Unknowingly, fifteen years had already passed since he arrived in this wondrous world.
Pushing his bicycle as he strolled through the bustling streets of downtown Viridian City, Kael couldn't help but feel a faint sense of loneliness welling up inside him. He still felt out of place here, as if this world had never truly become his own.
In his previous life, he had been a top student majoring in mathematics and economics. After graduation, he turned down a high-paying offer from a foreign corporation and chose instead to start his own business. More than twenty years of struggle in the commercial world followed—he had failed, succeeded, and even sunk into despair at times. In the end, he sold off all his company shares and became a travel-loving adventurer, roaming the world as a backpacker in search of excitement.
A sudden airplane accident brought that life to an abrupt end.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself reborn as an infant—abandoned at the gates of an orphanage, no less.
The magical world that once seemed to exist only in animation was now vividly real. Fortunately, this world's culture and technology were highly advanced, and as a result, its social welfare system was exceptionally comprehensive.
Orphans raised in welfare institutions would, from the age of three, receive six years of foundational education, followed by four years of vocational training. They could choose fields that interested them, ensuring that by the time they left the orphanage at thirteen, they would at least possess basic survival skills.
In many ways, this world's mathematics and technology closely resembled those of his previous life—only the direction of development differed. In fact, in certain scientific fields, this world far surpassed Earth.
During his years at the orphanage, Kael had specialized in medicinal material identification and Berry cultivation. Although modern medical technology here had advanced to the point where even cancer could be easily cured, ancient medicine had not been rendered obsolete. On the contrary, many rare and stubborn illnesses could only be treated with ancient formulas. As a result, the medicinal materials market was extremely prosperous.
Viridian City, bordering the vast Viridian Forest, sat beside an inexhaustible natural repository of medicinal resources. This alone made its medicinal trade the most developed in all of Kanto.
...
Evergreen Apothecary.
Kael parked his bicycle outside and strode inside. This was a century-old apothecary in Viridian City, and it was also the client behind the bounty mission he had just completed—commissioned through the Pokémon Center. Any Trainer confident in their abilities could accept the task, and the reward was undeniably generous.
"Tsk, tsk… top-quality Arbok shed skin. Shed no more than three days ago—absolute premium, truly premium!"
A rotund, middle-aged man carefully snipped off a tiny piece with a pair of silver scissors and popped it into his mouth, chewing slowly. His face filled with bliss as he spoke.
"The taste is bitter, yet there's a faintly sweet, fishy note rising from the throat. This Arbok was definitely in its prime, and in excellent health."
"Mr. Mercer, let's skip the flowery talk," Kael said calmly, sitting on a swivel chair and lightly tapping the counter with his fingers.
"I'll sell you the entire shed skin—but on one condition. You pay me in full, right now."
"Heh heh…"
The chubby man surnamed Mercer rubbed his hands together, grinning shamelessly.
"Come on now, after all the times we've worked together, you still don't trust my character? The market price for wild Arbok shed skin is 200 League Credits per gram. Anything shed within five days is top-grade. I'll pay you a twenty-five percent premium. The whole piece weighs 1,200 grams, and adding the previously promised bounty of 50,000… that comes to a total of 350,000 League Credits."
Just as the man said, a century-old shop combined with many past dealings meant Kael had a clear measure of this apothecary owner's character. He did have the air of a crafty merchant and loved to haggle and exploit bargains—but when it came to honesty, he was reliable.
Kael reached into his jacket and tossed over a green hard card emblazoned with a red-and-white Poké Ball. It was the most basic credit card issued by the Pokémon League Commercial Bank, with a maximum storage limit of one million League Credits—and no overdraft privileges whatsoever.