[Raihan: Oh no… Leon's image is about to collapse.]
[Misty: Why does Leon kind of feel like what Ash would be like grown up?]
[Ash: You don't get it—that's the resonance between champions! I'm going to be the strongest Champion trainer!]
[Leon: Hahaha! Ash is right. I really like your spirit!]
The atmosphere among them was surprisingly lighthearted.
After all, Ash had just proven himself—
Through his bond with Pikachu, he'd stopped it from falling into a berserk state after Gigantamaxing.
On screen—
The two Gigantamax Pokémon were still locked in a fierce battle.
But both were so tough-skinned and durable…
If it went on, the entire outer ring of Wyndon Stadium would be destroyed.
Leon told Koharu to stay safe, then immediately ran over to Ash.
"This Pikachu—it's yours, right?"
"Of course! My Pikachu's amazing!"
Ash answered without even looking, completely on instinct.
But wait—that voice sounded familiar. He turned, only to see Leon smiling at him.
Leon explained his purpose:
Every Gigantamax Pokémon possessed its own unique G-Max Move.
His Charizard had a G-Max Wildfire.
And Pikachu's exclusive Gigantamax move was—G-Max Volt Crash!
Ash and Pikachu's talent was outrageous.
Even with Leon's simple explanation, they quickly grasped how to unleash G-Max Volt Crash.
Golden lightning ripped through the sky, crashing down with thunderous force.
The dazzling brilliance lit up the skies above Wyndon.
At last, the chaos caused by Dynamax energy came to an end.
And Ash truly understood the power of Dynamax.
He thanked Leon sincerely—for guiding him on how to properly wield Gigantamax.
But then—Ash suddenly changed the subject.
"Mr. Leon, battle me!" Ash's eyes burned with determination.
Leon was caught off guard.
Kids these days are this bold?
He looked about fifteen, sixteen at most…
And yet he had the courage to challenge him!
Even his little brother Hop, at Ash's age, was still just a beginner trainer.
But Ash's fiery gaze was infectious.
"You're Ash, right? … Very well. I accept your challenge."
Koharu rushed over, utterly shocked.
Idiot Ash, what are you doing?!
She was nearly speechless. Sure, Ash had mentioned wanting to battle Leon before.
But she thought he was joking!
Leon was the strongest Champion in the world!
And Ash was just… openly challenging him?!
Not only Koharu—the entire livestream audience was stunned!
[Alder: This kid's always been this reckless? He's just a Champion of a newly-founded league—not even a real regional Champion—and he dares to challenge the strongest? No offense to Alola League, of course, don't get me wrong.]
Truly worthy of Unova's long-time Champion—Alder knew how to cover himself.
Even in Unova, the gap between League Champion and Conference Champion was enormous—an unbridgeable gulf for ordinary trainers.
Ash was just… way too reckless!
[Misty: That's just Ash. For him, this is perfectly normal.]
[Gary: True. Ash has always been first-class at getting into trouble. He once picked a fight with a Nidoking when he was a kid. Totally fearless.]
[Ash: That's not true! I only went because I could tell Nidoking needed help, not to provoke it!]
[Lance: Still, being bold enough to ask for a battle against Leon… Ash really is something else.]
And indeed, it was true.
Facing Leon, most people could only gaze at him with admiration.
But Ash—he had the courage to challenge.
I may not be as strong as you, but I will never lack the courage to battle you.
[Leon: Ash, when your journey brings you to Galar, you must find me. We'll have our battle then. Just as Champion Cynthia said—I'm very interested in you. Join our Galar League. We need trainers like you.]
Those words, of course, came at Rose's suggestion.
Galar had a serious talent shortage.
In the past, Mustard had monopolized the Champion title for eighteen years.
Then Leon rose, undefeated since his debut.
But aside from them, only Raihan was worth mentioning.
For a developing region, one Raihan wasn't enough.
But an Ash? That would be game-changing.
Rose had already seen it—Ash's network was terrifying.
Champions and Elites alike admired him.
Even Professor Oak, the titan of the scientific community, was Ash's mentor.
This boy's potential was limitless!
[Cynthia: Excuse me, Leon, but Ash will be joining Sinnoh!]
On screen—
Though Leon accepted Ash's challenge, it wasn't to be fought immediately.
They arranged to battle the next day.
Leon, after all, was Champion of Galar—a region in the middle of rapid expansion.
His free time was limited.
Later that day—
Outside a café in Wyndon, Ash and Koharu sat beneath a sun umbrella, enjoying desserts and coffee.
"Ash, you're incredible! You actually got Leon himself to agree to a battle. That's Leon!"
"Huh? Isn't that normal? If someone challenges me, I'd never refuse."
"Pikachu!"
Pikachu nodded firmly in agreement.
To it, battles between trainers were the most ordinary thing in the world. Why was Koharu so surprised?
"No, it's different! Leon is Champion of the World Coronation Series. Only trainers of the Masters Eight can challenge him."
"Wait—there's a rule like that?"
"Of course! Didn't you check the World Coronation info on the plane yesterday?" Koharu asked suspiciously.
"Uh… well, I only looked at the battle results. Didn't really pay attention to the rules." Ash scratched Pikachu's head awkwardly, hoping to ease the embarrassment.
"Classic Ash…" Koharu sighed, though she decided she needed to give him a crash course on the Series.
For the first time, she felt that what she'd studied at school was truly useful—
because she could help Ash with it.
"The World Coronation Series has four ranks:
Normal Class: New participants up to Rank 1000.
Great Class: Rank 999 to Rank 100.
Ultra Class: Rank 99 to Rank 9.
Master Class: The Top 8.
Trainers battle others in their class to climb the ranks."
"Sounds complicated…" Ash rubbed his head.
"When you reach the Master Class, you're one of the Masters Eight—the eight strongest trainers in the world. Leon is Champion of the Masters Eight, the strongest of them all.
To battle him, you must first climb into the Ultra Class's Top 20, then earn a place in the Masters Eight."
"I… I think I get it. But even as the Alola Champion, I can't challenge Leon right now?" Ash asked, uncertain.
All he had taken away from Koharu's lecture was one point: only the Masters Eight could battle Leon.
All the rest slipped right through his mind like water through a sieve.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu just spread its paws helplessly.
It couldn't help it.
Ash was its trainer.
And so it had no choice but to keep indulging him.
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