"No, no… that's not right. Hop is still just a kid right now. His age should be about the same as Serena's."
Silas quickly denied his own guess and took a closer look at the opponent.
A black three-dimensional duckbill cap, a cape covered in advertisements… no wonder he had mistaken him.
So it turned out to be the man himself, the one with a natural "advertising saint physique," undefeated in matches, and bearing the title of the "Unbeatable Champion" Leon in his youth.
The two were brothers after all. The older brother resembled the younger one, so it was only natural he had mixed them up.
"Anyone else want to challenge me?"
Leon stood with his arms crossed over his chest, calmly sweeping his gaze across the crowd.
He had come this time representing the Galar League. The Champion Challenge would only begin tomorrow, and since he had nothing to do today, he came here to have a few casual battles.
Before he knew it, he had already achieved fifteen consecutive wins, and that was without even using his ace Charizard.
Throughout the entire streak, he had only used Dreepy and a Galarian Mr. Mime. Compared to the rest of his team, these two were considered weaker.
Even without his main Pokémon, he still secured fifteen straight victories without encountering a truly worthy opponent.
Leon shook his head slightly, recalling Dreepy back into its Poké Ball, preparing to leave.
At that moment, within the crowd, Silas had already confirmed multiple times with Litten and Galarian Meowth. The two of them both wanted to give battling a try.
He stepped forward, raised his hand, and called out loudly,
"Wait! I challenge you!"
In his arms, Litten put on a fierce expression, let out a sharp "meow," and revealed its sharp claws.
Leon stopped in his tracks, his gaze landing on the shiny Litten. He did not underestimate it just because it was still in its base form.
With his keen eye, he could tell this white Litten had been raised exceptionally well.
Its fur was glossy and smooth, its posture agile and upright, and its demeanor both lively and composed.
"Alright! I accept your challenge."
The two trainers returned to opposite sides of the battlefield, each taking their stance.
The referee quickly announced the rules: a 2 vs 2 battle, ending when one side's Pokémon were all unable to continue fighting.
"Dreepy, I'll leave this match to you again."
"Dreee~"
"Litten, no problem, right?"
"Meowr!"
Litten eagerly leapt onto the battlefield, facing Dreepy head-on.
Its back arched like a drawn bow, its white fur bristling outward, making it appear larger and more imposing. A low growl rumbled from its throat.
The cat entered its spiny-backed stance, and at the same time, its Intimidate ability activated.
A pure, radiant light flickered around Dreepy's body, nullifying the attack-lowering effect.
"Clear Body, huh…"
Silas murmured inwardly, then gave his command.
"Use Lick!"
Against a Ghost-type Pokémon, Fake Out would not work. Given its lower speed, Litten did not have many effective options.
Dreepy shot forward with Quick Attack, its triangular head slamming into Litten.
Enduring the hit, Litten retaliated as a ghostly tongue formed, lashing out.
It swept down from above, licking Dreepy thoroughly. Not only did it deal some damage, but with a stroke of luck, it triggered paralysis.
Dreepy was forced to retreat to maintain distance. With paralysis halving its speed, it was now slower than Litten.
It chose to fall back and reassess the situation.
"Nice luck, getting the paralysis effect."
A faint smile appeared on Silas's face. The initiative had shifted to their side.
"Use Heat Wave, Litten!"
For Litten, the power of Fire Fang and Heat Wave was about the same.
But Heat Wave had an irreplaceable advantage: it was a wide-area attack. Dreepy would have a hard time dodging it.
Fire Fang, on the other hand, could easily be avoided with Quick Attack.
The choice was obvious.
"Meow!"
The fire orb on Litten's chest glowed red, and scorching air currents surged around its body.
In the next instant, a blazing wave of hot wind roared forward, engulfing Dreepy.
The spectators around the battlefield instinctively stepped back, feeling the heat radiating outward. Litten's mastery of Heat Wave was clearly not low.
Of course, that came from all the practice it had done with the Butterfree back home.
With no blind spots in such a large-scale attack, Dreepy had no room to maneuver.
Leon's eyes sharpened as he made a quick decision.
"Dreepy, Curse!"
A dark purple mist rose from Dreepy's body, coiling around it and forming a sinister curse mark.
This Ghost-type move consumed half of its remaining health to inflict continuous damage on the opponent.
Dreepy was already in poor condition, but it held on with its last strength to unleash the curse.
"Meow!"
Litten's legs trembled as its body swayed, nearly collapsing.
Its health was instantly reduced by a quarter, and the curse took effect.
Without any recovery ability, it would fall within at most four turns.
"Can you still fight, Litten?"
Silas asked urgently, concern evident in his eyes.
"Meow…"
Litten shook its head, determination blazing as it responded that it could continue.
"Alright, then use Heat Wave again and finish it!"
Dreepy was already at critically low health. One Lick and two Heat Waves were enough to take it down.
If this were a game, one was in red health while the other was in yellow.
Heat Wave surged forth once more. The wide-area attack left little room for escape, and Dreepy attempted to flee into the air.
But due to paralysis, its movement was sluggish, and it could not avoid being struck.
The final bit of its stamina was depleted. Its small body drifted down like a feather, completely unable to continue fighting.
Leon stepped forward, picked up the tiny Dreepy, fed it a berry, and recalled it.
"Litten, come back as well."
Silas called Litten over, catching the weakened cat. He fed it a berry to remove the curse, gently scratching under its chin while smoothing its ruffled fur.
His praise did not stop.
"You were amazing, Litten! Winning your very first battle like that."
"And you know what? Our opponent is someone known as the strongest."
One compliment after another made Litten feel light and proud. Its tail curled naturally around Silas's wrist.
It let out a soft, pleased "meow," clearly enjoying the praise.
Silas chuckled and shook his head. Litten really was easy to satisfy.
After comforting Litten, Silas lifted his gaze and met Leon's once more. Their battle was not over yet.
"Mr. Silas, your Litten is very impressive."
Leon praised him sincerely, then his tone shifted.
"The Pokémon I send out next will be much stronger than Dreepy. Be careful."
As he spoke, Leon tossed out another Poké Ball without hesitation, not minding that Silas could choose his next Pokémon in response.
For Leon, who had claimed the Galar League Championship at full strength, most of his battles were fought at a type disadvantage.
Battling against unfavorable matchups was an essential part of Pokémon battles and a necessary experience for becoming a great trainer.
Which made one think of Ash's cleverness… starting his journey by constantly training under disadvantageous matchups, and after twenty years, becoming the strongest champion and knocking Leon off his throne…
Alright, that part is made up.
Ash is just… adorably simple.
(End of Chapter)