"Woohoo!"
"I'll take you on another adventure in this magical world!"
The moment they stepped onto the familiar terrain of the Pokémon realm, Luffy immediately burst into his characteristic grin, throwing his arms high above his head in pure celebration.
Then, remembering his promise to "follow Akira's commands in the other world," he quickly turned his eager gaze toward his strategist and vice-captain.
"Akira, can we go find that talking cat trio from last time?!"
"Their performance was so entertaining! I want to see what crazy schemes they'll try next!"
"That's Team Rocket—an evil organization, not entertainment," Akira replied with mild exasperation, though he couldn't completely hide his amusement at Luffy's enthusiasm.
"Huh?" Luffy's expression shifted to genuine confusion. "But they're really funny!"
Akira shot Luffy an unimpressed look before waving him off. "Just... be quiet for a minute. I need to verify something important first."
With practiced concentration, his consciousness shifted inward, and the familiar bright interface that only he could perceive materialized before his mental vision.
Four distinct options arranged themselves neatly across his view: the red [Pokédex], the yellow [Bag], the green [Pokémon], and the purple [Save]...
The [Pokédex] function served as a comprehensive database, recording detailed information about every Pokémon they'd encountered during their virtual adventures. For someone with Akira's analytical nature, it was invaluable for understanding creature behavior patterns and combat strategies, though admittedly it felt redundant given his pre-existing knowledge of the franchise.
[Bag] represented their virtual inventory system, storing items and tools they'd acquired within the game world. Unfortunately, since they'd only recently begun exploring these digital realms, the interface remained frustratingly empty—nothing but potential waiting to be filled.
[Save] functioned as their emergency exit protocol. While their consciousness remained partially anchored to the real world even during these gaming sessions—maintaining awareness of their physical surroundings like players deeply absorbed in an intense game—the save function allowed them to immediately return to reality if any external threats emerged.
And finally, the most important option...
As Akira's mental focus shifted, the [Pokémon] icon began to pulse with soft light.
The interface that appeared was both familiar and surreal—six neatly arranged slots that should have contained his team roster. Five slots remained grayed out and empty, while the first position displayed a miniature cartoon representation of Luffy, complete with his signature straw hat.
Clicking to examine Luffy's status brought up his character sheet, accompanied by the faint background audio of his captain declaring, "I'm gonna be the Pirate King!"
[Pokémon: Monkey D. Luffy][Level: 46][Gender: Male ♂][Nature: Bold (+Defense, -Attack)][Type: Normal/Fairy][Ability: Regeneration (Gradually restores HP and heals injuries outside of combat)][Moves: ——, ——, ——, ——][Experience: 693/6,787]
[HP: 194][Attack: 141][Defense: 156][Special Attack: 121][Special Defense: 135][Speed: 138]
Akira's attention immediately zeroed in on the experience counter, his eyes widening with realization.
"693 points?! That's nearly 200 points higher than when we last logged out!"
A surge of excitement coursed through him as the implications became clear.
"So experience isn't limited to just in-game activities!" he murmured, his analytical mind racing through the possibilities. "Real-world training and battles can also boost Luffy's stats as a Pokémon!"
This discovery represented another crucial piece of the system's puzzle. The boundaries between virtual and reality were far more permeable than he'd initially understood.
Seeing Luffy practically vibrating with barely contained energy nearby, Akira's expression softened into an encouraging smile.
"Alright, Luffy!"
"We've been idle for a full day—time to stretch our legs and get back into the rhythm!"
"Hehe, finally! I've been waiting forever!"
Luffy's laughter rang out as his keen eyes immediately locked onto a small purple rodent that had just emerged from a nearby bush.
It was a classic early-game encounter in the Pokémon universe—a Rattata, with its characteristic sharp front teeth and twitchy movements.
Without hesitation, Luffy blurred into motion, his rubber-enhanced speed allowing him to appear behind the unsuspecting Normal-type as if he'd teleported.
Simultaneously, the game world's mechanics activated, creating a localized battle arena that enveloped both combatants in a shimmering dome of energy.
A similar protective barrier manifested around Akira as well, marking him as a non-combatant observer—another fascinating quirk of this strange fusion between virtual gaming and tangible reality.
This pocket dimension was both authentically real and paradoxically artificial. Real in that Luffy could fight freely using his rubber powers rather than being restricted to traditional Pokémon movesets. Real in that the wild Pokémon possessed genuine intelligence and combat instincts far beyond their simple game AI counterparts, capable of complex dodging patterns and strategic thinking.
But artificial in its rigid adherence to certain gaming conventions—the isolated battle arena that prevented interference from other creatures, and most notably, the floating status bar that materialized above the Rattata's head:
[LV: 5, HP: 21/21]
Additionally, this world lacked the full vibrancy of true life. While every NPC they'd encountered displayed remarkably realistic facial expressions and body language, their conversational abilities remained limited to pre-programmed dialogue trees. They could discuss their assigned topics with surprising depth, but meaningful deviation from their scripted roles proved impossible.
Still... who could complain about such limitations?
As long as this realm could make them stronger, it was a paradise worth treasuring!
"Gomu Gomu no... Pistol!!!"
WHAM!
A rubber-enhanced fist shot forward like a bullet, connecting with the unfortunate Rattata before the creature could even register the threat.
Level 46 versus Level 5—the outcome was never in doubt.
"Squeak~"
The wild Pokémon never stood a chance against such overwhelming force delivered through surprise attack tactics that would make even seasoned pirates proud.
After a single pained cry, the Rattata's eyes transformed into the classic swirling spirals that indicated knockout rather than death—another mercy of the game world's mechanics.
This spiral-eyed state also represented a capture opportunity. While Akira couldn't actually recruit Pokémon to his team—they inevitably transformed into experience points and occasional item drops upon "capture"—the process still provided valuable bonus rewards.
It essentially functioned as a double experience buff for successful encounters.
"Should I capture it, Akira?"
Luffy called out, having quickly grasped the basic mechanics of their virtual adventures.
However, Akira shook his head decisively. "Not worth it. A level 5 Rattata isn't valuable enough to justify wasting a 200-Pokédollar Poké Ball on."
"Let's keep moving forward!"
As the battle arena dissolved around them, Akira caught the brief experience notification that flashed across his awareness:
[Monkey D. Luffy defeated Rattata! Gained: Experience +12]
"Only 12 experience points? That's barely a drop in Luffy's current experience requirements..."
He studied the mental math carefully. "We need to advance the story progression and reach higher-level training areas as quickly as possible."
His mind shifted to strategic considerations. "Luffy's typing is Normal/Fairy, which gives him advantages against Bug, Ghost, Dragon, and Dark-type opponents..."
Understanding type effectiveness was fundamental to success in the Pokémon world. With eighteen different elemental types and complex interaction matrices between them, mastering these relationships could mean the difference between victory and defeat.
As for why Luffy possessed both Normal and Fairy typing, Akira had developed a working theory through careful observation.
The Normal-type classification made perfect sense given Luffy's combat philosophy. He relied on pure physical prowess rather than elemental manipulation or supernatural energies—the most straightforward, primitive form of battle that exemplified Normal-type Pokémon.
The Fairy typing was more intriguing and likely connected to his Devil Fruit abilities. The power written as "rubber" but actually representing the legendary Mythical Zoan fruit of Sun God Nika—such a mysterious, transformative ability being classified as the mystical and unpredictable Fairy-type seemed entirely logical.
"But..."
Akira's expression grew more contemplative as he considered the implications.
"Until Luffy awakens his Nika powers, his fighting style leans heavily toward Normal-type techniques. Normal-types have no offensive advantages against most opponents, and they can't even damage Ghost-types at all..."
"Even with his powerful Regeneration ability providing excellent sustainability, we need to be strategic about our encounters."
"Training Luffy effectively has to be our top priority."
"Only a stronger Luffy can help me clear increasingly difficult content and unlock better rewards from the system!"
A calculating gleam entered Akira's eyes as he contemplated their future progression.
He refused to believe that his unique ability—this miraculous gaming console—existed solely to empower others around him. Logic dictated that somewhere within the system's mechanics lay rewards that would enhance his own capabilities as well.
His intuition insisted that the path to personal advancement would come through completing major story milestones or achieving specific in-game accomplishments. The console was simply waiting for him to prove worthy of its greater secrets.
And to unlock those mysteries, he needed his only available "Pokémon"—Luffy—to become as powerful as possible.
But I absolutely cannot let him become complacent!
Standing back and watching Luffy charge enthusiastically toward a Pidgey with gleeful abandon, Akira's lips curved into a knowing smile.
"Enjoy this world to the fullest, Luffy."
"I hope you never tire of fighting and pushing yourself to new limits!"
"For both your dreams and mine, I'll keep pushing you forward without mercy!"
"Just don't blame me for being such a demanding trainer later~"