Chapter 88 — Cynthia: Feeling Insulted

"Charizard! Use Heat Wave!"

Seeing how Zacian effortlessly cut through his Charizard's Flamethrower like slicing a cucumber, Leon immediately decided to change his strategy.

Charizard flapped its wings, generating a wind pressure that erupted into scorching heat, completely enveloping the arena in front of it from all angles.

Like a red tidal wave rushing towards Zacian.

"Follow up with Thunder Punch!"

The command for Heat Wave wasn't the end of it!

Under Leon's command, Charizard bared its fangs, its right claw clenched into a fist crackling with golden electricity, rapidly closing in on Zacian under the cover of the heat wave.

A two-pronged attack?

"Wind, is it? Then let's cut it all down."

Sun Wuming raised his index finger, "Air Slash."

Zacian turned its neck, swinging the air blade gripped tightly in its fangs.

Like a legendary sword master.

Each swing created massive crescent-shaped air blades over ten meters in diameter.

The shockwave from the sword pressure also pushed back the incoming heat wave.

Charizard, its right claw crackling with electricity, flapped its wings, constantly dodging left and right to avoid the sword energy cutting through the air.

All while gritting its teeth and continuing to close in on Zacian.

When only five meters remained between it and the Sword King.

Charizard roared, using all its strength to slam its Thunder Punch towards Zacian's head.

"Use Sacred Sword."

Sun Wuming said calmly.

In an instant, facing Charizard's incoming punch.

A glint flashed in Zacian's eyes as it slightly tilted its head like performing a parry, letting the Thunder Punch graze past its eye.

In the next moment, its form, more slender and elegant compared to its brother Zamazenta, shifted and turned.

The air blade gripped in its fangs also spun around.

However, in that spin that took less than a second.

The originally one-and-a-half-meter short sword suddenly grew to over a hundred meters long.

Zacian completed its spin and struck Charizard hard in the stomach.

"Groooar~"

Charizard let out an agonized cry that made one's scalp tingle just hearing it.

"Roar roar roar!"

However, just when everyone thought Charizard was about to be sent flying like this...

Charizard's left claw gripped the blade of the air sword, while its right claw once again crackled with electricity, using all its remaining strength to strike at Zacian's face.

Crack!

The lightning grazed Zacian's cheek, scorching a burn-like mark in its mane that Sonia had groomed to a glossy shine.

A look of surprise flashed in Zacian's eyes.

"Well done, Charizard! Flamethrower!"

Leon cheered on his best partner.

Enduring the pain, Charizard opened its mouth again to release an intensely hot orange flame pillar.

The crude flame pillar once again completely engulfed the battle-damaged Sword King.

In the sea of flames.

Zacian's eyes turned fierce as it suddenly twisted its head, increasing the force of its sword swing.

Rip—

The sound of tearing fabric echoed throughout the arena.

A fleeting white light instantly cut through the massive flame pillar as cleanly as tofu.

And that momentary sword light, after cutting through the flame pillar, also struck Charizard's forehead in the next instant.

"Groooar!"

In an instant, Charizard cried out even more painfully, unable to hold on this time as it was sent flying.

After being knocked back, it tumbled several times on the ground before finally stopping with a "bang" against the wall behind Leon.

"Not bad, actually managing to hit Zacian."

Sun Wuming couldn't help but smile, making everyone wonder if he was mocking Leon.

Was just landing a hit really that surprising?

However, these people misunderstood.

Sun Wuming truly wasn't trying to insult Leon.

It should be known that even among Legendary Pokémon, while Zacian didn't possess fundamental powers like those gods who wielded authorities...

Such as Dialga the Time God, Palkia the Space God, Groudon the Earth God, and Kyogre the Ocean God.

All those fancy abilities like expanding land, expanding oceans, traversing space-time...

Zacian had none of them.

But as they say, when God closes a door, he opens a window.

In exchange for not having those strange special abilities.

Zacian's physical capabilities were definitely among the top tier of Legendary Pokémon.

Even with Sun Wuming's knowledge as a transmigrator, the only ones he dared say could face Zacian head-on in close combat...

Excluding Arceus who was basically a cheat code.

Were probably only Rayquaza and Kyurem.

And those two were Dragon-types who might even get counter-killed if they weren't careful.

Of course, Sun Wuming, who had dropped the XY arc, didn't know about the existence of Eternatus and Necrozma.

"Charizard, are you alright?"

Leon called out worriedly.

"Ugh..."

Charizard supported itself with one hand, struggling to get up from the ground, shaking its head to indicate to its trainer that it was fine.

Leon nodded, clenched his fist and called out:

"Alright! Charizard, use—"

Bang!

Before Leon could finish his command.

A huge light pink energy ball came tearing through the air, once again sending the just-risen Charizard staggering back.

It was Moonblast!

Looking ahead, Leon saw that Zacian's eyes had gained three parts ferocity compared to their previous serenity.

Could it be... that it's only now getting serious?!

"No way..."

In the front row of the audience, Raihan and others who had been defeated by Leon multiple times in past Galar Star Tournaments all held their heads in their hands.

In past battles, rather than saying they lost to Leon, it would be more accurate to say they lost to that Charizard.

There was even a time when Raihan remembered managing to defeat five of Leon's Pokémon in an explosive performance.

But he just couldn't get past Charizard.

It was like an insurmountable mountain, a huge obstacle he couldn't overcome.

Yet now, that same Charizard that had given the Galar Gym Leaders such a hard time...

Was being completely dominated by Zacian with no room to fight back.

If it were them up there instead, wouldn't they be utterly destroyed?

"It's not that Charizard is weak, but that Zacian is too strong."

In front of the TV, Wallace, the current Hoenn Champion, said gravely:

"Power, speed, technique, and the trainer's commands, everything is just perfect."

"To be honest, even if I were to fight, I'm not confident I could do better than Leon."

Steven chimed in.

"Ahem! Ahem!"

Rose on the high platform couldn't stop coughing.

While he had anticipated Leon's challenge would fail, it shouldn't look this bad, right?

After all, he was known as the "Undefeated Champion" who had never lost since his debut.

If he lost this badly, it would make the Galar League look weak.

Even Marnie and Bede, who were on Sun Wuming's side, fell silent for a moment.

As people of Galar, they had grown up hearing about Leon's strength.

Yet this figure who was invincible in their eyes, well, at least formerly invincible...

Was being dominated like this, leaving them all dumbfounded.

Marnie and the others momentarily forgot to cheer for Sun Wuming, or rather, cheering anymore would seem impolite.

It would look like Sun Wuming was bullying Leon.

"Huff... I didn't expect this to be so challenging. As expected of the hero who once saved Galar."

Leon took several deep breaths again, as the Dynamax Band on his right wrist began to emit a deep purple light.

"In that case, I must go all out with everything I have!"

Dynamaxing so early?!

Many trainers in attendance who had battled Leon before were shocked.

While Leon liked to Dynamax, he usually preferred to show off Charizard's regular battle prowess first, before Dynamaxing.

Dynamaxing this early meant he truly had no other choice!

Leon recalled Charizard into its ball, and the energy gathered in the Dynamax Band flowed into it, causing it to continuously expand.

When Leon threw the enlarged Poké Ball with one hand...

His ace Charizard reappeared in a completely new form.

An eerie crimson light covered Charizard's body, its roaring flames transformed into burning wings.

Gigantamax!

Scorching flame waves accompanied by wind pressure continuously spread outward, making Sun Wuming's hair and Zacian's fur stand on end and flutter.

"Come on."

Sun Wuming said.

"G-Max Wildfire!"

Leon clenched his fist and thrust it forward.

Go! Charizard, just as you believe in me, I believe in you!

The Gigantamax Charizard raised its head and roared, as dazzling golden lightning appeared in the arena's space.

Boom boom boom!!!

Endless thunder descended from all directions of the arena's space, falling with nowhere to retreat.

The Gigantamax Charizard floated in midair, its erupting lightning completely covering everywhere except where Sun Wuming and Leon stood.

The excessive lightning made it impossible to see clearly what was happening in the arena.

Suddenly, Leon vaguely saw a black shadow rapidly approaching the Gigantamax Charizard in midair.

Too fast!

If it weren't for being especially visible in this lightning-covered world, he might not have even noticed it.

Leon didn't need to look carefully to guess what it was.

"G-Max Airstream!!!"

Leon immediately launched his second attack.

The Gigantamax Charizard spread its wings high and flapped them hard.

The entire field was swept up in a typhoon.

That black shadow was forcefully blown into the sky.

Now everyone could see clearly - who else could it be but Zacian!?

"This is our final all-out effort!"

Leon shouted with his final fist pump:

"G-Max Inferno!!!"

The Gigantamax Charizard spread its wings covered in explosive flames.

The flames burning on them blazed intensely, rapidly forming a phoenix-like figure of flames, suddenly shooting towards Zacian in the sky.

Gigantamax Charizard's exclusive ultimate move!

"Not bad at all. To be honest, after fighting Cynthia, I thought Champion-level trainers were just so-so, but you've given me quite a surprise, Leon, actually being able to fight Zacian for this long."

Sun Wuming looked up at the approaching flame phoenix, his muttered words reaching millions of TV viewers through the arena's microphones.

Cynthia's pretty face turned black as thunder.

What did he mean by "after fighting Cynthia, Champion-level was just so-so"!?

Sun Wuming spoke again:

"As a return gesture, let me show you Zacian's true form."

Hearing Sun Wuming's words, the airborne Zacian's air blade between its fangs automatically shattered and scattered into the air as it slightly turned its head to the left.

Like a sword master drawing their blade, it took the rusty sword that had been hanging at its left waist into its mouth.

In an instant, a dreamlike azure light spread out in a spherical shape in midair.

The air pressure even suppressed the Gigantamax Charizard's Inferno, preventing it from advancing even an inch.

It was only then that everyone realized they had forgotten about the rusty sword hanging at Zacian's left waist.

So it wasn't just for decoration!

— — —

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