Pokemon: Bounty Hunter

Silas stared ahead with lifeless eyes, unable to believe the results of his calculations.

Unwilling to accept defeat, he pulled up his calculator and ran the numbers again—after all, even a genius could make mistakes.

But the cold, hard numbers on the screen confirmed the truth:

He hadn't miscalculated.

If he didn't take on missions to earn more money, he would go completely bankrupt after training Torchic to Advance level.

Since there was no clear benchmark for how much Champion-potential Pokémon needed in terms of resources, Silas had revised his training plan based on Zero's calculations and his own estimates.

Using a 7-to-8-month training timeline, he first compiled a resource chart based on the requirements for training an Elite Fire-type Pokémon.

He then collected data on Pokémon with Pseudo-Elite and Elite potential, using the same method to list their required training materials and costs.

After establishing a general cost range, he doubled the estimated expenses just to be safe.

For reference, even his Pidgeot, which had Elite-level potential, had only cost around 2.3 million Pokédollars in training so far.

Of course, Silas understood that if he had invested more resources early on, Pidgeot would have reached its current strength much faster.

Even so, an additional 1 to 2 million Pokédollars should have been enough to push a Pokémon to Advance level within 8 months.

So, by that logic, Torchic's training cost should be around 8 million Pokédollars, even after doubling the estimate.

Who could've predicted that even this doubled estimate would be far too low?

The standard diet for young Fire-type Pokémon usually required a Tamato Berry to Occa Berry ratio of 10:1.

Since Torchic's potential was exceptionally high, Silas had already gritted his teeth and doubled the Occa Berry proportion, using the same amount normally reserved for Elite-level Pokémon.

But the moment Torchic was born, Zero's scan immediately proved that even a 5:1 ratio wasn't enough—it had to be at least 3:1!

At this rate, Torchic might require a 1:1 ratio even before reaching Advance level just to sustain its energy quality and growth.

Not to mention, other high-end training materials would need to be increased as well.

Just thinking about it made Silas's teeth ache.

He had originally planned to have around 3 million Pokédollars left over as emergency funds, but that was clearly not happening anymore.

As for taking on missions before Torchic reached Advance level?

Silas decided it was better to play it safe—if something went wrong, there would be no one to cry to.

Glancing at the peacefully sleeping Torchic, Silas let out a helpless chuckle.

This was his Pokémon.

No matter how much it cost, he had to raise it properly.

Besides, investments always paid off in the end.

"Tor!"

At that moment, Torchic woke up after only a short nap.

It wobbled unsteadily as it walked toward its trainer.

Torchic chirped repeatedly at Silas, calling out:

"Tor! Tor! Torc!"

Oh, right. Everyone in this world had a peculiar ability—they could roughly understand what Pokémon were saying.

Even though Silas was a transmigrator, he still possessed this ability.

Silas picked up Torchic and chuckled, "Hungry, huh? I already have your meal ready."

He carried Torchic to the dining table and placed down its specially prepared bowl. The bowl had a huge Blaziken emblem engraved at the bottom.

Silas poured 200ml of Mareep Milk into the bowl, followed by a nutritional supplement. Next to the bowl, he placed a multivitamin pill and a few spicy energy cubes.

This was Torchic's lunch recipe.

Dinner was the same, while breakfast was slightly lighter, without the multivitamin and energy cubes.

Torchic sniffed and licked at the food, testing the taste before happily digging in.

Watching Torchic devour the meal so quickly, Silas couldn't help but sigh:

"This is all money, little guy…"

In less than ten minutes, Torchic had finished everything.

Silas stared at the tiny Pokémon, confused about where all that food had gone.

After all, Torchic wasn't that big yet, but the amount it just ate was almost the same size as its entire body!

"Tor! Torc!"

Full and satisfied, Torchic jumped off the table, wobbling over to its bed, ready to take a nap.

"Wait, wait."

Silas hurriedly stopped it.

This little guy was just too cute.

With a helpless smile, he grabbed an empty Luxury Ball and walked toward Torchic.

Squatting down, Silas looked at Torchic seriously and said,

"Little one, do you want to be my Pokémon? If you do, just press this button."

He then held the Luxury Ball in front of Torchic.

Torchic tilted its head but didn't hesitate—it immediately pressed the button.

A flash of red light shone, and Torchic was absorbed into the Luxury Ball—without a single struggle.

Less than thirty seconds later—another red flash.

"Tor! Tor! Torc!"

Torchic excitedly popped back out.

"Oh? You like the space inside?"

Silas smiled and asked.

"Tor!"

Torchic happily nodded, then ran toward its bed.

"Tor!"

Torchic pointed at the bed and chirped at Silas.

"Alright, I'll store it inside for you."

Understanding what Torchic meant, Silas activated his wristwatch and started operating it.

Within moments, Torchic's bed was stored away.

This was all thanks to Silph Co.'s advanced technology.

Silas didn't fully understand how it worked, but normally, objects like beds couldn't be stored in Poké Balls.

However, when using a full set of Silph Co. products, these restrictions could be bypassed.

A classic corporate money-making scheme.

Seeing that its bed had been stored away, Torchic happily ran back to Silas.

Silas grinned and gently tapped the Luxury Ball, recalling Torchic inside.

At this infant stage, Pokémon spent most of their time eating and sleeping to digest energy and grow.

Exercise was only a small part of their daily routine, usually done before and after meals.

After securing Torchic's Poké Ball, Silas walked to his backyard and called for Pidgeot.

Even though Torchic didn't need training yet, Pidgeot's training couldn't be neglected.

Thus, Silas and Pidgeot resumed their daily, repetitive training sessions.

Twenty Days Later

A thin mist covered the early morning air as Silas and Torchic stood in the carefully arranged backyard.

The backyard looked completely different from before.

Silas had relocated several Berry Trees to the far edges of the yard.

In the middle, there were several strange devices resembling tennis ball launchers.

Beside them stood small wooden posts, each slightly taller than Torchic, along with various training tools scattered around.

After twenty days of relentless spending, Torchic had finally outgrown its infant stage and was ready to start training.

Torchic now stood at 0.6 meters tall and weighed 4.5 kilograms—far above the average size of 0.4 meters and 2.5 kilograms for its species.

By comparison, Silas's Torchic could almost be considered a bodybuilder.

Through natural growth, it had already learned Ember and Quick Attack.

Of course, this energetic little Pokémon had also caused plenty of trouble, acting like a Husky and destroying parts of the house using its new moves.

That said, Torchic wasn't battle-ready yet.

One look at its chubby body and clueless eyes, and it was clear that any trained Pokémon could easily defeat it.

"Alright, Torchic, from today on, we're starting real training!"

Silas straightened up, speaking to Torchic with a serious expression.