The rising sun painted the horizon as a cold sea breeze swept across the water.
Endless waves crashed against distant reefs, throwing white spray into the air.
Water-type Pokémon occasionally poked their heads above the surface, enjoying the peaceful morning.
Wingull soared over the sea.
Beneath them, a massive pirate ship cut through the waves.
Its hull was enormous and sturdy, painted a deep black.
A vicious shark emblem decorated its side, announcing the identity of the vessel feared throughout these waters— the Great Shark.
Hardened pirates patrolled the deck, keeping the ship running.
Some bore scars across their faces; others wore thick beards and carried the untamed look of men who had spent years beyond the reach of ordinary law.
Standing among them was a group of much younger boys.
Unlike the veterans, these youths still had traces of innocence on their faces.
Each was training the Pokémon they had recently received.
“Corphish, use Vice Grip!”
At Kuroba’s command, Corphish lunged forward.
“Cor!”
The Taillow in front of it had already been worn down by repeated attacks from Bubble.
Exhausted and unable to evade properly, it was caught between Corphish’s pincers.
“Finish it!”
The pincers tightened.
Taillow cried out painfully before its body went limp.
A moment later, it lost consciousness and was completely unable to battle.
“Good work, Corphish.”
Kuroba rubbed the Pokémon’s hard head.
Then he opened his palm and rewarded it with a bright blue Pokéblock.
More than ten days had passed since the newcomers received their Pokémon.
During that time, Corphish had defeated every Pokémon belonging to the boys from Kuroba’s batch.
Madam Meta had not lied to him.
Among all the Pokémon prepared for the newcomers, this Corphish was unquestionably one of the most promising.
After spending these days together, Kuroba had also learned more about his partner.
Most importantly, Corphish possessed its Hidden Ability—Adaptability.
Adaptability increased the power of moves that matched the Pokémon’s own type.
Because of that, the Water-type move Bubble had become one of Corphish’s most reliable attacks.
Against Flying-type Pokémon such as Taillow and Wingull, Corphish could repeatedly harass them with Bubble, steadily draining their stamina before finishing them once they were weakened.
Combined with Corphish’s relatively high level and excellent natural potential, the strategy had worked again and again.
So far, it had not lost once.
* * *
Kuroba nodded politely to the pirates he passed and made his way toward the uppermost cabin.
“Good afternoon, Madam Meta.”
He knocked gently and entered only after receiving permission.
Madam Meta remained strikingly beautiful despite being in her forties.
Time had left subtle marks on her face, but those traces only added maturity to her elegant appearance.
“Kuroba. How is the Pokémon you received?” she asked, setting aside the old book she had been reading.
“I’m very satisfied, Madam. Corphish is an excellent partner.”
Kuroba was genuinely grateful for her help.
At the same time, his tone deliberately carried a hint of closeness, quietly signaling that he was willing to become one of her trusted people.
Madam Meta naturally understood.
Her husband—the captain of the Great Shark—had left more than half a year ago and had not returned.
No one openly spread rumors aboard the ship, but among the leadership, tension had been building for months.
The two first mates under the captain had begun growing restless.
Madam Meta urgently needed people whose influence depended on her rather than on them.
Kuroba’s willingness to move closer to her suited her perfectly.
“You’re clever, observant, and you know when to advance and when to retreat,” she said.
“Would you like to become my apprentice?”
Kuroba’s eyes widened.
Madam Meta continued before he could answer.
“I’m not promising that you’ll become a Pokémon Breeder like me. Whether you can truly learn the profession will depend on your own talent and understanding.”
Kuroba immediately bowed his head.
“Madam Meta, it would be an honor.”
He understood better than anyone that climbing upward in this world required two kinds of resources.
The first was tangible: high-quality Pokémon, money, Pokéblocks, medicine, equipment.
Ordinary people could sometimes obtain those things by risking their lives and working themselves to exhaustion.
The second kind was intangible.
Connections.
Information other people did not possess.
Knowledge monopolized by established powers.
Those resources were much harder for someone of Kuroba’s background to obtain.
And now, an opportunity had fallen directly into his lap.
“From now on, you don’t need to attend the regular morning training,” Madam Meta said.
“Come directly here. I’ll teach you the fundamentals of raising and breeding Pokémon.”
Her voice remained gentle, but there was noticeably more warmth in it than before.
* * *
From that day onward, Kuroba’s routine changed.
He spent his mornings studying Pokémon breeding and care under Madam Meta, then trained Corphish in the afternoons.
He was excused from most of the Great Shark’s ordinary group labor.
Many crew members noticed.
And many were jealous.
“Morning, Furuta.”
At breakfast, Kuroba no longer had to survive on the same terrible bread given to the lowest-ranking crew.
A glass of fresh Moomoo Milk had become part of his regular meal.
It was a small luxury, but aboard the Great Shark it represented something much larger.
His status was rising.
He was no longer an ordinary pirate recruit.
In only a short time, he had already surpassed many veterans in the crew’s informal hierarchy.
The other newcomers from his batch had only just escaped their rookie status.
They were still struggling to learn shipboard work and the endless practical knowledge required to survive at sea.
After finishing breakfast with Furuta, Kuroba followed his usual routine and headed to Madam Meta’s quarters.
“Kuroba, remember this,” she said during one lesson.
“When Corphish evolves into Crawdaunt, it gains the Dark type. Its temperament will also become more aggressive and irritable. You need to prepare for that in advance and establish control before it evolves.”
She continued patiently.
“We’ve had cases aboard this ship where a Corphish evolved and stopped obeying its Trainer. A few Crawdaunt even escaped.”
The kindness in her expression was almost maternal.
Sometimes Kuroba found it difficult to reconcile this woman with the person he had seen in battle.
He had personally watched Madam Meta command her Swampert to slaughter an entire ship’s worth of passengers.
“Kuroba, you’ve had Corphish for a while now, but we still haven’t properly examined it.”
Madam Meta reached into her pocket and produced a red-and-white device.
Kuroba’s eyes widened.
“A Pokédex!”
Madam Meta aimed the Pokédex at Corphish’s Poké Ball and scanned it.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
The device began reading out information.
“Corphish, the Ruffian Pokémon.
Water type.
Ability: Adaptability.
Level 12.
Height: 0.7 meters, exceeding the species average of 0.6 meters.
Physical development: excellent.
“Known moves: Vice Grip, Harden, Bubble, Leer, Aqua Jet, and Dragon Dance.”
Silence filled the room.
Kuroba stared at the Pokédex in amazement.
Then the final move registered in his mind.
“Dragon Dance?”
He almost wondered if he had heard incorrectly.
“That’s right,” Madam Meta replied, giving him a knowing look.
“Why do you think I recommended this Corphish to you?”
She tapped the Poké Ball lightly.
“One of its parents almost certainly possessed draconic blood. It may have been an actual Dragon-type Pokémon, or perhaps a Pokémon like Charizard or Gyarados—species that aren’t Dragon type themselves but possess strong draconic traits.”
Madam Meta patiently explained everything to her new apprentice.
Over the past half month, Kuroba’s ability to learn had genuinely surprised her.
The thick introductory breeding textbook she had given him had taken her nearly six months to master when she was younger.
Kuroba had memorized most of it in less than half a month.
Because of that, he was no longer merely a useful pawn she intended to cultivate for political reasons.
She had begun to see him as a genuinely gifted apprentice.
“Once Corphish evolves, it gains the Dark type, so you should begin preparing its training in that direction ahead of time. Its pincers will remain its primary weapons as well.”
She took out a small bottle.
“This contains powder ground from Cubone bones. Mix a little into Corphish’s food. It can help strengthen its skeletal structure.”
Before Kuroba left, Madam Meta gave him the rare bone powder.
“Thank you for the gift, Madam Meta.”
This time, his gratitude was sincere.
He bowed deeply in the manner of a student showing respect to a teacher before quietly leaving.
* * *
A month passed.
The sea remained unusually calm.
The Great Shark encountered several passenger vessels during that period, yet the pirates did not attack them.
That did not mean the travelers escaped without paying.
Each ship voluntarily handed over a “protection fee” in exchange for safe passage.
Kuroba found the arrangement fascinating.
Apparently, piracy was not limited to robbery.
In fact, “pirate” was less a clearly defined profession and more a label for people willing to do whatever business brought money.
Robbery was only one source of income.
Smuggling was another.
Goods, Pokémon, even human beings—if someone was willing to pay, pirates would transport almost anything.
They would sell cargo.
They would sell Pokémon.
They would sell people.
For enough money, some would practically sell themselves.
When underground organizations fought one another, pirate crews sometimes accepted temporary contracts and worked as mercenaries.
During this particular month, however, the Great Shark’s most frequent work involved capturing rare Pokémon from the sea and selling them in places where Water-type Pokémon were less common.
Hoenn had water everywhere.
Their current destination, therefore, was Kanto.
“Furuta, how much longer do you think it’ll be before we reach land?”
Kuroba stood beside the older sailor and stared across the endless sea.
Furuta was called the eyes of the Great Shark for a reason.
Even without consulting a map, he could determine their position with remarkable accuracy.
“About three days,” Furuta said.
He raised one finger and made several strange motions in the air, apparently using some personal method to judge their direction.
“We should be near Viridian City by then.”
Everyone aboard the ship was already looking forward to returning to land and replenishing their supplies.
No one noticed what was gathering beneath them.
Deep below the Great Shark, a school of vicious Carvanha circled the hull.
* * *
Around midday, most of the crew was eating lunch when a pirate in a light-blue shirt rushed into the dining hall.
“Trouble! Pokémon are attacking the bottom of the ship! Everyone who can fight, get down there!”
The dining hall fell silent.
Then it exploded with noise.
“Move, move! Time to make some extra money!”
“Hahaha! Maybe there’s something rare down there. I could use another Pokémon on my team!”
These were pirates who lived constantly on the edge between life and death.
Instead of panicking, they looked delighted.
Danger meant opportunity.
High risk.
High reward.
Kuroba followed the others toward the ship’s battle deck.
The Great Shark had a partially mechanized design, allowing a wide platform to extend from the side of the hull during combat.
It was large enough to hold more than a hundred people without becoming crowded.
“It’s a whole school of Carvanha!”
“Damn! There have to be more than a hundred!”
Two scouts returned with their Pokémon and reported what they had seen beneath the surface.
The pirates became even more excited.
Nobu Nagata raised his voice.
“Everyone! Pokémon that can fight underwater, get them into the sea! Anyone who can’t, stay on the platform and provide support!”
As one of the highest-ranking people aboard the ship beneath the captain and Madam Meta, Nagata’s orders were immediately obeyed.
Powerful Pokémon plunged into the ocean one after another.
Crawdaunt.
Sharpedo.
Whiscash.
Each entry sent water spraying high into the air.
Corphish was still too inexperienced to join the strongest Pokémon underwater, so Kuroba kept it on the battle platform.
“Corphish, use Bubble! Keep harassing them from here!”
Streams of bubbles poured into the water, interfering with the attacking Carvanha and supporting the pirates’ stronger Pokémon.
“Get your Poké Balls ready!” someone shouted.
“Release the Flying types too! Have them recover the balls after the captures!”
The battle gradually turned one-sided.
The Carvanha were numerous, but most were relatively low level.
One after another, they were beaten unconscious and left floating in the water.
To prevent arguments over ownership, each pirate had written his name on his own Poké Balls beforehand.
Kuroba did not have many.
Every ordinary Poké Ball he carried had been bought with money he saved by cutting his own expenses.
Madam Meta had given him a few more valuable balls, including Great Balls and Ultra Balls, but there was no chance he would waste those on ordinary Carvanha.
He was preparing to throw a regular Poké Ball when one particular Carvanha caught his attention.
It was different.
Even amid the chaos, its swimming speed stood out.
More importantly, it was becoming faster the longer the battle continued.
Kuroba’s eyes sharpened.
“Speed Boost.”
A Hidden Ability.
His heartbeat immediately accelerated.
He watched the Carvanha’s movements, waited for the right moment, and hurled a Poké Ball marked with his name.
The water was far too chaotic for him to tell whether it struck the target.
Poké Balls splashed everywhere.
Taillow and Wingull circled overhead, occasionally diving toward the surface to retrieve balls floating in the water.
“Quick! Get the nets! Collect all the balls!”
Several pirates spread large nets across the deck and began gathering the recovered Poké Balls.
By sunset, the battle was over.
The Carvanha had failed to tear through the Great Shark’s hull and sink the ship.
Instead, their own school suffered devastating losses.
More than half were captured.
Without enough members to hunt and secure food, the remaining Carvanha would likely struggle to survive in the open sea.
But that was no concern of the pirates.
They were already celebrating.
* * *
The cabin erupted into a victory feast.
“Bring out the Poké Balls!”
“That one’s mine! Mine!”
“Damn it, you grabbed the wrong one! My name’s written right there!”
The pirates surged forward like sharks smelling blood.
Thanks to Furuta’s assistance, Kuroba quickly found the Poké Ball bearing his name.
He did not open it in front of everyone.
Instead, he quietly slipped away from the crowd and headed toward the upper deck.
“Kuroba,” Madam Meta said without looking up from a book about Berries, “it sounds lively downstairs. How did the hunt go?”
“Very well. We ran into a school of Carvanha and captured quite a few.”
Kuroba was noticeably more relaxed around her now than he had been a month earlier.
“Madam Meta, may I borrow your Pokédex?”
She agreed without hesitation.
Kuroba scanned the Poké Ball.
The Pokédex chimed.
“Carvanha, the Savage Pokémon.
Water and Dark type.
Its powerful jaws and razor-sharp teeth can tear through the bottoms of ships.
Many vessels have sunk after being attacked by schools of Carvanha.
“Level 11.
Ability: Speed Boost.
Height: 0.9 meters, above the species average of 0.8 meters.
Weight: 22 kilograms, above the species average of 20.8 kilograms.
Physical condition is excellent compared with Pokémon of a similar level.
“Known moves: Leer, Bite, Rage, Focus Energy, Aqua Jet, and Psychic Fangs.”
Kuroba stared at the Poké Ball in his hand.
His delight was impossible to hide.
Not only had he captured a Carvanha with its Hidden Ability, Speed Boost— it had also inherited Psychic Fangs.
He had struck gold.
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