Pokémon: Ceruledge
Ability : Flash Fire.
Type : Fire, Ghost
Level : 25
Moves : Ember, Leer, Smokescreen, Confuse Ray, Fire Spin, Wil-o-wisp, Flame Charge, Brick Break
Brick Break was one the move cards that I had got recently and just decided to add to Ceruledge since it was compatible.
I was still staring at Ceruledge's status screen when my bedroom door suddenly burst open without so much as a knock. Only one person in the entire world possessed that complete disregard for privacy.
"Kekoa!" Luffy shouted excitedly. "I heard you yell! Did you get another Pokémon?!"
"...Yeah."
His eyes immediately began sparkling.
"LET ME TRY IT!"
I couldn't help laughing before pulling the Ceruledge card from my storage. If there was one thing I had learned over the past few months, it was that refusing immediately only guaranteed an even bigger tantrum later.
"Here, but I don't think it'll work."
Luffy barely listened. He happily snatched the card before confidently slapping it against his forearm exactly the same way he always did with Pikachu.
"..."
Nothing. He frowned, peeled the card back off, then tried again. Still nothing.
"...Eh?"
I took the card back, thoughtfully rubbing my chin.
"Hmm... maybe because it's Ghost-type as well. Pikachu is pure Electric, but Ceruledge is Fire and Ghost. Maybe whatever lets you borrow Pikachu doesn't like Ghost Pokémon."
Luffy puffed out both cheeks in frustration before dramatically throwing himself onto the floor.
"THAT'S NOT FAIR! I wanted the sword Pokémon! It looks so cool!" He had already seen the silhouette on the card and thus he found it very cool.
I simply stepped over him while gathering my backpack.
"You can complain later. We've only got two days before we leave. Unless you plan on surviving by eating seaweed, we need supplies."
Luffy immediately sat upright.
"...FOOD!"
His earlier disappointment vanished so quickly it almost gave me whiplash.
A short while later, the two of us arrived in Foosha Village carrying several empty sacks. We purchased preserved meat, dried fish, rice, flour, cooking utensils, rope, spare sailcloth, fishing hooks, repair nails, lamp oil, fresh water barrels, blankets.. By the time we finished, the supplies filled nearly every available space aboard the Menehune.
The last purchase I insisted upon was a detailed map of the East Blue. During the past two months, Boro and several veteran fishermen had patiently taught me how to read coastlines, identify currents, estimate distances, and navigate using both landmarks and the stars. I still had far more to learn before calling myself a true navigator, but at least now I was confident we wouldn't become hopelessly lost the moment we sailed beyond Foosha Village.
I didn't want to be like Luffy, let alone Zoro so I gave everything to learn what I could. If only I had some Pokémon which were good in brain, I guess I will have to wait for my Metagross.
-----
The morning of our departure arrived far sooner than I had expected. The Menehune rested quietly against the wooden pier, its freshly polished hull gently rocking with the tide as though impatient to begin its first real voyage. After months of planning, training, building, and waiting, today was finally the day Luffy and I would leave Foosha Village behind.
Oddly enough, despite everything that had happened since arriving in this world, I wasn't nervous.
I was excited.
As always, before even getting out of bed, I instinctively summoned the familiar blue screen. The roulette materialized before my eyes and began spinning, countless familiar silhouettes flashing past one after another. I watched absentmindedly at first, until the wheel gradually slowed and finally came to a complete stop.
Pokémon Card
Name: Rowlet
Level: 10
For nearly five whole seconds, I simply stared at the screen.
"...No way."
A broad grin spread across my face almost immediately. Rowlet. An actual starter Pokémon. More importantly, a starter whose final evolution comfortably exceeded the five-hundred base stat threshold. My exchange function had already given me Ceruledge, and now my ordinary daily roulette had rewarded me with another incredible Pokémon.
I quickly opened the card's information.
Ability: Long Reach (Hidden Ability)
"...Hidden Ability?"
That made me even happier.
Normally Rowlet possessed Overgrow, but this one had Long Reach from the very beginning. That meant attacks could strike opponents without making direct contact, an incredibly useful ability against enemies relying on dangerous counterattacks or poisonous bodies.
Wait, would it affect the logia ones? Damn, I need to try this one day soon.
Even better, Rowlet solved another problem I had been thinking about since I lost Yanma. Yanma could fly, but it was still an insect with limited combat potential compared to the monsters gradually filling my collection. Now I finally possessed a true Flying-type partner. Together with Gyarados controlling the seas, my chances of surviving almost anywhere in the world had increased dramatically.
"...Today's definitely my lucky day."
By the time I hurried outside, Luffy was already waiting for me. Soon we made our to Menehune, after saying our goodbye to Dadan. She had been very helpful to us so I had already made her a new kitchen, exclusive to her, different from the rest of the group. Though she always preferred to eat with the other bandits.
Expected from a good leader, now wonder she was loved by the group and followed her.
Luffy meanwhile, gave his iconic dialogue of how he hated bandits but he loved them. This made her cry and I gave her a hug before leaving, though she did put up a tough face but at the end cried like a baby.
"KEKOA! Hurry up! We're gonna be pirates today!"
"...You're saying that like you haven't repeated it every single day for months."
Luffy only laughed before grabbing my arm and practically dragging me toward the harbor. To my surprise, nearly the entire village had gathered along the shoreline.
Makino stood near the front with her usual gentle smile, holding several neatly packed lunches wrapped in cloth. Mayor Woop Slap folded his arms while pretending not to look emotional. Boro remained quietly beside the Menehune, resting one weathered hand against its railing one final time before giving me a slow nod of approval.
"...Don't die, brats," Boro muttered while trying very hard to sound annoyed instead of worried.
Luffy immediately threw both arms into the air.
"I WON'T! I'M GONNA BECOME THE PIRATE KING!"
Several villagers laughed, while others simply shook their heads, having heard that declaration countless times already. Boro stepped forward before handing me a small wooden compass.
"You've learned enough to leave East Blue alive," he said quietly. "The rest... the sea will teach you."
I accepted it with both hands before bowing deeply.
"...Thank you. For everything."
Makino smiled warmly as she handed over the food she had prepared.
"Come back and visit someday."
"I will," I promised sincerely.
Soon the small vessel drifted gently away from the pier before the morning breeze caught its sail. Slowly, steadily, the boat turned toward the open sea.
The Menehune glided steadily away from Foosha Village, her freshly raised sail swelling proudly beneath the morning breeze. Standing at the stern, I had already equipped Gyarados before leaving the harbor, preferring to be prepared rather than surprised. After all, this stretch of sea was home to one particularly infamous resident, and I had no intention of letting history repeat itself.
The cheers of the villagers gradually faded behind us as the coastline shrank into the distance. Luffy stood at the bow with both feet planted wide apart, laughing into the wind as though the entire ocean already belonged to him. His straw hat fluttered wildly while he stretched both arms toward the endless horizon.
"THE SEA IS AWESOME!"
"...We've been sailing for barely ten minutes," I replied, unable to stop myself from smiling.
Then the sea suddenly fell unnaturally quiet.
A massive shadow passed beneath the Menehune, circling once before disappearing into the depths. I slowly turned toward the water, every instinct sharpened by Gyarados. A second later, the surface exploded as the gigantic Sea King burst upward with its enormous jaws spread wide, aiming directly for our tiny vessel.
The Lord of the Coast.
The very same monster that would one day tear off Shanks' left arm. The instant our eyes met, something changed.
Intimidate.
An overwhelming pressure erupted from my body without a single word. It wasn't visible, yet it crashed into the Sea King's instincts like a tidal wave. The enormous predator froze in mid-lunge, its golden eyes shrinking as genuine fear flickered across its face. Instead of seeing prey, it was suddenly looking at something far higher in the food chain.
"...Now, Luffy!" I shouted.
"YOSH!"
Luffy didn't hesitate for even a heartbeat. His feet slammed against the deck as his fist drawing back with all the monstrous strength he had developed.
"Take this!"
His punch crashed squarely into the Sea King's snout with a thunderous impact.
BOOM!