Leon and Dawn's match began.
Unsurprisingly, the battle was extremely fierce—Dawn truly lived up to her reputation as Sinnoh's "monster."
Her strength fully justified the title, and even Leon found himself locked in a dead-even struggle with her.
"She's really strong… I wonder if she might actually beat Leon."
Leaf clicked her tongue. Other regions clearly had geniuses too.
Even though she herself was gifted, Leaf admitted she wasn't Leon's match right now.
If she fought him, it definitely wouldn't look like this. Dawn was stronger than her… but whatever—she had someone backing her up.
Fighting wasn't her preferred thing anyway. She liked battles she could win with her mouth.
"Hard to say. She's Dawn, not Hikari," Dylan said, shaking his head.
Although the battle looked even, Dylan could tell Leon had gradually taken control.
As a top-tier Champion, Leon's strength was simply overwhelming—he had reached the very peak of Champion level.
Dawn was also top-tier now, but in a direct clash with Leon, she was still at a slight disadvantage.
They might all be "monsters," but this world's main characters weren't as broken as in the games.
If it were Hikari, though, the situation would be entirely different.
Yes—if that walking cheat Hikari had two years to train, defeating Leon would be like swatting a fly.
"Who's Hikari?" Leaf blinked.
"Ummm… hard to explain. Just think of her as a super prodigy."
Leaf: (—)
Leaf really wanted to complain: could anyone be more monstrous than you, Dylan?
As the battle neared its end, even though Dawn fought with everything she had, she still lost—her Mega Garchomp was defeated by Charizard X, and the match slipped from her hands.
"Garchomp is unable to battle. Charizard wins."
"All six of Dawn's Pokémon can no longer continue. Leon is victorious and advances!"
The referee announced the result.
The arena erupted in cheers—along with plenty of disappointed groans.
Dawn had many supporters. Sunny, cheerful girls were always popular.
"Aw~ what a pity…"
Dawn recalled her fallen Garchomp and sighed deeply.
She'd mentally prepared for this, but losing for real still stung.
Even Red would vanish with a "teleport" when he lost—probably embarrassed.
"A wonderful battle! Dawn, you're a very strong opponent."
A warm yet excited voice reached her.
"Congratulations on advancing, Leon."
Dawn looked up to see Leon offering his hand, so she smiled back.
Even as the loser, she could be gracious.
"Thanks. Dawn, feel free to visit Galar anytime—let's train together."
Leon liked strong juniors like her. Her bright personality only made her more likable.
And most importantly—she was strong enough to fight seriously.
"Okay! I'll definitely visit!" Dawn's blue eyes sparkled.
"Good luck in the next matches, Leon! You beat me, so you better keep going!"
"I will."
"Hehe~ let's hope you don't meet Champion Dylan again in the Top 8!"
Leon froze… then forced a polite smile.
Does she know how to talk or not!?
"The final match has concluded! Leon defeats Dawn and successfully emerges from the resurrection bracket—entering the Top Eight!"
The host's booming voice filled the stadium.
"Our eight trainers have all assembled! Let's take a look!"
One by one, full-body portraits appeared on the giant screen, each standing before their ace Pokémon.
Leon — Charizard
Yellow — Pikachu
Gloria— Urshifu
May — Swampert
Giovanni — LandorusSelene — Incineroar
Red — Charizard
And finally—
Dylan — Arceus
"WOOO—!!"
The whole crowd roared wildly.
When taking the photo, Dylan had struggled—he wanted Ultra Necrozma behind him, since it was his first "beyond-overpowered" legendary.
But Arceus was more famous now, and the Creator God definitely had more style.
Arceus even cooperated, lifting its head majestically behind him for the photo.
Perfect.
"These are the eight trainers of the World Championships' Top Eight!"
"They've defeated challenger after challenger to reach this point—they are the world's strongest 'Eight Masters'!"
"But the real battles begin now!"
The host's voice grew more heated as he raised his arms.
"Next comes the Masters Eight Tournament! We will witness the birth of the strongest!"
Thunderous screams shook the arena as the main tournament concluded, making way for the ultimate event.
"Tch—he's really going all out with the hype."
Blue snorted at the flushed, screaming fans.
"The host is very good at stirring emotion. No wonder Chairman Goodshow picked him," Giovanni said with a calm smile.
Even his steady heart felt a bit fired up.
Red said nothing. His crimson eyes under his cap brim burned fiercely.
"Now it's your turn to shine! Leaf and I will cheer you on," Leaf chirped happily.
Though she'd been eliminated, it didn't matter—her man and her former coworker both made the Masters Eight!
…well, except one person.
Blue stared mournfully at Red… then at everyone else.
Damn it!How come he was the only Kanto Elite Four member who didn't make it!?
Was he really the weakest!?
Blue was very sad. Blue wanted to sit alone in a corner.
"Hehe~ I wouldn't mind fighting Dylan again. Our last match was last year, wasn't it?"
Giovanni's tone was calm but amused.
Champion?
There was no point thinking about that. Who could possibly beat Dylan?
But fighting his way into the finals and battling Dylan again?Giovanni would enjoy that.
And honestly—with Dylan competing—second place was basically "champion" anyway.
"Hey hey hey! Giovanni-uncle, I refuse to let that slide!" Selene protested immediately.
"I'm the one who'll reach the finals! The one who'll challenge Big Brother Dylan is me!"
Selene raised her chin proudly, radiating an aura of absolute supremacy.
"And excuse me—but Dylan, stand up a moment."
She seemed to recall something and said it directly.
"You little brat…"Dylan sighed, but still stood up cooperatively.
Selene was very satisfied. With everyone else sitting, she could look down at them all—even if it was just barely.
She cleared her throat twice.
"In my humble opinion—every one of you is mid. I am the undefeated queen here!"
"The finals? Already reserved. Anyone object?"
If they wanted to show off—she could show off too!
The bold declaration left Dylan speechless.
Blue: "???"
Yellow: "…"
Red: "…"
Giovanni: "…"
Leaf and Lillie stared in shock.
Giovanni slowly turned to Dylan, stunned.What on earth have you been teaching this child?
Dylan's eye twitched violently.NOT THIS! Definitely not this!
"Ha? Selene, you—!"Blue shot to his feet.
"Sit down. You didn't make the Masters Eight. I wasn't talking about you."
Selene waved him off calmly.
Blue's face went green.
"Um…" Yellow felt she should cheer herself on too.
"Shimei, don't. If you want to fight me, go train two more years."
Selene waved at her as well.
Yellow: (︵)
"Red! Say something!!"
Blue jabbed Red desperately.He didn't have the right to talk back to Selene, but Red should!
Selene was practically stepping on their faces—how could Red take this!?
Trash-talk king Blue wished he could be Red's mouthpiece.
"…"
Red's lips moved slightly, but he didn't know what to say—so he stayed silent.
Blue died inside.
"You see? Only Uncle Giovanni here is worth anything.But now is the era of us younger trainers."Selene's hands went to her hips as she stood proudly.
Dylan didn't even know how to comment anymore.
"Heh~ Selene, I am the head of the Kanto Elite Four," Giovanni said lightly, implying much more.
(End of Chapter)