“Steel-type Hagurumon and Ice + Fire-type Gabumon, huh?”
Leon observed the lively Gabumon and the reserved Hagurumon, stroking his chin beard in thought.
About five minutes later,
Leon made his decision:
“I’ll take Hagurumon.”
Leon wasn’t the type of trainer who specialized in a single type.
He had to consider the balance of his whole team.
He already had Fire-type Charizard and Ice-type Mr.
Rime in his roster, so he didn’t feel the need to add more of those types.
As for Steel-type, he did have an Aegislash, but it was only mid-Champion-level—weakest on his team.
So naturally, Leon chose Hagurumon.
“Nice to meet you, Hagurumon.”
Leon grinned and extended his hand to Gabumon.
Hagurumon barely looked up, its Husky-like eyes exuding an aura of ‘wisdom’.
After a six-second standoff, it finally raised its gear-like paw to shake.
Seeing that Leon hadn’t chosen him, Gabumon’s big eyes immediately welled up with tears.
Noah knelt down, stroked his fur, and said:
“Gabumon, don’t worry—I’ll find you a suitable trainer, one who’ll treat you even better than that other Gabumon’s partner.”
Too bad this Gabumon wasn’t Yamato’s—otherwise, Noah could’ve let him taste what it felt like to be cucked.
With Noah’s reassurance, Gabumon managed to hold back his tears.
Noah shook his head inwardly.
Although Gabumon’s species was naturally timid and shy, This one seemed a bit extreme.
So it’s probably not a good fit for his own team either.
Noah didn’t have specific personality requirements for his Digimon, But Gabumon’s soft demeanor felt like he’d get bullied easily.
“To be honest, if you hadn’t provided assistance, Professor Noah, I was planning to find Leon a new Pokémon myself.”
As they were about to part ways, Rose suddenly said.
Noah’s expression was a bit hard to read.
He knew exactly what Rose was referring to—
The poison dragon sealed beneath the factory in Hammerlocke: Eternatus.
In the original anime, Rose had pulled that stunt.
He released Eternatus, only to solve the resource shortage Galar might face in a thousand years, but also to have Leon catch Eternatus and make him the world’s strongest trainer.
However, Rose probably never dreamed that Eternatus would end up being caught by Goh.
If Eternatus knew what kind of person Goh was, It’d probably rather stay buried underground.
The next day,
This year’s Galar Star Tournament’s round of 32 continued.
This time, the draw paired two Gym Leaders against each other—
Fighting-type Bea vs.
Ice-type Melony!
These two female trainers were arguably the strongest after the Galar trio of Leon, Raihan, and Piers—
Both at what many fans called ‘pseudo-Elite Four’ level.
“That Auntie Melony is quite plump, but she’s surprisingly charming.”
However, a battle between pseudo-Elite Four trainers couldn’t hold Noah’s interest at all.
Rather than the Pokémon fighting on the field, His focus was entirely on the two trainers themselves.
Although Melony was in her forties,
And her figure had started to thicken,
She was surprisingly pleasant to look at.
Add a face that, despite some wrinkles, still qualified as ‘well-preserved’, And she was exactly the type that men of a certain refined taste would appreciate.
She reminded Noah of a certain dear teacher from his past life—Yumi Kazama.
Bea, on the other hand, wasn’t a slender little beauty like Serena or Marnie, But the blocky abdominal muscles hidden beneath her tight sportswear, paired with her equally striking features, Gave off an intense sense of contrast appeal.
Not to mention the silver hair—a trait that perfectly hit the aesthetic sweet spot.
“Dog!”
Hearing Noah muttering his commentary about the two female Gym Leaders, Sonia couldn’t help but glare at him.
‘Pervert!’
“Nessa, have you submitted your resignation to Chairman Rose yet?”
Sonia decided to ignore the lecher and turned her attention to her best friend.
“Yeah.
Apparently they’ve already found my replacement.”
As she spoke, Nessa clenched her drink bottle.
Neither Rose nor Oleana had made any attempt to keep her.
Such thing was understandable.
Replacements for Raihan or Piers were hard to find, But for Nessa, there were plenty of candidates.
They come and go as they please.
Nessa bit her lip, silently vowing to get stronger.
She’d make everyone who looked down on her pay!
“Sonia, won’t you come with me?”
Nessa clung to her best friend’s arm and pleaded.
Although Serena and Marnie were kind-hearted, She’d much rather have Sonia by her side.
“Er…
let me think about it.”
Sonia hesitated.
“Are you reluctant to leave Galar…
or reluctant to leave someone?”
Nessa hit the nail on the head.
Sonia’s fair cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“Oh, everyone’s here?”
Just then, a familiar yet unfamiliar cheerful voice reached them.
Everyone turned instinctively.
Serena and Marnie both looked surprised.
It was the man standing at the pinnacle of the Galar League—
The [Undefeated Champion], Leon.
Sonia’s face also lit up with joy.
Seeing Leon approaching, she was about to stand up and greet her long-lost childhood friend.
However…
Leon walked right past her without a glance, reached out and shook Noah’s hand, saying excitedly:
“Professor Noah, I trained with Hagurumon last night—its potential is incredible.
I came specifically to thank you.”
“You’re too kind…
I was paid after all.”
Nessa swallowed nervously and glanced at Sonia, whose head was lowered.
She could almost see a dark aura emanating from her best friend.