The fight went on for quite some time. Charizard was down to his last bit of health, while Hiki's entire team had been defeated, but… they did it. Eternatus was weakened just enough for Leon to capture it.

Hop and Gloria had finally made it to the top of the building, which meant that they had probably defeated Rose in the power plant. Hiki turned and called out to them, relieved to see them both. "You made it!"

Leon turned around to greet them as well. "You came to help me in spite of the danger? Thanks, Hop. And you too, Gloria. You two really have grown tremendously!" It was hard to admit, but he was actually thankful for all the help he was receiving. The good news was it was almost over. "But no need for you kids to worry. It seems like some power of Eternatus's was keeping my team from Dynamaxing, but… we've had a Champion time all the same." He still held Hiki's hand tightly. "My champion team members and Hiki's Pokemon have really worn Eternatus down. Now if I can simply catch it in a Pokeball, we should be able to get this madness under control. Then everything will be back to normal." At least he hoped that was the case… But he kept on a brave face for the two young trainers and Hiki.

He looked down to the ball in his hand. All he had with him were regular Pokeballs that he carried with him to help new trainers learn how to catch Pokemon at the start of their journey. In this rush to make sure Hiki was okay and take care of the danger, he never thought to stop and get something a little more powerful. But he had to try, anyway. It was his duty to protect everyone at any cost! "So watch this! It's going to be a real champion catch!" He tossed the ball at Eternatus as it cried out.

Hiki gasped as the Pokemon was absorbed into the ball. Hop jumped up and down with excitement, but… Leon put out his hand, his eyes widening. Something wasn't right. He looked over to his Charizard, who knew exactly what to do. The ball burst open, completely shattering on the spot and sent a powerful blast their way. Charizard flew to Hop and Gloria, using his body and wings to protect them from the blast. Leon jumped in front of Hiki and wrapped his arms around her tightly, attempting to shield her with his body. But unfortunately, the two were sent to the ground.

Hiki groaned as she tried to sit up, needing to slide herself out from underneath Leon's body. But that was when she noticed… he had been knocked unconscious! "Leon?!" she shouted, starting to panic. She placed her hands on his face. "Hey… You gotta wake up! Please!"

Eternatus roared loudly, the beast much angrier than it was before. Hop looked over at his brother and Hiki, and back to Charizard and nodded. The large lizard flew over to the couple and landed next to them. "You two need to get out of here! Get Lee to the hospital! Gloria and I will handle the rest!"

Tears were streaming down Hiki's face. She really didn't know what to do. Did she do as Hop said and leave? Or stay and help the younger trainers? What was the right thing to do? How did Leon constantly act under pressure like this? So many questions were swirling through her mind.

Charizard made a grunt and nudged her cheek with his nose. It was clear he was worried about his trainer, but there was something else she could read in his eyes. It seemed as if he believed in Hop and Gloria… She sniffed and wiped the tears from her face and nodded. "Okay, let's get him out of here." Charizard lowered his body to the ground to make it easier for Hiki to get Leon on his back. Once he was up there, she stood up, feeling an intense surge of pain in her right ankle and crouched back down to the ground. "Aah-!" She must have twisted it when they fell…

This was a disaster… And she couldn't help but feel like a lot of it was her fault. Leon got hurt trying to save her. That was something she was never going to forgive herself for. She stood back up and winced at the pain and hopped up on Charizard's back. As they started to fly away, Hiki looked back at Hop and Gloria just in time to see two wolf-like Pokemon join them in battle. What were they? Before she was able to find out, Charizard swooped down in front of Hammerlocke Stadium, where Raihan stood keeping watch. To keep everyone in his town safe, he made sure no one else was able to get into the gym.

When he saw the Pokemon flying toward him, he ran to meet them halfway. "Hiki, what happened?"

"Leon got knocked out by Eternatus! We need to get him to a hospital! Where is the nearest one?" Hiki responded.

He looked back to the entrance of his gym. By now everyone should have been warned of the danger. If he left for just a moment, everything should be okay. "Follow me!" He let out his Flygon from its Pokeball and hopped on its back to lead them to the hospital.

They made it to the lobby and got Leon on a stretcher and the nurses took him away. Hiki stepped off of Charizard's back and put him back in his Pokeball for Leon. She limped over to Raihan to thank him and he noticed the way she was moving immediately. "I think we should probably get you checked in, too, Hiki…"

"I'm fine, Rai… We got Leon here and that's all that matters. I just really hope he will be okay." She stared down at the ground as she said this, tears filling her eyes again. "This is all my fault… Listen, I'm really sorry for what I did to you earlier. I really didn't think things were going to end up this serious." She sniffled. "And then he got hurt trying to protect me, and… and…"

Raihan sighed and pulled Hiki into a hug, just letting her cry into him. "Hey, it's alright. I'm not mad at you. I know Leon isn't either." He rubbed her back as he spoke to her. "None of this is your fault. Even if you hadn't been there, Rose still would have interrupted the Champion Match to get Leon to capture Eternatus for him. He still would have ended up fighting it. At least with you there, he wasn't fighting it alone, and I know that probably meant the world to him."

Hearing that last part, made her feel a lot better. "Do you think he will be okay?"

"Probably. You really think the Undefeated Champion Leon could actually go down this easily? Just give him some time, and I'm sure he will bounce back real soon." He pulled away from their hug and glanced down at her swollen ankle. "Now, I think it's time I repay you for icing my foot earlier. We need to get some on yours." Knowing she would probably protest again, he lifted her up with one arm and practically threw her over his shoulder and took her to the front desk to get her checked in. She yelled and hit his back with her fists a few times, but ultimately gave in, knowing he was only doing this because he cared.

Hiki's injury was taken care of relatively quickly. They wrapped her ankle and foot in bandages and gave her a crutch to use when she walked. They didn't require her to stay over night for an injury like that, so after she was done, she went back out to the lobby to meet up with Raihan once again.

When she asked if he had heard anything about Leon while she was gone, he informed her that he just had some minor injuries to his head and a few other areas on his body, and that he would recover with some rest.

She breathed a huge sigh of relief and sunk into her chair. "Thank goodness… I wonder if they would let me see him."

"I'm sure they will, but before you go, you have to see this!" He held his phone out to her and showed her a news article he had found. According to it, Hop and Gloria not only defeated, but captured Eternatus, and Rose had turned himself into the police. Everything was going to be okay…

"That's amazing… I knew they could do it! Leon will be so proud…" She smiled softly, feeling proud, herself. She had known Hop for just about his whole life. It was so nice to see how much he had grown over the years.

"You bet he will! Now come on, let's get you to his room." Raihan stood and held out his hand to help her up. Even if he wasn't staying, he still wanted to help her to Leon's room before he left.

When they arrived at his room, she discovered he was asleep. The nurses told her and Raihan on their way in that he came to a little earlier and they filled him in on everything that happened.

She placed Charizard's Pokeball on the nightstand next to his bed and stared down at the sleeping champ. He had to be exhausted… Between everything that had happened that night and all the stress he had been under recently, she didn't blame him. She could only hope that since Rose turned himself in to the police, that his work life would be a little different. There were bandages wrapped around his head, and a few on his arms. What kind of boss did that man think he was… putting Leon in that kind of danger so willingly. It made her sick.

She took a seat on the chair by the window. It was late, but she didn't want to leave his side. The chair wasn't the most comfortable thing, but she figured she would make due until morning. She took a small table and placed it in front of the chair to prop her foot on. Leon's cape was draped over the back of the chair, so she wrapped it around her shoulders like a blanket and curled up to the best of her ability to try to get some rest.

In the middle of the night the Champion stirred in his sleep, slowly sitting up and rubbing his sleepy eyes. He was still very sore from the battle. As he sat up, the Pokeball on the nightstand caught his eye. How did that get there? He then turned to see Hiki curled up in his cape, sleeping in what looked to be a very uncomfortable position with the way her leg was propped up. Was she there because she was worried about him? Regardless, he couldn't allow her to stay there all night.

He quietly got out of bed and walked over to her side of the room. He carefully scooped her up in his arms, cape and all. It was a bit of a struggle with the way his body felt, but he tried to ignore the pain.

A few steps into carrying her, however, he felt his legs almost give out. He didn't drop her, thankfully, but he did wake her. She opened her eyes just as he silently cursed himself for being so clumsy. "Leon… what are you doing? You're supposed to be resting…" she said, a sleepy tone in her voice.

"I couldn't sleep knowing you couldn't possibly be comfortable… so I'm bringing you over here with me." He tried his best to hide the fact that he was struggling. It would only worry her more if she knew. But he was determined to bring her safely to his bed where he knew he could hold her tightly for the rest of the night.

As he placed her gently on top of the bed, she responded. "I was just fine, though. And besides, couldn't we get in trouble if the hospital staff came in and saw me in bed with you?"

He climbed into the bed next to her and pulled the covers over them both before he wrapped his arms around her once again. "We'll be fine. We have a lot of time to make up for… I've been away from you for so long and… I'm really sorry for that."

She snuggled close to him, very happy to be in his arms again. "I forgive you. It really wasn't your fault…" She sighed and looked up toward his face. "I'm so sorry for what I did today… I was reckless and probably made things a lot more difficult than they should have been. I'd understand if you were upset or disappointed in me."

He kissed her forehead, hoping to show her that wasn't the case. "I should have just been honest with you from the beginning… I was just so scared of putting you in danger, but that was exactly what happened anyway." His grip on her body tightened just a little as he thought back on what could have possibly happened to her. "I wanted to keep you as far away from Rose as possible. Once you're on his radar, it's practically impossible to get off of it. It was also why I was so hesitant to endorse Hop and his friend…"

"But you were right to do so! Because of them, we don't have to worry about him anymore!" she said.

"Those two really have grown a lot over this year… And to think Gloria made it to battle me for the Champion title! I know the doctor said I have to stay here for the next few days, but I'm anxious to get out and battle her!"

Hiki let out a happy hum and rested her head against his chest. She was so glad to hear him talk about the things that excited him. It had been a while since they had the time to talk like this. "She will put up a good fight for sure! But she will still be no match for my darling champion."

He chuckled, his face turning red at her compliment. "Heh, thank you for always believing in me!"

"I always will! I love you, Lee…" She closed her eyes, ready to fall back asleep, but this time in his arms.

He buried his face into her hair. "And I love you. Get some rest, okay? I'm sure we will have lots of visitors in the morning."