While enjoying the exquisite cuisine aboard the S.S. Anne, Yamcha himself wasn't idle—he was eavesdropping on the nearby trainers' conversations.
Most of the trainers on the cruise ship communicated and shared by battling, trading, then battling and trading again. To them, Pokémon might as well be nothing more than tools for showing off.
Although Yamcha's own motives weren't entirely pure, he didn't like the way these people treated their Pokémon.
After rejecting a few trade offers from rich-looking boys, Yamcha decided to head back to his room to rest.
"Hey there, young man. I've got something good here. Want to take a look?" A man dressed like a fishmonger called out to Yamcha.
Yamcha just glanced over and already knew what this guy was up to. The man, seemingly oblivious to Yamcha's expression, continued introducing his wares.
"Just between you and me, I've got a Magikarp that lays golden eggs."
A Magikarp that lays golden eggs? Of course not.
Even in a world this fantastical, there was no such thing as a creature that lays golden eggs.
The man's goal was obvious.
He was trying to scam Yamcha into buying his Magikarp.
Scams exist in every world.
Magikarp is the most common Water-type Pokémon in this world, found anywhere there's live water—streams, lakes, rivers, even the ocean.
It maxed out its talent in survival and reproduction, but at the cost of pretty much everything else. In the games, it has a base stat total of 200, making it one of the weakest Pokémon.
Thankfully, in the games, Magikarp can evolve into Gyarados at level 20, jumping from 200 to 540 base stats—making it one of the best and easiest strong Pokémon for beginners to obtain.
But in reality, it wasn't that simple.
There's no such thing as an experience bar in real life. You also couldn't use EXP Share or trades to gain experience.
And Magikarp were dumb. Their bodies were covered in hard scales and they could barely learn any moves aside from flopping around.
Raising a Magikarp into a Gyarados in real life would take several times longer than training other Pokémon. And there was no guarantee of success.
It really was like a fish trying to leap through the dragon gate.
"This is a once-in-a-century treasure. If I didn't feel some kind of connection with you, I wouldn't be telling you about it. Want it?"
The fishmonger was boasting so confidently, he almost seemed to believe his own lies.
"Not interested," Yamcha replied, eyeing the fish tanks at his stall. Nothing but Magikarp—this guy was a Magikarp specialist. "If that's all you've got, then goodbye."
"Oh, and if I were you, I'd quit scamming people like this. You're gonna get beat up someday."
Scammers never end well. They take advantage of others' greed and gambling mindsets. Those who got scammed and spent huge time and effort raising their Magikarp—when their dreams shattered, they weren't going to hold back.
If this were any other fantasy world, the fishmonger would now pull out some mysterious object only the protagonist could recognize, then sell it at a dirt-cheap price thinking he made a profit.
But this is the Pokémon world.
The man in front of Yamcha really was just an ordinary Magikarp seller. At best, he might have a Pokéball painted gold.
So Yamcha walked away empty-handed.
"I was thinking of stopping him, but I see you're pretty clear-headed."
A friendly voice spoke up from the hallway to his right.
It came from a man with short, silver-blue, equilateral triangle-shaped hair. He was smiling warmly at Yamcha, radiating a unique sense of charm.
"Daigo. Or Steven, if you prefer," the man introduced himself cheerfully.
The familiar name made Yamcha pause for a second.
To think he'd run into him here… What a surprise.
Steven Stone—son of the president of Devon Corporation, Pokémon League Champion of the Hoenn region, and ranked third among the Masters Eight.
Yamcha nodded in greeting. "Yamcha. Hello."
"You know me?" Daigo asked curiously.
"Hoenn League Champion? Anyone even remotely into Pokémon battles would find it hard not to know you."
Daigo looked delighted. "Didn't expect someone from Kanto to know me. I thought you guys only cared about Lance."
Lance the Dragon Master, on par with Steven in fame. Champion of the Johto League and a member of Kanto's Elite Four. He was a beloved idol among young trainers in both regions, and ranked fourth among the Masters Eight.
The two of them hit it off. Daigo invited Yamcha, who had been planning to rest, to join him in the S.S. Anne's lounge. Yamcha happily agreed.
Yamcha noticed that Daigo's pupils seemed a bit hollow, and suddenly remembered that Steven was originally written as a blind champion. But he was sure the Steven in front of him wasn't blind.
"The milkshakes here are pretty good," Daigo said.
Following the recommendation, Yamcha ordered one and took a sip. His eyes lit up—the unique and refreshing taste lingered on his tongue. It really was good.
The Sakura Milkshake, made from the fruit of a Cherubi and the cream of an Alcremie, created a distinct flavor.
Of course, it's not like selling each milkshake required killing two Pokémon. The whole "no trade, no killing" thing was just nonsense. Like Moomoo Milk, it was made from small amounts of produce from the Pokémon—probably something recoverable with just one Growth move.
"I heard the Pewter City Fossil Research Institute found a strange stone, so I came all the way from Mossdeep to check it out. But it turned out to be just a weird-looking Moon Stone."
Daigo looked genuinely disappointed as he explained his reason for visiting Kanto.
Moon Stones were indeed rare, but Daigo had far too many already.
He was a hardcore rock enthusiast—collecting rare stones was his passion, and he would even give up his Champion title for it.
"Yamcha, if you ever find a rare stone, please let me know."
"Stone?"
Yamcha rubbed his chin. "I might have one. Want to take a look?"
As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a stone.
From the moment Daigo laid eyes on it, he couldn't look away.
"T-This is?!!"
(End of Chapter)