Chapter 153

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No matter how lively the outside pirate world gets, it doesn't affect Pokémon Island.

Currently, Pokémon Island is well-organized. While the changes aren't earth-shattering, they are indeed significant compared to a week ago.

Early Morning in the Residential Area

"Mom, I'm heading out with Shellos!"

A little girl ran out of her house, holding a pink Shellos in her arms. Shellos come in pink and blue, a result of different habitats.

Pink Shellos come from warmer waters, while blue Shellos come from cooler regions. In the Pokémon world, blue Shellos are decreasing due to global warming, while pink ones are increasing.

Since Pokémon Island hasn't implemented a "seasonal change" rule yet, it remains in a warm environment year-round, meaning only pink Shellos appear here.

"Goo-gee."

Shellos wobbled its head. It didn't dislike walking, but it was too slow. Wandering around the park was fine, but daily walks were too exhausting.

"Take it slow, don't buy anything unnecessary!"

The girl's mother called out from the doorway, watching her daughter run off. The girl didn't respond, already heading toward the nearby food street.

"Auntie Mei, two skewers of Water Water Meat, please!"

"Goo-gee."

The girl had already forgotten her mother's advice, asking a nearby vendor for Water Water Meat. Shellos tugged on the girl's clothes, reminding her of her mother's words, but she was too tempted to care.

"Mei!"

A boy called out from behind her. The girl turned to see her neighbor's child.

"Pooh."

The boy was holding a Swirlix. Seeing the girl's Shellos, Swirlix got excited, wriggling in the boy's arms to get closer to its crush. Shellos and Swirlix belong to different egg groups but can still appreciate each other's charm.

"Can't you be more reserved?"

The boy sighed, trying to calm his Swirlix, then hurried over to Mei. "Do you want some Water Water Meat? I can buy it for you."

"No, Mom said not to take things from others. Why are you out today? Didn't your dad tell you to train with Swirlix?"

Mei moved away, a bit annoyed. The boy, Fei, was known for his runny nose, which Mei, who loved cleanliness, couldn't stand.

"How can you say that about Swirlix? You're not reserved either."

Another boy's voice chimed in. This voice was more mature, and his Pokémon was a calm-looking Duskull, also in the amorphous egg group.

"Hi, Xi, you're out today too!"

Mei blushed, seeing the clean and neat Xi, and moved closer. Her Shellos shyly lowered its head at the sight of Duskull.

The relationships here were quite evident.

"My aunt at the Friendly Shop said they'll have a new item called 'Poké Ball' today. It can hold Pokémon for easy carrying."

Xi said proudly, lifting his chin. Mei responded instinctively, mentioning she heard it from her father, making Xi's expression stiff.

"What?! My dad didn't tell me. My mom just sent me shopping for New Year's."

Fei was upset. His dad didn't tell him, missing out on a shared topic with Mei.

"Not just that, but the New Year's event will open Alliance City to visitors. Many from Fishman City will come."

Xi added, glancing at Mei, who looked excited. He was smug, knowing they didn't have this information.

"Wow, there'll be a lot of people then!"

Fei was surprised. Alliance City seemed empty compared to Water 7, even though it had become more populated recently.

"Yeah, Fishman City has millions of people. They've wanted to visit Alliance City for a while."

Mei clenched her fists, eager to see the mermaids she'd only heard about in stories.

"Everyone will celebrate the New Year together. The Alliance Leader recently formed a thousand-member enforcement team to maintain order, and Fishman City will send over ten thousand enforcers."

Xi said with his arms crossed, looking like a little adult.

"By the way, Xi, where's your dad?"

"My dad's not on duty, probably fishing by the sea. Many people fish there now, and he's made a few friends who fish together and sell their catches."

Xi casually revealed a little secret about his dad.

The three kids chatted as they headed towards the Friendly Shop in the north. Along the way, they met new friends, and their Pokémon greeted familiar ones from the park.

Meanwhile

On the sea north of the Alliance base, many fishmen and mermaids were swimming towards Alliance City. Since the sea train wasn't yet built on Pokémon Island, Fishman City residents had to swim if they wanted to visit the land.

This journey was long, taking three to five hours even at fishman speed. The New Year's event would open Alliance City for a week, starting three days before New Year's.

Early in the morning, Fishman City residents, excited and carrying their IDs, swam towards Alliance City. IDs were essential, as they used virtual currency for transactions.

Thousands of fishmen and mermaids could be seen, and this was just the first wave. More were sure to follow.

Alliance City would be bustling. On New Year's, it would host at least a million people, creating a lively atmosphere. Though Alliance City was large, 75% was still undeveloped plains, showing the need for more manpower during such events.

Currently, with branches opening in the Four Seas and the Grand Line, Alliance's members were spread out, overseeing various branches. Only once Dr. Vegapunk's robots were ready would they free up manpower.

For now, a thousand members were allocated for New Year's order maintenance, thanks to the influx of former slaves pledging loyalty after reading the newspaper.

Overview of Alliance City

Alliance City's reserve members totaled about 8,500, with 1,500 official employees. Pokémon Island had 2,000 people; 1,000 for the enforcement team and 1,000 in non-combat departments.

The largest non-combat department, managed by Tesoro, was the financial department, handling revenue from five branches. Next was the medical department, led by Reiju, a significant focus for Dak. He personally recruited many doctors from Drum Island, though he missed Hiluluk and Chopper.

The remaining 8,000 were in the inspection department, led by Bellamy and Gin, ensuring safety and fairness in branch operations. The North and West Seas each had 2,000 members, East Sea 1,000, and South Sea 1,500. Water 7 had 500, and Sabaody Archipelago had 1,000.

Sabaody's numbers seemed low, but it was guarded by Lapras and Sceptile, focusing on covert inspections. Water 7 was almost entirely converted to a Pokémon city, with residents mutually supervising, reducing the need for an inspection team.

Sabaody's 1,000 were led by Jinbei's fishman squad, many from the former Sun Pirates, with combat power equivalent to 3-5,000. Jinbei, a Warlord of the Sea with a 250 million berry bounty, had no rivals on Sabaody.

With most pirates driven to the New World by Alliance and Navy, the Grand Line was now safer than the Four Seas. However, Sabaody still had other bad elements needing attention.

The Pokémon Alliance's development in both the pirate world and Pokémon Island had entered a stable trajectory. Now, they just needed to focus on earning money.

(End of Chapter)