His first was a Mega Garchomp, the second a legendary giant, Regidrago.
Then what would the third be?
Leon could already feel it—this Champion of Kanto wasn't holding back. He was raising the stakes with each round.
And that was exactly what Leon wanted. Sure, this was called an exhibition match in name, but they both knew it was much more than that.
What Leon truly desired was a battle fought with full force on both sides—that was the kind of Pokémon battle he loved.
"Bring it on, Champion Dylan! I'm more than ready!"
Leon's eyes blazed, his entire expression brimming with fiery anticipation.
Dylan smiled faintly, tossing the Poké Ball in his hand. "Such spirit, but I should warn you, Champion Leon… the next one really isn't the same."
"Completely different from Garchomp and Regidrago."
"Even better!" Leon bellowed with laughter. "That's exactly what I hoped for!"
But as Dylan's words reached the audience, a moment of stunned silence passed over them.
Wait—what?!
That terrifying Mega Garchomp and overwhelming Regidrago were just the warm-up?
No way.
Meanwhile, in the Unova Region, inside the Champion's office in Opelucid City—
"No way. He's not actually going to use that, is he?" Alder froze mid-sip, staring at the livestream.
Something even stronger than Mega Garchomp and Regidrago? He knew exactly what it was.
He'd been there when that "incident" happened with Drayden.
"What's he sending out?" asked a tan-skinned, lively young woman with sparkling purple eyes.
It was Iris, former Gym Leader of Opelucid, apprentice of Drayden, and a rising Dragon-type specialist. In fact, Alder had been grooming her to take over as Unova Champion within the year.
N—yes, that N—stood silently beside them, also watching the screen.
"You'll see soon enough," Alder said. "Dylan's strength is honestly hard to put into words. N, you know what I'm talking about, don't you?"
N was silent.
"Ugh, you guys and your cryptic hints," Iris pouted. "Fine! I'll see for myself."
Back at Wyndon Stadium—
"You really don't hold back, huh," Dylan muttered as he threw his third Poké Ball.
"Miraidon, prepare for battle!"
The chrome-purple dragon of the future glided silently into view, its neon eyes scanning Leon coldly.
Long tail flicking behind it, shimmering with futuristic energy, Miraidon's very presence made the air feel heavier, charged with invisible tension.
Leon's face immediately shifted.
Something wasn't right.
"Miraidon?" he echoed, frowning. "Never heard of it…"
"Electric/Dragon," Dylan said calmly. "One of the Paradise Guardian Dragons. A legend."
Another legendary Dragon-type Pokémon.
Leon's expression tensed further. From the look in Dylan's eyes… this Miraidon might even be stronger than Regidrago.
The crowd once again erupted in chaos.
"Another Dragon-type legendary?! Where the heck did he get these things?!"
"He's got two Dragon legends now?! This is insane!!"
"No wonder they say the Kanto Champion is the strongest—how's Leon supposed to fight this?!"
"OMG I think I'm in love with Dylan!"
"Wait, this is only the third Pokémon... are the last three all going to be Dragon legends too?!"
Even Chairman Rose, up on the dais, was blinking in stunned disbelief.
"This is actually Miraidon's first public battle," Dylan said casually. "I think it's happy to be out here… so I hope you'll take this seriously, Champion Leon."
Unlike Koraidon, who got to flex once in a while under Dylan's alternate identity "Aizen," Miraidon had never really had a turn.
Cold, aloof, but loyal—Dylan felt it deserved the spotlight too.
After all, what's the point of capturing them if they never got to shine?
Leon took a deep breath. "Electric and Dragon, huh?"
After a brief pause, he threw out his third Poké Ball.
"Cinderace! Let's go!"
A flash of white light, and a powerful, athletic rabbit Pokémon landed in front of Leon, crouched and ready.
Cinderace, the Fire-type starter of Galar, his longtime partner.
Bzzt—Cinderace. Fire-type. Striker Pokémon.
Ability: Libero
Moves: Pyro Ball, Court Change, Double-Edge, Bounce, Scorching Sands, All In…
Dex Entry: Uses stones like soccer balls, coating them in flames and kicking them with explosive force.
Brandon, watching from the crowd, immediately understood Leon's strategy.
"He's planning to use Libero to switch to Ground-type," he muttered. "So he can be immune to Electric attacks."
Libero—the exact same effect as Protean from Greninja. It lets the user change its type to match the move it uses, gaining STAB and often avoiding weaknesses.
Used right, it was extremely powerful.
That is, until it was nerfed.
Dylan smirked. "Cinderace, huh?"
He'd done his research. In Gen 8, Libero had been broken. Every move had STAB, and users could switch types on the fly to dodge weaknesses.
But in Gen 9? Hard-nerfed.
One switch per battle. That's it.
In other words: practically useless now.
Dylan had even checked this world's version of the mechanic—confirmed: nerfed.
Which is why his Meowscarada and Greninja had not been given Protean. He preferred Overgrow and Torrent now.
"Not that it matters," Dylan said quietly. "In front of Miraidon… that little fire bunny's not making it far."
"Electric Terrain."
Miraidon's body pulsed as golden sparks spread across the field, crackling beneath their feet. The ground shimmered with kinetic energy—Electric Terrain was in play.
This was Miraidon's Hadron Engine at work.
"Discharge."
Sparks flared from Miraidon's claws. A cascade of golden lightning poured down like a thunderstorm.
"Scorching Sands!"
Cinderace spun low, kicking up glowing hot sand. As it launched the move, its fur darkened—Libero triggered.
Now Ground-type.
The lightning hit, but the electricity was harmless—Cinderace stood its ground as the current flowed around it harmlessly.
Then, with a practiced motion, Cinderace volleyed the sandball like a soccer shot straight at Miraidon.
A strong Ground-type counterattack.
"Nice kick," Dylan said with a smile. "But the power…"
As the heated sandball flew at Miraidon, the dragon's tail lit up with a blue glow.
SLAM!
With one casual flick, it shattered the Scorching Sands mid-air.
Leon's heart dropped.
This thing was ridiculously strong.
"Charge in. Dragon Pulse."
Miraidon dove like lightning, a sleek blur of violet light. It was so fast it might as well have used a priority move.
"Too fast!" Leon's eyes widened.
Cinderace tried to retreat, legs pushing hard—but it was too late.
Miraidon was already above it.
Its maw opened, charging with raw, focused Dragon-type energy.
BOOM!!
A massive Dragon Pulse slammed down on Cinderace like a thunderclap.
Dust, debris, and wind tore through the field.
When the air cleared, Cinderace was lying motionless on the ground, eyes spiraling.
The entire stadium went silent.
Even Chairman Rose looked stunned.
A one-hit KO? From a neutral Dragon Pulse?
Sure, Cinderace was fast and explosive—but defensively, it was paper-thin.
Still… that was Leon's ace.
And it just got folded in one move.
Miraidon hovered silently in midair, staring down, elegant and untouchable.
Leon stared at his fallen partner for a long moment. Then he looked at Dylan.
He opened his mouth, as if to say something… but stopped.
He said nothing.
Just stared.
Far away on Pummelo Island, Lance's lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile.
That's my protégé. That's Dragon.
"Dylan's a freakin' monster!" Bruno rumbled. "He's making another regional Champion look like a rookie in short pants!"
No kidding. This was dominance.
But then Bruno turned to Lance.
"Hey Lance—how about a review? What do you think of Dylan's Dragon Legion?"
Lance looked over slowly.
"…?"
His face was unreadable.
(End of Chapter)