(Cerulean City, Kanto Region, Pokémon World)
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(Cobalt POV)
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The train ride back to Cerulean differed from the journey from Cerulean to Pewter City. Cobalt hadn't noticed it before, but the trains were different, the Cerulean to Pewter City line trains were luxurious and borderline extravagantly designed. The seats were super comfy, the meals were five stars, and the service was fantastic. The Pewter City to Cerulean City train line was not even half as luxurious or grandiose. In Cobalt's mind the only comparison that made sense was that in the world of Professional Soccer, Cerulean was the city of a club full of Rich Pricks and the privileged, while Pewter City was the working-class and true diehards of the game who wouldn't cut and run after their team began losing money and loosing games.
Though Cerulean wasn't Kanto's biggest money-producing City, it was the most steady. Cobalt hadn’t needed to take a wild or an educated guess as to what part of Kanto made the most money. Obviously it was either the Seafoam Islands or Viridian City. Although considering that the way that Viridian made its profits was more corporate than entertainment, industrial, or tourism, it was more likely that the Seafoam Islands tended to make the most cash.
Now why was Cobalt even thinking about this? He and Acerola were on a conference call with Agatha.
‘’I've made the inroads but you'll need to be the one to sell the sisters on it.’’ Agatha informed them.
‘’More specifically?’’ Asks Cobalt.
‘’I provided them a sample, so they know that the product is good. But they're very conscious of their brand and as such won't throw their weight behind it unless you're able to defeat them.’’ Says Agatha and Cobalt immediately senses a big catch attached to that request.
‘’That sounds simple enough.’’ Acerola Says.
‘’Except it's not. Daisy, Lily, and Violet are not at all like what you'd expect Gym Leaders to be, and everything you'd expect Cerulean City models to be. They don't like battling at all according to Devin's Intel. If not for the fact that they've got so much exposure and how Vital Cerulean City is to Kanto's weak economic profile, the Pokémon League would've cut their Gym front the roster years ago. The truth is that the shows and Modeling careers of the trio help bring in tourism and exposure to Kanto, which compared to the likes of Orre or Oblivia, lacks a certain resource that makes it extremely wealthy.’’ Says Cobalt.
‘’I'd expect nothing less from someone with an A-grade Pokémon Researchers license and a Citation of Merit from the Pokémon Rangers.’’ Says Agatha before sighing. ‘’You're correct however, the match against you will be televised and you and Miss Acerola will need to best the three sisters at once in a three on two Match.’’ Says Agatha.
‘’Cobalt?’’ Acerola asks softly, turning to him.
They'd done that kind of dance before, tag matches and trio matches. But a two-on-three handicap match against their favor was an entirely separate beast altogether. There was not so much a higher chance of failure as there was a higher chance of them failing due to the trio’s synergy and Move Synchronization outperforming their own.
‘’Numerically speaking, the odds are against us. However, that's not what concerns me. Devin's Intel says every Gym Leader in Kanto except for Brock and Lieutenant Surge has at least one Pokémon that they keep in reserve specifically for matches like what they're asking of us. But only the League president, the Gym Leaders, and the trainer's who've faced those Pokémon are authorized to know which ones they have. Given the fact that the trio tours frequently including to different regions, it's not just very possible, but incredibly likely that the three have Pokémon from other regions that they don't typically use.’’ Cobalt says.
‘’So we can't necessarily rely on type advantages to see us through the day.’’ Acerola comments with a thoughtful frown. ‘’Greedy Rapooh and Dusclops should be enough to deal with whatever Pokémon the sisters have hidden away. I think Poplio and Mimikins should be able to win me the first few rounds, but what about you Cobalt?’’ Acerola asks.
‘’I've quite a few options overall. The obvious vulnerabilities that the trio will have is to Grass and Electric types. I expect at least one will have a mon will with a dual-type to counteract that though. So that begs the question…who do I go with?’’ Cobalt asks no one in particular, deep in thought.
‘’Whatever you end up deciding, make the decision quickly.’’ Agatha says, before signing off.
‘’What do you have in mind?’’ Asks Acerola, sliding closer to him.
‘’Ivysaur and Pikachu are the obvious choices, but Rockruff could also make a difference as could Snorlax. I'll rotate in Snorlax and Pikachu. Charmander and Pidgey will be rotated out for the time being. With any luck, it will be a tough match.’’ Cobalt says, even though he's expecting anything but. The sad truth was that however beautiful the trio were, their greatest strength was their beauty, with their brand's power a close second. Its why he was even considering this televised match.
Ignoring the benefits of attaching their name to his products, there was also the fact that the match would be televised. Which means sponsors would be watching and possibly in attendance.
The conference call with Agatha before the sensational sisters were brought up revolved around seed money and the need to either be an independent company or attach themselves to a larger one.
However, Cobalt would never willingly be subservient to another company, nor would he ever sell his recipes to another for them to exploit and promptly fuck up.
So that meant starting his own. Agatha had arranged most of it, and Cobalt - perhaps foolishly, perhaps not - trusted her not to screw him over. So he and Acerola simply had to beat the sisters in a televised match to get his name out there and prove he could back up anything he said with skills on the Pokemon battlefield. Cobalt would then meet with Agatha and the sisters agent, and whomsoever Agatha brought along. Though, it might do him good to talk to Professor Oak as well.
‘’Acerola, let’s call Professor Oak. I want to talk to him.’’ Says Cobalt.
‘’Sure thing.’’ Says Acerola, who was always happy at meeting new people. The term better half sprang into his mind, in this case, Acerola was the better half for him. She was the sociable one, him not so much. Especially where girls were concerned.
He had a penchant for charming women into his bed whether it was intentional or not. Hopefully he’d be able to avoid that when they faced the Cerulean sisters. He wanted to stay faithful to Acerola. He owed her that.
‘’It’s ringing.’’ Acerola informed him.
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(Author’s note:)
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Well, first chapter with limited word count. Not really happy about that, but it’s what I need if I’m going to ramp up chapter production. Either way, it’s done. Next chapter we’ll see a bit of Oak, and hopefully the introduction to the sisters. Out of curiosity, how many finds a particular sister more attractive than the others? Me personally? I like Daisy the most. Lily and Violet aren’t bad, but I’ve always preferred Daisy personally.
At any rate, I got more chapters to write.
See you guys at the next chapter, I got more to write and not a lot of time to do it in. Before I sign off though, there is one thing, I wasn’t going to confirm it, but might as well. We’re not too far off from when Cobalt places his journey on hold. You’ll like what happens there. Here’s a hint, Red with Rage, Iron Giants, and Wings of Ice. That’s all I’ll say on it for now.
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Pokémon: King of Kings
FanfictionWhat does a champion become when he is Champion of each region? He becomes a King in his home region. But even if Cobalt becomes a King, will he be satisfied as a Pokémon King? Not bloody likely......
