Pokémon Breeder In One Piece!

August 2nd.

Two figures, one tall and one short, clashed intensely amidst the endless desert sands.

The taller figure unleashed a swift roundhouse kick, striking the shorter figure in the waist and sending them stumbling back two meters.

Undeterred, the shorter figure clenched their fists, lunged forward, and threw a quick punch.

Smack!

Unfortunately, the taller figure had anticipated the attack and intercepted the punch with a firm grasp.

"Your attacks are too predictable."

Madara stared directly into Lisbeth's eyes, his voice calm yet commanding. With a strong grip, he executed a perfect over-the-shoulder throw, slamming the girl into the soft sand.

Thud!

Lisbeth hit the ground heavily but remained silent. Without flinching, she stood back up.

"Sensei, monsters don't watch my eyes," Lisbeth sighed.

Having been in the game for a month and Madara's apprentice for over 20 days, Lisbeth had undergone significant growth. From the girl who used to run screaming from wild boars on the first floor, she had transformed into someone who could face Madara in combat training without batting an eye.

"Your enemies aren't just monsters. There are other players too!"

Madara gave her a light flick on the forehead.

In truth, he was already impressed with Lisbeth. Her ability to adapt to and face this "death game" so quickly had exceeded his expectations. He initially thought it would take much longer to overcome her timid nature.

[HP -5]

"...No one dares to attack me," Lisbeth muttered, pouting slightly.

It wasn't that Lisbeth naively believed there were no villains in this game—her experiences on the first floor had long dispelled such illusions. She was merely stating a fact.

In SAO, Lisbeth was known as the "Fighting Princess." The origin of the title was obvious. The "Fighting" part came from her combat style, while the "Princess" title was due to her connection with her sensei, Madara.

Lisbeth held a unique status in SAO, especially within [Dawn]. She was always accompanied by at least two player escorts whenever she ventured out. Even when she went to grind monsters in the wild, other players would clear the area to avoid taking her mobs. To outsiders, it almost seemed as though she were a real princess in the real world.

With such treatment, who would dare lay a hand on her?

However, the pressure of her status, coupled with her desire not to lose to her "sister," Asuna the Shining Trainer, drove Lisbeth to grow stronger.

"Don't get complacent! There's no such thing as 'impossible' in this world!"

Madara admonished her sternly.

Recalling his experiences after meeting Dak and witnessing techniques like Edo Tensei, which had once seemed impossible, Madara knew better than to underestimate the unexpected.

"Yes, yes~" Lisbeth responded obediently.

"Alright, I'm off to gather some materials. Finish the rest of your training with Makunoshita."

"Mak~"

The nearby Makunoshita, who had been silently observing, raised a hand in acknowledgment.

[Makunoshita (Male)]

[Lv.17][Type: Fighting]

[Skills: Tackle, Focus Energy, Sand Attack, Push, Arm Thrust, Vital Throw, Whirlwind]

[Stats: HP 1000, MP 500, Attack 45, Defense 50, Sp. Atk 17, Sp. Def 50, Speed 30]

[Trainer: Lisbeth]

"Let's go, Makunoshita."

Watching Madara leave, Lisbeth let out a sigh of relief. She turned to her partner with a grin. "Let's go find Asuna and Heracross to play!"

"Mak?"

Makunoshita pointed toward the direction Madara had left, clearly reminding her of their unfinished training tasks.

"It's fine! We can finish them tonight. Besides, we can train together with Asuna and Heracross."

"Mak~"

Hearing this, Makunoshita nodded. Training with Heracross would indeed yield better results than sparring with Lisbeth.

Hand in hand, the two joyfully headed toward the teleportation area.

The [Trainer Association] guild base was currently located on the seventh floor, an area resembling the first floor, filled with whimsical natural landscapes.

The guild had chosen this location because the wild Pokémon on this floor loved the environment, and it was teeming with wildlife. They had purchased a large mansion here, making it their base of operations.

Players had generally acknowledged this floor as the [Trainer Association's] territory. Any issues on this floor were directed to them.

Meanwhile, [Dawn] and [The Army] had their guild bases at opposite extremes—[Dawn] relocated its base to the highest cleared floor, while [The Army] remained anchored on the first floor due to their large membership and limited resources.

At the guild mansion on the seventh floor, Lisbeth was greeted warmly.

"Lisbeth!"

Asuna, busy honing her [Cooking] skill, beamed when she saw Lisbeth. "Come quick! I just finished making 'Flame-Grilled Lamb.' Try some!"

Asuna placed a steaming platter of roasted lamb in front of Lisbeth, the aroma mouthwatering.

"Nom~ Delicious!"

Lisbeth grabbed a leg of lamb and took a big bite, her face lighting up with joy.

"Hehe," Asuna giggled, pleased with the praise. She loved it when others enjoyed her cooking.

"By the way, Lisbeth, why hasn't Madara-sensei organized a raid for this floor yet? Some beta testers said this boss isn't particularly difficult."

Asuna's question puzzled Lisbeth.

"Uh, I don't know. Sensei seems to be waiting for something," Lisbeth replied, shaking her head. She hadn't paid much attention to such matters.

Meanwhile, in the tenth floor's boss chamber, Kirito and Sneasel were panting heavily, their expressions grim as they faced the [Samurai Lord], which still had half its HP remaining.

The battle had raged for 15 minutes, with only Kirito and Sneasel fighting. Both of their HP bars were dangerously low.

Their heavy breathing wasn't due to physical exertion but sheer tension.

Kirito had lost count of how many times he had narrowly avoided death or how many strikes he and Sneasel had landed on the boss.

And yet, the boss still had half its health and hadn't even entered its second phase.

'We can't win.'

Exchanging a glance with Sneasel, Kirito reluctantly acknowledged this harsh reality.

If not for Sneasel drawing aggro during critical moments, the fight would have ended long ago.

Even so, Kirito refused to give up.

Though barely hanging on, he had only been struck once—a critical hit—over the past 15 minutes. If he could avoid getting hit entirely for the rest of the fight, victory might still be possible.

Clinging to this slim hope, Kirito tightened his grip on his dual swords.

But in a fleeting moment of distraction, the boss suddenly closed the gap between them, its speed akin to the Navy's [Soru] technique.

'Is this the end?'

Time seemed to freeze as the boss's blade closed in.

Clang!

The sharp sound of steel meeting steel jolted Kirito back to reality.

"Sensei?"

He stared in disbelief at Izuna, who had blocked the boss's attack with one hand.

"How did you...?" Kirito couldn't comprehend how Izuna had deflected the boss's blade despite the massive gap in their strength stats.

"Failure is inevitable. Admitting defeat isn't shameful," Izuna said coldly, he eyes piercing. "But losing focus in battle? That's something I never taught you."

Izuna had never expected Kirito to defeat the boss. He simply wanted him to grow through the intense experience of a life-or-death struggle.

"Sensei, I—"

Kirito began to lower his head in shame but froze when he noticed the boss thrusting its katana toward Izuna's back.

Clang!

Without turning, Izuna flicked his blade backward, deflecting the boss's strike and leaving it momentarily stunned.

Kirito watched, dumbfounded.

In a game world where stats dictated strength, seeing someone like Izuna counter a boss this powerful was almost surreal.

"If I ever catch you spacing out in a fight again, risking your life as a result, don't call me sensei anymore," Izuna warned icily.

With that, he gripped her blade tightly and advanced toward the Samurai Lord.

(End of Chapter)

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