For pirates who spent their lives drifting across the open sea, time was an unusually vague thing.
Without clocks and calendars, many of them probably would have lost track of the date entirely.
“Little fatty, is that really necessary?”
Kuroba stared at Hoshino Yumi in complete disbelief.
“Money is filthy. Why do you keep sniffing it all day?”
Instead of stopping, Yumi grabbed an even thicker stack of bills and held them beneath his nose, happily breathing in the unique scent of money.
Kuroba’s mouth twitched.
“I pulled some of those Poké Dollars off dead bodies, you know. There could be all kinds of bacteria on them. Keep doing that and one day you’re going to catch something and die.”
“Hehehe. Warm words are nice, Boss, but a huge pile of money is even nicer!”
Yumi wore an infuriatingly smug grin.
Kuroba rolled his eyes.
“Isn’t your five-percent commission enough? All you’re doing is running errands for me.”
He complained, but in truth, Kuroba was very satisfied with Yumi’s performance.
The little fatty had a genuine talent for selling things at prices far above their original value.
If Yumi could earn Kuroba considerably more money, giving him a slightly generous commission didn’t matter.
“Boss, when will the next batch of Pokéblocks be ready?”
Yumi’s round face filled with anticipation.
He was already impatient to start selling again.
“What do you think I am, a machine that never gets tired? Give me at least half a month.”
Kuroba answered irritably and turned away from the dining hall.
Unlike this little fatty, who seemed to spend every waking moment thinking about eating or money, Kuroba had actual work to do.
Behind him, Yumi happily returned his attention to the enormous smoked chicken in front of him.
Kuroba stepped onto the deck.
The roaring sea wind struck his face.
He spread his arms and breathed in the damp, salty air.
This was the unmistakable scent of the ocean.
“Come out, Spearow.”
Kuroba raised a Poké Ball.
A flash of white light burst forth.
“Spear!”
Spearow spread its reddish wings, circled twice above the ship, then gracefully landed on the railing.
Kuroba nodded in satisfaction at the increasingly polished flight.
Spearow had completely adapted to flying above the ocean.
If it could handle the unstable winds and harsh conditions out here, then returning to ordinary flight over land would be easy.
“Spearow, same training as usual today. Hunt Pokémon over the surface of the sea.”
This was another training method Kuroba had designed specifically for it.
Spearow’s Ability was Keen Eye.
In battle, Keen Eye prevented its accuracy from being lowered.
But according to research performed by Pokémon researchers, Pokémon possessing the Ability often had naturally superior eyesight compared with other Pokémon.
In other words, the Ability also represented a kind of hidden talent.
Spearow’s sharp eyes remained fixed on the calm surface of the sea.
Kuroba didn’t rush it.
He simply stood nearby and waited.
Then—
Spearow’s claws pushed off the railing.
Its wings snapped open.
It shot toward the water at high speed.
“Spearow, use Fury Attack!”
After so much training, Spearow had learned a respectable number of moves.
Fury Attack had become one of its specialties.
White light shimmered around different parts of its body.
Its beak struck.
Its claws raked.
Even its wings occasionally slammed into the target.
At first glance, the attacks seemed wild and disorderly.
Yet beneath that apparent chaos was a clear rhythm.
Before long, the body of a Pokémon floated to the surface.
Red scales.
Long yellow whiskers.
Even a child would recognize it.
Magikarp.
A remarkably resilient Pokémon capable of surviving even in filthy water—and a species famous for its jumping ability.
“Not bad, Spearow. You earned yourself an extra snack.”
The Pokémon didn’t appear tired at all.
There was hardly any meat on a Magikarp.
Its body seemed to be made almost entirely of scales and bones.
Still, a little meat could always be picked off.
It was only meant to be a snack anyway.
“Keep going, Spearow.”
At Kuroba’s command, Spearow quickly finished what little edible meat it could get from the carcass.
A trace of blood remained on the tip of its sharp beak.
Then it returned to the hunt.
Several hours slowly passed.
Eventually, Spearow’s training for the day came to an end.
The results weren’t bad.
It had encountered dozens of Pokémon, though more than ninety percent of them had been Magikarp.
There had been one unexpected bonus.
They managed to capture a Goldeen.
Its level wasn’t high and its potential was only average, but its cute appearance made it fairly popular with girls.
Kuroba had no intention of keeping it.
He handed the Goldeen over to Hoshino Yumi and told him to sell it to one of the pirates aboard the ship.
Kuroba was just about to head back to the dining hall for dinner when something unexpected happened.
White light suddenly erupted from Spearow’s body.
The glow rapidly intensified until it completely enveloped the Pokémon.
Under the crimson light of the evening sky, it was almost dazzling.
Kuroba’s eyes widened.
He knew that light.
Evolution!
“Spearow is evolving!”
He had known for some time that Spearow was close.
Even so, he hadn’t expected it to happen so suddenly.
They had just finished training and were preparing to return when Spearow gave him this surprise.
Kuroba stared eagerly into the brilliant white light.
Its body grew larger.
Its shape changed.
Moments later, the light faded.
A much larger bird Pokémon stood before him.
Its plumage was mostly brown.
A red crest rose from its head.
Most striking of all was its extraordinarily long, sharp beak.
Fearow!
“Great! Fearow, you finally evolved!”
Kuroba’s face lit up.
“Does this mean you can carry me while flying now?”
He had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
Flight.
One of humanity’s oldest dreams.
Kuroba was no exception.
“FEEEAR!”
Fearow released an excited cry.
Its long, pointed beak looked capable of piercing straight through prey, and its fierce expression matched its aggressive temperament perfectly.
Yet toward Kuroba, its Trainer who had raised it from the moment it hatched, Fearow remained remarkably gentle.
Fearow lowered one wing to help him.
Kuroba carefully climbed onto its back and felt the warmth of its feathers beneath him.
Before taking off, he pulled out his Pokédex.
“Beep, beep…”
The device scanned Fearow.
“Fearow, the Beak Pokémon. Normal/Flying type. Level 20. Height: 1.2 meters. Weight: 38 kilograms. Physical development exceeds the average standard; overall growth is excellent…”
Kuroba continued reading through its information.
Known moves included Leer, Growl, Peck, Pursuit, Pluck, Drill Run, Fury Attack, Aerial Ace, and Mirror Move.
When the scan finished, delight spread across Kuroba’s face.
“It learned Drill Run immediately after evolving!”
“That’s a powerful Ground-type move. The Pokédex lists its base power at 80.”
Kuroba quickly recovered from his excitement and looked at Fearow eagerly.
“Fearow… can you really carry me?”
“FEEEAR!”
Fearow cried loudly and once again lowered one wing, clearly inviting him to climb aboard.
Kuroba settled himself properly onto its back.
Whoosh!
The instant he was secure, Fearow launched upward.
Its overall flight speed and maximum altitude weren’t particularly outstanding compared with many other Flying-type Pokémon.
But when it came to taking off, Fearow was impressively fast.
Sitting on Fearow’s back, Kuroba nervously looked down.
The Great Shark rapidly grew smaller beneath them.
As the distance increased, however, his nervousness slowly disappeared.
Air roared past his ears.
The rushing wind sounded almost like a magnificent symphony.
“WOOHOO!”
Kuroba couldn’t stop himself from shouting.
For that moment, he felt unbelievably light.
Free.
Every worry and every burden seemed to disappear into the wind.
Flying through the open sky brought a kind of exhilaration he had never experienced before.
He became completely intoxicated by it.
For once, he simply allowed himself to enjoy the beauty of the world around him.
Clouds shifted endlessly across the sky.
Some were thin and delicate like translucent silk.
Others rolled in great waves, almost resembling the ocean beneath him.
Occasionally, Flying-type Pokémon passed nearby, their silhouettes flashing beneath the sunlight.
Against the endless blue sky and white clouds, the scene looked almost like a painting.
Kuroba quietly took it all in.
His heart felt unusually peaceful.
Since arriving in this world, this was perhaps the most relaxed he had ever been.
There were no schemes.
No battles.
No pressure to survive.
For these few precious moments, there was only joy, freedom, and peace.
High above the Great Shark, Kuroba laughed as Fearow carried him through the evening sky.
Inside the ship, Madam Meta stood beside a window and watched the distant figure.
For a moment, she lost herself in thought.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t become like me,” she murmured.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t spend your entire life trapped on these seas.”
Her gaze remained fixed on Kuroba.
“The freedom of the mainland may suit you better. Chairman Damaranch is pushing sweeping reforms throughout the League. With your talent as a Pokémon Breeder… perhaps one day you’ll truly soar into the heavens and rise farther than any of us ever could.”
As she watched the tiny figure in the sky and heard Kuroba’s distant cheers, Madam Meta felt her eyes grow damp.
When she first accepted Kuroba as an apprentice, his talent had only been part of the reason.
His cleverness and quick mind had reminded her strongly of the son she had lost at a young age.
But after nearly a year together—living on the same ship day after day, teaching him personally, watching him learn and grow—her feelings had changed.
Somewhere along the way, Kuroba had become family to her.
Even stone could be worn down by time.
How could a human heart remain untouched?
A self-mocking smile appeared on Madam Meta’s beautiful face.
“I’m supposed to be a ruthless pirate…”
She quietly laughed at herself.
“And yet I’ve actually grown sentimental.”
Her eyes remained on the distant sky.
“Looks like I’m getting soft.”
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