A huge crowd filled the auditorium, waving props enthusiastically, cheering for the two competitors on the field.
Naturally, almost 85% of the crowd was shouting Robin's name.
Compared to the beautiful, stunning Robin, who would support an old man like Cobra?
If it weren't for the fact that the Pokémon Center was built in the Kingdom of Alabasta, with many die-hard Cobra supporters in the audience, that percentage would likely be even higher!
After all, one should support their own king.
---
"Miss Robin, go for it!!! I'll keep giving you likes!!!"
A pirate captain with a bounty of 30 million Beli shouted loudly from the audience. While shouting, he frantically tapped the screen in front of him, repeatedly clicking on Robin's avatar.
Each time he clicked, a cute little heart appeared next to her avatar, as if Robin was winking at him.
The other crew members beside him looked helpless.
Finally, after the captain had clicked nearly a hundred times, one pirate couldn't help but remind him:
"Captain, stop! If you keep clicking, we won't have enough money left to buy weapons!"
"Stop talking nonsense!!!" the captain snapped back angrily, his eyes still glued to the screen as he furiously clicked away, shouting:
"Damn it! How can this guy rank higher than me, Captain Joelson? I won't accept it!"
"I must reclaim the top spot today!!!"
With that, Joelson continued to click furiously at the screen.
For every click, 100 Beli were automatically deducted from his account. At first, Joelson had clicked a few times just out of curiosity, but once he saw his name on Robin's fan list, he became obsessed, quickly reaching the top of the list.
As the battle progressed, Robin's and Eevee's charm gradually captivated the crowd. Seeing everyone around him shouting Robin's name filled Joelson with an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
For a pirate like Joelson, 100 Beli was nothing—something he wouldn't even bother picking up off the ground. Spending a little money for a moment of satisfaction seemed worth it.
But just as he was feeling proud of his rank...
A wave of new fans suddenly flooded into Robin's fan club.
To his shock, Joelson saw his ranking drop from the top to 99th place.
A lifetime of pride wouldn't let Joelson stand for this!
He immediately resumed his furious tapping.
After all, each click only cost 100 Beli—a trivial amount in his eyes.
Determined, Joelson managed to climb back up to the second spot, aiming for the top.
But when he saw who was holding first place, his anger flared even more...
Rowell, the captain of the Bayonet Pirates, with a bounty of 28 million Beli.
Just last month, they had engaged in a fierce naval battle near the waters of Alabasta. Though the fight ended in a stalemate, Joelson's hatred for Rowell had not.
How could he tolerate seeing that annoying bastard ranked above him?
"Damn you, Rowell!"
Joelson shouted, his fingers numb from tapping.
But seeing Rowell's fan count still rising, he refused to stop.
"Isn't there a way to send a lot of likes at once!?" Joelson muttered.
At that moment, one of his crew members hesitantly suggested, "Captain, maybe you could try the [×10] button? I think it sends ten likes at once."
"What!?" Joelson's eyes widened as he turned his attention to the [×10] button. He had avoided pressing it earlier, not wanting to mess with an unfamiliar system.
But now, after hearing the suggestion, he couldn't help but think his crew member might be right.
Tentatively, Joelson pressed the [×10] button, and his fan ranking increased tenfold.
He shot an approving look at the crew member.
Then, with renewed vigor, he resumed his liking spree, pouring his heart into supporting Robin.
But as he turned back to his screen, the other members of the Joelson Pirates glared daggers at the crew member who had spoken up.
If looks could kill, that pirate would be dead a hundred times over by now.
Previously, Joelson was spending 100 Beli per like, costing them hundreds of thousands so far. Now, with the cost per like multiplied by ten...
By the time Robin's battle against Cobra ended, their captain might have clicked himself into bankruptcy!
---
The audience's shouts couldn't reach the arena.
Robin and Cobra were entirely unaware of the fan competition unfolding in the stands.
But they both knew that being able to earn money through likes was a golden opportunity.
Otherwise, Robin and Cobra wouldn't be revealing their best strategies so freely.
---
This fan interaction feature was specially designed by Leo for this Pokémon Center.
Each ranked match in the battle area could be made public at the player's discretion.
If they chose to go public, Nurse Joy would announce the time and location of the match, allowing interested viewers to tune in and watch.
During the battle, viewers could like and reward their favorite players.
To encourage more public matches, Leo decided not to take any deductions from the rewards; all earnings would be converted into points and credited to the players' accounts.
This was all part of Leo's plan to boost Pokémon's popularity and create more demand for Pokémon, leading to more transactions.
In his efforts to accelerate the integration of Pokémon into the pirate world, Leo had even implemented a live-streaming feature from his previous life.
Robin and Cobra, both eager to earn points, jumped at the chance to battle publicly.
---
"Eevee, use Swift!"
In the arena, at Robin's command, dozens of golden stars appeared in front of Eevee, flying out like bullets towards Slowpoke.
"Swift?"
Cobra's expression tensed. He knew this move couldn't miss.
Even a mythical beast couldn't dodge it, let alone a slow-moving Pokémon like Slowpoke.
He quickly ordered, "Slowpoke, use Water Pulse to disperse the energy of the Swift!"
If you can't avoid it, overpower it!
Boom!
A glowing water orb formed in front of Slowpoke, clashing head-on with the incoming Swift stars.
Boom!!!
The collision of energies erupted with terrifying force, sending waves of wind across the field.
In the end, Eevee's energy was slightly weaker.
The Water Pulse swallowed up all the Swift stars and continued toward Eevee.
"Damn, is the gap really that big?!"
Seeing that Eevee was about to be hit, Robin quickly shouted, "Dodge it with Quick Attack!"
"Boom!"
Little Eevee, realizing the urgency of the situation, instantly executed the Quick Attack move. Its furry body turned into a streak of lightning, vanishing from its original spot.
The massive water ball missed, crashing into the open ground instead. Despite its earlier clash with Swift, the energy it carried was still formidable, leaving a large crater in the ground.
Robin looked panicked.
She had clearly underestimated the power gap between Pokémon at different levels, especially the daunting strength of level 40.
More than ten minutes had passed since the battle began, but no matter what strategy she employed, Eevee's attacks had no effect. Even with the aid of her Devil Fruit powers, the outcome remained the same.
On the other side of the battlefield, Cobra wore a faint smile, confident of his victory. "It seems I'm about to win this match!" he declared.
After several exchanges, Cobra had observed that Eevee, having been on the offensive, was now visibly exhausted. Meanwhile, Slowpoke, having mostly defended and counterattacked, still had plenty of energy left. At this point, the outcome seemed all but certain.
"Finish it, Slowpoke!" Cobra shouted, pointing at the breathless Eevee who had just used Quick Attack. "Use Psychic!"
Having relied on water-type moves throughout the battle, Cobra finally switched tactics. Slowpoke stood upright on its hind legs, raising its arms.
Suddenly, a mysterious aura enveloped Slowpoke. The psychic energy it summoned quickly condensed into a torrent, instantly trapping the fatigued Eevee.
"Eevee!" Robin cried out in worry as she saw her companion in pain. Without hesitation, she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Twelve Wheel Flowers: Twist!"
Twelve slender arms appeared around Slowpoke, a unique move from Robin that could twist an enemy's body with the power of twelve arms.
But her opponent was a level 42 Pokémon...
With her current strength, Robin couldn't even budge Slowpoke, let alone twist its body. Unfazed, Slowpoke continued to use Psychic, slowly lifting Eevee until it blocked the sunlight overhead.
"Slooow..." Slowpoke murmured, its voice dopey but its grip tightening as the psychic energy squeezed Eevee's body.
"Ahhh!!!" Eevee's cry of pain echoed through the arena.
But just as the situation grew dire, a figure suddenly appeared, shielding Eevee.
It was Robin, using her Devil Fruit powers to lift herself to Eevee's side. Gritting her teeth, she shouted in frustration, "We surrender!"
She couldn't bear to see Eevee in pain any longer. Though Eevee still had the strength to fight, Robin chose to give up.
As soon as she surrendered, Slowpoke released its psychic hold.
Robin gently cradled Eevee in her arms and descended the steps she had created with her powers.
"I'm sorry, Eevee. I underestimated our opponent's strength, and you lost because of it," she said apologetically.
"Eevee! (No, it's my fault for being too weak!)" Eevee immediately wriggled out of Robin's arms, its large, expressive eyes filled with emotion.
In a tearful voice, Eevee cried out to Robin, "Vee…eevee~ (Robin, I promise you, I'll never lose again!!!)"
"Eevee, you..." Robin, who had never relied on anyone, couldn't hold back her emotions. A few tears fell from her eyes.
She bent down to stroke Eevee gently. The sunlight streaming through the pyramid's walls created a beautiful, harmonious scene between human and Pokémon.
However...
Robin's loss moved many in the audience to tears.
"Oh, Miss Robin surrendered, even though Eevee could still fight!"
"She must have a kind heart. Miss Robin truly is compassionate."
"Ugh, I don't care! I'm going to send her a like to soothe her wounded heart!"
"Count me in..."
Perhaps even Robin didn't expect that, despite her defeat, she would still receive such overwhelming support from the audience.
...
"Is that it? How boring," Garp muttered, his disappointment evident as he turned to Ace.
"How about you and I have a match? Let's make up for the last one that got canceled!"
Ace and Charizard: ! ! ?
"No way, not happening..."
Ace and Charizard shook their heads in unison.
They weren't ready to face Garp. Just sensing his aura was enough to sap their will to fight.
"Tch, you guys are no fun!" Garp grumbled, dissatisfied.
But at that moment, Ace's partner Deus suddenly pointed towards the arena, shouting in surprise, "Look! What's that!?"
"Huh?"
Deus's outburst caught the attention of the crowd, and everyone turned their eyes to the battlefield.
In the arena, under Robin's gentle touch, a dazzling and sacred white light enveloped Eevee!
"It's evolving!" Garp's bored expression vanished, replaced by a bright smile.
"Eevee is evolving!!!"
Having witnessed his own Machop evolve into Machoke, Garp instantly recognized the significance of the light.
"What!?" Ace exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock.
In the arena, Eevee completed its evolution.
Its big, fluffy tail was gone, replaced by a slender tail with a split end. Its small body stretched, becoming more agile and graceful. A bright ruby was now embedded in its forehead, reflecting the sunlight beautifully.
Robin's Eevee had successfully evolved into the psychic-type Espeon, right after the battle!!!