After dressing up, Dante left the house with Pikachu on his shoulders and headed towards the mall.
The time was still 8 AM and the mall opens at 10 AM. During this time, Dante took Pikachu to eat Pares Mami for breakfast.
Pokemon's can also eat human food, just as humans can eat Pokemon food. However, due to different taste buds, most human foods aren't usually preferred by Pokemon and vice-versa.
Pares Mami is a braised beef stew with noodles that is a popular Filipino dish for breakfast and afternoon snack. Vendors usually sell them in a moving food stall, so the price is cheap, usually around 40-50 Alliance credits each.
Dante wants to let Pikachu try all the various things unique to the human world. Pikachu himself is a curious Pokemon, so he agreed with Dante's arrangements.
After eating, Dante took Pikachu around the public park while waiting for the mall to open.
Dante and Pikachu sat under the shade of a tree and started some idle talk.
"Pika, pikachu!" (Your world is amazing Dante! There is so much cool stuff. Let's go visit what you called the amusement park next time!)
"Sure, sure. Once we've become stronger, we'll visit all the famous sites around the world."
Just as the two were talking, Dante suddenly noticed a figure running around the park followed by a Shelmet. It was a girl with green hair and a slim figure, wearing tracksuit and listening to something in her headset.
Dante noticed her not because he was attracted by her beauty. Rather, it was due to him recognizing her as the girl who topped the written examination during the Trainer Licensure exam.
Watching her leaving figure, Dante had a thought. Maybe he also needed to train his body in this world?
Being a Trainer is a risky profession. Not only must they stay and fight against Pokemon Invasions, they are also in-charge of exploring newly opened PokePortals.
While making the Pokemon stronger is more important, it also doesn't hurt to make the body more fit. It would be funny if he died just because he wasn't able to react to a stray stone from the battle.
Dante decided to schedule training for his physical fitness in the morning. And who knows? Maybe he'll also get to know that beautiful girl while exercising.
"Pika?" (Dante, do you like that girl?)
Pikachu's sudden question suddenly caught Dante off guard. Looking down at Pikachu, he was currently looking at Dante with a face full of curiosity and questioning.
"Haha, no, why would you think that?"
"Pika, pika." (You've been glancing in her direction multiple times while we were talking.)
"Nah, I was looking at her because I know her. You know the Pokemon Trainer exam? That was when I first met her…"
After that, he saw the girl run around a couple more times while he and Pikachu were chatting. At around 9:50 AM, both of them left the park and headed towards the mall.
Lining up at the entrance, Dante and Pikachu didn't have to wait long before it was their turn to enter. The guard didn't inquire much about the presence of Pikachu on his shoulders. He just checked his and Pikachu's body with a detector and then let them in.
Pikachu marvelled at the various items on display at both sides of the aisle. He kept asking questions which Dante patiently replied to.
After taking the escalator to the third floor, they were soon in front of the Pokemon Department Store. Both Dante and Pikachu marvelled at the wide arrays of merchandise on display.
"Pokeballs…Pokeballs…here it is. Hmm, choose which one you like, Pikachu?"
"Pika?" (Aren't they all the same inside?)
"Hmm, good question. Let's find the receptionist and ask whether we can test it."
After looking around and asking a receptionist for permission, they were given the go-ahead.
Dante and Pikachu tested every Pokeball, like the Basic Pokeball, the Great Ball, the Ultra Ball, the Love Ball, the Luxury Ball, etc.
"Pikachu~" (Do I really have to stay inside? It feels…scary having to be inside all alone.)
"Sorry! It's a rule that Pokemons must be captured inside a Pokeball before they can be registered. I promise I'll always let you out except on official Pokemon Battles."
"Pika, pikapi!" (It's alright! I-I'm sure I'll get used to it. But if I'm always outside, why don't we just pick the cheapest one to save money.)
Hearing Pikachu's suggestion, Dante let out a wry smile. In the end though, he also bought the basic Pokeball for a price of 500 Alliance credits.
Dante also took a look at the prices of the Space Bag. The cheapest ones cost 10,000 Alliance credits while those that can fit even a whole house costs more than a million! He tried touching the cheapest bag and was delighted when an option to use it appeared.
Looking at the remaining 1,500 Alliance credits his mother gave him, Dante became more determined to become stronger faster and earn more money.
Dante continued looking around some more and listed many possible objects he can buy for the future. Among them, there were three he can make great use of.
1. Eviolite. After a Pokemon that is still able to evolve holds it, it makes use of the untapped evolutionary power in their body in order to boost their Defense and Special Defense by half. Priced at 10 million Alliance credits.
2. Leftovers. Passively absorbs the surrounding Elemental energy which will be fed back to the Pokemon that holds this item. Can greatly increase the Pokemon's combat time. Priced at 30 million Alliance credits.
3. Safety Goggles. Prevents the holder from being affected by powder and spore moves, as well as damage from the weather. Priced at 1 million Alliance credits.
For Dante, all his future Pokemons can achieve 255 Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed even without undergoing evolution. With the help of Eviolite, he can build a Pokemon like a tank.
After reading the description of the Leftovers, Dante instantly knew that he had to get one.
During Dungeon Explorations, the Pokemon's power is not the most important. Instead, Exploration Teams must be able to last very long, especially in deeper dungeons.
For the Safety Goggles, it's just something Dante wants to prepare in case the Dungeon they will go to is filled with Grass Type Pokemons.
In addition, there were also various move discs that showed step-by-step instructions on how to learn a move. The more expensive ones can even allow the Pokemon to feel the flow of energy when using the move which can make them learn it faster.
Dante began to think of possible ways to earn money.
'Selling items from the PMD world in the short-term is not viable. I'm not strong enough to defend myself from people that will take interest in what I sell, especially if I do it repeatedly.'
'Pikachu is not yet strong enough to defeat our first Gym. And even if we can defeat one, the monthly salary we will get from the government will not be enough.'
Dante checked out and paid for the Pokeball. As he was exiting from the store, he suddenly noticed something posted on the entrance.
The poster was posted on the right side of the entrance of the store. Due to Dante coming from the left when he entered, he didn't notice it.
Seeing what was written, Dante smiled and looked at Pikachu.
"Pikachu, are you ready to face your first official competition?"