"Charizard!"
Leon could not help shouting.
On the battlefield, two steel-like wings struck again and again. Charizard's body was left hanging sideways in midair, then smashed hard into the ground.
After it hit the grass, the pain surged through its body. The flames blowing from its nostrils slowly died out, and its wide-open eyes closed uncontrollably.
"Charizard! Charizard has been knocked down in a single exchange by Corviknight! It looks seriously injured!" Ryan roared, his eyes filled with disbelief.
This was Leon's strongest Pokémon. And it was a whole major tier higher than Corviknight.
"How did this happen?" In the stands, numerous experienced trainers stood up in shock.
Was it a move? An ability? A held item? Or the trainer himself?
What was the reason?
This was not scientific. It was not Pokémon logic.
Even Woods from the Hammerlocke police team slapped his forehead. He forgot to raise the banner and muttered, "Charizard got one-shot by Corviknight? This damn thing is actually real… Is Shiro really going to sweep all six?"
He exchanged looks with the team beside him. All of them saw the same confusion in each other's eyes.
The trainers behind them no longer cared that people were blocking their view. They were still wondering if what they saw was just an illusion.
Leon felt the same way.
How could his Charizard be defeated instantly?
It had to be that Corviknight was just too fast, making Charizard look helpless for a moment.
Leon shouted again at once, "Charizard, use Flamethrower! Charizard!"
But no matter how many times he yelled, Charizard remained motionless on the ground.
Ryan quickly announced, "Charizard has lost the ability to battle! Leon, please release your next Pokémon as soon as possible!"
Only then did Leon snap back to reality. He clenched the Dynamax Band on his wrist. The Poké Ball in his hand felt unusually heavy.
He had not even used Dynamax yet…
And Charizard had already lost.
How did Charizard lose?
Did this ever happen when Shiro fought Raihan?
* * *
"When I fought him, he never used power like this…"
In the lobby, Raihan stood among the gathered crowd, holding his chin with a grave expression.
Through the screen, his Dragon Power could not see the psychic glow covering Shiro and Corviknight. But he had battled both trainers before, so the difference was clear to him.
Beside him, Rylan was still stunned, his large face frozen.
Behind them, Milo scratched his head and laughed. "Ah… this is strong to the point it doesn't feel real."
"Normal. Totally normal." Marvin's voice drew everyone's attention. He spread his hands and explained, "Shiro is still Shiro. I'm used to it."
In truth, his mind was a mess. He had the urge to spin in place and then lie down on the floor.
This was Leon.
The undefeated Leon whose Charizard easily crushed the Ice Kid and sent him packing…
People talked about it so much his head hurt.
Was Shiro not here to get revenge for him?
Marvin forced himself to stay calm. He crossed his arms, half closed his eyes, and lifted his chin.
Nessa, on the other hand, was not very surprised. To her, since Shiro had truly returned, he must have come prepared.
Allister stood quietly at the edge of the crowd. He had no special thoughts. In his eyes, Shiro should win every match without exception.
"So he still wasn't going all out before?" Bea murmured, clenching her fists.
That had to be the reason…
Raihan in front of them neither agreed nor denied it. After thinking for a moment, he sighed.
"As impossible as it sounds, I'm starting to suspect this Shiro is fake."
* * *
"It has to be fake, right?"
In the observation room, Rose muttered to himself.
He stared at the exaggerated scene on the battlefield. Charizard had been defeated in just two moves.
That Corviknight had to be fake.
Wasn't Shiro traveling with Mesprit? This Corviknight was probably Mesprit using psychic power to disguise itself.
Rose curled a finger around the hair at his temple and let out a heavy breath. If Shiro wanted to end the battle quickly, then the timing would be extremely tight.
They had to prepare the capture operation now.
Today, even the Champion would stay in Wyndon.
Rose took out his communicator and made a call.
"Peony?"
On the other end, Peony started yelling the moment he heard the voice.
"Rose! What are your people even doing? You made me run from Wyndon to the coast, then from the coast to the company building. I found nothing but air…"
Rose held the device away from his ear and waited until Peony finished raging before putting it back.
With a smile on his face, he spoke steadily. "Come to the Wyndon Stadium now. Shiro is here… fighting Leon in the finals."
Peony fell silent at once and soon hung up.
At the same time, the roar from the stands surged into Rose's ears again.
"Shiro! Shiro! Shiro!"
"He's really going to win the Champion Cup!"
"Corviknight is unbeatable!"
"A full sweep. I said it before. He's definitely sweeping all six!"
"Champion!"
* * *
The distant cheers sounded like death bells, constantly pulling at Leon's already strained nerves.
He recalled Charizard and took out another Poké Ball.
Leon did not know what method Shiro had used, but Charizard was already defeated. If that method could only be used once, then he might still have a chance later.
He was the undefeated Leon. This was the Champion Cup final.
He could not lose.
Leon threw the Poké Ball hard and called out, "Come out, Cinderace!"
Cinderace was the final evolution of Scorbunny, the Fire-type starter of Galar. It stood upright, with long legs and specialized in powerful kicks.
Shiro glanced at it and roughly estimated its level. It was only at the peak of Gym-level.
Its advantage was its Fire typing, which countered Corviknight.
But it was still too weak.
Shiro did not hesitate and ordered calmly, "Corviknight, Air Cutter."
In midair, Corviknight casually flapped its wings. Blades of compressed air poured out like splashing water, carrying a cold glimmer.
"Cinderace, use Agility to dodge!"
Leon had just finished shouting when Cinderace was struck by an air blade that crossed dozens of meters in an instant.
Its body was blasted backward through the air. Its long ears shook violently. As the second air blade hit, it slammed hard into the psychic barrier at the edge of the field.
"Cinderace…"
Leon's pupils shrank as he stared at the motionless body on the ground.
"Cinderace has lost the ability to battle. Leon, please—"
Only when the referee's voice poured into his ears did Leon snap back to reality. He staggered back several steps before barely stopping himself.
Across from him, Shiro looked calm. His eyes shone brightly.
Leon was strong.
But under the combined boost of Mesprit and the two Unown, Corviknight's abilities had reached an unimaginable level in every aspect.
This was not a gap that one or two Dynamaxed Elite-level Pokémon could close.
Leon's path as Champion would be cut short here.
**
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