Shopping

Yantai Bai Mu brought Xinhai to the entrance of the police station, opened the door, and said to the officer at the front desk, "Hello, we're here to apply for League IDs."

Hearing this, the officer at the front desk immediately stood up and replied, "Certainly. Please have a seat for a moment, you two. I'll go get Officer Jenny to handle it for you." With that, he headed deeper into the station.

Not long after Yantai Bai Mu and Xinhai sat down, a heroic-looking woman in a police uniform arrived at the front desk with the officer from before. "Trainer Yantai, it's been a long time. Are you here to apply for a League ID for your son?"

Officer Jenny clearly knew Yantai Bai Mu, which was perfectly normal. Although Verdanturf Town was not small, it had far fewer Trainers than other towns, and high-level Trainers were especially scarce.

Furthermore, Yantai Bai Mu was an Elite Trainer, already standing at the pinnacle of ordinary people. It was no surprise that Officer Jenny knew him.

"Yes, Officer Jenny! This is my son, Xinhai Bai Mu. Xinhai, hurry and greet Officer Jenny," Yantai Bai Mu said.

Xinhai looked at Officer Jenny and smiled sweetly. "Hello, Officer Jenny. This is my partner, Torchic. Torchic, you should greet Officer Jenny too."

Hearing that, Torchic raised his little wings and greeted Officer Jenny.

"Chamo~"

Seeing this, Officer Jenny also smiled and greeted Xinhai and Torchic. "Hello, Xinhai, Torchic."

Officer Jenny then efficiently handled a series of procedures for Xinhai. Other people came to line up during that time, and about ten minutes later, a brand-new League ID was placed in Xinhai's hands.

Looking at the League ID in his hand, Xinhai happily bowed to Officer Jenny. "Thank you, Officer Jenny."

"All right, no need to thank me. It's my job. But make sure you keep your League ID safe and don't lose it. It would be terrible if a bad person picked it up," Officer Jenny reminded him.

"Okay, Officer Jenny. Don't worry, I'll be careful." Xinhai put the League ID into his pocket and patted it.

Yantai Bai Mu reached out and rubbed his son's head. "Sorry for the trouble, Officer Jenny. We're done here, so we won't disturb your work any longer." With that, he led his son in waving goodbye to Officer Jenny.

Xinhai smiled and waved at Officer Jenny. "Thank you, Officer Jenny. Goodbye."

Officer Jenny waved back before turning around and returning to her busy work.

After leaving the police station, Xinhai looked at the Pokédex and League ID in his hands, his heart filled with excitement. "Dad, does this mean I'm a Trainer now?"

Seeing how happy his son was, Yantai Bai Mu smiled. "That's right. You're a Novice Trainer now."

Trainer levels: Novice 1–9 (also called Beginner), Beginner 10–19, Intermediate 20–29, Advanced 30–39, Elite level 40–49, Gym level 50–59, Elite level 60–69, Champion level 70–79.

Torchic had not undergone any training yet, so his level was still very low. He remained in the Novice stage and still had some way to go before reaching Beginner.

Yantai Bai Mu looked at his son and smiled. "You have a Pokémon now too. Here, take this bank card. Your mother and I opened it when you were born. We've deposited 1.2 million in it, which should be enough for you for a while." As he spoke, he handed the card to Xinhai.

Xinhai accepted the bank card in a daze, thinking, 1.2 million... I'm rich.

Seeing the look on his son's face, Yantai Bai Mu could not help laughing. "All right, let's go buy Torchic some supplements and training equipment." With that, he led the still-grinning Xinhai toward the department store.

However, once they had finished shopping, Xinhai, who had been happily grinning the whole time, was dumbfounded. This trip alone had cost more than 300,000.

At the department store, they bought Torchic a month's supply of Nutritional Potion. This was the kind of potion that could improve the seven attributes from the games: constitution, energy, Special Attack, Special Defense, Attack, Defense, and Speed. Each bottle contained 200 milliliters, and one set was needed per day. A set of Nutritional Potion cost 3,000, meaning a month's supply came to 90,000.

Xinhai also bought a Torchic-specific supplement, said to be a special formula developed by Silph Co. This supplement was only effective when consumed by Pokémon during the Novice stage, and it could increase the intensity of a Pokémon's internal energy.

As for the price, Xinhai could only say that Silph Co. truly lived up to its name. Robbery was not even this profitable.

One bottle cost 10,000 League Coins. He bought the maximum of seven bottles a Pokémon could take, totaling 70,000.

There were also calcium tablets Pokémon needed. These were high-end goods developed by Silph Co., supposedly the result of biotechnology research.

The packaging clearly stated that they aided Pokémon growth and could even help Pokémon break through their growth limits.

According to scientifically researched dosage guidelines, two pills a day could be taken until a Pokémon stopped growing. One box of high-quality calcium tablets contained sixty pills and cost 20,000. He bought two boxes for a total of 40,000.

In addition, Pokémon food, Berries, Intermediate energy cubes, and various Berries suitable for Torchic cost over 70,000, while a set of Torchic training equipment cost 50,000.

Afterward, Yantai Bai Mu brought Xinhai to a Devon Corporation store, where they spent 20,000 on the latest navigator, 10,000 on two sets of wilderness Trainer exploration gear, and finally 20,000 on a Sonic Bicycle and a high-tech tent.

Fortunately, since they had bought so much, the store offered delivery. Otherwise, they would have needed to spend more money on a Spatial Backpack.

Watching the money on his bank card drain away like water, Xinhai's heart ached as though it were bleeding.

And this was only the expense of raising one Pokémon. He would definitely catch more Pokémon in the future. Looking at the roughly 900,000 still remaining on his bank card, Xinhai's eyes filled with tears.

Seeing his son pay with tears in his eyes, Yantai Bai Mu could not help laughing. "You're already heartbroken? There'll be plenty more places to spend money in the future. Now you understand why Trainers usually only raise three main Pokémon before reaching Elite level, right?"

Xinhai covered his heart with both hands. "I understand, but this realization really hurts."

Less than an hour after receiving the money, a quarter of it had vanished. Just thinking about the future made Xinhai's heart ache so badly that he twitched.

Yantai Bai Mu smiled and shook his head, speaking earnestly. "These are necessary investments on a Trainer's path to growth. Starting from now, 200,000 will be deposited into this card every year. The family can't help you much more in this regard, so you'll have to earn the rest yourself by taking tasks from the League Hall."

Looking at his father, Xinhai released Torchic and clenched one fist. "Don't worry, Dad. With Torchic and me working together, League tasks will be easy."

Torchic, who had just been released, also cried out loudly after hearing Xinhai's words. "Chamo!"

"Then the two of you had better work hard!"

Looking at the boy and the chick, Yantai Bai Mu smiled.

The League Hall, also known as the [Task Posting Hall], was an important organization established by the League to centrally manage Trainers. By completing tasks posted there, Trainers could receive League Coins or League points.

The tasks were divided into two categories: League tasks and personal tasks.

The only difference between the two was that League tasks provided a certain amount of points in addition to monetary rewards.

Trainers could use those points to exchange for all kinds of things they wanted within the League, whether training manuals, various special items, or even Starter Pokémon.

Of course, tasks of varying difficulty offered different amounts of points.

The League also assigned ranks to every task, corresponding to Trainer strength: E, D, C, B, A, and S.

E-rank tasks generally only rewarded single-digit points. D-rank tasks could offer around ten-odd points, while C-rank tasks gave thirty or forty points, never exceeding one hundred.

As for high-rank tasks, while the points were certainly generous, their danger level rose sharply. None of them were simple, and the higher the rank, the more perilous the task and the higher the death rate.

Even so, people flocked to them, because once a Trainer's lifetime League points reached 30,000, that Trainer would become a direct-line Trainer of the League.

After becoming a direct-line Trainer of the League, one could receive a Starter Pokémon and a personal Pokédex. Most importantly, they and their descendants could enjoy all kinds of welfare policies provided by the League.

In front of a shop called Flower Dance Flower Shop lay a small flowerbed, blooming with flowers of every kind. They were colorful, abundant, and fragrant.

"Mom, Dad and I are back! Look at my starter Pokémon."