Egg Gambling

Ye Qing was thrilled. He had still felt uncertain about his future, but now he could finally put his mind at ease. The ability to see a Pokémon's potential alone would give him an unbeatable advantage!

Holding back his excitement, Ye Qing stopped his dad from heading off to pick a Pokémon Egg and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Dad, let's go to the egg gambling market. I asked my teacher for advice a few days ago, and I've picked up a few things about identifying Pokémon Eggs."

"Really?"

His dad was skeptical. Unlike a Pokémon Day Care, the egg gambling market offered no guarantees. Not only were the eggs' species and potential unidentified, but there was no guarantee they were even viable. In short, everything depended on how sharp your eyes were!

Of course, those drawbacks came with an advantage: the prices were dirt cheap. One appraisal could leave you broke or make you rich. You might snag an excellent Pokémon for a bargain, or you might end up with nothing at all!

The most successful egg gamble in the country had landed someone a Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon Egg!

That person had become rich overnight, with yachts, beautiful women, and private planes at his disposal for the rest of his life!

Seeing how confident his son was, his dad nodded, though he still had his doubts. After making their way around, the family arrived at the tallest building in the city a little over ten minutes later-the Mountain-Sea Building!

Not only was it the tallest building in Shanhai City, but it also housed the local branch offices of the Trainer Association, along with the city's largest Pokémon shopping center and egg gambling market.

The egg gambling market was just like gambling on uncut jade in his previous life. With low prices and a chance to get rich overnight, it was packed with people.

Ye Mom was still uneasy. Tugging at Ye Dad, she asked quietly, "Honey, is this really a good idea? Neither of us has an eye for this."

His dad smiled as he watched Ye Qing walking ahead with his back straight. "Don't worry. This is all the money we have anyway. It's his life. Since our son is so confident, and we've already warned him about everything we should, there's no need to interfere too much."

Ye Mom sighed. "It wasn't easy borrowing that money, was it?" Although the couple was putting on an act, the money really had been borrowed. They had simply borrowed more than a hundred thousand, which was why they dared let Ye Qing take a chance.

His dad shook his head. "It's fine. As long as our son succeeds in the future, none of this matters."

Ye Mom frowned slightly. "If I'd known, I would've borrowed some money from my family. Then we wouldn't have had to go to all this trouble."

His dad's brows shot up at that. "No need. I don't want to deal with those smug faces of theirs."

Stopping in front of the largest shop, Ye Qing said, "Mom, Dad, let's try this one."

A potbellied owner rose to greet them. "Oh, are you three looking for Pokémon Eggs? We've got everything here, from Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon to starter Pokémon!"

"Take your time! Have a look around!"

The owner offered no further introduction, simply letting the three browse. In his line of work, you couldn't steer customers toward anything. Otherwise, if they paid a fortune only to hatch a Caterpie, wouldn't they come after you?

Ye Qing asked his parents to wait for him without worrying, then entered the shop alone, scanning the Pokémon Eggs displayed on the stands one by one.

These Pokémon Eggs looked far worse than the ones at the Pokémon Day Care. Most were still covered in dirt, slime, and other debris. Who knew which nests they had been stolen from?

"Caterpie, Spearow, Pidgey, Rattata, Rattata, Rattata, Rattata..."

Ye Qing was speechless. Eighty percent of this batch consisted of eggs like Rattata and Caterpie. Anyone buying them was bound to lose their shirt!

Although experienced buyers could make a preliminary identification from the patterns on the shells, there was one problem: the shells were covered in mud!

So physical tricks were the deadliest cheats of all! There was a reason people said nine out of ten gambles ended in a loss.

Avoiding the crowds, Ye Qing headed wherever there were fewer people and continued browsing another batch of Pokémon Eggs.

"Ponyta, Wooper, Pichu, Zubat, Weedle, Machop, Bellsprout..."

There were a few decent Pokémon among them, but their potential was abysmal. Even if he raised them carefully, they would never amount to much.

After browsing more than half the shop, Ye Qing's eyes finally lit up.

Among a pile of grimy Pokémon Eggs, one stood out in particular.

Pokémon: Whismur (Level 0)

Potential: C-

Status: Egg

Gender: Female

Type: Normal

Ability: Rattled (When hit by Dark-type, Ghost-type, or Bug-type moves, her fear raises her Speed.)

...

Notes: Whismur normally makes very quiet sounds, as though whispering. Once angered, however, she can let out screams as loud as a jet engine.

Her potential was C! That was no ordinary rating. S-grade potential was almost exclusively found in Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon. Once fully grown, a Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon with that potential might not defeat a Level 2 Legendary Pokémon, but it could at least hold its own for a few rounds and keep one occupied.

Wild Pokémon generally had F− or E Rank potential. Without careful attention and training, some of their natural talent was bound to go to waste.

The starter Pokémon currently monopolized and carefully bred by the League generally had D Rank potential. Only a tiny minority reached C or B.

For ordinary people from families like his, getting a Pokémon with decent base stats and C-grade potential was already a blessing worth thanking the heavens for. If it developed normally, he wouldn't have to worry about paying a bride price to get married someday. Even getting his future mother-in-law to visit him in person would be easy.

Put simply, a Pokémon with C-grade potential and respectable base stats could almost always serve as a Gym Trainer's main battler. And what kind of person was a Gym Trainer? A local powerhouse, someone who ranked among the city's notable figures!

As far as Ye Qing knew, professional Pokémon trainers were divided into eight ranks.

Ordinary Trainer (beginners, fresh graduates, and ordinary working trainers), Professional Trainer (those active in various competitions, coaches, and so on), Ace Trainer (Pokémon Hunters, professional bodyguards, and other mainstays of organizations and companies), Gym Trainer (local powerhouses who ranked among a city's leading figures), Pseudo-Elite Four, Elite Four, Champion, and Master!

So if he raised this Whismur properly and added a few other decent Pokémon to his team, he would at least have a chance of reaching the rank of Gym Trainer.

Joining the upper ranks of society, marrying a beautiful, wealthy woman, and reaching the pinnacle of life would no longer be distant dreams.

Still, Ye Qing didn't decide right away. He first cradled the football-sized Pokémon Egg in his arms, then continued looking through the others.

Plenty of people were choosing eggs here, and magnifying glasses and flashlights were everywhere. By contrast, Ye Qing, who had come to pick eggs without any tools, was the odd one out.

Ignoring the looks people gave him as though he were an idiot, Ye Qing turned his attention to the final section.

The eggs here were even cheaper and looked dreadful, their shells covered in mud and grime. Most cost anywhere from a few thousand to around ten thousand. Since the owner wouldn't let anyone wipe the shells clean, hardly anyone was browsing them.

Ye Qing had no such problem, however. He simply let his cheat lead the way, scanning them one by one.

"Caterpie, Weedle, Weedle, Weedle, Weedle, Caterpie... Meowth, Cacnea, Combee, Chimchar..."

Ye Qing had just begun to feel disappointed when his gaze snapped back to one of the dirt-covered eggs.

Wait, Chimchar?

Stepping closer, Ye Qing discovered that this egg was actually a little larger than an ordinary Pokémon Egg.