Chapter 17: ch17
Further up is the place where evolutionary stones are sold. Compared to Pokémon items that can be manufactured artificially, evolutionary stones that cannot be mass-produced are more expensive.
A single Fire Stone of average quality can be sold for three thousand.
After shopping around, Alex successfully bought what he needed: thorn berries, bubble rock, large rhizome, and Golden Razz Berry.
Before going downstairs, he suddenly noticed a crowd in the next area.
"What's that?" he asked.
The staff next to him explained, "That is the free trading market established by our mall, where trainers can sell the items they have collected during their journey or exchange them with other trainers."
With nothing to do after returning to school early, Alex walked over with his bag.
From a distance, he heard a shout: "Magikarp, Magikarp! High-potential Magikarp, only 100 Pokédollars, take it home now!"
Alex: "..."
Why is there a guy selling Magikarp here?
The Magikarp swam in the tank full of water with dull eyes. From the outside, it seemed far from high quality.
"Hey, kid, want one?" The vendor spotted Alex and grinned, introducing, "This is carefully selected by us. After you buy it back, it won't need any training and will soon evolve into a powerful Gyarados!"
Alex: ...
Does he think I'm an innocent child?
Alex was very speechless; if he wanted to catch a Magikarp, he didn't need to spend money to buy it. His family's silly birds could bring him several a day for free, without spending a dime.
The vendor looked disappointed to see that Alex had no intention of buying.
Bypassing the vendor, Alex continued to look at other people's stalls.
The vendors included almost all age groups: trainers who had just begun their journey, teenagers, and older men.
The types of items they sold were quite diverse. Along the way, Alex saw all kinds of rare berries, evolutionary stones found in the wild, large pearls, and some items that had fallen from the bodies of Pokémon.
For example, the Scale of Rage from a Gyarados, said to help a Magikarp evolve into a Gyarados faster.
In addition to these, there were several stalls displaying pottery that looked very old.
While wandering around, Alex checked the information of the items with identification.
He stopped in front of a booth full of messy items and looked at an orb the size of an adult's fist.
The orb was dark purple in color and shimmered strangely under the incandescent lights of the mall.
Alex asked, "Excuse me, what is this?"
The stall owner, wearing a gray jacket and sporting a messy beard, looked weathered, almost like a construction worker.
"Who do you call 'excuse me'?! Hearing this address, the stall owner showed a dissatisfied expression on his face. He was obviously only eighteen years old!
"Ah?" Alex didn't react, blinking at his weathered appearance.
This guy... looks older than he is.
He initially wanted to call him "big brother," but thought it inappropriate for a ten-year-old to address someone in their thirties as "uncle."
"Oh, forget it! I don't care!" The young man sighed and explained, "That is a treasure I brought out from a ruin. Do you want to buy it? Sincere price, two thousand Pokédollars!"
"It's so expensive!" Alex frowned. "You can't be lying to kids just because of your age, right?"
The stall owner choked for a moment and said speechlessly, "I'm only eighteen years old. The reason I look old is that I often run in the wild. As you can see, I am a professional adventurer, responsible for excavating ancient treasures hidden in the wild."
As he spoke, he took out a document from his pocket.
Alex glanced at it: "...Okay, but your price is too high. I don't want it."
"Wait, wait!" Seeing him turn around to leave, the stall owner quickly stopped him, stretching out a hand, and said, "Sincere price, 1,000 Pokédollars!"
"Are you in a hurry to sell?" Alex was a bit surprised.
The stall owner's face froze for a moment, then he smiled and said, "Of course not; it's just that you seem interested."
Alex narrowed his eyes and replied, "Two hundred Pokédollars."
"Too little!" The stall owner shook his head. "At least five hundred!"
"Then I don't want it anymore." Alex turned and left. The reason he wanted it was due to the appraisal stating:
**[Cursed Orb]:** An ancient orb that hides a certain mysterious power, which is very attractive to ghost-type Pokémon. If ghost-type Pokémon get along with it day and night, there is a great chance to comprehend powerful moves.
This is an item that does not exist in the game. Although he does not have ghost-type Pokémon now, he may have one in the future. At that time, this item would definitely come in handy.
The stall owner probably didn't know the specific function of this item, so he aimed to sell it for less than 1,000 Pokédollars.
After all, this type of item is rare.
It's just that the stall owner looked anxious to sell it and seemed to be hiding something, so he deliberately lowered the price to deceive this kid.
Sure enough, before Alex had taken a few steps, the stall owner became anxious: "Okay! Two hundred is fine! Take it away!"
Alex was even more surprised now, took the orb, and examined it in his hand: "You can't be selling a fake made of glass, right?"
The stall owner choked for a moment, glancing at the orb with some fear; he forced a smile and said, "How is that possible? I just see how handsome you are."
Alex: "...I won't give you more money even if you praise me."
"Haha, think of it as making friends!" The stall owner said with a smile.
Alex twitched the corners of his mouth, paid two hundred coins, and turned to leave.
After he left, the stall owner showed a relieved expression, stopped selling other items, and hurriedly ran away after packing up.
Alex returned to school and placed the orb on the desk. Following the steps in the book, he began to prepare nutritious meals for his Pokémon.
Having lived alone in his previous life, he had developed good cooking skills.
From the happy expression on his Pokémon's face, it was clear that it was very satisfied with the nutritious meal.
"Tomorrow we can try to start training," Alex wrote down the training plan step by step on paper.
The nutrients consumed need proper training and exercise before they can be perfectly absorbed by the body, making his Pokémon healthier.
After formulating the training plan, the time came to nine o'clock in the evening.
With class tomorrow, Alex went to wash up briefly, then lay down on the bed to rest.
After he fell asleep, a dark purple mist slowly rose from the orb, condensing into a round dark purple figure.
With its appearance, the temperature in the room dropped several degrees in an instant.
The sleeping Pokémon shivered and shrank closer to Alex.
Another Pokémon didn't react too much, lying sprawled on the bed, sleeping soundly as usual.
The data will affect my mentality. I decided not to look at the data of this book until it is published. Huh, huh, please recommend tickets and monthly tickets; don't make my data look so bad.