The battle was decided.

Leon sat on the couch, staring blankly at the screen in front of him.

That command and prediction… Even I struggled to keep up with his rhythm.

If not for the double Protect, the loss might have been even more crushing!

Leon closed his eyes, replaying the battle in his mind.

The defensive synergy built through Sandstorm, the oppressive status conditions under Sunny Day…

Unlike the hyper-speed Rain teams, his Sun-Sand strategy incorporated elements of Heavy Space tactics, making it even more dominant…

If they clashed in the Master League…

Leon glanced back at his Champion cape and silently asked himself:

Without Dynamax… Could I really break through this strategy?

For a moment, Leon fell deep into thought.

Then, he shook his head and chuckled softly.

He didn't just chase raw power in Pokémon.

Instead, he constantly deepened his own understanding as a Trainer—of strategic systems and battle itself.

Perhaps… this was what a true Master called "training."

"It's just one simulated battle."

Mustard, hunched over, patted Leon's shoulder. "Leon, don't dwell on it."

"If you faced Natsume for real, you might not lose."

Leon nodded slightly.

That was his conviction as Galar's Champion.

In Wyndon Stadium, he and Charizard were the strongest Champion duo.

But… Leon rubbed his bearded chin.

To keep up with Natsume-sensei in the realm of strategy…

He still had much to learn.

"Damn it!"

Mustard's face twisted in frustration. "Natsume ended it again!"

Last time, when his beloved disciple played for him, Mustard's ranking had soared to World No. 2.

Now, his dream was shattered once more.

The old man looked ready to cry. "o(╥﹏╥)o Is reaching World No. 1 really that hard?!"

Leon couldn't help but laugh.

After growing disillusioned with commercial leagues, his master had turned to running a dojo—teaching and guiding others.

And Master himself had shifted focus from Pokémon breeding to the growth of Trainers.

Leon pondered.

Wasn't that… the same path Natsume-sensei was walking?

Night deepened.

Leon stood to leave.

"Not staying another night?" Mustard asked, hands behind his back.

"No." Leon smiled. "Got work to get back to!"

After battling Natsume-sensei, Leon realized more than ever:

As Champion, he could never afford to stagnate.

Demand the most from himself, show leniency to others.

That was exactly why Leon, as Galar's Champion, was so beloved.

Mustard didn't stop him, simply watching with a grin as Leon departed.

"Losing to Natsume…"

The old man gazed at the fading figure in the night, smiling warmly.

"…really isn't such a bad thing."

Leon soared over the waters around the Isle of Armor on Charizard's back.

His Rotom Phone floated beside him, the screen showing Raihan's gritted teeth. "Can't you just use Rotom's navigation? Why do I have to pick you up?!"

"Sorry." Leon scratched his head. "Honestly… I've never been good with maps."

"…You're hopeless." Raihan sighed. "You're too straightforward—that's why you get lost!"

"By the way," Raihan suddenly asked, "that account of Mustard's today… That was you, right?"

Leon nodded through the video call.

"Knew it!" Raihan grinned, then slowly turned serious.

"But that guy even runs Weather teams now…"

"Natsume-sensei?"

"Who else?!" Raihan groaned.

Even as a Weather team specialist, he had to admit…

Natsume-sensei might be even more skilled than him?

Raihan's expression soured. He shook his head, coughing awkwardly. "Hey, what's your plan now?"

"Head back to Galar first, check on the Gym Leaders' work." Leon answered honestly.

"???"

"Then…" Leon lowered his gaze, a faint smile forming.

"Visit the kids at the hospital."

Galar's public hospitals were funded by Macro Cosmos, with Leon as their ambassador.

A significant portion of the logos on Leon's cape represented Galar's infrastructure projects.

To say he single-handedly supported the entire region… wasn't an exaggeration.

"Keep at it." Raihan hesitated, then waved him off earnestly. "Galar's Champion—Mr. Leon!"

...

The battle had reached its conclusion.

The final showdown between Venusaur and Charizard played out just as expected—Venusaur emerged victorious.

Red cracked a faint smile and sent a private message to Blue Oak: "See? Told you."

"Tch." Blue Oak scoffed. "That guy clearly doesn't know how to counter space-based strategies."

Aside from Charizard, Blue Oak's ace was a Rhyperior—and he himself was a heavy-space specialist.

"Personally," Red mused, "I'd say Leon commanded near-perfectly…"

"But."

Red smirked.

"He was up against Natsume-sensei."

Blue Oak fell silent.

Who knew how a no-holds-barred 6v6 battle would've gone?

But when it came to command mastery, Natsume-sensei was undeniably superior.

And that terrifying Sun-Sand team composition…

Blue Oak's eyes flickered.

Maybe defensive teams were just Natsume-sensei's way of entertaining himself.

What if he was actually more skilled with powerhouse pseudo-legendaries… or weather-based domination?

Inside Natsume-sensei's livestream, even casual fans could tell the battle's quality was top-tier.

Viewership and donations skyrocketed in real time.

Natsume-sensei let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Strategic … really took a toll on the brain.

Not only did he have to crunch numbers, but he also had to predict his opponent's rotations and commands.

At least this time, the card quality was high.

Natsume nodded in satisfaction.

No need to drag poor Gold into recording duty again!

After Natsume-sensei's signature lightning-speed stream exit, fans lingered on the black screen, replaying the battle.

"Waiting for tomorrow's tutorial!"

"No more Moe-Moe next stream = instant unsubscribe."

"League Tournament's at the end of the month—is Natsume-sensei gonna go pub-stomping again?"

"Classic Natsume-sensei behavior!"

Off-stream, Natsume reviewed the battle.

That Charizard alone was proof Leon had been piloting the account.

Winning without Dynamax didn't feel like much of an achievement.

"But…" Natsume rubbed his chin. "Wouldn't it be more fun with Dynamax?"

As the reigning World Champion, Leon had the home-field advantage in Galar—Dynamax included.

Officially, Leon's record was flawless in sanctioned Pokémon battles.

Unofficially? Well… that was up for debate.

Outside Galar, Leon might edge out Lance… but it'd likely be a close match.

And as everyone knew—Natsume-sensei and Lance were evenly matched.

According to GF's lore, Leon and Red stood as the strongest Champions…

Which meant—

Natsume's eyes widened.

"Wait… does that make me Red's equal?!"

Another bizarre power-scaling theory unlocked!

"Gengar~ (￣︶￣)︿" Gengar shot Natsume an amused glance before shrugging.

Totally used to this by now.

Last time, it was a meme team for Cynthia's stream.

This time? A full-blown strategy guide.

Natsume gathered clips for his new video and called over his shoulder: "Gengar, brew some coffee!"

"Gengar~ ~(￣▽￣)~*"

Sipping his coffee, Natsume worked on editing.

Then—ping.

A message from Gold:

"Natsume-sensei, let's battle!"

Natsume-sensei: ?

Gold: "Just watched your Sun-Sand team. I can totally do this too!"

Natsume blinked.

Here he was, not planning to exploit Gold for recording material—

And the guy just walks right into it!

Natsume-sensei: "No actor fees this time."

Gold: "???"

Thirty minutes later.

Gold's avatar darkened into a defeated gray.

Natsume sighed, taking a sip of now-cold coffee.

I didn't kill Gold… Gold died by his own hands.

Then, he scooped up the dozing Sylveon in his arms and grinned.

"Sylveon! (╬ Ò﹏Ó)??" Sylveon jolted awake and headbutted Natsume's chest in protest.

Natsume laughed—then winced.

"Cough… internal injuries!"

"Sylveon~ o(｀^´)o"

Another dangerous day, safely survived.

With edits complete, he hit upload.

[Ding! Your new video is live!]

[Click to watch: "Natsume-sensei Teaches Battling 13: Sun-Sand Team"]

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