JN115: Difference between revisions

No sooner have {{Ash}} and [[Goh]] arrived at [[Wyndon Stadium]] for the long-awaited [[World Coronation Series]] [[Masters Tournament]] that a boy runs up to them and demands a {{pkmn|battle}} with Ash, despite being fully aware of his status as a member of the Master Class. Not one to turn down a challenge, Ash immediately accepts, but the match ends up being short-lived, as {{AP|Pikachu}} defeats the boy's {{p|Wooloo}} with a single {{m|Iron Tail}}. To Ash and Goh's surprise, the boy reveals that he's {{an|Leon}}'s younger brother, [[Hop]]. Having sworn to be the one to defeat his big brother, Hop challenged Ash to test out the strength of the person his elder sibling is always talking about. Hearing that Leon talks about him makes Ash super excited. Nearby, {{TRT}} is hosting a live stream of [[JN106|their radio show]] to cover the tournament, although their main goal is to scout out strong Pokémon for them to steal.

After reuniting with {{an|Iris}} on his way to the locker room and the rest of the Master Class in said room, Ash joins them for the opening ceremony. One by one, the announcer introduces the Masters Eight to the audience: Ash, the first {{pkmn|Champion}} of [[Alola]]; Iris, the aspiring [[Type expert|Dragon Master]] and young Champion of [[Unova]]; [[Alain]], a [[Mega Stone]] excavator and the winner of the [[Lumiose Conference]]; [[Diantha]], the world-famous actress and Champion of [[Kalos]]; [[Lance]], a member of the [[Pokémon G-Men]] and the newly crowned Champion of [[Kanto]] and [[Johto]]; [[Steven Stone]], the heir of the [[Devon Corporation]] and the Champion of [[Hoenn]]; {{an|Cynthia}}, the world's renowned authority in Pokémon archeology and the Champion of [[Sinnoh]]; and finally Leon, the undefeated [[Galar]] Champion and the reigning Monarch. Leon invites all the other competitors to face him with their full strength, declaring he and his team will battle anyone and emerge victorious. With the introductions done, the matchups of the first round are selected via random shuffle. In the first battle, Leon will battle Alain; the second match will have Lance and Diantha facing each other; Cynthia will face Iris in the third match, much to the latter's worry; and Steven is pitted against Ash for the fourth match. Steven expresses positivity at the chance to finally have a battle against Ash. While the other Champions return to the locker room to wait for their respective turns, Ash joins Goh and Hop in the stands to experience the atmosphere of the battle first-hand. When questioned by Cynthia why she doesn't join them, Iris reveals her hopes to take a picture with her and Diantha, a request both women are fully happy to oblige. Lance and Steven discuss the latter's familiarity with Alain. Though Steven acknowledges that Alain is a powerful trainer, facing Leon in the first round has the potential could be overwhelming for him.

Leon and Alain enter the battlefield to begin their match. [[Gym guide|Dan]] recites the rules: the matches in the first round will be three-on-three with no restrictions on time or [[Recall|exchanges]]. In addition, each Trainer is allowed only one use of either [[Dynamax]], [[Z-Move|Z-Moves]], or [[Mega Evolution]]. At his signal, the two {{pkmn|Trainer}}s send out their first Pokémon, with Alain leading with {{p|Chesnaught}} and Leon choosing {{p|Rillaboom}}, making the first match-up a clash between {{t|Grass}} types. Alain makes the first move with {{m|Hammer Arm}}, which Rillaboom defends against successfully. Leon surprises everyone by going for his [[Gigantamax]] right off the bat, summoning Gigantamax Rillaboom onto the battlefield. His first attack comes in the form of a {{m|G-Max Drum Solo}}. While the [[G-Max Move]] is able to partially penetrate Chesnaught's {{m|Spiky Shield}}, the {{pkmn|category|Spiny Armor Pokémon}} still withstands it, like Alain had planned. Rillaboom next attacks with {{m|Max Airstream}}, which Chesnaught rides with {{m|Gyro Ball}}. Chesnaught manages to land a hit on its opponent, though backstage, Diantha notes that Rillaboom's {{stat|Speed}} has now increased as a result of Max Airstream. After blocking Chesnaught's {{m|Pin Missile}} with {{m|Max Quake}}, Rillaboom reverts to its normal form and proceeds to use its Speed increase to outmaneuver Chesnaught's second Gyro Ball and defeat it with {{m|Acrobatics}}, giving Leon the first knockout.

Alain's next choice is his {{TP|Alain|Charizard}}, drawing the excitement of Ash, who reveals to Goh and Hop that he has battled Alain's Charizard [[XY106|many]] [[XY116|times]] [[XY130|in]] [[XY131|the past]]. Charizard easily powers through Rillaboom's {{m|Drum Beating}} with {{m|Flare Blitz}} and deals a {{DL|Type|Type effectiveness|super effective}} hit, taking Rillaboom out and evening the odds. Leon responds by sending out his own {{p|Charizard}}. However, after {{m|Dragon Claw}} is dodged and his Charizard takes a hit from {{m|Air Slash}}, Alain figures he can't get close enough and recalls Charizard in favor of {{p|Malamar}}, hoping to use it to turn things around. This hope is soon crushed, however, as Malamar's {{m|Psycho Cut}} is blocked by a {{m|Fire Blast}}, and the Overturning Pokémon's attempt to use {{m|Throat Chop}} ends with it being grabbed and taken down by a close-range Fire Blast, leaving Alain with just his Charizard, which rejoins the battle while Leon announces that he will keep his own Charizard out. Alain declares that it's his goal to surpass Leon's Charizard and uses his [[Mega Ring]] to Mega Evolve his partner into Mega Charizard X, much to Ash's thrill. Alain's Charizard powers through its opponent's {{m|Ancient Power}} with Dragon Claw and deals a successful hit, but its subsequent Flare Blitz results in it getting struck by a point-blank super effective {{m|Dragon Pulse}}, defeating it and eliminating Alain from the tournament.