After instructing Louise not to reveal what they had discussed that afternoon, Dak used the excuse of taking a nap to send her away and then returned to Pokémon Island.
For Louise, who had suffered so much over the past year because of her supposed incompetence, it was very difficult to keep her newfound abilities a secret.
But after Dak explained the seriousness of the situation, Louise accepted it.
The appearance of a 'Void Mage' wouldn't necessarily bring about all kinds of crises.
At least the lower and middle-level mages didn't even know what 'Void' was. Only a few specialized researchers understood the unique nature of a Void Mage.
But just in case...
The Pope of Romalia had always been thinking about gathering all Void Mages and their Void Familiars.
In the anime, after the Pope learned of the existence of a Void Mage at the Tristain Magic Academy, he immediately sent his own Void Familiar to make contact.
However, the anime greatly censored and altered the ambitions of this Pope.
In the anime, the Pope only sent his familiar over as a simple commander of the Romalia forces, joining the coalition army led by Tristain.
But in the original novel, this Pope and his familiar were far from being good people.
Not to mention that his familiar originally intended to kill the protagonist, Saito Hiraga.
And the Pope himself was a far deeper schemer than the 'Useless King,' always thinking of using the power of Void Mages and Void Familiars to exterminate the Elven race and reclaim the Holy Land.
But even if there were no such dangers, Louise would likely obediently follow Dak's words and not speak out.
Because right now, Louise had basically come to believe everything Dak said.
...
Pokémon Island, July 18th.
It had only been three days since the Pokémon Coordination Contest began.
The first round of performances hadn't even finished yet.
But Dak wasn't interested in watching it. All his attention was focused on the magical world.
Bringing a new era of peace to the magical world, establishing a new sub-alliance, and introducing the path of magic—these were the top priorities.
Although...
When it came to battle, magic seemed weak whether it was placed in the seafaring world or the ninja world. With those two worlds existing, learning magic seemed almost unnecessary.
However...
This was an era of peace. If one didn't work for the Alliance, where else would they need to fight?
Now, 'combat' was something that only concerned Pokémon and Trainers. Besides, even if a human trained their entire life, they might not be stronger than a Pokémon raised for just a few weeks.
To put it simply, in this era, martial arts and ninjutsu had become somewhat obsolete.
Martial arts were at best useful for fitness and body improvement, while only a few ninjutsu techniques could significantly impact daily life.
But if we're talking about the most useful discipline in an era of peace, it had to be basic magic.
Lighting Spells, Cleaning Spells, Levitation Spells...
These were the kind of magic anyone could learn with a bit of time, and they required no specific magical attributes. They were techniques that could be frequently used in daily life.
They could truly make people's lives more convenient.
For example...
If you wanted to watch TV but the remote was five meters away, then Levitation Magic would be helpful.
Just lying on the couch, waving your magic wand or even your finger could bring the remote right into your hand.
People could even use Levitation Magic to slowly fly in the air, making it possible for everyone to experience flight.
That kind of future was worth looking forward to.
Dak pondered that if he worked hard enough, perhaps within a year, he could see many 'Magical Trainers' carrying broomsticks out and about on Pokémon Island.
Alliance Base.
"Now, who should I choose...?"
Dak sat at his desk, looking at the list in front of him.
The magical world was too vast. Even when dealing with the ninja world, a small place in comparison, Dak needed Madara and his group to assist him, let alone here.
The reason Dak returned to Pokémon Island was to gather people.
He needed a group to establish the Seventh Faction in Halkeginia according to his plan, gradually 'persuading' the counts and higher-ranking nobles of the Six Kingdoms to cease waging wars and build a new era of peace.
First of all...
The leader of this group would serve as the temporary acting king of the Seventh Faction on the surface.
The reason it was temporary was because these people ultimately were not natives of the magical world. They wouldn't be willing to stay there indefinitely to manage the entire magical world.
The true leader, the 'King' of the Seventh Faction, would have to be a native from the magical world.
Moreover, this person needed to be not only powerful but also have noble bloodline to somewhat reassure the other nobles of the Six Kingdoms.
Although Dak's vision for the magical world was one without class divisions, that would take time.
After all, the era's background and the structure of the kingdoms were already set. It would require time to evolve and the gradual spread of the idea of freedom from other worlds. So, at the beginning, the king of the Seventh Faction needed to have a 'noble' bloodline.
"Strength is secondary; it can be trained later. The noble bloodline is the real problem..."
Dak frowned as he considered this, but then his eyes suddenly brightened.
He thought of a character who didn't have much presence in the original story but had an impressive identity.
He had found a native candidate, but the temporary acting king needed to be carefully considered.
Dak's preference was to have Madara or Izuna handle the matter.
But those two had just finished dealing with the situation in Aincrad and probably wanted to take a good rest, maybe even retire and stop getting involved in such matters.
Not to mention, it was during the Coordination Contest, and Izuna was up there as the host. They would surely want to watch the event.
Although Dak knew that if he asked, they would certainly not refuse.
But their relationship wasn't one of superior and subordinate, but of companions. Dak still wanted to respect their wishes.
Dak scanned the list of the Four Elite Trainers.
None of them would do.
"Who, then?"
The right person wasn't easy to pick. Strength was not the most crucial factor.
The most important thing was that this person had to possess extremely high leadership and the ability to see the bigger picture, someone who could always monitor the actions of the other Six Kingdoms' nobles.
This requirement alone excluded a lot of potential candidates.
"Hm?"
As Dak's eyes scanned the Alliance's list back and forth, he suddenly froze when his gaze landed on a certain name.
'White Soil Island' Baldigo Gym, Dragon-type Gym Leader, Monkey D. Dragon.
How were Dragon's leadership and strategic capabilities?
They were beyond proven. As the leader of the Revolutionary Army who survived through both the Pirate Era and the Pokémon Era, building it from nothing into a powerful force, he had nothing left to prove.
As for strength...
Even disregarding his own combat prowess, which was comparable to that of a Marine Admiral, his abilities as a Trainer alone were enough to crush the magical world.
"Great. It's decided then, Dragon. As for the position of Dragon-type Gym Leader, let 'Dragon King' Drake act as a temporary substitute."
Dak nodded in satisfaction and circled Dragon's name.
After making his decision, Dak wasted no time. He immediately set off for the seafaring world to find Dragon.
For someone with the Door-Door Fruit, the process didn't even take a minute.
In just over ten seconds, Dak opened a void door and appeared in the Baldigo Gym.
At this moment, Dragon was incredibly relaxed.
He was sitting quietly in the lounge of his gym, sipping tea, looking as if he was enjoying a moment of peace.
These past few days had been extremely leisurely for him. After all, most people had either gone to Pokémon Island or were watching the First Coordination Contest from their homes on television. So, few people were coming to challenge the gym.
The moment Dak suddenly appeared, Dragon's eyelids twitched, a bad feeling rising within him.
"Yo, Dragon, long time no see~"
"...What do you want?"
Dragon and Dak exchanged a brief stare before Dragon cautiously asked.
"I need a favor."
"I knew it."
Dragon sighed, giving up any hope of refusal. After all, he was technically Dak's subordinate. "What's the matter?"
"There's a new world currently in an era of war. I'm planning to establish the Pokémon Era over there, and I need manpower. After much consideration, I realized there's no one more suitable than you."
Dak walked up to Dragon's side and immediately began to lay on the compliments.
"A new world?"
"Yes, a world filled with 'nobles' and 'magic.'"
"Oh-ho?"
Dragon's face twitched, but then the corners of his mouth slowly rose.
Nobles.
Magic.
Those two words clearly intrigued him.
(End of Chapter)
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