"Aegislash is unable to battle. The winner is Garchomp!" the referee declared.
The result was hard for many Galar spectators to accept.
To them, Leon was unbeatable. And yet he'd lost the first round—and so swiftly at that.
But to those outside Galar, especially those who had witnessed Luo Yuan's clash with Steven, this wasn't much of a surprise.
In fact, those in the know—especially in Kanto—were well aware that Luo Yuan had even captured a Deoxys similar to the one once wielded by the infamous "Tech Hunter." Since then, many had already started calling Luo Yuan the strongest Trainer in the League.
For soone like him to defeat Leon? If anything, it would've been surprising if he hadn't.
Leon withdrew Aegislash into its Poké Ball.
A loss in the opening round—especially one so quick—was bound to shake anyone. It was only natural that his mindset would be affected.
But Leon was still the Champion of Galar. His ntal fortitude was second to none. Within monts, he had composed himself and focused everything on the next phase of the battle.
After just a mont of consideration, Leon chose his second Pokémon.
"Let's go—Mr. Ri!"
A flash of white light revealed a strange figure in a black tuxedo, holding what looked like an icy cane. It was Mr. Ri, the evolved form of the Galarian Mi Jr., now a dual Psychic/Ice-type Pokémon.
Against Garchomp's Dragon/Ground typing, Ice posed a devastating quadruple threat.
Luo Yuan glanced at the tap-dancing Mr. Ri and acknowledged that this match-up would be a bit tricky.
Still... not impossible.
"Garchomp—[Dig]!"
With Luo Yuan's command, a spray of dust burst from the ground as Garchomp instantly disappeared beneath the battlefield.
Seeing Garchomp vanish, Leon imdiately tensed.
Ice-type moves may counter Garchomp, but that ant nothing if they couldn't land a hit. Now that Garchomp was underground, the first step was to find it.
"Mr. Ri, watch your footing. Use [Psychic] to locate Garchomp underground!"
At Leon's command, Mr. Ri's eyes glowed an intense blue. Its feet tapped against the ground in rhythmic steps as waves of psychic energy surged downward, probing the earth in search of Garchomp's position.
From the sidelines, Luo Yuan could feel the psychic pressure radiating from Mr. Ri.
He had to admit—Leon's Pokémon were no joke. Just this Mr. Ri alone had stronger psychic output than even Sabrina's ace, Alakazam.
But unfortunately for Leon, he was up against Luo Yuan.
A subtle glint of blue flickered in Luo Yuan's eyes.
In the next instant, the psychic waves radiating from Mr. Ri beca clearly visible to him.
He shared that vision through his ntal link with Garchomp.
Now ard with intel, Garchomp deftly navigated through the underground, weaving around Mr. Ri's scans with ease.
Aboveground, Mr. Ri was completely baffled.
I saw it burrow. Where did it go?
No matter how it concentrated, Garchomp's signature had vanished—like a ghost in the earth.
But no one would answer Mr. Ri's confusion.
While it remained distracted, Garchomp seized the perfect opportunity.
It shot out of the ground, closing the distance in a blink.
[Crunch]
Garchomp bared its gleaming fangs and sank them deep into Mr. Ri's arm.
The strike ca so fast that Mr. Ri only registered it after the pain hit.
As a Psychic-type, Mr. Ri was weak to Dark-type moves like [Crunch]—the attack hit with devastating effect.
The searing pain shocked Mr. Ri fully awake—but it didn't fall. Instead, it fought through the pain, its free hand flaring with icy blue energy.
Chilling air condensed around its fist.
[Ice Punch!]
Mr. Ri swung the punch straight at Garchomp's head.
If that landed, even Luo Yuan's Garchomp—no matter how powerful—would be knocked out instantly.
Luo Yuan didn't hesitate.
Through their ntal link, he gave a swift command.
"[Dig]!"
Without missing a beat, Garchomp released its grip and dove back underground in a flash.
Mr. Ri's [Ice Punch] struck only empty air, and it was left staring blankly at the hole Garchomp had left behind.
The crowd erupted with complaints.
Many Galar spectators found this hit-and-run strategy disgraceful, shouting for Leon to protest to the referee.
But Leon, Champion that he was, knew better.
Luo Yuan's tactics—however frustrating—were well within the official rules.
If Mr. Ri had access to [Earthquake], Luo Yuan's plan would've fallen apart from the start.
But the problem was: Mr. Ri couldn't learn Earthquake.
Switch Pokémon?
Leon weighed the idea, but ultimately decided to press on with Mr. Ri. None of his other Pokémon had any real advantage against Garchomp's typing anyway.
Leon quickly made a decision—the most optimal one for now.
"Mr. Ri—[Hail]!"
If the underground was Garchomp's domain, then the surface would beco Mr. Ri's.
Garchomp could only hide for so long. Sooner or later, it would have to co up. And once it did, the hail would chip away at it each ti.
Luo Yuan saw what Leon was doing—and gave an approving nod.
Smart move.
Leon had grasped the key—Garchomp would have to resurface to continue attacking. Once it did, Mr. Ri could seize back control of the match.
But…
Who says Garchomp has to resurface to attack?
With a small smile, Luo Yuan raised a hand and snapped his fingers.
"Let's begin, Garchomp."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than—
Rumble!
The ground beneath Mr. Ri collapsed in an instant. Right as it was performing its tap dance, one foot missed its mark—and it tumbled into the sinkhole.
At the sa ti, the sa [Sand Tomb] Garchomp had used to trap Aegislash in the previous battle expanded in an instant, connecting with the new pit to form a massive, swirling trap that swallowed nearly half the arena.
Now caught in the storm of sand, Mr. Ri flailed and struggled.
But every ti it neared escape, Garchomp would pull it back in.
anwhile, the barrage began—[Crunch], [Brick Break], and other attacks rained down.
Mr. Ri could barely hold itself together—struggling against the trap, weathering blows from every side.
It wasn't just fighting Garchomp anymore.
It was fighting to stay conscious.
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