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"Finally evolved into Nidoking… It really wasn't easy. Now I've got yet another fully-formed ace Pokémon in my lineup."
"Next, all I need to do is raise Nidoking's level, increase his skill set, and improve his skill proficiency. Before long, I'll have a walking artillery cannon at my command."
"In the past, I only had Swampert as my melee-type ace. I was constantly being led around by the nose in battle because I lacked a strong long-range attacker. That gap often turned otherwise straightforward fights into unpredictable messes."
"But now, with Nidoking in hand—a Pokémon with wide-range coverage and absurdly strong ranged output—that weakness in my lineup has finally been patched."
"From now on, if they don't come and take down Nidoking, they'll be bombarded to death. And if they do come close, they'll be met with Swampert's brutal melee strikes."
"Melee covered by Swampert, ranged handled by Nidoking—this synergy is just too satisfying! Hahaha~~~"
Looking at the data displayed by his system on the Nidoking he had personally trained, Sato couldn't help but feel a surge of pride rise in his chest. In that moment, his confidence soared.
...…
Nidoking's Data:
Pokémon: Nidoking
Level: 39
Type: Poison / Ground
Ability: Sheer Force
Gender: Male
Known Moves:Leer, Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Fury Attack, Horn Attack, Helping Hand, Toxic Spikes, Flatter, Horn Drill, Thrash
Egg Moves:Disable, Amnesia, Confusion
TMs:Poison Jab, Water Pulse, Protect, Hidden Power (Dark), Thunderbolt, Ice Beam
Held Item: None
IVs:
HP: 31 (31)
Attack: 31 (31)
Defense: 31 (31)
Special Attack: 31 (31)
Special Defense: 31 (31)
Speed: 31 (31)
Overall IV Rating: Gold (Perfect 186 Total IV)
...…
Yes—what made Sato so confident that Nidoking would become his second ace wasn't just that its Ability had shifted from Hustle to Sheer Force, but that Nidoking's IVs had caught up to Swampert's, making him Sato's second perfect-IV Pokémon.
Nidoking's base total IV was already an impressive 168. After using that premium Top-tier Moon Stone for evolution, his total jumped by 18 points, maxing out all his individual stats.
Given how powerful his perfect-IV Swampert had already proven to be, Sato could already foresee how enormous Nidoking's potential was.
Perhaps in raw power he might end up slightly inferior to Swampert—since he couldn't Mega Evolve—but there was no doubt Nidoking could become a frontline powerhouse in his own right.
Though Sato was overjoyed, he was also cautious. He knew Nidoking's evolution here must have drawn plenty of attention. If he didn't leave soon, trouble would surely come knocking.
And indeed, while Nidoking was evolving, several strong Trainers had already gathered nearby. Six more had arrived afterward. If not for the ferocious presence of Swampert standing guard at Nidoking's side—and Sato using telepathy to intimidate them (If anyone makes a move, I'll hang their severed head from the trees) those Trainers might've already made a move.
To avoid unnecessary complications, Sato, wearing his Ditto-disguise mask, withdrew both Nidoking and Swampert shortly after the evolution and congratulations were over. Then, he had Natu use Teleport to get him out of the area immediately.
After Sato vanished, the Trainers hiding nearby stepped out into the open one by one. They exchanged looks, all realizing that everyone else had been just as wary and cautious.
Soon, the forest returned to its usual quiet and calm.
...…
Elsewhere, with Natu's help, Sato reappeared on a cobblestone path in a secluded section of the park. He followed the path to the park's entrance and quickly hailed a cab.
About ten minutes later, he arrived at a roadside restaurant in central Goldenrod City. As a returning customer, he had taken one of the VIP private rooms at the Fat Boss's Diner to celebrate Nidoking's evolution with his entire team of Pokémon.
"Here, Nidoking—put this on. It's your post-evolution gift."
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Sato pulled out a necklace set with a dusky pink-purple gem and personally fastened it around Nidoking's neck.
The gem was the same pink-purple all over, but it looked quite worn—its surface was riddled with cracks, as though it might shatter at any moment.
Even so, it exuded a mysterious aura, radiating a potent life force and giving off a faint, pulsing glow of soft purple light.
This mysterious gemstone seemed to have extraordinary synergy with Nidoking. The moment Nidoking put the necklace on, the gem flared with a brilliant light, and his entire body was quickly enveloped in a violet-hued energy field.
A few seconds later, the light faded and the energy field around Nidoking vanished—but if one looked closely, they'd notice it hadn't truly disappeared. Whenever the gem pulsed with that pink-purple glow, a faint shimmer of the energy field would flicker back into view.
If you want people to work hard for you, you've got to give them something in return. Sato might not have had the authority to refuse Giovanni's infiltration mission, but he could negotiate for certain conditions.
And the necklace now around Nidoking's neck—the Life Orb—was part of that upfront compensation from Giovanni.
Of course, Giovanni wasn't so generous as to hand over a top-tier item before Sato had done anything to earn it. The Life Orb in question was a nearly-defunct, damaged one. Giovanni had told him personally: this orb had suffered serious damage, and the life energy within it was almost completely depleted.
Even if it wasn't used in battle, it would completely lose its power within a year or two and then shatter.
To Giovanni, the orb was little more than a useless trinket. Handing it off as an early payment didn't bother him in the slightest.
But to Sato, it was a treasure. Even if it wouldn't last long, it would grant Nidoking a golden window of explosive growth.
After all, a Sheer Force Nidoking holding a Life Orb could boost the power of all moves with additional effects by 60%, without suffering the orb's normal HP-draining side effect.
That kind of power-up was absurd.
To put it bluntly: with the Life Orb equipped, even pseudo-legendary Pokémon would have trouble standing against Nidoking. He could straight-up body them.
Why? Because Sheer Force + Life Orb Nidoking's output was explosive.
Take Ice Beam as an example—it has a base power of 90 and an additional effect (chance to freeze). With Sheer Force, it gets a 30% power boost, and with Life Orb (no recoil due to Sheer Force), it gets another 30%.
[90 × 1.3 × 1.3 = 152.1 power.]
One hit from a move with 152 base power? If the level gap isn't massive, even Dragon-types aren't walking away from that.
And Nidoking could learn a wide array of moves from different types, many of which come with additional effects—meaning he could effectively cover almost every typing.
On top of that, Nidoking also knew Focus Energy, which boosts his critical hit rate. If his opponent was unlucky, he could literally one-shot them with a surprise crit.
(Note: Ability – Sheer Force: Increases the power of moves with secondary effects by 30%, but those effects are negated.)
(Note: Item – Life Orb: Increases the power of all moves by 30%, but normally costs the user 10% of their max HP per hit. However, Pokémon with Sheer Force ignore this HP cost when using boosted moves.)