Pokemon: The Gameboy Effect

John continued scrolling through the app on his phone, his mind wandering as he browsed the prices for various Pokemon items. His eyes landed on the Dragon Fang.

"Why are Dragon-type items so expensive?" he muttered to himself. The Dragon Fang was priced at 5 million per 1% increase. That was far more expensive than other types.

"Because it's a Dragon-type," Scarlett explained with a shrug. "Simple as that."

John couldn't argue with that explanation. It made sense. But as he scrolled down, he noticed something else. It wasn't just Dragon-types that were pricey; Psychic and Fairy-type items were also pushing the 3 million per 1% mark.

"Wow, these three types really are the premium ones, huh?" he thought.

It made sense, though. Dragon, Psychic, and Fairy Pokemon were rarer, and the demand for their items was high. Still, the prices were steep.

John didn't waste any time. He tapped on the items he needed. First, he bought a 30% Mystic Water, totaling 20 million.

He knew that was the upper limit for treasure-level Pokemon items, capping out at 30%. Mystic Water was for his Frogadier, and for now, no other Pokemon needed any items.

A Black Belt for Makuhita from the Granite Cave, a Twisted Spoon for Abra, and maybe something for Combusken and Kirlia later. But for now, that was it.

"Thanks for everything, Scarlett." John said, standing up to leave. "If you need more Nosepass, just give me a call."

Scarlett waved him off. "Don't forget to stop by the lab sometime."

"I will." John said, then walked out, his two Pokemon in tow.

The next day, as promised, John took some time to copy over Roxanne's research on Nosepass and sent it over to Scarlett. She was impressed by the thoroughness of the research and thought that if John joined the effort, they could speed up some major breakthroughs.

But John had no interest in studying Nosepass. His knowledge of them came from Roxanne's Breeder notes, and there was nothing more he could offer. As for Scarlett's lab, he'd never been there, and after this, he had no real intention of going.

After leaving the Trainer Association, John and his Pokemon made their way to a nearby buffet. He bought one adult ticket and two Pokemon tickets for Delibird and Togepi, letting them eat whatever they wanted.

In the Pokemon world, buffets had rules—like banning Munchlax and Snorlax due to their massive appetites. There were also extra charges for Pokemon over 200 pounds. If Snorlax were allowed in, the owner of the buffet would probably go bankrupt that day.

But what John didn't expect was that Delibird and Togepi came back to him, asking for Pokeblocks. Apparently, the buffet's food wasn't as tasty as the stuff made specifically for Pokemon.

"Is it really that good?" John wondered aloud, handing them the Pokeblocks. He tried one himself and was surprised by the sweet, fruity flavor. It tasted like fudge.

Suddenly, John understood why his Pokemon loved their Pokeblocks so much. They were delicious! But for him, he still preferred steak. The taste of meat was hard to beat.

After lunch, John took his Pokemon back to Riverstone University. He had promised to help find them a delivery job at the yellow braised chicken rice shop on the second floor of the campus canteen.

"By the way." John asked as they walked "Where are you staying tonight? You two just got here and don't have anywhere to crash, right?"

Delibird seemed a little troubled.

"You want to stay at my place?" John offered. "Don't worry about it. I'll show you where it is.You can crash there when you're not working."

Delibird hesitated. It felt a bit awkward—eating someone else's food and asking for a place to stay—but before it could protest, John picked up Togepi and headed for home.

"Just come on, it'll be fine!" John said, not giving them a chance to refuse.

Once they arrived at his dorm, John led them upstairs and picked an empty room for them. "This will be your place from now on. You can rest here when you're not working."

His dorm was huge. Even after giving Delibird and Togepi a room, there were still two vacant rooms on the second floor.

Of all his Pokemon, only Kirlia and Smeargle had their own rooms. Kirlia was like his quiet, artistic roommate—always painting and wanting peace and quiet. Combusken preferred to sleep on the floor of John's room, and Frogadier liked the pool in the yard. Makuhita, on the other hand, always ended up passed out on the couch with a bag of popcorn and a soda in hand, usually while the TV was still on.

Delibird raised a fist in determination.

Togepi, ever the imitator, mimicked Delibird's pose with an exaggerated look of seriousness that made John smile.

John chuckled as he gently patted Togepi on the head before heading back to his room.

He kicked back in his reclining chair on the balcony and pulled out his Gameboy. He tapped a few buttons, opening a new game. The protagonist was standing at the entrance to Granite Cave.

"Wait—forgot the tea." John thought. He hadn't even brewed it yet, and his tablet was still on the table.

Just as he was about to get up, Kirlia used her psychic powers to levitate both the tablet and teapot and bring them to the table.

"Thanks, Kirlia." John smiled. "You always know what I need."

Kirlia gave a gentle salute, holding her tea set with perfect poise. Meanwhile, John grabbed his Gameboy again and got comfortable, ready to dive into his game.

But as he was about to move forward in his adventure, something unexpected popped up on the screen.

A Shiny Aron!

John froze. His fingers hovered over the buttons, his heart racing.

"I finally… I finally found it!" he thought, feeling a surge of excitement