"Hello? Did I see that right just now!? His Majesty Cobra actually... lost!?"
Watching Suicune and Cobra suddenly surrender and head off for treatment, the audience erupted in an uproar.
"One of the prestigious Four Heavenly Kings was defeated just like that? Could there be some foul play involved in this match?"
Some of Cobra's supporters questioned the outcome, but their voices were quickly drowned out by others:
"Foul play? Didn't you see Cobra's face turning purple and black? As a trainer without any powers of his own, Cobra doesn't deserve the title of one of the Four Heavenly Kings."
"Exactly! He got hit by Joffrey three times and was taken down in one go. With a track record like that, how can he be considered one of the Four Heavenly Kings?"
A training instructor at the naval base adjusted his glasses and explained to those around him:
"That's not fair to say. Joffrey was clearly well-prepared. He first took a hit and used the opportunity to sneak attack Cobra, then struck again when Cobra couldn't move, immobilizing Suicune. Finally, he released an unavoidable poison gas attack. It was like a perfectly linked chain of tactics. Brilliant strategy!"
"..."
"..."
During the short break, a heated argument broke out among the audience about the previous battle.
Soon, someone noticed a key detail:
"Did anyone else notice? Joffrey's body seemed to suddenly emit a large amount of poisonous gas. When mixed with Nidoking's poison mist, it synchronized perfectly, attacking Suicune and Cobra together!"
"That's impossible! Could Joffrey actually be a Devil Fruit user? But I've never seen him use any abilities like that in previous battles!" A spectator who had watched Joffrey's past matches quickly countered.
The audience's focus shifted to this question, sparking a new round of discussion.
"..."
"..."
Listening to the buzzing crowd around him, Doflamingo folded his arms across his chest, a look of deep suspicion on his face.
"The ability to release poisonous gas?"
He murmured to himself.
Others might not know, but with his extensive underground intelligence network, Doflamingo knew that the Poison-Poison Fruit, which grants the power to release poisonous gas, was already taken. Its current user was guarding the world's most notorious underwater prison, and there was no chance he'd be gone and his fruit powers transferred!
But Doflamingo, who had read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, knew very well that only one Devil Fruit could release poisonous substances.
Unless...
Considering Joffrey's sudden strange behavior and the changes in his condition before and after the attack, a sharp glint flashed under Doflamingo's red sunglasses.
"Fufufufu..."
"It seems my trip to the East Blue Sea wasn't in vain."
He chuckled deeply, crossing his arms and staring intently at the ring.
At that moment, he eagerly anticipated what other intriguing events might unfold in this arena.
...
...
"Hehe... hehehe..."
After initiating the bond evolution, Joffrey chuckled as he recalled Nidoking into its Poké Ball.
"Chansey, Chansey?"
The Chansey who had been waiting for a while began to urge him again. Joffrey snapped out of his daze, still smiling, and placed the Poké Ball on Chansey's tray.
As an official match endorsed by the league, a professional team would handle the injuries of trainers and Pokémon after each battle.
Whether it was Cobra who was poisoned or Nidoking who was heavily injured by Suicune, both would receive quick and effective treatment, making them lively again in less than an hour.
After sending off Nidoking, Joffrey walked alone through the player tunnel.
To be honest, even he hadn't expected the first battle to go so smoothly.
And his opponent's Pokémon was Suicune, the mythical beast so many trainers dream of owning!
However, after the brief thrill, Joffrey quickly calmed himself.
After all, this battle wasn't entirely up to him to win.
The main reason was that his opponent hadn't undergone special training at Celestial Gym and wasn't aware of Pokémon Bond Evolution.
But after this match, Cobra would surely figure it out. When the main tournament began, he would also likely adopt bond evolution.
By then, one could only imagine the power of a trainer bonded with the legendary Suicune.
"Well, just winning once is good enough!"
Joffrey grinned.
As a king of a nation, one squeezed by World Government officials, Joffrey understood the reality of the future clearly.
While entering the Pokémon League Tournament might have seemed like a whim, Joffrey was far from reckless.
As the king of the Kingdom of Coast, he knew better than anyone what his country truly needed!
Though the establishment of Butterfree Park had improved the nation's economic condition, the Kingdom of Coast, which had been tirelessly paying tribute to the World Government for centuries, had become a subservient state.
From the highest ministers and nobles to the lowest commoners, everyone had internalized their status as a member of the World Government, as if it was ingrained in their very bones.
If he proposed withdrawing from the World Government now, pushing the people out of their comfort zone, he would surely face tremendous resistance within the Kingdom of Coast.
That's why...
he entered the Pokémon League Tournament.
It wasn't about achieving outstanding results.
It was to show the people of Coast the power of Pokémon and the miracles they could bring!
As of now, after more than a year of breeding, the Kingdom of Coast had nearly 20,000 Pokémon! ! !
Although most of them were just low-combat Caterpies, their sheer number was still enough to astonish the world.
To his knowledge, Leo had never traded such a large number of Pokémon to any other country.
He needed to make his citizens realize...
that the Kingdom of Coast was a unique nation!
A nation capable of carving out a place in the world without bowing to any power!
Even if this wasn't entirely true yet, Joffrey would work to make it a reality through action!
If the country's people could rise from the bottom of their hearts, the Kingdom of Coast could become strong enough to break free from the World Government's control!
And King Cobra of Alabasta had just been in the right place at the right time for Joffrey to make his point!
Even if it might seem inconsiderate to Cobra, who was currently receiving treatment, Joffrey couldn't help but think:
"Well defeated, Your Majesty!!!"
...
At the same time, in the Kingdom of Coast...
As a renowned tourist nation in the East Blue Sea, every city in Coast had massive screens set up by major East Blue media outlets for citizens to watch the Pokémon League Tournament.
Just as Joffrey had anticipated...
After he defeated Cobra, the entire Kingdom of Coast seemed to have pressed the mute button, falling into brief silence.
But almost immediately, a wave of thunderous cheers erupted across the country, echoing to the heavens.
The entire nation was in uproar. Watching Joffrey's image on the screen, people couldn't help but exclaim:
"Oh my gosh! Who would have thought our king, His Majesty, is so powerful!?"
"Did someone see that? Was that poisonous gas around His Majesty Joffrey's body? Did he eat some kind of Devil Fruit?"
"Wait! Isn't the opponent the king from the Kingdom of Alabasta?"
"That's right! They mentioned that in the pre-match introductions! Why?"
"What do you mean why? Don't you know? The Nefertari family, the Alabasta royal line, was one of the Twenty Kings who founded the World Government 800 years ago! Come on, get educated!"
"No way! That old king is that powerful!?"
"Oh my god! Did our king, defeat such a formidable opponent? That's amazing!"
"..."
"..."
Amidst the crowd's discussions, Joffrey's victory over a member of the World Government's founding royal families immediately sparked widespread debate among the people.
Although the citizens will not change their deeply ingrained stereotypes overnight because of a single battle, a nation's self-confidence is often built upon a series of small, incremental events.
If Joffrey returns to the country and can leverage this victory, then in the near future, the prevailing attitude towards the World Government within the Coast Kingdom will begin to shift significantly.
A small seed has been planted in the soil of the Coast Kingdom, and as long as someone nurtures it, it will take root, sprout, and grow into a mighty tree!
...
The cheers from the Coast Kingdom did not resonate outside its borders.
Joffrey's victory might have momentarily surprised and excited the audience, both in the arena and in front of their screens, but the excitement quickly faded.
After a short break, the second group of contestants for the day had already taken the stage.
The second match featured the remaining two participants from Group B, excluding Robin and Smoker. One was a noble from a small country, and the other a merchant who had amassed considerable wealth from his ventures on the Grand Line.
One of the Pokémon is the Infernape, which evolved from the Monferno, while the other Pokémon is the Rock and Ground type Onix!
Both trainers had significant resources at their disposal, allowing them to invest heavily in training materials for their Pokémon. As a result, their Pokémon were of comparable strength, with the Infernape at level 46 and the Onix at level 44.
The two aggressive Pokémon soon clashed.
This battle contrasted sharply with the earlier quick match between Cobra and Joffrey, which had ended in just a few minutes. Here, the Pokémon from both sides fought relentlessly for over ten minutes, giving the audience a thrilling spectacle.
In the arena, Onix used its massive physical advantage and rock-based moves to steadily limit the Infernape's movements. Meanwhile, Infernape skillfully dodged Onix's attacks using its agile body and explosive jumping ability, countering with fire-type moves.
While the Infernape's attacks landed, their effectiveness was limited due to Onix's strong physical endurance and resistance to fire-type moves. At the same time, Onix struggled to deal with the Infernape's evasive maneuvers.
As the battle progressed, the two Pokémon exchanged blows, with brilliant bursts of flame illuminating the arena and resounding roars filling the air.
To truly strong trainers, however, the combat styles of these two Pokémon might have seemed basic, almost like children at play.
Yet, some experienced trainers in the audience watched closely, waiting for a specific moment.
Doflamingo's eyes gleamed with intrigue.
According to his intelligence, the two trainers in the arena, like Joffrey, had undergone special training organized by dimensional merchants.
Seeing the calm demeanor of the two trainers, as if they were not showing their full potential, only confirmed Doflamingo's suspicions.
He licked his lips and chuckled:
"If this is true, then things in this world are about to get interesting."
"Fufufufu..."
...
The battle continued into its 20th minute.
Onix, after sustaining multiple injuries, began to show signs of fatigue.
Its trainer's face tensed up, and he suddenly stood upright.
Smiling into several Rotom cameras, he said:
"It looks like if we keep going at this rate, I might end up losing, Viscount Lar."
After spending a month training together at the Celestial Gym, the trainers had developed a friendly rapport.
Hearing this, Viscount Lar grinned and replied,
"So, you're ready to move to the next stage?"
"Indeed!"
The merchant trainer nodded, laughing:
"If I keep holding back, I won't get my chance to shine!"
"Hahaha, you're speaking as if you're already defeated," Lar said, narrowing his eyes.
"In that case, let's reveal our true power!"
"Answer my call, Onix (Infernape)! Bond Evolution!!!"
As both trainers shouted in unison, a sacred light of evolution enveloped the two Pokémon.
"What!? They can both evolve together!?"
The audience, bewildered by the trainers' cryptic conversation, gasped at the sight of the light of evolution.
However, those like Doflamingo wore knowing expressions.
"So, the secret lies in this mysterious bond evolution?"
Doflamingo grinned, his eyes widening as he focused on the ring.
Under the spotlight, two seemingly ordinary trainers suddenly took the center stage.
The next moment, something shocking occurred!
"Attack! Infernape (Onix)!"
As both trainers shouted simultaneously, flames erupted from Viscount Lar's body, shooting towards Onix's massive form like bullets.
Not to be outdone, the merchant clapped his hands in front of his chest, then slowly parted them.
In an instant, sharp rock spikes materialized.
"Go!"
With a wave of his hand, the two trainers re-engaged in battle.
The arena was filled with action and energy.
...
Among the audience.
Dragon watched the trainers hurling flames and rock spikes and couldn't help but shake his head. He let out a sigh, unable to decide if he should laugh or cry:
"This is strange. Watching this battle, I feel like I'm seeing glimpses of a world I don't recognize."
(End of this chapter)