The Mysterious Orb

Further up was the section selling Evolution Stones. Compared to Pokémon items that could be artificially manufactured, Evolution Stones that could not be mass-produced were far more expensive.

A single Fire Stone of ordinary quality could sell for three thousand.

After looking around, Hu Yang successfully bought what he needed: Pinap Berries, Bubble Rock, Big Root, and Golden Berries.

Before heading downstairs, he suddenly noticed a large crowd gathered in an area nearby.

"What's that?" he asked.

A staff member beside him explained, "That's the free trading market established by our mall. Trainers can sell things they collected during their travels there, or exchange them with other trainers."

There was nothing to do if he went back to school early, so Hu Yang carried his bag and headed over.

From a distance, he heard someone calling out, "Magikarp, Magikarp! Magikarp with tremendous potential! Forget 998—just 100 Poké Dollars, and you can take one home!"

Hu Yang: "..."

Why was there a Magikarp-selling uncle here too...

Magikarp after Magikarp swam blankly in water-filled tanks. From their appearance alone, none of them looked particularly exceptional.

"Young man, want one?" The uncle spotted Hu Yang as soon as he arrived. Grinning, he introduced them, "These were carefully selected by us. Once you buy one, there's no need to raise it—it'll soon evolve into a powerful Gyarados!"

Hu Yang: ...

Did this guy take him for some clueless little kid?

Hu Yang was utterly speechless. If he wanted to catch Magikarp, why would he need to spend money buying one?

His dumb bird could bring him several a day, all for free, without costing a single cent.

Seeing that he had no intention of buying, the Magikarp uncle looked quite regretful.

After passing the Magikarp uncle, Hu Yang continued examining the other stalls.

The people setting up stalls here covered nearly every age group: trainers who had just set out on their journeys, fifteen- or sixteen-year-old teenagers, and older uncles.

They sold an especially wide range of items. Along the way, Hu Yang saw all kinds of rare Berries, Evolution Stones found in the wilderness, Big Pearls, and things shed by Pokémon.

For example, Gyarados's Rage Scale. It was said that if a Magikarp held one, it could evolve into Gyarados more quickly.

Besides those, several stalls displayed pottery that looked very old.

As Hu Yang wandered around, he used Appraisal to inspect the information on those items.

He stopped before a stall covered with all sorts of miscellaneous objects and looked at an orb as large as an adult's fist.

The orb was dark purple, gleaming with an eerie light beneath the mall's fluorescent lamps.

"Uncle, what is this?" Hu Yang asked.

The stall owner wore a dusty gray jacket, with a scruffy ring of beard around his lips. His weathered face made him look like a construction worker.

"Who are you calling uncle?!" At that form of address, displeasure appeared on the stall owner's face. He was clearly only eighteen!

"Huh?" Hu Yang did not quite react in time. He blinked at the man's worn-looking face.

This guy... looked older than he had in his previous life. He had originally wanted to call him big brother, but on second thought, it seemed a little inappropriate for a ten-year-old child to call someone in his thirties uncle. That would make their generations mismatched.

"Ugh, forget it. I won't hold it against you!" The young man sighed, then explained, "That's a treasure I brought out of some ruins. Want to buy it? Honest price—two thousand Poké Dollars!"

As he spoke, he took an ID card from his pocket.

Hu Yang took a look. "...Fine, but your price is too high. I don't want it."

"Wait, wait!" Seeing him turn to leave, the stall owner hurriedly called out and held up one hand. "Honest price, eleven hundred Poké Dollars!"

"You're in a hurry to sell it?" Hu Yang asked in surprise.

The stall owner's expression stiffened for a moment before he smiled. "Of course not. I just saw that you liked it."

Hu Yang narrowed his eyes. "Two hundred Poké Dollars."

"That's too little!" The stall owner shook his head. "At least five hundred!"

"Then I don't want it." Hu Yang turned and left. The only reason he wanted it was because Appraisal had described it like this:

[Cursed Orb]: An ancient orb containing some mysterious power. It holds an enormous attraction for Ghost-type Pokémon. If a Ghost-type Pokémon remains with it day and night, there is a great chance it will comprehend a powerful move.

This was an item that did not exist in the game. Although he did not have a Ghost-type Pokémon right now, he might have one in the future. When that time came, this would definitely be very useful.

The stall owner probably did not know its exact function, so Hu Yang had planned to buy it if the price was below one thousand.

After all, something like this was hard to come by.

But the stall owner seemed anxious to get rid of it and appeared to be hiding something, which was why Hu Yang had deliberately driven the price down so low—to test him.

Sure enough, before he had even taken more than a few steps, the stall owner panicked. "Fine! Two hundred it is! Take it, take it!"

Hu Yang was even more surprised. He accepted the orb and examined it in his hand. "This isn't some fake made of glass, is it?"

The stall owner choked on his words. He glanced at the orb with some fear and forced a smile. "How could it be? I just think you're handsome."

Hu Yang: "...Flattering me won't make me give you more money."

"Haha, just consider it making a friend!" the stall owner said with a laugh.

Hu Yang's mouth twitched. After paying two hundred, he turned and left.

After he left, the stall owner showed an expression of immense relief. He stopped selling his other things, packed everything up, and fled overnight.

Hu Yang, meanwhile, returned to school. He placed the orb on his desk and began making a nutritious meal for Budew according to the steps in the book.

In his previous life, he had always lived alone, so he had developed quite decent cooking skills.

The blissful expression on Budew's face showed just how satisfied it was with the meal.

"Tomorrow, I can try starting its training." Hu Yang wrote the training plan down on paper, step by step.

The nutrients consumed by the body needed proper training and exercise before they could be perfectly absorbed, making Budew's body healthier and healthier.

After setting the training plan, it was already nine at night.

Since he still had class tomorrow, Hu Yang quickly washed up and went to bed.

Once he had fallen asleep, dark purple mist slowly rose from the orb and condensed into a round, deep-purple figure.

With its appearance, the temperature in the room instantly dropped by several degrees.

Budew shivered in its sleep, its tiny body instinctively curling closer to Hu Yang.

Cramorant, on the other hand, barely reacted. It lay sprawled out on the bed, snoring as soundly as usual.

The stats affect my mindset, so I've decided not to look at this book's stats at all until it goes premium. Sob, sob... Please give me some recommendation votes and monthly passes. Don't let my stats look that awful.