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Mihawk's anticipation for his own Pokémon was beyond what a normal person could comprehend.
He either drifted at sea seeking amusement or stayed home to daze off and nap.
At this stage of his life, pure training hardly improved his swordsmanship anymore.
Only battle.
Battles of equal strength.
He once had Shanks to alleviate his boredom and help enhance his sword skills, but now, with Shanks, a left-hander, having lost his left arm, his strength greatly diminished, Mihawk no longer found it entertaining to spar with him.
Life became increasingly dull, even for a loner like him, loneliness started to creep in.
The emergence of Pokémon was like a dish suddenly added to a plain bowl of white rice, bringing anticipation and color to his life.
At this moment, Mihawk was squatting on the ground.
And in front of him, the deep yellow egg was slowly starting to deform.
Dak watched the transformation, his eyes gradually widening, a sense of unease growing within him.
When the Pokémon fully appeared, Mihawk looked up at Dak, who awkwardly turned his head away.
"Quack?"
Before Mihawk was a yellow, chubby duckling holding its round head.
Psyduck, one of the three "dimwits" of Pokémon.
Psyduck's pupils were like two dots, its beak flat, with three strands of hair on its head, short thick limbs, and a rotund belly, making it look quite dazed.
Mihawk stared at the duckling, which hardly seemed like a Pokémon that could wield a sword.
His gaze at Psyduck gradually became vacant, unable to imagine his future life with this duckling.
And Psyduck, too, instinctively dazed off, its eyes vacant. This dazing is their way to suppress the psychic powers in their brain.
"Eh, this is Psyduck, a Water-type Pokémon. Although staying in water might be more comfortable for him, being on land is perfectly fine too."
Seeing Mihawk stunned, Dak quickly explained, "Psyduck, you see, is quite a pitiful Pokémon. Their body occasionally generates a mysterious power, psychic energy. When their brain cells become active, their psychic powers strengthen.
However, since they can't control this power, they are almost always plagued by headaches. To suppress the psychic energy, Psyduck often dazes off."
Mihawk picked up Psyduck, not saying much.
Disappointed?
Not really, since it was the Pokémon he chose. He was just slightly let down it wasn't a sword-wielding type.
At least, life was no longer so lonely.
He stood still, deciding to see what kind of Pokémon would hatch for Newgate and Gion.
Gion's egg also finished transforming.
A bouncing brown rabbit with yellow curls appeared.
Buneary.
"So cute!"
Gion joyfully snuggled the little rabbit into her arms.
She had worried about hatching something ugly. Being a girl, she naturally preferred cuter creatures.
Had her egg hatched a Psyduck like Mihawk's, Gion would have been troubled.
"Buneary, a rabbit Pokémon whose mood can be judged by the shape of its ears. Its ears are its most powerful weapon, while its limbs are relatively weak. Remember this when training."
Dak again spoke up, providing a simple introduction.
He thought that, in the future, this type of introduction should be handled by Bon Clay or Robin, letting them study the Pokémon Encyclopedia before explaining to the guests.
And he would focus on completing tasks.
"What type is it?"
Tsuru glanced at Buneary, finding the little rabbit full of vitality.
"Normal."
Dak's response made Tsuru's expression turn somewhat strange.
Understandable.
After all, the Normal type sounds very... normal. Indeed, it can't compare to the strongest attack type, Ground, or the strongest defense type, Steel.
"Can you talk about the strengths and weaknesses of this type?"
Tsuru was concerned about Buneary's future, hoping it could help Gion.
"The Normal type's advantage is that it has no specific weaknesses, but its disadvantage is that it doesn't excel in any area."
Dak smiled, then began to confuse Tsuru.
"Mediocre?"
Tsuru's comment was sharp and to the point.
"Essentially, in terms of resistance, among the eighteen basic types, only one type is weak against Normal, and only one type strongly counters Normal."
"That's exactly what I wanted! As long as Buneary's individual strength is strong, there's no need to worry about type matchups."
Gion was quite satisfied with Dak's explanation.
Unlike her sister Tsuru, she wasn't keen on delving into complex considerations, preferring straightforward battles.
Tsuru had no particular thoughts on the matter, as long as Gion was content.
"Dak, look at this little one; it's been crying non-stop."
Newgate's anxious voice came from the side.
Dak looked over to see that their egg had also hatched.
It was a delicate pink Pokémon with something resembling a braid on its head and three small bumps on its forehead. Its lower body seemed to wear oversized pink pants, looking like a pink oval egg overall.
Happiny.
"Chirp chirp!!!"
At the moment, Happiny sat on the ground bawling its eyes out.
Newgate squatted beside it, looking troubled, almost breaking into a cold sweat.
Blamenco and Rakuyo also looked overwhelmed as they made silly faces, trying to cheer up Happiny.
Dak understood the situation as soon as he saw the Pokémon.
"Find a white, round pebble, about seven to eight centimeters long."
Dak eyed the current height of Happiny, merely 0.3 meters.
"Rakuyo, go find Blenheim!"
Newgate hurriedly sent Rakuyo back to the ship to find such a stone.
With so many crew members, there were naturally collectors of pretty pebbles.
Blenheim, the ninth division commander, was one such person.
Dak could foresee that Blenheim's treasures would inevitably be commandeered by Happiny.
Refuse?
Then you'll have to see if your brothers and dad agree.
Rakuyo was quick and soon brought back a crystal-clear white pebble.
It seemed to have been specially polished, making it very smooth.
"Here you go."
Dak took the pebble from Rakuyo and handed it to Happiny.
"Chirp."
Happiny hugged the pebble.
After looking at it from left to right for a while, it finally showed a happy expression, then tucked the pebble halfway into its pants.
"Whew, Dak, what's going on?"
Seeing the little one stop crying, Newgate finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Happiny, a Normal-type Pokémon. They instinctively try to imitate Chansey by holding an egg in their arms, Chansey being their evolved form. But since they can't lay eggs themselves, they resort to substituting with similar-looking pebbles."
Dak explained briefly, also advising, "This pebble is as important to them as their own egg. If they lose it, they'll cry and make a fuss, so remember to quickly find another one."
Happiny's characteristics were quite clear, simple like a child, with their stone being of utmost importance.
"That's reassuring, then."
Newgate nodded.
He thought of his good son Blenheim.
(The chapter ends)