Chapter 4: Shave!

"You've got to be kidding me! This is impossible!"

In the heart of Viridian Forest, after a caterpie's mournful cry, the girl in a short skirt standing opposite Akane looked shocked. Then, begrudgingly she handed over a bunch of rewards to Akane.

"As a reward for defeating me, here are these 80 coins."

"And these three Poké Balls~"

"What a generous young lady!"

Akane's eyes sparkled with a gleam reminiscent of Nami, as he eyed the three Poké Balls worth 600 dollars when added together in his hand. But when he looked up again, the defeated girl had returned to her expressionless state, standing coldly under a tree.

"Anyway, thanks for the Poké Balls!"

Akane, who had just escaped from a swarm of bug-catching boys with nothing but some cash, sincerely thanked the girl.

Just then, Luffy, fresh from his battle, walked over. He glanced at the rewards in Akane's hand, then at the girl, and remarked with a puzzled expression:

"The people in this world are so weird. Their Pokémon are weak, yet they insist on battling us... And when we beat them, they just hand over rewards like we're here to rob them."

"What does it matter?" Akane grinned, pocketing the loot in his backpack, the [Bag], and pointed ahead. "Don't worry about the details! This world is full of oddities."

"And victory is just around the corner!"

"Remember, there's a gym in the next town waiting for us!"

Akane painted a rosy picture for Luffy, who, upon hearing the word "gym," immediately got excited, rubbing his hands together. With just a few words, Akane managed to shift his focus.

"A gym, huh? I can't wait any longer~"

Three hours had passed since they entered the game world. Under Luffy's onslaught, every bug catcher, shorts-wearing boy, and wild Pokémon in the forest had turned into bits of experience, fueling Luffy's growth. Altogether, they'd gained a little over a thousand experience points—not much, given the low level of the Pokémon in Viridian Forest, but still more than Luffy would have gained from five or six days of training. Even accounting for the time Akane needed to recharge the game console, they were more than doubling Luffy's progress.

And this was just the beginning. As they ventured into higher-level areas, the experience points would increase exponentially. Akane could already see their bright future.

…

…

"Looks like we're in luck! I think we're finally getting out of this forest!"

After defeating another young bug catcher, Akane noticed a color that didn't match the greenery of the Viridian Forest. As they moved forward, a tall building with a khaki-colored roof and white walls came into view.

Unlike the simple paths in the game, this world's scale and architecture had been enhanced. The Viridian Forest was now lush and expansive, far from something that could be explored in just a few minutes.

The passage building ahead, serving as the forest's exit, stood out impressively against the greenery—its presence a stark contrast to the wild surroundings.

Akane knew that beyond this building lay their target, Pewter City! Anticipation and excitement gleamed in his eyes as he licked his lips.

The game console's battery had less than two hours left. If they hurried, they might complete the Pewter City Gym challenge today and secure the first machine's reward.

"Don't get distracted by the Pokémon along the way, Luffy; time is running out."

"We need to speed up and finish the gym challenge before the game time ends!"

After two years of working together, Luffy quickly grasped the new terms that came from Akane's mouth.

"Speed push? Got it. Leave it to me!"

He grinned confidently, patting his chest.

Suddenly, Luffy extended his arm, coiling it around Akane's body like a nimble snake, pressing down his straw hat with the other hand.

"Then I'll go full speed ahead!"

"Don't worry about me~ Unleash your power, Luffy!"

Akane's expression shifted slightly, knowing what was about to happen, but he still closed his eyes and braced himself.

Luffy wasn't about to hold back. Before Akane could finish speaking, Luffy's feet slammed into the ground with a speed that defied the naked eye.

With an excited murmur, he muttered

"Shave!"

Whoosh!!!

A sharp sound cut through the air as a stunning silhouette shot forward like lightning, slicing through the forest at breakneck speed! The gusts of wind stirred by his rapid movement sent the surrounding flora into a rustling frenzy.

Behind this fleeting shadow was Akane, hanging on by Luffy's rubber arm.

"Ah~ When will I get to fight? I'm done with this crappy ride!"

Feeling the wind's painful pressure against his face, Akane groaned inwardly.

Luffy's method of quick travel was one of the moves Akane had taught him over the past two and a half years. Although calling it "teaching" might be a stretch—Akane had simply relayed what he'd learned from anime, word for word.

Who would've thought that after just mentioning, "By stepping on the ground at high speed dozens of times in an instant, you generate explosive force to move at high speed," Luffy would be sprinting up and down mountains using Shave within a week.

In addition to Shave, Akane had taught Luffy many other things under their current circumstances. For instance, Luffy had already mastered the second and third gears of his devil fruit.

With Akane's help, Luffy had developed his Devil Fruit ability much earlier. After learning about Haki, Luffy, through his own methods, began cultivating basic Observation Haki. Even Armament Haki seemed to be within his grasp.

But Akane believed... As Luffy's trainer, his contribution wouldn't end there!

Although Luffy, this special "Pokémon," didn't have the ability to learn standard Pokémon moves, that didn't mean he couldn't learn them! Akane eagerly anticipated the day when the powers of the Pokémon world and the pirate world would collide, creating something extraordinary!

…

A few minutes later, inertia carried Akane headfirst into the white wall of the exit passage with a resounding bang.

"Damn it! I knew it!!!"

Despite expecting it, Akane couldn't help but curse as he slid down the wall. He had no one to blame but himself.

Rubbing his bruised nose, he quickly got to his feet, thanks to his resilient body, and glared at Luffy.

"How many times do I have to tell you! When braking, control your muscles so you don't toss your passengers out!"

"Sorry, I forgot, hahaha~"

Luffy laughed innocently, showing no signs of remorse, which only made Akane more irritated.

But with time running short, he couldn't afford to waste any more on lecturing Luffy.

"I'll remember this grudge! Next time, stay away from me! Or you'll find out just how cruel I can be!"

Making a mental note in his imaginary little black book, Akane waved Luffy over and headed into the exit passage.

Despite the passage building's grandeur, the inside was relatively simple, with only two NPCs standing far apart in the room.

Ignoring the unimportant NPCs, Akane grabbed Luffy and rushed out of the passage.

"Pewter Gym, here I come!"