The light of evolution flashed once more across the battlefield.
But this time, it erupted from the field opposite Red's side, carrying an overwhelming presence—as if one actor had just finished their performance and another had already stepped onto the stage.
In the blink of an eye, the Pidgeot on the field transformed, a magnificent fan-shaped crest like a radiant crown blooming atop its head.
A larger body.Greater power.
Mega Pidgeot—has arrived!!!
"You'd better be careful, Red!""We're terrifyingly strong now!"
The rival, Blue, curled his lips into a smug grin reminiscent of a crooked-smiling dragon king, pride gleaming in his eyes—just like the sharp gaze of Pidgeot itself.
At the same time, a powerful aura surged from his once childlike body, restrained yet unmistakably belonging to a true powerhouse.
Even if all of it came from the system's blessings, the fact remained—he had defeated the Elite Four and become the first Champion of the League.
Any one of his Pokémon, taken alone, was more than capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with a Seven Warlords–level existence in the pirate world!
His strength spoke for itself.
…
…
Three minutes later.
"Gaa—!"
Mega Pidgeot, spiraling upward, slammed violently into the rock-solid ceiling, producing a dull, heavy thud.
After a weak cry, white light enveloped its body once again as it reverted from its Mega form back to normal.
Its eyes turned into spirals as it crashed lifelessly onto the ground.
"Pidgeot!? Impossible!?"
The rival clutched his face in disbelief, shock written all over his expression.
His gaze wavered, just like the turbulent storm raging within his heart, refusing to settle.
After a long silence, he finally let out a deep sigh, then chuckled softly.
"As expected of you, Red."
With that, he recalled Pidgeot into its Poké Ball and released his second Pokémon.
A Level 66 Grass- and Poison-type Vileplume.
And then—
"Gum-Gum · JET · Fire Pistol!!!"
BOOOOM!!!
Before the rival could even issue a command, Luffy—long trained by Red to always strike first—had already taken action.
A sea of flames surged forth, accompanied by a pitch-black giant fist, crashing toward Vileplume's side of the battlefield with unstoppable force!
"Vileplume, use Leech Seed!!!"
"Pluuume—!"
Thrown into a desperate situation the instant it appeared, Vileplume cried out in panic—but under its Trainer's command, it steeled itself against the catastrophe before it.
Hundreds of tiny seeds glowing with green light rapidly formed and shot toward Luffy at high speed.
After all, this was a Champion-level Pokémon at Level 66—among the strongest in the entire Pokémon world.
Unfortunately…
What it faced today was an utterly overpowered, all-around cheat character—Luffy!
Already possessing the strength to challenge Elite Four members and Champions long ago, yet having patiently waited for his companions to grow…
Luffy had long since reached the point where Champion-level Pokémon posed no real threat to him.
He crushed them outright.
BOOOOM!!!
The blazing giant fist collided head-on with the incoming Leech Seeds.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—!!!
Violent explosions echoed throughout the battlefield.
Before most of the seeds could even get close to Luffy, they were swallowed by flames and burst into dim, fleeting sparks that vanished into the air.
"It's useless," Red sighed, unable to help but comment.
"The gap in strength is simply too vast."
As if to echo his words, Luffy's terrifying fist came crashing down once more.
RUMBLE—!!!
Thunderous shockwaves reverberated through the sealed battle arena.
Endless flames took the form of a ravenous beast, engulfing Vileplume completely and smashing its body straight into the wall behind it.
"Vileplume!"
Blue cried out anxiously.
But the only response was a charred, pitch-black body—Vileplume had lost all ability to battle.
"…Tch."
The rival clenched his fists unwillingly, yet the fire of battle in his eyes showed no sign of extinguishing.
Shouting in defiance, he roared:
"No way! I refuse to believe the gap between us is this big!"
He spun around, swiftly recalling Vileplume for recovery, then hurled out his next Pokémon—
The fourth…The fifth…The sixth…
"Gum-Gum · Black Gatling!!!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
Fists powerful enough to obliterate mountain ridges rained down from the sky like a storm, each punch roaring like a howling hurricane that blasted the surrounding air outward in all directions.
Even Jolteon, at Level 67 and possessing near-teleportation-level speed, could not escape the overwhelming barrage.
In the end, it fell in bitter defeat.
And so…
All six of the Champion's Pokémon were defeated by Luffy.
The total time elapsed?
Not even half an hour.
Though Luffy had taken a few hits during the relentless gauntlet of battles, his absurd regenerative power rendered the injuries meaningless—they couldn't even slow his punches.
"I lost."
"I never imagined my era would end so quickly."
As the battle field dissolved, Blue's shocked expression melted into one of acceptance. He looked at Red and Luffy with admiration.
"From today onward, you are the League's new Champions!"
As his words fell, Red—who had been closely monitoring the system—saw a cascade of rainbow-framed notifications scroll across the screen.
At the same time, an unprecedented surge of power flooded his body, as if he'd swallowed a ton of super-strength pills in one go.
His strength skyrocketed.
"A new achievement reward!?"
Red's eyes lit up with excitement.
But before he could read the details, the door behind them swung open, interrupting his anticipation.
"Red!"
Professor Oak, dressed in his white lab coat, strode in.
"I can't believe you actually did it!"
Ignoring the greatest contributor, Luffy, Oak went straight past him and gave Red's shoulder a hearty pat, praising him nonstop.
Luffy, already used to this treatment, calmly returned to his usual state and slipped into a corner to organize his insights from the battle.
After all, Pokémon-ization was a first for him too.
Novelty aside, Luffy had already sensed during the battle that his Pokémon-ized state was incomplete.
Thus, learning how to spread Fairy-type Pokémon energy throughout his entire body—on par with Conqueror's Haki coating—was now firmly added to his training plan.
…
…
Elsewhere, guided by Professor Oak, Red soon arrived at a grand, high-tech hall to register in the Champion Hall of Fame.
Unlike the simple montage in the games, the real-world Hall of Fame recorded every single battle Red had experienced since entering the Elite Four challenge—captured from a god's-eye perspective.
The artillery-filled ice fields.Bone-crushing martial clashes.Flame-demon armor tearing through mist.The ultimate showdown between the strongest and the supreme…
And finally, the rather one-sided scene of Luffy effortlessly swatting away the rival's Pokémon in his new form.
Though it had all happened only moments ago, watching his companions rewrite their original destinies and descend upon this world in far stronger forms filled Red with undeniable pride.
"This is all thanks to me!"
"Hehehe…"
He licked his lips excitedly.
Just as the curtain fell on the scene of Luffy's screen-filling punches defeating Jolteon—
A blinding white light flashed before Red's eyes.
When he regained consciousness, he found himself kicked out of the game world, standing once more on the deck of the Going Merry.
Before him stood the four "Elite Four" of the Straw Hat Pirates he had personally forged—Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and the barely-counting Usopp.
Unaware of what had happened in the game world, Zoro and the others looked at Red expectantly.
"Well?""Did you succeed?"
Despite having absolute faith in Luffy's strength, they couldn't help feeling curious until Red confirmed it himself.
Red's lips curved upward slightly.
But just as he was about to speak—
Glowing text suddenly appeared before his eyes:
[Congratulations, Player. You have cleared Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee! (First Playthrough). System update conditions met.]
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(End of Chapter)