Champion match! And don't worry. This is not the end of the story yet. There's still a bit more so enjoy!
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The sound of the crowd could be heard the moment Fiora stepped into the tunnel. It might even be louder, more hyped than last time. Then again, the stadium should be even more packed than before. News reports said that tickets for the match had sold out faster than any championship match in Galar League history. Due to high demand, league officials scrambled to expand the audience seating. Whoever couldn't see this match in person would be watching the live broadcast. Not just Galar; the world.
Yet, the intensity of the crowd and the highly anticipated battle wasn't making Fiora anxious at all. Champion he may be, it was still Leon. It was like facing against her cool older brother and showing him how far she's come since he gave her that first push into the journey. Hop was somewhere in the crowds too; Fiora would make him proud.
When Fiora emerged from the tunnel, the crowd's cheers reached maximum volume. Definitely more people and pokemon in the stands compared to last time.
"My matches always sell out but I've never seen a crowd this wild!" Leon greeted as the two arrived at the center of the field. "The Unbeatable Champion versus the Modern Legend, the hero who fought against Eternatus with Zamazenta and Zacian!"
"I've never seen you this excited!" Fiora remarked.
"Can you blame me? I've been itching for a battle like this for ages! Crushing you into the dirt can show Galar just how strong their champion is!"
"Really? Well my team and I aren't going to hand you the victory. You'll have to pull out all the stops to beat us!"
"Now that's what I want to hear! Let's show Galar a match for the ages! Let's have a champion time!"
The two opponents each went to their side of the match. The referee made the final checks, to make sure the match was good to go. Leon slapped his cheeks, trying to make himself focus. He threw off the champions cape. Fiora took a deep breath. Her senses tuned out the noise, the background, everything outside the arena. But she could feel it. She could sense Hop from somewhere in the stands, cheering her on. Her mother, watching from home on the tv. Fans, in and out of the stadium, all pinning their hopes onto her. And of course, her pokemon. They were more than ready for what was to come.
With a whistle, the referee signaled the beginning. Leon and Fiora each tossed out a pokeball with the first pokemon of the match; Urshifu vs Aegislash. Aegislash started the match with a Sacred Sword. Urshifu used Bulk Up to help the stats. Aegislash, assuming an attack was coming, switched into King's Shield. Fortunately, it wasn't Urshifu's plan to attack yet. Another Bulk Up to increase the stats further up. When Aegislash got out of defensive position, it Sacred Sword. Shoot, not only did it ignore stat changes to the parties, it was a critical hit. Urshfu somehow managed to stay standing and charged in with Wicked Blow. Aha! Super effective! Down goes Aegislash!
Leon switched out. Fiora decided to at the same time as well, seeing Urshifu needed a break. Next match-up; PorygonZ versus Dragapult. PorygonZ used Tri-Attack, hoping to land a status effect. No luck. Not for PorygonZ, anyway. Dragapult used Dragon Breath and the attack paralyzed PorygonZ. It struggled, trying to shake off the paralysis. Another Dragon Attack beat down on it. PorygonZ used Recover to fix up the damage, then Tri-Attack. Burn! Dragapult was burned! Little chunks of health would be sapped up and attack stats would be slightly lower. Still, not enough to knock the wind out of the dragon's sails. Dragpult would attack, PorygonZ would heal to stall for time, eventually the cycle ended when Dragapult defeated PorygonZ. But it was enough time it bought. Dragpult was starting to get weak.
Sylveon was put on the battle field. One Moonblast, and then done! Dragapult went down! In it's place...Haxorous? Another dragon type? What was Leon thinking, sending one against a fairy type? He had to be planning something. Sylveon used Swift. Haxorous used...Iron Tail?! It knew type moves other than dragon, should've known. Thankfully, it was a little weaker move than a steel-type using it. Sylveon used Draining Kiss to recover lost health. Haxorous used Poison Jab, another fairy-type's weakness. And it landed a poison effect too. Sylveon could recover damage bit by bit but he wouldn't be able to stand on the field forever. He had to finish this quick. Thankfully, there was an ace in the hole. Last Resort! With the power of the attack and Sylveon's Pixelate ability, the attack thrashed Haxorous good! Barely able to keep standing! Haxorous tried another Poison Jab but after one more Draining Kiss, it was defeated.
As Leon called back his pokemon, Fiora called hers as well. Sylveon had done well and wouldn't be able to continue soon. The two pokemon next were Tsareena versus Rhyperior. Nice! A little stroke of luck! Tsareena used Trop Kick for high damage! But Rhyperiors were known for their bulk. It'd take a lot more to knock one out, especially if trained by Leon. Rhyperior used Heat Crash. Of course it had a counter for grass types. It seemed too good to be true. Tsareena used Teeter Dance to give it confusion. It wasn't effective right away, as Rhyperior managed to get off another Heat Crash. But the time after that, it was too confused to do anything but it itself! Tsareena recovered with Giga Drain, sapping away the last of the pokemon's health.
Rhyperior out, in came Rillaboom. Tsareena started with another Teeter Dance and while it did land, the confusion didn't last long or seem effective. Rillaboom used Drum Beating to land a hit. The attack lowered the speed of Tsareena. That allowed Rillaboom to swoop in for another attack, finishing Tsareena with High Horsepower. Altaria was sent out to counter. She used Dragon Dance to boost her attack and speed to high levels. Rillaboom used Drum Beating. It was hardly effective against dragon/flying type. Altaria's speed was only lowered a bit, not effected too much. Altaria dashed high into the air for her Fly attack. Rillaboom's endeavor missed as a result. On top of super effective attack, the Fly strike was a critical hit.
Only one pokemon left; Charizard.
"I'm not done havin' a champion time yet! And I'm not gonna let anyone finish it for me!" Leon called out.
"Let's see what our pokemon can do!" Fiora responded.
Charizard gigantimax'd right away. Fiora knew it had been coming. However, she didn't dynamax Altaria. Instead, Altaria used Fly to avoid a Max-Rockfall. Fly wasn't effective against Charizard, wth little damage done. The next Max-Rockfall managed to hit. It did a lot against the un-dynaxed Altaria. She managed to squeak out a Dragon Claw before succumbing to a G-Max Wildfire. Charizard hadn't received too much damage but just enough time had been eaten up dealing with Altaria, undoing the Gigantimax.
Fiora's last full-health team member arrived on the field; Inteleon. This time, it was Inteleon's turn to Gigantimax. Inteleon quickly got into position and fired off G-Max Hydrosnipe. As expected, Charizard was hit hard! Course it was Leon's Charizard, not easily bested by super effective attacks. The G-Max Wildfire it had used earlier had left behind strong sunlight. It was perfect for a short-charged Solarbeam. Yikes, it was a harsh blow. This had to end this as quickly as possible. It was back and forth between the two. G-Max Hydrosnipe, sunny powered Solarbeam, powerful super-effective hits. But when the sun faded...
BOOOOOOM!
One final G-Max Hydrosnipe spelled the end. Charizard went down!
"Leon is out of usable pokemon! The winner of the match is Fiora!"
Leon pulled his cap over his face. There was a brief moment where he clenched his jaw, frustrated. Quickly, the scowl turned into a big grin. He jumped and threw the cap into the air.
"Ahaha! What a thrilling battle!" Leon laughed. "My time as champion is over. But what a champion time it was!"
Meanwhile, Fiora was frozen in place. It was like some kind of dream. Did she hear that right? She won? Her? SHE beat the region's champion?
"Miss Fiora!" Inteleon, who un-gigantimaxed, ran over.
Fiora's eyes watered up, emotions threatening to spill out. "We did it!"
The trainer hugged her pokemon, both overjoyed from the exhilarating victory. Cheers from the crowd were louder than they had ever been before. Confetti was raining from the air. Leon crossed the field over to her.
"Congratulations kiddo. You beat the unbeatable champion. Now you're the Galar's champion." Leon said, offering his hand.
Fiora took it and shared a firm handshake. Leon didn't look upset at losing. He was looking at her, beaming with pride.
"I offer my heartfelt congratulations. You're become a first-rate trainer since you first set out on your adventure. You and your pokemon are a special team that can give us a bright future; as a hero and now as champion." Leon stated. "And it's about time I start looking ahead as well. We adults should be shouldering some responsibility and work to improve things in the present day. All so we can create a brilliant future for the ones that came before us, the ones who are here now and the ones yet to come."
So even Leon had similar feelings. It even aligned some with Fiora's ambitions.
"You don't have to take it all on yourself. I want to help too! We can work together to make this world a better place!" Fiora told him.
"I already can't wait to see what kind of future a kid with your strength can create!" Leon turned to the crowd. "People of Galar and beyond! A new legend born before your eyes! Keep your eyes on her to see what kind of incredible feats she'll accomplish!"
Another round of cheers from the crowd as fireworks burst in the sky. An overwhelming wave of support and joy, all for her. They weren't upset their beloved unbeatable champion had lost his title. Instead, they were excited to see Fiora step up. They would all look to her as the region's champion. It was a big responsibility. Yet, Fiora felt ready. With her pokemon, she really could do anything.
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"Well now, I was wondering where you scurried off too. And just when the festivities are kicking off."
Avery looked up from his bag to see Mustard entering the student's recreational area. Avery's Slowbro yawned.
"Master." Avery paused. "I..."
"It's time for you to leave the dojo. Am I right?" Mustard guessed.
"You're as sharp as ever, Master. It's like you have Future Sight." Avery said. "Yes. I decided if she won the champion match, then it was time for me to move forward too. To seize my own destiny. Please, Master Mustard. Watch over my efforts from afar."
"My boy, there is nothing more I can teach you. Take what you have learned and keeping moving forward. And do come visit sometimes. I'd like to test your growth when you've achieved what you set out to do."
"Master. Thank you, for everything. I promise to hone my Cosmic power and become the strongest psychic trainer in Galar."
"Before you depart, how about one more meal? My darling wife is cooking a tasty spread in celebration of our former student's victory."
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"SHE DID IT!"
A bunch of research papers were thrown into the air and scattered everywhere in the kitchen.
Professor Magnolia shook her head. "Do calm down, Sonia. You're making quite a mess."
"Come on, gran! Isn't this exciting? A new champion after all these years! And it was a friend who helped me with the research into Darkest Day!" Sonia said.
"Here I thought you'd be cheering for Leon like usual. Or perhaps, now that Leon won't be a champion, you thought he might stop by the lab more often?" Magnolia said.
Sonia's cheeks went pink. Words tried to form but stumbled out, lacking coherency.
"I don't mind, of course. So long as you stay focused on your duties as professor." Magnolia told her.
"Of course I will!" Sonia pouted.
Magnolia smiled as she sipped a cup of tea. "But you have a point. It is rather exciting to witness another moment of history being written."
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"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
The two mothers clinked wine glasses and took a sip together. Tea wasn't sufficient for a celebration. After all, their children had made it to the pokemon league and one of them had become the new champion of Galar.
"I can't believe only yesterday she was picking out her starter pokemon and setting off on the journey." Hana sighed.
"It doesn't feel real, does it? A blink of the eye, suddenly they're all grown up and on their own path." Clover said. "I could scarcely believe my little boy became the region's champion. And yet these ten years have passed by in a flash. Now he's moving on to bigger, better things."
"Are you worried about him? What he'll do next? Or Hop?" Hana asked.
"Not at all. I know my boys. They'll charge into the next adventure with their heads high. They'll be just fine." Clover replied. "And Fiora? Are you worried about her?"
"Hmmmm, she's not the same scared little girl I took in. I can see it in those eyes. Such confidence! I couldn't be prouder."
"You know, we have to plan a big party for her when she comes back home."
"Of course! I'm already trying to think of which dessert I should serve up."
"Why not all of them? I'll help! And I'm sure we can get my parents to help setting things up."
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And thus, the chapter of the Unbeatable Champion closed. Now it was time for the Modern Hero to step up to the throne.