At the age of 88, Ballonlea's former Gym Leader, Opal, has passed away.

At the age of 18, Opal became the Ballonlea Gym Leader, inheriting the position from her mother, and she has held it for 70 years. 50 years ago she battled against Galar League former Champion, Mustard for the title of Galar League Champion but was defeated despite her Fairy-type Pokémon having a type advantage over Mustard's Fighting types. Opal received the nickname "wizard" due to her supposed ability to predict her opponents' moves in battle.

This wasn't just a great loss for Galar, but also for Pokémon battling in general.

Rest in Peace Opal.