PS021

← PS020 : Meanwhile...Vileplume!

Red, Green & Blue arc

PS022 : A Hollow Victreebel →

Long Live the Nidoking!

VS ニドキング

VS Nidoking

Info

Shogakukan full volume	Chapter 21 in Vol. 2
VIZ Media monthly issue	Chapter 21 in The Nidoking Safari
VIZ Media full volume	Adventure 21 in Vol. 2
Series	Pokémon Adventures

Other

Location

Safari Zone

Long Live the Nidoking! (Japanese: VS ニドキング VS Nidoking) is the 21st chapter of the Pokémon Adventures manga.

Plot

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Red excitedly enters the Fuchsia Safari Zone, where he encounters his two guides, Pidgebots 1 and 2. Under Safari Zone rules, he leaves his Pokémon for safekeeping and hops on board a raft which will take him through the Safari Zone via a selection of waterways. Red is excited to see the variety of Pokémon living in the Safari Zone. The raft passes by two Nidoking in the middle of a raging battle, with the Pidgebots excitedly informing him that he should feel lucky to see them in the midst of fighting over a Nidoqueen. As the Pokémon clash, Red worries that it might be dangerous to be so close.

The camera pulls back, and from the Safari Zone's control room the warden is pleased with how at least the guests are receiving a thrill. The personnel respond to the warden's worries about safety, saying that the Pidgebot security system is foolproof and will ensure the customer's safety in any scenario.

As he watches on, Red decides that one of the Nidoking would be a great addition to his Pokédex, and as the Pidgebots look the other way, Red produces a Poké Ball he managed to sneak in with him. Unfortunately, the Poké Ball misses the Nidoking and instead, accidentally captures the Nidoqueen they were arguing over. This enrages the Nidoking, and before Red can get out of the way they smash the raft to pieces.

Sometime later, Red washes up along a shoreline and regains consciousness to find a furious Pidgebot 1 berating him for breaking the rules, and informing him that they'll have no choice but to walk to the exit, since the Nidoking will probably be looking for him. In an attempt to keep him safe, it gives him a Safari Ball, which is the only Ball capable of capturing a Safari Zone Pokémon. Red questions this based on the events from just minutes prior, but the Pidgebot attributes it to luck.

Moments later, one of the Nidoking appears and charges at him, to which Red tries out the Safari Ball he was given. It proves useless, as the Nidoking simply swipes it away, leaving both Red and Pidgebot clueless on what to do next. As they flee, Nidoking strikes the ground with its claws, leaving behind a strong corrosive acid. Red searches for any way he can weaken it, settling for throwing a rock he picked off the ground at it's head, directly impacting it just under it's horn. Red and Nidoking pause for a moment, leaving him to wonder if he really succeeded, but Nidoking continues the chase, Red only having enraged it even further.

Back in the control room, they're still not able to establish a visual on Red's location. The warden begins to comfort Pika, as a staff member shows him the recovered debris of Pidgebot 2. The warden hopes that it means Pidgebot 1 is still able to defend the guest, as Pika and Saur exchange uneasy glances.

Red is beginning to run out of steam as Nidoking continues to give chase. Red is struck by a jet of acid on his leg, and Pidgebot bravely dives in to defend him from a follow-up attack, getting badly damaged in the process. Red, knowing he can't just run straight for Pidgebot, quickly devises a plan. Picking up a sharp rock off the ground, he starts running again, drawing Nidoking away from the incapacitated Pidgebot. He reaches a dead end, and throws the rock at Nidoking, embedding itself inside its eye. Nidoking stumbles off in pain, offering Red the chance to grab Pidgebot. As he flees, Nidoking glares back at him, a quiet rage on its face.

As Red limps through the Safari Zone, scars from the acid on his leg visible through the hole in his pants, Pidgebot emphasizes the danger that they're in. Red managed to escape this time, but now, that Nidoking has marked him as a threat. Red seems unaffected, and redirects the conversion to asking whether Pidgebot is in pain. Being a machine designed to keep guests safe, Pidgebot asks Red to focus on his own safety. It emphasizes that they need a real strategy, as their current tactic of brute force won't keep working forever. As he starts to request elaboration, a Victreebel wraps its vines around his ankles, pulling him high into the air.

Pidgebot quickly tells Red that if he's swallowed, he'll be digested immediately, as Red struggles with the vines tightening around his neck. Victreebel lifts up its leaf, teeth pointed at him as thick poison oozes from its mouth. After the moment passes, Red is seemingly gone.

Major events

• Red catches a Nidoqueen in the Safari Zone.

For a list of all major events in the Pokémon Adventures manga, please see the history page.

	Spoilers end here.

Debuts

• Baoba (unnamed)

Pokémon debuts

• Parasect
• Exeggcute
• Dragonair
• Nidoking
• Nidoqueen (Red's)
• Victreebel

Characters

Humans

• Red
• Baoba (unnamed)

Pokémon

• Ivysaur (Saur; Red's)
• Pikachu (Pika; Red's)
• Nidoqueen (Red's; new)
• Parasect
• Exeggcute
• Dragonair
• Nidoking (×2)
• Victreebel

Others

• Pidgebots 1 and 2

Trivia

• The Safari Zone's logo is a nod towards the movie Jurassic Park, down to the silhouette of the Nidoking in the background. The movie and this chapter also share certain plot elements.
• The English title of this chapter is based on the traditional proclamation "Long live the king!"

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		VS 尼多王
Czech		Vs. Nidoking
Finnish		Red vastaan Nidoking
European French		Nidoking (Glénat) Le Parc Safari (Kurokawa)
German		Lang lebe Nidoking! (Egmont) VS. Nidoking (Panini Comics)
Italian		VS Nidoking
Korean		니드킹
Brazilian Portuguese		VS Nidoking
Spanish	Latin America	VS Nidoking
	Spain	Contra Nidoking
Vietnamese		VS Nidoking

← PS020 : Meanwhile...Vileplume!

Red, Green & Blue arc

PS022 : A Hollow Victreebel →

This article is part of Project Manga, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each series of Pokémon manga.