No Matter Which World It Was, Money Was Necessary

"How about it? Do you want to pick one of these four Pokemon Eggs to raise?"

"Yeah."

Mark did not spend much time thinking before walking over to the four Pokemon Eggs.

Even if these Wimpod could not evolve, raising one for three years would still earn him a reward in exchange for the breeding records.

He possessed the Trainer System Panel and knew the key points for Wimpod's evolution into Golisopod. As long as Wimpod became his Spirit, evolving it into Golisopod would most likely not be a problem.

With that in mind, Mark reached for the first Pokemon Egg and sensed it with the power of a Spirit Master—or, more precisely, through the Tackle Training Method.

This was another effect of the Tackle Training Method. It allowed him to vaguely sense a target Pokemon's consciousness.

Mark already had some ideas about what kind of Wimpod Pokemon Egg he should choose.

From Magikarp to Gyarados; from Feebas to Milotic; from Wimpod to Golisopod.

All three evolutionary lines were transformations that turned the rotten into the miraculous, with worlds of difference between before and after evolution.

So then...

Was it that the greater the difference before and after evolution, the stronger the evolved form?

Or was it that the smaller the difference, the stronger the evolved form?

The answer was obviously the former.

Otherwise, such miraculous evolutions would inevitably have been eliminated by natural selection. It would be enough for little Gyarados to evolve into Gyarados, little Milotic into Milotic, and little Golisopod into Golisopod.

In other words, the more foolish and dull a Magikarp was, the more ferocious its evolved Gyarados would be; the uglier a Feebas was, the more beautiful its evolved Milotic would become; and the more timid and cowardly a Wimpod was, the stronger its evolved Golisopod would be.

Of course, the greater the difference, the harder the evolution would be.

But that was nothing to him as a Spirit Master.

Using the Tackle Training Method's abilities, Mark touched each of the four Pokemon Eggs in turn.

Fear, unease, loneliness...

He could sense the emotions inside the Pokemon Eggs. True to the name Wimpod, the consciousnesses within these eggs were extremely timid.

The first egg, the second egg...

When he touched the third Pokemon Egg, Mark's eyes lit up.

If the Wimpod inside the first and second Pokemon Eggs were like children crying after being frightened, then the Wimpod inside the third Pokemon Egg had been scared so badly it had wet itself. Its panic far exceeded that of the first two.

Mark withdrew his hand and touched the fourth Pokemon Egg. The result was not much different from the first two—just ordinary timidity.

In the end, Mark picked up the third Pokemon Egg. "Village Chief, I'll choose this one."

Old Man Qian smiled and nodded. "Pokemon and humans share a special connection. As long as you keep a Pokemon Egg close by and spend time with it every day, it will hatch faster. Once it hatches, the Pokemon will see you as family. This is a Pokemon Egg Backpack. You should keep Wimpod's Pokemon Egg with you at all times. Oh, and you ought to change those clothes too."

As he spoke, Old Man Qian took four camouflage backpacks from a cabinet and handed one to him.

The backpacks were all identical. They appeared to be a matching set for the four Wimpod Pokemon Eggs, with a special cloth sleeve inside for holding a Pokemon Egg.

Old Man Qian did not stop there. He rummaged through another wardrobe and found Mark a set of clothes.

"I knew I'd forgotten something yesterday. Put this on."

Blue shorts and a white short-sleeved shirt. Since Mark had already washed himself with the well water in the courtyard during breaks between Caterpie's Tackle practice last night, he changed into the new clothes right away.

"Oh, and take this too."

Old Man Qian handed him a red-and-white sphere. It was a Pokeball, an essential item for every Trainer in the world of Pokemon.

"Sss?"

Caterpie stared at the Pokeball in Mark's hand with shining eyes, its gaze filled with longing.

In the world of Pokemon, some Pokemon disliked entering Pokeballs, such as Zhi Ye's Pikachu.

Likewise, some Pokemon wanted to enter a Pokeball, but their owners did not have one.

After seeing Raticate's Pokeball last night, Mark's Caterpie had been green with envy.

Unfortunately, this Pokeball was not meant for Caterpie.

Old Man Qian said, "This is a Pokeball that comes with Wimpod. Once Wimpod hatches, put it in this Pokeball."

Mark glanced at Caterpie, which had visibly drooped. "Could I use this Pokeball to house Caterpie for now, then get a new Pokeball once Wimpod hatches?"

Old Man Qian shook his head. "Although this Pokeball looks similar to an ordinary Pokeball, it was actually specially designed for Wimpod. Some Water-type and Bug-type materials were used inside, so Wimpod will be more comfortable in it."

Mark asked, "Then how can I get a Pokeball if I want one?"

"Sss?"

Caterpie beside him also raised its head and listened intently to Old Man Qian's answer.

Old Man Qian smiled. "You can buy them at the Three Mountains Town Pokemon Goods Store. A brand-new Pokeball costs around 5,000 yuan, while used ones cost roughly 4,300 to 4,500 yuan. There are also special Pokeballs like Great Balls and Lure Balls, but those are much more expensive."

Mark considered this. "Pokeballs can be reused?"

"Of course, but they need to be recharged after use. That costs around 500 yuan each time."

Mark nodded slightly.

At the dinner table last night, Mark had already learned roughly about the prices in this world from the Village Chief. They were similar to those in his own world: two yuan for half a kilogram of rice, around 0.8 yuan for an egg.

A Pokeball cost 5,000 yuan. Though it could be recharged and reused, it was still extremely expensive—far beyond what he, penniless as he was, could afford.

Mark continued, "5,000 yuan... If I want to buy a Pokeball, are there any ways for me to make money?"

"Sss?"

Caterpie beside him stared unblinkingly at Old Man Qian as well.

Old Man Qian lightly rubbed the stubble on his chin, then beckoned Mark over and led him to the storage room in the courtyard.

Before long, Old Man Qian dug out a net with a light coating of dust on it.

After giving the net a simple shake to remove the dust, Old Man Qian handed it to Mark.

Mark looked at his appearance in confusion: a white short-sleeved shirt, blue shorts, a Bug-Catching Net in hand, and Caterpie beside him. Right now, he looked exactly like a Bug Catching Boy.

Could he make money with this net?

Honestly, before being transported here, he had never considered how those Bug Catching Boys in anime and games—who spent all day catching bugs with nets around forests and farmland—made a living.

Old Man Qian did not immediately answer Mark's question. Instead, he said, "The village school holds classes in the morning, and afternoons are free time. If you want to make money to buy a Pokeball, you can use the afternoons every day.

"As for how to make money, it would be better for me to take you there so you can see for yourself.

"The village school is on break these days. Didn't you say yesterday that you wanted to borrow some books? I'll take you to the school to pick up a few books first, then bring you to the place where you can make money and have a look."

At Old Man Qian's instruction, Mark put Wimpod's Pokemon Egg on his back and soon set off for the school in the southeastern part of the village.

The school was not large, with only a single classroom, but it looked very neat and tidy.

According to the Village Elder, the schoolteacher seemed to have something to deal with and had taken half a month off. Classes would resume in a few days when the teacher returned.

Old Man Qian quickly took several Pokemon-related textbooks from the school warehouse.

There were not many textbooks, just enough to fit into the gaps in the backpack holding the Pokemon Egg.

Mark casually flipped through a few pages, then followed the Village Chief farther southeast to a huge courtyard enclosed by wooden fencing.

Mark had little memory of this huge courtyard. He seemed rarely to have come here. As he looked through the wooden fence, he suddenly spotted several green figures.

"Those are... Caterpie?"

As Mark spoke, he turned to look at his Caterpie, only to find that it had somehow already hidden behind him. It looked extremely panicked...