Pokémon Breeder In One Piece!

"Could it be... that's a Pokémon?"

Kirito immediately guessed the possibility.

He had seen Madara and Izuna's Pokémon before. If placed in the wild, they could easily be mistaken for wild monsters.

But 'Cynthia' had once mentioned that Pokémon were friendly creatures, some of the best companions for players. It wasn't strange for them to have green names.

The most important clue was this:

He had asked Klein earlier, and Klein also had a [Diamond Contract] in his inventory.

This meant that this item was likely a default starting tool for every player.

Fifty thousand players, fifty thousand Diamond Contracts—did this imply that every player had the potential to become a Trainer?

And if being a Trainer required owning a Pokémon, did that mean there were at least fifty thousand Pokémon in the game?

Considering all of this, Kirito quickly deduced that the [Rattata] he saw earlier was likely a Pokémon.

"I need to find a Pokémon in the future," Kirito resolved.

He recalled the [Darkrai] and [Arcanine] used by Madara and Izuna.

In battles, they offered exceptional support, often far more reliable than clumsy teammates.

According to information Cynthia shared during the beta test, even among Pokémon of the same species, there were significant individual differences, especially in personality.

However, in terms of strength, all Pokémon were balanced and had no major disparities, at least compared to the real world.

Like players, all Pokémon started with the same base stats, and their enhancement points per level were identical.

But Kirito had no time to focus on wild Pokémon now. His priority was to grow stronger in this death game.

Pokémon could wait until later.

"I wonder if those three are also trapped in the game," Kirito muttered, a hint of worry in his voice.

He hadn't seen any sign of them at the teleport plaza.

Although disappointed, he wasn't surprised.

Since he was using his real appearance in the game, it was likely that the others were too.

With appearances and names changed, recognizing each other would be nearly impossible.

Still, Kirito believed that if the three had entered the game, he would find them eventually.

For most players, this death game was set to Hell Mode, but for those three, it might as well be Normal Mode.

While others struggled to survive, those three would likely be having fun.

Kirito knew how strong they were. They would inevitably attract attention and become famous among players. He planned to keep an eye out for any news about them.

While players scattered to their respective destinations, Dak was already settled in the Starting Town, biding his time.

In the original story, it had taken players two months to clear the first floor, the longest time spent on any level. The delay was largely due to psychological barriers and the lack of organization. Things improved after that.

Now, with five times the number of players, even with increased monster difficulty, the timeline was bound to shorten.

If players acted swiftly and utilized the existence of Pokémon, clearing the first floor might take just over a week.

In the outskirts of the Starting Town, within a small, inconspicuous shop...

"Let's see if any players show up," Dak muttered, grinning as he reviewed a newly created quest.

Barely an hour had passed since Kayaba Akihiko's performance ended.

Some players were still in shock, overwhelmed by fear and uncertainty.

Others, with strong minds and quick thinking, had already moved to nearby towns to take on quests, much like Kirito.

The reason they avoided competing for quests in the Starting Town was simple—quests here would be gone within a day or two.

Unlike monsters, quests weren't renewable unless they were Daily Quests. Even then, daily quests only provided minimal rewards and experience, insufficient for most players.

Beta testers, armed with knowledge of quests and monster locations, held a clear advantage.

Among the remaining players were those who were mentally strong but lacked gaming experience. These individuals stayed in the Starting Town, scrambling for whatever resources they could find.

Meanwhile, Dak played the role of a rare Hidden NPC, capable of offering special quests.

If the number of players were smaller, it might have taken days for someone to find Dak in his obscure location.

But with 45,000 players in the Starting Town, at least 15,000 had already started exploring, increasing the likelihood of discovery.

The creak of a wooden door broke the silence.

The visitor hesitated at the sound, unsure whether to turn back and search elsewhere.

After a brief moment of internal struggle, she decided to step inside.

"Hello, excuse me..."

Silica entered the shop, spotting a green-haired NPC sitting behind the counter.

From behind, it was hard to tell if the NPC was male or female.

She glanced around the sparsely decorated shop, instantly regretting her decision.

The empty shelves suggested there was nothing worthwhile to be found here.

Still, she had no other choice. The chaos outside was unbearable.

While SAO prohibited direct combat in safe zones, shoving was still possible. In the scramble for quests, players were aggressively pushing each other.

Although Silica was small and could technically push back, she didn't dare.

Her real-world experience as a physically weaker girl made her hesitant to retaliate, even though stats in the game were equalized.

Similarly, male players perceived her as weak and easy to overpower.

This subconscious bias would take a month or two to fade as players became fully familiar with SAO's mechanics.

Unable to compete in the bustling town center, Silica wandered to the outskirts, hoping for a stroke of luck.

"Welcome, adventurer."

'That was fast... Isn't this Kirito's admirer from the original story?'

Dak turned around, momentarily surprised to see Silica.

In the original story, Silica's real name was Keiko Ayano, a rare Beast Tamer. Players called her the "Dragon Tamer" due to her companion, Pina, a small blue dragon named after her real-world cat.

Pina resembled Pokémon in many ways, though it was merely data without self-awareness.

"Uh, is there anything I can help with?" Silica asked nervously.

She was momentarily distracted by how stunning the NPC was.

In SAO, NPCs with high charisma were rarely ordinary. They were usually key figures, whether heroes or villains.

However, this wasn't the time to be starstruck.

"Of course. I'm in a bit of a bind," Dak said, resting his chin on his hand with a dramatic sigh.

"Please, let me help you!" Silica clasped her hands eagerly.

Finally, a chance to take on a quest!

"Do you know about Pokémon?" Dak asked, glancing at her.

"Huh? Yes, I do!"

Silica nodded after a moment of thought.

Although she wasn't a beta tester, she had followed news about SAO's beta phase and knew about Trainers and Pokémon.

In SAO, Pokémon functioned like companions or pets in other MMORPGs.

She had heard rumors from beta testers that Pokémon were incredibly rare and only three players had managed to acquire them during the beta.

"Could this be a rare Pokémon quest?!"

Excitement replaced Silica's earlier despair.

If she could acquire a Pokémon, her chances of survival in this game would significantly improve.

"Great, that saves me some explaining. Take a look at this," Dak said, pulling out a map of the first floor.

Silica's eyes widened in shock.

Even the Labyrinth Zone was clearly marked, a stark contrast to the blacked-out maps available to players.

From that moment, Silica realized this NPC was no ordinary character.

A Hidden NPC!

Given the obscure location of the shop, Silica's suspicions only deepened.

(End of Chapter)

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