Misty (2)

Misty was just about to send out her third Pokémon when a Poké Ball at her waist suddenly stirred and flashed with light. A dopey-looking Psyduck appeared on the battlefield.

Seeing that the battlefield, which had originally been all water, had now become a field of ice, Misty's Psyduck burst out laughing. It quickly tilted its body and slid across the ice, looking perfectly relaxed and comfortable.

"Looks like your Psyduck can't swim?"

"As you can see."

Misty covered her face as she watched her Psyduck happily hopping around. What should have been a very serious match had become much more cheerful with its arrival.

"Then I'll use Scizor!"

The moment Scizor appeared as Gongping's second combatant, a startling, menacing aura poured from its entire body, making the playing Psyduck's hair stand on end. Turning around, Psyduck met Scizor's cold, disdainful gaze. Terrified out of its wits, Psyduck immediately ran to Misty with tears streaming down its face to complain.

"Scizor is different from Sandslash. It's competed in more major tournaments with me, so some of the aura it carries can make certain rather cute Pokémon uncomfortable."

Gongping's Scizor had appeared quite a few times in competitions in the Kanto Region. Misty nodded, stepped forward, and gently picked Psyduck up. "Honestly, stop causing trouble."

Defeating one of the Sandstorm King's Pokémon in a formal assessment match like this already counted as a good result for Misty. After all, in plenty of similar assessments in the past, some Gym Leaders had lost without defeating even a single Pokémon.

Although Sandslash was not truly one of Gongping's core Pokémon, simply belonging to a King like him gave Misty's victory considerable weight, ensuring that Cerulean Gym would weather its demotion crisis.

For that very reason, Misty's mindset changed for the final battle. She only wanted to do her best to demonstrate her abilities as a Trainer.

"Come out, Dewgong! Use Ice Beam!"

Dewgong, which had evolved on the way back to Cerulean Gym last time, had grown considerably stronger since then. The instant it appeared, it spat out a powerful beam of light.

As the powerful beam of ice and snow approached, Gongping gave no orders, leaving Scizor to act freely. Seeing the light coming, Scizor turned its claws into blades and abruptly slashed down.

The terrifying strength Scizor displayed erupted. The instant its blade slashed down, a suffocatingly powerful impact actually shattered Dewgong's Ice Beam in midair.

Fiercely competitive, Scizor had never neglected its basic strength training. Openly acknowledged as the most training-obsessed of Gongping's Pokémon, it often left the breeding grounds in Pallet Town alone to hone its strength in the wild.

At that moment, Scizor resembled a sword with its edge fully exposed, unleashing its most overpowering strength without holding anything back. Struck by the force of that domineering blade-hand strike, Dewgong let out a faint cry.

With the Technician Ability, Fury Cutter had astonishing destructive power, and once it landed, its power would rise another level.

If Sandslash in the first round had tested a Gym Leader's ability to adapt to an unfamiliar Pokémon, then Scizor in the second round tested how they could withstand pressure in the face of absolute strength.

That intimidating blade-hand strike left a deep mark across the entire surface of the ice. Back during the battle at Mt. Moon, Scizor had knocked out Team Rocket's Gengar with a single Bullet Punch, which was enough to demonstrate its tremendous destructive power.

"Don't be afraid! Dewgong, use Surf!"

Although Misty's Dewgong did not have much battle experience, unlike Shali, the woman from last time who had pursued flashy displays, Misty never hesitated or wasted time with her commands. Her main aim in having Dewgong create a Surf wave was to destroy the ice battlefield and restrict Scizor's movement.

To keep doggedly attacking Scizor even in a situation like this, Misty, your abilities have exceeded my expectations.

Besides Gongping, Sakura, the eldest of the three sisters, was smiling so broadly at her younger sister's performance that her eyes narrowed to slits. Misty truly was Cerulean Gym's rising star, and she looked forward to the day her name would resound throughout Kanto.

As one of the Kanto Region's strongest future Gym Leaders, Misty's fierce fighting style caused Scizor some trouble. After all, the spreading waves restricted its range of movement.

Meanwhile, large amounts of ice gradually melted into water. Dewgong submerged itself, choosing to tie Scizor down through a drawn-out fight.

Looking at the water battlefield restored to its original state, Gongping gave a rare smile. "Very good adaptability. From an assessment standpoint, we've gained enough this time, so Scizor, use Bullet Punch!"

Dazzling red light shot from Scizor's bladed claws like a brilliant tongue of flame. Countless crimson streaks burst out, as though Scizor were a fighting machine, unleashing tremendous destructive power.

Under the impact of the countless flashes of punches Scizor produced, the water battlefield beneath its feet abruptly evaporated into billowing steam. Before absolutely overwhelming strength, any resistance was futile.

The entire onslaught flowed without a break, leaving no room to breathe. The spectators watched with their jaws hanging open. Even Misty, Brock, and Ash forgot how to think in the face of that terrifying impact.

"The battlefield..."

After Scizor's barrage of Bullet Punches, the water battlefield had vanished, leaving only a large, empty arena. Dewgong had been rendered completely unconscious by the assault and was unable to battle.

"Is this a King's true strength?"

With the battle over, Misty recalled Dewgong and looked at the Sandstorm King across from her with a somewhat complicated expression.

"The assessment is over. Wait for notification of the results. Go to the Pokémon Center for treatment first."

"All right. Thank you for the lesson."

As Misty hurried away with her injured Pokémon, Ash wanted to exchange a few words with Gongping. But considering Misty's situation, he accompanied her to the Pokémon Center with Brock instead.

Meanwhile, the video and results of Cerulean Gym's assessment match were posted online in the Kanto Region.

Scizor's exaggerated final burst of power undeniably left many online viewers marveling at the terrifying strength of a King-level Trainer. At the same time, they were curious about which Pokémon actually made up Gongping's true core team.

Based on past Pokémon League footage, Tyranitar, Swampert, and Scizor had appeared most frequently in Kanto Region competitions. The remaining three slots had never been fixed, or perhaps Gongping had not shown his full strength.

At the same time, the participant list for the Kanto-Johto King Tournament was soon announced on the Pokémon League's official website: a fierce battle between the Psychic King Will and the Sandstorm King Gongping. This would be a full six-on-six battle, and Gongping's first public match against a King-level opponent since becoming the Sandstorm King.

Immediately, many people online began placing bets and eagerly discussing the two Kings' chances of winning.

Will, a Psychic-type expert who had been famous for years, possessed powerful psychic abilities himself, like many Psychic-type Trainers, making him more difficult to deal with than an ordinary King. Gongping's strength was also hard to gauge, and his true Sandstorm tactics had never yet been seen in a public match.

"Will, what did you think of the match?"

Turning off the television, Karen, the Johto Region's Dark-type Queen, teased him with a smile. Kanto and Johto were collectively known as Kanto-Johto, and Lance currently served as Champion of both regions. Thus, although they had previously been called the Elite Four, each side had actually been overseen by three Kings.

A week earlier, an elderly King in the Johto Region had retired, leaving only two remaining. Under the Johto Region's Champion tournament points rules, Fuchsia Gym Leader Koga was next in line to become a King. He specialized in Poison types.

Karen held a position similar to Lorelei's in Kanto, while Will was primarily responsible for Gym assessments, so he was no stranger to matches like this. Karen was curious how much of Gongping's true capabilities Will could discern from this match.

"I can't tell how strong he really is. I'll only be able to determine that when we battle."