Reading Guide.
"Dialogue"
'Toughts'
[Systems, Special Moves, Special Tags, Special Pokémon, Voice through devices.]
"Telepathy" Italics for telepathy
"Whoaaa!" Bolds instead of CAPS for SHOUTING!
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Tetsuya brought Ditto to the Pokémon Center, its injuries worse than the day before.
Nurse Joy said nothing, she simply bowed her head in mourning for Ditto.
'Drama queen…'
Tetsuya went straight to the Pokémon Center's cafeteria and sat down, ordering five bottles of the best Miltank Milk -Moomoo Milk-, straight from the natural ranches of Goldenrod City.
The Akane Family behind Goldenrod Gym owned those ranches and raised the Miltank producing this milk. It was recognized worldwide as the most nutritious, and the Akane Family controlled almost all of Goldenrod's ranches. Their dairy products were shipped around the world.
Their management of the Miltank was also extremely strict. Every single one was registered and numbered.
In his past life, Tetsuya had once "poached" two of the Akane Family's Miltank to fill the team's healing role, and the family had hunted him down, forcing him to flee the Johto Region.
But after that… none of the Pokémon on his team ever suffered from malnutrition again!
Soon, Nurse Joy brought Ditto back to him.
"You did well today. Eat."
Ditto jumped onto the table and began enjoying its dinner. Tetsuya continued with his ramen set. This meal cost five times more for Ditto than for himself.
Seeing this, Nurse Joy seemed to understand a little more about the kind of person Tetsuya was.
Just after leaving the Pokémon Center and preparing to head for the Black Market, his sharp senses picked up that someone was following him.
'It had to be him.' Tetsuya already had a good idea who it was.
Even though he had pointed a dagger at the boy's chest earlier, it had just been a threat. The emo kid had only been momentarily stunned into silence. After all, he was just a ten-year-old kid.
Once he calmed down, he would definitely reflect on what had happened. He might even see it as a deep humiliation. After all, he clearly had the upper hand back then; so how had he ended up being subdued? That kind of resentment and anger would surely drive him to come after Tetsuya again.
Tetsuya stood still and said, "Since you're here, come on out."
At that moment, the emo kid stepped out in front of Tetsuya.
Tetsuya let out a cold laugh. "Hoh…! What, still thinking about revenge?"
The emo kid grew even more furious seeing the arrogant expression on Tetsuya's face.
He had carried the burden of reviving his Family branch since he could remember. His training had been strict and unrelenting since childhood. Just as he felt ready to shoulder that responsibility…
Tetsuya, a boy even younger than him, had managed to intimidate him despite being at a disadvantage.
The more he thought about it, the more pathetic he felt!
Yet with the weight of his Family's legacy on his back, all he could do now was endure.
Now that his head had cleared, the emo kid naturally realized that Tetsuya was no ordinary person; he was far too calm and ruthless for someone his age.
He had immediately investigated Tetsuya's background and recent movements.
"…You're also taking the Ecruteak Gym assessment, huh?"
At the unlit alleyway corner, it was impossible to see the emo kid's face, just a silhouette shrouded in darkness. But his tone was anything but friendly.
Tetsuya smiled knowingly. He had just admitted it without even realizing. If he was this invested in the Ecruteak Gym assessment, then his goal likely wasn't just to get close to Leader Matsuba. It had to be something more.
Now it was clear. He saw Tetsuya as a threat to his entry into Ecruteak Gym.
Maybe he could use that.
Tetsuya's plan for "infiltrating" the Ecruteak Gym might go even more smoothly than expected.
A new scheme began forming in Tetsuya's mind.
"Oh, so your goal really is the Ecruteak Gym. Maybe I should have a little chat with Leader Matsuba."
Tetsuya gave a cold chuckle, as if he had seen through everything.
That shocked the emo kid even more than having a dagger pointed at him earlier. He was actually a collateral branch of the Matsuba Family, but his house had long since fallen. His parents had trained him for years in secret, all in the hopes that one day he could sneak into Ecruteak Gym and uncover the Ghost-type breeding guide said to have been left behind by their ancestors.
The revival of his family… his parents' expectations… how could it all fall apart now? The first thought that flashed through the emo kid's mind was… Kill him.
Seeing the emo kid standing there, eyes filled with killing intent…
Tetsuya let out a cold laugh, placed a hand on his shoulder, and said softly, "…Unless you can kill me right now."
His tone was dark, and every word felt like a steel needle stabbing into his heart.
The boy's mind was already on the verge of collapse. There were too many people around; there was no way he could kill Tetsuya here.
Tetsuya's eerie smile sent chills down his spine. He couldn't help but take two steps back.
"What… do you want?"
The boy's tone had softened. The arrogance from earlier was completely gone.
"I'm Tetsuya from Ecruteak City. Maybe we can be friends. I hope we get along at Ecruteak Gym~"
Tetsuya extended his hand, lips curled in a faint smile. A dominating pressure loomed over him.
This wasn't friendship. It was a threat…
"W-Why should I trust you?"
The emo kid felt creeped out just looking at Tetsuya. If he wasn't being cornered, he would've stayed far away from someone like this.
Hearing his doubt, Tetsuya gave a cold chuckle and said, "Oh…~ You have no choice."
The boy clenched his teeth. The feeling of being threatened like this was worse than death.
There was nothing he could do.
He swallowed all his anger and frustration. The mission on his shoulders forced him to extend his hand and slap Tetsuya's palm.
"…Raine."
With that, he turned and walked off, disappearing into the night.
Only then did Tetsuya let out a long sigh of relief. Truth was, every single word he'd just said was a bluff. He wasn't strong enough to actually do anything to this emo kid called Raine. But Tetsuya had bet everything on one thing: panic born of obsession.
If the emo ki… Raine cared that much about getting into the Ecruteak Gym, then he couldn't afford even the smallest mishap. So he had no choice but to compromise. But the moment he gained the power to "silence" Tetsuya, he would absolutely strike without hesitation.
Tetsuya didn't yet know why Raine wanted to get into the Ecruteak Gym, but one thing was certain: Raine would never stand on the same side as Leader Matsuba.
And that was where his value lay.
Raine was a double-edged Honedge. Use him well, and he was a weapon. Use him wrong, and he was a time bomb waiting to go off beside you.
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At the Black Market, Tetsuya continued searching for "prey".
At the largest merchant's stall, a Venipede was on display.
He hadn't expected to find a Venipede so soon. It immediately caught his attention.
He looked at the price tag: [40,000.]
Tetsuya was dumbfounded. 'Forty… thousand!?'
The vendor noticed him staring at the Venipede and said, "Hey there, kid. Got your eye on this one? This Pokémon comes all the way from Unova. It evolves into the mighty Scolipede. Hurry and tell your parents to come buy it. This is the only one we've got!"
"Boss, forty thousand? Are you kidding? Venipede is super common in Unova. At any Pokémon Daycare there, it wouldn't cost more than five thousand. Selling it for forty thousand here… isn't that treating everyone like fools!?"
Tetsuya hit the nail on the head. The vendor winced.
"Scram, kid! Don't talk nonsense if you don't know anything. You think you know better than Mr. Shellby from Eggseter? He just bought a male Venipede from me through a contact. If you're not buying, don't get in the way of business."
'What…? Shellby? He paid forty thousand for one too?'
Tetsuya was speechless. Seriously… so much money, so little sense.
Still, it wasn't all bad. If Shellby was putting in that much effort, it meant Tetsuya could rest easy handing over that part of the breeding project to him.
Now that the Venipede was bought by Shellby, all he had to do was wait for the Skorupi. There was no need to buy a Tentacruel, any sea in the Johto Region would be enough to fish one up easily.
He wandered around a bit more. Most of the Pokémon were either too weak or too expensive.
Honestly, browsing the Black Market was more of a habit than anything else. A leftover habit from his past life.
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