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"Hey! Koffing, stop sleeping!" a voice called out.
Koffing, nestled comfortably in his blanket, trembled slightly and involuntarily released a small puff of gas. The little guy didn't think much of it and continued to sleep.
"Really, you always release gas in your sleep," the voice continued.
Gradually, Koffing woke up. Opening his eyes, he saw that the air around him was filled with a mix of white and purple gas. He snapped awake, realizing he had lost control of his gas emission while sleeping.
"Koffing..." Koffing felt downcast and snuggled deeper into his blanket, reluctant to come out.
"Come on, get up and wash up. Ekans and Meowth are already waiting for you at the door," the voice urged.
"Koffing." Hearing that his friends were waiting, Koffing quickly emerged from his blanket. He didn't want to keep his hard-won friends waiting.
As he left his bed, the first thing Koffing saw was Smoker with a cigar in his mouth. Smoker was in a semi-smoking state, only holding the cigar without lighting it whenever Koffing was around.
Though the Pokémon Research Department had assured him that secondhand smoke wouldn't harm Koffing, Smoker, distrustful of the department since his training days, didn't take chances.
"Koffing~" Koffing affectionately floated over and nuzzled into Smoker's arms.
Smoker skillfully picked Koffing up and took him to the bathroom. He grabbed a purple towel, dampened it, and roughly wiped Koffing's face.
"Koff~ing~" Koffing, accustomed to Smoker's rough methods, didn't mind the harsh rubbing.
"Rinse your mouth," Smoker said, rinsing the towel and putting it back in place. He then handed Koffing a green cup of water.
Originally, the towel had been green, symbolizing health. However, Koffing had turned it purple on the first night.
"Gulp."
"I've told you so many times, don't swallow the mouthwash!" Smoker scolded, patting Koffing's head.
"Koffing~" Koffing grinned foolishly.
"Never mind, go outside now. You promised Ekans and Meowth you'd go buy fruit today," Smoker sighed, carrying Koffing to the door.
Opening the door, Smoker found no humans, but two Pokémon waiting outside: an ordinary Ekans and a peculiar Meowth standing upright.
"Koffing~" Seeing his friends, Koffing eagerly floated out of Smoker's arms and greeted them.
The three Pokémon chatted excitedly, seemingly discussing their activities from the previous day.
"Alright, you all go have fun. If you run into any trouble, seek help from the nearby marines," Smoker advised, not understanding how different species of Pokémon communicated but trusting their bonds.
He handed Koffing a small pouch and closed the door, confident that nothing dangerous could happen in Marineford, teeming with marines and their families.
Koffing, Ekans, and Meowth headed toward the commercial street beside the marine base. Today's mission was to buy some fruit, with Smoker having given Koffing money the day before.
"Koffing~" Koffing proudly displayed his purple pouch to his friends.
"Ekans~" Ekans showed her pink pouch, wrapped around her tail, a gift from her trainer, a female marine fond of pink, who had hand-painted Ekans's likeness on it. Koffing envied her, but his trainer wasn't good at drawing.
"Meow~" Meowth turned to show his backpack, a human child's bag. The three young Pokémon made their way to the fruit store, a common sight in Marineford.
"Koffing~" Koffing asked his friends where they could buy fruit.
"Ekans~" Ekans shook her head, unsure.
"Meow!" Meowth patted his chest confidently, leading the way to a fruit store on the commercial street.
"Hey there, Meowth, brought your friends today?" the kind-looking shopkeeper, an elderly lady, greeted them warmly.
"Meow~" Meowth rubbed against her pant leg affectionately.
"Good boy. Here, take these dates and share them with your friends," she said, crouching to pat Meowth's head.
Koffing and Ekans hesitated outside the shop, trained in good manners. Meowth returned with the dates and shared them, feeding each of his friends since they had no hands.
"Such good children. Come in, let me see you," the elderly lady invited, her poor eyesight making it hard to see them clearly.
Koffing and Ekans hesitated, worried about scaring her with their unusual appearances.
"Meow~" Meowth shook his head, nudging his friends inside. He knew she wouldn't mind.
"Oh my, you two look quite unique," she remarked, fearlessly patting their heads.
"Koffing~"
"Ekans~"
The two Pokémon relaxed, handing her their pouches to take the money while they chose the fruit with Meowth.
The elderly lady watched them fondly, listening to their chatter and enjoying the warm sunlight on her face.
She remembered a time when a giant marine often visited, claiming to be her late son's superior.
Though he no longer came, she found comfort in the company of these young Pokémon, recalling his words: "The sea is vast, and life is never truly lonely."
Elsewhere, in the Marine Headquarters, high-ranking officers discussed a serious matter: how to handle their relationship with the Pokémon Alliance. The World Government had issued a bounty on members of the Pokémon Alliance, including:
- Dak, Leader of the Pokémon Alliance, 3 billion berries
- Sceptile, the 'Konoha Emperor,' 1 billion berries
- Darkrai, the 'Nightmare King,' 1 billion berries
- Giratina, the 'King of the Underworld,' 2 billion berries
The World Government had somehow learned about the exhibition match and valued Giratina higher than Sceptile and Darkrai.
"You must have noticed by now, those arrogant fools have started recognizing the threat posed by the Pokémon Alliance. Issuing such high bounties is unprecedented in our eight-hundred-year history. This time, remaining inactive will be difficult unless we completely sever ties with the World Government," Sengoku stated, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.
The officers present were trusted individuals advocating for a change in allegiance.
"We should wait and see what Dak plans to do," Tsuru suggested, supporting her head with her hands and feeling an impending sense of significant change.
(End of Chapter)