[The Knight]
The captain of the knights had been listening intently on the king and the advisor's conversation earlier while hidden near one of the corridors close to the throne room, and he was agitated by this decision.
"That fool… He may be the king but this is the single dumbest decision he's ever made. He's going to give it to some utter clown who just happens to be the winner of the tournament…" Aggron growled.
Aggron had been one of the more proactive members of the king's army, and he was more than willing to serve this country. But if the king was going this route just to serve his own entertainment for one last time, then maybe there really should be a new king.
"Well if he's going to hand the crown over to someone, then it should be to me. I am the real authority figure of his armies, and he's just a shell of his former self. He may be able to stop whole armies with his power, but he is clearly not fit to rule… Fine, I'll play with his game, and I'll show this nation that it was I that should have ruled from the beginning…" Aggron said, intending to head talk to one of the pelippers, probably to get him one of the copies of the announcement in secret.
[The Head Chef]
"Really? A tournament to becoming king? Hahahaha! This has to be a joke right?" The head chef, Appletun said as he read the announcement while taking a break on the side of his restaurant.
He thought about what the whole point of this was… But then he had a realization. If he managed to become king… Then surely everyone would be working under him right? What's more the wild apple restaurant will become famous if everyone knew that he was the head chef.
"This is an opportunity… No more self important philistines and critics, everyone will know that my cooking has no peer, and should they decide to slander my name with half assed insults and petty complaints… Yes, and then one day, my name will become a household name" Appletun said as he hid the copy of his announcement in his apron.
If he was going to prepare for the tournament, he'd need to have the appropriate tools for the upcoming life changing event.
[The Tribal Chief]
"An opportunity to be king?" Tropius said as he felt like this was a waste of time, the king should be addressing the problem with his tribe.
Tropius had been facing a water drought in their home. Ever since the king had been taking the water from their land, they had to resort to getting more water from much farther just to fulfill their needs.
Then he thought about the tournament… He had the qualities of a king, and he was the strongest of all the grass types in his homeland. If he became king, he could resolve not only the problems plaguing his birthplace, but also everywhere else…
"If that's how the king wants to play, then I will gladly replace him as a better ruler" The tribal chief said.
Now all he had to do was to choose a successor in his place, before participating in the tournament.
[The Dark Knight]
"So… The king has finally lost it hm? Giving up your crown just for a single show? My… This is a blessing in disguise for those of us who want to bring back what should have never changed from the start…" Corviknight said as he crushed the parchment which the announcement had been written on.
Corviknight had still believed in the worship of the old gods, mainly Giratina. He believed that if everyone started worshiping the old gods, besides Giratina, there was Arceus, Dialga, Palkia and the other gods that involved the creation of the world they lived in, they would all come back and guide them all like they used to.
"You are a fool my "king"... But I commend you for handing out this opportunity to bring the rightful gods back in their place. Actual gods who used to actually involve themselves in our affairs, unlike you who had not even lifted a single finger after becoming the ruler, let's see if you commit to your promise, once I take out all the other candidates" Corviknight said, before turning around to an army of other dark types.
"A new age is upon us, with me as your king, we will bring back the old ways, and this time, the legendary gods will be with us! Rejoice, we will punish those who have fought back against the rightful gods we should be worshiping! Not a pretender!" Corviknight announced as the other dark types yelled, their hearts in unison.
[The Local Bully]
"Shove off!" Drapion said, stealing the announcement from another one of his victims, who scurried away as soon as he was kicked down on the ground.
As Drapion read the announcement, only one thing was on his mind. If he became king, he could get anything he wanted. Sure he could get anything he wanted right now, but where was the challenge in that? He already fought everyone for what he wanted, and succeeded each time. But getting the crown himself, and beating others for the pleasure of it? Now that would be the best way to establish his own dominance.
"And to take it from a king… Heh, maybe I'll make him scared enough that I'll turn him into my own personal footrest" Drapion said, smirking as he thought of the king, the most powerful individual in the kingdom, serving him…
What's more, he would have everything he wanted, and without any resistance or backtalk with it. Hell, even those who were almost on par with him were going to have to bow to him eventually… How he'd love to see how humiliated they look.
[The Pharaoh]
The ghost types kneeled before their leader, a pharaoh called Dusknoir. His worshipers had read the announcement to him, intending to ask him what he thought of this. Was this blasphemy? A new king? Was it mockery of his obscurity?
"Very well, if they want a king, they will get a king. Their rightful ruler has always been here. I just have to make them realize it" Dusknoir said as he rose from his throne.
Dusknoir then stepped forward, raising his arms as they started taking off all the jewelries he had, after all, they were just going to slow him down.
"The king had made sure that he was the most relevant figure for the last few ages. Now it is time for an age of my rule to come to pass. The world as they know it will know what the religion of the one eye means again. Let their false kings fall, a king who has outgrown his role, is no king at all" Dusknoir said as he began to tighten his fist, ripping off the golden necklace off his neck.
[The Construction Worker]
"To be a new king? Heh, seriously? And they're giving this title away to any random schmuck who can win?" Electivire said as he read the announcement.
"Yes boss, I was thinking of participating, but I'm not exactly strong" The pikachu said as he scratched the back of his head.
"Damn right you're not, because I'm the one who's going to be changing our lives here" Electivire said as he jumped right on top of the sacks of cement.
All the workers turned towards their boss, wondering what had possessed him all of a sudden.
"Listen up! Are you all tired of our boring lives living off building things? Well I have a solution for ya! I'll be king and we'll let the wages go up and tax the fucking rich for it! For once, we'll be made equal, and I'll beat everyone who gets in our way! Who's with me!?" Electivire said, as the other electric type workers got riled up, looking forward to their boss becoming their new ruler.
[The Noble]
"Wait what!? He's seriously going to do this? Hah! The king is much more of a loon than I thought! No wonder he's giving it up, he's lost his mind!" Nidoking said, laughing at his own king.
Nidoking had paid the king a visit a few times, in hopes that he would elevate his status even more in the past. But he never really got to know him, much less even get a good look at him. The king almost always wore thick robes with a hood, and always thought of him as someone who wasn't fit to be king if he didn't even show his face or what species he was.
"Bah! All that royalty! That power! That wealth! Wasted on some stupid brute who would just charge his way in! That title should belong to me alone!" Nidoking said, the thought of all the audiences he had with the king, all the policies he had poured his own thoughts to… All going to some random guy who wasn't even born to wealth.
The king was playing a dangerous game, one that Nidoking intended to win. So he decided to participate in the game, even if it means benefiting the most out of it, after all, what was the point of being a king if you didn't indulge in your own desires?
[The Mercenary]
"Tch… Stingy bitch… I don't get paid good for this" Pangoro said as he left the tavern, having beaten his client after getting rid of a certain individual.
The client had been full of himself, declaring himself as the next king, of course Pangoro had read the announcement as well, but the client began speaking something about him being king and paying him triple the price after he became one instead of paying him immediately. Of course, Pangoro punched him right before leaving.
Still, if he became king… He didn't have to work for money anymore… Not only for himself but for…
"Papa! Papa! You're back!" Pancham, his son said as he went back home.
Pangoro looked at his son, and then thought about what his future will be like if he became the next king. He had been missing out on his son's growth, and he felt constantly guilty for it, the worst part was that he was a cutthroat for hire that his son didn't even know about.
Pangoro smiled and hugged his son.
"Son, I'm going to go on a trip by the end of the month, do you promise to be a good boy while I'm gone?" Pangoro asked him.
"Yes papa! Anything for you!" Pancham nodded, eager to please his father, even though he was getting more sad by the minute knowing he might not see him again for a while.
He was going to become king… And give his son the best life he could offer him, so he couldn't afford to lose.
[The commoner]
"Hmmm… The king's giving up his title?" Simisear said, wondering what has come over the king.
Simisear was one of the few who had believed in the king once, thinking he would actually rule the country decently. But when he noticed that there wasn't much presence with the king being that active himself, nor was he showing himself to the public at all… He began to doubt him.
He thought about it… If he became king, then he would be able to solve all the problems the world has going for it right? I mean, how hard could being a king be?
Simisear resolved to become king… Right after a nap of course.
The lazy pokemon threw away the parchment, and went back to dozing off on a tree branch.
[The self proclaimed 'god']
In the frozen tundras, there was a tremendously, and literally hot pokemon that was being served by those who view him as a god and a source of warmth, and this god was Slither Wing, who had received the parchment a few days later than the others.
Slither Wing could control his flames, and had saved some pokemon who were freezing to death once, and those same people had begun to worship him as a god in exchange for saving their lives.
"So a king relinquishes his crown? Well it's only right I take it! What kind of rule is that? Beat enough of the contestants if you become king? Surely there are more feats and requirements for that. Don't you think so? I should be recognized as king just for my power alone" Slither Wing, feeling like it was preposterous that someone other than him got to be bestowed king, it was a petty reason but now he felt compelled to join the tournament.
"Well, from what I heard uh… There are already contestants vying for the crown" One of the worshipers said.
"Seriously? Grrr… I won't stand for this! Who do they think they are! I'll prove to everyone I'm the rightful king they should have picked in the first place! I won't let anyone else be king! I won't even accept the crown, they will worship me as a god! Not a king!" Slither Wing said, his ego getting the better of him as he decided that he would not allow anybody else to have such a grand leadership overshadow him now that the old king is stepping down.
[The Scholar]
"Hmmm… If I become king then… Uh… What was I talking about…?" Slowbro said, forgetting his conclusions momentarily.
The scholar had been wondering for a long time if the king had been keeping lost secrets and lore of the world to himself, and wondered his whole life if he will even manage to see a single page of it all.
But when the announcement of the tournament had given everyone a chance to become king, then he'd be able to know more secrets that the old world had before the war.
"Uh… Oh right! If I become king I can uh… Uh… What is it… Oh right! Read more secrets from those humans and their culture, and even bring them back if I allow the strange human devices to be built again!" Slowbro said.
It had always been a dream of Slowbro to bring back what could have been if the war had not happened, and now that the king was stepping down, this was an opportunity for him to discover ancient secrets the humans have left behind.
[The Drunken Master]
"Hic… So they're going to choose a new king by winning the tourna… hic… Tournament eh? If the new king listens… Hic… They'd restore my dojo back again…~" Spinda said, as he read the announcement and walked clumsily around, nobody could ever figure out if it was just because that was the way his kind walked or because he was drunk, maybe both.
Spinda had lost his dojo in a fire in the past, especially when his drunken self had managed to knock a few candles and light the place on fire as a result, though thankfully nobody was harmed, but he lost the dojo in the process.
"Wait… If I become king… Then I'd be… Hic… Drinking dojos and rebuilding my beer again… Hic!" Spinda exclaimed, all the while the people around him shook their heads in secondhand embarrassment.
[The Doctor]
"And that's the end… So what do you think?" Audino asked patient, who didn't respond at all.
Audino sighed… The patient in question was his brother, a clefairy. He didn't know what else to do, he had trained himself to become a doctor, but there was nothing he could do. All the other doctors in their town had not been able to cure his brother, not even the best healing or status curing moves could wake him up.
Audino had picked up and read the announcement earlier, it had been years since his brother had been like this.
On one hand, if he left the country to find a better doctor, he'd be away from his brother for too long, he didn't want to leave, not too long anyway. He didn't want to make it seem like he was leaving his brother just to get away from him. And there was no guarantee if whatever doctor he could bring back home would be able to cure him.
But if he became the king of this country… Then he could request and pay any doctor that could help him wake his brother up…
Audino thought about it for a moment before he came to a decision. He came to his neighbor's house and knocked on the door, before it opened to reveal a chansey.
"Miss Chansey, can you look after my brother for a few weeks?" Audino asked the Chansey.
[The Tyrant]
"So, anyone can become the king eh?" Tyrantrum said as he looked at the paper, before he started to look at each one of his captives.
The captives in question had one of the parchments when they were captured, they had invaded his territory the night before, spouting about them becoming a king while camping, intending to rob tyrantrum's territory in return for pillaging their village. Unfortunately their plan backfired by making a campfire in the middle of the night, it was like they were sitting ducks.
"Yes! I will be king once I kick your- urgh…!" A lucario, one of the captives said as they got gut punched by Tyrantrum.
"Kick my ass? Is that what you were going to say? I'm not sorry to tell you but… That dream of yours was doomed the moment you met me… Or do you want me to give you another scar? What word should we engrave on your face this time? Whore? Slut? You're lucky puppy dog was what I thought of putting onto your chest. It was delightful to hear you scream… So do you want another one on your face this time?" Tyrantrum said, showing his sharp claws to the lucario.
The lucario remained silent, he didn't want to bring such humiliation on himself.
"Good… Because I'm going to be your new king, and when I return at the conclusion of the next few weeks, I'll personally make you my breeding bitch" Tyrantrum said as he smirked.
[The Pirate]
"Hahahaha! What do we have here? The title of king given away to anyone?" Walrein said as he read the announcement.
Walrein had finished raiding a cargo ship full of supplies, but also snatched the announcement from one of the surrendering merchants thinking it was some sort of map that could have had trade routes marked on it, but this was far better than what Walrein had thought.
"Hahahaha! This is good news for me, not only will I be a free man without my bounty, but also get my own castle to rule? This… This is a fine gift you've given me" Walrein said, waving the map at the Sharpedo captain, the captain of the cargo ship he seized.
"Tch… That was never meant for you" The sharpedo said, squirming against the ropes.
"Oh? I don't recall the king's announcement ever saying that anybody wasn't allowed" Walrein said as he placed the paper right in front of sharpedo.
"Fuck you! You're a wanted criminal! I'd rather die than have you as king!" The sharpedo said.
Walrein looked at the sharpedo's muscular body and smirked, before turning towards his crew.
"Fuck me? Oh that sounds like a good idea! Listen up everyone! This is my first order as king hahahaha! You can grab anybody here and breed them! Don't hold back! This is an order!" Walrein announced, as his crew began to 'plunder' their loot.
"N-No… You can't… You can't do this…!" The sharpedo said as he was dragged forcefully back onto Walrein's ship, and into the pirate's quarters, intending to fuck sharpedo until he passed out.