"Well done, Dragapult."
Leon recalled Dragapult back into its Poké Ball and offered a few words of consolation to it. Though things hadn't gone quite as he had hoped, Dragapult's performance had been commendable—it had managed to take down both Gyarados and Dragonair, and even left Dragonite with a few noticeable injuries.
"Now then…"
Leon's sharp eyes turned toward the Dragonite standing tall and unmoving in front of Lance. His brow furrowed slightly.
That Dragonite was strong—he could feel it in every fiber of his being. In terms of sheer combat power, it might even surpass his Dragapult.
But still…
Was this really Lance's ace Pokémon?
From an outsider's perspective, seeing Dragonite defeat his Dragapult would make it easy to conclude that it was immensely powerful.
But as a true battler himself, Leon could sense something more subtle. The pressure he felt from this Dragonite wasn't quite as overwhelming as he had expected.
There was something strange about all this—something that didn't sit right with him.
And when he thought about the various rumors surrounding Lance…
Two Dragonair… an ace Dragonite…
And the Dragon's Den—Johto's famed dragon-type sanctuary—rumored to be home to large colonies of Dratini…
Could it be that Lance had more than one Dragonite?
The very possibility made Leon's frown deepen.
If that was true, then this battle was going to be far more troublesome than he'd thought.
"Charizard, I'm counting on you—no, wait." He paused, then shook his head. "Inteleon, to the field."
After a brief moment of thought, Leon decided not to send out his ace, Charizard, just yet. He threw a Poké Ball, and a tall, slender, humanoid Pokémon landed gracefully on one knee before rising with fluid poise.
Its reptilian body was long and lithe, its limbs slender, and a yellow webbed membrane stretched across its back like a cloak fluttering in the wind.
The final evolution of Sobble—the Inteleon!
"Inteleon, huh? Hmph."
Lance gave the newcomer a cool once-over and let out a short, derisive snort.
Inteleon was a pure Water-type Pokémon. And as every seasoned Dragon-type trainer knew, dragons commonly resisted Fire, Water, and Grass moves.
But at this point, Leon sending out a Water-type against Dragonite could only mean one thing—
Water and Ice go hand in hand.
Nearly all Water-types could learn a few Ice-type techniques. And Dragonite—famously—was four times weak to Ice!
Anyone with even the slightest aspiration of becoming a trainer knew this. In fact, even most beginners memorized the type matchup chart before setting out on their journeys. (Well, except maybe Ash Ketchum, who seemed to have his own unique logic…)
So, the moment Inteleon appeared, the crowd immediately understood Leon's strategy.
"Dragonite, Dragon Claw!"
Lance acted instantly, giving the order before his opponent could even finish a breath.
He'd show Leon just how naive it was to think a simple Ice-type move could stop his Dragonite!
Dream on.
Dragonite raised its claws, green-blue energy flaring along their sharp edges. With a powerful beat of its wings, it lunged toward Inteleon at blinding speed.
"Inteleon, Ice Beam!"
Leon's expression sharpened, his voice ringing out firm and decisive.
Inteleon crouched low, both palms extended as frost gathered between its fingers. In the next instant, a twisting beam of icy-blue energy lanced out toward Dragonite.
But Dragonite twisted midair, effortlessly dodging the attack. Hitting it with a straight shot like that was never going to be easy.
"Snipeshot!"
Leon didn't show a hint of disappointment—he immediately followed up with another order.
Inteleon slid backward, keeping its distance, it's cold, calculating eyes tracking Dragonite's every movement. It extended both index fingers like pistols—and with pinpoint precision, unleashed two powerful jets of pressurized water!
This was Snipeshot, Inteleon's signature move—unique to its species.
The Galar starters were all formidable in their own right—Inteleon, Rillaboom, and Cinderace—each with its own signature move and the ability to Gigantamax.
Before Galar, only the Alolan Water starter, Primarina, had possessed a move that could be considered "signature." But Primarina's Sparkling Aria could even be inherited by Lapras—hardly something that made it unique anymore.
And unlike Primarina, the Galar starters were directly tied to the phenomenon of Dynamaxing. In terms of raw battle potential, Primarina's strength simply couldn't compare to the Galar trio.
Thus, it was no surprise Leon had chosen to bring Inteleon with him—it was an excellent combatant.
"These feeble water jets won't stop my Dragonite."
Lance's expression remained utterly unmoved as the twin water streams raced toward him.
Dragonite didn't even flinch. It met the attack head-on, Dragon Claw slicing straight through the two columns of water.
The Snipeshot shattered in a spray of droplets—and now, Dragonite was closing in fast.
Inteleon backstepped rapidly, trying to maintain distance, but Dragonite pursued relentlessly, closing the gap with ease.
In truth, Dragonite's in-game speed wasn't among the highest—but its physical flight speed was another matter entirely. With its immense body and powerful wings, it could fly through even the fiercest storms without being slowed.
While it couldn't match Dragapult in sheer speed, it certainly wasn't slower than Inteleon either.
"Dragon Claw!"
Dragonite slashed down, claws gleaming.
"Dodge it!" Leon ordered sharply.
Inteleon's eyes flicked up—those massive claws were coming straight for its chest. It slid one foot back, body twisting to the side to evade—
"You're too naive," Lance sneered coldly.
A dark glint flickered in Dragonite's eyes. Its second claw, already charged with energy, came sweeping in from the opposite direction even faster than the first.
Inteleon's pupils constricted. Its slender frame bent sharply backward in a last-ditch dodge, one hand already glowing with freezing light.
"Ice Beam!"
A streak of icy energy burst from Inteleon's palm—
—but Dragonite was faster.
Its mighty claw struck squarely into Inteleon's chest.
BOOM!
The impact sent Inteleon flying backward, crying out in pain—but not before its Ice Beam fired. The icy blast struck Dragonite's head, half-freezing it solid in thick frost.
Dragonite winced, shaking its head violently. The cold seared deep—it was no minor injury.
"Dragon Pulse!"
Lance's eyes flashed darkly. Though Dragonite had struck its target, the exchange hadn't been favorable.
With a snarl, Dragonite smashed the ice on its head apart and opened its mouth, unleashing a surging wave of draconic energy straight at the airborne Inteleon.
"Snipeshot!" Leon barked.
Inteleon twisted midair, landing on one hand and sliding backward along the ground. In one fluid motion, it raised its other hand and fired another high-pressure water jet to intercept.
The two attacks collided midair—Dragon Pulse vs. Snipeshot—and exploded with a thunderous crack.
For a brief, heart-pounding moment, both Pokémon were forced back, the air thick with smoke and energy.
"What an intense battle!"
From the stands, Green finally exhaled in relief as Dragonite and Inteleon once again faced each other, both battered but unyielding.
Her sharp eyes had caught every danger, every split-second opening that could've decided the match. If Inteleon had faltered even a moment, it would've been over.
"Indeed… both of them are exceptional," Lucas remarked with a faint smile. "It's the duel of a warrior and an assassin."
He wasn't wrong—Dragonite was the warrior, boasting balanced yet overwhelming power, attack, and defense, leaving no real weakness.
Inteleon, on the other hand, was the assassin—fast, precise, and deadly with its ranged strikes.
"And judging by Leon's choice," Lucas continued with a knowing grin, "it seems he's already noticed something…"
On the Galar side, the Gym Leader Nessa frowned. "Inteleon's agile, sure—but handling that Dragonite seems tough. Why isn't Leon using his Charizard or Mr. Rime?"
For battling a Dragonite, Charizard—or even the Ice-type Mr. Rime—would've made far more sense. Why risk Inteleon?
"Leon must have his reasons," Raihan said calmly. "Let's trust him. He's not the type to make a careless mistake in a match like this."
And so, under the eyes of countless spectators, the fierce clash continued.
Despite Inteleon's best efforts, it was ultimately struck down by Dragonite's devastating Dragon Rush.
Leon's fourth Pokémon had fallen.
That left him with only two remaining—while Lance's third Pokémon, Dragonite, still stood tall upon the field.
Though battered, its imposing aura was still overwhelming.
"Leon… how could this happen…"
"Come on, Leon! You're the strongest trainer in Galar! Don't give up now!"
"The situation looks bad… is Lance really that strong?!"
As the battle wore on, panic began to ripple through the Galar spectators.
Leon was now down by two Pokémon—and Lance still had three untouched in reserve.
"Mr. Rime! I'm counting on you!"
Leon's expression hardened as he threw another Poké Ball.
A dapper Pokémon appeared, cane in hand, like a refined ice-clad gentleman.
Mr. Rime, the evolved form of Galarian Mr. Mime—a dual Ice/Psychic-type and Leon's ace Ice Pokémon.
Dragonite was already weakened. If Mr. Rime could defeat it, Leon would know whether his suspicion was right.
"So, you've prepared an Ice-type ace, huh?" Lance remarked with a faint, almost mocking smile. "Makes sense. Anyone challenging me would."
He straightened slightly, his tone calm but proud. "Let's see what your Ice-type can really do."
The next exchange was fierce and dazzling.
Though Dragonite fought valiantly, it was still carrying the damage from two previous battles. And against the overwhelming cold of Mr. Rime's Blizzard, even the mighty Dragonite finally collapsed.
The arena erupted.
"The invincible fatty finally… fell!"
"Dragonite is unable to battle! Mr. Rime wins!" the referee declared—his voice trembling just slightly, as though in awe.
The Galar audience went wild. After all this time, Lance's unstoppable Dragonite had finally gone down!
To them, this was the turning point—the beginning of Leon's counterattack!
But while the Galar trainers cheered, the Indigo spectators were… stunned.
"Seriously? Dragonite loses and they're acting like it's a national holiday!"
"Exactly! Do they not realize Lance still has three Pokémon left?"
"Give them a break—they're from a backwater region. Beating Lance's Dragonite probably feels like the highlight of their lives."
Even so, beneath their sarcasm, every Indigo trainer felt the same heaviness. Dragonite wasn't just any Pokémon—it was Lance's symbol of invincibility.
And now, the invincible "Fatty"… had fallen.
Yet on the battlefield, Lance's expression didn't waver. He recalled his Dragonite calmly, his eyes cold and composed.
"To have defeated my Dragonite… you're quite good," he said quietly. "You've earned my respect."
He looked at Leon for a long moment before continuing, "Since you're such a worthy challenger, it's only right that I show you proper respect as well."
"So, tell me—how will you deal with this one?"
He raised another Poké Ball.
"This will be your next opponent."
There was no arrogance in his tone, no mockery—only calm pride.
Leon's eyes narrowed, his entire body tensing in anticipation.
The Poké Ball opened.
A flash of white light filled the arena—then a heavy thud.
When the light faded, the crowd collectively fell silent.
Orange-yellow scales. Tiny wings. A kind, almost dopey face.
But unmistakable power radiated from its presence.
That form… that face… it was too familiar.
Leon's eyes widened.
No way.
That was—
Another Dragonite.
Both the Galar and Indigo audiences were dumbstruck.
Two Dragonites?!
Leon: "…"
(End of Chapter)