Cinderace had single-handedly taken down two of Diantha's Pokémon.
There was no denying it.
Cinderace had restored Leon's pride.
The cheers from the crowd and the posts flooding the internet all confirmed one thing—
The World Champion was the real deal!
An Xin'er clutched Baimu's arm nervously. "Uncle..."
"Believe in your aunt!"
He gently patted the back of An Xin'er's hand and looked toward Diantha below. Any special tactic had to be backed by strength.
Unfortunately, although Leon was a Champion from the eighth generation, his strength in the anime was greater than that of the Champions from other regions.
That gap was especially clear in this battle. Tyrantrum and Hawlucha had fought hard, yet they had only managed to leave Cinderace badly injured. Neither could finish Cinderace off.
Baimu believed that in a full six-on-six battle, Cinderace could probably have taken down another Pokémon, perhaps even two!
Now... the match had reached its final stage.
Leon recalled Cinderace. He clearly intended to send out his true ace against Diantha's.
That was exactly what she wanted.
Diantha composed herself and threw a Poké Ball onto the field. "I'm counting on you!"
Bang!
A flash of light followed.
The graceful, composed Mega Gardevoir appeared on the field once more, carrying all of Diantha's hopes.
At the same time, Leon threw his ball forward. "Go, Charizard!"
"Roaaar!"
With a soaring roar, the World Champion's ace landed on the field. Charizard's enormous body, far larger than others of his kind, made the ground tremble.
Leon looked at Mega Gardevoir across the field and raised his left hand without hesitation!
"Come on! It's Champion Time!"
Whoosh!
Excited screams erupted from the stands.
Champion Time meant the moment they had all been waiting for was here.
The extraordinary! The invincible! The one and only—
Gigantamax