Chapter 290

Ghost-type Trainer Brook vs. Ice-type Trainer Kuzan.

In terms of typing, the matchup had minimal direct advantages, though Brook held a slight edge. Half of his team were pure Ghost-types, and his Cofagrigus had no type conflicts with Kuzan's Pokémon.

Ghost-types are unique, only interacting with four types: Normal, Ghost, Psychic, and Dark. None of Kuzan's six Pokémon had these typings.

In this battle, Brook's Gengar and Chandelure were the keys to victory.

Gengar's secondary Poison type was disadvantageous against Mamoswine but strong against Abomasnow, while ineffective against Alolan Sandslash. Meanwhile, Chandelure's Fire type had a quadruple advantage against both Abomasnow and Alolan Sandslash, and doubled its advantage against Mamoswine and Glalie.

Only against Cloyster and Lapras would Chandelure face a disadvantage due to their Water typing.

If Brook repeated Hannyabal's mistake of letting Chandelure fall early, Kuzan would likely seize victory. With the physical advantage and Armament Haki boosts, Kuzan's Pokémon held a slight edge in raw power.

The battle began on a rocky terrain.

The uneven ground with countless large rocks was unfriendly to both Ghost- and Ice-types, though it was particularly disadvantageous for Kuzan's team, as it restricted the movement of his Water-types, Cloyster and Lapras.

Both trainers deployed their first Pokémon.

Choosing the first Pokémon in an official Pokémon battle is essentially a gamble, as neither side knows the opponent's choice. If a Pokémon is weak against the opponent's, the trainer has effectively lost the first bet. Hastily switching Pokémon risks unnecessary damage and reveals a team member early.

Neither Brook nor Kuzan was inclined to gamble. Both preferred to play it safe unless absolutely necessary.

Brook's first Pokémon was Cofagrigus, a Ghost/Dark-type, while Kuzan's choice was Lapras, a safe option.

In this first gamble, Brook won. If Brook had started with Chandelure and Kuzan with either Lapras or Cloyster, Brook's chances of victory would have plummeted. On the other hand, if Lapras or Cloyster were taken out early, Kuzan would struggle against Chandelure later.

Trainers generally fall into two categories: head-on battlers, the majority in the One Piece world, and those who employ trickier tactics. Both Brook and Kuzan could play both styles.

Kuzan wanted a direct confrontation since his team was physically stronger, but Brook anticipated this, refusing to give Kuzan the chance. Of the eighteen Pokémon types, Grass, Poison, and Ghost are notorious for underhanded tactics.

Brook wasn't a natural at this, but he had trained to keep Kuzan at bay, especially with Lapras hindered by the rocky terrain.

In the first round, Lapras won by outlasting Cofagrigus with its five-level advantage. However, Lapras was left in a bad state, afflicted with the Confusion status.

Cofagrigus had also used Mean Look before fainting, preventing Lapras from being recalled, thus thwarting Kuzan's plan to save it for Chandelure.

Brook's second Pokémon was his ace, Gengar.

With Hex, Gengar inflicted additional damage on Lapras, capitalizing on its status condition. Then, Gengar calmly used Toxic Spikes, setting up a trap that would poison Kuzan's next Pokémon.

When Kuzan tried to counter with Lapras, its Confusion caused it to hit itself, leading to its defeat.

Seeing the Toxic Spikes, Kuzan responded with Alolan Sandslash, whose Steel typing made it immune to the poison setup.

"Yohohoho~"

Brook seemed to have expected this move.

In fact, he had baited Kuzan into sending out the Ice/Steel-type Alolan Sandslash.

Ghost-types are the most mysterious of the eighteen types, both in the One Piece and Pokémon worlds. And in the One Piece world, Ghost-types were even more exotic.

Only a handful of trainers specialized in Ghost-types, partly due to widespread rumors about their inability to use Armament Haki, and partly due to incidents where Ghost Pokémon accidentally drained their trainers' life force.

Brook was aware that Kuzan wouldn't know about one of Gengar's skills… Reflect Type.

Brook raised his bony hand, the game seemingly in his grasp.

Gengar's type had changed from Ghost/Poison to Ice/Steel, matching Alolan Sandslash. This meant Gengar now had quadruple resistance to Ice moves while retaining its original Ghost and Poison moves.

At this moment, Gengar's typing was even more advantageous than Chandelure's and would last for several turns, depending on the Pokémon's stamina.

Agatha's Gengar from the Kanto region could maintain Reflect Type for an entire week.

"What kind of move is that…?"

Kuzan frowned, puzzled.

As Brook had guessed, Kuzan had never heard of Reflect Type, a rare skill known to only a few Pokémon, two of which were legendaries.

Even the Pokémon Academy didn't teach this skill, and as a self-trained Pokémon user, Kuzan had no way of knowing about it.

Following this move, Brook switched Gengar out for Chandelure, taking a Gyro Ball aimed at Gengar.

Chandelure's double resistance to Steel-type moves meant it took little damage, and it immediately responded with Inferno, taking down the quadruple-weak Alolan Sandslash.

Chandelure then used Smog, filling the battlefield with a poisonous haze.

All Pokémon that entered the field would be poisoned, including Brook's own. However, Brook planned to bring Gengar back, now with Steel typing, making it immune to poison.

This was an open strategy, but Kuzan had no choice but to send out Cloyster.

Cloyster managed to take down Chandelure but was left burned, confused, and poisoned.

Brook then sent Gengar back into play, evading attacks with its high resistances, occasionally using Hex, and eventually whittling Cloyster down.

Now, Brook had four Pokémon left, while Kuzan had only three.

Next, Mamoswine entered the field, using its Ground-type advantage to bring Gengar down with a double-effective move, leading to a double knockout.

With both sides now free from type conflicts, the battle entered its final phase.

Brook's Banette and Kuzan's Glalie, both primary Pokémon of their trainers, faced off, with Glalie holding a slight two-level advantage.

Glalie managed to defeat Banette but was left exhausted, managing only to bring Dusknoir down to half health before fainting.

Kuzan's last and weakest Pokémon, Abomasnow, couldn't make a comeback this time.

Although it managed to defeat Dusknoir, it couldn't hold out against Brook's final Pokémon, Cofagrigus, ultimately collapsing and giving Brook a close but definitive victory.

On this day, March 14, Year 2 of the Alliance Calendar, the winner of the Pokémon Battle Tournament was finally crowned.

"The champion of the Pokémon Battle Tournament has emerged!"

"Let's give a warm round of applause and cheers for our tournament champion—"

"The trainer from the West Blue, the 'Soul King' Brook!!!"

(End of Chapter)

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