During his time in Sinnoh, Xia You had seen plenty of Empoleon.
As the final evolution of Piplup and Prinplup, Empoleon lived up to its name, with an appearance based on emperor or royal penguins, complete with a crown and a majestic bearing.
Its black skin resembled a suit jacket and trousers, accented by blue markings and a white chest. Generally reaching 1.7 meters tall, it was a truly noble, elegant giant penguin. Its arms resembled surfboards, looking sturdy and sharp, while its most striking feature was the golden crown on its face, shaped like a sea emperor's trident.
Empoleon was said to have been worshipped and adored by people since ancient times.
Called the Lord of the Tides by the inhabitants of Hisui, it could swim at tremendous speeds. The three horns extending from its beak symbolized its strength, and the edges of its wings were sharp enough to slice through drift ice. It disliked pointless fighting, but if anyone dared wound its pride or threaten the safety of its colony, it would eliminate the enemy without mercy.
Compared to the Toxicroak from before, this Empoleon was now miles ahead in popularity.
Although that was something of an exaggeration, it still showed just how popular it really was.
It was not just its appearance; its strength was equally worthy of recognition and trust.
In the stands, Dawn looked at the handsome Pokémon, then could not help lowering her gaze to the Piplup in her arms. Something flickered in her eyes, as though she imagined that once it evolved, it would surely be just as outstanding as this Pokémon.
However...
Compared to this Empoleon, Xia You's Snowman Snorlax drew even more attention!
They had never imagined that a Snorlax with such a form even existed in this world!
For a