Volume 01 Synopsis

Dogasu's Backpack | Manga Guide | Pocket Monsters Emerald Challenge!! Battle Frontier

Characters | Volume One Synopsis | About the Author

Released June 24th, 2005
ISBN: 4091433618

Table of Contents

01) "Let's Challenge! The Battle Frontier!!"
02) "Let's Test Our Courage in the Battle Pyramid!!"
??) "Let's Exceed Our Master at the Battle Tower!!"
...Other chapter names are unknown.

NOTE: These synopses are based on the manga installments as they were printed in the October 2004 issue of CoroCoro Special, the October 2004 issue of CoroCoro Comics, and the December 2004 issue of CoroCoro Special. Since I don't have the collected tankouban, I am unable to write synopses for the rest of the chapters that appear in the tankouban.

Also, because I don't have the tankouban, the quality of the scans below range from bad to mediocre. I apologize in advance for the low quality.

Chapter One: "Let's Challenge! The Battle Frontier!!"

The Battle Frontier: The Trainers' Mecca, where trainers from all over the world can compete in each of the seven battle facilities and have exciting battles. One such trainer is a bright-eyed youth named Enta (エンタ) and his partner, a Rokon with only one tail. With this, the story of a young boy who aspires to be the world's strongest trainer begins.

As Enta approaches the entrance, he recalls the day he got his invitation to the Battle Frontier. He was battling with a Numaclaw trainer one day and, as usual, he loses. After his defeat, Enta thanks his Rokon for trying so hard and tries to give it some advice. Suddenly, a man in a Hawaiian shirt named Enishida (エニシダ) approaches the young trainer and compliments him on his wonderful loss. Enta headbutts him in retaliation, causing Enishida to comment on his energetic spirit. Enishida decides that Enta should head to the Battle Frontier, where there are other trainers just like him.

Back in the present, Enta tells Rokon that will get stronger at the Battle Frontier. He enters the main reception building, where he is surprised to see so many trainers gathered in one place. Almost immediately, Enta spots one particular trainer who stands out; a Jukain trainer who looks like Yuuki, the male hero in Pocket Monsters Emerald. Enta immediately begins to worship the trainer, named Rald (ラルド), and starts to call him "master." Rald tells the young trainer that he seems to care a lot for his Rokon, and that this affection will surely lead him to victory. Enta, who only really focused on the word "affection," responds by asking his pokemon to marry him! Rald tells Enta that he misunderstood, but that he can't stick around to explain because he has to rush off to a battle inside the tower. Enta runs off, wishing his master good luck.

Enta shows his appreciation

After Rald exits the room, Enta approaches the reception desk, where two women tell him that he can compete in either a single battle or a double battle. Enta can't decide which one he wants to try, so the receptionist decides to show him around. In the first room, there are a bunch of trainers with whom Enta can participate in a double battle with. One trainer, a prettyboy named Mitsuki (ミツキ), stands out because he is surrounded by many swooning women. Enta approaches Mitsuki and headbutts him, telling him that he will be his partner in an upcoming double battle. Mitsuki tells Enta that he needs to learn to be more polite, so Enta bows, accidentally hitting Mitsuki in the crotch in the process! The receptionist announces that the field is ready for the next duo of battlers, so Enta leads Mitsuki, who's still doubled over in pain, to the battle arena.

On the field, Enta and Mitsuko are pitted against a pair of tough looking trainers. Mitsuko starts out by calling out his Tosakinto while Enta calls on his Rokon, while their opponents call on an Ishitsubute and a Jupetta. Mitsuki tells Enta that they're facing off against a rock-type and a ghost-type, but Enta thinks that they can win. Enta enthusiastically pumps his fist into the air in excitement, accidentally uppercutting his partner in the process! Before Mitsuki can recover, Enta commands his Rokon to use a fire attack on Ishitsubute which, of course, has no effect. Mitsuki comments on Enta's poor teamwork skills as Ishitsubute punches Rokon in the face. Enta tells his battered pokemon to stand up, but Mitsuki steps in and decides to finish the battle by himself. Mitsuki has his Tosakinto use a water attack to KO Ishitsubute right as the ten-minute time limit comes to an end. Since one of their opponents is knocked out, Mitsuki and Enta win the battle!

After the battle, Mitsuki tells Enta that he shouldn't battle anymore. Enta sulks away before bumping into Rald, who asks him how the battle went. Enta tells Rald that even though his team won, he still feels like he was defeated. He bends down to talk to Rokon about their next battle, but the fire-type pokemon surprises its trainer by running away!

Later, Enta has filled Rald in on the events that occurred during his first Battle Frontier battle. Rald tells Enta that his pokemon will probably return, but the young trainer is convinced that his pokemon ran away because he's a bad trainer. Rald tells Enta that he and his pokemon have a deep bond, prompting Enta to rush off to find his pokemon. He eventually comes across his Rokon, whose looking out over a pier. Enta bows deeply and apologizes to his pokemon, and says that he'll think about his pokemon's feelings more in the future. Suddenly, Rokon begins to glow, and then it emits a huge flame attack! Rald says that the pokemon released the fire attack to release some of the heat caused by the day's warm weather, and Enta figures out that that's the reason his pokemon ran away. Rokon leaps into Enta's arms, and the trainer and his pokemon share a hug before Enta asks his master to train them. He agrees, and so a practice battle is started.

The battle pits Enta and his Rokon against Rald and his Gyarados. As Gyarados easily defeats Enta's pokemon, Rald yells at his pupil, telling Enta that fire-type pokemon are weak against water-type pokemon. Enta bangs his head against the floor because he thinks that if Rokon gets hurt, he should feel some pain as well. Rald laughs at Enta's dedication before resuming, training with his pupil well into the night. After the training is over, Rald tells Enta that he should take his pokemon to the Pokemon Center. Rald leaves as Enta and Rokon lay on the ground, exhausted from their tough training. Enta marvels at how deep and enjoyable pokemon training is and thanks his Rokon for giving him such great memories. Suddenly, Rokon begins to glow! However, the pokemon isn't evolving; instead, its one tail is separating into six! Enta celebrates his pokemon's growth as Rokon happily coos.

The next day, Enta eagerly shows his master his six-tailed Rokon. After Rald comments on how well Enta is training his pokemon, Enta asks his master to train him some more. Rald responds by saying that he doesn't have anything left to teach him, and that Enta's next step is to try his hand at battling again, finding new trainers and new rivals to compete against. Enta thanks his master and bows heavily, but Rald has the foresight to jump back to avoid getting headbutted in the crotch the way Mitsuki was.

In the lobby of one of the battling areas, Mitsuki is standing around, wondering who his partner for today will be. Suddenly, Enta headbutts Mitsuki in the back, proclaiming that he'll fight with him! Enta asks the prettyboy trainer to allow him to battle along with him one more time, and after a moment, Mitsuki agrees. Enta thanks him while bowing, headbutting Mitsuki in the crotch again!

Before long, the next battle in the Battle Frontier begins! Enta calls on his Rokon and Mitsuki calls on his Kinokoko while their opponents call on a MagMag and an Onigohri. MagMag aims a fire-type attack at Mitsuki's pokemon, so Enta orders his Rokon to step in to absorb the attack! Mitsuki feels that Enta is a completely different person from the trainer who fought with him earlier as Enta defeats the other team's Onigohri. After an unknown amount of time, Enta's and Mitsuki's opponents only have one pokemon left; Dartengu! Kinokoko is ordered to support Rokon as the fire-type pokemon uses Flamethrower to devastate the opponent's pokemon. Mitsuki and Enta win! Mitsuki compliments Enta again, which prompts him to deliver yet another accidental-headbutt-to-the-crotch show of gratitude. As Enta happily runs out of the battling area, he comes across Enishida! The bespectacled man tells Enta that Rald told him about Enta's progress, prompting Enta to ask him what he knows about his master. Enta laughs and says that Rald has beaten the Champion and is already in the Hall of Fame! The chapter ends with Enta excitedly proclaiming that his next battle will be against Master Rald.

Chapter Two: "Let's Test Our Courage in the Battle Pyramid!!"

Today, Enta is going to challenge the Battle Pyramid! Since his last adventure, Enta has gotten two new friends; Tropius and Illumise! As Enta makes his way through the Battle Pyramid, he encounters a Pikachu, who quickly defeats his Rokon. After using some recovery items on his pokemon, Enta comments on the maze-like layout of the area. Suddenly, a female trainer appears, who startles Enta so much that he starts to tumble down stairs and out of the pyramid!

Outside, Enta is beating himself up, wondering why he can't advance through the pyramid and reach its summit. Suddenly, Enta hears the sound of someone laughing at him; it's Rald! After he dodges one of Enta's deadly bows, he tells Enta that the Battle Pyramid is a place to test one's courage. Enta announces that he'll be fine and vows to show his master his power, so he and his pokemon start charging toward the Battle Pyramid again. Rald tells Enta to remember to cooperate (kyouryoku, 協力), which makes Enta stop to think for a moment. He wonders what Rald meant before coming to the conclusion that he's meant to have his pokemon climb to the top with him! Enta starts to bang his head against a wall, thinking that if he uses his kyouryoku (強力, which means strength rather than cooperation) to break through the Battle Pyramid's walls, he can advance forward! Enta stumbles around for a little while afterward before being approached by a Pikachu, who sends him and his pokemon running again.

Later that night, Enta reflects on his poor performance that day. He tries to remember any training that he's undergone that could help him in this situation, but all Enta can think about is how hungry he is. As Enta's stomach rumbles, Illumise flies up and grabs one of the bananas hanging on Tropius' neck before throwing it down to Rokon, who uses a fire attack to cook it. Enta is touched that his pokemon would do that for him as he reminisces about one of his training sessions. Enta and Rald were eating bananas one day as Enta is throwing compliment after compliment toward his master. Rald laughs, saying that he isn't that great at all; it's his pokemon to whom he owes all his courage and strength. His strength as a trainer lies in the strength of his pokemon, who are strong because they all work together. Enta soon realizes what Rald was telling him; that he's never fighting alone. When Enta enters the battle field, he's battling with his pokemon, who combine their power to give him power. Enta turns to his pokemon and proclaims that this time, they'll use everyone's power combined to reach the top of the Battle Pyramid.

Enta rushes to the pyramid and faces his first opponent, a Kinogassa. First, Enta orders his Illumise to use Thunderbolt to paralyze its foe. Then, he orders Rokon to use Flamethrower, which defeats the Kinogassa! Enta tells his Tropius that if their enemy is a water-type, he'll use its grass-type attacks to defeat his opponent. After Tropius defeats a Nyorozo, Enta proclaims that with his precious friends, he can go anywhere.

Outside, Rald looks up at the Battle Pyramid, wondering if Enta will make it this time.

Rokon uses Double Team to dodge!

Inside, Enta continues forward until he can see the top. However, he still has one opponent left - Kairikii! Enta says that he won't use, so he calls his Tropius out to start out with. Kairikii lands a devastating punch on the grass-type, but Tropius ignores it and uses Sunny Day instead. Kairikii punches Tropius again, this time on the face, so Enta switches his pokemon out with Illumise. The bug-type is ordered to use Double Team, but Kairikii simply assaults Illumise with a barrage of punches until it lands a hit. Enta comments on the pokemon's speed as he switches his Illumise out with Rokon. Kairikii rushes forward to punch the fire-type pokemon, but Rokon is able to vanish before the punch connects! Enta laughs, saying that he had his Illumise use Baton Pass to enable his Rokon to use Double Team! He then tells Kairikii that he had Tropius use Sunny Day to power up Rokon's fire-type attacks! Rokon is ordered to use Fire Spin, which KO's the massive fighting-type pokemon.

Now Enta has reached the top! As he looks over the Battle Frontier triumphantly, Rald looks on from below, proud of his pupil. But now that Enta's reached the summit, he can't figure out how to get back down!

Chapter ??: "Let's Exceed Our Master at the Battle Tower!!"

The Battle Frontier! It's the forefront of Pokemon Battles, a place where many trainers have exciting battles. One such trainer is Enta, a young boy who dreams of being the world's strongest Pokemon Trainer!

Outside, Rald is sitting under a tree, reading a book. Suddenly, the young trainer hears Enta shout out his name as he starts to charge forward with a headbutt! Rald is able to dodge at the last second, sending Enta head-first into to tree he was sitting under. Enta quickly gets up and tells his master that he's won three consecutive battles in the Battle Tower! Rald responds by telling his pupil that he should probably take his pokemon to the Pokemon Center to heal. He also tells Enta that since he's won three battles in a row, his name should be recorded in the Ranking Hall. Enta excitedly runs off to see for himself, ignoring Rald's advice to stop by the Pokemon Center first.

At the Ranking Hall, Enta finds his name recorded on a screen. Enishida appears behind Enta and congratulates the young trainer on his progress, and Enta responds by saying that he is becoming stronger and stronger. He hopes that he'll catch up to Rald soon, which intrigues Enishida. He tells Enta that he's never seen Rald battle before and invites Enta to watch his next battle with him. Enta agrees without hesitation.

Enishida and Enta walk in on Rald's battle right as it's coming to its conclusion. Enta is surprised to see that Rald's opponent is Mitsuki, which leads him to believe that his master will have a difficult time against him. Mitsuki sends his Tosakinto out to battle, but Rald has his Jukain use Leaf Blade attack, which makes quick work of Mitsuki's pokemon. As Enta watches, mesmerized, Rald's next pokemon, Lizardon, is called out and makes quick work of Mitsuki's Kinokoko. Rald is announced as the winner as Enta watches, surprised that his master could be so strong. Enishida points out that none of Rald's pokemon have taken any damage, which shocks Enta even more. As Rald pets Mitsuki's Tosakinto, Enishida explains that Rald's pokemon look out for each other to minimize the damage they take over a long period of time. Enta doesn't seem as confident anymore. Rald's Jukain looks up at Enta's Rokon and glares at it, causing the fire-type pokemon to take a nervous step backward.

That night, Enta is trying to think of a way to train his pokemon to make them strong enough to face his master. As he beats himself up, trying to think of what to do, he tells himself that he doesn't want to lose. Enta turns to his pokemon and says that he knows that they've lost many times and have been beaten up just as many times, and wonders if they want to aim for this seemingly impossible goal. His pokemon respond when Tropius uses Sunny Day, followed by Rokon using a beefed-up Flamethrower. Enta smiles, happy to see that his pokemon are willing to continue with him. Just then, Mitsuki runs past with his butt on fire! After he puts it out, Mitsuki volunteers to be Enta's training partner in order to help him prepare for his battle ahead. Enta thanks him with a bow, but Mitsuki has the foresight to dodge Enta's headbutt. Enta then tells Mitsuki that he can see his butt, who is horrified to see that the fire on his butt has burned away the seat of his pants! After Mitsuki's initial embarrassment, the two hold practice battle after practice battle for the rest of the night.

The next day, Enta and Mitsuki approach the Battle Tower to test the results of their training. Enta eagerly runs in, thanking Mitsuki for his help, while Mitsuki thanks Enta for mending his pants.

Soon enough, Enta finds himself in a battle against a pokemon trainer. Enta wins battle after battle (against a Sabonea, and then an Ohsubame). Meanwhile, Mitsuki is waiting patiently in the lobby when he is approached by Enishida. He invites Mitsuki to come with him to another room, where they can actually watch Enta's battles in the Battle Tower. They arrive in time to see Enta's next opponent appear Much to their surprise, Enta's next opponent is his master, Rald!! Enta is surprised, but he tells his master that he won't hold back. Rald says the same thing to his pupil.

Jukain attacks

The match begins with Enta calling on Rokon while Rald calls on Jukain. Rokon uses Flamethrower on Jukain, and Enta is confident that the fire attack will finish Rald's grass-type pokemon. However, Jukain just looks at Rokon menacingly through the flames before it reaches its claw out to Rokon and picks it up by the neck! Jukain throws Rokon across the field while Rald commands his pokemon to use Leaf Blade. Rald scolds Enta, telling him that he's told him that exploiting a pokemon's weak point means nothing if the pokemon hasn't taken any damage first. Enta recalls his pokemon as he starts to sweat, thinking that the Rald who's battling him is a lot scarier than the Rald who trained him at the beginning of his adventure. Mitsuki, who's watching the battle on TV, is also surprised at how intense Rald is, saying that he seems like a different person than the trainer who defeated him earlier.

Enta continues the battle by calling out his Illumise and ordering it to use Silver Wind. The attack damages the weakened Jukain, and Rald smirks as his opponent starts to battle seriously. Rald recalls his pokemon and takes out his next pokemon, Rakurai. Enta calls on his Tropius, who is quickly defeated by Rald's electric-type pokemon. Mitsuki watches on, thinking that both trainers only have one pokemon left (apparently there were some battles that the manga left out), and Enishida comments on how this battle will determine the match. And so, the final battle between Enta's Rokon and Rald's Jukain begins!

The battle starts with Enta ordering Rokon to use Flamethrower while Rald orders his Jukain to use Leaf Blade. After a blinding flash, Rokon is knocked back and skids across the field. The referee is about to call the match when Rokon stands up, surprising everyone who's watching. Rald becomes nervous, wondering how a pokemon like that could withstand such an attack. Enta tells Rald that the two of them have been through so much together, resulting in a bond that enables them to draw power from each other's trust in order to continue on to victory. Enta commands his Rokon to use one final attack, Overheat! Rokon jumps toward Jukain, ready to attack, but the grass-type pokemon grabs Rokon by the torso, stopping it in its tracks! As Rald's pokemon holds Rokon up in the air, Rald tells Enta that the battle is over.

Suddenly, Rokon grabs on to Jukain's arm and fires a close-range Flamethrower! Jukain falls to the ground, the leaves on its arms charred and burnt, as Mitsuki cheers from the TV room. Jukain struggles to stand again, and it seems like the battle will continue a little longer! However, Enta shocks his opponent by announcing that he forfeits the match! Mitsuki is surprised, wondering why Enta would quit when he was about to defeat Rald. Enta, fighting back tears, tells his Rokon that it did a good job. The pokemon smiles and then collapses, exhausted from its difficult battle. Enishida seems impressed at the young trainer's empathy. Rald's Jukain then goes over to Rokon and picks it up as Enta's master congratulates him on a battle well-fought. He tells Enta that even though he won, he feels bad about it. Rald thanks Enta for the battle, and the two trainers shake hands.

Later, in the lobby, Mitsuki is wondering who his next partner will be. Predictably, Enta rushes Mitsuki and says that he'll be his partner, saying that he now wants to practice tag battling with Mitsuki. As Enta drags Mitsuki to the battle field, Enishida and Rald watch, laughing to themselves at how great a trainer Enta has become.

Characters | Volume One Synopsis | About the Author