Pokémon Breeder In One Piece!

30th Floor

On October 1st, Kirito and Asuna set out together for a monster hunt. Accompanying them were Sneasel and Heracross.

"Nyuu~"

Sneasel flicked its claws, glancing at the defeated wild monsters it had taken down alone, its mouth curling into a smirk of disdain.

Then, it turned to look behind it.

Kirito and Asuna were blushing, looking away from each other, with nearly a meter of distance suddenly between their shoulders.

Its gaze shifted downward.

"Hee-la~"

Heracross stood right in the middle of Kirito and Asuna, waving cheerfully at Sneasel while holding a honeycomb that Kirito had given it.

"…"

Sneasel turned its head away, reluctant to respond to the big bug.

These two were clearly having a moment, and here Heracross was, wedging itself in like a third wheel.

And on top of that—

I'm over here grinding, while you three are on some kind of honeymoon trip. Should I just leave?

"Heracross, does it taste good?"

Sensing the slightly awkward atmosphere, Asuna quickly bent down to interact with the Pokémon, trying to ease the mood.

"Hee-la~"

Heracross happily nodded and then hugged Kirito's leg tightly.

Kirito gave it food, so Kirito was good!

"You greedy little thing."

Asuna playfully sighed and poked Heracross's horn with her finger.

"Haha, Heracross really acts like a little kid."

Seeing Heracross's pure and simple nature, Kirito couldn't help but smile in admiration. Then, glancing at Sneasel, who was walking ahead alone, he sighed.

"Sneasel isn't like that. Most Pokémon seem as innocent as children, but Sneasel… it's different."

Asuna tilted her head curiously.

"Different how? From what I've seen, a lot of Pokémon—like Skitty, Bulbasaur, and Makuhita—are all playful like kids."

"Sneasel… isn't like most Pokémon. It's mature, calm, almost like an adult. My master scolds me way more than it scolds Sneasel."

"Maybe it just matured early…?"

Asuna wasn't entirely convinced.

"We still don't fully understand Pokémon. There are a lot of unknowns about them."

"That's true. But one thing's for sure—these little ones must have come from a peaceful world, free of worries."

Asuna nodded, her expression filled with longing.

"I'd love to learn more about Heracross's world…"

She gazed at her Pokémon, who was still happily munching on the honeycomb, and couldn't help but smile.

"Asuna, have you heard of the legendary 101st Floor, Pokémon Paradise?"

Kirito asked, his eyes firm as he watched Sneasel leading the way.

"Yeah, the 'Failed Trainers' talk about it…"

At the mention of that term, Asuna's eyes darkened.

'Failed Trainers'—those who had lost their profession.

In SAO, only one profession could be lost: Trainer.

There were two ways to lose it:

The Pokémon dies, breaking the Diamond Contract.The Trainer and Pokémon break their bond, shattering the contract.

In the first case, the Trainer role remained locked, but in the second, it was permanently lost, as each player only had one Diamond Contract, which was bound to them forever.

"They say the 101st Floor is where all Pokémon originally came from—their true home."

Kirito's gaze shifted from Sneasel's back to Asuna.

"I want to go home. And I want to take Sneasel home too."

"I want to bring Heracross back to its homeland as well."

Ever since she entered this game, Asuna had deeply understood what it meant to be away from home. She wanted to give her Pokémon the chance to return.

"Then… let's walk this path together."

Kirito scratched the back of his head, hesitated, then finally muttered under his breath.

"…"

Sneasel twitched its ears but kept walking forward.

Meanwhile, Asuna froze in place, her face instantly turning red.

"U-uh…"

Just as she was about to respond—

"Hee-la!!"

Heracross suddenly shouted, realizing that it had finished its honeycomb.

The greedy bug wanted more. Without hesitation, it reached out its sticky hands and grabbed Kirito's sleeve.

Kirito & Asuna: "…"

Sneasel: "…"

"Snuee!!"

Sneasel, who had been secretly observing from the front, finally snapped.

It turned around, fuming, and knocked on Heracross's head repeatedly.

Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

"Hee-la~"

Heracross collapsed onto the ground, clutching its head.

"Um… let's just get back to grinding…"

"Y-yeah!"

Kirito, flustered by Heracross's interruption, tried to change the subject. But Asuna didn't let it drop.

Before Kirito could react, he felt a soft, cool hand slip into his own.

Kirito's face turned even redder.

"Snuee."

Sneasel, still pressing Heracross to the ground, gave a satisfied nod.

"Hee-la~"

...

Meanwhile, on the 7th Floor

"I don't have time to play house with you."

Zak shot a glare at the persistent girl following him.

He was busy tracking a Red Player reported by the Wanderers, and this girl was getting in his way.

"I'm not playing."

Yuki mumbled weakly. "I just… want to help."

Zak had saved her, so she wanted to repay the favor. Her guildmates had also encouraged her to help.

"You can't help me. I don't need your help. Stop following me."

"I can help! Or, well… Snubbull can."

Yuki clenched her fists and pointed at the small pink Pokémon beside her.

"…That's your Pokémon?"

"Yes! Her name is Snubbull. She's a very refined and kind lady."

Yuki smiled and crouched down, hugging Snubbull affectionately.

"She's the reason I made it this far."

"Why didn't you have her with you yesterday?"

Zak locked eyes with the pink-faced Pokémon.

He didn't want to judge by appearances, but looking at Snubbull's perpetually grumpy face, he couldn't help but wonder, "Is this thing really not going to bite me?"

"She was badly injured in the forest. Poisoned. She needed a long recovery in the Pokémon Center."

"And you think she can help me?"

"Yes! Snubbull's sense of smell is incredible. We've tracked down many targets thanks to her nose!"

Yuki beamed with pride.

Wild monsters in SAO didn't have a scent system, but players and Pokémon did.

Though every Pokémon in the game had equal access to level-ups and stat points, natural species traits still played a role—just like how Heracross could fly and Onix was naturally massive.

For Snubbull, its exceptional sense of smell was its unique advantage.

"Fine. Let's see what she can do."

Zak pulled an empty vial from his backpack.

"This belonged to the Red Player we're tracking. Should have their scent."

"Snubbull, find them!"

Snubbull sniffed the vial—and within two seconds, it barked excitedly, then trotted off into a nearby alley.

"We found them!"

Yuki turned to Zak, her eyes shining.

Zak nodded and followed after her.

After a wild chase across the 7th Floor's wilderness, they reached a rocky cavern where Snubbull finally stopped, growling at the darkness ahead.

Swish!

From within the shadows, a massive two-handed sword came hurling straight at Snubbull!

"Snubbull!!"

Yuki paled in terror, instinctively lunging forward to shield her Pokémon.

"Stay back."

Zak calmly extended his left arm, blocking Yuki.

With his right, he flung his scythe, intercepting the sword midair and knocking it to the ground.

"Snubbull, get back."

Yuki sighed in relief and quickly pulled her Pokémon into her arms.

"…Wait outside, Yuki."

Zak glanced at her.

He had once thought she was the most timid girl in SAO.

But anyone who would throw themselves in front of a blade for their Pokémon?

They weren't weak.

"Okay. Be careful, Zak."

Hearing her name from him, Yuki froze.

Then she smiled.

Zak exhaled sharply.

"You're lucky. Someone's waiting for me, so I'll make this quick."

Five minutes later, Zak stepped out of the cavern.

"You weren't afraid it'd be someone else coming out instead?"

Zak raised an eyebrow.

"Eh? That never crossed my mind."

Yuki blinked innocently.

"…You're not timid. You're just not very smart."

Chomp!

Snubbull bit his leg.

[HP -10]

"Snubbull! No!"

Yuki quickly pulled it away.

"Hah! This Pokémon is as dumb as you are."

Zak laughed for the first time.

Yuki's eyes widened.

"First time I've seen you smile."

She tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling back.

Zak's breath hitched for a second.

"…Let's go."

"Mm!"

(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!]