Life quickly settled into a comfortable routine after that. Every morning, Luffy would burst into my room before sunrise and loudly announce that today's hunt would definitely be bigger than yesterday's. We spent hours roaming the forests around Mount Colubo, searching for rabbits, wild boars, birds, and anything else that looked edible.
While Luffy relied entirely on his ridiculous stamina and fearless charges, I fought a little differently. Remaining in my human form, I raised a hand and released arcs of yellow lightning that instantly stunned smaller animals before they could escape.
Whenever prey tried hiding inside thick bushes, I flapped Yanma's wings for just a moment, summoning a powerful Whirlwind that scattered leaves and forced them into the open.
Oh yes, I am able to partially transform too. For example, I can sprout out transparent wings from my back, and change my eyes too, and keep the other things human. Though the wings and the eyes didn't give me 360 degree vision or allowed me to fly in human form, but it would at least enhance my eyes or let me jump from cliffs, allowing me to land safely on the ground.
It's not that I couldn't make other parts of me transform like having more legs coming out of my external obliques, but it would be gross to have that and it wouldn't provide me with any support. My wings could at least generate strong winds and even a mini hurricane.
Another thing I realize that my body was also upgrading according to the highest level Pokémon I had. This I didn't notice it before but now I did, as a Level 20 Pikachu was my highest, my body too had upgraded, though it didn't come with any perks of human body.
Just enhanced strength, endurance, speed and a bit of heightened senses. That's all. But it did give me some joy.
Meanwhile, Luffy watched every single hunt with stars practically shining in his eyes. The first time I used Thunder Shock without becoming Pikachu, he actually forgot to chase after a fleeing rabbit and simply stared at me with his mouth hanging open.
"THAT'S SO COOL!" he shouted at least a dozen times every day. Then, after seeing a Whirlwind send an entire flock of birds flying into the air at once, he became even more convinced that I possessed the greatest Devil Fruit in existence.
This guy really didn't see the world yet, he wouldn't be saying the same once he would meet Smoker.
One afternoon, after successfully bringing down enough game to feed everyone back at Dadan's place, I decided to share one of my emergency rations. Pulling an Inferior Poké Block from my Card Storage, I handed the small brown cube to Luffy.
"It's food," I explained. "Not exactly exciting, but it'll keep you full for an entire day."
Luffy sniffed it suspiciously before giving it an experimental lick. His entire face immediately scrunched up as though he had tasted the world's greatest disappointment.
"Eww! That's awful!" he declared, shoving it straight back into my hands. "Do you have meat instead?"
I didn't know why Luffy hated it, but it was better. I could always have my own ration of food with me always, but little did I know that this security too was going to change soon.
-----
Another week quietly slipped by before I even realized it. Hunting alongside Luffy pushed me far more than I would have ever managed on my own. The idiot had absolutely no concept of fear and would happily charge toward creatures several times his size without a second thought.
Naturally, I had no choice but to back him up before he got himself flattened. Thanks to those increasingly dangerous hunts, the experience poured in much faster than before, and one evening, just after returning to Dadan's place, the familiar blue screen appeared before my eyes.
Current Form: Pikachu
Level: 22
"...Nice."
It wasn't a massive increase, but every level mattered in a world where monsters and pirates could level mountains if they felt like it.
Something else had also been bothering me for the past few days. Every morning, the moment I woke up, I instinctively summoned the blue screen to collect my daily reward. Luffy was almost always sitting beside me by then, impatiently waiting for me to finish whatever strange ritual I seemed to perform every sunrise.
Yet... he never once looked at the floating interface. Not even by accident. Finally, curiosity won.
"Luffy."
"Hm?"
"Can you see this?"
I pointed directly at the enormous blue screen hovering inches away from my face. Luffy looked exactly where I was pointing before tilting his head.
"See what?"
"...The blue thing."
"What blue thing?"
"So... you really can't see it."
"What are you talking about? Did you hit on the head early morning? Are you okay? Do you need some meat? I can share a small part with you."
I could only roll my eyes at him.
That immediately answered one question, but another appeared almost instantly. I completed the roulette anyway, and moments later, today's reward materialized into a physical card floating in front of me. Before I could even grab it, Luffy's eyes lit up.
"Oh! Another card."
"...You can see this?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm.. So you can see the cards but that screen.. Weird." I murmured.
"What are you talking about?" Luffy couldn't listen so asked.
"Nothing.. Actually Luffy can you see this?" I asked after showing him the Yanma card.
"Oh, the card thing which you do to transform." Luffy said as he suddenly became interested. "Can I try?"
I hesitated for a moment before shrugging.
"I don't think it'll work... but sure."
I pulled out the Yanma card first and handed it over. Luffy slapped it against his forearm exactly the way he had seen me do dozens of times.
Nothing.
He peeled it back off and frowned.
"It doesn't like me."
"I figured."
I took the card back, but instead of putting it away, another thought quietly surfaced in my mind.
"...Wait."
Luffy has affinity towards lightning and fire or at least that was what the future him could do. Lightning was the far off part, but he definitely has huge affinity towards fire. Now according to typing Pikachu was Electric type, so could Luffy use Pikachu's card.
Almost against my better judgment, I pulled out Pikachu's card instead.
"Try this one."
Luffy happily nodded before pressing it against his arm. The instant the card touched his skin, it dissolved into countless golden particles.
"...What?"
Both of us froze.
Golden light burst around Luffy's body as his arms shrank, bright yellow fur rapidly spread across his skin, pointed ears emerged from the top of his head, and a lightning bolt-shaped tail flicked into existence behind him.
A tiny Pikachu wearing an oversized straw hat blinked up at me.
"...Pika?"
My jaw slowly dropped.
"No...That... shouldn't be possible."
For nearly five whole seconds, neither of us moved. Then Luffy looked down at his tiny yellow paws before glancing over his shoulder at the lightning bolt-shaped tail swaying behind him. His round black eyes sparkled brighter than ever as an excited little cry escaped his mouth.
"...Pika?!"
The next instant he shot forward like a tiny yellow missile, racing around the clearing in pure excitement. He laughed, or at least I assumed he was trying to laugh, because all that came out were cheerful, Pika Pika.
Every few seconds he would stop to admire his tail before sprinting off again, completely fascinated by his new body.
"Luffy, wait!" I shouted, immediately chasing after him. Before I could catch up, tiny sparks suddenly crackled across his red cheeks. Whether he was trying to show me something or had simply activated it by instinct, I had no idea, but seeing electricity gathering made my heart nearly leap out of my chest. Without even thinking, I instinctively reached toward the connection I still felt with Pikachu's card and mentally willed it back.
Golden light erupted around Luffy once more. Mid-sprint, the tiny Pikachu rapidly stretched back into a human, forcing him to stumble forward before landing on the grass with a surprised yelp. At the very same moment, countless golden particles streamed through the air and reformed into the familiar Pikachu card resting neatly in my outstretched hand.
Luffy immediately burst into laughter as though falling over had been the funniest thing imaginable, while I stared silently at the card.
"...So I can recall it whenever I want." Relief washed over me almost instantly. Whatever had just happened, the card still belonged to me, and that answered one question while raising at least a dozen more.
Like how the hell was this even possible? Didn't Luffy already have a Zoan Devil fruit. I know that I had lied before about my cheat or whatever this was, but at least they were creatures, but one couldn't go against the logic that Pokémon were special Zoans.
But Luffy could still use it.