Pokémon Breeder In One Piece!

August 15th, 13th Floor.

A young player named Zack was out hunting with his Pokémon on the icy plains.

"Great job, Floette!"

Zack cheered as his Pokémon defeated a Beartic, hopping with excitement.

(Snow Cloud Form)

Floette is a unique Pokémon that has gained the ability to wield immense natural forces to protect its small body.

Changes in temperature and humidity affect this Pokémon's cellular structure, altering its appearance. Studies show that it closely resembles water molecules—its personality grows more irritable as the weather worsens.

Though Floette does not evolve, it has three different forms: Sun, Rain, and Snow Cloud.

[Congratulations! You have obtained 59 P-Coins]

"Heh, I got a bunch more P-Coins!"

Zack glanced at his inventory, seeing his current P-Coins count. Excitedly, he turned to Floette and said, "Just 21 more to reach 1000! Let's push a little more, okay? Can you still go on, Floette?"

"Flo~"

Floette looked a little exhausted, but seeing its Trainer so happy, it forced itself to perk up.

"Alright! Let's just find a weak monster nearby, finish it off, and call it a day."

Zack wasn't foolish—he could tell that Floette was in poor condition, so he planned to fight only something it could handle alone.

As a typical Sword and Shield player, he wielded a one-handed sword in his right hand and a shield in his left. His solo capabilities were decent.

"No need to look~"

Suddenly, a woman's voice rang out from behind them.

"Who are you?"

Zack and Floette turned around to see a red-haired woman accompanied by two men—one tall, one short.

"My name is Rosalia. I'm heading to the Labyrinth Zone on the thirteenth floor. Want to join us?"

The red-haired woman ran a finger across her lips and gazed at Zack with alluring eyes.

"No, thanks. Floette isn't in great shape—I need to take it back to recover first."

Zack declined without hesitation.

It wasn't that he was particularly wary of Rosalia and her group, but he simply prioritized Floette's well-being.

At this stage of the game, almost no players engaged in malicious killings. Even if someone did, the NPC guards in town would immediately take them out before word could spread.

As a result, most players had little to no wariness toward strangers, especially young students and gaming addicts who had never experienced the harshness of the real world.

"Don't be so quick to refuse~ I heard that an elite monster in the Labyrinth Zone drops a rare Pokémon item. Supposedly, it's an ultra-valuable item that directly increases a Pokémon's level."

Rosalia was momentarily surprised by Zack's rejection but soon stepped forward with a leisurely smile.

She draped her soft arm around Zack's shoulders and leaned in close, whispering near his ear with a warm breath.

'Rare Candy!'

However, Zack was a seasoned gamer—he had no interest in real-world women. Instead, his focus was entirely on the item Rosalia mentioned.

Rare Candy.

A highly coveted item among Pokémon Trainers, famous for its game-changing effects.

[Rare Candy: Instantly increases a Pokémon's level by 1.]

A simple yet powerful effect.

Because it had no usage restrictions, even a Level 99 Pokémon could still benefit from it.

Just like players, Pokémon required more experience points to level up as they grew stronger. Since experience was split between the player and their Pokémon, leveling up became increasingly difficult.

Thus, an item that could instantly grant a level-up was incredibly valuable to any Trainer, becoming even more precious in the later stages of the game.

"You've heard of it, right?"

The taller man in Rosalia's party chimed in.

"Look, none of us are Trainers. How about this—if the item drops, it's yours. If we get any other rare loot, we keep it. Sound fair?"

The shorter man added with a friendly smile.

"That sounds… fine. Alright, I'll come with you."

Zack hesitated for a few seconds before agreeing.

He figured that while the Labyrinth Zone was dangerous, a party of four, with the option to use a return crystal, would be relatively safe.

Moreover, as a Pokémon Trainer, he had an advantage—dungeon zones posed less of a threat to him than to other players.

"Great! Let's go~"

Rosalia clapped her hands and cheerfully led the way.

However, as Zack and Floette walked past her, the bright smile on her face twisted into something sinister.

A shadow of malice flickered in her eyes as she stared at Zack's back.

"How dare this little brat resist my charm?! I'll make sure he pays for that."

...

Half an hour later, inside the Labyrinth Zone.

"Where's this elite monster you were talking about?"

By now, Zack and Floette were in terrible condition.

They had already spent a lot of energy hunting earlier, and now, after battling strong monsters in the dungeon, their stamina was nearly depleted.

More importantly, Zack had finally realized something was wrong.

Throughout the fights, he and Floette were the ones doing all the work—Rosalia and her teammates were just slacking off!

"It's right ahead, that red-named one. See it?"

The short man, noticing Zack's dissatisfaction, quickly pointed at a monster.

"That's the elite?"

Zack frowned.

The creature looked no different from the ones they had just fought. How could it be an elite monster?

"Ah, my mistake…"

"What?"

Zack turned around, only to see three swords slashing toward his hands.

'They're trying to cut off my hands so I can't use my return crystal!'

In an instant, Zack understood their plan.

In the game, a player's body wouldn't actually be severed.

However, the pain and temporary disconnect from their limbs would make it nearly impossible to move for a few seconds—more than enough time for someone to loot their inventory.

If they severed his hands, he wouldn't be able to use his return crystal for at least half a minute.

And in that short window, these three could force him to drop or trade all his valuable items.

'I should've held my return crystal in my hand the moment I entered…'

Zack regretted letting his guard down.

However, he wasn't overly worried.

These three had green player names, meaning they hadn't killed anyone before—they likely wouldn't dare to kill him either. Their goal was just to rob him.

But then—

SLASH! x3

"Floette!"

Zack watched in horror as Floette suddenly threw itself in front of him.

The three full-power strikes landed, instantly depleting Floette's health.

Zack couldn't understand why Floette had done that.

He had never treated Floette as just an AI but as a sentient being.

To him, Floette should have realized these three had no intent to kill him—there was no need to sacrifice itself.

Before shattering into fragments, Floette turned to look at Zack one last time and smiled.

Neither of them truly understood the other's thoughts.

Floette hadn't even considered whether the three had killing intent—it simply saw its Trainer being attacked and acted.

It couldn't afford to take that risk.

Moreover, Floette knew it wouldn't truly die in the game.

But still…

It might never see Zack again.

"I'll Remember You."

Zack crushed his return crystal, vanishing in a flash of white light.

[Congratulations! You have obtained 'Shattered Diamond Pact']

[Shattered Diamond Pact: Your bond with Floette has not ended. On the 101st floor, 'Pokémon Paradise,' there exists an item that can restore this contract. If you repair it, you can reunite with Floette.]

"101st floor…"

Zack clenched his fists.

"Wait for me."

[Congratulations! You have obtained the unique passive skill 'Reaper's Flow']

[Reaper's Flow: Grants the ability to wield scythe weapons. Attacking red-named players with a scythe deals 100% additional damage and forces them to experience full pain.]

(End of Chapter)

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