Was Pokémon battling fun?
For Trainers like Piers, of course it was.
If he did not enjoy battling, he never would have taken part in past Champion Cups, nor would he have obtained his current position. However, someone as gifted and talented as Leon could use his status as Champion to give his hometown a good life. By comparison, despite having a Gym, Spikemuth was in the complete opposite situation from Postwick.
That was exactly why people always felt that once someone obtained the position of Champion, they could do anything.
"I think there are some things even a Champion can't do."
Piers glanced at Bea.
Piers was not very familiar with someone like Bea, who came from a famous Fighting-type family. It was normal for Gym Leaders not to be close with one another. In theory, Bea should be a little more familiar with Nessa and Gordie.
Of course, Bea was not yet an official Gym Leader. She would only be considered officially appointed after this tournament ended.
Piers did not use a Wishing Star or Dynamax, so he could not hear the "strong desire" within Wishing Stars, and naturally, he would not be affected by the black crystal. However, the darkness and negative emotions within people's hearts would still be absorbed into the crystal. That was unavoidable.
The Dark-type Gym Leader had actually become an ally of justice. When Piers thought about his possible role in the little story that might unfold next, he could not help finding it funny.
"I'm not especially good at dealing with Chairman Rose, but that man's ability to act on the idea that 'if something needs doing, do it immediately' is something I genuinely admire."
"And ever since he was still a League committee member, he has always provided aid to Trainers in trouble. He built childcare facilities at the stadiums for children. He worked to protect people who were hurt by slander and defamation, who suffered psychological trauma because of it, and wrote punishments for that kind of behavior into law."
"Even when someone disagrees with him, as long as he thinks their argument has reason, he will show respect."
"Though some people have said that Chairman Rose behaves that way because he never sees us as being on equal footing with him. That's why he can act like that. How could an adult get angry with a child? It's that kind of feeling."
"Maybe there's some truth to that."
"So there is still plenty of time. Calm your heart. Hm. As a rock singer, maybe I shouldn't be saying this, but even the hottest, most thrilling rock music has to be composed in a state of calm."
Bea said, "Mr. Piers… I understand."
"In other words, this tournament will definitely end safely. Yes, Mr. Rose truly is the type who immediately acts once he thinks of something. Put another way, if he still has not done anything by now, that means he will not do anything."
"Thank you, Mr. Piers. The unease in my heart has disappeared."
"And about the black crystal…"
Bea briefly explained that the black crystal might be connected to Wishing Stars. Piers's eyes slowly closed, then opened again.
"Batanagi. If you feel uneasy, silently recite that spell… I understand."
Awaken the light buried in darkness.
How strange.
An ancient legend from a distant region was actually connected to Galar.
"As thanks, I'll tell you a few little secrets about Dynamax too."
"For a newcomer like you—even though you come from a famous family—Galar used to have traditional battles too. Dynamax battles only began around the last ten years or so. Hm, it has already been more than ten years, hasn't it?"
"You know this, right? One-hit KO ultimate moves do not work on Dynamax Pokémon. Moves like Heavy Slam also do not take effect. However, statuses such as Taunt and Perish Song, as well as status conditions, still work normally."
"Similarly, Dynamax can avoid some special states. If your Pokémon is under Encore, Dynamaxing can immediately break through that restriction. But Taunt does not work that way. In other words, for me as a Dark-type user, Dark-type moves practically exist to break through Dynamax. Whether it's Quash or Switcheroo, they both work normally."
"And for you, as someone who uses Fighting types, striking moves can break through Dynamax defenses. The move that can break through Max Guard is…"
"Feint!"
"It's a move rather similar to that old man on the Isle of Armor's Unseen Fist, though I've never actually seen Unseen Fist myself. Feint is not Fighting-type, though."
"Similarly, Endeavor can also have an effect. However, because a Pokémon's HP increases greatly after Dynamaxing, that kind of move can only deal damage based on the HP before the giant transformation."
Piers waved his hand. Bea was quite surprised.
"You know so much about Dynamax."
"That's only natural. After all, I have to deal with Dynamax Pokémon, so I have to master the knowledge. All right, the audience is already getting impatient. The insults are overwhelming… I'm going in."
Piers walked out of the tunnel amid the fanatical boos of the crowd, while Galar's bloodthirsty spectators shouted, "Get beaten already, weakling!"
"Thank you."
Piers waved at those spectators. Of course, as a Trainer who did not use Dynamax, Piers was criticized and hated by many people. But in the Galar region, those watching the matches were not only bloodthirsty spectators. There were also bloodthirsty fans of singers.
Although Piers could not compare to Roxie or Maximizers, he was still rather famous in Galar, so the spectator stands soon descended into chaos.
"How dare you boo our big bro!"
At that moment, Team Yell displayed an extremely brave spirit and charged straight at those bloodthirsty spectators. Even ordinary passersby in the audience who supported Piers joined the brawl.
An indispensable part of British football matches—the competitors fought in the stadium, and the audience elbowed each other in the stands.
The situation quickly became somewhat chaotic. Marnie silently changed seats, and Sonia immediately avoided the battlefield. The League staff from Macro Cosmos tried to enter and calm the situation, but they could not get a word in at all.
Sonia said, "This… this sort of thing seems to happen every year…"
Marnie said, "Supporters from both sides fighting each other. But this time, the conflict is extremely intense…"
The desires in people's hearts were amplified until they developed into a brawl of this intensity. Galar's bloodthirsty environment lived up to its reputation. Considering the Darkest Day back then, perhaps Galar had actively caused trouble itself too.
Hikaru said, "Maybe Galar particles already have some effect on humans to begin with."
The fan war in the spectator stands did not affect the battle in the stadium, because Piers's fierce fight had already begun.
His opponent was Gordie, who was extremely popular in the Galar region.
"Yo, Piers. I'll use a stylish victory to change the world's prejudice that links Rock types with roughness!"
"You can leave the stage right here! Coalossal and I will make the cheers burn even hotter!"
Given Gordie's personality, he normally should not have said something like that. But Piers could sense that behind Gordie's blue glasses, his eyes were definitely filled with a mad desire for battle.
He had felt it back in the lounge. The Trainers who used Dynamax had all changed slightly. Or perhaps Piers simply had not met them enough to notice the changes in their mental state over the past six months or year.
"Gym Leaders also have relationships where some know each other well and some don't," Hikaru thought from the spectator stands.
In the Galarian Star Tournament, one could see that some Gym Leaders had special dialogue with one another, while others were almost like strangers.
Of course, most Gym Leaders in other regions were also like that. Cases like Hoenn or Unova, where all the Gym Leaders were quite familiar with one another, were very rare.
In Kanto, some Gym Leaders did not even know who the leader of the Viridian Gym was.
"In the Star Tournament, Bea interacts with Nessa, Gordie, Mustard, and Raihan. Piers interacts with Hop, Milo, Raihan, Leon, Opal, and Marnie. But Marnie and Hop can basically be ignored here."
"It really does show that Piers's relationships with the others are only average."
"On the other hand, the Water-Fire-Grass trio interact a lot. They call themselves the trio of friends."
"I'm coming!" Piers's expression also became extremely serious. Facing Gordie as he entered rock battle-maniac mode, Piers did not underestimate him in the slightest. Naturally, he had to face the battle with all his heart and strength.
How to break through Dynamax Pokémon was the subject Piers had always researched. Precisely because everyone around him used the power of giant transformation, he felt anxious about his own strength.
Among all kinds of battle systems, Dynamax had been used for the longest time, and its power was also extraordinarily strong.
——————————
"Gordie lost. That idiot!"
Someone said that in the lounge. After the tournament battle reached its climax, Gordie's ace, Gigantamax Coalossal, had been sent out right at the start and then taken down by Piers through nasty methods in a short amount of time. That caused all kinds of reactions from the Gym Leaders in the lounge.
Some shouted wildly, thrilled by the fierce battle and intensely longing to fight Piers again. They began talking about Piers's performances in previous Champion Cups, as well as his unique battle creed. Others were furious and said that Dark-type moves truly were dirty and underhanded, since even Dynamax could not avoid them.
However, the relationships between Gym Leaders should not have involved such bitter conflict. It was almost as if even their personalities had undergone subtle changes.
Of course, the relationship between first-division and second-division Gym Leaders could not exactly be called good. After all, most second-division Gym Leaders were invisible people, practically nonexistent year after year. For them, they naturally would not have a good relationship with those first-division stars.
If one Gym rose to the first division, naturally another Gym would be relegated to the second division.
Judging by the current situation, Ghost, Fighting, and the already-promoted Rock Gym were all new first-division Gyms. Among the Gym Leaders in the lounge, there were some who did not know one another, as well as people who had risen from the second division and were now facing the risk of falling back down.
"Wait a moment. Aren't you all getting a little too worked up?"
As the Fire-type Gym Leader, Kabu was unexpectedly calm when it came to major issues. He noticed that the mental state of many Gym Leaders had changed. Although even he himself was gradually entering a mildly excited state and feeling that he could definitely defeat the powerful opponents ahead.
"In the end, Gordie is merely the Gym Leader of a newly established rising-star Gym. Losing in a battle of this intensity is completely normal. Piers is at least an old friend of Raihan and the others. As a Gym Leader, his strength and experience are not something Gordie can compare with, right?"
"Although Gordie is a newly rising star of hope whose goal points directly toward becoming a future Champion, I do not think this result is surprising."
"Nessa, what do you think?"
"Mm-hm…"
However, Nessa, whom Kabu had questioned, had fallen into a strange, dazed state. Facing Kabu's puzzled gaze, Nessa merely shook her head.
"Sorry. I spaced out a little. For some reason, I started thinking about the past and things from when I was young."
"If I give up my position as Gym Leader, no one will pay attention to me anymore. Because of that, I have to win in the tournament. Even if my opponent is my own friend, I cannot go easy. I must protect my position and my identity as a model."
"It's my turn, Kabu."
Kabu said, "No, that is not the problem. In a match, aiming for the championship, continuously working hard, and using your full strength are all only natural. But why are you acting so heavy? I have also experienced the kind of predicament where my life nearly collapsed."
"Your opponent is from Stow-on-Side…"
"I will take down Bea." Nessa's pupils contracted, and her expression became slightly frightening. The Dynamax Band flickered with an ominous light.
When she walked onto the battlefield, she saw Bea, with whom she was relatively familiar.
As a challenger, Bea had reached this point. If she could defeat Nessa, then—
Across from her, Bea sent out her Pokémon. As a challenger's Pokémon, it was extremely strong.
Nessa swept her hand out, and a fanatical battle will surged uncontrollably within her heart.
Perhaps she should resign from her modeling job and focus solely on battling. Wanting to fulfill both wishes was unrealistic. Had she not made that wish when she was still a child?
She had once faced the terrifying situation of being demoted to the second division, and perhaps that sort of thing would happen again in the future.
Therefore, in order to avoid the worst outcome, and in order to avoid losing her current social status, she absolutely could not lose.
"Golisopod! First Impression!"
The Pokémon she sent out was Golisopod, clad in heavy armor like an ancient samurai. Its appearance resembled a giant isopod standing upright. In order to become stronger, it usually lived quietly in deep-sea caverns, as if meditating. It could fight skillfully with six arms and would use any means necessary to win.
After waiting for the moment when its enemy grew careless, it would finish them off with the small claws on its front legs. Its freely extending and retracting claws were its greatest weapon.
When a Golisopod that had trained with its partner swung its sharp, enormous claws down, it could split even air and seawater in two.
And the Pokémon Bea had sent out before it was Golisopod's natural enemy—
Grapploct.
"The losing side will become the other's food!"
(End of Chapter)
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