"Is this a lie!? This is impossible!"
In the lush Viridian Forest, as a Caterpie screeched, the girl in the short skirt standing opposite Red's group wore a look of disbelief. Moments later, she pulled out a bundle of rewards and began stuffing them into Red's hands.
"As a reward for defeating me, I'll give you these 80!"
"And here—take these three Poké Balls too!"
"What a generous young lady!" Red muttered, staring at the three Poké Balls worth 600 pokedollars now resting in his hands. His expression shifted, taking on a distinctly Nami-like gleam, as golden light flashed in his eyes.
When he looked up again, the short-skirted girl had already returned to her blank, expressionless demeanor, standing silently under a nearby tree.
"Anyway, thanks for the Poké Balls!"
Red, who had recently escaped a swarm of bug-catching boys with nothing to show for it but a little cash, sincerely thanked her.
At that moment, Luffy approached, having just finished his own battle. His curious gaze landed on the reward in Red's hands before flicking to the stoic girl. With a puzzled look, he turned to Red.
"People in this world are so weird! Their Pokémon are weak, but they still force us to battle them. And when they lose, they reward us! It feels like we're just robbing them."
Red grinned, slipping the rewards into his trusty backpack and pointed toward the path ahead.
"Don't sweat the details, Luffy. Every world has its quirks." His voice grew more excited. "And besides, our victory's just ahead! Don't forget, there's a gym waiting for us in the next town!"
The mention of the gym immediately caught Luffy's attention. His earlier confusion melted into eager anticipation.
"A gym? I can't wait!"
With just a few words, Red had skillfully shifted Luffy's focus.
Three hours had passed since the crew entered the game world. Under Luffy's unstoppable momentum, Caterpie's, Weedle's, bug-catching boys, and even the infamous shorts-wearing trainers had all been swept away.
Every encounter added bits of experience points to Luffy's total.
Altogether, the experience they earned hovered around the early 1,000s—not an extraordinary amount. After all, the wild Pokémon in the Viridian Forest were fairly low level.
In fact, the NPC battles provided far more experience than the Pokémon encounters. Without them, the gain would have been even smaller.
Still, this was no small feat. The experience they accumulated in just a few hours rivaled what Luffy would gain from five or six days of intense training! Even factoring in the time Red had spent charging the game console, this world offered a pace of growth that was double what they were used to.
And this was just the beginning. As they ventured further, the Pokémon levels would rise, and the experience from each victory would increase exponentially.
Red couldn't help but smile, seeing the bright future ahead.
"Looks like we're in luck! I think we're finally getting out of this forest!"
After another win against a bug-catching boy, Red noticed something unusual in the distance—an unfamiliar color breaking the monotony of the forest's green.
As they moved closer, a tall building came into view. Its khaki roof and white walls stood out starkly against the lush greenery.
Unlike the simple exits seen in the games, this passage building had been enhanced with impressive details in this world.
The Viridian Forest itself was no longer the brief jaunt of the original game but had become a sprawling, vibrant expanse. And now, the exit before them—a grand structure surrounded by towering trees—seemed to declare itself as their gateway forward.
Of course, Red knew that once they passed through the building ahead, their destination would be right in front of them—Pewter City!
Thinking of this, he subconsciously licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with excitement and anticipation.
The remaining battery on the game console only gave them less than two hours of playtime. If they hurried, they might just make it to the Pewter Gym today and claim the reward for their first badge!
With this in mind, Red quickly reminded Luffy:
"Ignore the Pokémon on the roadside, Luffy. Time is running out." His tone was firm. "We need to speedrun and finish the gym challenge before the game ends!"
After two years of adventuring together, Luffy had grown accustomed to Red's occasional use of unfamiliar words.
"Speedrun!? I get it! Leave it to me!" Luffy grinned, patting his chest confidently.
Without waiting, Luffy extended his arm, wrapping it around Red like a coiled snake, his other hand firmly pressing his straw hat down.
"Alright, I'll move us forward at full speed!"
"No need to worry about me—just go all out, Luffy!"
Even though Red had an idea of what was coming, he braced himself. He shut his eyes and shouted with determination.
Luffy, unsurprisingly, showed no restraint.
Before Red could finish speaking, Luffy's legs were already blurring, moving faster than the eye could track. He whispered, excitement laced in his voice:
"Soru!"
Whoosh!
A sharp sound tore through the air as a streak of motion shot forward like a bolt of lightning, zipping through the dense forest at breakneck speed. Flowers, trees, and grass swayed wildly from the powerful gust of wind in their wake.
Trailing behind this blur was a red-clad figure, flailing helplessly as he clung to Luffy's stretched-out arm.
"Ugh?" Red groaned internally, feeling the wind sting his face. "I never want to ride this crappy car again!"
Luffy's high-speed movement was a technique Red had taught him over the past two and a half years. Or rather, Red had described it to Luffy as he remembered it from anime.
Back then, all he said was: "In an instant, step on the ground dozens of times at high speed to create an explosive reaction force."
To Red's shock, just a week later, Luffy was zipping across mountainsides with ease, using Soru like a pro.
Over time, Red had shared many more techniques with Luffy, including how to develop the Gear Second and Gear Third of his rubber powers. Luffy, driven by boundless enthusiasm, had refined his Devil Fruit abilities faster than Red ever imagined.
Even after Red explained the concept of Haki, Luffy had managed to train his Kenbunshoku Haki to a basic level on his own. His progress with Busoshoku Haki was slower, but it was clear he was on the right path.
Red believed there was much more he could teach Luffy. After all, as Luffy's self-proclaimed "trainer," this was just the beginning.
And while Luffy's status as a "Pokémon" didn't seem to have skill-based upgrades, Red was confident that combining the powers of the Pokémon world and the pirate world would lead to something incredible.
The possibilities were endless, and Red couldn't wait to see the results!
A few minutes later...
Red's body slammed into the white wall of the exit passage with a dull thud.
"Damn it! I knew this would happen!" he yelled as he slid down the wall.
Although he'd braced himself for the impact, Red couldn't hold back his frustration. Rubbing his now-red nose, he stood up and glared at Luffy.
"How many times do I have to tell you?! Control your speed when braking so you don't fling the passenger into the wall!"
"Oops! Sorry, I forgot! Shishishi!" Luffy chuckled sheepishly, grinning like he hadn't done anything wrong.
Red felt his teeth clench in irritation, but time was too tight to waste lecturing Luffy. Instead, he mentally noted, 'You're lucky I'm in a hurry. But don't think I'll forget this! You're going to regret it someday.'
With a sharp huff, Red waved for Luffy to follow and marched into the exit passage.
Though the passage building looked grand from the outside, the inside was surprisingly sparse. Two NPCs stood far apart in the spacious room, seemingly uninterested in anything but their scripted lines.
Red ignored them entirely. Grabbing Luffy by the arm, he sped toward the exit.
"Pewter Gym, here we come!"