Chapter 964: The Sovereign King

The next day.

Kenta, Marina, and Junichi boarded the competitor cable car and arrived outside the Main Arena No. 3.

The vast sea of clouds beyond the glass walkway filled them with awe.

How many regional leagues would host their tournament atop a mountain peak? Even without an active volcano, it was unique enough.

Just before entering the arena.

Marina and Junichi offered Kenta their blessings.

"Do your best, Kenta!"

"Take down your opponent in one decisive push!"

"Just watch me up there!" he laughed, waving his hand as confidently as ever.

Though he was about to face a monster from the qualifiers, Kenta didn't feel he had no chance at all.

Once he stepped onto the battlefield, even if he didn't believe in himself, he would believe in his Pokémon partners who had supported him all along.

Battles aren't about who has more destructive power—that's not what decides victory!

Kenta strode confidently into the competitor tunnel; Marina watched his back, her brow heavy with unspoken worry.

Last night, they saw the exact match pairings, gathered every scrap of information on All All Baimu through the night, trying to figure out his team before the match—only to grow more alarmed the more they looked.

Champion of the Feronia League's Sayu Tournament?

Is he really just some random champion?

Then again—

The first-ever Alliance Tournament in Oure was literally to crown a champion! He went out to train, then came back and climbed to the top!

Anyone who sees All All Baimu's record would think he's walking the ultimate path.

From humble beginnings, he trained away from home, grew stronger, returned home in glory, and rose unchallenged through the first-ever tournament!

What a classic hero's journey!

Compared to him, every other contestant seemed destined to become a supporting character.

But—

Recently, the Pokémon world has started favoring anti-hero stories: the dazzling fake protagonist shines brightly, while the real hero hides in the shadows, unnoticed.

Until one fateful battle, delivering the greatest upset in history—shocking everyone's jaws!

Many were hoping for a "dark horse" to stop All All Baimu's royal ascent and become a dark hero.

There's no help for it—battle circles are just a gathering of otaku, differing only in degree; such dramatic setups are naturally popular.

Marina hoped her beloved would become that dark hero.

Even though Kenta's personality was sunny, gentle, and kind—far from anything dark—she believed he was the hero.

Go for it!

She watched until his figure vanished, ready to welcome him back and confess her feelings.

"Come on, let's head to the spectator seats!"

Junichi's voice snapped Marina back to reality; she nodded.

The arena was packed with guests.

Kenta stepped out of the tunnel to find crowds surging on all sides, a roaring wave of noise crashing into his ears.

He couldn't make out words, but he felt the electric atmosphere.

The battlefield was enormous—easily one and a half times larger than any other tournament sub-arena.

Currently, it was the standard field appearance.

But while this expanded the Pokémon's movement range, it also added slight strain on the Trainers.

He glanced toward the opposite temporary resting area—his opponent was already there, yet not waiting quietly as his cold demeanor suggested.

Instead, he was enthusiastically… playing cards—with his Pokémon?

Kenta rubbed his eyes, checking he wasn't seeing things.

On the bench—

All All Baimu sat slouched, two Dracovish on his left, a round, shiny Gengar on his right.

He was even smiling as he stuck white strips on Gengar's face!

Besides him, every single Pokémon's face was nearly covered in thin white strips!

What an incredible mental state!

Kenta thought he was silently chanting his battle hymn, and the opponent was having fun playing games?

"Really—"

He shook his head in embarrassment, feeling dismissed, yet curious about which Pokémon his opponent would send out.

Each one demanded his full caution!

Kenta sat down on the bench, rolling the Poké Ball containing Charizard in his palm, quietly waiting for the match to begin.

Not long after—

The scheduled start time for the first round arrived.

A clear voice came over the loudspeaker.

"Welcome everyone to the Oure League Battle Tournament, live for the first round of preliminaries! I'm the commentator, White Bird!"

White Bird had once been a special guest at the Huang Tie Arena Tournament.

After Oure's liberation, he switched from guest to official commentator—his combat skills were lacking, so he had to find another way to stand out.

After much effort—

He successfully became the commentator for this tournament's sub-arena; two years of hard work hadn't been in vain!

Today was also lucky—he was commentating on All All Baimu's match again.

Last time, he'd only been loud because he'd been paid.

This time, White Bird was ready to lavish praise.

"Let's see which two opponents will open today's first thrilling match!"

He raised his voice: "On the left! From Huang Tie Town—competitor All All Baimu! His strength, I'm sure everyone has witnessed firsthand!

"PokéSound's #1 trending! The Sovereign King—'All All Baimu'! Give him a thunderous round of applause!"

Whoosh—

The audience gave a generous round of applause.

Below—

All All Baimu's face darkened. Who had given him another nickname? The old one, "Demon Wood," was already hard enough to bear.

Now they're calling him "The Sovereign King"…

He looked up at the arena's dome, where Reuniclus and the black-and-white horse stood or knelt.

These guys claimed they weren't interested, yet here they were in person.

Talking tough but acting otherwise!

At the same moment—

White Bird was also introducing Kenta. He knew belittling the opponent wouldn't elevate All All Baimu's prestige—it would backfire.

It would make the audience question the match's value.

So he praised Kenta just as lavishly, calling him "The Fearless Hero," as if Kenta were about to storm the Demon King's lair.

You know what?

This repetitive, hyperbolic commentary style won wide support; the audience was fired up, eagerly anticipating the match.

As for the competitors' feelings—

White Bird didn't care. As a commentator, he served only the audience; psychological support for Trainers was someone else's job.

"Let's turn our attention to the big screen! The preliminaries feature four field types: Ice Field, Water Field, Grass Field, and Rock Field. Let's see the computer's random draw—"

"Rock Field!"

Hum!

The arena floor began to shake; the standard field split open like stacked blocks, and a terrain of jagged stones and massive boulders slowly rose.

The worst-case scenario had occurred!

The image of Gigantamax Steelix gaining terrain advantage during the qualifiers was still vivid.

Kenta swallowed hard—he never expected to draw the worst possible field.

But—

Should he give up now?

Impossible!

He took a deep breath, his gaze turning calm yet sharp.

The Multi-Judge Machine was in position.

Thirty-six cameras ensured the match's fairness.

"The upcoming match is the first round of preliminaries, a match to advance to the Top 32. Both competitors, prepare."

At the command—

Kenta pulled out a Poké Ball and gripped it in his hand; across from him, All All Baimu did the same.

Beep—!!

A stirring whistle blared.

Both trainers hurled their Poké Balls onto the spacious battlefield!

Boom! Boom!

Light blazed forth.

On Kenta's side emerged a humanoid Pokémon with shoulders and head like burning flames, and arms like cannon barrels—Flareon!

A faint heatwave radiated from its body.

Opposite, before All All Baimu, the Pokémon that stepped onto the field was unquestionably his long-standing top choice—

Dragonite!

"Shaaang!!"

A terrifying roar shook the air; a chilling low pressure descended upon the battlefield!

"Bong-ba…"

Flareon's pupils trembled, as if facing a flood or a ferocious beast.

Maximum intimidation!

Under the gaze of thousands, All All Baimu and Dragonite resembled twin brothers, radiating strikingly similar energy.

When a Pokémon and its Trainer stand together in perfect harmony, it proves, in some sense, their strength.

Kenta grew even more cautious and issued his first command.

"Move! Smokescreen!"

"Bong-ba!"

Flareon began sprinting diagonally across the field, weaving around boulder after boulder, raising its arms to spew thick black smoke that swirled and spread across nearly half the battlefield within seconds.

Too cautious?

Some spectators hoping for a fierce clash were disappointed.

But those aware of the gap between them wanted to know what tactics Kenta would employ—and how All All Baimu would respond.

And how All All Baimu would respond.

The battling world had countless styles; spectators split into different groups—some loved reckless, passionate clashes, others preferred careful, tactical maneuvers.

Kenta shouted: "Now, Sunny Day!"

He knew All All Baimu's strength lay in timing—countering instantly the moment his own move was executed, or retaliating right after being hit.

To seize the upper hand quickly, he had to blind All All Baimu's observation!

The large battlefield also reduced the accuracy of desperate blind throws, helping him gain the initiative.

Bai Zhen Niao cried: "Kenta's smokescreen has turned the battlefield into complete uncertainty! What's he planning? Look! Sunny Day!"

A brilliant light orb burst through the smoke, shooting upward at incredible speed.

But almost instantly—

Three far larger, deep purple orbs overtook it like launched mortar shells, shrieking through the air as they rose.

Then—

Boom!

A shower of stars!

Countless purple light arrows fell like divine judgment, striking the rocky battlefield with an exaggerated, saturation-level range!

【Three-Headed·Meteor Shower】!

"Meteor Shower's here! What an insane number! Dragonite unleashed Meteor Shower with all three heads!"

Bai Zhen Niao shouted in excitement.

The audience was stunned too—three heads firing three Meteor Showers!?

Trainer seats.

All All Baimu raised three fingers; Shan Ren had told him the tournament was crucial—he must visibly show every command.

Don't let the Pokémon act entirely on their own; cameras focusing on him could cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

All All Baimu obeyed, ready with the corresponding hand signals.

On the battlefield.

Flareon dodged amid Kenta's forced calm, but the Meteor Shower's sheer volume was overwhelming—and the arrows didn't vanish on impact.

They exploded like bombs!

Raised boulders couldn't withstand the light arrows' impact; shattered rock fragments flew like bullets, striking Flareon with cries of agony.

"Bong-ba!"

"Speed Punch—blast through these Meteor Showers!"

Kenta realized Flareon couldn't dodge anymore—he had to use a move to block.

As Murphy's Law dictated.

The more you fear something, the more likely it happens.

"Bong-ba!"

As Flareon gritted its teeth and swung fists at the falling light arrows, brown-red and purple light interwove, exploding into smoke—

Dragonite, hidden within the lingering smokescreen, seemed like a dragon discovering a thief stealing its treasure—it flapped its scaled wings and charged forward with terrifying fury!

"Frightful Visage."

"Shaaang!"

It magically passed through half the battlefield without a single Meteor Shower striking it, its grotesque face glowing with terrifying hues, freezing Flareon in place with dread.

Boom!

The two Pokémon collided violently; Kenta's cry of "Dodge!" came too late.

Flareon's speed dropped drastically due to Frightful Visage.

Dragonite didn't stop after knocking it down—it bit down hard on Flareon's shoulders and head with all three jaws, yanking it off the ground, and deliberately slamming it into the last few falling light arrows!

Kenta shouted: "Flamethrower—counterattack!"

"Bong-ba!!"

Flareon, enduring excruciating pain, opened its mouth slightly—flames were about to erupt—

But before it could fire, its back struck a light arrow and the attack was interrupted!

"Bong-ba…"

"Grrrr!!"

Dragonite didn't slow down—it dragged Flareon, smashing through countless rocks, until the Meteor Shower ended, then violently hurled it to the ground!

Boom!

The ground trembled; a massive dust ring rose heavily, then slowly dispersed.

Kenta clenched his fist.

The Multi-Judge Machine declared coldly: "Flareon is unable to battle. Dragonite wins. Match continues."

In the lower-right corner of Kenta's face on the giant screen, Flareon's portrait dimmed.

Bai Zhen Niao cried out: "Overwhelming dominance! Dragonite controlled Flareon with Frightful Visage! Finished it off with Meteor Shower in one relentless burst! Brilliant!"

Whoosh!

The audience erupted in applause.

The visual impact of Dragonite crashing into Flareon was overwhelming; the sky-full Meteor Shower was breathtaking.

No wonder it's called the "Sovereign King"!

It displayed raw power in its purest form!

While some rejoiced, others grieved—Marina and Junichi couldn't cheer, even though they'd known All All Baimu's strength.

Seeing Flareon fall so decisively still filled them with despair.

How could Kenta possibly fight such an opponent?

Trainer seats.

"... Well done, Flareon."

Kenta recalled Flareon; overall, the outcome hadn't exceeded his plan.

Flareon hadn't managed to drain Dragonite's stamina to any significant degree.

But he'd successfully activated Sunny Day!

That was crucial.

He pulled out his second Poké Ball and shouted: "Your turn! Jigglypuff!"

Pop!

White light coalesced into a cute little Pokémon.

It had a round blue body with three cottony tufts—each nearly as large as its body—on its left, right, and head.

Each tuft was made of compressed cotton spores.

It floated lightly in the air, staring at the fearsome Dragonite—not with fear, but with a bold, almost eager expression, as if wanting to spar.

"Wada!"

Compared to the timid Flareon before, one couldn't help wondering if their types had been mixed up.

Kenta still had the initiative to move first; All All Baimu and Dragonite made no aggressive move.

"Cotton Spore!"

"Wada!"

The shuttlecock cotton flailed its arms vigorously.

Puff!

A large quantity of white, cotton-like, dandelion-shaped fluff surged toward Dreepy!