Chapter 98

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When Dak arrived at the Marine base, he found the situation to be more chaotic than he had anticipated.

Fletchling were pecking at a Marine's head.

Ekans hatchlings were slithering into a Marine's pants in search of their kin.

Some Marines were getting poisoned and collapsing, foaming at the mouth while trying to cuddle Nidoran hatchlings.

Far away, a young Onix was gnawing at the walls of the Marshal's office.

A newly born Rhyhorn was rampaging across the plaza.

A Phanpy calf gently swung its trunk, sending a trainer who tried to cuddle it flying.

An energetic Elekid was swinging its arms rapidly, discharging electricity all around.

Dak even saw some familiar faces.

For instance, Smoker was trying to prevent his Koffing from releasing gas; Hina was proudly showing off her Meowth; T-Bone was attempting to communicate with a Wimpod.

The scene was utterly chaotic, and Dak could hardly bear to watch.

"It's got nothing to do with me."

Dak looked around, shaking his head at the beleaguered Marines.

He had warned Sengoku and his group early on: each species of Pokémon has its own temperament, and with so many Pokémon hatchlings born at once, chaos at Marineford was inevitable.

However, it seemed.

These prospective trainers appeared to be very responsible and patient individuals, enduring their Pokémon's antics without losing their tempers or thinking of giving up. They were all brainstorming ways to better get along with their Pokémon.

Zephyr and Kuzan had made good choices.

"Dak, what do we do now?"

At that moment, Kuzan, who had noticed Dak's arrival, came up to him.

Kuzan was already sweating profusely, looking completely flustered; he would have preferred chasing after Whitebeard instead.

"Get some tasty food, drinks, toys, and such—treat them like human babies for now, then adapt based on the unique traits of each Pokémon."

Raising Pokémon hatchlings isn't an exact science; it's a necessary path.

Anyone who has raised Pokémon hatchlings has had to go through this torturous process. Over time, most Pokémon quickly grow and become more stable, though a few may become increasingly unreliable.

This change is most noticeable during Pokémon evolution; sometimes, evolution can significantly alter a Pokémon's personality.

Gulpin evolving into Swalot, Slakoth into Vigoroth—these are classic examples of evolution changing personalities.

Then, led by a messenger, Dak entered a secluded room.

Inside, he could see all the people he had taught busily at work.

Each member of the science team had a computer in front of them, rapidly registering the newly born Pokémon hatchlings into a database.

Then the logistics team, using this database and the information previously collected from the Pokédex, prepared some potentially useful items.

Lastly, the biology team delivered these items to the respective trainers, instructing them on how to care for their specific Pokémon hatchlings.

Overall, things were orderly.

However, the knowledge these people possessed wasn't extensive, so their efforts were somewhat rudimentary.

When they saw Dak arrive, they all looked relieved.

Dak spent the entire day in that room, answering questions and watching as people recorded the information he provided on their computers.

Every Pokémon species had its own file.

Just as Dak had expected, as soon as they got their hands on the Pokédex, they compiled all the information into a system.

As for now, that Pokédex was probably gathering dust in the Marshal's office or somewhere else.

The only valuable information in the Pokédex was about Pokémon; besides that, it was just a symbol of 'VIP' status, with no other use.

Dak wondered if Sengoku would let someone else study the Pokédex.

He hoped not.

By doing so, the Marines would gain nothing of value apart from some useless items, and they would lose their 'VIP' symbol for nothing; there was no such thing as reissuing that status with Dak.

If they wanted to regain 'VIP' status, they'd have to spend another hundred million Belly.

If not, they could just watch others enjoy the benefits.

By evening, Dak decided to leave.

He knew that even by night, Marineford wouldn't calm down.

Previously, some Marines were proud of how well-behaved and quiet their Pokémon were. Dak glanced at them and thought to himself that those Pokémon weren't quiet; they were just too tired.

Nighttime was when they became active.

But this was none of Dak's concern; he had already returned to his room to catch up on some sleep.

Over the next few days, Dak did nothing else but focus entirely on nurturing Gardevoir and Mismagius.

Monet and Gardevoir got along very well, seemingly already cuddling together at night like sisters.

Monet and Gardevoir seemed to be able to communicate simply.

As for Sugar and Mismagius, progress was slow.

Although Sugar was eager to build a good relationship and Mismagius didn't mind responding, their compatibility just wasn't very good, so progress was slow.

But this wasn't a big deal, especially since Sugar was still young, and Mismagius had at least a few thousand years of life ahead.

As long as they didn't reject each other, they would eventually become trusted partners.

However, the relationship between Gardevoir and Mismagius was a bit complicated.

Dak now possessed psychic abilities, so he could automatically translate the conversations between Gardevoir and Mismagius.

Once, Gardevoir and Mismagius had a brief exchange.

Gardevoir: "Sister sure is noble."

Mismagius: "What are you pretending to be, a saint?"

Gardevoir: "sob~ sob~, how can sister say such things~"

Mismagius: "You make me sick, you're not worth speaking to."

Dak: "?"

Dak was initially baffled and began to doubt his psychic abilities.

It seemed unlikely that Mismagius would know the term 'saint'; perhaps she had said something similar, and Dak's brain had automatically translated it.

However, in Dak's eyes, both Gardevoir and Mismagius were good kids, from their first impressions to his vague psychic perceptions.

Would such children talk like this?

Thus, Dak often eavesdropped on their conversations afterward.

It's unclear whether Gardevoir sensed Dak's psychic abilities and realized he could overhear their conversations, but they generally refrained from interacting in front of him afterward.

Yet, Dak still sensed from their usual interactions that the relationship between the two Pokémon might not be so good.

But it wasn't bad either.

To say they loved and hated each other might be an overstatement, but it was somewhat like the early dynamics between Zoro and Sanji in the original story.

Dak didn't interfere in this relationship; perhaps letting it develop might lead to a wonderful bond between the two Pokémon.

Dak thought nothing unexpected would happen in the next few days, and he just needed to quietly wait for the day of the exhibition match.

But, unexpectedly, something did happen.

Inside the Hatchery House branch.

"Your entrance is quite unique."

Dak raised an eyebrow at Karasu, who was gradually materializing from ash, floating in bit by bit.

It indeed didn't draw much attention, at least the Marines hadn't noticed, but it was incredibly slow.

Dak waited about twenty seconds on the spot before the man fully formed his figure.

"Sorry for the wait, Manager Dak."

The bald man with a metal beak spoke in a gloomy voice.

This man was Crow, the army commander of the Revolutionary Army's Northern Army, though his identity hadn't been exposed by the World Government yet, and few knew of him in the great seas.

The beak he wore was actually an amplifier; Crow's voice was very soft, so he usually wore an amplifier because he hated people commenting on his quiet voice.

He had been polite, contacting Bon Clay who was out alone before coming here.

Bon Clay relayed the message, leading to today's meeting where Dak waited for him at the branch.

"Since you know my name, you should also know the rules here, right?"

Dak didn't beat around the bush.

At this time, the forces seeking out the Hatchery House, besides for Pokémon, what else could it be for?

Especially a force like the Revolutionary Army, Dak could guess their purpose without even thinking: to leverage Pokémon's power to more smoothly and effectively carry out their operations against the World Government.

"Of course, we don't abandon comrades in arms; you can trust that," Karasu replied confidently.

Dak had no doubts about that.

Dak knew little about Monkey D. Dragon; from the information he had, he respected what the man aimed to achieve but questioned his character.

When he read in the newspaper about 'Sabo killing Cobra', he had said, "If Sabo really killed King Cobra, no matter the reason, I will not forgive him."

Shouldn't a normal person trust their comrade first?

After so many years of fighting against the World Government, didn't he know their favorite tactics?

After fighting together for so many years, didn't he know whether his top officers could do such a thing?

There was no evidence yet, just a mention in the newspaper and he was already shouting?

The saying goes, "Don't employ doubtful people, don't doubt the people you employ." If he didn't trust him, why promote him to second in command of the organization?

To think this is a leader of an organization, commanding countless people's loyalty?

Even someone like Doflamingo, a scoundrel pirate, continued to trust Rosinante until his true nature was completely exposed.

Oda gave this man a grand and mysterious background, but didn't sculpt a matching character for him; not to mention others, even on the global character popularity poll, Kanjuro ranks higher than this guy, which says something.

As for other members of the Revolutionary Army, they were as Karasu described; even in places like Mary Geoise, they didn't abandon their comrades and resolutely began planning to rescue Bartholomew Kuma.

Thus, selling Pokémon to the Revolutionary Army was possible.

Monkey D. Dragon, however, was not.

The most important thing between trainers and Pokémon is trust.

(End of Chapter)