Leaving the Pokémon Center.
"Let's go home."
Tetsuya didn't visit the Black Market today. He went straight home with Ditto.
The whole way back, Ditto didn't dare meet Tetsuya's eyes. The air was thick with tension.
---◓---
"No dinner for either of us tonight."
Once home, Tetsuya plopped down into a chair.
Ditto blinked in confusion.
"Remember this… I'm your Trainer, and you're my Pokémon. We share both glory and disgrace. When you make a mistake, I suffer the consequences too. So punishment is something we share."
Tetsuya's words rang out firm and clear.
Ditto seemed to understand.
"Rest now."
It was the earliest Tetsuya had gone to bed, but he couldn't sleep at all. His stomach growled with hunger.
But it was worth it…
From Ditto's eyes, he could see it would be loyal from now on, and that was what mattered most.
Eventually, he drifted off.
He woke several times in the night from hunger, but it didn't shake his resolve.
In his past life as a Pokémon Hunter, it was normal to sleep outdoors and go hungry. Sometimes, he wouldn't eat for an entire day just to catch prey. Maybe this body was still a bit too young to handle hunger well…
Morning came. After the usual routine of brushing his teeth and washing his face-
"Come out, Ditto. You can eat now."
Three bottles of milk. No bonus for skipping dinner. Punishment had to be meaningful.
Downstairs at the ATM.
Third attempt at guessing the bank card password… failed again. He still had four more tries tomorrow, but Tetsuya could already predict the outcome. That particular plan was a bust.
So be it. Today he'd visit Mr. Shellby's Daycare. If things went well, it could save him a lot of money.
He made his way to Eggseter for the second time.
---◓---
When he arrived at Shellby's Breeding Daycare, it had just opened.
Tetsuya walked in and greeted Shellby directly.
Shellby was all smiles.
"Hey, it's the young man from a few days ago… Tetsuya, right? So, how did the Work ID situation go?"
"Not yet."
Tetsuya shook his head.
"Then… are you saying you're willing to let me adopt you?"
"Mr. Shellby, you're a good man, which is exactly why I came today… to make a deal with you."
Tetsuya ignored Shellby's good intentions and got straight to the point.
"Hm? A deal?"
Shellby looked puzzled. Was this child out of his mind, talking about deals?
Tetsuya had expected the reaction. He had no authority behind his words.
"Yes. I have a method for breeding specific Egg Group pairing for Pokémon. Take a look and see if it's valuable to you."
With that, he handed over the Egg Group pairing chart he had prepared.
[Venomoth and Ariados could be bred to pass down Disable.
Beedrill and Ariados could pass down Twineedle and Toxic Spikes.
Scolipede and Ariados could pass down Baton Pass and Megahorn.
An Ariados bred through three generations could inherit all of these moves…]
"Fantastic… fantastic! An Ariados like that would definitely be a huge seller. Maybe even get picked up directly by the League!"
Shellby slapped the table in excitement after reading it. But then he looked back at Tetsuya…
A seven or eight-year-old kid? How could he know any of this? Something felt off!
"…Tetsuya, where did you get this? Is it legit?"
Shellby's doubts were completely reasonable. No one would easily believe a child.
"It's absolutely legit. My father specialized in this kind of research. Unfortunately, he's gone now… I want to fulfill his last wish. Raise an Ariados with three generations of inherited moves!"
Tetsuya spoke with such clarity and confidence that Shellby couldn't help but waver.
Tetsuya pressed on while the iron was hot. "Mr. Shellby, verifying this chart is simple. Just breed one pair and see for yourself. You won't lose anything. Worst case, the moves just won't be inherited."
"Hmm. True enough. Either way, I've got nothing to lose. But you've brought me this Egg Group plan, what do you want in return?"
"As per my father's wish, I only want two Ariados. A male and a female, both with three generations of inherited moves."
Tetsuya said it with a straight face, lying through his teeth.
"Three generations of breeding…? That's going to take over two years! Aren't you worried I might bail on the deal~?"
Shellby teased.
"That's why we should sign a contract. So both sides can feel secure."
Even though Shellby had been his savior in a past life and was a man of outstanding character, in this world, you couldn't afford to trust anyone. People could change.
"That's for the best."
Shellby brought out pen and paper, drafted a contract, and both of them signed and left fingerprints.
Tetsuya carefully stored the contract. The most tedious part of breeding his [Badly Poison] Drapion and Ariados was now off his plate.
"But Scolipede is pretty rare in Johto," Shellby commented.
"But it's common in Unova. I'm sure a man like you won't be troubled by that, Mr. Shellby."
Tetsuya said that to wash his hands of the matter entirely.
"A kid this young, yet so ruthless and calculated… unbelievable."
Shellby, a "Seasoned-Type" businessman, was stunned by the "aura" this child gave off.
The deal was mutual benefit. A true win-win.
However, the Egg Group plan Tetsuya had given Shellby wasn't of vital importance.
Because the most critical step was still in Tetsuya's hands!
Drapion and Tentacruel both belonged to the Water 3 Egg Group. What Tetsuya needed was a first-generation Drapion bred from those two.
The first step in raising a [Badly Poison Drapion] was breeding a female first-gen Water 3 Drapion with a third-gen male Ariados to produce a Skorupi Egg.
That step would, of course, be handled by Tetsuya personally.
Once the [Badly Poison Drapion] was completed, the [Badly Poison Ariados] would follow. All he had to do was pair the fully developed male Drapion with a third-gen female Ariados, then screen the resulting Spinarak Eggs.
Of course, none of that would happen for at least three years.
---◓---
In Eggseter, Shellby insisted on treating Tetsuya to lunch and even handed him ten thousand Pokédollars on his way out.
Tetsuya didn't refuse. He knew full well that the profits Shellby would reap from that chart would far exceed ten thousand.
In his past life, Tetsuya had published a biological theory based on his knowledge of the Pokémon Encyclopedia. But this time, he would turn all that research into personal capital.
There were currently no scholars or Pokémon Professor specializing in breeding genetics, which left many obscure and cross-regional Egg Group combinations unexplored. That was his breakthrough point, and the foundation of his long-term plan for [post-League Year 700]. It would be a milestone achievement.
Back home, the first thing Tetsuya did was store the contract with Shellby alongside the Property Certificate. These were valuable items, and more importantly, he wouldn't need them for a while.
The cash, on the other hand, was placed where it could be easily accessed. With the ten thousand Pokédollars Shellby had just given him, Tetsuya now had 37,400 Pokédollars in cash.
He took four hundred and headed out. A kid shouldn't carry too much money, let alone show off wealth; that was a universal rule.
Destination: Eastern Plains. Special training for Ditto.