Pokémon: Master of the Rain Team

Upon arriving on the second floor, Reiji made a beeline for the Pokémon food shop. He was eager to find out the price of Pokéblocks.

If they were cheap, he could buy a few for his Pokémon to try.

But if they were expensive, he'd have to reconsider his path forward—whether it was worth revealing some of his more "advanced" knowledge to gain huge profits. And profit often came with risk, even the risk of death.

If you wanted a hundredfold return, unless you monopolized something, the only other way was straight-up robbery.

Reiji stepped into the nearest food shop, Spinarak perched on his shoulder.

A cheerful sales assistant approached. "Welcome! What kind of Pokémon food are you looking for today?"

Reiji glanced across the store—under the bright lights, the many food items sparkled in dazzling rainbow hues. It was almost hypnotic.

The shelves were packed with everything: odd-looking Pokémon snacks, labeled attribute-specific energy foods, and a whole rack of drinks. Most prominent was Moomoo Milk, produced in the Johto region. He remembered it being mentioned in the games.

Aside from Moomoo Milk, there were other regular milk brands—but they were either placed way up high or tucked down low, not easily reachable like the Moomoo Milk.

That alone was a clue: Moomoo Milk must be the most expensive, otherwise it wouldn't get that prime shelf space.

There was even a bit of psychology behind it—people tend to grab whatever's easiest to reach.

"I want to see your Pokéblocks," Reiji said, reining in his curiosity. His flat wallet didn't allow him to get distracted by glittery packaging.

"Of course, this way please." The assistant led him to a display behind him.

There, colorful, translucent Pokéblocks sat neatly boxed on the shelves—each package labeled as containing ten blocks.

"Are you looking for Bug-type Pokéblocks, or something else?" the assistant asked.

"Bug-type," Reiji replied. He had noticed Spinarak's little eyes were already wide with anticipation, and its mouth was practically watering.

He reached up and patted the little guy on the head—a silent reminder not to embarrass them by lunging at the display.

"If your Pokémon is a juvenile Bug-type, I recommend this one," the assistant said, pointing at a bright green box. "This high-purity 'Verdant' Pokéblock is specially formulated to suit Bug-type tastes…"

"These 'Verdant' Pokéblocks are made from a blend of berries Bug-types love. They're a pure, clear green, with virtually no visible impurities. They're completely safe."

"Each Pokéblock is packed with Bug-type energy. For a juvenile Pokémon, one block is enough to fill them up. Three per day is standard. For training, just add two more."

Listening to the pitch, Reiji had to admit—Pokéblocks really were a powerful resource for nurturing Pokémon.

Each one seemed to embody a specific type's energy, with only the level of purity varying.

Whoever invented these things had done the entire Trainer world a massive favor.

They looked delicious, they were beautiful, and Pokémon clearly found them irresistible.

But… the price?

That was the kicker. If they weren't affordable, none of that would matter.

"How much are they?" Reiji asked, eyes fixed on the radiant green 'Verdant' blocks. They were so gem-like it felt like staring at flawless emeralds.

Even Spinarak looked ready to leap onto the shelf, rip open the pack, and devour them all.

But with Reiji keeping a close eye, it could only swallow its saliva and suppress the urge.

"A premium box of Verdant Pokéblocks is 5,000 Pokédollars," the assistant said. "We can offer a discount—4,500 per box—for bulk purchases."

Reiji did the math. One box, ten Pokéblocks—enough for three days. That was about 1,666 Pokédollars per day.

Was he feeding his Pokémon or serving them gold bricks?

Even back in his previous life's top-tier cities, meals didn't cost this much.

Now imagine having six fully-grown Pokémon on that kind of diet…

Nope. Not gonna work. At 500 per Pokéblock, these things were even pricier than Poké Balls.

So this was the infamous Pokéblock, huh?

The assistant, sensing his hesitation, quickly followed up. "We also carry two lower-purity options—both are still excellent for Bug-types. The lowest is only 700 a box, and the mid-tier is 1,500."

"These Pokéblocks are still very nutritious. Though they contain fewer Bug-type energy compounds, feeding two blocks can still meet daily needs."

"Consistent use helps Pokémon gradually develop better command over their energy. The premium ones just offer faster progress. These are popular choices for beginner Trainers."

Reiji looked at the two alternative boxes. One was decent, with only minor visible impurities.

The other… yeesh. It had basically been kicked out of the "green" category and gone full "swamp black."

"Seven hundred and fifteen hundred…" he muttered.

Crunching the numbers: that meant 70 Pokédollars per block for the cheap one, and 150 per block for the mid-tier.

With three a day, the mid-tier came out to 450 a day—comparable to a single premium block.

But there was more to it.

One premium Pokéblock equaled two mid-tier ones in energy. So:

Energy Value: 1 premium = 2 mid-tier.

Price: 1 premium = 3 mid-tier.

The cheap ones were off the table—the green was almost nonexistent, and the impurities were visible to the naked eye.

He settled on the mid-tier. They still had a rich green color, just with a few specks here and there. Probably the better ones sorted out of the premium batch—not the reject-tier like the black-green sludge.

And with store assurance they were safe, he figured it was worth trying at least one box.

"I'll take this one," Reiji said, pointing to the mid-tier box, then headed over to the Moomoo Milk section.

A 550ml bottle was 800 Pokédollars. Practically on par with the cheapest Pokéblock.

Tourist town pricing, indeed.

Thankfully, there were cheaper alternatives. Regular milk was just 300 a bottle—same size.

Three times the price difference. What were these Miltanks producing—liquid gold?

He grabbed one bottle of each. Juvenile Pokémon needed the nutrition, so it was worth comparing.

No need for the fruit-milk blend; his Pokémon had already eaten plenty of berries back on the island.

"How much for all three?" Reiji handed the items to the assistant.

"One box of mid-tier Verdant Pokéblocks, one Moomoo Milk, and one regular milk… that comes to 2,600 Pokédollars," the assistant calculated.

"Cash." Reiji handed over the money before she could finish, took the bagged goods, and left the shop.

There were other types of Pokémon food on display—honey, sweet sap, berries.

He passed by stores selling minerals, instant meals, Pokémon candies, snacks, supplements…

Some even carried bulk feed—like the massive bags carried by Pokémon hunters.

He didn't bother asking. That type of feed was likely cheap and filling but not very nutritious.

Going forward, his Pokémon would follow a new diet—Pokéblocks as the main course, other foods as supplement.

Gone were the days of island scavenging.

Even wild Pokémon meals cost money now. The age of "free crab buffets" was long over.

He completed his sweep of the second floor. All the stores were pretty much the same.

They sold similar goods, with similar prices—both for humans and Pokémon.

Reiji was ready to move on.

As soon as he stepped onto the third floor, the first thing he spotted was a shelf full of Poké Balls.

Looks like this was the Trainer Gear level.

He had a feeling he'd be spending a long time here.

(End of Chapter)

[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]

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