"What an overwhelming psychic force… My Dewgong can't even move. If it were any other Psychic-type, I doubt the result would be any different…"Daisy could only sigh inwardly.
She knew this Gym match was already decided.
Cerulean Gym had suffered a crushing defeat…
Sure enough, the very next moment, Psyduck used its psychic power to hurl Dewgong straight into the wall. With a heavy crash, Dewgong collapsed and instantly lost the ability to battle.
The match was over. Daisy handed Cerulean Gym's blue badge to Yozora with a smile."Yozora, have you ever considered staying to help us at Cerulean Gym? Psyduck looks like it'd be more than happy about that~~~"
Yozora looked past Daisy's shoulder.
At this moment, Psyduck had long since been seized by Violet and Lily, the two of them fighting to cradle it in their arms. The poor duck had completely sunk into their tender embrace.
Yozora could only sweatdrop.
But the instant Psyduck heard Daisy's words, it broke free from the two girls' arms, hopped up onto Yozora's shoulder, and looked down at the sisters with its usual aloof, deadpan expression.
"Psyduck…"
Yozora's heart was deeply moved.
So, compared to all the pretty big sisters, this little guy actually liked him more!
Good job, Psyduck! A true man keeps his heart free of distractions—only then can the blade remain sharp!
Besides, they're women. They're not even ducks. What would you be into them for?!
"Gym Leader Daisy, it looks like Psyduck doesn't want to stay at Cerulean Gym." Yozora picked Psyduck off his shoulder and cradled it in his arms, smiling at her.
Indeed.
Unlike Brock, Daisy truly was a Gym Leader.
Of course, being a Gym Leader meant she couldn't possibly be as weak as she appeared.
Her trainer rank might not be high, but without doubt she possessed at least one powerful Pokémon handed down by her elders to guard the Gym—a Gym Leader-level Pokémon.
Naturally, she wouldn't casually reveal such a trump card unless a challenger specifically requested it.
Yozora hadn't made such a request because—
For Beedrill, Gym Leader-level Pokémon were too weak to provide real training.
For the rest of his team, they were too strong to stand a chance.
"Ah, what a pity then…" Daisy said with a rueful smile.
And so, Yozora bid farewell to the three sisters, left Cerulean Gym, and continued his journey.
But before that, he stopped by Cerulean Market.
During his Mt. Moon adventure, he had seized eight defective Moon Stones from Team Rocket, and mined forty-five more on his own—fifty-three stones in total.
Defective Moon Stones had a market value of 100,000 Pokédollars each. Eager to sell quickly, Yozora offered them at 90% of market price in one bulk lot, earning 4.77 million Pokédollars in one go. Just like that, he'd become rich…
In his possession he still had one mid-grade Moon Stone and one mid-grade Thunder Stone.
Since they were mid-grade, Yozora didn't plan to sell them. He would keep them for personal use.
As for the legendary top-grade stones… those were the pinnacle, capable of enhancing a Pokémon's innate potential. For most trainers, they were priceless treasures worth any cost.
But Yozora had no need of them. With his system, he could easily improve his Pokémon's talent and potential.
Even if he had one, he wouldn't use it—he'd just sell it. Money was far more practical.
After all, being a trainer was an incredibly expensive career.
His monthly food expenses alone already exceeded 100,000. Who could sustain that?
And the future costs would be even greater—Evolutionary Stones, evolution items, enhancement tools, Soothe Bells, Key Stones, Mega Stones… every one of them cost money.Oh, and Luxury Balls.
Poké Balls themselves came in vastly different classes of quality.
Yozora had once seen the schematics for a Luxury Ball's interior design. It truly lived up to the name—pure luxury.
If a standard red-and-white Poké Ball's inside was a shabby hut, then a Luxury Ball was a lakeside villa. Not even on the same scale.
Living inside a Luxury Ball, a Pokémon's body and mind would be pampered and restored to the fullest.
But of course, you got what you paid for. Luxury Balls were extremely expensive.
The gap in Poké Ball prices was staggering:
Standard Poké Ball: 100 Pokédollars.
Great Ball: 1,000 Pokédollars.
Specialty Balls (like Lure Balls for Water-types, or Heat Balls for Fire-types): 2,000 Pokédollars.
Ultra Ball: 30,000 Pokédollars.
Luxury Ball: 500,000 Pokédollars each.
And production was limited every year. Often, even with money, you couldn't buy one unless you found a private collector and paid a premium.
As for the mythical Master Ball, said to capture any Pokémon without fail—those were beyond priceless, worth far more than mere billions.
With a billion Pokédollars, one might acquire a young pseudo-legendary Pokémon if the right connections were available.
But a Master Ball? Absolutely impossible.
"Better buy some Ultra Balls first." Yozora said to himself as he entered the shop.
He spent 300,000 Pokédollars on ten Ultra Balls, then used the transfer machine to swap all six of his Pokémon into their new Ultra Balls.
The old Poké Balls remained usable, of course.
After that, he bought large quantities of premium cooking ingredients. Once everything was ready, he set out again.
Leaving Cerulean City, Yozora came upon a new stretch of wilderness.
He traveled alongside Charmander, whose unusual nature attracted many trainers eager to challenge them.
But they were all just ordinary trainers. Yozora easily swept them aside, gaining nothing worthwhile.
After half a day, he arrived at a strange building.
It was a private wooden Gym, with an LED sign over the entrance:
"A.J.'s Personal Gym. Current Streak: 88 Wins. Goal: 100 Wins. Challengers Welcome!"
"A.J.…?"
Yozora remembered. In the original anime, there was a so-called "Beast Master" named A.J., who had trained his Sandshrew to perfection.
A.J. had never gone on a journey, insisting that he would only do so after achieving one hundred straight wins.
"Impressive. He's already at 88. Not far from his goal." Yozora smiled, then turned to leave.
He had no intention of challenging A.J. He didn't want his own interference to ruin A.J.'s painstaking effort.
Unfortunately, just as Yozora walked a few steps, he bumped right into A.J., who was just returning from outside.
"Well now, since you've come all the way here, you're not planning to leave without a match, are you?"
A.J. looked around seventeen or eighteen, with a rugged, stern face and the faint beginnings of a beard.
Unlike his clean-cut anime counterpart, this A.J. was unkempt and rough-looking—but that only made his devotion to the path of a trainer all the more evident.
(End of Chapter)