Once again, Cain returned to the black market. He first went to a Pokémon shop and, without much thought, sold the four Pokémon he had forgotten to sell earlier.
He earned a total of 50,000 Pokédollars; although it wasn't much, something is better than nothing.
Then, he headed to the largest general store in the black market to purchase a ring with a storage capacity of five cubic meters, which he placed on the index finger of his right hand.
This ring, which looked quite ordinary, cost him the 50,000 Pokédollars he had just earned.
Previously, the belt provided by Team Rocket on Trial Island only had a storage space of one cubic meter, which was now too small for Cain.
Additionally, the belt was covered in Team Rocket emblems, which would be very noticeable if he operated later under the identity of an Alliance member. Therefore, buying a new storage device was a necessity.
There is no denying that the Pokémon world has highly advanced research in spatial storage devices. This ring with a five-cubic-meter capacity only cost 50,000 Pokédollars.
But when you think about it, it makes sense, as Poké Balls are also a type of spatial device. A regular Poké Ball only costs 200 Pokédollars.
Cain transferred all the items from his Team Rocket belt to the new ring. Unless an unexpected situation arises, this ring would be his primary storage tool from now on.
Afterward, he quickly went to a Pokémon food shop, not to buy Pokéblocks, but because making advanced Pokéblocks requires more than just simple berries and ordinary herbs.
Furthermore, Cain wanted to create Pokéblocks tailored to each of his Pokémon, which required buying rare items.
He completely ignored the variety of Pokéblocks in the store, even the advanced Pokéblocks, which did not interest him at all.
However, seeing the prices of those advanced Pokéblocks, he couldn't help but exclaim again: "They really are a goldmine."
A common universal Pokéblock, usable by any Pokémon, is priced at 500 Pokédollars per unit.
That's just the price of a single unit, and considering that a normal-sized Pokémon could consume several dozen in one meal, and that the higher the level of the Pokémon, the greater its appetite, the cost of a meal could reach several thousand or even tens of thousands of Pokédollars.
Every time Cain saw these prices, he felt tempted. However, with his current skills, he was not yet in a position to sell advanced Pokéblocks.
If others knew that someone with his skills was already capable of making advanced Pokéblocks, it wouldn't bring him wealth, but rather disaster.
This particular shop was owned by several Pokémon breeders residing in Saffron City. One of them was an advanced breeder, so even in the black market, no one dared to cause trouble in this shop.
Under the puzzled gaze of the shop attendant, Cain spent a total of one million Pokédollars.
Generally, most people go to Pokémon food shops to buy Pokéblocks, but Cain ignored those popular Pokéblocks and instead focused on strange and expensive items. This is why the attendant looked at him strangely.
However, those who truly understood Pokémon breeding might have guessed that Cain was a high-level breeder just by the items he was purchasing.
Among other things, Cain bought powdered horn from a quasi-elite-level Houndoom, which contained the highest amount of dark-type energy, and powdered feather from a quasi-elite-level Pidgeot.
These two ingredients were essential for making Pokéblocks for Murkrow.
For Slowpoke, he purchased low-quality psychic stone powder and a shed scale from a quasi-elite-level Gyarados to enhance its water- and psychic-type moves.
The material for Gastly was quite special and also the most expensive: a small piece of low-quality black sludge of the poison type, along with a ghostly band that had been in contact with ghost-type Pokémon for a long time.
As for Skorupi, although it hadn't hatched yet, Cain also prepared materials for its Pokéblocks in advance, purchasing a Heracross exoskeleton and the same poison-type materials he had bought for Gastly.
Due to these strange and costly materials, Cain spent a total of one million Pokédollars.
However, if these materials were combined with the right berries and herbs to make advanced Pokéblocks, their value could multiply tenfold.
After purchasing these materials, he also spent 100,000 Pokédollars on special berries and herbs.
Upon leaving the store, Cain had only 700,000 Pokédollars left, so he asked the clerk to transfer all his money to his bank account linked to his Alliance ID card and then discarded the nameless black bank card he had been using.
Although the card had no name, Cain didn't know if Team Rocket had done something suspicious with it, so he decided to get rid of it to be safe.
Of the 3,600,000 Pokédollars he had recently earned, in less than a day, only 700,000 Pokédollars remained. This shows how expensive it is to raise Pokémon, even when one can make their own Pokéblocks. For an ordinary person, raising a Pokémon properly is a gigantic investment.
And these expenses would only cover his Pokémon's needs for a while. When the Pokéblocks ran out, he would need to buy more, and as his Pokémon's levels increased, the materials he would need would become even more expensive.
With his body a bit tired, Cain left through one of the exits of the black market without attracting attention.
As for Slowpoke's Teleport move, Cain no longer dared to use it casually in Saffron City. Sabrina had left a deep impression on him, and although thanks to her he had awakened his psychic power, no one wants to face an opponent they have no chance against.
Once outside the black market, he hid in a corner and changed into the Alliance uniform he had worn earlier.
Then, he took a taxi and headed straight for the Pokémon Center in the city center.
When he arrived at the Pokémon Center, it was already completely dark. Although he initially had plenty of time, his unexpected encounter with Sabrina had left him unconscious for three or four hours.
After showing his Alliance ID card, Cain rented a room at the Pokémon Center and then spent a few more Pokédollars to have the staff bring food for him and his Pokémon directly to his room.
After enjoying a hearty meal, he collapsed heavily onto the bed. The day's experiences had been intense and chaotic, leaving him mentally and physically exhausted.
Moreover, the headache he had felt since awakening his psychic power hadn't completely disappeared.
Fatigue spread through his body as he relaxed on the bed, and finally, he fell into a deep sleep.
Sleeping at the Pokémon Center, although the rooms are not luxurious, is almost absolutely safe. Unless there is a war or a terrorist attack, the Pokémon Center, as a symbol of the Alliance, represents safety.
(End of chapter)