He'd Found Himself a Rich Beauty

At the entrance to the Haunted House, Dian saw off his two guests with a beaming smile. He felt his much fuller wallet, and an invisible strength seemed to flow from it.

"Hmm... extra food tonight. Mashed potatoes."

Dian made up his mind.

Then he touched the Poké Ball at his waist, and excitement surged through him. Soon, he would have his very first Pokémon.

"Mis!"

The moment Dian stepped inside, Misdreavus swooped over, grabbed his black hair, and cried out happily.

Scaring someone so successfully had clearly left her delighted.

Dian turned and locked the door. He carefully set the Poké Ball on the floor, then watched Misdreavus in silence, waiting for her choice. Whatever she decided, he would accept it.

A beginning forced on someone might end in nothing but emptiness. Better to let her choose from the start, so he would have no regrets, whatever happened.

Misdreavus looked at the Poké Ball, nuzzled Dian's cheek, then drifted over and gently touched the little red-and-white ball.

A flash of red light appeared and wrapped around her.

"Mis?"

Misdreavus tilted her head in confusion before the red light enveloped her and drew her into the Poké Ball.

The Poké Ball made a soft sound on the floor. Its central button flashed white a few times, then it lay still.

Dian hurried forward, picked it up, and let out a long breath.

He was about to shout, but managed to hold himself back.

"I really don't have Ash's passion."

He sighed. His skin just wasn't thick enough. How was he supposed to get by if he couldn't even say a classic line?

Ding—

A flash of sky-blue light appeared.

"Mis!"

Misdreavus flew straight to the top of Dian's head, seized his black hair, and laughed happily.

Dian blinked. A frame appeared before his right eye, filled with rows of small text. Beside them was a miniature Misdreavus, so lifelike she seemed ready to move.

Misdreavus — Ghost-type.

Ability: Levitate.

Moves: Growl, Psywave, Spite, Shadow Sneak.

Dian considered it. If this were a game, he had undoubtedly landed a dream start. Misdreavus normally had no direct attack moves below level ten, but his Misdreavus was a rich beauty among her kind: she had inherited Shadow Sneak.

And this was reality, not a game. Every move had its uses.

Given a Pokémon's energy and a Trainer's limited time, mastering every move was probably impossible. Still, the more moves they knew, the more options they had.

Dian stroked the Misdreavus on his head and thought quietly.

She knew plenty of moves, but they would still need to decide which ones to focus on.

For now, though, earning money mattered most.

When he had gone to buy the Poké Ball, the prices of Pokémon-related goods had stunned him.

One Poké Ball cost a thousand. A month of hard work would buy him only two of the most basic kind, and that didn't include the Pokéblocks he would have to feed his Pokémon every day.

Dian glanced at Misdreavus and felt the pressure ease a little.

She seemed to prefer feeding on fear, which ought to save him a lot of money. But she was still young and needed plenty to eat.

"Mis?"

A pair of red eyes turned toward him. Floating above his head, Misdreavus looked at him curiously.

"It's nothing."

Dian gently stroked her head, his voice soft.

He let out a slow breath. Today was worth celebrating. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.

"Come on. Let's buy something and celebrate properly!"

Dian spoke with renewed energy. "Misdreavus, stay in here for now. I'll let you out when I get back."

He recalled her into the Poké Ball and placed it at his waist with the utmost care, keeping his left hand lightly against it.

It was the most precious thing he owned.

Dian suddenly understood how Ash felt.

Then another thought struck him. Ash's social skills are off the charts...

He remembered all the beautiful women around Ash, and envy, jealousy, and resentment tangled together inside him.

"It's fine. You've got Pikachu, I've got Misdreavus. You've got girls, I've got mashed potatoes."

Tani City lay in the central part of Johto. Despite its well-developed transport links, it had no League Gym and had never produced a particularly famous Pokémon Trainer, so hardly anyone knew its name.

Dian certainly hadn't heard of it, and he didn't plan to stay long.

On his way back from a nearby shopping mall, Dian studied a map of the area. And yes, he really did need to study it.

He didn't recognize a single nearby place name. He had never known much about Johto—or perhaps he had simply forgotten it all.

"How embarrassing..."

Dian mocked himself. If he'd known he was going to cross into another world, he would have brushed up on it.

Then a name on the map caught his eye: Violet City.

"Violet City! The shrine maiden..."

A certain legendary shrine maiden sprang to mind. Dian decided on the spot that he would head for Violet City as soon as he was ready.

He could have a few friendly battles with the kids along the way and earn some extra cash.

"Mis~"

Misdreavus clutched several brightly colored Pokéblocks and gobbled them down. She clearly hadn't had them before and loved the novelty of the snack.

Dian ran through his finances. He had only ten thousand left. After buying a travel backpack and other supplies, he would probably have seven thousand. Two more Poké Balls and Pokéblocks for Misdreavus would leave him with less than two thousand.

"...Back to square one overnight."

Dian's heart bled as he ate his deluxe mashed potatoes with tears in his eyes.

They really were deluxe. Even the outer packaging was a box printed with Diglett.

The potatoes had been grown in soil carefully loosened by Diglett. They were then prepared with water from a Vaporeon through forty-eight steps to produce all-natural mashed potatoes, sold at twenty a cup.

In other words, Dian's monthly wages could buy him a hundred cups... It didn't sound expensive, but it was.

In Tani City, an adult could eat a meal for about ten. Even splurging would cost twenty at most. Yet a cup of mashed potatoes sold for twenty and was wildly popular.

"What a bunch of profiteers."

Dian grumbled to himself. Nothing connected to Pokémon was cheap.

Miltank milk and Chansey eggs weren't things ordinary people could afford.

Most people ate synthetic foods instead, such as synthetic milk and meat products.

"What a sensible direction for technology to take."

Dian ate with his spoon as he pondered it.