"Right this way, sir," the sales assistant said, leading Reiji toward the artificial ecosystem inside the breeding center, where professional caretakers were tending to the starter Pokémon.

Reiji's eyes widened as he took in the scene. There were so many starters.

Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Chikorita, Totodile, Treecko, Mudkip… everything was there except Fire-type starters. Grass and Water-types were all present.

"Can I touch them?" Reiji asked, walking up to the aquarium where Mudkip and Squirtle swam.

"Of course, sir. Which ones would you like to see?" the assistant replied politely.

"Squirtle and Mudkip. Bring me the best ones," Reiji said, making sure to emphasize his request clearly in case she didn't understand.

"Understood, sir." The assistant turned and called out, "Bring out the best Squirtle and Mudkip!"

Soon, a staff member arrived with two baby starters. "Sir, these are the best Water-type starter Pokémon we have," they said.

Reiji scooped up the Mudkip and gave it a few squeezes, gently patting it here and there. Water-type Pokémon always had slippery skin.

Without seeing their proficiency panels, it was hard to judge, so he asked, "Can I put them into Poké Balls to check them?"

"Yes, sir, but you may not take them out of the store," the assistant replied, handing over the staff Poké Balls.

Reiji nodded and recalled both the Mudkip and Squirtle into their Poké Balls, then checked their panels.

[Mudkip]

Type: Water

Gender: Male

Potential: 42%

Level: 3.17%

Ability: Torrent (0.19%)

Moves: …

[Squirtle]

Type: Water

Gender: Female

Potential: 41%

Level: 4.27%

Ability: Torrent (0.32%)

Moves: …

Reiji frowned. Disappointed, maybe—but perhaps his expectations had simply been too high. If this was the standard for starters, he wasn't buying.

A 41% potential barely crossed the veteran threshold. With careful training it might reach the Elite Four level, but that wasn't what he was looking for.

Objectively, that kind of potential was solid. But not for him. And especially not for that price.

He'd said it before on the deserted island: he only needed one low-potential Pokémon—Poliwhirl. Any new captures had to be close to 60% potential. If they weren't—even if they were starters—he wasn't interested.

Capturing low-potential Pokémon was just a waste of time, effort, and resources.

If he had encountered one of these starters before Poliwhirl, sure, he'd have taken it. But now? No chance. And he wouldn't give up Poliwhirl, either.

"How much are they?" he asked anyway, just in case the price was laughably low.

"Sir, because you're a Gold Card guest, the price is twenty million," the assistant said.

"Twenty million?" Reiji released both Pokémon, rubbed their heads gently, and muttered, "Not bad for the price… but these little guys still can't match the League's starters."

"You must be joking, sir. Our starters can't compare to those issued by the League. Those are not for sale. Every League starter has an invisible mark that appears under special light."

"That mark is impossible to remove unless the skin is destroyed. Usually, it's located on the belly, back, limbs, or soles of the feet. None of our starters have those."

"That's why you never see starters sold at department stores. The League strictly forbids breeders from raising their official starters. Even if someone brings one in, we refuse to take it. We only sell our own, self-bred starters."

Because selling League-issued starters directly would be equivalent to interfering with the trainers who are supposed to receive them. And those trainers… are not ordinary people.

Selling wild-caught starters, on the other hand, doesn't cross that line, so it's allowed under the radar.

What about League inspections?

Don't ask. Even death sentences can be reduced; life sentences can be commuted. What do you think happens in a society run on favors?

Reiji now understood why Pokémon hunters avoided targeting League-issued starters.

You can't capture them. You can't sell them. And you'll end up with a wanted poster. The risk-to-reward ratio was garbage.

Only an idiot would try to snatch one.

If it were him? He'd capture wild Pokémon and stay far away from League starters.

Of course, the assistant only explained so much because Reiji had skillfully led her there. He couldn't just ask directly—that'd seem too clueless. Not very befitting of someone with quasi-Elite status.

A trainer at that level should already know things even street thugs understand.

"Do you have any special Pokémon in stock?" Reiji tossed the Poké Balls back to the assistant and left the aquatic section, wandering through the other artificial ecosystems.

The layout was similar to the breeding center at the department store. Nothing stood out. Just the shop's usual Electric-types, a few Electric-type eggs, and some shiny Wurmples.

Wurmples were common enough that a shiny or two wasn't shocking. Still a dime a dozen.

No blank-slate Pokémon either. Probably because they wouldn't sell here. Who'd come to the black market to buy trash-tier Pokémon? Just go catch them in the wild.

"Wrap up everything I ordered and bring it to me," Reiji said, returning to the lobby. He hadn't bothered looking at the Electric-type babies—they were the same ones he'd seen at the department store. No point.

And their potential was even worse. Probably leftovers the department store rejected and offloaded here at discount.

"Yes, sir." The assistant began packing up his items and handed the invoice to the mustached manager, who had just emerged from a private room.

Reiji noticed the manager was glowing with delight. The masked vendor leaving the shop looked the opposite—grim-faced and bitter. Reiji recognized him. He was the guy selling Electabuzz outside.

He must've come inside to avoid attracting too much attention. Judging by the expression, the deal didn't go well for him.

The mustached manager grinned even wider when he glanced at Reiji's purchase list.

Reiji ignored them and glanced at the masked man disappearing through the door. Electabuzz, huh… The vendor probably lost a lot.

So—should he consider buying one?

He wasn't sure yet. Even if he did want to build a Rain Team, Electric-types would still be countered by Ground-types. So using an Electric Pokémon against another Electric Pokémon wouldn't really make sense.

Still, having one Electric-type wouldn't hurt. His top pick was Ampharos. Then Electivire. Then Pikachu or Jolteon.

As for Zapdos or Raikou? Forget it. When your whole team's weak to them, what're you gonna do—get smited trying to catch one? Yeah, right.

Before he could think further, the mustached manager approached with a bright smile. "Sir, we've tallied your total. Please have a look at the invoice—twelve million. If everything looks good, I'll settle the balance."

"Sure." Reiji took the list. He remembered his purchases clearly. Just needed to confirm quantities.

He wasn't worried about being shortchanged. After all, the six-million Mystic Water? The manager hadn't even flinched. No way he'd risk his life over petty tricks.

He glanced at the breakdown:

Premium Water Pokéblocks: 500 boxes × 3,600 = 1.8M

Quality Water Pokéblocks: 500 boxes × 1,200 = 600k

Premium Bug Pokéblocks: 300 boxes × 3,000 = 900k

Moomoo Milk: 400 bottles × 600 = 240k

Regular Milk: 60 bottles × 200 = 12k (free)

Special Pokémon Snacks: 50 Bug, 200 Water = 250k

Ore Feed: 30 tons × 14,000 = 420k

Mineral Riceballs: 200 × 500 = 100k

Water Gems: 3 × 400k = 1.2M

Rock Gems: 3 × 300k = 900k

Ground Gems: 3 × 300k = 900k

Mystic Water (Veteran Grade): 6M

Heal Balls: 5 × 10k = 50k

Dive Balls: 5 × 1k = 5k (free)

Net Ball: 1k (free)

Total: 13.36M

After 10% discount: 12.024M

Final rounded total: 12M

"Huh, rounded down the extra 240k?" Reiji smiled. "You really know how to run a business."

The manager handed back his Gold Card and bank card. "Sir, we look forward to serving you again."

Now that's how you run a shop. Reiji accepted his card, satisfied, and began inspecting the goods.

[End of Chapter]

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