"Senior-level, mid-stage." Yozora cast a glance at the opposing Nidoking, quietly evaluating in his heart.
Not only that—the creature's Aura was tightly condensed, unlike the hollow energy of those classroom Pokémon back at Pokémon Tech. This Nidoking was the real deal, genuine Senior-level strength.
Since it was a wagered match, Yozora had to take it seriously.
But that also meant he would have to delay training Machop and Geodude once again.
With a flash of white light, Yozora sent out Honedge.
"Huh? That is…" Tian Yuan froze, staring at the Pokémon on Yozora's side. In all his years, it was the first time he had ever seen such a Pokémon. He couldn't even recognize it.
"Hey, what kind of Pokémon is that? It looks like a sword—too strange!"
"Could it be some newly discovered species?!"
Many in the audience widened their eyes and exclaimed aloud.
But a few more knowledgeable spectators quickly explained:
"That's Honedge, a Pokémon from the Kalos region. It's indeed very rare here in Kanto."
"Heh, whatever it is—if it's a Pokémon, then Nidoking can crush it! Nidoking, Horn Attack!"
At Tian Yuan's command, Nidoking roared, its aura surging. The venomous horn atop its head gleamed as it charged straight at Honedge.
From Yozora's angle, he could clearly see the crimson blaze in Nidoking's eyes.
At the same time, Honedge's eye also turned blood-red.
Though Yozora stood behind his Pokémon and could not see its eye directly, he could feel the violent aura spilling out from it.
The cause was obvious: Honedge's ability, No Guard. Under the Shura-like magnetic field it unconsciously emitted, both combatants grew stubborn, brutish—
—choosing to take attacks head-on rather than dodge.
"Not dodging is fine. So long as we can withstand the hit…"
Yozora smiled faintly and commanded, "Honedge, Iron Defense!"
Steel energy gathered. With a metallic shing, Honedge's body turned pitch black, gleaming with a hardened, metallic luster.
Its defense had been greatly increased in a short span of time!
After all, Honedge was much like Aegislash in that it possessed two stances: the Blade Forme and the Sheath Forme.
The blade carried immense attack power but lacked defense.The sheath offered immense defense but lacked offense.
But Honedge had a flaw: it lacked the Stance Change ability. It was not yet mature enough to freely switch between its forms in battle.
In short, once the blade left the sheath, it was extremely difficult to return, especially mid-battle.
Thus—Honedge must never unsheathe recklessly. Otherwise, with its defense plummeting and the No Guard ability making it vulnerable to every strike, it would be a disaster.
Therefore, Yozora chose the safest opening: boosting defense with Iron Defense while remaining sheathed.
Within the scabbard, Honedge's defense was already formidable. With Iron Defense enhancing it by another sixty percent or so, its resilience reached an astounding level.
Clang!
Nidoking rammed into Honedge with full force.
But Honedge, body dark and hardened like steel, didn't budge an inch.
Instead, Nidoking grunted, staggering back two steps from the recoil.
"Incredible! Even Nidoking's Horn Attack couldn't shake it!" Tian Yuan's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Sacred Sword!" Yozora ordered.
Shing! Honedge unsheathed, slashing forth a brilliant arc of sword energy. It struck Nidoking squarely, dropping the beast to the ground in an instant. Its eyes rolled back as it lost consciousness completely.
One strike—knockout.
"Ugh…" Tian Yuan stared at his fallen Nidoking in shock. That sword-like Pokémon was terrifying—not only did it boast immense defense, it also had such overwhelming attack power!
Sighing in defeat, Tian Yuan left behind one hundred tokens and stepped off the field in silence.
"Amazing! What's with these kids nowadays? Each one stronger than the last!"
The spectators marveled in awe.
Tian Yuan was already young, maybe sixteen or seventeen, only one or two years into his journey.
But Yozora was even younger. By all accounts, he was a rookie who had only started this very year.
Who could have expected such incredible strength from him?
"Iron Defense? Is that Honedge a Steel-type Pokémon? Interesting… Looks like it's my turn!"
A spirited shout rang out as a spiky red-haired youth leapt onto the stage, tossing out a Poké Ball.
With a burst of light, a Charmeleon appeared.
Yozora blinked—only now realizing he had become the ringmaster.
As ringmaster, he could not switch Pokémon; he had to continue using Honedge against all challengers. Unless, of course, he forfeited his position voluntarily.
But he had just gotten started. How could he back out now?
No—he would press on!
"Charmeleon?" Yozora smirked faintly, recalling his own Charmeleon.
Compared to his, this one was clearly inferior—both in build and in aura. His own was taller by at least a head. A swell of pride rose in his chest.
Still, this opponent's Charmeleon, like Nidoking, was also mid-stage Senior level.
"Charmeleon, Flamethrower!" the red-haired trainer shouted.
Scorching flames surged across the battlefield.
Yozora narrowed his eyes, a thought flashing through his mind:
I wonder… under the effect of No Guard, can Aerial Ace still evade?
Though an offensive move, Aerial Ace relied on speed and nimble maneuvering—tricking the foe before striking true.
That was the essence of the move: feints and sudden attacks.
He recalled how, aboard the S.S. Anne, his Pidgeot had danced around Politoed's Hydro Pump, mocking its opponent before suddenly striking down.
That was the very soul of Aerial Ace.
If Honedge truly understood this essence, perhaps it could still "slip past" the confines of No Guard.
"In any case, it's worth a try. At worst, Honedge will still take the hit—after all, Flamethrower will connect no matter what under No Guard anyway!"
His decision made, Yozora called out: "Honedge, Aerial Ace!"
At once, Honedge shot forward, body gliding with unnatural agility granted by its Light Metal body.
The enemy Charmeleon spewed flames continuously, tracking its movements.
But Honedge's form twisted and turned in the air, tracing elegant arcs. It evaded the streams of fire while weaving patterns midair, leaving its opponent dizzy and off balance.
Shing!
At the very moment Charmeleon slackened its guard, Honedge suddenly veered, its blade gleaming with a cyclone of energy. It struck true, sending Charmeleon flying with a pitiful cry.
The Fire-type crashed to the ground and fainted instantly.
"It worked!" Yozora's smile shone with delight.
So it was proven: an attack like Aerial Ace—meant to deceive and dodge as it struck—could bypass No Guard's constraints.
Of course, this also meant Yozora would have to beware if his enemies used Aerial Ace. For under the same oppressive field, their strikes could slip past as well.
"Unbelievable! That Honedge just defeated two powerful opponents in a row!"
The crowd erupted in astonishment once more, marveling at the mysterious sword Pokémon's back-to-back victories.
By this, it was clear—attacks like Aerial Ace, designed to strike while dodging, could indeed "slip past" the restraints of No Guard.
In their eyes, both Nidoking and Charmeleon were excellent Pokémon.
Yet, both had been instantly felled by Honedge. Its strength was undeniable.
At this moment…
The power, defense, and speed Honedge had just displayed seemed almost flawless.
Of course, what they didn't know was that the blade itself had virtually no defense at all…
…
The battles continued all day. Yozora and Honedge racked up nineteen consecutive victories in a row.
His pile of tokens had grown from the initial 315 to a staggering 2,215.
But by now, Honedge was utterly drained.
Though it had swept every opponent cleanly, usually with a single blow and without taking damage, the strain of using Sacred Sword repeatedly had piled up.
Even at Honedge's current level, relying on such a taxing move again and again consumed tremendous energy.
By the end, Honedge was practically running on fumes.
Yozora returned it to its Poké Ball and chose to end his battles for the day, voluntarily yielding the ringmaster's position.
Heading over to the exchange counter, Yozora discovered that most of the prizes here were either Pokémon Eggs or various rare items.
Lesser-quality evolution stones that would sell for a hundred thousand Pokédollars outside could be traded here for just 100 tokens apiece.
Mid-grade stones worth a million on the outside could be obtained here for 1,000 tokens each.
Even Pokémon Eggs of Kanto's three starters, as well as Eevee Eggs and Ditto Eggs, could be redeemed for 1,000 tokens apiece.
In effect, 1,000 tokens was the equivalent of spending ten million Pokédollars at the department store and trading it for an item worth one million outside.
Put another way—it was basically a ten-percent discount.
Of course, Yozora also learned there were plenty of seasoned veterans here. Many of them had started with just a single token, or ten at most, and had no doubt snowballed their way into massive fortunes by now.
Every time they came to this department store, they skipped the lower floors entirely, heading straight to the rooftop arena.
[Pokémon Egg: Charmander]
Type: Fire
Ability: ?
Level: Unhatched
Potential: Gym-tier
[Pokémon Egg: Eevee]
Type: Normal
Ability: ?
Level: Unhatched
Potential: Gym-tier
[Pokémon Egg: Ditto]
Type: Normal
Ability: ?
Level: Unhatched
Potential: Gym-tier
Yozora scanned the display carefully. All of the Eggs that required 1,000 tokens to redeem had Gym-level potential.
From that alone, it was clear the department store wasn't trying to scam anyone—the offerings were quite genuine.
"Excuse me—would you be interested in selling your tokens?"
As Yozora continued browsing the prizes, a sudden voice spoke up beside him.
…
…
(End of Chapter)