New Partner

Pyrite Town had numerous Underground Cities.

Quite a few of them were neutral Underground Cities, where many outside merchants sold all sorts of items unavailable in Pyrite Town. Pokémon trading was only one of their main businesses.

Otsuka seemed very familiar with the place, but instead of taking Baimu to some secret little shop, he picked out an utterly ordinary mid-sized store on the bustling Pokémon sales street.

"My dad's on good terms with the owner here. The prices might not be much cheaper, but the quality definitely won't be low. They're also relatively 'clean,' not stolen goods. I bought my Sandshrew from him."

Sandshrew?

As Otsuka talked animatedly, Baimu recalled that rather large armadillo Pokémon.

Size was certainly not the key factor in determining whether a Pokémon was strong, but among members of the same species, larger individuals were generally sturdier and more outstanding.

"Oh? What a rare guest. Otsuka, you actually have time today?"

A short, fat man had just finished speaking with someone else. Seeing the two enter, he came over with a cheerful smile.

Otsuka replied, "Uncle Maruyama, I specifically brought you a big deal this time. You got new stock in today, right?"

"Of course! Your Uncle Maruyama wouldn't let you down... This young man must be the buyer?" Maruyama looked toward Baimu.

The latter nodded slightly. "Hello."

"Hahaha, so polite. I like young people like you." Maruyama laughed. "Are you planning to browse around first, or—"

"Take us straight to the warehouse!" Otsuka hurriedly cut him off, then turned and quietly explained that the Pokémon displayed outside looked good, but most of them were just for show.

Baimu looked around and felt as though he had entered a pet shop. Compared to the cats and dogs from his previous life that barked nonstop whenever someone came in, or sat around listlessly, most Pokémon's eyes looked far livelier.

He withdrew his gaze.

Soon after, Maruyama led the two to the back of the shop, to a warehouse-like area. He switched on the overhead lights, and numerous large cages covered in black cloth immediately erupted with impacts and cries.

"Hear that? Full of vigor!"

Maruyama chuckled and turned to Baimu. "What are you looking for, young man? Preferred type, price range?"

"...What's the most expensive thing here?"

Baimu looked at him. "Can I ask?"

"Of course! We accept any business inquiries!"

Maruyama took the lead, with the other two following behind, until they stopped before an enormous cage.

He lifted a corner of the covering. Baimu peered into the darkness and immediately saw a huge mouth reeking of sulfur slam toward him.

Bang!

The cage shook.

Baimu's expression remained unchanged. Inside was an Arcanine with a vicious look on their face. Their fluffy golden fur and vivid tiger-striped markings made them look exceptionally imposing.

"This Arcanine's level isn't low, you know, so they're worth ten million!" Maruyama said cheerfully as he lowered the cloth.

Ten million!

Even if Poké Dollars were similar to yen, that was still an astounding amount!

"...What about something around one million?" As Baimu spoke, he glanced at Otsuka. Seeing that he was only mildly surprised rather than panicked, and was calmly observing the Arcanine, Baimu felt somewhat relieved.

This guy was actually willing to lend him that much. What a surprise.

And he probably had at least two million in his pocket, or he would never be this calm.

Maruyama smiled and led them elsewhere. "There are plenty of choices in the one-million range. If you want my personal recommendation..."

He lifted the black cloth, revealing a brown, red-striped mole Pokémon with what looked like a huge cone fixed to their forehead and exceptionally sharp claws.

"Excadrill! Level forty-three! They might be a little difficult to control, but they're a great Pokémon. Their Sand Rush Ability lets them move through the desert with ease. They're very popular in your Quicksand Team!"

Maruyama suddenly waved his hands dramatically.

"And they've mastered seventeen different moves! You know High Horsepower? High Horsepower! It's very strong! Only 1.4 million! Fair prices for young and old alike!"

Baimu said, "Level forty-three... Do you have one with a slightly lower level?"

"You prefer lower-level Pokémon?"

Maruyama looked at him in surprise. Most customers wanted the strongest Pokémon possible. The higher the level and the more moves they knew, the more popular they were, and the higher their price climbed.

Those who asked for weaker ones usually preferred to raise them slowly themselves.

But how much effort would it take to raise one to this level and teach them so many moves? It was no easy task.

"I personally wouldn't recommend it, but since that's what you like..."

Maruyama walked forward two meters and lifted a corner of another black cloth. "This Pokémon from another region is best suited for beginner Trainers. It should be right up your alley."

Baimu looked inside and saw a large blue salamander Pokémon with a blank expression.

"Marshtomp, level twenty-one. Don't let their dazed look fool you—their physique is excellent. They're also very strong, twenty centimeters taller than the standard height, and they've mastered ten moves. That's a little on the low side, but they know useful moves like Rock Slide and Water Pulse. Price: six hundred and twenty thousand."

Hmm... A Marshtomp for six hundred and twenty thousand...

Seeing that Baimu's expression remained unchanged, Maruyama moved on and showed him other Pokémon.

The man certainly had a silver tongue. He described many Pokémon so extravagantly that one almost wanted to pull out money and buy them all on the spot. Unfortunately, every one of them had some hidden flaw or another.

For example, the overly high-level Excadrill would probably be difficult to control; the Marshtomp needed frequent moisturizing and was unsuited to Pyrite Town's wilderness environment...

Of course, the fundamental reason was that none of them gave him that feeling.

He did not want to settle. These were Pokémon he would spend the rest of his life with, so it was best if everything felt right.

Watching him deliberate, Otsuka suddenly recalled how conflicted he had felt when buying his own Pokémon. He could not help feeling nostalgic, though his budget back then had not been nearly this generous.

A million!

Even though he was the one paying, he still felt a lingering sense of alarm.

Just then.

Baimu, who had been staring down in thought, suddenly raised his head. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Otsuka looked completely confused. He had not heard anything.

"No."

Baimu suddenly walked in a certain direction. Under Maruyama's astonished gaze, he pointed at a large iron cage. "What Pokémon is inside? How much?"

"How did you... Ah, you heard their voice."

Maruyama lifted the black cloth, revealing a strange, oval-shaped creature covered in pink fur, slumped inside the cage with an egg in their belly pouch.

"Chansey. A Normal-type Pokémon, level thirty. They have excellent healing abilities and are rare. In other regions, they're dedicated assistants at Pokémon Centers. But I wouldn't recommend buying this one."

"Why not?"

"Because they're extremely unsuited to battle. They had already been returned twice by the time I took them in, which proves they're practically impossible to put to use.

"They'd make a nice decorative pet Pokémon... but you're with the Quicksand Team, right? Competing next week?"

Maruyama smiled mysteriously. "Buying a rare Pokémon that isn't good for battle isn't very cost-effective."

Baimu looked into the large cage and met Chansey's slightly sorrowful gaze.

"Lucky."

A few seconds later.

"This one. How much?" He tapped the cage, startling Chansey into scrambling to their feet and looking at him anxiously.

Otsuka said, "Huh? Wait, don't you want to think about it some more?"

"Think about what? I like their cry, and I need a Pokémon like them." Baimu waved a hand.

It would already be extremely difficult to make an unfamiliar Pokémon drop all their guard and obey his commands within only a few days. Even Aron could not do that, so he might as well consider other factors.

Besides, he had a rather special idea.

"Oh! Decisive! This Chansey was originally priced at 1.1 million—don't think that's expensive, it's already very cheap! But I admire young people like you, so I'll give you twenty percent off. Eight hundred and eighty thousand will do!"

Maruyama exclaimed as he pulled out a calculator and rapidly punched in the simple multiplication and division. "Need anything else? Specialized Pokémon food, nutritional supplements, that sort of thing?"

"No need. Otsuka's paying!" Baimu slapped Otsuka on the shoulder, and Otsuka blankly took an envelope from his pocket and began counting out the bills.

More than a million! He bought one just like that!

Even Otsuka's heart ached for Baimu. He had thought the Pokémon would cost thirty thousand at most, but it had nearly reached one million.

Good thing his father had told him to bring extra.

Holding the bills, he saw Maruyama turn away to fetch something and tried to persuade Baimu again. "You won't have any battle strength like this. What will you do on the day of the competition? It'll be dangerous!"

"And having battle strength means it won't be dangerous?" Baimu glanced back at him. Seeing Otsuka rendered speechless, he looked toward Chansey again. "Don't worry. I'll let you out soon."

"Lucky..."

Chansey placed their two little hands in front of the egg in their pouch. They did not look very happy. Who knew how long they had been kept in that cramped cage, or what they had gone through?

Before long.

Maruyama returned with a Poké Ball in one hand and various documents in the other, including Chansey's medical examination report and more.

According to the short, fat merchant, selling sickly or weak Pokémon was immoral, and he had never done such a thing.

Baimu took him at his word, recalled Chansey into the Poké Ball, and lightly patted it twice. "Don't worry. I won't mistreat you. Relax."

The two left the Pokémon shop.

"Is there anything else you want to buy? They have all kinds of things here. How about a game console?" Otsuka seemed to have developed a shopping addiction and kept recommending different items.

Baimu refused each one. What he wanted most now was to find somewhere safe and check on Chansey and the Pokémon Liu Ge had lent him.

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