged. But neither starter was weak, so his choice wasn't strange.
Watching all this, Haru finally exhaled:
"A new legend is about to begin."
"Leon, if one day either of these two drags you off the throne of the strongest… will you regret it?"
Leon blinked, taken aback. "Them?"
The walking billboard didn't quite catch Haru's meaning.
Sure, he believed in Hop and Gloria, but he had never once considered they could threaten his position—let alone defeat him.
But…
"Wouldn't that be a good thing? If I can't uphold the title of strongest, then it should be passed down to an even stronger trainer.
Whether it's Gloria or Hop—if they truly have the strength to stand before me, the only thing I'll feel is excitement and pride."
Haru hadn't lowered his voice, so not only Leon but Gloria and Hop also heard his words.
Hop was rattled.
"Me? Beat my big bro? You've gotta be kidding!"
Though he always set Leon as his goal, deep down his feelings were pure respect and admiration.
Surpassing Leon? Impossible—he didn't even dare think it.
After all, to him, Leon was the very symbol of invincibility in Galar.
Gloria, on the other hand, stayed calm. She looked from Haru to Leon, seemingly pondering. She certainly showed little reverence.
Leon noted both their reactions but said nothing—only clapped his hands together and spoke:
"Alright then, since you've got your Pokémon, how about a battle?
The Galar League's about to begin, and you'll need to get used to battling fast.
And… even if you're my brother and my neighbor, I'll only give you an invitation if you earn it through battle."
His tone grew more serious.
In Galar, Gym Challenges had thresholds. They only opened during League season.
And to participate, one needed an invitation from an elite trainer.
Though not impossible to obtain—sometimes just being acknowledged in a chance battle was enough—it ensured only the worthy stood on the League stage.
Of course, Leon giving invitations to brand-new trainers was blatant favoritism. He just dressed it up nicely.
Pokémon wasn't all battles—sometimes it was pure human politics.
"A battle? Of course! Let me show you my strength!" Hop declared, regaining his composure. Gloria nodded in agreement.
But Haru suddenly spoke up: "Wait—how about I join this battle too?"
"???"
Everyone froze, dumbfounded.
Come on, man—it's one thing to fish for easy wins, but going after fish eggs? At least fight fry, not embryos.
You had Mythicals, Legendaries, Sub-Legendaries… and you want to battle us?
Fight Haru? Seriously?
"Don't misunderstand—I mean this child will battle."
He tossed a Poké Ball, releasing a tiny figure with flowing blue hair.
It was the Ralts he had recently caught.
"I wasn't planning to interfere, but this one… has too much of a battle drive."
Much like Mew had… other drives.
But compared to Mew's quirks, Ralts's eagerness was harmless—just a natural-born battle maniac.
The Ralts paid no mind to Haru's commentary. She immediately stretched out her arms toward him, wanting a hug.
"A blue Ralts?!"
"Wait—is that a shiny Pokémon?!"
Gloria was stunned. Even in reality, shinies were exceedingly rare—rarer than in the games.
The in-game odds were about 1 in 4,000, but Haru estimated real-world odds were several times worse.
Many people owned pseudo-Legendaries, but had never once seen a shiny.
Not that shinies were necessarily stronger than normal ones…
"Yeah, I only caught her recently. So I'm not that far ahead of you," Haru said, scooping the little beauty into his arms. She wriggled happily, clearly content.
"If that's the case…" Hop hesitated.
Trainer skill mattered, but so did Pokémon strength. And if Haru suddenly decided to "warm up" after the battle and fight personally… well, Hop remembered clearly how Haru had kicked those Houndour flying before.
It was hard to believe someone like that was even human.
While he worried, Gloria promptly nodded.
"No problem—let's battle!"
She was about to throw her Poké Ball when Haru stopped her.
"Wait—I mean I'll take on both of you at once."
"W-what? That's underestimating us too much!"
Hop lost his cool and sent out his Pokémon.
No matter the gap in trainer ability, could a freshly caught Stage 1 Pokémon really fight 1v2?
Even Hop wouldn't accept such an insult.
Ralts bristled at Hop's tone—sparks of battle were about to fly.
So… who would emerge the victor?
Seconds out!
---
Meanwhile…
Cynthia, sitting in Leon's living room, began feeling hungry again. She rummaged through her bag, only to discover her stash of sweets was gone.
Restless, she paced twice, then decided to check the kitchen.
Following the hallway, the Sinnoh Champion arrived at the kitchen door in the dim light—
Only to find it firmly locked.
What on earth was going on?
Cynthia frowned, suspicion piqued.
After a moment's thought, her curiosity got the better of her. She had to find out.