Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
As Alice and Grandpa Pino left in their luxury car, Sato resumed his quest to earn more game coins in the gaming hall, though his objective had shifted slightly.
After unexpectedly encountering Alice and Grandpa Pino, Sato's priority was now to resolve his ticket issue. Boarding the S. S. Anne was out of the question, so he'd have to find another ship to the Hoenn region.
Fortunately, the prize list in the gaming hall included an item that could solve Sato's problem: the Golden Ticket.
The Golden Ticket, created by the Vermilion City Shipping Company for VIP clients, allowed the holder to board any of its vessels at no cost and with the same privileges as a luxury ticket.
(Note: Each Golden Ticket has 20 uses.)
According to the prize list, this Golden Ticket was pristine, with all 20 uses remaining. Redeeming it, however, would require five gold game coins.
Now, Sato's goals included not only the Miracle Seed and a water-type starter Pokémon but also the Golden Ticket, which had become his top priority.
The slot machine spun to life, and the images on the screen blurred as they rolled at an eye-watering speed. With a bit of concentration, Sato slowed the display to a more manageable pace.
Then, under his precise control, a row of Pikachu images appeared on the slot machine's screen. The next moment, the machine clinked out 15 copper coins, which Sato promptly collected and stowed in a coin box.
(Note: You can insert 1 to 3 copper coins per spin. Prizes are awarded based on matching rows of images: one matching row gives a 5x payout, two matching rows 10x, and three matching rows 50x. A single row of 777 symbols gives 100x, two rows 200x, and three rows 500x.)
Before long, Sato's coin box was nearly full. He then deposited most of the copper coins into a coin exchange box attached to the machine, which quickly returned several silver coins and 30 copper coins. After transferring these into his now-lighter box, he moved to an unoccupied slot machine and continued playing.
(Each slot machine has an adjacent coin exchange box, which doubles as a coin storage. It allows you to exchange 100 copper coins for a silver coin or vice versa, while gold coins can only be exchanged at the counter.)
Some observant bystanders noticed that Sato's recently won coins were mostly gobbled up by the machine in front of him. Seeing Sato's increasingly sour expression, they chuckled and shifted their attention elsewhere.
However, after a large portion of his coins had been swallowed, Sato's "good luck" seemed to return as the machine began to release coins with satisfying jingles more frequently.
Meanwhile, the patrolling staff had lost interest in Sato, who appeared to have "normal" luck, and shifted their focus to other players who seemed to be on hot streaks.
Even as he racked up coins, Sato remained as cautious as ever. He refrained from using his excellent dynamic vision to land the highest multiplier with three 777s, instead opting to earn coins by matching one or two rows at a time.
He also purposefully lost four or five out of every ten spins, sometimes even losing every spin, in order to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.
Sato's careful approach proved highly effective, blending him seamlessly among the "normally lucky" slot machine players.
Even with his precautions, though, his stash of silver coins continued to grow at an impressive rate. In just half an hour, he'd accumulated enough silver coins to exchange for two gold coins.
Of course, Sato was cautious with his identity. He knew better than to rack up two gold coins using the same face, so he used Ditto's shapeshifting ability to transform into other people.
Each time he earned enough silver coins to trade for one gold coin, he would exchange them at the counter, then either head to the restroom or briefly leave the gaming hall. After changing his appearance—and sometimes even his clothes—he'd return.
Thanks to this cautious approach, Sato avoided drawing attention from staff or other players. After all, there were many slot players, and about one in every ten seemed lucky; Sato's type of "lucky player" wasn't unusual here.
After over six hours, nearing dawn, Sato finally collected the 30 gold coins he needed. He redeemed them for the Golden Ticket and Miracle Seed using two different identities.
Exhausted, Sato rented a small room at a nearby inn, where he and his Pokémon had breakfast before he fell into a deep sleep.
Sato didn't wake up until around 3 p.m. With the water-type starter Pokémon still on his list and his ship set to depart at 6 p.m., he decided to skip training for the day.
After having lunch with his Pokémon, he changed his appearance again using Ditto and headed back to the gaming hall to continue earning coins.
Following the same strategy, Sato picked up his pace and finally gathered the 10 gold coins needed for the water-type Pokémon by 5:10 p.m.
"What? You're saying the water-type starter Pokémon are all gone?"
Sato, in yet another guise, couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Few things sting as much as working hard to gather enough money, only to be told the item you want is sold out. Sato felt crushed.
"I'm very sorry, sir," the staff member replied with a professional smile.
"Since Vermilion City is a port city, water-type starters are highly popular with local trainers. There was one left yesterday, but you just missed it. We do still have the grass- and fire-type starters available. Why not consider one of them? Our gaming hall guarantees all our starter Pokémon are high quality."
Seeing Sato's disappointment, the staff member tried to encourage him.
In fact, Sato wasn't the only one who'd gathered 10 gold coins hoping to redeem them for a water-type starter. A few other players had done the same, with two wealthy players even opting to buy 10 gold coins directly. They all had to settle for other items in the end.
(PokeDollars can be exchanged for game coins, but the reverse is not allowed. Game coins cannot be exchanged for PokeDollars.)
In the end, Sato redirected his attention to the prize list, searching for other items he could make use of.
---------------------
You can now read 20 advance chapters of [Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!] as well as 25 advance chapters of [Pokemon: The Legendary Trainer] for just $4/month at - patreon.com/Sniperwoof