Chapter 41: The Rock Field, Nidoking’s Glory

Chapter 41: The Rock Field, Nidoking's Glory

For the third round, Ron was assigned to the Rock Field, while Lillie was placed in the Grass Field.

Ron's match was the first of the morning, so he stepped onto the battlefield early. His opponent was Wu, a trainer from Cinnabar Island. At this stage of the tournament, all remaining trainers had real skill, so Ron didn't underestimate him.

Today's crowd was even livelier than before, thanks to the arrival of Lillie's cheer squad. Though they were primarily there for her, they cheered for Ron as well. Additionally, after two dominant battles, Ron had gained quite a few fans, causing his Popularity Points to soar. Just last night, he had spent 50,000 Popularity Points to unlock the Max Speed EV Cheat and used some Diamonds to reset his Pokémon's EVs. As a result, his Pokémon had become significantly stronger.

As the bell rang, both trainers sent out their Pokémon. Ron chose Nidoking, while Wu sent out Dodrio. There were no significant type advantages in this matchup, making strategy and execution crucial.

"Dodrio, take the initiative! Use Fury Attack!" Wu commanded.

Dodrio leaped into the air, allowing it to close the distance quickly. With all three beaks, it began stabbing at Nidoking in rapid succession.

Ron remained calm. "Catch it, then use Horn Drill."

Nidoking roared, swiftly reaching out and grabbing two of Dodrio's heads while allowing the middle beak to strike its tough body. Then, its drill-like horn began spinning rapidly before ramming straight into Dodrio.

One-hit KO.

Dodrio collapsed instantly.

With a triumphant roar, Nidoking raised its claws toward the sky, showing off its strength. It still remembered its promise to Nidoqueen—it would win the championship and claim its glory before proposing.

Wu clenched his fists in frustration and recalled Dodrio. "Damn it, he really is as strong as the rumors say… Fine, I'll have to rely on you, Cloyster!"

A Cloyster appeared on the battlefield, its piercing gaze locked onto Nidoking. In response, Nidoking curled its fingers, taunting Cloyster to attack first.

Wu gritted his teeth. He knew Nidoking was powerful, but this was still an insult. "Cloyster, Ice Beam!"

From its spiked shell, Cloyster unleashed two freezing beams of light toward Nidoking.

Ron didn't even flinch. "Sidestep, then Thunderbolt."

With its Max Speed EV Cheat, Nidoking's agility had improved tremendously. It dodged Cloyster's Ice Beam effortlessly, then unleashed a surge of yellow electricity, sending a powerful Thunderbolt straight at Cloyster.

The attack landed cleanly, dealing massive damage.

Wu panicked. "Cloyster, hang in there! Use Spike Cannon!"

Cloyster retracted into its shell, glowing white before firing multiple sharp spikes toward Nidoking.

Ron smirked. "Trying to make up for low accuracy with sheer volume? Too naïve. Nidoking, take the hits, then finish it with another Thunderbolt."

Several spikes struck Nidoking, but most of them either missed or barely left a scratch. Nidoking let out another roar and launched a second Thunderbolt, zapping Cloyster until smoke billowed from its shell. The Ice/Water-type Pokémon collapsed, completely fried.

"Cloyster is unable to battle!" the referee declared.

"Oh my god! What a stunning performance!" The commentator screamed into the mic. "Nidoking is an absolute powerhouse! Wu is down to his final Pokémon—what will he send out?!"

Wu took a deep breath and sent out his last Pokémon—Hypno.

Seeing the Psychic-type Pokémon, Nidoking snorted in disdain. It had endured Super Training under Mewtwo to strengthen its resistance to Psychic moves. A Hypno? Nidoking didn't even consider it a threat.

"Hypno, use Hypnosis!" Wu commanded.

Ron didn't order Nidoking to dodge. The spiraling psychic waves reached Nidoking, causing it to fall asleep on the spot.

Ron simply smirked. "Sleep Talk."

Still in its slumber, Nidoking mumbled in its sleep, then stomped on the ground, unleashing a massive Earthquake that sent cracks surging toward Hypno.

Ron chuckled. Sleep Talk took up a slot in his official tournament move set. Though random, it could activate any of Nidoking's other moves, making it an unpredictable wild card.

Wu, seeing an opportunity, shouted, "Hypno, Disable! Then use Psychic!"

Hypno's eyes flashed blue, surrounding itself in a mystical aura. The Disable locked Nidoking's Sleep Talk, ensuring it wouldn't be able to attack while asleep. Then, a wave of Psychic energy surrounded Nidoking, violently tossing it around the battlefield.

Ron remained unfazed. He had already figured something out. Hypno had low HP left but had not used Dream Eater to recover, meaning it did not have a healing move in its set.

As Nidoking woke up, Ron gave the final command. "Mega Horn. End it."

Wu desperately countered. "Hypno, use Hypnosis again!"

But Nidoking didn't give it the chance. It charged at full speed, its massive horn glowing bright green, before striking Hypno directly in the chest and tossing it into the air.

The moment Hypno hit the ground, its spiral eyes showed it had fainted.

"Hypno is unable to battle! Nidoking wins! The victory goes to Ron from Pallet Town!"

Nidoking stood in the center of the field, roaring in triumph, basking in its unstoppable performance.

Ron smiled and recalled his Pokémon. "That was my mistake, Nidoking. I wanted to test Sleep Talk, but I should have just used Protect, then Mega Horn to finish it earlier. You didn't have to take that damage."

The Pokéball in his hand wobbled twice—Nidoking was letting him know it wasn't mad.

Ron chuckled and stepped off the battlefield, making his way toward the post-match interview. He had learned that accepting interviews helped boost his Popularity Points, which were flowing in at an insane rate.

A female reporter extended her mic. "Thank you for the interview, Ron! Your Pokémon are extremely powerful. You've been winning every battle with only a single Pokémon! Are you doing this to keep your trump cards hidden?"

"Trump cards?" Ron smirked. "I'd love it if someone could actually force me to use them. So far, I haven't even broken a sweat."

The reporter's eyes gleamed. "Does that mean your real trump cards are even stronger? Could you give us a hint?"

Ron crossed his arms. "Sure. In this tournament, I plan to use Charizard, Sylveon, Beedrill, Greninja, Nidoking, Bellossom, Mewtwo, and Aerodactyl. Their full data has already been provided to the reporters. My goal is simple—I want a real battle. I hope my future opponents study my team and come prepared. I'm aiming for nothing less than the championship."

His words immediately went viral, causing a massive stir. Within seconds, his Popularity Points skyrocketed by over 20,000 and were still rising.

After finishing the interview, Ron reunited with Lillie and the others. Next up was her match in the Grass Field.