Pokémon: Master of the Rain Team

Just as Reiji said, the Pokémon were three rather weak quasi-Elite-level ones, two Veteran-level, and a nearly-evolved Elite-level Mankey. All of them were solid breeder candidates.

The manager with the small mustache also scanned the Magnet, which turned out to be an Elite-tier held item. The Magnet’s exterior wasn’t too worn either—just a bit of polishing would make it look brand new again.

Looking at the six Pokémon Reiji presented, the manager was generally satisfied, especially with that Electabuzz. So he went ahead and asked:

”Sir, I’ve finished the scan. Everything checks out. Please name your price.”

”Fifteen million for Electabuzz. Ten million each for Gyarados and Golbat. Seven million each for Magneton and Electrode. Five million for Mankey. Four million for the Magnet.”

This was Reiji’s ideal pricing—definitely a stretch. He knew only Electabuzz was likely to fetch an inflated price. The rest? Not so much. Especially the Veteran-tier Magneton and Electrode—seven million was a joke.

And that Mankey in particular... it only had 41 potential, average talent, ordinary moves. About as plain a Fighting-type as you could get.

”Sir, if you want to keep Electabuzz at fifteen million, we can work with that,” the manager quickly interrupted Reiji before he could continue, then picked up the Magneton and Electrode and set them aside together. ”But hear me out before you decide…”

He then grouped the Mankey and the Magnet with them and said:

”Sir, these Pokémon are all in weak condition. We’ll need to spend time and money to heal them, restore their stamina, and get them into shape.”

”So Magneton and Electrode—those two Veteran-level Pokémon—as well as Mankey, an Elite-level Pokémon, and the Magnet, we can offer three million each…”

”As for the quasi-Elite Gyarados and Golbat, we’re looking at seven million apiece. What do you think?”

”Hm.” Reiji glanced at the items grouped into three sets on the table. Electabuzz hadn’t been moved.

Magneton, Electrode, Mankey, and the Magnet were lumped together for a discount.

Gyarados and Golbat were untouched, but their prices had been shaved down by three million each.

Six Pokémon and one item total.

Electabuzz – 15 million.

Magneton, Electrode, Mankey, and Magnet – 12 million.

Gyarados and Golbat – 14 million.

Grand total: 41 million.

After running the numbers in his head, Reiji nearly blurted out Holy crap! No wonder being a quasi-Elite Trainer was such a big deal.

Just from a few Pokémon, he’d netted tens of millions. Was this the worth of a high-ranking Trainer?

He almost wanted to say it out loud: Quasi-Elite Trainers are terrifying...

Although shocked at their combined value, he kept a calm expression and pretended to ponder.

Since the manager didn’t press further about Electabuzz, Reiji decided not to either. It’s not like these were his own Pokémon—they were stolen goods, and already injured. Getting three million each was a good deal.

Especially Electrode and Mankey, both heavily injured. Even a 40-potential Pokémon in good condition wouldn’t sell for five million, so seven million was just a bluff.

The three-million offer for the Elite-tier Magnet was within his expectations too.

More importantly, Electabuzz’s price stayed untouched, and he was satisfied with the seven million apiece for Gyarados and Golbat.

The manager was clearly trying to squeeze a discount on Electabuzz by lowballing the others, but Reiji liked this offer just fine—no need to push harder. He nodded at the manager.

”Deal.”

”Phew.” The manager let out a quiet breath of relief and quickly reached out for a handshake, smiling wide. ”A pleasure doing business, sir!”

Once his real intent had been exposed, the other Pokémon became his fallback, and he’d managed to recover a bit on those. Especially the two quasi-Elites—Gyarados and Golbat. After nursing them back to health and selling them to other breeders, he could probably net another two to three million.

The Magnet and Mankey, along with the two Veteran-tier Electric-types—for all their flaws like unstable emotions, tendency to self-destruct, or simply being ugly—might not fetch as much as Electabuzz offspring, but they’d still work well for breeding.

Magnemite and Voltorb lines mostly appealed to battle maniacs—trainers who only cared about combat strength, not appearances.

All in all, not a loss. Maybe a small profit depending on how things went. But if the Pokémon escaped or caused damage during handling, he’d be on the hook for repairs.

While the manager expected only a small profit, Reiji was rolling in it.

This was a massive haul—his true jackpot. He wasn’t even sure how long this much money would last, but one thing was clear: he was on the rise.

”Sir, the total for the six Pokémon and one item comes to forty-one million. Since it’s over ten million, you’ll automatically receive a Gold Card from our shop. With it, you get 10% off all future purchases here.”

”Do you have a non-registered bank card, sir? We can transfer funds to you immediately…”

”Me?” Reiji nearly cursed aloud. He had totally forgotten about the bank card issue.

He didn’t have a non-registered card. He couldn’t exactly ask for 41 million in cash, could he?

How would he even carry that much? That’d be hundreds of kilos in bills. He completely panicked.

No bank card. How the hell do I take the money? What do I do?! Quick—online help, it’s urgent…

Forget trying to stuff it in a backpack. That’d be ridiculous. Not to mention, it would totally ruin his quasi-Elite image. Not cool at all.

”Uh… I’m sorry, I lost my card and haven’t had time to get a new one. Maybe…” he started, already dying inside from the secondhand embarrassment. A quasi-Elite Trainer making such a rookie mistake—how cringe could he get?

”No problem at all, sir. That’s quite common,” the manager replied with a calm smile. He stepped out to call over the sales assistant. ”Bring me a non-registered bank card.”

Once she brought it, he shut the door again and inserted the card into a handheld terminal. Beep beep beep. He then asked:

”Sir, every transaction on this card deducts a 1% handling fee. That’s only when you withdraw. Our shop just transfers funds—we don’t charge any extra. How much would you like transferred?”

”Thirty million,” Reiji decided. He’d be buying stuff later, so keeping 11 million in cash should be plenty.

”Sir, thirty million has been deposited into your non-registered card. The PIN is six zeroes. You can change it or check the balance at any ATM, but the card cannot be recovered if lost—the funds will be permanently inaccessible.”

After that explanation, the manager handed over the card.

Reiji took it and recalled the 1% fee. That meant withdrawing the full thirty million would cost him 300,000.

Damn… talk about passive income. The League sure knows how to make money.

And if he lost the card, that money was gone forever. Dead funds, instantly absorbed by the League.

It was just like those hunter scumbags he’d taken down. Their cards became League property after death, since he couldn’t access the funds.

No wonder non-registered cards were a thing. Perfect for shady deals and convenient for the League to tax—or just snatch dead money.

He mentally noted all the card details and stashed it carefully. That card held 30 million, after all!

”Sir, for the remaining 11 million, would you like it in cash, or…?”

”I plan to buy some things here. Let’s settle up afterward,” Reiji said, rising from the couch. He left the Pokémon and the Magnet where they were. The deal was done—they were the manager’s problem now.

He wasn’t worried about being cheated. That 30 million was enough to make any quasi-Elite murderous. If this fat manager had the guts to rip him off, he’d better be ready to die for it.

No one in their right mind would risk pissing off a quasi-Elite for the price of a starter Pokémon. It’d mean living in fear every day—one mistake, and their entire family could be wiped out.

After all, you can’t always be the thief—eventually the thief gets caught.

As the two of them left the private room, the manager was going to show Reiji around. But he noticed the masked stall owner—the one who tried to sell Electabuzz earlier—had come back to negotiate.

Quickly, he called over the young lady assistant. ”You take care of the gentleman. He’s now a VIP Gold Card holder. Let me know when he’s ready to settle.”

”Yes, Manager Jin,” the assistant replied quickly, then adjusted her clothes and unfastened her top button a little. This guy was a big spender—she wasn’t about to slack off.

”Sir, she’ll help you find anything you want in the shop. Everything’s fair game, and I’ll make sure you get the best price,” said Manager Jin, before excusing himself to deal with the masked seller.

Reiji waved him off casually and scanned the shop’s interior. Pokémon, food, items—everything was here. Then he asked the assistant, ”Do you have Pokéblocks?”

”Yes, of course! Right this way. May I ask what types you’re looking for, sir?”

”Water and Bug.”

Those were the only two types of Pokémon he had that could benefit. Rhyhorn didn’t even have Pokéblock food, and his Farfetch’d… well, it wasn’t even his yet.

He was more worried the duck would eat him first—no way was he giving it Pokéblocks. Dream on.

”Please take a look at these two: Premium Verdant Pokéblock and Premium Aqua Glow Pokéblock,” the assistant said. ”They’re high-purity Bug and Water-type Pokéblocks, respectively. You’ve probably seen these before, so I’ll get right to the price.”

”At the Department Store, these cost 5,000 per box. But as a Gold Card VIP, you’ll get them here for just 3,600 for Water and 3,000 for Bug. That’s the special discount—plus, you’ll get another 10% off…”

”Hm?” Reiji hummed softly, eyes lighting up. Well, damn. That’s a 2,000 drop instantly—no wonder he thought the Department Store was daylight robbery.

This place was almost half the price. He wasn’t even going to haggle—it would ruin his quasi-Elite image.

Besides, those clear blue Aqua Pokéblocks were gorgeous—hardly any visible impurities. The Premium Verdant ones looked just as clean.

He even checked the quality ratings—both were over 80% purity. Very solid food for Water-types.

(End of Chapter)

[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]

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