Chapter 68 The Dying Dratini!
The next day, Macha City Gym.
Bai Yu got up a little early today, went out to buy some breakfast, and also prepared some things needed for his Pokémon journey.
The Macha City market was more prosperous than expected. Although it wasn't a famous city in Kanto, there were still quite a few people coming and going, many of whom were accompanied by a Pokémon.
In this world, even those who weren't trainers would keep a Pokémon by their side. The purpose of Pokémon wasn't for competitions, but for everyday life.
"Hey bro, you look a bit unfamiliar to me. How about considering the Pokémon at my stall?" Bai Yu walked through a small alley and saw a stall there.
The stall didn't look big, with only some Poké Balls and a small fish tank. The fish tank naturally contained the ubiquitous Magikarp.
In the Pokémon world, selling Pokémon could result in a minimum sentence of ten years if caught, with no upper limit.
Especially in the Kanto Region, anyone caught illegally selling Pokémon will be jailed for a considerable period. Even if the jail time is relatively short, they will lose their eligibility to become a Trainer upon release.
Even the most basic Pokémon, the Pokémon Center, will not provide them again; their status will be directly deleted from the League's database. The severity of the punishment is unimaginable.
In Macha City, there's even a small stall like this.
"Hey, sir, selling Pokémon should be..."
Before Bai Yu could finish speaking, the stall owner rushed forward and covered Bai Yu's mouth.
"Shh~ Keep your voice down, can't you see I'm selling here?"
The man glanced around furtively, only relaxing slightly when he realized no one was paying attention.
This guy has no idea how difficult selling is.
He's hiding in this corner selling his Pokémon; how could he not know it's illegal?
If it weren't for the fact that you have a little money, I wouldn't have let you in.
The middle-aged man looked at Bai Yu with a disgruntled expression. A seasoned veteran, he had a keen eye for people.
He immediately recognized Bai Yu as a rich kid who could easily afford one or two Pokémon.
"Then tell me, what Pokémon do you have?" Bai Yu couldn't help but chuckle.
The small stall only had countless Magikarp, and Bai Yu wasn't particularly interested in them.
While Magikarp had some power after evolving into Gyarados, its innate weakness to Electricity (four times weaker) meant it would be severely injured if struck by lightning.
Milotic was far superior.
"Oh?"
The stall owner's eyes lit up at this, surprised to find such a big customer.
He hadn't encountered a major client in a long time.
This time, he'd be eating for at least a year.
"I happen to have a particularly rare Pokémon here."
The stall owner pulled out a Great Ball, his prized possession. He'd gone to great lengths to catch it, even resorting to trickery to get it from someone else.
"This is extremely rare."
The stall owner lowered his voice, gripping the Great Ball tightly in his hand.
He glanced around frequently, knowing he could escape quickly if the police suddenly appeared; this line of work couldn't be taken lightly.
"What Pokémon?"
Bai Yu, seeing his mysterious demeanor, didn't pay much attention to the Pokémon.
There were only a handful of decent Pokémon in the Kanto Region.
At this small stall, it was usually common Pokémon like Magikarp or Weedle.
Could he possibly be pulling out a pseudo-legendary?
"Hehe~ This Pokémon is amazing."
The stall owner's face revealed a sly smile, his eyes subtly smitten.
"..."
Bai Yu remained silent for a moment.
This guy is really selling Pokémon.
I have a feeling he's selling some weird stuff.
It shouldn't be that kind of thing, right? Those things can be put inside a Poké Ball.
A Great Ball, no less.
After a moment of silence, Bai Yu saw the stall owner throw out a Great Ball. A white light, tinged with blue, appeared, and the Pokémon inside slowly materialized in front of Bai Yu.
A snake-like Pokémon appeared before him, its body covered in pale blue scales. It lay listlessly on the ground, completely lifeless.
"Cough cough~"
The stall owner coughed a few times upon seeing this, quickly scooping the Pokémon into his arms. His clumsy performance left Bai Yu speechless for a moment.
Bai Yu also recognized the Pokémon's identity.
A small stall owner, yet he could capture a Dratini.
It's just that this Dratini was in very poor condition… almost dead.
"It's just sleeping." The stall owner blushed. If he had known, he should have released the Dratini before coming; it might still have some energy now.
"Asleep?" Bai Yu was taken aback; the other party could explain it that way.
"Of course it's asleep. This is a pseudo-legendary, young man. Have you heard of pseudo-legendary creatures? They're incredibly powerful. Of course, this pseudo-legendary is rather sleepy." The stall owner had been quite enthusiastic earlier, but when he mentioned Dratini's condition, he immediately deflated.
He himself didn't seem very confident.
"Really asleep?" Bai Yu feigned ignorance and leaned closer.
"Asleep. Don't disturb it. Otherwise, if it wakes up... it'll be very dangerous." The stall owner didn't know what to say for a moment. "You know, pseudo-legendary creatures have very bad tempers."
"Really?" Bai Yu feigned doubt.
"Of course it's true." The stall owner patted his chest. "Young man, I think we have a connection, so I'll sell it to you cheaply."
"Such a powerful pseudo-legendary must be very expensive."
Bai Yu couldn't help but find it amusing. He didn't know where this uncle had come from, but he could actually capture Dratini, although Dratini's condition was indeed very poor.
It probably wouldn't even be able to be healed at the Pokémon Center.
The only way to heal it is by forcibly consuming a Vitality Cube using a feature within the game.
"Young man, I already said we're destined to meet, so..." The uncle's face lit up at the words, but quickly fell, looking reluctant, as if he'd suffered some great loss.
A little while later...
"Young man, I believe that with the help of this Dratini, you'll definitely achieve great things." The stall owner's face was beaming with a chrysanthemum-like smile.
He was already happy to sell this Pokémon.
After all, this Pokémon had fallen off a car he was following. It was
already severely injured when he first got it, and the cost of healing it was equivalent to the cost of several Pokémon he'd sold.
He couldn't bear to do such a losing business.
"The Pokémon at that uncle's stall are all very ordinary," Bai Yu said, walking along the road. "Perhaps this Pokémon wasn't caught by him, so who could it be... Team Rocket or... a Pokémon hunter?"
Outside of Kanto and Johto, organizations that capture Pokémon are collectively called Pokémon hunters. Organizations that capture and sell Pokémon are not weak, and they are also very cunning.
They hunt and capture all types of Pokémon. Bai Yu vaguely remembered a connection between Pokémon hunters and Team Rocket; their nature and methods of hunting Pokémon were strikingly similar.
"We'll have to leave for Goldenrod City later,"
Bai Yu muttered, looking at the Great Ball in his hand.
A near-death state, in the games it means having no health left, and in reality, it's an unreviveable condition. In the Pokémon world, if someone is in a near-death state and doesn't receive timely help, the chances of dying are very high.
That's roughly the idea.
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(End of Chapter)