Alliance Year 2, January 15th, the day Alliance City officially opened its gates to the contestants.
To enter Alliance City, participants had to present their badge case and undergo a full-body scan for identity verification.
Trainers had to go through this process before every gym challenge to ensure that the person who had earned the badges was the one competing, preventing any wrongdoers from stealing badges or impersonating trainers to enter the competition.
The full-body scanning system, developed by Vegapunk, was highly reliable.
To bypass such a system would require abilities like Bon Clay's Mimic-Mimic Fruit or the transformation techniques from the Ninja World. Even then, the final scan was conducted on Pokémon Island itself, where the powers of Devil Fruits and ninjutsu were nullified. This made the security measures extremely stringent.
At the entrance to Alliance City, a tall, beautiful woman in a cheongsam walked through the gates.
This was none other than the renowned beauty and trainer of the seas, Boa Hancock, the former Shichibukai, still known as the 'Pirate Empress.'
Even on Pokémon Island, Hancock remained the epitome of a stunning beauty. Though she no longer had the power boost from her Mero Mero no Mi (Love-Love Fruit), the aura she had cultivated over the years added to her allure.
From the moment Hancock stepped into Alliance City after the security check, she became a sight to behold.
In the past, anyone daring to check her so thoroughly would have been kicked into a pile of rubble. However, now she endured it patiently, walking alone in her red high heels through Alliance City without uttering a word of complaint. This change in behavior was a testament to how much her personality had evolved—she was no longer as capricious as she once was.
"Yo~"
A green grass snake accompanied Hancock, slithering alongside her.
It was a Serperior, one of the starter Pokémon from the Alliance.
However, Hancock's Serperior had no connection to the breeding groups at the Alliance's facilities. It was a Pokémon she had personally hatched.
"Who would have thought the power suppression rules on Pokémon Island would be this intense? It's been so long since I've felt cold."
Hancock looked up at the sky, watching the delicate snowflakes fall.
Although the snowfall wasn't heavy, the temperature was indeed low.
Even with a heating system in place, Alliance City's temperature was just above ten degrees Celsius, which was rather chilly for Hancock, who wore only a cheongsam.
"Yo~"
Serperior nodded in agreement with Hancock's remark and snuggled closer to her.
For a grass-type and serpent-like Pokémon, such low temperatures were far from friendly. Serperior was feeling both cold and drowsy.
"Why don't you return to your Poké Ball?"
Hancock raised a hand, gently stroking Serperior's chin.
"Yo."
Serperior shook its head.
It could still tolerate this level of cold, but it didn't feel comfortable leaving Hancock alone in a place where their powers were suppressed.
What if some creep tried to approach my beautiful trainer? "Alright, stay with me then."
Hancock didn't argue with Serperior.
Having raised Serperior from a Snivy, she understood its temperament well enough to know arguing was futile.
The pair continued toward the Alliance base.
After walking for about half an hour, Hancock began to feel her feet ache.
"…"
Hancock looked down at her feet.
On the sea, she could fight devastating battles in high heels, yet here on Pokémon Island, she felt so fragile?
For a moment, Hancock felt a sense of vulnerability.
"Onix, come out."
Hancock no longer wanted to walk, deciding instead to let her Pokémon carry her.
A massive rock snake emerged from the tiny Poké Ball, its sheer size creating an invisible pressure around it.
"Ha."
Onix lowered its head skillfully upon being released, clearly accustomed to this routine.
"Over there."
Hancock stepped onto Onix's head and pointed in a direction.
Onix began moving its massive body forward.
Onix was indeed large, but Alliance City's streets were equally vast. Not only could a single Onix pass through easily, but ten of them side by side would still leave space on either side.
Onix's pace was slow.
Primarily because this was Alliance City's central district, and moving too quickly could accidentally harm pedestrians, so Onix kept its speed under control.
Even so, Hancock could see some contestants riding flying-type Pokémon overhead.
"Morty."
Hancock even spotted a familiar figure.
A blonde woman in a wine-red dress, her hair styled maturely, was flying above. Hancock had encountered her during her challenge at the Baldigo Gym.
Hancock had a deep impression of this trainer.
The dragon-type gym that Hancock found challenging was a breeze for Morty, a trainer specializing in fairy-type Pokémon.
Flying through the air, Morty noticed Hancock below and raised a hand in greeting.
The two had no significant interaction beyond a brief encounter.
As night began to fall, Hancock finally arrived at the Alliance base.
Most people had gone to dinner by then, so the base wasn't crowded. Hancock barely waited a few minutes before it was her turn to register.
The Alliance's reception hall was now equipped with self-registration machines, allowing trainers to register themselves.
Following the instructions, Hancock presented her eight badges one by one, underwent a facial scan, and once her identity was confirmed, she began entering her information.
[Name]: Boa Hancock
[Gender]: Female
[Age]: 21
[Hometown]: Amazon Lily
[Rating]: Senior Trainer
[Participating Pokémon]: Milotic, Serperior, Onix, Seviper, Arbok, Gyarados The trainer behind Hancock took a peek at her lineup and couldn't help but glance at Hancock again.
Who would have thought this beautiful trainer would have an all-snake Pokémon team? Could she be some sort of femme fatale? Hancock had no idea what others were thinking. She trained her Pokémon according to her preferences and didn't compromise.
After registration, a wristband with a unique code popped out from the machine's lower compartment.
During the opening ceremony, the Alliance would sort all contestants into different groups, and trainers could use this code to quickly find their assigned battle locations.
Additionally, during these days, contestants could use this code for free meals and lodging in the athlete's village.
Of course, if someone insisted on paying, there was no objection; no one would stop them.
Without hesitation, Hancock followed the staff's guidance and settled into the athlete's village.
The food provided in the village was prepared by Alliance-trained breeders.
While the food might not be exceptionally delicious, it was guaranteed to be healthy, ensuring that trainers and Pokémon wouldn't suffer any stomach issues during the tournament.
Of course, that's assuming the contestants and their Pokémon don't eat anything reckless.
The houses in the athlete's village were designed to resemble luxury hotel rooms from Dak's memories. At least in the eyes of those from the One Piece world, the accommodations were seen as luxurious and clean.
Hancock was fairly satisfied.
Although the room was smaller than her bedroom, it was clean enough not to disgust her.
After all, who was she?
The Pirate Empress of Amazon Lily, the Queen of the Kuja. Her bedroom was, of course, something few could rival.
"If I win, I should be able to enter the Alliance. Perhaps then, I can get close to them."
Note, Hancock's word was 'them.'
No one knew Hancock's true purpose for becoming a trainer.
While 99% of trainers aimed for the rare items, the champion title, the Alliance status, and unparalleled fame that came with victory, Hancock's goal was far simpler.
She wasn't particularly interested in those things; she just wanted to meet…
To meet those who destroyed Mary Geoise and wiped out the Celestial Dragons—the people and Pokémon who made it possible.
She wanted to meet Dak, to see the God of the Underworld, the God of Nightmares, and the God of Konoha.
Hancock wanted to know what these people and Pokémon, who dared to kill the Celestial Dragons and had the power to do so, were really like.
It was purely to see them that Hancock had come here.
There was no love at first sight or immediate infatuation with Dak's usual trope; Hancock was actually more interested in the Pokémon who were called 'gods.'
Since that day when Dak and Giratina destroyed Mary Geoise, Hancock's perception of the Pokémon Alliance and Pokémon had greatly improved.
She naturally held an exceptionally high regard for Pokémon, thinking they were far cuter than any small cats, dogs, or sea beasts, no matter how ugly or strange they might be.
After raising six Pokémon from hatchlings to maturity, Hancock had handled countless troubles caused by these little creatures, and her temperament had been well-tempered by them.
Meanwhile, influenced by Hancock, their queen and idol, Amazon Lily had declared Pokémon as national treasures, especially the snake-like ones, which held an exalted status in Amazon Lily.
Amazon Lily was now purely a nation of trainers, where every woman on the island was required to own at least one Pokémon.
Without the status of 'trainer,' leaving the island was not permitted.
(End of Chapter)
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