The Bond That Guides Leon

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 . It focuses on as he trains to defeat by deepening his bond with his .
It was released all at once on November 29, 2024.
==Plot==
;Unbeatable Champion vs. Living Legend
At the arena, announces the start of a match between and . The two competitors face each other, both with their , 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 as and 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 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 . 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 , 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 find Red training with , , and 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 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 , , , , and , 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 ×10Challenge the Galar Trio
The Champion's Struggle 	Complete Challenge the Galar Trio 	Gems ×10Similar to Each Other
Similar to Each Other 	Complete The Champion's Struggle 	Gems ×10Challenge Sygna Suit Blue
The Top Trainer's Sense of Urgency 	Complete Challenge Sygna Suit Blue 	Gems ×10Challenge the Trainers on a Journey
Rematch of Determination 	Complete Challenge the Trainers on a Journey	Gems ×10
==Battles==
Name 	Difficulty	Trainers 	Trainers 	Trainers 	Pokémon 	Pokémon 	Pokémon 	First-Time Rewards 	Completion Rewards
Name 	Difficulty	Trainers 	Trainers 	Trainers 	Left 	Middle 	Right 	First-Time Rewards 	Completion Rewards
Challenge the Galar Trio 	Normal 	 	 	 	Weakness:	Weakness:	Weakness:	Gems ×30The Champion's Struggle 	900 coins
Challenge Sygna Suit Blue 	Normal 	Sygna Suit	Sygna Suit	Sygna Suit	Weakness:	Weakness:	Weakness:	Gems ×30The Top Trainer's Sense of Urgency	900 coins
Challenge the Trainers on a Journey	Normal 	 	 	 	Weakness:	Weakness:	Weakness:	Gems ×30Rematch 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 LegendFrom startRematch of DeterminationFrom start 	No. 00002 	Pokémon Masters EX Main Theme 	Unknown
Unbeatable Champion vs. Living LegendWhen Leon and Red begin to battleRematch of DeterminationWhen Leon and Red begin their rematch 	— 	Battle! Arena Trainer 	Unknown
Unbeatable Champion vs. Living LegendWhen Leon Gigantamaxes his CharizardRematch of DeterminationWhen Leon receives support from his friends 	No. 08003 	Battle! (Leon)(Pokémon Masters EX Version) 	Haruki Yamada (ATTIC INC.)
Unbeatable Champion vs. Living LegendWhen Red Mega Evolves his CharizardThe Top Trainer's Sense of UrgencyWhile Red battles Elio, Ethan, and RosaRematch of DeterminationAfter Leon's Charizard returns to normal	No. 01001 	Battle! (Red)(Pokémon Masters EX Version) 	Haruki Yamada (ATTIC INC.)
The Champion's StruggleFrom start 	No. 00010 	Wild Wanderings 	Unknown
The Champion's StruggleWhen Charizard brings Leon to Blue and RoseSimilar to Each OtherFrom start 	No. 00008 	Out for a Stroll 	Unknown
The Top Trainer's Sense of UrgencyFrom start 	No. 00009 	Island Mysteries 	Unknown
Rematch of DeterminationWhen Red Mega Evolves his Charizard 	No. 01006 	Battle! (Red, Blue, and Leaf)(Pokémon Masters EX Version) 	Haruki Yamada (ATTIC INC.)
Rematch of DeterminationWhen Leon receives his arc suit 	No. 08021 	Glorious Battle! (Leon)(Pokémon Masters EX Version) 	Unknown
Rematch of DeterminationAfter 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. 	Song names without a song key listed are unofficial, as they have not been added to the Jukebox.	Song names without a song key listed are unofficial, as they have not been added to the Jukebox.	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
zh:引導丹帝的牽絆