"Gaass~"
Gastly squinted his eyes as ten fingers gently pressed against its body. It was as if it had discovered a whole new world. The purple gas surrounding it retracted into its form, and it yawned, revealing two small fangs.
"Rooki..." Rookidee lightly pecked at its feathers on Shiro's shoulder, its sharp eyes were filled with disdain as it observed its companion's behavior.
'How embarrassing. I would never act like that.'
With that thought, Rookidee nestled against Shiro's shoulder, curling into a small ball of blue feathers.
At the same time, Shiro was lost in thought, troubled by his financial situation.
He needed to buy a lot of materials. The black market opened by Rose wasn't a place where prices could be bargained down, but at least it guaranteed quality and safety.
'Looks like I'll have to sell the Dragon Scale I got from Rylan. It should fetch a good price, and none of my Pokémon need a high-grade item like that anyway.'
Shiro planned it out in his mind, letting out a sigh at the difficulty of raising Pokémon.
The cost of raising Pokémon was no joke. And this was just two of them—plus, Gastly was practically left to fend for itself. If he took on another, it would be a nightmare. He might even have to resort to some risky business just to afford raising them.
...
After work, in the evening.
Shiro packed up and headed straight for the black market.
Following a familiar route, he arrived at the League convenience store, handed the shopkeeper a 1,000 Pokédollars deposit, and stepped into the black market once more.
The same dimly lit room. The same familiar snap of fingers. The space around him brightened in an instant, and with it, his location shifted.
Through the large floor-to-ceiling window beside him, Shiro could see the setting sun casting a deep crimson glow over the treetops of the Macro Cosmos garden, stretching long shadows across the ground.
"Oh? We meet again, Shiro. What can I get for you today?" The black cloaked man rested both elbows on the table, fingers interlocked, and asked casually.
"Is it you again?" Shiro questioned, a hint of doubt in his voice.
Logically speaking, the Macro Cosmos black market should have plenty of psychics acting as intermediaries. There was no reason he'd be meeting the same one twice.
"Hehe... That doesn't matter. What matters is what you need..." The cloaked figure lifted his face from beneath the wide hood, but in Shiro's eyes, it was nothing more than a shadowy blur.
"Metal Coat and Steel-type Pokéblocks." Shiro stated directly, not bothering to dwell on the matter anymore.
"Alright." The man spread his hands, a faint pink psychic energy swirling in front of him. "A Metal Coat costs 50,000 Pokédollars. What quality of Steel-type Pokéblocks do you need?"
Hearing this, Shiro furrowed his brows, hesitating over the quality of Steel-type Pokéblocks.
The quality determined the purity of the Pokéblocks. The higher the quality, the fewer impurities they contained. In this case, impurities referred to leftover berry fibers and bits of condensed fruit pulp.
Low-quality Pokéblocks were safe to eat, but their overall energy content was much lower.
Moreover, high-quality Pokéblocks were rumored to include rare materials, enhancing energy fusion and boosting their effects.
Right now, both Rookidee and Gastly were eating intermediate Pokéblocks and had been for a while. However, if Rookidee continued consuming intermediate Steel-type Pokéblocks, it might reach the point of evolution before even finishing them.
If the process dragged on too long without the Pokéblocks taking full effect, it would be a wasted effort.
"How much for perfect-quality Pokéblocks?" Shiro asked, testing the waters.
"Hmm…" The cloaked figure paused. "10,000 Pokédollars for 100 pieces."
"10,000?!" Shiro was surprised, though it was within his expectations.
A hundred Pokéblocks wouldn't even cover three meals. At a consumption rate of 150 per day, a month's supply would cost 450,000 Pokédollars.
This was practically burning money.
"I'll take five days' worth." Shiro calculated the cost and spoke.
He had a bit more than 200,000 Pokédollars left. After buying the Metal Coat and Steel-type Pokéblocks, he would still have 50,000 left to get some Ghost-type resources for Gastly. In the end, he'd have around 50,000 Pokédollars set aside as a backup.
"Alright, please wait a moment." The man raised both hands, and under the ripple of psychic energy, a Metal Coat and a box materialized on the table. "The Pokéblocks are inside the box."
He slid the items toward Shiro, accepting the Pokédollars in exchange.
"Do you need anything else?" The man returned to his previous posture, elbows resting on the table as he leaned forward slightly.
"Do you have anything infused with Ghost-type energy?" Shiro asked.
"Of course. Are you looking for berries or gemstones? Our Macro Cosmos company cultivates a variety of special berries, while the gemstones are meant to be worn long-term..." The cloaked man explained.
Shiro frowned slightly, "How much for the berries?"
"That depends on how much money you have." the man chuckled.
"Around 50,000 to 60,000."
"Then I highly recommend the Wraith Berry. It's a newly developed variety from our company, priced at 65,000 Pokédollars each."
...
Ten minutes later.
Pokémon Resource Shop No. 307, Hammerlocke.
Shiro took back his 1,000 Pokédollar deposit from the store owner, feeling the weight of his nearly empty wallet.
After those purchases, only 41,062 Pokédollars remained. He counted it carefully—twice.
He wasn't sure if the black market was really that "black" or if he was just too broke. Raising two Pokémon had already cost him over a million Pokédollars.
But their growth had been significant.
Back home, Shiro immediately released Rookidee and Gastly from their Poké Balls and handed them the freshly bought resources, explaining their uses as he went.
"This is the Metal Coat. We will have to apply it layer by layer over your beak... it should take about seven or eight days. And these are the Steel-type Pokéblocks. You'll be eating them mixed with the Flying-type ones from now on."
As soon as he finished speaking, Rookidee eagerly grabbed a nearly transparent, iron-gray Pokéblock.
"Rook?" Without even chewing, Rookidee swallowed it down.
Its eyes widened as a surge of energy coursed through its body. It felt as if it hadn't just eaten food but absorbed the core of some powerful energy.
"Gas!" Gastly, on the other hand, was practically bouncing with excitement. Lacking hands, it used its head to nudge the deep purple, almost black Wraith Berry, hopping around in front of Shiro.
"Alright, alright, I get it." Shiro caught Gastly and rubbed its head. "Put it away for now. You have training tomorrow—save it for then."
"Gass!" Gastly nodded enthusiastically. It had watched Rookidee eat a berry before, and now it was finally its turn.
"Rooki!" Rookidee, feeling an immediate surge of strength, was already looking forward to tomorrow's training.
Shiro could only sigh and rub his forehead. "Get ready for bed soon, or you'll be too tired tomorrow."
"Gas~"
"Rook~"
Both Pokémon responded at the same time.
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Hey everyone, I've started posting a new novel based on One Piece. The MC transmigrates as Akainu and, aside from his anime knowledge, he has no other advantages. If you're interested in something like that, go check it out!
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