Time passed quickly, and a week had already gone by.
Today is February 15th, Year 2 of the Alliance Calendar, a very special day.
This day marks not only the second Lunar New Year on Pokémon Island but also the opening day of the first-ever Pokémon Battle Tournament!
Therefore, Alliance City was bustling with excitement today.
At least half of the residents of Angel City and Fishman City had come to Alliance City. In particular, Fishman City itself, being an entire island that migrated over with millions of people, had at least two million people coming to Alliance City today.
Adding in the tens of thousands from Angel City, it still didn't seem like much?
Even with trainers and spectators from outside, there were about three million people in total.
But don't forget about the Pokémon!
Almost every trainer had at least one Pokémon by their side. Unlike in the Pokémon world where Pokémon mostly stayed in Poké Balls, here on Pokémon Island, Pokémon were generally carried along with everyone.
Even though Alliance City was quite large, it was still crowded with people and Pokémon everywhere.
On the central streets, it was especially packed with people, so much so that even Didi Pokémon taxis were completely blocked.
And at times like this, it was when the security department led by Sugar stepped up.
The pacifistas developed by Vegapunk and numerous unfinished robots had all been deployed at sea, saving a lot of the security department's resources.
Now, more than half of the Pokémon Alliance's security forces were stationed on Pokémon Island.
In the current maritime world, with the navy acting openly, the Revolutionary Army covertly, and the Pokémon Alliance issuing bounties for illegal criminals, the overall theme of "peace" had essentially been maintained.
Of course, one major reason is that being a villain nowadays was tough.
Any random civilian was a trainer with Pokémon to protect them, and without strong enough power, there was no way to pull off any crimes.
Especially for the civilians in the maritime world who had now experienced "peace" and "freedom," there was no way they would allow the return of the noble class or pirate scoundrels.
Everyone actively worked to protect this hard-won peace, reporting any evil incidents to the Pokémon Alliance immediately.
Of course, this situation wouldn't last forever. Eventually, there would be trainers who went astray and became something like Team Rocket or Team Plasma.
However, at least for this generation, the probability of such things happening was relatively low.
Early in the morning at six o'clock.
When many people were still sound asleep in packed hotels, in the southern suburbs of Alliance City, the first flame bearer had already arrived—Boa Hancock.
There was no behind-the-scenes manipulation; the order was entirely decided by drawing lots.
Meanwhile, there were quite a few people around with various devices preparing to take photos, mostly reporters from various newspapers.
Today, Hancock was still in her red cheongsam, and the Pokémon running alongside her was Serperior.
Fences had been set up on both sides of the torch relay route last night, with a security member stationed every 25 meters and a temporary outpost every 1000 meters serving as a support station.
"The Empress is as beautiful as always. My little heart can't take it."
"Those legs are longer than my life."
"Why doesn't anyone in the shinobi world have legs that long?"
"I wonder what the Empress's goal is for the competition. Is she also aiming for the championship?"
"Serperior looks so elegant, and it's one of the Alliance's Royal Nine. I wish I could have one someday too."
There were quite a few people standing behind the barriers on either side of the starting line—enough that people could be seen packed densely for dozens of meters back.
The number of people gathered here was at least in the thousands, not even counting the Pokémon.
Even some from the Konoha exchange team had come to join in on the fun.
One of them was Ebisu, a special jonin of Konohagakure. He only became a chunin at the age of seventeen, unrelated to the title of genius, but he had great confidence in his teaching ability.
His specialty was laying a solid foundation for children. He had near-jonin proficiency in basic ninjutsu and ninja techniques, but his shortcoming was a lack of advanced ninjutsu.
However, he had one major characteristic: he was a pervert, known by Naruto as a closet pervert.
This was also why Ebisu came so early to watch the opening ceremony.
The torch relay of Boa Hancock and Moti was something he definitely wanted to witness.
The distance to be run was quite far, and these two women had incredible figures and were only wearing high heels.
For a pervert like Ebisu, this was incredibly stimulating.
"The Alliance Leader is here!"
A voice suddenly shouted from the crowd, and the scene fell silent.
Everyone turned their heads to look at Dak, who was approaching Hancock.
As the leader of the Pokémon Alliance, Dak definitely had to be present for the process of handing over the "Sacred Flame" to the flame bearer and the final closing ceremony.
Without any surprises, for at least the next ten, even fifteen years, he would likely be the one handing over this flame.
"The Alliance Leader is so handsome!"
"That hat is the symbol of the Alliance Leader!"
"They're selling the Alliance Leader's hat over at the commercial street. It's only 30 copper coins for one."
"Idiot! The symbol of the Alliance Leader is the necklace on his chest!"
"I heard that the necklace on the Alliance Leader's chest is something incredible, and it will be passed down as a symbol of the Alliance Leader for generations."
Dak's appearance sparked cheers and discussions far greater than before.
As for the hat and necklace mentioned by everyone, they were indeed real.
Thinking about the Straw Hat from the maritime world, the hats of Ash and Red from the Pokémon world, and the Kage hats of the shinobi world, Dak had made something similar.
It wasn't a special hat, just a plain old baseball cap, and it wasn't meant to be an heirloom of the Alliance.
Future Alliance Leaders could wear whatever kind of hat they wanted, or none at all.
As for the necklace, that was different; it was the true [Symbol of the Alliance Leader].
This was an [Origin Ball] that Dak had exchanged from the Mysterious Store, a limited edition.
It came from [Legends: Arceus], a unique Poké Ball used in the game to catch Origin Dialga or Origin Palkia at the Sinnoh Temple.
Its performance wasn't better than a [Master Ball], but its significance far surpassed that of a Master Ball.
The [Origin Ball] might have been created with Arceus's power, making it impossible to replicate or counterfeit.
This was also a trump card that Dak left for future Alliance Leaders.
Dak couldn't guarantee whether the Pokémon in the current First Temple would change in temperament, becoming like those legendary Pokémon in the Pokémon world.
He worried that his current companions might one day create trouble for these worlds, and by then, he might be dead or unaware.
If, at that time, the Pokémon Alliance couldn't use force to subdue them, then they could use this [Origin Ball].
No, rather than capturing, it would be more appropriate to call it [Sealing].
Boom. Boom.
'Hmm?'
As Dak got closer, he felt like he could hear the sound of a rapid heartbeat.
He raised his head in confusion, looking at Hancock, who was standing in front of him and taller than him.
Hancock's expression remained cold and calm.
Dak didn't see anything unusual on Hancock's face, so he didn't immediately suspect her.
'How loud must this heartbeat be?'
He hadn't activated his Observation Haki or psychic abilities, yet he could still hear this heartbeat amidst all the noise.
Dak checked his own heartbeat and confirmed nothing was wrong.
Looking around, there were only him, Hancock, and Serperior within a few meters.
'As a cold-blooded serpent, Serperior shouldn't have such a loud heartbeat, right?'
Unable to hold back, he glanced at Hancock suspiciously.
"Is there something on my face?"
Hancock asked in a faint voice, seemingly implying that Dak was being rude.
However, only she knew how she truly felt at that moment.
Originally, she thought that seeing Dak wouldn't cause any strong emotional reaction. After all, he was just a man, and she had seen countless men, none of whom had caused her to feel anything special.
But she was wrong.
She was incredibly nervous now, as if she were meeting her idol.
'Turns out I've unknowingly become a fan of this man.'
From this moment on, Hancock realized just how much she admired Dak, who had completely eradicated the World Government and Celestial Dragons.
It had nothing to do with love; it was purely admiration.
"Ah, it's nothing. Sorry about that."
Dak shook his head, then handed the torch in his hand to Hancock.
The torch held the "Sacred Flame" of the legendary Pokémon Ho-oh.
The wood that held the Sacred Flame wasn't just any ordinary wood but a branch from the Tree of Beginning in Orudoran City.
Simply put, it was made from materials taken from Mew's nest.
And this branch, which looked and was named like a branch, wasn't truly a tree but a crystal life form resembling a tree that derived energy from light.
Only such a material could bear the power of the Sacred Flame without burning out.
"This is the flame of Ho-oh, the Sacred Flame."
"Ho-oh?"
Hancock tilted her head in confusion.
She had never heard of this name before, and she was certain that no one in the ocean knew of it either.
"Yes, a legendary Pokémon, a 'god' on the same level as Dialga."
From today onwards, the name of Ho-oh began to spread across Pokémon Island.
(End of Chapter)
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