Pokémon: Reborn as Lucario

Chapter 99: On How a Trainer Makes Quick Money

And reality proved that a Pokémon that could speak human language was truly not particularly rare.

Perhaps because the peak tourist season was approaching, the number of open shops and visiting tourists in Zidian City had multiplied several times compared to before.

Previously, when Rio went out, because his stature wasn't too large, many people didn't notice him. But now, with the number of visitors having multiplied, Rio and Ralts, who were wandering around with the self-proclaimed "Bargain Queen" Ming Rizhao, were also intensely watched by many merchants and pedestrians due to their good looks (to be fair, Riolu is indeed quite handsome, and Ralts is adorably cute).

Of course, it was mainly Rio, a Pokémon that basically no one recognized, that aroused most people's curiosity.

It should be known that in the modern era where the internet and information are so developed, a Pokémon that has never been seen before and has no information that can be looked up is incredibly rare. In comparison, Rio being able to speak human language was a minor issue. People were only slightly surprised and didn't pay too much attention. More of them crowded over, asked for Ming Rizhao's permission, and then pulled Rio over for a photo, then happily posted it on their social media feeds, showing off their photo with an unknown, mysterious Pokémon.

Yes, almost everyone's phone had an application similar to "WeChat" from his previous life—"WeTalk"—which could also be used for chatting, video calls, and even posting on "Moments."

Ah, praise the amazing Penguin Dad (Tencent), who has even established his influence after I've come to another world.

Getting off track. Back to the main text.

Rio, who temporarily acted as a "big star," was so stiff from posing that his body ached. He was only able to breathe a sigh of relief after the crowd of onlookers finally left satisfied with their photos.

"How does it feel, big star?"

Ming Rizhao walked to Rio's side with a grin.

"…"

How do you say "I want to hit her in the face with an [Aura Sphere]"? Rio was speechless.

This trainer of his, using the idea of people wanting photos, had cleverly proposed "10 Yuan for one photo." And those who loved Pokémon were unwilling to give up this hard-to-come-by opportunity to take a photo with a mysterious Pokémon and generously opened their wallets. And so, this young girl beamed with joy as she collected payments via various QR codes, smiling so much her eyebrows nearly fell off.

However, to be fair, during the photo-taking process, Ming Rizhao would still subconsciously refuse people who made excessive requests, not budging no matter how much they increased the price. When some people got carried away with taking photos and even wanted to pose Rio in various difficult positions like a doll, they would also be decisively refused a refund by Ming Rizhao.

"A bit of a money-grubber, but still a trainer who loves and protects her own Pokémon."

Rio nodded to himself in approval.

Without the curious crowds, the three little ones could finally stroll around freely.

Due to the prevalence of electricity use, the cityscape of Zidian City was also quite modern—neon lights were everywhere, and various projectors and large screens for display were scattered all over. However, the most eye-catching things were those strange yet technologically advanced vehicles.

"Beep, beep," a horn sounded, and a car sped past on the road. The car itself wasn't too novel, except for one thing—this car had no wheels. It relied on a rotating disc-shaped device underneath to levitate and then used electromagnetic force to propel itself forward.

Besides cars, many other vehicles also used electromagnetic levitation to operate. Maglev motorcycles, buses, and even small, single-person balance scooters—maglev was already the most popular symbol of this city, as if you wouldn't dare go out in this city if your ride couldn't levitate.

"If only we had won the championship in the Electric Town competition, then we could also have a maglev motorcycle."

Ming Rizhao's eyes were full of envy.

Rio also chimed in his agreement. As a loyal fan of Kamen Rider, motorcycles were an eternal romance. Just as grandma used to say, I am the man who walks the path of heaven, the one who will rule over everything... bah, a Rider without a motorcycle is not a good belt...

"Ptooey, ptooey." Rio stopped his own nonsense.

Ralts couldn't care less about these two who were hopelessly in love with motorcycles. She held a piece of paper in her hand, looking at the surrounding shops left and right while calculating something.

"(Pokémon Language) Iya, we're almost out of tissues. We should buy some in case we need them on our journey. We also need to buy a bottle of mosquito repellent, otherwise there will be a lot of bugs in the wild. Should we get a new water bottle? The one Xiao Zhao has now is getting a bit old..."

Muttering to herself, Ralts concentrated on thinking about what essential travel supplies to buy.

Suddenly, she found that the two who were originally walking beside her were gone.

"(Pokémon Language) Hmm? Where are they?"

Ralts was startled and quickly looked back.

She saw the girl and Riolu leaning against a glass display case, their eyes shining, saliva almost drooling down.

"This time, we will introduce to you the fully automatic electromagnetic levitation motorcycle specially produced and promoted by Zidian City Motorcycle Company—the Nimbus 3000! A stable sense of balance, an extremely fast driving experience, will all be a rare experience for you... This motorcycle is only sold specially in Zidian City, limited to 10 units, first come, first served... The release date is one month from now..."

As soon as Ralts got close, she heard the advertisement coming from the large TV next to the display case.

"Rio, what do you think of this motorcycle?"

Inside the large, person-high glass display case, a very streamlined motorcycle was placed. Its entire body was silver and white, with two rotating light wheels installed at the front and back. The electromagnetic force generated by the light wheels made the entire motorcycle levitate steadily, and the light that occasionally flowed across the entire motorcycle's shell made the whole vehicle look incredibly cool.

"One word: want."

"I want it too. Let's see the price..."

Ming Rizhao and Rio moved closer to look at the price tag in front of the motorcycle.

"Hiss..."

The two of them simultaneously sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.

"2-20,000 Yuan!"

(By the way, for ease of calculation, the value of currency in the Pokémon world is similar to the RMB from my previous life, so readers can convert it themselves—it's really not because the author wants to be lazy.)

To be honest, for such a cool, limited-edition motorcycle, a price of 20,000 Yuan was not too expensive. However, for a 15-year-old girl, this was indeed a consumption that was hard to bear.

"How much is our entire net worth?"

Rio turned his head to look at Ming Rizhao.

Ming Rizhao took out her pink wallet from her crossbody bag and poured out all the banknotes and coins inside.

"There are 2,000 Yuan here. This is all the spare cash my parents gave me," Ming Rizhao counted, then took out her phone. "On my online account, there's... uh, about 5,000 Yuan? This is all the money my parents gave me for travel."

"(Pokémon Language) No, Xiao Zhao, you can't use the money to buy this thing! Otherwise, we won't have any funds for our journey!"

Ralts quickly tugged at the hem of Ming Rizhao's pants, telling her not to make an impulsive purchase.

"All together it's about 7,000 Yuan. That's still 13,000 Yuan short of 20,000. That's a pretty big gap."

Rio calculated and felt the difference was a bit large.

If it were the me from my previous life, the prize money from just one or two fights would be more than this amount...

"Forget it. We can't afford it anyway."

Shaking his head, Rio also gave up the idea of egging on his trainer to buy the motorcycle.

But Ming Rizhao didn't seem to want to give up.

"Rio, do you have any way to make quick money?"

Young lady, there are ways to make quick money, but they're all written in the law books.

Rio looked at Ming Rizhao out of the corner of his eye.

The latter wrinkled her little nose and thought for a moment, a mischievous smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.

"No, I have a way. Let's go make some money."

"Let me show you how a Pokémon trainer earns travel funds!"

…

On the outskirts of Zidian City.

"Shroomish, use [Mega Drain]!" (Translator's Note: The text says 超级吸取 which is Mega Drain, but Absorb was 吸取. This is a stronger version.)

"Ruru, use [Confusion] and knock it down!"

Pink psychic energy emerged from Ralts's body, forming a wave that directly knocked the mushroom-like Pokémon to the ground.

"Ahhh, damn it! Shroomish!" a little boy in shorts and a sun visor shouted in frustration.

"Damn it, I'll definitely beat you next time." The short-pants kid reluctantly took out 100 Yuan from his pocket. "This is the pocket money for the Pokémon battle."

"Thank you for your patronage!" Ming Rizhao happily took the Pokémon Yuan handed over by the short-pants kid.

So this is how Pokémon trainers make money?

Rio was already a bit beyond complaining. It seemed that in this Pokémon world, it also carried over the setting from the games of his previous life, where after a Pokémon battle, the losing party would give the winning party an appropriate amount of money. Of course, it couldn't be too much; if the amount was large, it would be gambling. After all, the Officer Jennys of this world were not to be trifled with. And looking at the actions of Ming Rizhao and the short-pants kid, it was clear they were already accustomed to this conventional rule.

However, this rule was not written into the official rules of Pokémon battles by the Pokémon League; it was purely a custom passed down among the people. So, not only did battles between Pokémon trainers have this custom, but even when people of any status battled, they would consciously abide by this custom.

Speaking of which, the Gym Leader of Zidian City, Uncle Wattson, loved Pokémon, so the outskirts of this city were also filled with many people who loved Pokémon battles.

Along the way, Ming Rizhao, relying on Ralts and Rio, defeated various people like Bug Catchers, Fishermen, Parasol Ladies, Joggers, etc., and the pocket money she obtained also ranged from 100 Yuan to nearly 1000 Yuan.

Except for those battles where she bullied little kids, because Ming Rizhao was too embarrassed to take the few dollars handed over by crying children.

"This is how a Pokémon trainer makes money. Impressive, right?"

Ming Rizhao patted her stuffed wallet with satisfaction.

"Impressive, impressive..."

Rio answered perfunctorily.

"Oh, little miss, would you like to have a battle with me?"

While Ming Rizhao was still showing off, a gentle voice came from behind.

Ming Rizhao's eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly. "Okay, okay."

Turning around, she saw a young lady from a rich family in a gorgeous dress, smiling at her and her two Pokémon.

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