Meanwhile, after listening to Red's advice, Nami quickly began to think things through.
She had already made her decision…
Even if she had to multiply Luffy and Zoro's allowance several times over, she was absolutely going to make the two of them give up their gaming time for the next stretch.
Just so she could personally cut down that bastard Arlong with her own hands!!!
…
…
Once her resolve was set, Red and Nami wasted no time. The two of them immediately left the Pokémon Center and began combing through the streets of Cerulean City—scouring every corner without missing a single spot.
An hour later—
Although they still hadn't found the Miracle Candy Red had been so eager for, thanks to Nami's Pickup Ability, they had unexpectedly collected six special items exclusive to Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu / Let's Go, Eevee—Candies!
More precisely, they found two Health Candies, one Mighty Candy, two Smart Candies, and one Tough Candy.
Candies, like Partner Moves, were mysterious items unique to this version of the Pokémon world.
And their effects were just as extraordinary.
These four types of Candies respectively increased a Pokémon's HP, Attack, Special Attack, and Defense.
After finding them, Red didn't hesitate at all and had Nami consume them immediately.
It wasn't that he didn't want to save good things for Luffy and the others.
The main issue was that the Candies Nami could currently find were all at the lowest tier—usable only by Pokémon whose stat values were below 50.
Luffy and Zoro had clearly exceeded the limits of ordinary Candies long ago.
And even Nami, who was only Level 12, could only consume five of them—her HP had already reached 50, leaving one Health Candy unused.
"This Pickup Ability… feels even stronger than I imagined."
Watching Nami's stats rise after eating the Candies, Red couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
Compared to leveling up, Candies had certain restrictions, but the speed at which they boosted strength was truly impressive.
Red had already decided—he would spend another hour searching for Miracle Candies!
And if they still couldn't find any, he'd take Nami to the grasslands between Cerulean City and Mt. Moon to grind levels.
After all, the higher Nami's level, the higher the tier of items she could pick up!
The Pokémon there were around Levels 8–12—completely useless for Luffy and Zoro, but a perfect match for Nami.
Most importantly, unlike fighting Trainers…
When dealing with wild Pokémon, Red himself, as a Trainer, could also join the battle!
Working together with Nami, their EXP gain rate might not be slower than Luffy's solo grind!
Before, there had simply been no need for his help.
But now…
This Trainer was finally warming up and ready to step onto the field!
With their plan set, Red continued the carpet-style search across Cerulean City alongside Nami.
Things went even more smoothly than he expected.
Half an hour later, just after Nami's Pickup Ability had turned up two Super Potions, they finally found what they'd been looking for—inside a Poké Ball hidden deep in the grass!
"Found it!!!"
As Red opened the Poké Ball, a flash of unexpected joy lit up his eyes.
He quickly picked up the Miracle Candy inside—indistinguishable from an ordinary Candy at first glance.
A description immediately appeared before his eyes.
[Item: Rare Candy][Effect: Choose one Pokémon to use it on. That Pokémon gains one level.]
Simple. Brutal.
And irresistibly captivating.
"Today's gaming time was absolutely worth it."
Red satisfiedly stored the Rare Candy in his bag.
"With this Rare Candy, Luffy's Armament Haki training should speed up quite a bit."
"And then Luffy's progress will push Zoro… plus Nami wanting revenge on the Arlong Pirates…"
He suddenly grinned broadly.
"The atmosphere of the Straw Hat Pirates is getting better by the minute!"
"Grind hard!"
"In this world, if you don't roll forward, you don't survive!"
As he muttered to himself, Red waved at Nami, unwilling to waste even a second.
"Let's go! Time to grind!"
"If you want to take down Arlong, you'll need to adapt to Pokémon-style combat as soon as possible!"
Among ordinary people, Nami's combat skills weren't bad. Her three-section staff could extend and retract smoothly, and she knew how to use it reasonably well.
After gaining the Clima-Tact—a bug-level item—even pirates in the New World had trouble handling her.
However, her physical limitations had always restricted her full potential.
Now, with Pokémon stats allowing her to grow stronger through leveling up, future Nami might just—
Become a weather queen wielding lightning in her left hand and hurricanes in her right!
And at this very moment, that future Weather Queen was brimming with excitement, golden sparks flashing in her eyes as battle fervor surged.
"Don't worry, Red!"
"I won't let you down!!!"
With one hour of game time remaining, Nami was already itching to meet the adorable Pokémon of this world—
And then…
Use her newly mastered moves to mercilessly bully these walking EXP packs!
Minutes later, the two arrived in a dense, lush forest.
The grass rustled—
A Level 8 Psyduck suddenly hopped out, tilting its head curiously as it looked at Red and Nami.
"Wow! It's so cute!!!"
Struck by Psyduck's head tilt, Nami clasped her hands together and exclaimed in delight.
The next second—
"Buzzy Buzz!"
"Quaaack—!!!"
The poor little duck didn't even require Red's intervention.
Under type advantage and overwhelming level disparity, one long-range electric strike from Nami sent the newborn-duck-that-had-lived-less-than-three-seconds straight to meet Arceus.
"..."
Red's mouth twitched violently as he witnessed the scene.
So… this is women?
Saying "so cute" while striking without mercy—
Still…
"28 EXP? That's already way higher than Luffy's starting point."
As the EXP notification faded along with the battle field, Red silently calculated.
With Nami's current level, she needed less than 600 EXP to level up once…
At roughly 30 EXP per Pokémon—maybe even more—there was a real chance of gaining two entire levels within an hour!
"Raising Pokémon from an early stage really is satisfying~"
Grinning, Red joined Nami in searching the grass for more Pokémon.
The most common Pokémon in this area were Psyduck and Spearow—
Both Water- and Flying-types, perfectly countered by Nami's Electric attacks.
It couldn't have been more ideal!
…
…
And so, just as the battery had enough power left for only a few final minutes—
Nami's body suddenly shimmered with a faint glow.
Within a single hour, she had jumped two levels—reaching Level 14!
Worth noting—
Nami's talent might not rival Luffy's. Each level-up only boosted her stats by about two or three points…
Except for one stat.
Her Special Attack increased by a full four points every level!
At this rate, by Level 30 alone, Nami's Special Attack would already surpass Luffy's at Level 46.
Watching Nami crouch in the grass, searching for her next Pokémon target, Red couldn't help but smile.
"Maybe before long, a terrifying forbidden-spell mage will appear on the seas."
The power of nature—
Was always something to inspire awe.
(End of Chapter)