January 11, Monday.
Every January, league events across the regions kicked into full swing.
Unlike the regional League Conferences, Galar ran a Champion Challenge format—inviting Gym Leaders from all over to battle.

The screen was currently showing a match: Leon versus Kabu.
Engulfed in blazing flames, the towering Gigantamax Charizard spewed volcanic fire, erupting upon the massive body of Gigantamax Centiskorch.

“And we have a winner!” the commentator declared.
The crowd roared like a tidal wave.

“That was amazing, Mr. Leon!”
In a hospital room, a young boy clenched his fists with sparkling eyes. “Jon, I told you! Mr. Leon is the strongest!”

The walls were plastered with Leon posters, Charizard plushies sat all around, and a box held a stack of pristine Pokémon cards.
Thin curtains swayed in the breeze. A giant Gengar decal graced the headboard wall.
A blond-haired boy named Jon lay in bed, gazing out the window and whispering,
“I want to watch Mr. Leon’s match… in person.”

The door opened, and a nurse walked in with a smile. “Mr. Rose is here.”
“Jon!” the other boy said excitedly. “If it’s Mr. Rose, he might actually help us meet Leon!”

Jon climbed out of bed, grabbed some paper and a pen, and began scribbling on a chair as fast as he could.
“Jon, hurry or we’ll be late!”
“I know,” Jon bit his lip. “But… a letter still feels more sincere.”

As the sun began to set, on the hospital rooftop,
Rose twisted a curl of his hair, slowly walking toward the Corviknight Taxi.

“Mr. Rose!”
He turned to see a panting Jon, holding a letter.

“P-please…” Jon’s eyes were full of hope. “P-please give this to Mr. Leon!”

“Leon’s a very busy man.”
Rose hesitated, then walked over and accepted the letter.
“I’ll deliver it,” he said with a smile. “Whether he reads it or not… that’s out of my hands.”

Jon’s eyes widened as the wind fluttered his thin hospital gown.
“Thank you, Mr. Rose!”

Wyndon City, Rose Tower.
Leon looked down at the letter, its crayon drawing bringing a chuckle.
“So this is what I look like?”

“In the eyes of children,” Rose shrugged as he twirled his curl, “this is exactly what you look like.”

On the page, a drawing showed Leon and his Charizard, alongside Jon’s wishes:

"I want to see Mr. Leon’s match live."
"I want to be the strongest Champion like Mr. Leon."

“That kid’s really doing his best.”
Rose glanced sideways, saying quietly, “Doctors said chemo’s next… It’s not going to be easy.”

Leon, draped in his signature cape, violet hair flowing, stood silently for a moment—then smiled.
“Then let’s put on a match.”

Rose narrowed his eyes. “And the challengers?”
“Me,” Leon said with a calm smile, “and Jon.”

Rose stared at him for a long time.
“You’re out of your mind.” Rose sighed, tugging his hair.

“An exhibition match with no revenue, hiring so many actors... Do you know how much that’ll cost in labor and money?”
“I do,” Leon said, putting away the letter. “Deduct it from my appearance fees.”
“Other Champions are off saving the world, and you’re here acting with a kid.”
Rose sneered, “You really are the strongest Champion.”

Leon looked out the window. From the top of Rose Tower, half of Galar was visible.
“I’m the Champion of Galar. That’s all.”

Rose slumped his shoulders, defeated by his immovable partner.
“Budget’s tight. I’ll post an anonymous plea online. Save wherever we can.”
Leon frowned.

“Don’t worry,” Rose said, waving as he walked off, “I won’t mention Jon’s name.”
“I’m a businessman, not a monster.”

“One more thing,” Leon called out. “I heard from Sonia—a certain Trainer will be visiting Galar.”
“Who?”
“Lu Ye of Donghuang.”
“Hm?” Rose raised a brow. “Never heard of him.”

“I mentioned him before.” Leon smiled sheepishly. “The tactical genius.”
Rose blinked. “The one who beat both you and Mustard in mock battles?”
“Yeah…”

“I see.”
Rubbing his hands, Rose headed for the door, muttering:
“Con—convince him to join the show, and we’ll save even more on costs…”

Saffron City, Kanto.
Snow fell outside the window, covering houses, roads, and power poles in a blanket of white.
If you listened closely, you could hear the soft hiss of snowflakes settling.

Inside, an orange glow danced in the fireplace.
Wearing a high-collared sweater, Lu Ye was on a video call with Sonia.

“Whoa!” Sonia whistled. “Lu-sensei, your house looks expensive!”
“Uh… long story,” Lu Ye said, deciding not to bring up the landlord. He cleared his throat.

“So what’s this exhibition match all about?”
“Mr. Rose posted a petition online. Over 5,000 people signed up to support Jon in person.”

Sonia grinned. “It’s a free event, for charity. Everyone’s on board!”

“Oh… So who’s gonna play the villain and fight Leon first?”
Sonia blinked her teal eyes innocently.
“…You can drop the cuteness act. I’m not signing up to get stomped.”

“Please, Lu-sensei! We’re short on funds. Leon’s already paid out of pocket for a few shows!”
Lu Ye raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t Macro Cosmos filthy rich?”

“Well… Galar’s still developing. Chairman Rose is stretched thin,” Sonia said, ticking things off on her fingers.
“There’s tourism, industry, infrastructure…”

Lu Ye looked conflicted.
Ever since he poached Oleana to be his secretary, Macro Cosmos seemed to have slowed down.
That meant the Eternatus Energy Project might be delayed too.

Whatever Rose’s true motives were, if anything happened, Leon would handle it.

Come to think of it…
Even Giovanni ran Silph Co., and Lusamine had the Aether Foundation.
If Leon was stuck doing commercials to raise money, Galar really was a backwater.

“Why don’t you ask Raihan?” Lu Ye massaged his temples.
Even if it was just acting, his current team wasn’t even enough to put a dent in Leon’s Charizard.

“Lu-sensei…” Sonia pressed her hands together. “Jon’s hospital room is full of your posters—almost as many as Leon’s!”

“…”
“He’s a huge fan. Seeing you would mean the world to him.”

“Hmm…”
Lu Ye rubbed his chin, lost in thought.

He was definitely going.
But battling Leon—even in an act—was risky.
What if Blastoise actually fainted? He’d have to go find Ho-Oh and pluck a feather.

“Lu… Lu-sensei…”
Sonia’s voice suddenly dropped.

“B-behind you!”

“Huh?” Lu Ye turned around—to see a flawless, pale face, delicate as sculpture.

“Heading to Wyndon?” Cynthia asked.
“Yeah… in the next couple of days,” Lu Ye nodded.

Watching the two converse so naturally, Sonia’s jaw dropped.

Why was Champion Cynthia at Lu-sensei’s place?
Why were they standing so close—they were practically about to kiss!

Suddenly, everything made sense.

“C-Cynthia, let me explain, I wasn’t trying to—”
“It’s fine,” Cynthia smiled, sitting beside Lu Ye. “The exhibition match sounds interesting.”

“Can I join in?”

[Help Us Fulfill a Small Dream]
This anonymous plea spread across Galar’s major forums.

“In two days, Champion Leon will compete in Wyndon to crown a new Champion.
The new Champion will receive their cape in the Wyndon Stadium.
On that day, a very special challenger will appear…”

The post went viral, sparking both praise and criticism.

“Leon’s letting a child inherit the cape?”
“Should a Champion stoop to this? Feels like a PR stunt.”
“It’s fake! A Champion match just for one sick kid?!”

But more voices offered support.

“I used to dream of being a Trainer, but I know it’ll never happen. I hope he achieves it for me. Rooting for him.”
“Who didn’t want to be a Champion growing up? Fulfilling this kid’s dream is fulfilling our own.”
“We need strong Champions, but more than that—we need human Champions.”
“Only Leon would do this. Because he’s Galar’s Champion.”

The reaction was so overwhelming, even Rose was stunned.
The donation goal was met within days.

In Galar’s harsh environment, Leon’s title as “Strongest Champion” was the one shining light for the people.
He bore a heavy burden—and had the strength and character to carry it.

That was the duty and mission of a Champion.

In the group chat, others had heard the news too.

“Rose invited me as well,” Lance sighed. “I want to go, but being an Interpol agent is nonstop.”

“To challenge Leon and deliver a perfect battle…” Blue pondered.
“Red’s a no-go,” Lorelei coughed. “He’s too strong.”

“Red-senpai and Green are training at Mt. Silver,” Gold said. “And Steven probably won’t make it either.”
“Steven didn’t even join last year’s World Tournament,” Lance added. “He and Leon aren’t that close.”

“Then… what about Lu-sensei?” Yellow asked softly.

The chat fell silent.

Maybe this was acceptance. Maybe it was mourning.

So far, Lu-sensei only had one team.
Like Alder, the former Unova Champion—who fell for the same reason.

Sending Lu Ye to face Leon at his peak… might be asking too much.

“I’m already on my way to Wyndon.”
Seeing himself tagged, Lu Ye finally spoke.

“With Cynthia.”

Everyone went, “Ah.”

With Cynthia’s strength, even Leon wouldn’t be overwhelming.
And given their close relationship… traveling together wasn’t surprising.

“When you get there, cheer for the kid for me!” Gold said.
Silver closed his eyes, recalling childhood trauma. “Me too.”
A chorus of “+1” followed, and the chat lit up.

On the flight to Galar, Lu Ye set his phone down and looked at the blonde woman beside him.

“Really… thank you,” he said softly.

“As expected.”
Cynthia looked up slightly, her hair draped over her black outfit.

“The moment I heard you mention it, I knew you’d go,” she smiled.
“Hm?”

“Because… you’re Lu-sensei.”
She closed her eyes, resting peacefully.

Outside the first-class window, thick clouds drifted below, and the sky glowed a pale blue.

“Cynthia,” Lu Ye said seriously.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?” Cynthia looked at him with deep gray eyes.

“Gengar was my first Pokémon. I’m not as strong as people think.
I’m afraid of dying, I love money, and I just want a normal life.

I just love my Pokémon. I want to laze around with them, live life with them.
But sometimes… I do want to win.”

He looked straight into her eyes.
“Like this match with Leon.
About my strength… and my so-called team…”

Cynthia pressed a finger to his lips.

“If you love your Pokémon, that’s enough.”

She smiled gently.
“Pokémon pass on their emotions to Trainers. As for getting stronger…”

She lowered her head.
Gengar welled up with tears. “Gengaa! ﾍ(;´Д｀ﾍ)”

Brushing her golden hair behind her ear, Cynthia said,
“Keep loving them. That’s all that matters. That’s all it takes—for me, at least.”

Lu Ye was stunned.

Strength?
Cynthia’s cheeks flushed softly as she gazed at the clouds below.

Doesn’t matter.
As long as I’m strong enough, it’s okay if you’re not.
Maybe that’s even better...

The plane slowly descended. The boarding stairs unfolded, and snow misted over the airport.

Nearly all of Wyndon’s citizens knew that tonight, in Wyndon Stadium, a new Champion would be crowned.
In the icy world, warmth and kindness filled the city.

Outside the dome-shaped Wyndon Stadium,
people waited eagerly to see the Champion match competitors—
and one very special challenger.

Snowflakes fell softly on hats, signs, and enormous banners.

“Who’s the challenger?”
“I heard it’s Champion Cynthia…”
“No wait, it’s another Trainer?”

Inside the stadium that held tens of thousands, every seat was packed.
Cheering roared, and the snow fell even harder.

Lu Ye and Cynthia entered the challenger waiting room together.

“Master!”
Bea rushed to greet him, then glanced at Cynthia beside him.

“Good day, Mistress!” Bea bowed at ninety degrees.

“Aha… That’s a bit much,” Cynthia said, scratching her cheek.

“What are you doing here?” Lu Ye asked.

“I heard besides the Champion match, there’d be a special challenger.”
Bea said quietly, “All the Gym Leaders support Jon’s cause.”

“And I,” the bronze-skinned girl looked up with resolve, “am here to cheer you on!”

Lu Ye chuckled awkwardly. “It’s just an exhibition… Leon’s not going all-out, right?”

“Not necessarily,” Cynthia whispered with a mischievous smile.
“Didn’t you read him like three turns ahead last time?”

Lu Ye’s face darkened.

Just then, a man in an orange headband walked in.

Raihan shot him a look and barked, “Hey!”

Cynthia’s gaze turned sharp.

In that instant, Raihan swore he saw a Garchomp glaring back. He cleared his throat.

“L-Lu-sensei! Glad you could come!”

“Originally, Raihan was supposed to face Leon,” Bea explained in a low voice.
“But since Jon’s a fan of yours… they invited you instead.”

The Pokémon TCG had reached Galar.
Pokémon games also had a loyal fanbase here.

For bedridden children like Jon,
besides watching Leon’s matches, games were their best comfort.

And Lu-sensei’s videos brought out the joy and beauty of battling.

“I know,” Lu Ye smiled wryly.
“That’s why I came to Wyndon.”

“So… this match,” Bea looked between him and Cynthia,
“Will it be you? Or Champion Cynthia?”

Lu Ye and Cynthia exchanged a glance.

“Lend me your strength,” Cynthia said softly, eyes deep.

“Of course.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read