It’s rare for Leon to see challengers his age, let alone have them make it all the way to the top to battle him. The match is over now—the roar of the crowd echoing off the stadium walls—and he’s left standing in the dust of an extremely narrow victory, heart still pounding as you approach from across the pitch for a handshake. He’s never had a battle like that—clean, fair, and extremely difficult. One slip up and perhaps you really would have taken his crown.

Your hand’s outstretched, and when he takes it, Leon feels that same jolt he did in the final round when both your Pokémon had Gigantamaxed. “You almost had me,” he says, feeling like the world’s gone quiet around just the two of you. “Honest. I haven’t battled like that in ages.” His thumb brushes your knuckles before reluctantly letting go. “Would you fancy a rematch sometime? Not in Wyndon; just anywhere you’d like, really.” There’s a connection between you that he feels is worth pursuing. He just hopes you feel the same.