"Is it me in the first game!?"
Joffrey's eyes widened in surprise as he saw his picture displayed on the big screen. Even though he had drawn a Group A lot and was prepared for this possibility, actually being the first contestant to compete made him feel nervous.
To make matters worse, his opponent was Cobra, one of the "Four Heavenly Kings," renowned for his strength! Cobra's Pokémon was none other than Suicune, the legendary water-type beast and one of the three sacred Pokémon!
As the remaining 30 trainers gradually left the field, the two kings took their positions at opposite ends of the ring, under the gaze of thousands of spectators.
"I didn't expect our first battle to be against each other!" Cobra said with a smile, holding up the elegant Poké Ball that contained Suicune.
"Neither did I," Joffrey replied with a wry smile.
Both kings were no strangers to each other, being members of the World Government. They had met several times during World Government conferences. After Joffrey became a trainer and ventured into the battle arena, they had even had a brief meeting in Alabasta.
Although Cobra didn't entirely support Joffrey's decision to delegate his kingdom's responsibilities to his ministers and pursue a career as a trainer, he respected Joffrey for transforming the Coaster Kingdom into an exemplary Butterfree Paradise. In turn, Cobra had offered considerable assistance in establishing the Slowpoke Sanctuary.
The two shared similar governance philosophies and were both considered high-quality rulers devoted to serving their people, leading to a close friendship.
Behind the ring, in a commentary box that had appeared at some point, the Rocket Trio sat attentively. Meowth, sitting in the middle, picked up a microphone and announced, "It seems the contestants are ready, so I declare..."
"The first match of Group A in the Pokémon League Tournament Preliminaries is officially underway!"
Bang!
A celebratory firework exploded in the sky.
Standing at the center of the ring, Cobra and Joffrey simultaneously threw their Poké Balls.
"Come out, Suicune!"
"Go, Nidoking!"
The two shouted, their voices filled with excitement.
In an instant, two formidable Pokémon appeared in the ring. One was a sleek blue creature, with flowing ribbon-like tails that embodied the essence of the wind, captivating onlookers with its grace. The other was a massive purple beast, its body covered in menacing spikes, emanating a toxic purple gas from the sharp horns on its back and head.
At that moment, both the majestic Suicune and the fierce Nidoking commanded the attention of the audience.
Without hesitation, the experienced trainers issued their commands as soon as their Pokémon appeared.
"Suicune, use Water Pulse!"
"Nidoking, use Toxic Spikes!"
The two Pokémon immediately began gathering their respective energies, launching their attacks simultaneously!
Boom!!!
The water-type Suicune's Water Pulse surged forward like a volatile cannonball, aimed directly at Nidoking.
"Don't dodge it, endure it!" Joffrey shouted, taking a gamble by having Nidoking use Toxic Spikes instead of evading the attack.
Even though water-type moves dealt double damage to Nidoking's ground-type, he believed in his Pokémon's resilience.
Boom!!!
"Nngh!!!"
Nidoking let out a roar of pain as the Water Pulse struck, sending its massive body skidding across the marble floor of the arena for over ten meters.
But just a split second before the Water Pulse connected, Nidoking had managed to release its Toxic Spikes, scattering them across the battlefield.
Suddenly, a shower of tiny, purple diamond-shaped thorns appeared in the sky near Cobra and Suicune, raining down like a poisonous deluge. The thorns struck both Suicune and Cobra, catching them off guard.
While Suicune's reaction was only mildly affected, Cobra's face turned a sickly blue and purple within seconds.
"Heh," Joffrey chuckled slyly, seeing his plan succeed.
His Nidoking was only level 48, and challenging Suicune, which he estimated to be at least level 60 and had a type advantage, was a long shot. Joffrey had planned from the start to bet that Nidoking wouldn't be knocked out instantly. He aimed to inflict the poison status on both Suicune and Cobra.
This was not a game. In the poisoned state, both humans and Pokémon would steadily lose health and stamina while suffering from side effects like dizziness and sluggish movements.
Joffrey's confidence stemmed from having spent the last half-month in a poisoned state himself. Even without any evolutionary bond, his poison resistance had nearly reached its human limit. Remembering the grueling training he endured, Joffrey's bulky body shuddered involuntarily. He then turned his focus back to Nidoking.
"Are you okay, Nidoking? Can you still stand?" Joffrey called out.
"Rooaaar!"
Nidoking groaned but slowly got up, clutching its abdomen, a pained expression on its fierce face. Fortunately, Suicune hadn't gone all out in its initial attack; otherwise, Nidoking wouldn't have stood up so easily after receiving double damage.
But the battle was far from over!
Seeing Nidoking rise, Joffrey grinned broadly.
On the other side of the arena, Cobra staggered, struggling to maintain his balance as the poison coursed through his veins.
"Father!!!" Princess Vivi, who was watching the live broadcast from the battle zone, cried out in concern.
Dazed from the poison, Cobra barely managed to lift his head to meet Joffrey's gaze.
Joffrey, his eyes sharp, spoke to Cobra, regardless of whether he could hear, "You have to admit, Your Majesty, in Pokémon battles, as mere humans, we're far too weak and only end up being a hindrance to our Pokémon."
"What are you saying?" Cobra asked, his voice faint, trying to comprehend.
With a crafty smile, Joffrey spread his arms wide, declaring, "I'm saying... let me show you the power of my bond with Nidoking!"
"Go, Nidoking!"
"Roooaaar!"
Nidoking roared, and everyone watched in awe.
"With our bond, let's give the world a spectacular display!"
"Nidoking! Bond Evolution!!!"
Suddenly, a blinding white light enveloped Nidoking.
The moment that sacred light appeared, shock spread across the faces of the trainers on-site and those watching on their screens.
"No way! How can Joffrey's Nidoking still evolve!?"
Under the gaze of thousands, the evolutionary light faded away, revealing a Nidoking that was even bulkier than before. Post-evolution, Nidoking had lost its intimidating fierceness, replaced by a surprisingly docile and naive expression.
"Uh..."
The audience worldwide was left unsure of how to react as they watched the slightly comical sight of Nidoking and Joffrey standing in the ring.
Despite the odd appearance, both Joffrey and Nidoking were smiling.
After its evolution, Nidoking had regained more than half of the damage it had sustained earlier, no longer appearing as strained as before.
Moreover, with the bond evolution, Nidoking's strength had jumped from level 48 to level 56.
While it couldn't instantly propel a Pokémon up two major levels like Zoro and Sanji's evolutions, this was still an impressive feat among the many trainers competing!
Two pairs of innocent eyes turned to face Suicune.
"Sui?"
Suicune glanced back at Cobra, noting that, as expected, its trainer had become dazed. A look of displeasure crossed its face.
It thought, It'd be better if Vivi were battling in your place!
After this internal grumble, Suicune refocused its sharp gaze on the opposition.
The poison status did have some effect on it, but the impact was almost negligible.
How could the noble and pure Suicune, a divine beast, be brought down by such filthy poison!
"ROOAARRR!!!"
Suicune let out a dragon-like roar.
In an instant, a majestic, frigid energy began to gather at its feet.
Even though it had worked well with Cobra recently, Suicune was inherently an independent Pokémon.
It didn't need a trainer's commands to maintain its strength!
If the opponent could use Toxic Spikes as a wide-range attack, Suicune could retaliate in kind!
It decided on an Ice-type move—Icy Wind!
Whoosh~
A gust of cold wind swept through the arena, enveloping it in a white mist.
"Hey? It's too cold!"
Some audience members voiced their displeasure at the sudden chill.
Thankfully, the protection system kicked in. A transparent barrier appeared in front of the audience, shielding them from the freezing wind.
"Another Ice-type move with double damage?"
Joffrey frowned, noticing the ice crystals forming on his body under the chilling wind.
Facing a level 60+ Suicune was already a tall order, especially when the opponent's moves had a type advantage.
If it weren't for Nidoking's bond evolution—and his own influence—granting it a semi-thick fat trait to resist elemental damage, they would have been at a severe disadvantage.
Joffrey sighed, then his eyes narrowed.
If this was how things were, there was no need to hold back!
"Nidoking!"
Joffrey called out sharply, and Nidoking instantly understood.
Using the obscured vision provided by the Icy Wind, Nidoking roared, gathered earth energy in its fists, and slammed them into the ground!
A Ground-type move—Earth Power!
"Hum!"
Boom!!!
With a deep rumble, violent energy surged toward the poisoned Cobra, like a dragon made of earth.
Joffrey knew that trying to defeat Suicune head-on with their current power was a fool's errand.
So their strategy was to target Suicune's trainer!
Cobra, already weak and aged, was no match for this power in his poisoned state. He had no way to dodge and could only endure the terrifying force of the earth.
"ROAR!"
Seeing this, Suicune stopped channeling energy into its Icy Wind, casting a reproachful glance before quickly forming a protective barrier of white mist around itself and Cobra.
Boom!
The violent energy reached Suicune's feet. The attack mechanism triggered, causing the force to erupt from the ground and crash against Suicune.
"ROAR!"
Suicune cried out in pain.
The mist around it billowed and clashed with the earth energy.
Joffrey's eyes gleamed.
Before the battle, Leo had shared something crucial with all trainers using Ground-types.
To compensate for the inability to dig using ground energy after bond evolution, special ground energy would emanate from the arena during battles.
This enhancement granted all Ground-type moves a 1.5x power boost!
After bond evolution, Nidoking's power had already increased significantly. With this additional boost, it could now attack with force comparable to level 60!
While Ground-type moves might be countered by Suicune's Water and Ice-types when defending, they faced no such drawback when attacking!
"Even if it's a bit underhanded, I'm sorry!"
Joffrey whispered an apology, then unleashed the poisonous energy within him.
Immediately, a purple haze erupted around him.
"Nidoking! Toxic Field!"
Sssss!!!
The arena filled with toxic mist, which rapidly spread toward Suicune and Cobra.
Under Joffrey's guidance, Nidoking spewed a torrent of toxic gas from its mouth, crashing toward the opposition like a tidal wave.
Poison-type move—Toxic!
The arena, recently dominated by icy winds, was now shrouded in poisonous fog.
"RAaa~"
Suicune, caught off guard, inhaled the toxic fumes, its face contorting with discomfort.
Joffrey chuckled, watching Suicune struggle.
"Hahahaha, this poison gas is something Nidoking and I perfected after spending over ten days in the Poison Mist Chamber. Even you, a divine beast, can't ignore its effects!"
The hellish special training! As excruciating as it was, Joffrey realized it had forged their current strength!
A dense purple cloud enveloped Suicune and Cobra.
Suicune, with its immense power, could withstand it.
But Cobra, a mere human, turned a sickly shade of purple, succumbing to the intense poison.
Under this lethal haze, Cobra's survival was uncertain for more than three minutes.
"Raoar~"
Seeing Cobra in such a dire state, Suicune's eyes filled with reluctance.
In the end, it let out a loud cry toward the distant announcer's platform.
The Pokémon League Tournament was strict about preventing harm to trainers and Pokémon who could no longer fight.
However, Cobra, merely disoriented a moment ago, wasn't protected under this rule.
States like poison and burn, which persist over time, also lacked such safeguards.
To prevent Cobra from dying in this preliminary round, Suicune had no choice but to swallow its pride and request a surrender from Meowth.
"..."
After a brief silence, Meowth stood up and calmly declared:
"I announce..."
"The winner of the first match of Group A in the Pokémon League Tournament Preliminaries is..."
"His Majesty, King Joffrey of the Coast Kingdom!!!"
A strong echo reverberated in the sky above the arena.
At that moment, the entire world of Pokémon was astounded by the outcome of this match!
(End of this chapter)