"So, you don't seem surprised at all by these top four contenders?"
Dak sat at a nearby table, observing this girl from the future.
With his mastery of max-level Aura, Dak could sense much more. There was a familiar aura around Charlotte—one he had felt on someone else before.
Sasuke Uchiha.
"..."
Dak furrowed his brows, wondering if Sasuke was perhaps one of Charlotte's ancestors.
"Of course, I even know who wins the championship, but I'm not telling you!"
Charlotte grinned mischievously, purposely keeping it a secret. "The winner this time might not be the strongest, you know."
"Hmm?"
Hearing this, Dak had a pretty good guess. The four contenders were all close in strength, but the strongest was Hannyabal.
Yes, the strongest contestant was Hannyabal, not Kuzan. While Kuzan was a Navy Admiral, Hannyabal was Impel Down's Deputy Warden. Although not Admiral-level, he was on par with a high-ranking Vice Admiral.
Kuzan's Pokémon had dual Haki, and so did Hannyabal's. Their average levels were about the same, but Hannyabal's team had a significant type advantage, with nearly no weaknesses to Kuzan's Pokémon, while two or three of his Pokémon could counter Kuzan's.
Hannyabal's Dark-type Pokémon also had a considerable advantage over Brook's Ghost-types, making Brook's chances slim against him.
As for Hancock...
She had already done well to reach the top four. Any match against the other three would be incredibly challenging.
Though her Pokémon also mastered dual Haki, they were of lower levels. Perhaps she started training them later or didn't invest as much emotional connection; her team had the lowest average level of the four.
According to Charlotte's hint...
It seemed Hannyabal wasn't the champion after all. So, where did he fall short?
"Lord First Hokage, does my top-eight reward still count~?"
While Dak was still deep in thought, Charlotte tugged at his cloak.
"Of course, a property in Yggdrasil and a rare item—what would you like?"
"Hehe, I'd like a Charizard Mega Evolution stone."
Charlotte scratched her head, feeling a bit shy. "I know you can make it happen!"
She believed she and Charizard could undergo Mega Evolution, only held back by the lack of a Mega Stone. She already had a Key Stone, but no Charizard Mega Stone.
"I can, but don't attempt it hastily. It would put a lot of strain on your mind," Dak warned without refusing her request. "X or Y?"
Mega Stones were rare in the Pokémon world, but here they weren't on the same level as Sacred Ash or Holy Flames.
"X! Mega Charizard X is way cooler!"
"Alright."
The two Mega forms of Charizard, X and Y, are widely debated. Y is the more natural evolution for Charizard, enhancing its innate special attack power and resistance, while X is more of a reversion, restoring Charizard's ancient Fire/Dragon typing and close-combat abilities.
(The above explanation is purely fictional)
"When will I get it?"
Charlotte's eyes sparkled, clearly eager to try it out.
"At the end of the tournament, during the prize ceremony," Dak replied, shaking his head to dispel her dangerous thoughts.
"Oh, fine." Charlotte sighed, slightly disappointed.
"By the way, Charlotte, are the moves your Pokémon used in battle a combination of skills and jutsu?"
Dak recalled the unique moves Charlotte used on the battlefield; they had higher destructive power than ordinary skills.
"Yes! Those are called Ninjutsu Techniques. In the ninja world, trainers release jutsu while ninja Pokémon use skills in combination. With enough training, some Pokémon can even perform Ninjutsu Techniques independently."
"I see." Dak nodded, understanding instantly.
These Ninjutsu Techniques were similar to the Inuzuka clan's secret techniques, which were performed by Inuzuka clan members and their ninja dogs.
"In the Uchiha clan, we've got the largest collection of Fire Release techniques, and Lord Madara himself would occasionally send in Ninjutsu Techniques he developed with his Pokémon."
A buffering icon seemed to appear next to Dak's head as he struggled to process this.
Wasn't the Uchiha clan wiped out by Itachi? The land should have been reclaimed by Konoha. And Madara was dead… So how did he have Pokémon? And even if Madara were somehow still alive, could he really survive a century later?
At this point, Dak was utterly confused.
Charlotte wanted to say more, but Dak stopped her and retreated to his office. After hearing Charlotte's words, Dak couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.
"Could… something have happened in the ninja world?"
Dak couldn't fathom what would happen just a few days later.
The semi-finals began quickly and were split over two days.
The first match, Hancock vs. Brook, took place in a forest setting.
This environment gave Brook a clear advantage. Although some of Hancock's snake Pokémon were used to such surroundings, others, like her Onix, were not.
The trend was obvious—Brook's Ghost-types had an average level advantage of four levels over Hancock's team.
But the fight was challenging.
Brook had a major drawback: none of his Pokémon had mastered Armament Haki, which meant they lacked enhanced attack and defense in battle.
It wasn't that Brook couldn't teach it. In the New World, many former Navy or Revolutionary Army soldiers opened dojos, teaching dual Haki, making it accessible beyond top fighters. Brook had taken his Pokémon to a retired Navy Rear Admiral's dojo to train in Haki.
Observation Haki was easily mastered, but Armament Haki remained elusive. Through analysis, Brook and the retired Rear Admiral theorized that Ghost-types, being entities of gas, grudges, and curses, found it challenging to attach Armament Haki to their bodies. This was similar to how Logia users struggle to use Armament Haki while in their elemental form.
Despite the difficulty, Brook won. Hancock was mildly disappointed by her loss but was content with her high standing and recognized that the championship was out of reach for her team.
With Brook's victory, the audience's perception of him changed. Previously, Mihawk's forfeit led many to believe Brook's place in the top four was mere luck, provoking envy among other trainers and spectators.
Now, he proved his strength by defeating another top-four contender.
On the other side, Hannyabal faced Kuzan in the lake arena.
While both were evenly matched, the arena and type advantages tilted the odds. Hannyabal had a slight type advantage, but Kuzan had the field advantage.
Initially, Hannyabal dominated, his Houndoom easily defeating Kuzan's Ice/Steel-type Alolan Sandslash and then Mamoswine, securing a 2-1 lead.
Mamoswine, however, fought back fiercely, forcing Houndoom into a double knockout through sheer determination.
This final stand stirred Kuzan's competitive spirit, making him take the match seriously.
Kuzan's Froslass severely injured Hannyabal's Zoroark, and Cloyster and Lapras used the lake terrain to eliminate Zoroark and Absol.
Hannyabal's Cacturne then took down both Cloyster and Lapras in a solo effort, mimicking Houndoom's two-for-one feat.
At this point, Hannyabal had a healthy Crawdaunt and Feraligatr, while Kuzan was left with his weakest Pokémon, Abomasnow, whose type combination was notoriously flawed.
Just when everyone assumed the outcome was sealed, Abomasnow turned the tide.
Despite its disadvantages, Abomasnow's Ice/Grass typing gave it a double advantage over the Water-type Crawdaunt and a quadruple advantage over the Ground-type Feraligatr.
First, it took down Crawdaunt and then hammered Feraligatr with relentless attacks.
Battles are unpredictable, and Abomasnow—originally the weakest, most overlooked Pokémon in Kuzan's lineup—emerged as the hero, eliminating Hannyabal's last two Pokémon.
Hannyabal hadn't anticipated this turn of events; had he saved Houndoom for last, it might've been a 3-for-1 victory.
But there were no "what ifs" in battle.
Thus, the strongest contender on paper, and the only one capable of fully countering Brook, was eliminated.
Now, Brook had a real chance at winning the championship, as battling Kuzan would be easier than facing Hannyabal.
The two finalists vying for the championship were Brook and Kuzan.
(End of Chapter)
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