Half an hour later.
After finishing lunch, Shiro took the elevator up to the fifteenth floor of the headquarters building. Walking through the hallway covered with red carpet and lit by soft, warm lights, he pushed open a nearby alloy door that was flashing green.
Buzz—
"Welcome, Mr. Shiro! How have you been these past few days? Encountered any difficulties?"
As soon as he stepped inside, Shiro was greeted by the black-cloaked merchant's familiar voice. Like the other merchants he'd met before, this one seemed to share memories with the others. They all recognized returning customers, though each had their own unique personality.
Before Shiro could even sit down, the black-cloaked man continued speaking.
"Hey, I just finished reviewing your mission at Stow-on-Side. When you were threatening those researchers, you looked absolutely amazing, my brother—I mean, Mr. Shiro."
Listening to the man's slightly nagging tone, Shiro raised his hand to cut him off and quickly laid out all the Pokémon he wanted to sell, and sat on his chair.
"Oh~ Two adorable Trapinch, though they look a bit dull. And..." The merchant suddenly froze when he saw the five Fighting-type Pokémon placed on the table.
"This... what is this?" The black-cloaked man's voice returned to normal as he picked up a Pokéball and examined it closely. The longer he looked, the more familiar it seemed. In the end, he directly used his psychic powers to cover the ball and fully read its information.
"This isn't the Stow-on-Side Gym Leader's Pokémon, is it?" the cloaked man asked in shock, inspecting the five Poké Balls again, as if unsure of what he was seeing.
After working in the black market for many years and seeing countless deals, the cloaked merchant was considered experienced. But someone openly selling a Gym Leader's Pokémon on the black market? It was the very first he had ever seen it.
And Shiro himself was technically still part of the League.
A League trainer stealing a Gym Leader's Pokémon and then selling them back to the League through the black market...
"How did you..." The man started to ask but couldn't get the words out.
He sat there thinking for a while until Shiro's voice broke the silence.
"What's wrong? You can't take them?"
"How could we not?" the merchant almost jumped out of his seat. Their black market claimed to buy and sell anything, all while keeping identities hidden and maintaining fairness…
Shiro gave a slight nod and said, "You're not planning to report this, are you?"
The cloaked man fell silent again, then quickly changed the subject.
"Five Gym-level Pokémon. Judging by their strength, they're all quite good. But... their age is a problem. They must have been with someone for a quite while. In a few more years, their power will start to decline. So, two million Pokédollars each. As for this Machamp, I can only offer one and a half million."
Shiro nodded. He hadn't bothered to treat the injured Machamp, leaving it inside its Poké Ball the entire time. It wasn't his Pokémon, after all, so he didn't care about its condition.
As for the slightly lower price... it didn't matter. He wasn't desperate for a few Pokédollars anyway.
"Alright," Shiro said casually, agreeing. "Take these five first and pay me."
As soon as he finished speaking, the cloaked merchant spread his arms. A stream of pink psychic energy swept over the five Poké Balls like flowing water. In the blink of an eye, the Poké Balls disappeared from the table, and a thick stack of Pokédollars appeared in their place.
"Nine million and five hundred thousand Pokédollars. In cash," the merchant said, pushing the money toward Shiro. "Count it if you want."
"No need. I trust the black market," Shiro replied, shoving the bills directly into his backpack.
After securing the five Fighting-type Pokémon, the cloaked man returned to his usual professional tone. "Mr. Shiro, your current spending limit is thirty million. Is there anything else you'd like to buy?"
Shiro pushed the two Trapinch toward him and spoke, "Check their talents for me."
"Talent?" The merchant didn't move, merely saying, "One thousand Pokédollars for each."
"Fine."
Shiro was already used to the black market's habit of squeezing every last drop and didn't care about losing a thousand or two pieces of paper.
The cloaked man then lifted a Poké Ball in each hand, wrapping them both in a glow of psychic power. The two Trapinch inside, who had been somewhat restless, quickly drifted into unconsciousness without a struggle.
After only a short moment, the man set the Poké Balls back down. Then, he pressed his hands together and spread them apart. Between his palms, psychic energy formed a pink, translucent rectangular screen, displaying the information of the two Pokémon.
[Name: Trapinch
Type: Ground
Level: 34 (Advanced)
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Moves: Sand Attack, Bite, Mud-Slap, Sand Tomb, Bulldoze, Dig, Crunch, Sandstorm
Growth Potential: Medium
Held Item: None]
The other one's information read:
[Name: Trapinch
Type: Ground
Level: 33 (Advanced)
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Moves: Sand Attack, Bite, Mud-Slap, Sand Tomb, Bulldoze, Dig, Crunch, Sandstorm, Earth Power, Protect
Growth Potential: Upper-Medium
Held Item: None]
As expected of nest-mates, their abilities and move sets were nearly identical, with only minor differences between them. Their levels were also close, but after a simple comparison, it was clear the second one, at Level 33, was the better of the two.
"Psychic appraisals tend to display information in the form most familiar to the observer," the merchant mused aloud. "I'm curious... what exactly did you see?"
Then, without waiting for an answer, he asked, "Have you made your decision?"
Shiro gave a nod. The cloaked merchant then folded his arms, withdrawing the psychic energy.
Pushing the thirty-four-level Trapinch back to the merchant, Shiro retrieved the other one for himself.
"How much for it?" He asked casually.
"Hmm... Although Trapinch is purely a Ground-type now, it evolves into a Dragon-type later. Plus, its growth potential isn't bad. Since this one's an Advanced-level wild Trapinch, I can offer eight hundred thousand Pokédollars," the man replied.
After speaking, he pulled out a neat stack of bills—precisely eight hundred thousand—and slid it across the table.
With everything he intended to sell handled, Shiro leaned back in his chair and pondered what his team still lacked.
The thirty million spending limit had likely been increased by Rose as a reward for his performance during the mission. But even with so much at his disposal, he couldn't figure out what he actually needed, not to mention the piles of uncounted cash sitting in his bag.
Still, money sitting idle was money wasted. If he really couldn't think of anything…
"Perhaps you'd be interested in some of the company's newest specially cultivated berries?" the merchant suggested at the perfect moment. "They're great for enhancing a Pokémon's growth and potential."
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