"Oh, right." Cain suddenly remembered something important.
He took a Poké Ball from his pocket, which contained the yellow Grimer he had captured in the Diglett cave, the one with the ability to absorb to evolve its quality.
According to the system's calculations, it was estimated that in three days, Grimer would have absorbed all the energy, and its potential would evolve to a dark yellow color.
Moreover, during this time, Cain had let Grimer out to absorb some corpses, so it hadn't completely exhausted the energy in its body yet. However, according to the system's scan, it had already successfully become a dark yellow-potential Pokémon.
"Its potential really has evolved, even if only to dark yellow." Cain looked at the Poké Ball in his hand, observing through the transparent part how Grimer rested quietly inside, absorbing the energy without showing any signs of resistance.
Grimer wasn't foolish. Being able to rest comfortably while enjoying a never-ending source of energy and occasionally going out to feed was ideal for a soft-bodied Pokémon like him. The environment inside the Poké Ball was quite comfortable.
"System, analyze Grimer's current data, as well as the possibility of improving its potential. If further improvement is possible, compare the resources needed with those for a Grimer whose potential is already naturally dark yellow." Cain left the analysis to the system, which quickly responded.
"Beep! According to the calculations, if energy is sufficient, the next potential improvement for Grimer is estimated to take ten days and require twice the resources compared to a Grimer whose potential is already dark yellow."
The system quickly presented a summary of the data and displayed two comparative tables of resources and time in front of Cain.
With this direct comparison, Cain realized that Grimer, which had just reached dark yellow potential, would require more than double the resources and time for a new improvement. And once its potential improved, the cost to continue upgrading would increase exponentially.
This meant that, theoretically, Grimer had unlimited potential to improve, but the cost would be astronomical. Cain didn't even want to imagine what that would entail.
Perhaps if one eliminated all the Pokémon in a region and let Grimer absorb their bodies over hundreds of years, it could reach blue potential.
However, this only applied to a Grimer whose initial potential was yellow or even lower. If its initial potential were higher, it might be feasible.
For example, if he captured a Grimer with dark green potential and provided it with a large number of Pokémon corpses along with plenty of time, it might evolve to blue potential.
But the time and resources needed for this process didn't appeal to Cain.
Therefore, it was more convenient to capture several Grimer with yellow or dark yellow potential, let them absorb energy to evolve into a Grimer with light green or even dark green potential. This would be much more cost-effective in terms of time and resources.
He could make a good amount of money.
A dark green potential Pokémon is considered elite in the Pokémon world, and its price would be several times higher than a green-potential Pokémon.
After all, battles often leave behind wild Pokémon corpses, so it would be an efficient use of those resources and a way to earn extra money without affecting his normal activities.
Cain thought he had found a pretty effective way to make money without impacting his daily routine.
Whenever he had Pokémon corpses, he'd give them to Grimer. When he didn't, Grimer would just fast for a few days. After all, his endurance was impressive; he could go weeks without eating with no problem.
Cain decided that his initial goal for Grimer would be to reach light green potential, and additionally, he wanted it to be a Grimer that hadn't previously improved its potential.
Then, he planned to go to the Vermilion City black market to buy several Grimer with green potential and, after some training time, evolve them to dark green potential. This increase in value was something even Cain found tempting.
A dark green potential Pokémon, regardless of species, would be valued at over a million Pokédollars. If it were also a rare species, the price could reach several million.
The higher a hunter's level, the greater their earnings.
Selling a million-Pokédollar Pokémon to the Hunter Association also grants a million reward points, which dramatically increases purchasing power.
And while the Hunter Association buys Pokémon at twice their price, they won't be at a loss. In fact, the Association buys Pokémon at a slightly below-market price, around 80%, which is still a good offer for most people.
The Hunter Association holds major auctions from time to time, inviting millionaires from the Pokémon world. These millionaires compete with each other, causing a Pokémon's price to multiply several times.
They buy at 80% of the market price and then sell at or above the standard price, gaining substantial profits.
After all, there are more Pokémon buyers than sellers.
Sometimes, the Association uses these deals to gain favor with powerful trainers, which brings additional benefits.
In the evening, Cain prepared to go to the Vermilion City black market to see if the Hunter Association had Grimer with the characteristics he was looking for, and also take the opportunity to register the Gyarados he had captured as part of a mission.
Remember that Gyarados is one of the most sought-after Pokémon on the Hunter Association's mission list, so its price tends to be high due to the high demand.
Additionally, if he had the chance, Cain also wanted to find a learning device so his Pokémon could learn the moves he had bought last time.
Now that Haunter had developed his Poison-type skill, learning the move Toxic would diversify his combat style.
With the time he had left, Cain rented a training field at the Pokémon Center.
He chose one of the most secluded areas and released Haunter.
"Kekeke~!"
Haunter happily emerged, spinning around Cain.
He had just evolved, but his personality was still that of a mischievous Gastly, which made Cain smile.
"Alright, Haunter. Now that you've evolved, it's no longer enough to just train your body. You need to get familiar with it, especially with the two extra hands that will become one of your main attack weapons. You need to learn to use them well," Cain said.
"Kekeke!" Haunter listened to Cain and calmed down, looking at his new hands, moving them clumsily.
For Haunter, it was a strange feeling. He suddenly had a new pair of limbs, and he used them with ease, as if he had always known how.
"There's still some time left. Do you see those weights over there? I want you to do a thousand lifts before eating."
(End of chapter)