Lance vs. Cynthia.
Stephen was quite looking forward to this match.
Although he felt the original plot of Pokémon Journeys and the Masters Eight rankings were rather nonsensical—where champions seemed to have been significantly nerfed in terms of intelligence, with their Pokémon strategies and judgment even inferior to Ash and Paul from the Sinnoh arc—now that he was in this real-world setting, Stephen was eager to carefully observe these battles between champion-level Trainers.
"Shhh... Hah!"
For some reason, Cynthia, standing on the command platform, inhaled deeply and exhaled. In the next moment, her gaze turned sharp as a knife.
"Garchomp, Dragon Claw!"
The moment Cynthia's command was issued, Garchomp charged forward. In the blink of an eye, it was already in front of Gyarados. Its claws glimmered with a pale green energy, like twin massive blades slashing toward its target.
With one slash, it seemed to cut through the very air. The audience could almost hear the faint "whoosh" of friction.
"So fast!"
Wallace, who had just secured a victory, marveled.
Among pseudo-legendary Pokémon, Garchomp was indeed one of the fastest. However, its speed was slightly hindered after undergoing Mega Evolution, which was frustrating.
While base stats in the real world served more as a reference—after all, Dragonite's Speed stat was technically the same as Magikarp's, but that didn't mean their actual speed was comparable—Mega Garchomp's reduced Speed was still undeniable.
"Scale Shot!"
At the critical moment, mere meters before Garchomp's Dragon Claw could strike Gyarados, Lance gave his command.
Gyarados lowered its head slightly, and the scales on its back shot out like bullets.
Garchomp's eyes narrowed as it slashed at the incoming scales, deflecting them. However, a new wave of scales followed in rapid succession.
"Aqua Tail!"
Lance's gaze turned fierce.
Gyarados swung its tail, now enveloped in spiraling water, delivering a powerful blow aimed at Garchomp's side.
This Gyarados was one of Lance's original partners, joining his team around the same time as his Dragonite—though, in Stephen's eyes, it would eventually be replaced by a red Gyarados with greater potential.
Nevertheless, as one of Lance's longest-standing Pokémon, it was certainly not lacking in strength.
Boom!
The force of Gyarados's tail sent Garchomp flying.
"Miss Cynthia!"
In the audience, Caitlin, sitting with Elesa, Skyla, and others, suddenly jumped out of her seat, appearing more agitated than Cynthia herself.
Meanwhile, Garchomp, after being sent airborne, performed a backflip and landed steadily. Its legs touched down on the transparent protective barrier separating the battlefield from the audience, the barrier serving a similar purpose to the nets at soccer games in Stephen's past life—to prevent injuries to the spectators.
In the next instant, Garchomp crouched, then launched itself forward like a coiled spring, retracing its original trajectory.
"Dragon Rush!"
Cynthia swung her arm.
Mid-flight, Garchomp's body became enveloped in a blue-green aura, transforming into a roaring dragon-shaped energy as it charged.
"Waterfall!"
Lance chose to face it head-on.
Gyarados cloaked itself in a surge of water, resembling a charging war chariot, and collided with Garchomp.
Boom!
The heavy collision echoed in the ears of viewers worldwide.
But it wasn't over yet.
After the initial impact, both Pokémon were pushed back slightly by the recoil. However, they quickly steadied themselves and once again clashed, repeating their Dragon Rush and Waterfall moves.
The relentless "boom, boom, boom" of heavy collisions filled the air. The sight of the dark blue and white-blue figures clashing inspired awe in young Trainers watching from various regions—many of whom hadn't even received their first Pokémon yet.
"So this is what a battle between champions looks like?!"
Meanwhile, former champions like Drake and Drasna, who had been eliminated in previous battles, wore varied expressions as they watched. Unconsciously, they shared a similar thought: "I'm getting old."
Unlike their quiet appreciation, Alder's expression was tinged with regret. Two months earlier, his long-time partner, Volcarona, had passed away due to illness. Since then, he had wanted to step down as Unova's Champion. But unfortunately, there was no suitable successor.
Should they follow Kalos's example and push someone who wasn't Champion-level onto the throne?
"Garchomp, Stone Edge!"
After yet another clash, Cynthia changed tactics.
She believed that Dragon-type moves wouldn't be enough to quickly take down Gyarados. Instead, she opted for a Rock-type move, which had a type advantage.
Garchomp used the momentum to create distance, landing firmly before channeling its energy into the ground. Razor-sharp stone spikes erupted upwards in Gyarados's direction, resembling a miniature version of Precipice Blades.
"Waterfall!"
Lance's eyes remained sharp, issuing the same command as before.
Gyarados once again cloaked itself in water and charged forward like a tank, crushing the incoming stone spikes one by one.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The audience watched as Gyarados shattered the obstacles and steadily closed the distance to Garchomp.
"What's going on?!"
Caitlin slammed the table in shock. "Why does it feel like that guy's attack power is getting stronger?!"
"Look at the battlefield!"
Diantha furrowed her brows and pointed to the arena.
Everyone noticed it at the same time—the battlefield was now half a meter deep in water, making it resemble a Water-type battle stage.
"Lance's repeated use of Waterfall wasn't just to counter Cynthia's attacks; it was also to create a favorable environment for Gyarados," Diantha explained.
Though Diantha was considered mid-tier among the current crop of champions, her observational skills were far superior to those of Trainers like Caitlin and Elesa, who were still only Elite Four members.
"Not only that," Leon, watching from the competitors' lounge, narrowed his eyes. "The standing water is also weakening the power of Rock- and Ground-type moves, making them less effective."
"It's about to hit!" Raihan exclaimed from beside him.
As Gyarados barreled toward Garchomp with overwhelming momentum, everyone was curious about Cynthia's next move.
Cynthia's exposed right eye narrowed.
"Garchomp!"
She called out softly but firmly.
In response, Garchomp twisted its ankle, and in the very next moment, a row of stone spikes erupted from the water-covered battlefield, forming a jagged wall in front of it. Many of the spikes were angled upward, ready to intercept Gyarados's charge.
"If you've got what it takes, charge at me! Even if you break through the defense, these 'spears' will leave a few holes in you!"
A trace of hesitation flashed in Lance's eyes. The next second, he shouted, "Gyarados!"
Although Lance didn't issue a specific command, his trusted partner instantly understood his intent and came to a sudden halt.
It was clear that Lance realized that recklessly crashing forward wouldn't be worth the cost.
"The loss of his ace Dragonite is still too big of a blow," Stephen sighed from the VIP stands.
Nessa blinked her beautiful eyes and asked, "Stephen, what do you mean?"
Stephen chuckled and explained, "If he still had his ace Dragonite, he would've undoubtedly ordered Gyarados to go all out against the opponent, even in a mutually destructive exchange."
Having lost his ace Dragonite, and with his two Dragonair just recently evolving and not yet fully adapted to their shift from support to offense roles, this blue Gyarados had become Lance's new trump card.
Against an opponent of Cynthia's caliber, Lance wouldn't dare let Gyarados go for a reckless all-or-nothing exchange. Even if it managed to trade one-for-one with Cynthia's Garchomp, the rest of Lance's team would still be at a disadvantage compared to hers.
That's why Lance didn't let Gyarados charge forward recklessly just now.
"Dragon Rush!"
Almost immediately after Gyarados hit the brakes, Cynthia launched a counterattack.
Boom!
Dragon Rush instantly shattered the spiked rock wall in front of it. It was clear that the wall was smooth and spike-free on the inside.
The very next second, still brimming with momentum, Dragon Rush continued toward Gyarados, now less than five meters away.
No, it's too late!
At such close range, there was no time for Gyarados to dodge or counter with an attack of its own.
A dull collision sound echoed as Gyarados took the Dragon Rush head-on, its face contorted in pain.
"Not only do Lance's Pokémon need to adapt to the new battle style, but so does he," Karen commented, clearly seeing the situation for what it was.
The two Dragonair that had always served as support Pokémon had now evolved and needed to transition into offensive roles but were still in the adjustment period.
And wasn't the same true for Lance himself?
In the past, his team's roles were clearly defined: the ace Dragonite and Gyarados were the main offensive forces, while the two Dragonair provided support and assistance. Aerodactyl and Charizard acted as disruptors or assassins and often served as mounts as well.
Now, with the support Pokémon turning into offensive ones, the loss of his ace Dragonite, and Gyarados needing to adopt a more technical approach rather than brute force, there was a lot of adjustment required.
Both Lance and his Pokémon needed to adapt.
"Dragon Claw!"
Seeing that Gyarados hadn't yet lost its ability to fight, Cynthia chose to press her advantage.
"Ice Fang!"
Of course, Lance wasn't going to give up without a fight.
Garchomp's right arm burned with a green glow, instantly taking on the shape of a blade. At the same time, Gyarados opened its massive jaws, its four signature fangs turning icy blue and emitting faint white mist under the close-up camera.
One struck toward the opponent's throat!
The other bit toward the opponent's head!
"Who landed the blow!?"
At this moment, almost every spectator in the arena rose from their seats, leaning forward and craning their necks to see what happened on the battlefield.
The drones zoomed in for a closer look.
Finally, the world saw it.
Garchomp's blade-like Dragon Claw had pierced one-third of the way into Gyarados's throat.
Meanwhile, Gyarados's ice-coated fangs were mere millimeters — less than half a centimeter — away from Garchomp's forehead.
Thud!
The massive Gyarados collapsed heavily, sending water splashing everywhere.
Kukui, his eyes sharp behind his glasses, studied the scene for several seconds before confirming.
Realizing that Gyarados could no longer fight, Kukui raised his flag and declared:
"Gyarados is unable to battle. Garchomp wins!"
From the commentary box, Mary quickly explained:
"The first round between the two Champions has come to an end, with Cynthia's Garchomp narrowly defeating Lance's Gyarados."
"Just now, when Gyarados braked to avoid the Stealth Rock shield attack, Cynthia seized the opportunity. In terms of speed and agility, Garchomp still holds an edge over Gyarados. Not to mention, Gyarados had already taken a direct hit from Dragon Rush earlier, which affected its movements. It's already impressive that Gyarados managed to hold out this long."
"But honestly, for Champion Lance to regain his previous competitive edge after losing his ace Dragonite, he may need to—wait, what's going on with Chairman Rose? He seems very upset."
Noticing the commotion, Mary glanced toward the second-floor VIP stands.
Rose's furious shouting was loud enough to reach even the ordinary seats on the first floor.
"Lance, are you a complete idiot? How could you stop the attack in that situation!? You should've gone all out and forced a mutual defeat with Garchomp! At least that would've earned you a draw! When did you become so cowardly? A Dragon-type trainer acting like a spineless Pyukumuku!"
Rose's machine-gun-like rant left Lance momentarily stunned.
Who the hell are you? How I battle is none of your business!
Down below, Melony, Leon, and Raihan from the Galar gyms all shrank back slightly, feeling nervous.
In their impression, Rose had always been a calm and refined businessman. Why was he so agitated over Lance's match?
On the battlefield, Lance ignored Rose's outburst. After taking a deep breath to calm himself, he sent out his second Pokémon.
Here it comes — Dragonite!
Though it wasn't clear whether this was his second Dragonite or the third, Lance's ace Dragonite had always been easy to recognize.
It was a stark contrast to the harmless, golden retriever-like demeanor of most Dragonite.
Even Lorelei had once wondered if that Dragonite had a muscle issue in its face.
Then again, looking at Lance himself, it kind of made sense.
After all, they say Pokémon tend to resemble their Trainers.
The two Dragonair-evolved Dragonite, on the other hand, were much more normal. Aside from being slightly taller than average, they didn't stand out much.
"Take a rest for now, Garchomp."
Noticing the puddles of water still on the battlefield and Garchomp's slightly labored breathing, Cynthia decided to recall it and send out Togekiss, the final evolution of Togepi.
…
Just as Stephen and Karen had analyzed earlier, Lance's two Dragonite weren't yet fully adapted to their new offensive roles. Cynthia seized the opportunity to defeat them.
Considering Cynthia's team composition, with only one Pokémon left, Lance ultimately sent out Aerodactyl.
While Charizard might've been a better choice to counter Togekiss's Fairy typing, one couldn't forget that Cynthia still had her rock-specialist Garchomp waiting in reserve.
And as it turned out, Lance's judgment was correct.
The Aerodactyl effortlessly defeated the significantly weakened Togekiss, prompting Cynthia to immediately send out her Garchomp, already in a heavily injured state.
Although Garchomp could perform short bursts of flight using its jet propulsion ability, its agility was no match for the Aerodactyl. In the end, the Aerodactyl, in a critically low-health state, managed to defeat the already battered Garchomp.
However, when Cynthia sent out her Milotic, everyone knew that it was over.
Logically, the most frustrated person after Lance's defeat should have been Goodshow, the head of the Pokémon League Association.
Yet… in the viewing area for the league chairmans…
Aside from Kalos, the other league chairmans in attendance fell silent, and the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy.
Goodshow glanced at Rose, who suddenly smiled.
Rose was always smiling like this on the surface.
However, those who understood Rose—be it Oleana, standing next to him, or Peony, who had moved to Alola and was watching the match on TV—knew very well:
When Rose put on such a fake, insincere smile, it meant his anger had reached its limit.
But it was hard to blame him for being so furious.
After all, in Rose's original plan, Lance was supposed to serve as the perfect stepping stone for Leon to secure the second-highest position in the Pokémon League hierarchy.
Stephen had also agreed to separate Leon and Lance into different brackets, allowing them to face each other in the finals, with the winner going up against Stephen.
What Rose hadn't expected was that Lance would be such a disappointment—eliminated before even facing Leon.
"It seems that the new champion of the Indigo League isn't much to look at. The future of the Kanto region is quite concerning," Rose remarked with his trademark insincere smile.
"Chairman Rose, Lance had back-to-back battles against Agatha and Geeta, both champions. It's only natural for his Pokémon to be somewhat worn out," Goodshow tried to salvage the situation.
"Heh~"
Rose forced himself to calm down.
Fine, fine. Even though Leon didn't personally defeat Lance, at least Kanto's reputation had taken a hit.
Half the objective was achieved.
Next, Leon would take down Cynthia, and then challenge Stephen.
Even if Leon lost, he would still solidify his position as the second strongest in the league.
Then, in two years, once that thing was ready for Leon…
By then, Leon would be able to share the world with Stephen.
Perfect!
...
Two days later, Kukui announced the results of the final match.
"Spiritomb is unable to battle! Charizard wins!"
"Since all three of Champion Cynthia's Pokémon can no longer fight, the champion of this Alola Friendship Tournament, who has earned the right to battle our Alola League Champion, Dr. Stephen, is… Galar League Champion Leon!"
On the big screen, the portraits of Leon and Cynthia were displayed side by side. Next to Leon's name, icons for Charizard and Dragapult were still lit, while the icons for Cynthia's Milotic, Roserade, and Spiritomb had all dimmed.
This indicated that Leon had defeated Cynthia's three Pokémon with just two of his own, without losing a single one.
Such a result could only be described as a crushing defeat for Cynthia.
However, neither the live audience nor those watching the broadcast criticized Cynthia.
"The match is over. Let's congratulate Champion Leon."
"But Champion Cynthia has no reason to feel disheartened. After consecutive battles against Champions Lance and Wallace, her two key Pokémon, Garchomp and Lucario, were unable to fight. Reaching second place with her secondary team is already quite an achievement."
Indeed, this was why the audience did not blame Cynthia.
In her match against Lance two days ago, her Garchomp had been heavily drained.
In her battle against Alder, Lucario had also sustained injuries. After careful consideration, Cynthia ultimately decided not to let her secondary ace, Lucario, participate.
Under these circumstances, Cynthia had to rely on Spiritomb, Milotic, and other secondary Pokémon.
Losing to Leon was only to be expected.
Cynthia's decision was out of concern for her Pokémon. Even though the odds of success were slim, with Steven's example in mind, it was only natural for a 15-year-old girl like her to feel cautious and afraid.
However, in Rose's eyes, she had done this deliberately.
By doing so, she made it seem as though her loss to Leon was not due to a lack of skill, but because her main Pokémon were injured and unable to compete. Otherwise, the outcome of the battle might have been different.
This, in turn, diminished the prestige of Leon's championship victory.
"Just like Lusamine, that widow—so scheming!" Rose muttered, feeling utterly frustrated.
Sure enough, blondes are nothing but trouble!