Several more exchanges followed.
Kuroba also took the opportunity to sell the two Pokémon he had captured during the battle, earning roughly 140,000 Poké Dollars.
“That’s higher than I expected. Did they deliberately give me a favorable price?”
He considered the possibility for a moment.
Then again, the Great Shark had lost a large number of Pokémon during the battle.
Plenty of pirates were desperate to replenish their teams.
Whatever the real reason, Kuroba didn’t care.
His private savings had now climbed to around 440,000 Poké Dollars.
That was already enough money to buy roughly a quarter of what a starter Pokémon might cost.
More handwritten notes and training experiences appeared during the remainder of the exchange.
Because such information could be copied, these notebooks were relatively inexpensive, and many pirates—including Kuroba—bought them.
Kuroba flipped through several.
“The information is all over the place. Some of this isn’t even proven—it’s just speculation.”
He shook his head.
“As expected, it can’t compare with a manual compiled systematically by the League.”
Even though he was only a Breeder’s apprentice, his growing knowledge already gave him a much broader perspective than most of the pirates aboard the ship.
After the exchange ended, everyone returned to their duties.
Kuroba went back to his room and began reading the books he had purchased.
“Knowledge is the ladder of human progress.”
…
At noon, the sun blazed overhead.
The dining hall felt strangely empty.
After the Great Shark’s massive losses, barely more than a hundred crew members remained.
Many of them were preparing to indulge themselves with good food now that their pockets were suddenly heavier when the current captain, Madam Meta, entered the dining hall.
“Good afternoon, everyone.”
She was a woman, but her voice carried such authority that none of the vicious pirates in the room dared underestimate her.
They immediately greeted her respectfully.
“Captain Meta!”
“Greetings, Captain Meta.”
“Good afternoon, Captain.”
Madam Meta swept her gaze across the dining hall.
Her eyes paused for the briefest moment when she noticed Kuroba sitting in a corner, but she quickly looked away.
“I have two matters to announce today. First, the detailed distribution of the supplies we seized from yesterday’s enemy pirate crew has already been posted beside the dining hall exit. You can check your individual allocations when you leave.”
Excited murmurs immediately spread through the room.
The enemy crew had been no weaker or poorer than the Great Shark.
Everyone knew the share of resources they would receive wouldn’t be small.
The dining hall rapidly grew noisy.
“Silence!”
Madam Meta’s sharp command instantly crushed the chatter.
Every pirate turned toward the “queen” of the Great Shark and fell quiet.
“Second, we’re currently severely understaffed. Starting tomorrow, I’ll need everyone to shoulder additional duties to keep the ship functioning. The next time we make landfall, I’ll arrange for another recruitment of new crew members.”
Why hadn’t she said anything about promotions?
What about choosing new first mates?
That question was on the mind of every ambitious veteran in the room.
Furuta was especially concerned.
He was already regarded as one of the stronger fighters aboard the ship.
There were probably no more than a handful of pirates who could confidently defeat him.
On top of that, he had deliberately built a good relationship with Kuroba, the captain’s newly favored apprentice.
In Furuta’s mind, his chances of becoming a first mate were higher than most.
The ordinary pirates, meanwhile, didn’t care about any of that.
They were too busy celebrating their newfound wealth.
“Kuroba. Come with me.”
Madam Meta spoke just before leaving.
Under the envious gazes of the other pirates, Kuroba calmly rose and followed her.
Before disappearing through the doorway, he caught Furuta’s hopeful gaze.
Kuroba gave him a subtle nod.
…
Kuroba followed Madam Meta through the dark corridor.
Before long, they reached the meeting room.
The door opened.
Kuroba stepped inside— and his jaw dropped.
“My god…”
Stacks upon stacks of cash covered the conference table.
Beside them sat baskets filled with Poké Balls.
Kuroba’s heart began pounding embarrassingly fast.
He swallowed.
For just a moment, naked greed flashed through his eyes.
He was only a small-time pirate, after all.
He had never seen this much money in his life.
“There has to be tens of millions here, right? And those Poké Balls… are all of them Pokémon we captured?”
He was so stunned that he forgot to address Madam Meta respectfully.
Fortunately, she didn’t care.
The corners of her lips curved upward.
She was clearly in an excellent mood.
She genuinely liked this young apprentice and had never been stingy when teaching him.
“That’s right. The enemy ship’s storage hold contained quite a few valuable things. We salvaged what we could in time, but some of it still sank.”
Madam Meta stepped toward the table, picked up a stack of bills, and lightly inhaled.
Ah, the unique charm of money.
“Kuroba. This is your share.”
She handed him two thick stacks of cash.
At a rough estimate, they totaled at least one million League Dollars.
Kuroba accepted them respectfully with both hands.
“Thank you, Teacher.”
Madam Meta immediately noticed the change in how he addressed her.
She gave her young apprentice a meaningful look. This story is hosted at g.com.
“You have considerable talent. Your memory and comprehension are both first-rate, and those are indispensable qualities for an excellent Pokémon Breeder.”
She praised him first.
Then her tone changed.
“But I want you to understand the importance of choosing your path. Do you intend to become a powerful Pokémon Trainer, or an outstanding Pokémon Breeder?”
Madam Meta leaned back in her chair and crossed her long legs.
Kuroba immediately lowered his gaze rather than stare.
“Madam Meta, if you truly believe I’m talented, then I think I should at least try to live up to that praise.”
He raised his head again.
His determined eyes met hers without wavering.
“I want to advance down both paths—as a Trainer and as a Breeder. And as your apprentice, I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me.”
Madam Meta stared at his face.
For some reason, certain features reminded her faintly of the child she had lost when he was still young.
Her expression softened.
Then she came back to herself and laughed quietly.
“You little smooth-talker. You always know exactly what to say.”
She paused.
“Very well. Starting today, you’re officially my student. You’re no longer merely an apprentice.”
Kuroba’s eyes lit up.
He immediately performed a formal bow.
“Student Kuroba greets his teacher!”
Madam Meta walked over to a bookshelf and retrieved an old notebook.
“This contains the notes I made when I was studying. Consider it my gift to you upon formally accepting you as my student. Study it carefully. I hope you’ll become a true Pokémon Breeder as soon as possible.”
Kuroba accepted it carefully.
The elegant handwriting and slightly curled corners of the pages made it obvious that this wasn’t a copy.
It was Madam Meta’s original handwritten notebook.
The two continued talking afterward.
Kuroba asked about problems he had encountered during his recent studies, as well as questions that had arisen while raising his Pokémon.
Madam Meta patiently answered them one by one.
The relationship between teacher and student grew noticeably closer.
Only after Kuroba left did Madam Meta sit back on the bench and gently rest one hand against her forehead.
“Furuta, huh?”
She thought for a moment.
“He isn’t a bad candidate. I suppose I can consider him…”
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