How to Act as a Pokémon Champion

Chapter 3: The Challenger's Flame

(Leon’s POV)

The crowd's roar was a tangible thing, a wave of energy crashing against my skin that raised an answering fire in my veins. Ash Ketchum, two-region Champion…there was a spark in his eye I hadn't seen before. Interesting. And here I thought this would be a mere exhibition!

My grin didn't waver as he recalled his Gliscor. This was the moment the crowd craved, what they'd paid to see! "Charizard, let's give these folks a show!" My partner roared as he emerged, radiating a heat that chased away the stadium's chill.

Ash didn't reach for a Pokéball. Instead, a shadow descended from the sidelines – a flash of blue and red, landing with silent grace.

"Greninja…" The name rippled through the stadium. Even I couldn't deny the jolt of surprise. This wasn't just any Greninja. There was something different in those cool eyes... a power held barely in check.

"Alright, Greninja," Ash's voice was firm, his Kanto accent more pronounced when he was focused. "Looks like we're finishing this together."

The words echoed around the stadium, and then something extraordinary happened. Golden light engulfed Greninja, his form twisting and shifting. The crowd gasped in unison as he grew taller, shrouded in swirling water. This was it – the mysterious bond phenomenon I'd only heard rumors about. Ash-Greninja.

Now we were talking.

"Charizard, Gigantamax!" The command felt good rolling off my tongue. My partner surged with energy, transforming into the towering behemoth the crowds adored. Flames danced around his massive form, sending a shimmer of heat across the battlefield.

"Let's go, Greninja! Water Shuriken!" Ash's command cut through the din.

His Greninja moved faster than any I'd seen, a living blur launching the oversized water stars. But Charizard was no lumbering giant.

"G-Max Wildfire!" Raw flames erupted from my partner, not just deflecting the attacks but pushing back with an inferno that turned the water to scalding steam.

Ash-Greninja crouched, his form flickering like an illusion. I knew that trick – Double Team. Clever. "Charizard, clear the field!"

Charizard roared, his tail lashing out in a burning arc. The wave of G-Max Wildfire swept the field, incinerating the duplicates and driving Greninja into the open.

"Now!" Charizard lunged, claws wreathed in emerald fire. But Greninja was already in motion, a swirling vortex of water shielding him from the attack. Not just a defense… I narrowed my eyes. He was charging it somehow, that whirlpool gathering power.

"Max Airstream! Don't give him an opening!" Charizard soared, a streak of white cutting through the air.

Greninja launched himself upwards, a watery comet meeting white fire with an explosion that shook the stadium. The force of it drove even Charizard back. But as the dust settled, Greninja crouched in the center of the field, water coiling around his form in a monstrous, spiraling shuriken.

Ash's grin was sharp and confident. "Let's finish this, Greninja! Combine Water Shurikrn with Hydro Pump yo produce HYDRO VORTEX!" He mirrored his Pokémon's stance, the strange synchronicity of their bond sending a ripple of anticipation through me.

This was no ordinary move. This was their ace in the hole.

"Charizard, Max Knuckle! Meet it head-on!"

Energy crackled around my partner as he charged, the air thrumming with power. The two forces collided in a blinding flash. The stadium groaned under the strain, and I held my breath.

And then, silence.

Slowly, the dust cleared. Two figures stood opposite each other, breathing hard. One was undeniably Charizard, the flames of his Gigantamax form fading.

The other…was the challenger's Greninja.