Though there were plenty of tasks to handle across various departments, along with preparations for the upcoming Pokémon Contests, everything had to take a backseat to Tesoro and Stella's wedding.
Tesoro wasn't just an ordinary high-ranking member of the Alliance—he was one of their close partners from the Breeding House. Such a significant occasion had to be given proper attention.
As soon as Dak learned about the wedding, he immediately contacted Tom, instructing him to bring a team to Pangaea Castle and transform the ruins into a suitable venue for the ceremony.
Dak also began brainstorming ways to make the wedding even more spectacular.
"Maybe… a blessing from a new Legendary Pokémon?"
Of course, this wedding would have to wait until after the Pokémon Battle Tournament concluded.
At present, all attention on Pokémon Island and the maritime world was focused on the tournament. If the wedding were held now, it wouldn't receive as much attention as it deserved.
"Well, at least now I finally have some time to watch the matches!" Dak said with a smile.
...
Day Two of the Group Stage.
At the central arena, two renowned figures from the sea stood face to face.
One was 'Whitebeard' Edward Newgate, and the other was 'Aokiji' Kuzan.
The two were locked in a 3v3 singles battle.
On Whitebeard's side, he had sent out: Blissey, Magcargo, and Crustle.
Blissey had recently evolved.
At the first Pokémon Alliance Auction, Newgate had purchased an Everstone for his Happiny because it liked the shape of the stone. But when Happiny discarded the Everstone in order to heal Newgate, it began focusing on evolving.
However, without holding its precious stone, Happiny would cry incessantly.
In the end, they had to ask stone expert Blenheim to find a replacement.
Unexpectedly, Blenheim found an Oval Stone in his collection, which led to Happiny evolving into Chansey. Chansey's bond with Newgate was so deep that once it leveled up, it evolved directly into Blissey.
When a small pink egg evolved into a massive pink behemoth that could barely fit through doors, the entire Whitebeard crew was stunned.
Although Blissey's evolution wasn't a bad thing, Newgate was upset that he missed the evolution process and ended up beating Blenheim for it. Poor Blenheim was so aggrieved he almost left the crew.
The main characteristic of Newgate's Pokémon was their enormous size.
The average Blissey stood at 1.5 meters, but Newgate's Blissey was a towering 3.7 meters. Even the egg in its pouch was 30 cm long, with protein levels 600 times higher than beef.
Magcargo, typically 0.8 meters tall, stood at 2 meters for Newgate. It looked like a walking steam engine, constantly emitting scalding steam.
And Crustle, usually 1.4 meters, stood at 3.6 meters. The rock on its back, a masterpiece crafted by Blenheim, measured 2 meters across, making it a true "rock den" Crustle.
Pokémon raised in the maritime world had a distinctive style.
People in this world, especially the strong, were known for rigorous physical training and massive food intake. In Whitebeard's crew, with top-tier culinary talents like Thatch providing the best nutrition, their Pokémon naturally grew much larger than average.
By contrast, Kuzan's Pokémon were also sizable but still slightly smaller than Newgate's.
His team consisted of: Cloyster, Lapras, and Glalie—three Ice-type Pokémon.
Both Cloyster and Lapras had dual Water/Ice typings, which put Newgate at a disadvantage.
Magcargo, being Fire/Rock-type, was four times weak to Water. Crustle, a Bug/Rock-type, was also doubly weak to Water.
Because of this, the battle had already progressed to a 1v3 scenario.
Magcargo had been defeated by Lapras, while Crustle had taken down Cloyster.
"You think I don't know people will try to counter my Ice-types?" Kuzan said, scratching his head while standing on the trainer's platform.
He knew full well that opponents would bring Pokémon with type advantages against his Ice-types.
That's why he specifically chose Pokémon with dual typings to raise. Aside from Glalie, none of his Pokémon were pure Ice-type.
Glalie was his first Pokémon, hatched from an egg he had purchased randomly—his initial partner.
All his other Pokémon had been found and captured personally in the Safari Zone.
"Heh, what a joke. Do you really think I need to strategize specifically against an Ice-type trainer like you?"
Newgate wasn't lying.
He hadn't considered type matchups from the beginning. He was the same kind of trainer as Ash Ketchum—he simply sent out the Pokémon he wanted to.
Unfortunately, Newgate didn't have the same "Master of Reverse Matchups" aura that Ash did.
"Fair enough."
Kuzan nodded, accepting Newgate's words.
While others might say such things to save face, this former "strongest man in the world" had no need to lie.
"Blissey, it's up to you."
"Blissey~"
The enormous pink egg Pokémon appeared on the battlefield, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Blissey was a famous Pokémon, often seen in its pre-evolved form, Chansey, at Pokémon Centers. But only one other person in the Pokémon Alliance owned a Blissey—Vinsmoke Reiju.
Happiny, Chansey, and Blissey were rare Pokémon to begin with. On top of that, evolving Chansey into Blissey required a deep bond with its trainer.
As soon as Blissey entered the battlefield, it became the center of attention.
"Hey," Dak chuckled, watching the battle unfold. He could easily sense with his psychic abilities that Newgate's lingering injuries had been mostly healed by Blissey's Healing Wish or Heal Pulse.
What remained were the most stubborn injuries—ones that could only be treated with rare items or some mysterious power.
Blissey held a special status in this world.
It was one of the first Pokémon eggs to arrive in this world and was the very first egg given out by Dak himself.
In a way, Blissey was the "elder sister" of all Pokémon hatched from eggs in the maritime world.
Blissey was also highly leveled, despite living a pampered life aboard the Whitebeard Pirates' ship. At Level 48, it was no slouch.
Kuzan's Ice-type Pokémon were at Levels 40, 42, and 45—strongly balanced with the added bonus of mastering Armament and Observation Haki.
Even some Gym Leaders' Pokémon couldn't rival Kuzan's team, especially Flying and Water-type Gyms, where the leaders themselves weren't particularly strong and relied on external help to train their Pokémon.
However, Cloyster and Lapras were not in the best condition.
Though they had managed to secure victories in the previous rounds, Newgate's Pokémon weren't pushovers, and both of them had sustained considerable damage. Glalie was the only one still in perfect condition.
"Don't stand in my way of becoming one of the Elite Four."
A fire seemed to burn in the depths of Kuzan's eyes.
No one wanted this position more than him—he craved the job, craved the time off that came with it.
Just the thought of the easy life of an Elite Four made Kuzan feel like his inner flame was about to explode.
He had only lost once in the entire tournament so far—against Dracule Mihawk.
Even now, he couldn't understand how Mihawk's Pokémon had unleashed such overwhelming power, especially that Psyduck's Confusion…
"Cloyster, use Razor Shell!"
Kuzan made the first move, intending to end the battle quickly.
Cloyster didn't hesitate, spinning like a top as it sliced through the air toward Blissey.
Though Kuzan had never faced a Blissey before, he knew from observing Chansey at Pokémon Centers that these Pokémon likely had unparalleled recovery abilities on the battlefield.
If he didn't take Blissey down quickly, it could become a real problem.
"Use Brick Break."
Newgate's battle style? Simple.
Hit hard and don't dodge.
Newgate's Pokémon were all trained for tanking hits and delivering powerful counterattacks.
Crack!
The Fighting-type move Brick Break dealt double damage to Cloyster's Water/Ice-type, while Water-type moves only inflicted normal damage on Blissey.
This trade-off favored Blissey, especially with its recovery moves at the ready.
But of course, Kuzan wasn't unaware of this.
He firmly believed that Pokémon battles required strategy. Merely having strong Pokémon wasn't enough. A trainer had to plan, utilizing every aspect of their Pokémon's abilities, typing, and traits.
Razor Shell had another effect—it could lower the target's defense.
Next, Kuzan unleashed Aurora Beam and Ice Beam, one after the other.
The former lowered Blissey's attack, while the latter froze Blissey, putting it into a frozen status condition.
Before Cloyster could faint, Kuzan recalled it and sent out Lapras to continue weakening Blissey's stats in the same way.
Newgate, who rarely read or studied, had no idea what Kuzan was planning with these moves.
The members of the Whitebeard Pirates watching from the sidelines, especially Thatch, who was the only one who actually studied battle tactics, were on the verge of tearing their hair out.
Their captain might not realize it, but they could clearly see that Kuzan was digging a deep pit for him.
(End of Chapter)
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