Boom!!!
A blazing surge of energy erupted, releasing a blinding flash that swallowed Lance's vision whole.
And engulfed in that same overwhelming light was Dragonite's already battered body.
"…It's over."
Lance's expression flickered as he muttered softly, unable to hide his unwillingness to accept the outcome.
Even empowered by Dragon Force, Dragonite's strength had already surpassed that of many Legendary Pokémon.
Yet no matter how he tried to imagine it, Lance could never have expected that in the heat of battle, the opposing Pokémon would suddenly pull back without any command from its Trainer—and then fire off another Hyper Beam straight at Dragonite.
Such a reckless maneuver was almost unimaginable in a formal Pokémon battle.
After all, Hyper Beam possessed terrifying destructive power, but if it failed to achieve its intended effect, the severe backlash could instantly determine the course of the entire match.
Even Lance, the strongest of the Elite Four, could not help but sigh inwardly…
That kind of all-or-nothing gamble was simply too bold!
And yet, that very boldness had fortunately secured their final victory.
After enduring two consecutive high-intensity Hyper Beams, even a Pokémon as formidable as Dragonite had almost no stamina left, its combat capability severely compromised.
After withstanding several more sword strikes from Zoro, it finally let out a mournful cry, its body collapsing as it lost the ability to continue fighting.
"You're still a bit slow compared to that bastard."
On the other side, Zoro exited his Pokémon-ization, removed Wado Ichimonji from his mouth, and despite his extreme exhaustion, calmly sheathed his blade and offered his assessment to the unconscious Dragonite.
At the same time—
On the interface within Red's consciousness, several system notifications suddenly popped up:
[Congratulations to the player for defeating the Dragon-Type Elite Four — Lance. Special reward obtained: Dragon Force.]
[Congratulations to the player for defeating the Dragon-Type Elite Four — Lance. Special reward obtained: Dragon Crystal Seed.]
At this point…
The four strongest Elite Four Trainers recognized by the Pokémon League had all been defeated by Red!
...
...
"Dragon Force?!"
"Don't tell me…"
Seeing the brand-new reward from the system, a flash of delight immediately lit up Red's eyes.
Sensing a strange new power flowing within his body, he extended his palm and focused his attention on Zoro.
In an instant, a peculiar energy fluctuation surged out from Red's body and was injected directly into Zoro.
"Huh?!"
Zoro, already worn down from continuous battles, froze in shock. Feeling the overflowing power inside him, his mind went completely blank.
With the system's repeated rewards, Red's current strength might not yet be top-tier in the pirate world, but compared to humans in the Pokémon world, he was already an unfathomable powerhouse.
Compared to Lance, the gap was immeasurable.
As a result, the Dragon Force released by Red was far more potent than Lance's, causing Zoro's eyes to widen in disbelief.
"Hehe~"
Red chuckled mysteriously and withdrew the Dragon Force.
The battle wasn't over yet—now wasn't the time to test it thoroughly.
...
...
"I'm sorry, Dragonite."
"This was my misjudgment."
At the final moment before the battle arena vanished, Lance, still retaining his awareness, apologized softly to the Poké Ball in his hand.
The Poké Ball trembled slightly, as if comforting its Trainer.
The next second, the battlefield dissolved.
Lance's expression shifted, and he reverted once more into a program-controlled NPC.
"Congratulations, young Trainer!"
"You have successfully defeated the Elite Four. From today onward—"
"You are the League's new Champion!"
As Red approached, Lance raised his arm grandly, his dark cape billowing as he spoke.
But immediately after, a sly grin appeared on his face.
"…You thought I'd say that?"
"Unfortunately, you still have one opponent you must defeat."
Creak—
At that moment, the door behind Red opened, and an elderly man with a buzz cut, wearing a white lab coat, walked in.
"Long time no see, Red!"
The newcomer greeted him with a warm smile.
This man was none other than Red's beginner guide in this world—and its most authoritative figure: Professor Oak.
"Congratulations on defeating the Elite Four!"
"However, shortly before you arrived, another Trainer already defeated them and became the new Champion."
"So if you want to claim the title, you'll have to defeat them as well."
"Are you ready?!"
"Of course!"
Red grinned in response. After exchanging a glance with Zoro, he activated his thoughts and sent him out of the Pokémon world.
In his place appeared a Straw Hat boy standing upright—fast asleep.
A snot bubble nearly half the size of his head inflated and deflated rhythmically, silently testifying to the excellent quality of his nap.
The Pokémon switch was completed instantly.
And next, Red would face the strongest Trainer of the entire first playthrough…
His rival who had departed from Pallet Town alongside him, yet became Champion before him—
Blue.
"Hmm, it seems you're fully prepared."
Professor Oak smiled as he looked at the sleeping Luffy.
Clearly, even someone as respected as Professor Oak in the Pokémon world was nothing more than a specially programmed NPC.
Realizing this, Red didn't waste words.
He turned around, formed a slender finger guard with Psychic Power, and jabbed straight at Luffy's snot bubble.
"Wake up! Stop sleeping!"
Pop—
The massive bubble burst, and Luffy jolted awake in fright.
He opened his bleary eyes, scanned his surroundings, and then immediately locked onto Red.
"Red?! Where is this?"
"Is it time to eat?"
"Eat?" Red raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you forgot what day it is?!"
"Ah…"
Luffy's mind slowly cleared, his dull eyes growing brighter.
The next moment, he slapped his fist into his palm.
"Oh! Right!"
"I remember now!"
"Today you were supposed to bring me and Zoro to challenge the Pokémon League, right—"
"Geez~ you guys took way too long earlier, so I fell asleep!"
"You…" Red laughed helplessly, then patted Luffy on the back. "Alright, since you know what's going on, wake up properly!"
"Usopp, Sanji, and Zoro all completed their missions brilliantly and gained even greater power."
"If the captain slacks off now, it'd be pretty embarrassing!"
"Hehe~"
Luffy grinned, swinging his arms as his dark, gleaming eyes filled with fighting spirit.
"Don't worry, Red!"
"I've been looking forward to this fight for a long time!"
"And…"
"In the next battle, I promise I'll shock you!"
"Oh?" Red nodded. "Then I suppose I'll look forward to it."
Ignoring Professor Oak's continued chatter, they stepped toward the final door.
The magnificent gate seemed to sense Red's presence and slowly opened.
The next instant, a dazzling white light swallowed Red and Luffy's vision—then vanished just as quickly.
"You finally made it."
"I knew you'd come here!"
Inside the spacious, regal chamber, a vibrant young man turned around, clenched the Poké Ball in his hand, and smiled at Red and Luffy.
Neither of them found this face unfamiliar.
Back when they had first entered the Pokémon world, this rival had appeared repeatedly, guiding Red through one beginner task after another.
"What a familiar yet distant face…"
Even knowing the other was merely an NPC endowed with dialogue routines, Red couldn't help feeling nostalgic, memories of those early days flooding back.
It had been less than a year since setting sail, yet it felt as though a very long time had passed.
Even his memories had grown hazy.
But quickly, Red cast those emotions aside and focused fully on the present.
"Well then, can we start, Luffy?!"
Red made his final inquiry.
"Of course!"
Already itching for action, Luffy answered with a grin—and with actions instead of words.
Without any preliminary movement, his body suddenly inflated like a balloon, swelling violently as he prepared to enter a brand-new state.
Boom!!!
A terrifying aura erupted from Luffy like a surging tsunami, sweeping across the entire room!
In an instant, a sacred white light enveloped his body.
And within that brilliance, Luffy's form began to change.
"This is… Luffy's Pokémon-ization?!"
Red murmured softly, already guessing the answer.
Though Luffy's natural strength and talent made Pokémon-ization unsurprising, the sight of the evolution light still shook him.
The glow came abruptly—and vanished just as fast.
In the blink of an eye, Luffy's evolution was complete.
Thud!!!
A massive, solid body slammed into the ground, making the entire chamber tremble.
"Gear Fourth — Black Martial God Form!!!"
Luffy's deep, powerful voice rang out like an ancient bell.
In this state, Luffy's height and build had doubled compared to his original Gear Fourth.
His hair still surged upward like blazing flames.
His entire body was coated in Armament Haki that gleamed with a black metallic luster, his muscle lines sharp and pronounced—like indestructible armor forged onto his frame.
At this moment, just as he had proclaimed, Luffy had become a pure "black" humanoid form.
This was the new power he had mastered under Zoro's guidance.
By channeling Normal-type energy from the Pokémon world throughout his body, using absolute physical prowess to connect blood and Qi, he generated endless Armament Haki to armor himself completely.
Right now, he looked like a true god, radiating awe-inspiring might.
"As expected of you!"
Watching Luffy's transformation, excitement flashed across Red's eyes.
Because in that very moment, he felt a strange emotional response from the Key Stone bracelet on his wrist.
Though faint, it meant one thing—
Luffy could already undergo MEGA Evolution through the bond he shared with Red!
However, Red could also sense that this wasn't Luffy's final form.
And now wasn't the best timing for MEGA Evolution.
"So it's because Luffy hasn't completed Fairy-type Pokémon-ization yet…"
"As expected, Pokémon-ization really is the prerequisite for MEGA Evolution."
Red pondered quietly.
According to the subtle guidance from the system, the first MEGA Evolution might lay an important foundation.
So it would be best to wait until Luffy fully integrated both of his attributes before proceeding.
"Still…"
Looking at Luffy's level—66—and the rival's first Pokémon, released after completing his opening dialogue—
A Pidgeot, also level 66!
Unlike Sanji and Zoro, who needed special states or techniques to engage in Champion-level battles…
Luffy, even in his normal state, already qualified for such fights!
Among many Champion-tier Pokémon, his strength stood far above the rest.
And that was before considering the combined effect of his Devil Fruit power and Pokémon-ization—
Black Martial God Luffy, whose strength had already surpassed top Yonko commanders and crossed the baseline of Marine Admirals!!!
The battle domain instantly unfolded, enveloping the entire space.
The rival, endowed with awareness, felt Luffy's overwhelming presence and his expression changed drastically.
Having defeated the Elite Four and become Champion before the protagonist, his insight and strength were anything but lacking.
He immediately realized that the black giant Pokémon before him far surpassed anything he possessed.
"Truly worthy of you, Red!"
"To raise such a powerful Pokémon… the gap between us really isn't small."
He spoke solemnly, yet an unyielding fighting spirit burst forth from him:
"But even so! We will never surrender easily!"
"Pidgeot—let Red witness our efforts!"
"Shine brightly! Free spirit soaring through the skies!"
"Ruler of the clouds, king of the air—release your true power and ascend to a higher form of life!"
"Pidgeot, MEGA Evolve!!!"
(End of Chapter)