"Here we are, Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed as he finally made it to his destination. "Wyndon City!"
"Pika!"
The place was heavily populated from what he could tell. There were tons of buildings and a massive stadium. The stadium itself had a screen that depicted what the flier had: Leon VS Lance.
"Can you believe it, Pikachu?" Ash asked his faithful starter, "We made it! And now we get to see Lance battle Leon! I'm getting excited thinking about it! I wonder who will come out on top?"
"Pika!"
"Well, obviously Lee will win!"
Both trainer and Pokémon look puzzled at the claim. "Who said that?"
"Pika?"
"You're wrong! Lance is stronger than Leon!"
"As if!"
The Alola Champion turned his attention to the bickering trainers. One had blue hair and a dark skin complexion like Leon's. He wore a blue denim jacket, black sweatpants, and purple-white sneakers. The other trainer was wearing glasses, a green jacket on top of his white undershirt, black yoga pants, and green sneakers. Ash had a sneaking suspicion about the spectacled trainer.
The glasses wearing trainer began his retort. "Lance is one the strongest trainers in the world! He's known as the Master of Dragons, which are some of the the strongest-types!"
The dark skinned one replied. "And Lee's rival is primarily dragon based!"
"Isn't he more weather related?"
The dark skinned trainer lightly sweated. "Yeah, he tends to use weather in his battles, but still has a majority of Dragon types! The point is: Leon can take on Lance without a sweat!"
"The chances of that are improbable!"
"Hey, what's going on over here?" Ash said, coming over and intervening the two trainers.
Both trainers stopped their personal squabble before the spectacled trainer's eyes widened.
"Ash?!"
"Max!"
Both former travel companions shared a handshake. "It feels like it's been forever since we last saw each other!" Pikachu hopped off and nuzzled up to Max, who gave a nice scratch underneath the mouse's chin.
"You said it!" The Hoenn trainer said with a laugh. "Oh, and guess what?" He pulled out a Pokéball and out came a Gallade, who sharpened his blades.
"Woah! A Gallade!" Ash said. "This must be the Ralts you saved those years ago!"
"Sure is!" Max said with pride. "He's helped me a lot throughout my journey. I've reached the semifinals in my latest Silver League."
"That's great to hear." Ash was proud to hear that Max was doing well in his journey and has skillful Pokémon nonetheless.
"Ahem!" The dark skinned trainer coughed before asking. "Max? Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"
"Oh, right. Hop, this is Ash. Ash, this is Hop." Max introduced each other.
"Pleasure to meet you, mate." Hop greeted.
"You too." Ash responded before getting to the topic on hand. "So, what's this argument about?"
The younger trainers shot each other looks. "He was saying that Lance/Leon could beat Leon/Lance!"
"Lance's got nothing on Lee!"
"You're only saying that because he's your brother!"
"No, I'm not! I've seen his matches before! Leon's WAY stronger than Lance!"
"Your statement is incorrect! Lance can beat Leon any day of the week!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Alright. Alright! Break up you two! You're creating a scene." Ash intervened again. And they were getting some onlookers -both native and international- unwanted looks.
Both trainers glared before folding their arms and *hmph*ed at one another. Max, after cooling down, asked, "So, what are you doing here, Ash?"
"I'm here for the finals of last year's World Coronation, then signing up for next's years." Ash informed them.
"So am I!" Max exclaimed. "Maybe, we'll have the chance to battle each other! You still owe me a battle after all."
"You bet!" Ash pumped his fist at the thought of battling a seasoned Max Maple in a battle.
"I know all your techniques, so you can't surprise me." Max smugly said as Ash chuckled to himself.
"I don't know about that…" Ash silently muttered to himself. He knew Max had seen his Pokémon prior to his Alola League, not the offspring.
Hop added his two cents, "Well, I'm competing this year in the World Coronation too! And I'll beat you, Max, to prove that Lee is stronger than Lance!"
"Just because he hasn't lost a single match since his time as the Champion, doesn't mean he's stronger."
"How about we just stop the bickering and head towards Wyndon Stadium?" Ash suggested. The argument was beginning to make his head hurt along with Pikachu and Gallade.
The younger trainers, for once, agreed and headed towards the stadium to watch the finals of last year's World Coronation.
The big screen within the stadium shows the logo of the Coronation Series before flipping through multiple clips of what is to be presumed previous battles throughout last year's run.
A Victreebel throws a Leaf Storm at a closed Cloyster shell. The Bivalve Pokémon opens up and delivers a harsh Blizzard towards the Flycatcher Pokémon.
A Noctowl suspenses a Politoed in the air with the help of Extrasensory. The Frog Pokémon manages to croak a Hyper Voice, disorienting the Owl Pokémon's concentration.
A Mawile Crunches on a Medicham before throwing him away. The Deceiver Pokémon prepares to land a Flash Cannon but the Mediate Pokémon throws a Psycho Cut, interrupting the charging process.
A Mothim flies around several Stone Edges from a Hippowdon. The Heavyweight Pokémon snorts angrily while the Moth Pokémon fires a Psybeam.
A Beartic plows a Rock Smash into the shell of a Crustle. The Stone Home Pokémon grunts in pain before throwing a Rock Wrecker, getting the Freezing Pokémon away from it.
A Tyrantrum swings a Dragon Tail, only for a Malamar to catch it with Superpower. With its Contrary ability, the Overturning Pokémon lifted the Despot Pokémon and slammed it to the ground.
A Mega Gyarados swims up a Waterfall and clashes with a Mega Manectric. The Discharge Pokémon delivers a Thunder Fang, making the Atrocious Pokémon roar out in pain.
A Mudsdale stampedes with High Horsepower, a Crabominable blocks it with its claws in front. The Wooly Crab Pokémon drew its arm back before landing an Ice Hammer into the Draft Horse Pokémon.
A Sandaconda slams its body into the ground, creating an Earthquake. A Galarian Rapidash Bounces into the air, avoiding the tremor before landing on the Sand Snake Pokémon, who hissed in pain.
The compilation ends before a spotlight shines onto a well dressed businessman in a gray suit and red tie on the field.
"Welcome, everyone, to the finals of this year's World Coronation Series! For those of you who do not know who I am, I am Chairman Rose, president of Marcos Cosmos and the chairman of the Galar League. I am pleased that this year has gone very smooth and that our registration for the upcoming year's Coronation Series is on its way! We welcome all trainers of any age or type-specialists, even the Gym Leaders, Elite 4 members, and the mightest of Champions!"
The crowd went wild and in the front row sat Ash, Pikachu, Max, and Hop. Hop was going wild with the crowd, no doubt cheering about Chairman Rose since he was a Galar native.
"But registrations will be right after this match! So, stay in your seats as we give a round of applause to the finalists!" The spotlight parted away from the CEO and split into two separate ones that honed in on the entrances.
"On the left, you know him as the Master of Dragons! The Champion of both Kanto and Johto! Give it up for Lance Wataru!" The infamous caped individual of the Kanto-Johto League stepped out to receive a massive applause from the stadium. He gave a brief wave as fireworks went off. Above his side was a screen that depicted some of his battles, using various Dragon-types and dragon-like Pokémon.
"Go, Lance!" Max cheered from his position.
"And on the right, deemed the unbeatable Champion of the Galar region! An infamous user of Gigantamaxing his Pokémon! Give a warm welcome to Leon Dande!" The dark skinned trainer appeared, striking a pose as fireworks went off on his side. Like before, a screen depicted several battles with several Galarian Pokémon and his ace Charizard.
"GO LEE, GO!" Hop screamed across the field.
"These two have fought and climbed their way to the top of the brackets this year! We look forward to their championship battle and competing next year, along with many new faces!" Chairman Rose addressed. "Remember, registration begins afterwards. But without further ado, let the finals… BEGIN!"
"This will be a three-on-three match! Trainers are allowed to substitute in between battles. Mega Evolution and Dynamaxing is permitted once per trainer. Send out your first Pokémon!"
Lance drew his first Pokéball before throwing it. "Kingdra, show them your might!" The slender blue seahorse appeared on Lance's side, hovering with a sharp expression. "Dra!"
Leon cocked his arm back before throwing out a Pokéball. "Rillaboom, let's give them a Champion time!"
A brown gorilla with grassy hair beats his chest before pulling out a wooden drum from within his hair. "Rilla!" Once the ape landed on the field, green spreaded across the field, changing it to a grassland.
"Battle begin!"
"Kingdra, start with Ice Beam!" The aquatic Dragon Pokémon fired a trio of icy energy towards the Drummer Pokémon, who instantly was on edge.
"Rillaboom! Uproar!" The ape summoned two drumsticks and began to hit the drum, sending massive soundwaves that stopped the Ice Beam and struck the seahorse.
"Dragon Dance to Hurricane!" Kingdra shook off the pain and began to spin with purple energy surrounding him. Afterwards, the seahorse flipped his dorsal fin and sent a massive wind current towards the ape. Rillaboom braced himself as the vicious winds ripped him off the ground and hit the ground. The gorilla got up and beat his chest again.
"Grassy Glide!" The Drummer Pokémon proceeded to slide across the field and nail the Johto Dragon Pokémon.
"Drain Punch!" Keeping up the pressure, the ape punched with a spiral orb around his fist. Siphoning some energy off the seahorse, the gorilla replenished in strength.
"While it's close, Ice Beam again!" Kingdra shook off the pain and fired another blast of icy energy, hitting Rillaboom again but the primate blocked it the best he could. After the attacks, healing energy resonated and flowed into the two Pokémon.
"Dragon Pulse!" The seahorse prepared a draconic-imbued energy blast and fired it off. The blast struck Rillaboom, resulting in him getting scuffed up. The gorilla beat his chest, refusing to back down and awaited Leon's orders.
"Rillaboom, Uproar then Frenzy Plant!" The Drummer Pokémon spun his drumsticks and played rapidly, sending deafening sound waves. The soundwaves hit Kingdra, who couldn't cover his ears due to his limbless body. The gorilla then played his drum again, this time, roots erupted from the ground and collided with the seahorse. Once the roots retreated, Kingdra was out of the fight.
"Kingdra is unable to battle, Rillaboom is the winner!"
The Galar natives went wild as Leon secured the first victory. "LE-ON! LE-ON!" Hop cheered with enthusiasm.
"Come on, Lance! You got this!" Max shouted. Ash just kept quiet, interested in the fight itself.
"You were magnificent out there, Kingdra." Lance thanked his Water/Dragon type. He selected his next choice. "Gyarados, show them your might!"
The infamous red Gyarados landed and let out an intimidating roar. "GYARA!" The red sea serpent's Intimidate ability kicked in, Rillaboom feeling his attack lower but shook off the fear as the healing energy from Grassy Terrain replenished his health.
"Gyarados, Fire Blast!" Lance said. The Atrocious Pokémon spewed a kanji-shaped blast of fire, hitting Rillaboom directly since the ape was recharging.
"Now, Brutal Swing!" The sea serpent swung his red tail around and slammed the gorilla across the field. Rillaboom was sent tumbling across the field before landing on his stomach. The Grassy Terrain replenished health for the Drummer Pokémon, however it didn't do as much.
Beating his chest, Rillaboom was fully recharged which made Leon call out, "Grassy Glide again!" The ape glided across the grassland, making a head-on collision with the red serpent.
"Gyarados, Dragon Dance then Iron Head!" The former Lake of Rage inhabitant slithered around with purple energy increasing his stats before rushing forward with a metallic shine.
Both physical moves met and Gyarados won the collision since Rillaboom was revealed to have swirly eyes.
"Rillaboom is unable to battle, Gyarados is the winner!"
"That's the way, Lance!" Max cheered and shot a gloating smirk at Hop, who narrowed his eyes.
"You were spot-on out there, Rillaboom." Leon praised his Pokémon before pulling out another Pokéball. "Mr. Rime, let's have a Champion time!"
A humanoid Pokémon that resembled Mr. Mime with a cane and a bowler hat appeared and tap danced. Gyarados let out another Intimidating roar, lowering the Galarian evolution of Mr. Mime attack.
"Mr. Rime?" Ash questioned.
"Yep! Mr. Rime is an evolution of Mr. Mime in the Galar region." Hop explained.
"Woah. Mr. Mime has a regional variant and can evolve in this region." Ash said surprised.
"Mr. Rime, start with Dazzling Gleam!" Leon declared. The Comedian Pokémon tapped his cane before shining with a rainbow glow and fired a multitude of light. Gyarados was blinded and struck by the attack.
"Gyarados, Thunderbolt then Fire Blast!" Developing a charge, the sea serpent fired a bolt of yellow lightning, hitting the humanoid creature. The Atrocious Pokémon continued his assault with the use of a kanji-shaped flame erupting from his maw.
"Light Screen!" Mr. Rime managed to create a glass screen that defended himself against the Fire Blast. "Now, Freeze Dry!" The Comedian Pokémon pointed his cane forward, sending a burst of cool air. The move made contact and Gyarados let out a bellow of pain due to the critical hit.
"Iron Head!" Despite the pain, the sea serpent tucked his head in, glowed with a metallic glow and charged head-on.
"Psychic to Dazzling Gleam!" The humanoid Pokémon's eyes glowed blue and halted the serpent in his tracks. Gyarados wiggled and wormed, trying to break the concentration but Mr. Rime's mind was strong. Pointing his cane forward, he glowed with another multicolored aura and fired a multitude of light, striking the red Gyarados down.
Once the Dazzling Gleam had ended, Gyarados' was revealed to be bruised along his scales but was still able to fight.
Lance saw this and knew that his Gyarados was on his legs, so he made for his last set of attacks.
"Dragon Dance to Brutal Swing!" The Atrocious Pokémon performed the back-to-back command. Instantly, the red sea serpent slithered back and forth, purple energy spiraling around him. After the increase, Gyarados slithered and slammed his tail into Mr. Rime, sending him high in the air.
"Mr. Rime!" Leon shouted, "Freeze Dry!"
Twirling his cane, the Comedian Pokémon fired another flurry that managed to strike Gyarados. The sea behemoth let out a roar before falling to the ground with swirls in his eyes. The tap-dancing gentleman Pokémon also had a nasty fall, hitting the ground and fainting from the Brutal Swing.
"Both Pokémon are unable to battle! This match is a draw!" The ref declared.
"What a nail-biting match! Thanks to Lance, Gyarados was able to defeat Mr. Rime! But the same could be said about Leon with Mr. Rime's Freeze Dry! Now that they are on their final Pokémon, who will come out on top?!"
"LANCE!"
"LEON!"
Ash and Pikachu covered their ears as Max and Hop shouted to the top of their lungs for their choice to win.
"You did well out there, Gyarados," Lance praised his shiny Pokémon.
"Admirable work, Mr. Rime," Leon congratulated.
Both Champions drew their final Pokémon before throwing them out.
"Dragonite, show them your might!"
"Charizard, let's have a Champion time!"
Both Kanto native dragons appeared, the pseudo-legendary bellowed heartily as the fully evolved Kanto starter roared with flames. Once on the field, the aces eyed each other and readied for the final match.
"Let's finish this battle, Dragonite! Use Dragon Rush!" Lance commanded. The Dragon Pokémon took to the sky and was outlined in arcane flames. Charging forward, the flames took the form of its summoner and rocketed with the light orange dragon.
Leon cracked a smirk, "Charizard, Flare Blitz!" The Flame Pokémon flapped his wings and rocketed towards the outlined dragon. The dark orange dragon was shrouded in flames before colliding with the pseudo-legendary.
An explosion went off, leaving the dragons to break it off. Charizard sparked with recoil.
"Hydro Pump!" Dragonite exhaled a gushing torrent of water at his opponent.
"Air Slash!" Charizard flapped his wings, sending air-fueled crescent blades that pushed the torrent back. "Add Ancient Power!" The Flame Pokémon continued his Flying-type attack and summoned fossils from the field. He threw the fossils and smashed them against the Dragon Pokémon.
"Stand strong, Dragonite!" Lance encouraged his ace. "Dragon Dance then Thunderbolt!" The light orange dragon spun around with a purple aura before sparking and firing a yellow lightning bolt from his antenna.
Leon's Charizard braced for the impact, resulting in getting electrocuted and roaring in pain.
The Galar Champion saw this and decided to use his region's unique gimmick. "Alright, Charizard! Time to show them what you can really do!"
The Galar natives started going wild hearing Leon say that while the non-natives were confused.
Leon returned his Charizard to his Pokéball before particle energy encompassed it, turning it massive. Leon smiled before throwing the ball back onto the field and revealed a massive Charizard with flaming wings.
"RAAAAH!"
"What a move folks! For those who don't know, Galar is infamous for their Dynamax phenomenon which enables trainers to grow their Pokémon to an enormous size and battle it out! What you see here folks is Leon's Gigantamax Charizard!" the announcer explained.
Ash, Pikachu, and Max were in awe at the towering height that the Flame Pokémon had grown into. 'So this is Dynamaxing/Gigantamaxing…' Ash thought.
Lance looked unfazed, "So, you're Gigantamaxing. Let's match that Dragonite!" The caped Kanto-Johto Champion returned Dragonite himself before yelling, "Dynamax!"
The same particle energy allowed the Pokéball to grow before Lance threw it out and revealed a Dynamaxed Dragonite.
"BRROOO!"
"And now it's a Dynamax battle folks! I hope you are on the edge of your seat, just like me!" The announcer bounced up and down from his position.
"YOU GOT THIS, LEE!" Hop cheered.
"Dragonite, Max Airstream!" The Dragon Pokémon flapped his wings, sending a massive burst of air currents that collided with the flaming dragon.
"Max Rockfall!" The G-Max Charizard roared causing an enormous slab to appear and topple onto Dragonite. Once that cleared, a Sandstorm brewed.
"Where did the Sandstorm come from?" Max asked.
"Dynamax Moves had secondary effects after each use. Max Airstream increases speed and Max Rockfall causes a Sandstorm," Hop explained. Both non-natives absorbed the information, finding it interesting.
"Let's weaken their power! Max Geyser!" Lance declared.
"Max Lightning!" Leon quickly countered.
Both aces charged their attacks before unleashing them. Dragonite shot a massive blast of water while Charizard summoned a thunderbolt strike from above. Both struck and their secondary effects kicked in, creating Electric Terrain and Rain Dance that snuffed out the Sandstorm.
"One more move! Dragonite, Max Wyrmwind!" Lance shouted.
Dragonite bellowed and a tornado of draconic energy consumed G-Max Charizard.
"Nice one, but this match is officially ours!" Leon declared and pointed his finger forward, "Charizard! G-MAX WILDFIRE!"
From within the tornado, Charizard roared and the winds dispersed before his flaming wings detached and flew towards Dragonite. The Dragon Pokémon braced himself once the flaming wings exploded upon impact.
Once the explosion cleared, Dragonite flew on his back and shrunk back to regular size. Once the Dynamax energy left, the pseudo-legendary had swirls in his eyes.
"Dragonite is unable to battle, Charizard is the winner! Therefore, Leon is the new World Coronation Monarch!" the ref declared.
The Galar natives went wild as their Champion secured the victory.
"HERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS! THE NEW WORLD MONARCH IS NONE OTHER THAN LEON DANDE!" The announcer shouted to the top of his lungs.
"YESSSSSSS!" Hop yelled in the same manner as Max -being a fair sport- clapped in applause at the fair. Ash and Pikachu joined in the applause as both Champions shared a handshake with one another.
"Well, you won fair and square." Lance congratulated Leon. "Your Charizard is truly nothing to sneeze with that power and Gigantamax capability."
Leon nodded before complimenting, "Thanks. Your Dragonite is impressive as well. You definitely earned your title as well."
"See you this upcoming year?" Lance asked with a smile.
Leon nodded, "You bet! I plan to define my title and welcome any challengers!"
When the battle ended and stadium guests were allowed to leave, Ash, Max, and Hop -who was overjoyed at seeing his big brother win- approached the stand for registration. Ash, Max, and Hop downloaded the app onto their Pokédexes and provided proof before scanning a code that enabled them to register.
"Alright, you are all set for the World Coronation!" the receptionist said. "The series begins in about two months so we encourage you to train your best until then allowing you to climb those ranks!"
The boys thanked them and left the registration.
"Wow, that match was so intense!" Max said.
"And Leon won, just as I said he would." Hop smugly said.
"Yeah, yeah," Max pouted as Hop rode his hot streak.
"Man, Leon looks so strong," Ash told Pikachu, "I would love to get the chance to battle him!"
"Well, why not?"
The boys turned around and saw the Galar Champion and Kanto-Johto Champion themselves walking towards them. Everyone around them was surprised to see the two Champions on the streets.
"Really?" Ash said.
Leon nodded, "You bet, mate! I challenge you!" He held up a Pokéball and challenged the Alolan Champion.