Elf: Start with small diamonds, then mutate into Diancie!

At this moment, the palace arena was no different from a giant steamer.

The Galar League even mobilized a group of Ice-type Pokémon, placing them throughout the stands to unleash Ice Wind moves to cool down the audience.

If outdoor air conditioning can't do it, then we can rely on the power of Pokémon.

It only requires the fuel consumption of three meals to run all day.

The afternoon schedule is the same as the morning schedule, with two matches to determine the top eight.

The first match is between Leon and Daigo from the lower bracket. Both are favorites to win the championship, and the match is even more exciting than the two matches in the morning.

The same applies to the second match between Su Hao and Cynthia.

Some people online even say that the lower half of the bracket is almost like a group of death compared to the upper half.

With the top three grouped together, plus the pitiful and helpless sixth-place Su Hao, breaking through won't be an easy task.

The match started quickly.

The number of people in the lounge had decreased significantly.

Even though she was eliminated, Alice, having composed herself, decided to stay and watch the battle, joining Ash and going to the friends and family group.

Karuno was carried away immediately after her first match and simply took a private plane back to the Carlos region to make appearances.

For her, being an actress is her true career.

With Leon and Daigo gone, only Su Hao, A-Lv, and Cynthia remained in the lounge.

The three of them looked down.

Steven and Leon have both made tough statements and are preparing to release their Pokémon.

Daigo stated that being the strongest in the Hoenn region alone is not enough.

Only those who dominate the Pokémon World Championships can be considered the true strongest and most powerful trainers.

"Dan Di, Dan Di, the undefeated champion!"

"I came in first place! I'm strong and amazing!"

The cheers in the arena were like a tsunami, one wave higher than the next, a testament to the immense popularity of the two trainers.

For Dan Di, the Palace Arena is his home turf. He has proven the value of his championship title here countless times, and he is highly regarded.

Steven, being a handsome and wealthy man, is also the most popular trainer in the Hoenn region. His support team is only slightly inferior to Leon, who is fighting on his home turf.

The highly anticipated 1v1 showdown between top players saw both sides fielding their expected Pokémon.

Daigo remains his own star, the gleaming Metagross.

Dan Emperor is the invincible... Charizard.

Even the systems that both sides will use in this battle are predictable.

Leon, without a doubt, Dynamaxed, and Steven, known as the first person to Mega Evolve, naturally also Mega Evolved.

Upon their arrival, the two Pokémon, already at the pinnacle of the Champion level, unleashed their full power without reservation, relentlessly squeezing out space and refusing to yield an inch.

The moment the referee blew the whistle, the confrontation began immediately.

The robust cannon beam collided with the jet of flame, instantly creating ripples in the energy barrier.

In the lounge, Su Hao and Cynthia were discussing who would gain the upper hand between Daigo and Leon.

A-Du, who was leaning against the wall and watching the battle with his eyes down, chimed in.

"Leon is the kind of trainer who will thoroughly study each opponent and make targeted tactical plans, just to move towards victory."

"If Daigo is not careful, he might suffer a loss."

Su Hao and Shirona immediately looked at Adu.

If they remember correctly, in the final of the last Pokémon World Championship, Lance's Gyarados was caught off guard by Leon's Charizard's Thunder Punch, ultimately causing him to lose the final.

It seems these are heartfelt words...

Then look at the battlefield.

At this point, both sides had moved from probing each other into fierce fighting.

"Big characters burst into flames!"

With a wave of his hand, Dan Di, a fire-breathing dragon with a very strong physique and a belly that looked like abs, flapped his wings and opened his mouth to spew scorching flames at the back of the Metagross monster that was competing with him in speed.

The raging flames were overwhelming, almost engulfing the sky, and looked even more outrageous than purgatory.

"You're quite skilled."

Daigo knew that such a wide-range attack was difficult to dodge, so he smiled slightly and chose to fight head-on without hesitation.

"Strengthen your willpower!"

Blue light suddenly emanated from the X-shaped alloy structure of the Metagross, and the invisible giant hand directly clashed fiercely with the Exploding Flame. The heat wave, which was enough to melt rocks, was blocked by the emerging energy barrier.

Just when everyone thought this was another evenly matched battle, Dan Di suddenly took a different approach!

Under his command, Charizard halted its fiery eruption and, at the cost of injury, charged forward with overwhelming psychic power to Metagross's side, spitting out a strange, eerie flame that landed on Metagross—

In the lounge, Su Hao slapped his thigh hard.

That's so damn sneaky!

In order to counter Metagross, Leon even gave Charizard the almost useless Phosphor Flare move!

Unfortunately, Daigo's Metagross happens to have the Light Metal ability, rather than the Cleanse ability. I don't know where Dan got this information from.

In the battlefield.

Upon discovering that Metagross had been burned, Steven's expression turned grim.

He was so careless!

On the other side, with the tactic succeeding, Leon immediately took out a Poké Ball to recall Charizard, intending to seize the victory immediately.

"Come back, Charizard!"

Gigantamax!

After the red light struck Charizard, the Poké Ball in Leon's hand suddenly grew larger under the influence of the Max Band. The moment the Poké Ball was thrown and opened, dark red clouds descended.

Under the influence of the energy lightning that suddenly descended from the clouds, Charizard's size expanded rapidly!

Daigo's side is also going all in.

"Let the brilliance of the stone become a bond!"

Daigo gave the brooch in his hand a flamboyant kiss on the Keystone of Evolution, and a dense light of evolution immediately enveloped Metagross. In just a moment, a Mega Metagross with an aura almost at the peak of Champion-level power was born!

the other side.

The Gigantamax Charizard had also completed its expansion, roaring with a majestic body tens of meters tall. Its burning, fiery wings were as awe-inspiring as a phoenix.

From this moment on, the battle situation has escalated once again!

The Pill Emperor's gaze was intense as he immediately gave the order.

"Max Air Strike!"

The Gigantamax Charizard unleashed a terrifying vortex of wind from its mouth, sweeping towards Mega Metagross with an almost world-destroying force.

"Comet Fist!"

On Daigo's side, a silver meteor suddenly descended, using its terrifying power to directly confront Max Airstream.

Mega Metagross could have easily used its powerful evasion ability to stall Charizard's Gigantamax form.

But Daigo understands that, given the impact of his burns, his only chance to turn things around is now.

The longer it is delayed, the more the scales of victory tilt toward Emperor Dan.

------------

Chapter 1168 (Bonus Chapter) - I ended up being eighth...

Even a regular Max Airstream, when unleashed by Leon's Charizard, still possesses power nearly equivalent to that of a Champion.

While Steven's Mega Metagross gains terrifying power after Mega Evolution, it remains in a state of frustration due to its burn status, where it has the strength but nowhere to use it.

At its peak, the Dynamax Charge could break through in an instant, but Gigantamax Charizard was scorched inside for almost 10 seconds before finally breaking through the vortex and delivering a powerful Comet Punch to Gigantamax Charizard's belly.

boom--!

Under the immense force of the Mega Metagross, the Gigantamax Charizard almost lost its footing, staggering backward before regaining its balance.

Dan Di smiled and muttered to himself in a voice only he could hear, "As expected of the ace of the Hoenn champion. If we hadn't made preparations beforehand, we probably would have had a tough time."

"but--"

Dan Di's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"Charizard, Gigantamax Hellfire!"

"Roar--!"

A thunderous roar echoed throughout the entire palace arena. Under Daigo's extremely vigilant expression, Gigantamax Charizard raised its head, its flame-formed horns burning fiercely, and sparks flew from its mouth.

With a sudden flap of its wings, a melodious cry rang out.

Then, the flames burning fiercely on the wings on the back of the fire-breathing dragon soared into the sky, transforming into a golden-red firebird made of blazing flames and letting out a shrill cry.

The firebird, exuding an aura of incineration, swooped straight down toward the Mega Metagross.

"It's Gigantamax Hellfire!"

The audience in the stands immediately erupted in cheers.

If we were to say what move is universally recognized as the strongest in the world today, it would undoubtedly be this move from Leon's Gigantamax Charizard!

In the final of the previous Pokémon World Championship, this attack was even able to break through Lance's Dynamax Gyarados's supposedly absolute defense!

Daigo's expression was quite solemn; he knew he had to survive this attack.

Since we can't rely on Metagross's physical attack, the only thing we can depend on is—!

"Metroid, use Psychic at full power!"