After returning to town, Icarus first stopped by the butcher shop to deliver the meat to Uncle Wu Er. He kept the meat from twelve Beedrill for himself and sold the rest.
After Bellsprout broke through to the Normal level, its appetite increased significantly. Sixty catties of bug meat was only enough to feed the two Pokémon for two or three days.
After selling the insect meat, five thousand Poké Dollars were credited to his card.
He then went to the Pokémon Center to submit the mission. Another seven thousand Poké Dollars were added to his balance.
As soon as they stepped out of the Pokémon Center—
"Spri! (> <)"
Bellsprout suddenly jumped out of its Poké Ball and impatiently tugged at Icarus, dragging him toward the grocery store.
"Hey, relax, Bellsprout! Don't rush—I'll buy it for you today."
Unfortunately, Bellsprout didn't listen at all. It pulled him all the way to the store entrance.
It was not yet 8:30 p.m., and most grocery stores closed at nine.
---
"Grandpa Arai, sorry to bother you again."
After entering, Icarus politely greeted the old man lying on the recliner.
"Mm." The old man responded flatly.
"Grandpa Arai, these are today's materials. Please have a look."
As he spoke, Icarus took out thirteen thread sacs from his backpack and handed them over.
The old man gave them a casual glance.
"Six thousand four hundred. Not much today?"
"Hehe, Grandpa Arai, I've already broken through to the Normal level. I'm mainly doing League missions now—these were just collected along the way."
Hearing the question, Icarus brightened. The old man had noticed.
"Oh? Is that so?"
This time, the old man slowly sat up from his recliner.
"Thank you for the compliment, Grandpa Arai." Icarus scratched his head and smiled honestly.
"Grandpa Arai, I'd like to buy a Leaf Crystal today. You know Bellsprout usually evolves at the lower stage of Normal level. I want to prepare early."
"Oh? Are you ready?" The old man stood and walked to the counter.
"Yes. Bellsprout has fully mastered its strength. I want to buy a top-grade Leaf Crystal for its evolution."
He placed his card on the counter.
"Hmm. Only a Leaf Crystal?" The old man glanced at the card and asked.
"Is there something else I should prepare? Please guide me, Grandpa Arai."
Icarus immediately bowed deeply.
He knew that since the old man had spoken, the advice would definitely be better than anything he currently knew.
"Get up first. I'm just an old man talking casually. Believe it or not—it's up to you."
"Thank you, Grandpa Arai."
Icarus straightened, listening attentively.
All his efforts hadn't been wasted. Helping clean, moving goods, acting polite—he had slowly earned the old man's favor.
He remembered something from his previous life: a salesperson who said, "When I have no money, I can only earn it by setting aside my pride. When I have money, I can earn my dignity back."
For Icarus, starting with nothing meant grabbing every opportunity.
The old man cleared his throat.
"Kid, you know Bellsprout is both Grass- and Poison-type. Its Poison attribute isn't weak. So why only strengthen one side?"
"That's right! Grandpa Arai—do I need both a top-grade Leaf Crystal and a Poison Crystal?"
"If it were that simple, why would so many civilian Trainers use only one crystal?" the old man snorted. "You think everyone else is stupid?"
"You're right. I'm ignorant. Please enlighten me."
The old man nodded slightly.
"When Bellsprout evolves, the best method is to use one top-grade Leaf Crystal and one mid-grade Poison Crystal. Don't use them together. Use the Leaf Crystal first. When the evolution is about to finish, then activate the Poison Crystal."
As he spoke, he took out a dark green crystal and a purple crystal from the cabinet.
"Fifteen thousand for the top-grade. Ten thousand for the mid-grade. One thousand for the information. No credit. Pay up."
"Yes, thank you, Grandpa Arai."
Icarus hurriedly handed over his card. Fortunately, after completing four missions, he had just enough—around twenty-nine thousand total.
Beep.
Payment successful: twenty-six thousand Poké Dollars.
In an instant, his balance dropped sharply.
"Alright, scram, kid."
"Thank you, Grandpa Arai."
Catching his card, Icarus stepped outside and bowed sincerely toward the old man.
"I took your money. Now go!"
The old man waved him off and lay back down.
---
"I've struck gold… I've really struck gold."
Icarus suppressed his excitement and hurried home.
For serious Trainers, even spending one thousand Poké Dollars for a superior evolution plan would be worth it—let alone twenty-six thousand.
To outsiders, it might seem simple: use a top-grade crystal first, then a mid-grade one later.
But for those without knowledge, discovering the correct energy combination and activation timing could cost millions in experimentation.
Now, thanks to this guidance, Bellsprout's evolution path would be stronger than ordinary Trainers'.
And Icarus knew—
This was only the beginning.