1. Ash's Story (Part 10: Galar)

Chapter 51

Three days have passed since the dramatic incident involving the Darkest Day and Chairman Rose's resignation, and the news has rippled across the entire Galar region. Amidst the buzz and celebrations, Dia and Elena's wedding has been a grand affair, filled with joy and festivities that have left me and the others, who were part of the wedding party, feeling quite exhausted.

Now, the day of my much-anticipated Champion battle against Leon has finally arrived. Hop, Gloria, Victor, Flora, Helen, Serena, and Alice join me as we prepare for the challenge ahead. Dawn and Lisia have returned to their respective regions, Sinnoh and Hoenn, while Elena and Dia are off enjoying their honeymoon.

Hop, in his usual enthusiastic manner, begins the conversation, "I don't know about you, but I slept like the dead! Everyone's still talking about what happened, but at least things are back to normal now."

I nod, sharing his sentiment, "Yeah, we really did defeat Eternatus together with Zamazenta and Zacian!"

The conversation naturally shifts to Leon, and Hop raises a concern, "And still Lee's... well, he's being Lee. Insisting on having a Championship Match with you today. It's a bit much, isn't it? You sure you're up for it?"

Victor chimes in, reflecting on the recent events, "We heard about what happened, though we heard that he was out cold and hurt pretty badly himself during all that mess."

Gloria adds her thoughts, saying, "Well, let's just hope that everything goes well. We're all here for a serious match that we're going to watch."

As we gather to support me in this momentous battle, there's a mixture of anticipation, excitement, and hope in the air, as we look forward to witnessing the outcome of the Championship match against Leon.

Upon arriving at the stadium, we gather with everyone, including my Mom and Dad, who are in possession of Eternatus' Poke Ball to ensure it remains inactive.

Now Leon and I stand face to face, ready for a serious battle. Leon remarks, "My matches are always sold out, but this... I've never seen a crowd this wild! Everyone knows what you did for us this week, Ash... They know you're the one who caught Eternatus and saved the future of the Galar region."

"Yeah, and I don't particularly enjoy all this attention," I mutter.

"A true hero, who fought alongside the Legendary Pokémon, Zacian and Zamazenta... I couldn't have asked for a better challenger to help extend my winning streak! Now that I've witnessed the strength you possess as the greatest of challengers... defeating you will demonstrate just how powerful our Champion truly is!"

"And I won't back down from this battle," I reply firmly. "As you're the undefeated champion, I'm going to showcase everything I've learned, including Mega Evolution and Z-Moves."

"That's the spirit, Ash! Let's make this final match one for the history books in Galar! No, let's make it a match that will change Galar forever! We're going to have an absolutely champion time!"

With our Pokémon choices made, we both send out our first Pokémon: my Pikachu and Leon's Cinderace. I assume that Cinderace is the Starter Pokémon Leon received.

"It's one of the Champion's duties to get the crowd fired up!" Leon cheers as we prepare to launch our first moves. Cinderace's Scorching Sands strikes faster than Pikachu's Thunderbolt and deals super-effective damage, although Pikachu's attack still lands and scores a hit.

To my surprise, Cinderace shakes off the hit without showing any sign of damage. I gasp, "Wait, it has Libero?"

"Of course, this one's got it. Now it's a Ground Type," Leon smirks.