"Poli!" Poliwhirl, having received Reiji's confirmation and seeing the determination in his eyes, felt its own will ignite.

It had promised—promised to stand on the grand stage alongside Reiji and earn the cheers of the crowd. Helping Reiji achieve this dream was the same as fulfilling its own.

Growing stronger together, climbing to the peak side by side—that was the reason it stayed with Reiji.

That was how it repaid him for the food, the care, the encouragement, and all the joy of living together.

It would stand on that stage, under the spotlight, with Reiji and all the others… and claim every honor.

"Bzzzt!" Butterfree nodded seriously at Poliwhirl's question. If Reiji needed it, it too wanted to shine on the battlefield.

"Krkk krkk!" Krabby raised its large claw and bumped it against Poliwhirl's fist. Wherever Poliwhirl went, it would follow.

"Caww!" Pelipper extended a wing and added it to the stack—after all, rain support was essential.

"Snort! Chow chow…" Rhyhorn didn't have many thoughts. All it wanted was food.

"Ee-tto," Spinarak was the same. As long as there was food, it had no objections. Fighting? Sure, why not.

"Dooong…" Slowpoke looked around at all the Pokémon suddenly fired up for no reason. It thought back to the battles on TV—it did look kind of fun. Could it join too?

Slowpoke slowly sat up and gently reached out its stubby little paw to rest it atop the others.

Farther off, Farfetch'd just silently watched. It didn't step forward. It felt like it didn't belong with this group and turned to leave.

But just then, a big hand came down and ruffled its feathery head. A voice followed from above.

"Farfetch'd, go watch TV with them. Don't always isolate yourself," Reiji said. He didn't know how to comfort Farfetch'd—after all, in Farfetch'd's eyes, he was its enemy.

And who listens to comfort from an enemy? He just gave the duck's head a pat, then walked out of the living room to lie down on a deck chair by the pool, staring up at the stars and mentally tallying today's expenses.

Farfetch'd froze on the spot.

It had just been… patted on the head by a human.

It was furious. It was about to explode—but before the fire could rise, it was already extinguished.

Because Slowpoke had pulled it away. Now it was sitting on the carpet too, staring at the TV like the others. Maybe no one noticed it had been touched?

Then it turned to the TV.

Onscreen, a Trainer was commanding their Pokémon in an intense battle. The match was just starting.

But Farfetch'd wasn't in the mood to watch. It twisted its neck to peek at Reiji outside.

Replaying that moment in its mind—Reiji had touched its head… actually touched it…

How dare a human touch it? It felt contaminated. Its head needed a thorough washing.

Meanwhile, Reiji pretended not to notice the sideways glances Farfetch'd was giving him. He had actually seen it—but that pat had been a huge gamble. If Farfetch'd had snapped, he could've easily lost an arm.

That leek of its wasn't just for show. It could slice through a tree like butter.

Good thing the duck had frozen up for a second, letting him escape. Not only did he avoid injury—he actually got to feel that fluffy duck head. Unlike Slowpoke's, it had a surprisingly nice texture.

And hey—once you've touched it once, you'll touch it again. That whole "never again" stuff? Yeah, no one believes that.

He stopped paying attention to the TV and the group huddled around it, and instead took out a blank sheet of paper and pen to calculate today's spending.

5 black face scarves: ¥1,000

3 pairs of underwear: ¥3,000

3 cab rides: ¥3,000

Sharpedo pendant: ¥4,000

Daily supplies: ¥5,000

50-cube storage backpack: ¥7,000

Black digital watch: ¥10,000

One week's worth of groceries: ¥10,000

Anti-stab vest (made from Sharpedo hide): ¥10,000

Custom wrist guards: ¥12,000

2 anti-stab T-shirts: ¥20,000

2 pairs of hiking boots: ¥25,000

Pokémon check-ups: ¥35,000

Rent: ¥300,000

Total: ¥445,000 Pokédollars.

He had originally ¥166,000 in cash, withdrew another ¥990,000, and sold off his spare backpack and Poison-type materials for ¥300,000.

Total funds: ¥1,456,000

Remaining balance: ¥1,011,000

As long as he didn't buy anything crazy, that one million was enough to live on for a few months.

Next, he wanted to calculate how long the food he bought at the black market would last for his little gluttons.

He'd already decided to burn his Gold Card, so he stocked up hard on supplies.

Premium Water-Light Pokéblocks:

500 boxes, 10 blocks per box = 5,000 blocks total

Poliwhirl, Krabby, and Pelipper eat 3 per day each, plus 3 more if they're training = 18 blocks/day

→ ~277 days' supply

High-Grade Water-Light Pokéblocks:

For Slowpoke, Magikarp, and Wishiwashi (2 blocks/day each)

→ 6 per day = ~833 days' supply

Even though these blocks weren't as good as premium ones, those three weren't training. Giving them Pokéblocks at all was already generous.

Premium Leaf-Green Pokéblocks:

300 boxes = 3,000 blocks

For Butterfree and Spinarak: 3/day normal, +2 if training = 10 per day

→ ~300 days' supply

Moomoo Milk:

400 bottles

Excluding Rhyhorn, Magikarp, Wishiwashi, and Farfetch'd, that's 6 Pokémon

3 bottles/day = ~133 days

Why not include those four?

Rhyhorn doesn't drink milk—it eats minerals. Magikarp and Wishiwashi are fine with Pokéblocks. As for Farfetch'd—he hadn't bought any special food for it. Until it was fully tamed, it could eat whatever the others were having.

He himself would drink regular milk. He had bought a two-month supply.

Pokémon Snacks:

250 bags, 10 per bag = 2,500 jin

They'd finish one bag every 2 days = ~400+ days' supply

Ore:

30 tons = 6,000 jin

If Rhyhorn eats 200 jin/day = ~300+ days

Plus the Ground Gems and mineral lures… Rhyhorn's diet alone had cost ¥2,300,000. If he got a few more like that, he'd go broke just feeding them.

With that, he'd finished organizing all the food:

Premium Water-Light Pokéblocks: ~277 days

High-Grade Water-Light Pokéblocks: ~833 days

Premium Leaf-Green Pokéblocks: ~300 days

Moomoo Milk: ~133 days

Regular milk: ~60 days

Pokémon snacks: ~400+ days

Ore: ~300+ days

Other supplements: varies

Out of all that, the fastest to run out would be the weekly groceries. Next would be his own milk.

Everything else would last at least 4 months. That meant he wouldn't have to worry about food again until then.

He relaxed, letting the paper and pen fall from his hands, and lay back on the chair, staring at the star-filled sky.

Everything was finally starting to fall into place.

Now he had time to train his Pokémon. To move toward that distant, seemingly unreachable goal of becoming an Elite Four member—he had taken his first small step.

Tomorrow, he could also visit the orphanage and bring the kids some gifts. But what should he buy?

Something the children needed, most likely.

As for donations, he'd have to check the situation first. If the head of the orphanage turned out to be corrupt, the money wouldn't reach the kids anyway.

If it was just about keeping the director happy, he'd throw a little cash their way—but nothing more.

And after tomorrow's training, he'd also hire a professional breeder skilled in massage to help the Pokémon relax.

Work hard, rest well—that's the only way to go far.

(End of Chapter)

[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]

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