How to Act as a Pokémon Champion

Chapter 5: A Champion's Legacy

(Lance’s POV)

The roar of the Galar stadium was nothing compared to the rumble of anticipation tightening my gut. Leon – the ever-showy, undefeated Champion – was flashy, charismatic. He was everything I was not. Yet, it wasn't his theatrics that drew my eye, but the figure on the opposite side of the field.

Ash Ketchum. I'd been watching this boy for longer than he realized. That rash, overconfident kid who'd stumbled his way through Kanto years ago had matured. The spark I remembered, the reckless determination, had tempered into something far more potent. Seeing him now, proclaimed a two-region Champion… an odd sense of pride flickered in my chest.

The news had reached me all the way back in Johto. Ash besting the Alola League… and before that, conquering the Orange Islands? The audacity, defeating my old friend Drake of all people... it had necessitated investigation. The more I'd witnessed, the more that stubborn pride had grown.

Once, he'd been a blip on my radar – a child who'd brashly commandeered my humble fishing boat to take on Team Rocket singlehandedly. Annoying, yes, but with a hint of potential I couldn't quite dismiss. Now that potential had ignited, making him impossible to ignore.

The battle before me was a testament to his growth. His Sceptile and Gliscor gave Leon a run for his money, strategic and tenacious. Even up against Leon's infamous Dragapult, Ash didn't flinch. Two Pokémon down, and yet, his eyes held the sharp focus that I recognized in my own.

And then… Greninja. A tense energy swept through the stadium the moment I laid eyes on his partner. No Pokéball, no summons – the Pokémon had a will of its own, it seemed. My gaze sharpened as the unmistakable surge of energy crackled around the battlefield.

Ash-Greninja. The rumors had been true. Witnessing their transformation was exhilarating and more than a bit unsettling. They moved like a single entity, their power undeniable. It sent a nostalgic pang through me, a distant echo of the strength I drew from my own dragons.

Leon was good, the rumors of his undefeated status well-earned. Each G-Max attack from his Charizard was a spectacle designed to awe and intimidate. But Ash – Ash pushed back. He met power with power, maneuver with maneuver. He'd grown from the brash rookie who relied on raw talent. This was a battle of strategies, of wills, of a spirit that burned as bright as Leon's own.

Then came the final clash. Charizard's inferno against Greninja's vortex of water. The stadium lights seemed to dim against the raw energy swirling between them. And, in the deafening silence that followed, it was Charizard, not Greninja, who fell.

Leon's undefeated streak had shattered.

As the crowd roared, a smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth. Pride swelled within me, a strange mix of personal satisfaction and anticipation. This boy was no mere copy of my younger self. He was forging his own path as a Champion, one fueled by loyalty to his Pokémon and a tenacity that rivaled even my own Dragonite's.

This wouldn't be our last encounter, I was certain of it. That spark, the one that had led the young Ash Ketchum straight into trouble all those years ago, had blazed into a beacon. It drew the eyes of the world to him now, my own included. He was a Champion worthy of a greater challenge, a bigger stage…the perfect addition to the World Coronation Series.