The Bond That Guides Leon

Chapter 2
The Bond That Guides Leon

第２章
ダンデを導くきずな

Chapter 2
The Bond That Guides Leon

Info

Date released	November 29, 2024
Story arc	Arceus Arc

Other

Featured sync pairs

Arc Suit Leon & Charizard

The Bond That Guides Leon (Japanese: ダンデを導くきずな The Bond That Guides Leon) is the second chapter of the Arceus Arc in Pokémon Masters EX. It focuses on Leon as he trains to defeat Red by deepening his bond with his Charizard.

It was released all at once on November 29, 2024.

Plot

Unbeatable Champion vs. Living Legend

At the arena, Rose announces the start of a match between Leon and Red. The two competitors face each other, both with their Charizard, and Leon expresses his excitement at the chance to battle Red. After a brief staredown, the battle starts. Leon begins by having his Charizard charge at Red's, but it easily dodges and counters with its own attack. The two Pokémon exchange blows over a period of time, and Rose notes that they are evenly matched.

Not wanting the battle to drag on any longer, Leon makes the decision to Gigantamax his Charizard. It unleashes a powerful attack that appears to make Red's Charizard faint. Shortly after, Red's Charizard is revealed to have not only sustained the attack, but Mega Evolved as well. While Leon is stunned, his own Charizard is struck with an attack that swiftly knocks it out, giving the win to Red. Thanking him for the battle, Leon offers his congratulations.

Afterward, in the waiting area, Rose stumbles upon Leon standing in the corner alongside his Charizard. Rose attempts to offer some encouragement, but Leon is silent. After he exits, Leon finally speaks, apologizing to Charizard.

The Champion's Struggle

A few days after the match, Leon trains against Milo as Nessa and Kabu stand nearby. Leon tries to think of the reason for his loss, but is unable to find what he and Charizard lack. A voice commends Leon for his training, prompting him to turn around and see Volo approaching. After explaining that he had seen the match, Volo asks Leon how he would feel about having an arc suit. When Milo and Nessa both ask about the suits, Volo shares his belief that they are a blessing from Arceus. Remembering that Arceus seems to seek a certain bond between a Trainer and their Pokémon, Leon decides to make his next goal to deepen his partnership with Charizard. Milo compares the idea of arc suits to farming—cultivating a crop in order to harvest it—which Volo lingers on.

Over time, Leon trains with Charizard to obtain an arc suit, but his sync stone ultimate fails to shine. As he stops and thinks to himself, Charizard suddenly gets his attention. It then leads Leon to Blue, who is shown speaking with Rose.

Similar to Each Other

As Leon approaches Blue, the latter explains that he and Rose were just speaking of him. Blue deduces that Leon and Charizard have been training harder after their loss, and comments that he is reminded of Red. He elaborates, saying that Red and Leon share a passion for Pokémon battling and are strong in the same way. He encourages him to beat Red, even offering to train him. Blue goes on to explain that Rose was just about to take him to see Leon, but Charizard beat him to it. Rose remarks that oftentimes Charizard is the one to guide Leon when he is lost, prompting Leon to thank it for its help.

Rose then asks Leon if he would like the opportunity to rematch Red in the Arceus Cup. Leon acknowledges the high stakes of the battle, but Rose suggests that if he and Charizard were to push themselves further, it would yield promising results. Eager to obtain an arc suit, Leon accepts.

The Top Trainer's Sense of Urgency

Days later, Rose and Oleana find Red training with Rosa, Ethan, and Elio at a glacier. To the three's shock, Red's Charizard defeats all of their Pokémon at once. Despite his victory, he frowns and turns away. When Rose asks the three about Red's training, they note that he seems more intense than usual—battling incessantly and sleeping less. Seeing Red turned away, Rose is reminded of Leon, as well as Blue's comment about their similarity. He approaches to offer him a chance to compete in the Arceus Cup, and Red agrees to participate.

Rematch of Determination

On the day of the match, Leon and Red meet at the arena with their Charizard once more. Despite remaining unable to awaken his arc suit, Leon asserts that this battle will end differently than their first. When Rose announces the start of the match, Leon's Charizard rushes to attack Red's, but it dodges. Red's Charizard attempts to hit Leon's with its tail, but Leon's is quick to counter the attack.

Both Charizard blast each other with Fire-type attacks. As they continue to exchange blows, Leon and Red share a look. Red then Mega Evolves his Charizard, prompting Leon to Gigantamax his own. The two continue to clash against each other until Leon's Gigantamax Charizard returns to its normal form.

With Red's Charizard still well and able to fight, Leon pauses to listen to the sounds of the stadium. He thinks to himself that the audience is cheering for him to lose and for the victory to go to Red. Despite being closer to beating Red than he has ever been before, he fails to see any chance of success ahead of himself. A voice shouts out words of encouragement to Leon, snapping him out of his thoughts. He suddenly hears the voices of Hop, Sonia, Raihan, Gloria, and Victor, each yelling out their support for him. Heartened by his friends, Leon becomes determined to win.

Leon's sync stone ultimate glows, and he is soon shown wearing an arc suit. He thanks Charizard for its help, and when Red's Charizard attacks his, it easily dodges and counters. Leon's Charizard follows up with more attacks, pushing Red's to its limit. With a powerful sync move, Leon's Charizard finishes off Red's, rendering himself the victor. Red brings himself to smile, and Leon declares that both the two of them and their Charizard will continue to be the greatest.

Watching from a monitor in Centra City, Volo smirks. He hopes to himself that more people will awaken their arc suits.

Area info

Area name	Unlock condition	Completion rewards
Unbeatable Champion vs. Living Legend	Available from start	Gems ×10 Challenge the Galar Trio
The Champion's Struggle	Complete Challenge the Galar Trio	Gems ×10 Similar to Each Other
Similar to Each Other	Complete The Champion's Struggle	Gems ×10 Challenge Sygna Suit Blue
The Top Trainer's Sense of Urgency	Complete Challenge Sygna Suit Blue	Gems ×10 Challenge the Trainers on a Journey
Rematch of Determination	Complete Challenge the Trainers on a Journey	Gems ×10

Battles

Name	Difficulty	Trainers			Pokémon			First-Time Rewards	Completion Rewards
					Left	Middle	Right
Challenge the Galar Trio	Normal	Milo	Kabu	Nessa	Eldegoss Weakness:	Centiskorch Weakness:	Drednaw Weakness:	Gems ×30 The Champion's Struggle	900 coins
Challenge Sygna Suit Blue	Normal	Blue Sygna Suit			Swampert Weakness:	Blastoise Weakness:	Inteleon Weakness:	Gems ×30 The Top Trainer's Sense of Urgency	900 coins
Challenge the Trainers on a Journey	Normal	Rosa	Ethan	Elio	Serperior Weakness:	Typhlosion Weakness:	Primarina Weakness:	Gems ×30 Rematch of Determination	2,400 coins

Gallery

Artwork of Chapter 2

Music

Situation	Song key	Song name	Arrangement
In menu	No. 00004	Adventure Awaits!	Unknown
During battle (Challenge the Galar Trio)	No. 08005	Battle! (Galar Gym Leader) (Pokémon Masters EX Version)	Haruki Yamada (ATTIC INC.)
During battle (Challenge Sygna Suit Blue)	No. 01002	Battle! (Blue) (Pokémon Masters EX Version)	Haruki Yamada (ATTIC INC.)
During battle (Challenge the Trainers on a Journey)	No. 02009	Battle! (Johto Trainer) (Pokémon Masters EX Version)	Haruki Yamada (ATTIC INC.)
Unbeatable Champion vs. Living Legend From start Rematch of Determination From start	No. 00002	Pokémon Masters EX Main Theme	Unknown
Unbeatable Champion vs. Living Legend When Leon and Red begin to battle Rematch of Determination When Leon and Red begin their rematch	—	Battle! Arena Trainer	Unknown
Unbeatable Champion vs. Living Legend When Leon Gigantamaxes his Charizard Rematch of Determination When Leon receives support from his friends	No. 08003	Battle! (Leon) (Pokémon Masters EX Version)	Haruki Yamada (ATTIC INC.)
Unbeatable Champion vs. Living Legend When Red Mega Evolves his Charizard The Top Trainer's Sense of Urgency While Red battles Elio, Ethan, and Rosa Rematch of Determination After Leon's Charizard returns to normal	No. 01001	Battle! (Red) (Pokémon Masters EX Version)	Haruki Yamada (ATTIC INC.)
The Champion's Struggle From start	No. 00010	Wild Wanderings	Unknown
The Champion's Struggle When Charizard brings Leon to Blue and Rose Similar to Each Other From start	No. 00008	Out for a Stroll	Unknown
The Top Trainer's Sense of Urgency From start	No. 00009	Island Mysteries	Unknown
Rematch of Determination When Red Mega Evolves his Charizard	No. 01006	Battle! (Red, Blue, and Leaf) (Pokémon Masters EX Version)	Haruki Yamada (ATTIC INC.)
Rematch of Determination When Leon receives his arc suit	No. 08021	Glorious Battle! (Leon) (Pokémon Masters EX Version)	Unknown
Rematch of Determination After Leon wins the battle	No. 00012	Let Your Spirit Soar!	Unknown
Song names without a song key listed are unofficial, as they have not been added to the Jukebox.

Script

In other languages

Chapter 2

The Bond That Guides Leon

This article is part of Project Sidegames, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon Sidegames.