The moment the giant fried egg touched his tongue, Kashiwagi understood why they were so popular.
It was incredible!
He nearly swallowed the fork along with it. He'd initially thought a fried egg the size of a washbasin would become sickeningly rich after two bites; instead, he finished the whole thing and still felt like he could go for another.
"And all I did was add a pinch of salt..."
Kashiwagi glanced at his plate, fighting the urge to lick off the remaining grease. He turned to look at Lairon and Chansey beside him. To his surprise, those two had already picked their plates clean. Lairon's dish was so shiny it looked like it had been through a professional cleaning cycle—he probably wouldn't even need to wash it.
"Lairon~"
Lairon let out a carefree, gravelly chuckle.
Chansey looked at her empty plate, bashfully fidgeting with her small hands. Seeing how voraciously Lairon was eating, she had originally intended to eat less so she could share her portion with him. But after the first bite, she just couldn't stop.
Am I really such a glutton? Chansey thought, feeling a flush of shame.
"Haha..."
Kashiwagi smiled, set his plate on the floor, and reached out to rub Chansey's rounded, slightly fuzzy head. The difference in their personalities was becoming quite clear.
Lairon was steady, gentle, and highly intelligent—a loyal guardian who had never once let him down. Chansey, on the other hand, was timid and introverted, yet possessed an innate, kind-hearted urge to care for others, though she severely lacked self-confidence.
After a few moments of petting Chansey, he moved his hand to Lairon's head.
"Lairon~"
The Pokémon let out a satisfied grunt. Although its steel armor dampened its physical sensation, it had always cherished these moments of bonding. Pokémon could survive without Trainers, but when they leaned on each other like this, that brief warmth felt like the most precious thing in the world.
"Let's head out," Kashiwagi said. He hadn't forgotten that he had a fortune waiting to be collected.
"Lairon!"
"Lucky~"
In Team Snagem, the rank of Squad Leader was the quintessential "middle-class" position. Their status and income were leagues ahead of regular members.
Beyond a base salary of roughly five million a year, each Squad Leader was assigned a specific sector of a street or district by their direct Executive to serve as their "turf." They were responsible for collecting "protection fees" from every shop and facility within that territory. This provided a massive source of extra income; as long as they weren't so greedy that they drove the businesses into the ground, the higher-ups generally turned a blind eye.
Then there were mission bonuses, "tributes" from subordinates, and various shady bribes. When all the legal and illegal income was added up, a slum-dweller could become a "person of quality" in an instant.
Of course, the expenses weren't low either. Squad Leaders had to pay their own tributes to Executives and High Executives—membership fees, holiday gifts, party red envelopes, and so on. It was a classic case of big fish eating small fish, and small fish eating shrimp.
Yet, many "shrimp" dreamed of becoming "small fish" and never got the chance.
Consequently, when Kashiwagi arrived at the headquarters to collect his prize money, Executive insignia, and new uniform, the administrative staff treated him with such exaggerated deference that their faces were practically distorted with envy. There was certainly jealousy and resentment, but they didn't dare show it; their status was lower even than a regular grunt, so they wouldn't dream of offending a new Squad Leader.
Kashiwagi ignored their posturing and focused on counting the money.
The cash handed over was as follows: 2.97 million from the livestream donations (rounded down slightly), 400,000 for defeating four enemies, 600,000 as a team bonus for wiping out the opponents, and a one million bounty for killing a high-value member of Team Snarl!
That totaled 4.97 million. Combined with the 3.03 million already in his pocket, he had exactly 8 million Poké Dollars!
Once that was settled, he accounted for the recovered Pokémon.
For the six Pokémon belonging to teammates currently in the ICU, he charged 200,000 each. For the three Pokémon belonging to deceased members, Team Snagem mandatorily reclaimed them at 100,000 each (likely to be traded back to families later).
As for Otsuka's Pokémon...
"I'll just take 100,000 per head," Kashiwagi decided. He felt he was being a bit soft-hearted; he knew that if he didn't charge anything, Otsuka might feel he didn't have to repay that one million loan. To keep things professional—"business is business"—a baseline fee was necessary.
And so, his wallet bulged even further. His grand total reached 9.8 million. He was only 200,000 shy of being a ten-millionaire.
Though in terms of actual purchasing power in this world, that's still far from 'rich-rich,' he thought.
Kashiwagi turned his attention to the other perks.
The basic Squad Leader starter kit included:
a latest-model Hover-Cycle,
a two-story independent house on the surface,
a private unit in the Underdome,
and
a "Business License" to open a large-scale enterprise on either the surface or in the Underdome.
While the Underdome was vast, actual storefront space was limited. Every successful business had a Squad Leader or Executive standing behind it. Team Snagem made it a habit to grant these licenses as a primary benefit. Most Squad Leaders lacked the business acumen to run a shop themselves, so they usually "leased" the license out to others for a steady stream of passive income.
Kashiwagi gathered his new possessions, realizing that in less than a week, he was moving again. He wondered if Lairon and Chansey would get used to it.
Actually, let's go celebrate with a spending spree.
Neutral Underdome.
Visiting for the second time, Kashiwagi felt a different vibe. During his first trip, he'd been too focused on getting his Pokémon adjusted to him to really look around. Now, he wanted to see the sights.
In truth, the Underdome wasn't much different from the commercial districts or pedestrian streets of his previous life. Besides the shops, there were night-market-style stalls and traveling vendors. Since "nightlife" was about to begin, the Neutral Underdome was bustling with energy.
Kashiwagi circled around a bit before picking a digital electronics store and stepping inside.
Five minutes later, he walked out holding a black smartphone.
According to the clerk, it was the "latest technological breakthrough," packed with interesting features. If he could find a Rotom to inhabit it, the phone would become even more intelligent and practical. The clerk had hyped it up to the moon and the price was equally astronomical: 80,000!
And that was supposedly the "discounted price." The clerk claimed that in other regions, phones started at 100,000, leaving Kashiwagi dumbfounded.
"That's another monthly bill added to the pile," he sighed. The carrier was likely based in Gateon Port, and the monthly fees wouldn't be cheap either. But to stay connected to the outside world, this was a necessary expense.
After that, Kashiwagi bought a few more knick-knacks before stopping at the end of an alleyway to think.
"Next... I should ask Lairon and Chansey what they want."
Pop!
The Poké Ball opened and Lairon landed on the ground, drawing a few brief glances from passersby.
"Is there anything you want?" Kashiwagi asked quietly. "Maybe a specific rare metal you want to eat, or something you want to do?"
Lairon took a moment to process his Trainer's words. After looking left and right, it began walking purposefully in a certain direction.
Kashiwagi quickly followed.