Pokémon Breeder In One Piece!

July 7th, the seventh day of the beta test.

In just seven days, over two hundred players out of the fifty thousand had perished.

Among them, 20 to 30 were suicides, 70 to 80 were killed by wild monsters or guards, and the rest had died either directly or indirectly at the hands of other players.

All the quests on the first floor had been completed, and most of the monsters had been wiped out. For now, most players had little to do but wait for midnight when the monsters would respawn.

After today, grinding monsters would be the only way to level up.

However, there were other activities available, such as improving one's proficiency in sub-classes. Many players, unwilling to risk their lives fighting monsters but still needing income, focused on perfecting a sub-class skill to make money.

In the forest near the Starting Town.

A player cloaked in a gray-and-black hooded cape was walking through the woods, clutching a piece of paper.

Since the monsters in this forest had mostly been cleared out by other players, she moved about without much caution, her eyes scanning the surrounding trees for something.

"'Forest Bee Honey.' I remember there used to be forest bees around here," Asuna murmured, glancing at the recipe in her hand.

Her sub-class was "Chef," though she didn't intend to use it to make money. Cooking was simply her hobby, both in this game and in real life, where she loved making meals to improve her diet.

Right now, she was searching for an ingredient to make [Honey Bread].

From talking to other players, Asuna had learned that "Forest Bee Honey" wasn't a drop item but a gatherable material hidden in forest bee nests, requiring players to search and harvest it themselves.

This ingredient could fetch 50 currency per unit when sold to NPCs—a decent amount for the first floor.

However, finding it was difficult, as most of the materials had already been collected by other gatherers. Tomorrow, after the monsters respawned, it might be easier to find some, but the forest would likely be crowded with players then.

Asuna didn't want to draw attention to herself or reveal her real identity.

"What now? There's nothing here…"

She sighed, scratching her head through the hood in frustration.

From her inventory, Asuna retrieved a small amount of "Forest Bee Honey," which she had bought from other players. It wasn't nearly enough to meet the recipe's requirements.

Whether or not she made the [Honey Bread] wasn't a big deal, but her perfectionist tendencies nagged at her to taste the finished dish.

On this floor, there weren't many foods that the "Chef" sub-class could make, and [Honey Bread] seemed to be the most appealing one.

Sigh.

Asuna sniffed the golden, translucent honey in her hand, catching a whiff of its sweet fragrance. She had all but given up on finding more today and planned to try again in a couple of days or buy more from other players.

Rustle, crack.

Suddenly, the sound of leaves rustling and a branch snapping above her made her look up.

"Huh?"

Frowning, Asuna felt a sense of foreboding.

A massive, dark blue creature crashed down from above.

'I'm doomed!'

Her eyes widened in terror as her body froze. Sweat poured down her face, and her mind went blank as she stood rooted to the spot.

Boom!

With a deafening thud, Asuna hit the ground, her vision briefly going black.

[HP-10]

'That's it?'

Seeing her health bar drop only slightly, she exhaled in relief.

She had thought she'd been ambushed by a powerful elite monster, but it didn't seem so threatening after all.

"Wait—yikes!"

Just as Asuna began to rise, she realized her hand had landed in something sticky and slimy. Worse, it was being sucked with surprising force.

She shrieked, leaping up and slapping away whatever was holding her hand. Drawing her rapier, she pointed it at the creature's head.

"What... a Pokémon?"

She froze in surprise as she finally saw the creature clearly.

Standing before her was a massive beetle-like Pokémon with a sharp horn gleaming dangerously—a clear sign of its strength.

[Heracross].

The green name above its head indicated it wasn't hostile.

Lately, she had heard about a new group of players with the "Trainer" sub-class, each owning a Pokémon to help them in combat. These players leveled up faster than others.

However, in her seven days of gameplay, Asuna hadn't encountered any "green-name monsters." Word was that most Pokémon on the first floor had already been contracted by players.

"..."

She sheathed her rapier and looked again at the Heracross.

The big beetle, now nursing the cheek she had slapped, stood pitifully still, clearly too scared to move. Yet its longing gaze was fixed on her hand, where the honey had been.

Asuna followed Heracross's gaze to her sticky hand and immediately understood what had happened.

The "Forest Bee Honey" she carried had attracted this Pokémon.

Normally, this Pokémon would stay in the treetops, which was likely why players hadn't found it before.

"You, you..."

Asuna opened her mouth, ready to scold it, but the sight of its pitiful expression softened her heart.

"Forget it," she sighed.

She reminded herself that Pokémon were just data, albeit highly intelligent ones. Scolding it would be pointless. Besides, Heracross's adorable demeanor made her reluctant to stay mad.

"Heracross~"

Thinking Asuna had forgiven it, Heracross rushed over and started licking her hand to get at the honey.

"..."

Asuna's expression turned to that of a tired parent dealing with a mischievous child.

Still, she let the Pokémon have its way, sighing as it eagerly cleaned her hand.

"Heracross~"

Once it finished, the Heracross beamed at her, then leapt into the treetops.

"That glutton..."

She stomped her foot in irritation, feeling abandoned.

But soon, she realized she had misunderstood.

Heracross returned, carrying a pile of assorted fruits, which it dropped at her feet.

"For me?"

Asuna looked at the variety of fruit, perfect for making jams, and felt a bit guilty for her earlier reaction.

"Heracross."

The beetle nodded enthusiastically, then stepped forward to hug her, nuzzling her chest affectionately.

"Do you want to be my Pokémon?"

Raising an eyebrow, Asuna smiled as she sensed the creature's fondness for her.

"Heracross!"

Its response came in the form of a tight hug, refusing to let go.

"Alright, then," Asuna chuckled.

For the first time in seven days, she felt genuinely happy.

Even though Heracross was just game data, it was a loyal companion she could trust completely—unlike human players who might betray her. Most importantly, she wasn't alone anymore.

Opening her inventory, Asuna used the [Diamond Contract].

[Congratulations on obtaining the sub-class "Trainer."]

[Congratulations on capturing the Pokémon "Heracross."]

Heracross (Male)

Level: 7

Type: Bug, Fighting

Skills: Tackle, Leer, Push, Fury Attack

Stats: HP 600, MP 100, Attack 10, Defense 40, Special Attack 5, Special Defense 30, Speed 10

Trainer: Asuna

"Wow, its HP and Defense are so high. Is it a tank-type Pokémon? But its skills seem geared toward offense. Did it misallocate its stats?"

Asuna examined the Pokémon's stats while holding it like a big child.

At level 7, Heracross's total stats were only one-fifth of hers, but as a rapier-wielding speedster, her own stats were evenly spread, leaving her defensively weak compared to Heracross.

"Heracross~"

The Pokémon suddenly rubbed its belly, signaling hunger.

"You little glutton!"

She poked its forehead before leading it back toward Starting Town.

"Heracross~"

Before she could walk far, Heracross scooped her up and spread its translucent wings.

"Wait, wha—ahhh!"

Without warning, it took off, carrying her high into the sky toward town.

'So it's not just a companion but also a mount?'

Looking down, Asuna felt dizzy and quickly shut her eyes.

Heracross's low speed stat made the flight slow, but after thirty minutes, they arrived.

When they landed, Asuna collapsed to her knees, trembling too much to stand despite Heracross's efforts to help her.

That evening.

In town, Madara made an announcement:

"Two days from now, we will challenge the first-floor boss. Players level 6 and above who wish to participate, gather at the coliseum in the northern part of town by 9 a.m."

(End of Chapter)

[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/zaelum]

[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[Thank You For Your Support!]