Chapter 41: The Galar League Begins

Our heroes found themselves in Galar once more. Professor Cerise had sent them there to gather more data on Dynamax and Gigantamax, but that wasn't why they were in Motorstoke at the moment. Their friend Hop had told them that the opening ceremonies for the Galar League would be today, and they decided to cheer him on before they got into their work.

As they approached Motorstoke Stadium, they could see the huge crowd gathered outside, waiting to get in. Vendors lined the pathway with stalls selling food, Pokemon plushies and other such merchandise.

"Man, they sure take their league seriously."

"No kidding. Looks like we'll be waiting here for a while."

"Hey guys, glad you could make it!"

Running towards them was Hop, wearing a sports uniform with the number 227 on the front in bold letters.

"Hey Hop! Love the new threads."

"It's the uniform for gym challengers. Pretty comfortable, if I do say so myself."

"Oh god, not you dorks again."

Hop sighed in annoyance as Gloria strauted her way over to them, her number being 401.

"You may as well give up now, because I'll be the one to dethrone Leon!"

"We'll see about that!"

Gloria scoffed and walked off, leaving Hop to stew in anger.

"Grr, she makes me so mad! Someone needs to take her down a peg or two."

"Attention, all Galar League Gym Challengers. Please make your way to the Stadium entry tunnels. The Opening Ceremonies shall begin shortly."

"That's my cue! I'd best get going!"

"Good luck, Hop!"


A while later, the trio found their seats in the stadium just as the ceremonies began. The lights dimmed as the MC began his speech.

"Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to the opening day of the Galar League!"

The crowd went into an uproar, the stadium filled with so much noise that one couldn't hear themselves think. Soon though, the noise died down and they could continue.

"We've got a great turn out for this year's competitors, so let's bring them out!"

The challengers filed out onto the center field, the crowd giving them a big round of applause. Hop grinned, and made the victory sign with his hands, while Gloria just huffed and kept walking.

"'Over 200 hopefuls are taking the gym challenge this year, all with the dream of dethroning the champion Leon! But to get to him, they first need to face down 8 of our 10 Gym Leaders! Let's bring them out!"

A stage rose from the ground, revealing 10 figures. As the announcer said their name, a spotlight shone on them.

"First, we have the gentle giant Milo, the fighting farmer!"

The first Gym Leader was a tall and muscular man, his muscles bulging as he waved to the audience. A few of the women sitting next to Ash swooned.

"Next, we have the ever gorgeous Nessa, the Raging Wave!"

A dark skinned woman was next, flipping her long hair and winking towards the audience. A lot of loud whistles echoed throughout the arena, whie Lillie just rolled her eyes.

"Men."

"After her is Kabu, The ever-burning man of fire!"

The next person to be introduced was much older, but still active, waving to the crowd as he grinned broadly.

"Next we have the two Gym Leaders of Stow-on-Side! First, we have the strong but silent Bea, our Galar Karate Prodigy!"

Ash's previous opponent stepped into the light, bowing to the audience as her fans cheered.

"And don't forget the other option. Give it up for Shy Allister, The Silent Boy of Mystery!"

A much smaller boy tried to hide away from the lights to no avail. The next person in line allowed him to hide behind her as she stepped forward.

"And don't forget our grand old lady Opal, The Master of Fantastic Theater!"

Opal, who was even older than Kabu, bowed simply, tipping her hat to the cheering crowd.

"Next, we have the Mother-Son Gym Leaders of Cirrchester! Give it up for Melony, The Ice Cold Professional!"

The middle aged woman chuckled, waving happily as her fans cheered.

"And her Son Gordie, The Hard-Rock Crusher!"

Her son struck a pose, making his fangirls go wild. His mother chuckled and tried to say something to him, but he just swatted her off.

"Next up we have Piers, our Dark Type Rocker!"

The second to last Gym Leader had dark bags underneath his eyes and a demeanor that screamed "I don't care." His fan girls went wild, but he just ignored them as he stepped back.

"And last but not least, we have Raihan, The Tamer of Dragons!"

The last gym leader was a complete 180 from Piers, waving wildly to the cheering crowd before taking a selfie.

"And if you can get past all who stand in your way, you have one more challenge to face before becoming champion. Give a big round of applause for our champion, and current World Coronation Series Monarch, Leon!"

The cheers intensified as the champion rose up onto the stage, striking his signature pose before taking his position in a makeshift throne.

"Champion, anything you'd like to say to any of your challengers?"

Leon nodded, and gave a short but impactful statement.

"Bring it."

"You heard it here, folks! But before we let you go, our league chairman would like to say a few words. Give it up for Chairman Rose!"

A single spotlight revealed a dark skinned man in a tuxedo, waving to the crowd as they cheered for him. Taking the mic from the MC, he began his speech.

"I'm most pleased to see so many challengers sign up for this year's league. When I first became chairman of this fine league, it was little more than a small regional competition, no different from any other. I wanted to change that, to put Galar on the map. It was then that I discovered Dynamax was the key. Now 10 years later, Galar is known worldwide for our unique League system. And with our own champion Leon being top of the World Coronation Series, I have no doubt that our fame will only continue to grow. Now, without a further ado, I declare this season of the Galar League open!"

Confetti cannons went off everywhere, the crowd cheering as the ceremonies ended. Before departing, all of the gym challenges shared an intense look, the same thing on all of their minds.