Although Mr. Rime was already at a severe disadvantage after being trapped in [Sand Tomb], Leon believed it still had one last move left in it. Even if it had to go down, it had to go down with style.
"Mr. Rime, use [Freeze-Dry]!"
The moment the command left Leon's lips, Mr. Rime—who had just taken a brutal [Crunch] to the shoulder from Garchomp—suddenly stopped struggling.
Its body temperature plunged in an instant. The sharp drop hit Garchomp immediately, still biting down on its shoulder.
To Garchomp, it was as if Mr. Rime had turned into a block of ice in its jaws.
The cold surged through Garchomp's fangs and straight to its brain.
"Hsss—!"
It felt like biting into a frozen treat in the middle of summer—the chill tore through its skull like a brain freeze gone nuclear. For a moment, Garchomp's whole mind felt like it was locking up.
Linked mentally with Garchomp, Luo Yuan winced at the same sensation.
"..."
Luo Yuan pressed his fingers to his temples.
Thankfully, he hadn't received the full intensity of the feedback. If he had, that icy jolt wouldn't have knocked him out, but it definitely would've rattled him hard.
He gave his head a light shake, pushing away the sensation, and refocused on the battlefield.
Thanks to the [Freeze-Dry], Garchomp was now covered in a thin coat of frost, its breathing shallow, aura visibly dimmed—it had taken a solid hit. But in return, Mr. Rime lay sprawled across the battlefield, unmoving.
After enduring so many [Crunches], it had already been near its limit. That final [Freeze-Dry] had pushed it past the edge. It gave everything it had to land that last blow, and the residual damage from [Sand Tomb] finished the job.
"Mr. Rime is unable to battle—Garchomp wins!" The referee paused a beat before announcing the result.
As he did, he couldn't help but glance at Leon's face.
He'd been the referee since Leon first rose to Champion status, had overseen countless of his matches—and yet this was the first time Leon had lost two Pokémon in a row.
And it wasn't just the referee watching—every pair of eyes in the stadium was on Leon now.
But Leon's expression didn't flicker. He simply pulled out Mr. Rime's Pokéball and aimed it at the field. "Return, Mr. Rime. You were brilliant out there."
It had been a calculated risk from the start. Looking at Garchomp's condition—even though it was still standing, there was no way it could keep fighting much longer. Leon had already gotten what he wanted.
And as expected, just as Leon recalled Mr. Rime, Luo Yuan also withdrew Garchomp.
The field was left swirling with sand.
"Leon's now down by one Pokémon—what will he send out to turn this match around?!" The announcer's voice surged with excitement, rallying the crowd's energy.
In the VIP suite, Oleana frowned slightly and turned to Chairman Rose. "Chairman, should we consider calling the match...?"
Leon wasn't just the Champion; he was the Galar League's golden boy—Rose's personal discovery, their undefeated star.
From his debut until now, Leon had never lost a single tournament match. That perfect record was his entire persona.
If that image shattered here, it wouldn't just damage Leon—it could destabilize the entire League's branding.
Rose kept his eyes on the battlefield, a calm smile on his lips. "Have faith in Leon, Oleana."
He had discovered Leon himself. Over the years, the boy had become a seasoned Champion, weathering every storm. Luo Yuan may be leading now, but Rose believed Leon would find a way to turn things around.
Oleana hesitated, then held her silence.
Under the weight of the crowd's anticipation, Leon and Luo Yuan threw out their next Pokéballs almost in unison.
This time, Leon was fully focused. If Garchomp was effectively down, he was one Pokémon behind. There could be no more mistakes.
"I'm counting on you—Dragapult!"
A flash of light, a spectral cry—Dragapult appeared, floating midair, wreathed in ghostly energy.
Leon had chosen Dragapult with the terrain in mind. With the battlefield still buried in sand, Dragapult's aerial movement gave it a crucial edge—untouched by the treacherous ground.
But that wasn't all.
Coincidentally—or perhaps by mirrored tactics—Luo Yuan had taken the same terrain into account.
"Rrraagh!"
A thunderous roar echoed across Wyndon Stadium, followed by the weighty thud of something massive and the roar of a growing sandstorm.
Tyranitar appeared, clad in black-green armor, its eyes gleaming with savage intent as it stomped onto the field.
Its [Sand Stream] ability whipped up a fresh sandstorm that engulfed the arena. The remaining sand from Garchomp's earlier attack was swept into the storm, making the swirling winds twice as dense, reducing visibility to near zero.
"My next Pokémon is Tyranitar," Luo Yuan said.
This terrain was practically Tyranitar's natural domain. The advantage Garchomp had painstakingly created? Luo Yuan wasn't going to let it go to waste.
Leon's heart sank.
Dragapult was at a type disadvantage against Tyranitar—and now it had to deal with an unfavorable battlefield, too.
But switching now wasn't an option. Leon made his call instantly, striking before the enemy could.
"Dragapult, use [Dragon Darts]!"
With a shrill cry, Dragapult launched both Dreepy like living missiles, sonic booms trailing behind them as they broke the sound barrier en route to their target.
But Luo Yuan was ready.
As a fellow Dragapult user, he knew exactly what tactics Leon would default to here.
Before Dragapult had even finished the attack animation, Luo Yuan had already sent his mental command to Tyranitar.
A gleam of silver flashed over Tyranitar's form. Its armor-like hide took on a hardened metallic sheen—[Iron Defense]!
Just in time.
The Dreepy struck, one after the other, slamming into Tyranitar with a duang duang clang that echoed like fists against steel.
Tyranitar staggered slightly under the impact, forced to lean back—but it recovered almost immediately, steady as a boulder.
Almost completely unscathed, Tyranitar let out a feral grin. With one hand, it reached out and snatched both Dreepy from midair as they tried to retreat to Dragapult's head…