Pokemon: Becoming A Pokemon Master

Chapter 23: Seeing Business Opportunities, Giant Tentacruel

Now that he had a functioning Energy Cube manufacturing machine, Alex felt a sense of financial relief. It wasn't that Alex couldn't afford to buy Energy Cubes he could but their cost had always felt excessive to someone who valued money as much as he did.

"This machine will save me a fortune," Alex thought, clutching the device with care. "Maybe I can even turn a profit off it if I'm smart enough."

Grinning at the possibilities, Alex packed the newly acquired items into his backpack. After a brief rest, the group set off again, this time heading toward Gold City.

They had been walking for hours when they arrived at a vibrant seaside city under the clear Sunyshore sky.

"Is this Gold City?" Misty asked, scanning the urban skyline eagerly.

Brock pulled out the PokéNav and cross-checked it. "According to the map, this is Lamplech City a coastal city famous for its tourism industry and ocean view resorts."

"Tourism?" Misty's eyes sparkled like stars. "That means shops! Shopping!" She immediately grabbed Ash's hand, already dragging him forward with excitement.

Suddenly, Alex's system chimed:

Ding! Epic Mission Released: Defeat the Giant Tentacruel.

Reward: 1 Specified Item Lottery Ticket & 1 Epic Lottery Ticket

Alex blinked in surprise, then smirked.

"Well, speak of the devil... I was just thinking about how to earn a lottery ticket for a specified reward—and now here it is."

But something felt off. Alex narrowed his eyes. Why is the system being this generous? Whenever I lack something, it always hands it over so conveniently…

Ding! The system detects the host's suspicion. Reminder: Task rewards are adjusted dynamically based on the mission's difficulty and the host's current needs.

"Oh, so you're thoughtful now, huh?" Alex muttered under his breath. "Thanks, 'System Dad'."

Ash, Misty, and Brock turned to look at Alex, who was smirking for no apparent reason.

"What are you smiling about?" Misty asked, raising an eyebrow.

Alex quickly shook off the moment and said casually, "Oh, nothing important. Let's keep moving."

The three friends glanced at him with mild suspicion but decided to let it go for now.

They reached the Pokémon Center in Lamplech City shortly afterward and handed their Pokémon to Nurse Joy for restoration. Once their teams were healed and ready, the group checked into four separate rooms.

With time to explore, they headed to the Pokémon Alliance Store, a government-regulated market known for selling certified, high-quality gear. No bootlegs. No shady deals. Just reliable products from official suppliers.

Alex's attention quickly turned to the Energy Cube section.

Before today, Alex had rarely bought Energy Cubes. Back then, he'd been nearly broke and had substituted Pokémon food with human snacks and foraged Berries. But now, as a recognized League Prosecutor with access to advanced tech, he could afford to take better care of his team.

He carefully examined the display.

Energy Cubes are pricey, he thought, but their effects are incredible.

Top-grade cubes could drastically improve a Pokémon's stat growth, help unlock egg moves, or increase resistance to fatigue after intense battles. Properly fed Pokémon trained faster, hit harder, and evolved more efficiently.

Alex scanned the price tags and was momentarily stunned.

Even the basic Normal- and Fighting-type Energy Cubes cost over 30,000 PokéDollars per bag. For rarer types like Dragon or Ghost the prices skyrocketed into the hundreds of thousands.

Alex felt a familiar twinge. That's… painful. But then something clicked in his mind.

Wait a second. I've got the machine. I've got recipes. I've got raw materials. What I don't have yet… is a market. But that could change.

Alex's eyes gleamed with opportunity.

He quickly grabbed various ingredients for crafting his own Energy Cubes materials like Grepa Berries, Kelpsy Roots, Sitrus Oil, and rare minerals used to enrich cube effects.

As he stocked up, he realized something vital: different species required vastly different ingredients for optimal cube effects.

For example, Dragon-type Pokémon needed extremely rare ingredients like Haban Berries, Draco Root, and occasionally Fossil-grade minerals like Ancient Scale Dust to enhance their unique abilities.

Crafting a Dragon-type cube wasn't just costly—it was an art.

Understanding this deepened Alex's respect for those in the Energy Cube industry. But he also saw room for disruption.

With his Energy Cube Machine, he could customize the ideal blend for each of his Pokémon without burning through mountains of cash. He could also sell or trade custom cubes with trainers who needed specialized nutrition for their teams.

Looking over his purchases, Alex felt satisfied.

This wasn't just about powering up anymore it was about building a sustainable system for growth. For strength. For profit.

After all, being a Pokémon Prosecutor didn't mean you had to live on league stipends alone.

Prickly pear berries and Dragon Berry Fruits were already considered premium ingredients in the Pokémon nutrition world. But the addition of Ancient Relic Fragments, excavated only from long-lost ruins near Dragon-type Pokémon habitats, made the mixture even rarer and far more expensive.

Because ancient relics were often buried in territories dominated by powerful dragons—such as Dragonite colonies or areas protected by Garchomp patrols—they were extremely difficult to obtain. Even locating one without encountering hostile Pokémon required high-level Trainer certification.

Naturally, rare materials drove up demand and prices.

This directly contributed to the sky-high cost of Dragon-type Energy Cubes, which were especially effective in enhancing Dragon-based moves like Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse, and Dragon Breath.

Determined to capitalize on this opportunity, Alex hurried back to the Pokémon Center. Inside his assigned room, he carefully unpacked the Alliance-issued Energy Cube Maker, calibrated the ratio settings based on his system's guidance, and began the crafting process.

One by one, crimson-tinted energy cubes emerged from the device, still warm and fragrant with the unique blend of berry essence and trace minerals. Alex examined them, then hesitantly took a bite himself.

A wave of tart bitterness flooded his mouth. He winced and spat it out immediately.

"Ugh... brutal stuff."

But it wasn't made for humans.

"Dragonair, come out and give this a try," Alex said, tossing a Poké Ball.

His elegant Dragonair emerged in a swirl of blue light. With curiosity gleaming in its eyes, Dragonair coiled around a few cubes with its tail, brought them to its mouth, and gently nibbled them.

Moments later, it let out a delighted trill and swirled joyfully in the air. It turned to Alex with an eager expression, motioning toward the remaining cubes.

"Haha, alright, alright these are all yours," Alex laughed, handing them over.

Dragonair devoured them gracefully, then turned back, still wanting more. Alex felt a pang of guilt he'd rarely fed his Pokémon proper cubes in the past. It was time to make up for it.

He proceeded to create several different types of Energy Cubes tailored to each of his Pokémon: Fighting-type cubes for Lucario, Water-type for Marshtomp, Electric-type for Electrike, and even a custom Fairy-type blend for Cleffa.

Releasing his whole team into the room, he watched them feast. The room filled with energy and cheerful Pokémon cries. Seeing them enjoy the cubes so much brought Alex more satisfaction than even battle victories.

But then, the entrepreneur in him kicked in.

"I've made enough to supply my own team," Alex muttered, "The rest… I can sell."

But he couldn't do it here not at the Pokémon Alliance Store, where too many eyes had seen him purchasing raw materials. Selling high-quality cubes too quickly would raise eyebrows.

So instead, Alex made his way to a small privately owned Pokémon shop in a quiet alley of Lamplech City. With no official oversight, it was the perfect place to offload excess stock.

By the end of the transaction, Alex had sold nearly 1.5 million PokéCoins' worth of Energy Cubes.

He exited the store, pulled up the Pokédex to check his digital account, and whistled softly. "I spent a little over 200,000 on raw materials and just cleared more than seven times that."

A genuine smile tugged at his lips. "This is insane profit. I could build a side business out of this."

Later that evening, Alex returned to the Pokémon Center, just as Ash, Brock, and Misty also came back from their day in town. Alex, feeling generous, handed them a few bags of Energy Cubes.

"These are yours," he said. "Your Pokémon deserve some real treats."

Brock's eyes widened. "Wait, are these... from the Energy Cube Machine?"

Alex nodded, and Brock's face lit up.

"Wow, thank you! These things cost a fortune in stores."

Each of them gratefully accepted the cubes, already planning to feed their teams that evening.

They had just reclaimed their Poké Balls from Nurse Joy when suddenly, a wave of injured Pokémon started pouring into the Center. Most of them were Water-types—Horsea, Shellder, Wingull, and even several Starmie.

Nurse Joy looked overwhelmed.

Alex and the others hurried to her side. "Is there anything we can do to help?" Misty asked urgently.

Nurse Joy nodded gratefully. "Yes thank you. Please apply these healing sprays to any Pokémon with surface wounds. I'm short-staffed, and there are too many coming in all at once."

"You can count on us," Brock said firmly.

For the next few hours, the group worked non-stop. By the time the stream of injured Pokémon began to slow, the sun had dipped below the horizon.

Completely exhausted, Ash collapsed onto the floor. "What's going on today? Why were there so many injured Pokémon all of a sudden?"

Nurse Joy returned with a fresh batch of supplies and finally had a moment to explain.

"There's a massive Tentacruel living off the coast of Lamplech City," she began. "It has protected its tribe for decades. Recently, Madame Jin Hua, a wealthy developer, began constructing a luxury water resort right near their coral reef habitat."

"She's trying to bulldoze Tentacruel's home?" Misty said angrily.

Nurse Joy nodded. "She's hired strong Trainers to defeat the giant Tentacruel and clear the area, but Tentacruel fights back to protect its kin. The damage has spread Pokémon, humans, the coastline it's all getting caught in the crossfire."

Ash clenched his fists. "That's horrible! You can't just destroy a Pokémon's home for profit!"

Alex stood quietly, the name Madame Jin Hua triggering a memory.

He recalled from the Pokémon manga adaptation that Jin Hua was a ruthless business magnate someone who used legal loopholes and battle proxies to get her way. In the comics, she'd once attempted to displace an entire Gyarados nest for a marina project.

Looks like she hasn't changed at all...

Alex's eyes narrowed. "If this Tentacruel is just trying to protect its home, then maybe it's time someone protected it."

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