Chapter 89 — Galar is Invincible!

When that azure light burst forth,

Justice, sanctity, nobility—

The crowd felt an awe-inspiring royal presence that commanded respect.

Before anyone could react to what was happening,

An azure point of light cut diagonally through the air like a meteor breaking through the atmosphere.

It pierced through both the Gigantamax Charizard's Inferno and the Pokémon itself.

Time seemed to stand still in that moment.

After what felt like an eternity—

SLASH—!!!

The fiery bird in the sky was cleanly split in two.

The Gigantamax Charizard remained suspended in the air, frozen in place as if struck by paralysis.

Everyone turned their gaze to the ground.

"That stance...!?"

Even the Elite Four and Champions watching on TV were startled by this sight.

There stood Zacian, now clad in golden armor, in a completely different form.

It slowly sheathed the golden sacred sword from its mouth into the scabbard at its left hip.

Swoosh—

The Behemoth Blade smoothly slid into its scabbard with a crisp scraping sound.

When the sword guard met the scabbard's tip, it made a sharp "click!"

"Oho~~"

The moment Zacian finished sheathing its sword,

The Gigantamax Charizard in the air behind it let out a pained groan and crashed down

With a thunderous impact that kicked up clouds of dust.

Zacian reverted from its Crowned Sword form back to its battle-worn state, smoke and majesty billowing behind it.

This scene perfectly embodied the saying "real men don't look back at explosions."

Though Zacian was actually female.

The stadium fell into a silence so complete you could hear a pin drop.

Not a sound was heard for what felt like ages.

"Clap~ clap~ clap~"

A crisp applause broke the silence.

Everyone turned to look.

It was Rose, who had risen from his seat on the platform, smiling and applauding.

The crowd then came to their senses, standing up to offer enthusiastic applause and cheers.

"Zacian is so strong! Truly worthy of being Galar's hero!"

"That final sword strike was so cool it gave me goosebumps! Real men don't look back at explosions!"

"Leon fought beautifully too! He showed the dignity of a Champion even against a hero!"

"Will we have a new Champion of Galar?"

"What are you thinking? This was just an exhibition match, remember? To choose a Champion, it has to be a full 6v6 battle!"

"Even in a full battle, I can't imagine who could defeat Zacian..."

...

...

Though the "Undefeated Champion" suffered his first crushing defeat, the people of Galar were surprisingly accepting.

Of course, this was mainly because Sun Wuming's Pokémon was a legendary hero.

In the eyes of the general public, it wasn't that Charizard was weak, but that Zacian was too strong.

That was acceptable.

Secondly, Sun Wuming was also a Galar trainer.

They were all on the same side, so regardless of who won or lost, it was just like sparring between teammates.

If it had been against Lance instead,

The atmosphere probably wouldn't have been so friendly.

"Phew..."

Leon took a deep breath, recalled his Charizard to its Poké Ball, and walked to the center of the field.

Sun Wuming, under the envious gazes of others, gave battle-worn Zacian a few pats on the head before recalling it and walking up to Leon.

"Though I lost, I feel surprisingly refreshed. Perhaps because I gave it my all in defeat."

Leon smiled magnanimously.

"Now I'm motivated to train even harder."

"I don't dislike people like you. Next time we have a chance, I can fight you without using these guys."

Sun Wuming responded with a light chuckle.

"As long as you don't enter the battle yourself."

Leon chuckled quietly.

Remembering how Bea's punch had sent Hop's Snorlax flying, and how Sun Wuming had once shattered a mountain with one punch,

Leon felt that compared to facing Sun Wuming himself, battling legendaries wasn't quite so frightening.

"Thank you to both of Galar's pride for bringing us this spectacular final battle. Now, please enjoy the annual Galar Festival to your heart's content."

At this point, Rose had walked into the arena and smiled at the audience.

"YEAH!!!"

The stadium erupted in applause and cheers, as did countless spectators watching on the big screens outside.

The Macro Cosmos corporation was truly wealthy, offering free access to all entertainment facilities in Wyndon City on this day each year.

All-you-can-eat, drink, and play.

Many people would travel from far and wide to enjoy the free festivities, even if they weren't interested in Pokémon battles.

Rose's smile widened mysteriously as he continued:

"But before that, allow me to announce one more important matter."

The cheering crowd fell silent, listening intently to Rose's next words.

"From today forward, our Galar region will have its own Elite Four!"

Rose spread his arms wide, wearing a genuine smile.

"Ohh—!!!"

The stadium erupted in commotion.

The big screen at the top of the stadium lit up.

Leon at the very top center, representing the Champion.

And in the lower half of the screen, four portraits appeared side by side—

Raihan, Hop, Bea, and Marnie!

The message was clear.

Galar League Champion—Leon!

Galar League Elite Four—Raihan, Hop, Bea, and Marnie!

In other regions, to become part of the Elite Four, one must become the champion of the annual league.

Only then would they earn the right to challenge the Elite Four.

If successful, they could take their place.

But Galar was special, as they had never been able to gather four trainer-level Elite Four members.

Therefore, they had never established Elite Four positions.

But now things were different.

Bea and Marnie's performances in this Star Tournament had proven to the world their strength after their rebirth.

Especially Bea, who wasn't just Elite Four level—she had fought Champion-level Raihan to a draw.

"Hurrah! Hurrah!"

"Waaah! We've waited so long for this day!"

"Haha! Two of our Elite Four are Champion-level, I'd like to see anyone top that!"

"Who does Kanto think they are? Galar is invincible!"

"Ahem, brother, I should remind you that all of Kanto's Elite Four are Champion-level."

"Why not include Sun Wuming? His Zacian took down Lance's dragon with one slash!"

...

...

Many Galar natives were moved to tears upon hearing Rose's announcement.

All this time, because Galar couldn't gather four Elite Four members,

They had been at the bottom of the League food chain.

They had even been mocked as the "weakest League."

But now things were different.

Galar had its own Elite Four!

And two of them were Champion-level!

This lineup could only be barely surpassed by Kanto, where all four members were Champion-level.

The only regret was not bringing in Sun Wuming, who commanded legendary heroes.

...

...

"This Galar Star Tournament will likely be a hot topic of discussion for quite some time."

Turning off the TV, Siba cheerfully said to the other three people in the room.

— — —

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