Chapter 430: The Power of Money, Living Up to Its Reputation
Chapter 430: The Power of Money, Living Up to Its Reputation
The night sky was deep, and the hazy moonlight weaved through the fluffy clouds, casting a soft veil of white light.
A bonfire burned in the courtyard, dispelling the chill of the night with its warm glow.
The group, having just finished their gathering, sat in the courtyard, enjoying the brief tranquility after the celebration.
In the trees and flower beds outside the courtyard, occasional insect chirps echoed, carrying a hint of melancholy.
"Geng~"
Gramps sat on a swing, his face filled with sorrow, swaying back and forth. From time to time, he took a sip from the drink in his cup.
Seeing his expression, Daye's Flame Monkey seemed to sense something and climbed up the swing's pole, gazing at the pensive Gramps in the hazy moonlight. He spoke softly, "Ku~" (What's wrong? Aren't you happy about winning the championship?)
Gramps looked up at the Flame Monkey and showed a hint of curiosity, asking in return, "Geng~" (And you? Why do you look so weighed down by worries?)
Hearing this, the Flame Monkey sighed.
"Ku~" (Tomorrow, I have to try adding charcoal to the menu. I don't know if I can handle it.)
Charcoal?
Gramps' expression turned peculiar.
That thing was so hot to the touch and dry, and it tasted awful. Only Charcoal Little Servant would consider it a treasure.
His eyes darted, and he grinned, saying, "Geng~" (You can send Daye to study first. If he can learn from Old Jing, cough, like Jing He, then you can eat it.)
The Flame Monkey's eyes lit up instantly.
What a great idea!
If Daye wants to learn from Teacher Jing He, then let him study too.
That makes sense!
"Ku?" (You haven't told me what's bothering you yet.)
The Flame Monkey, whose mood had improved, asked again.
Gramps sighed and took another sip of his drink, his face showing a hint of worry.
"Geng~" (Invincibility is so lonely~)
The League wouldn't even let them participate in the conference!
How could this be?
It must be because they were too strong.
But he had been holding back.
Sighing again, he shook his head.
Flame Monkey: "..."
Are you sulking here because of this, looking like you're heartbroken?
And you're even trying to drown your sorrows!
Why don't you replace the milk in your cup with alcohol!
Suddenly, the Flame Monkey's improved mood took a turn for the worse.
I'm such a fool, truly. I only knew that Gramps could put on an act, but I didn't expect him to do it here as well.
"Geng~!"
Gramps suddenly shouted, drawing everyone's attention, and the Pokemon in the room also turned to look at him.
"Ow~"
Ice Nine-Tailed, curled up lazily on Jing He's lap, opened her eyes and looked puzzled.
Jing He's expression changed slightly.
What mischief was this purple-skinned little fatty up to now?
Gigaforg, who was discussing armor with Martial Bear Master and Charcoal Little Servant, also looked over.
The well-fed Swift Dragon lay on the lawn, while Tyrogue held the Rotom Pokedex and jumped on its belly.
"Yip~ Yip~"
"I, I can't eat it, Rotom!"
Gramps jumped into the bushes, pushed aside the shrubs, and saw a Sound Box Cricket with a few Round Magicians rehearsing a song.
Gramps' sudden appearance startled them.
Fortunately, Gramps didn't do anything bad. After gulping down some milk, he asked them:
I'm in the mood, so please accompany me!
The Round Magicians looked at the Sound Box Cricket.
The Sound Box Cricket quietly swallowed.
Although Gramps didn't do anything, his leader-like demeanor made them feel uneasy. They quickly nodded in agreement.
Gramps cleared his throat and smiled.
"Geng~"
The Sound Box Cricket took the lead, and the insect song they sang was quite pleasant.
Indeed, this Sound Box Cricket and the Round Magicians had some talent, and their song was enjoyable.
But then.
"Geng~ Geng~ Geng~ Geng~"
As Gramps started singing, the atmosphere suddenly felt a bit off.
However, the Sound Box Cricket and the Round Magicians displayed their "professionalism" by changing their tune to try and match Gramps.
But as they listened, the Sound Box Cricket, the Round Magicians, and even Jing He and the others felt something was slightly amiss.
Suddenly, Sharon smiled and said, "It sounds like a song of doom."
Jing He's eyes widened.
And you're still so calm about it?!
Everyone: "!!!"
All the Pokemon: "!!!"
January 24th, cloudy weather.
Tourists were gradually dispersing, while some were staying on Bellflower Island.
Due to travel plans, Jing He and his group were also preparing to leave.
They asked Da Wu to send the Meddling Brother and Sister and the Frost Milk Fairy back to Kanas City.
In just a few days, the temporary coffee shop and dessert house they set up had made a profit of eight hundred thousand League Dollars! This was a situation Jing He had never imagined.
No wonder the League valued the conference so much.
His coffee shop was just a small one, and it was solely a food store. There were hundreds, if not more, similar shops on Bellflower Island.
Not to mention gift shops, clothing stores, hotels, and more.
The revenue from these businesses alone during a single conference could be in the hundreds of millions of League Dollars, if not more.
This didn't even include the more significant affiliated industries, such as tourism, commercial advertising, and promotions.
Indeed.
The most profitable business in the Pokemon world was running a League!
However, Jing He's earnings this time were not insignificant.
The championship prize of one and a half million League Dollars, along with some substantial prizes and the income from the shop, added up to an estimated total of one million seven or eight hundred thousand League Dollars.
Additionally, there was the upcoming showcase battle they were about to attend.
A trip to Sinnoh could bring in around two to three million League Dollars.
Suddenly, he felt much better.
He had a sense of deja vu, like he was working hard to earn money to support his child.
After Da Wu left on his private plane, Wusong also departed with A Liu.
Wusong had a mission, assigned by Jing He.
A Liu was taken by Wusong.
Although A Liu might not be much help, having A Liu by his side and giving him some tasks made Wusong feel more at ease, and A Liu didn't object.
The reason for not bringing Daye was that A Liu, although simple-minded, was more well-behaved than Daye.
So Daye became Jing He and Sharon's constant companion.
(End of Chapter)They were headed to Heijin City first before proceeding to the location of the showcase battle.
Jing He wasn't particularly keen on bringing Da Ye along, but the latter was persistent and wouldn't take no for an answer.
He even declared that since the organizers didn't invite him, he would take the initiative to find the noble hosting the showcase and recommend himself.
It was apparent that Da Ye had to work hard to make a living in Sinnoh.
Fortunately, the plane was arranged by King Juye, and since they were in Sinnoh, they had no choice but to bring along this reckless fellow.
On the plane.
Sharon crossed her legs and sat quietly by the window, reading a book.
Jing He wasn't holding the clingy Ice Nine-Tails but instead had Tyrogue in his arms.
There was no other way; it was the little guy's first time seeing a plane.
When the plane landed, it nearly bit into the turbine, giving Jing He quite a scare.
This kind of plane wasn't cheap.
So, after boarding, he held the little guy tightly, fearing he might suddenly get hungry and take a bite out of the plane to satisfy his cravings.
But for now, the little guy was relatively well-behaved, looking out the window while being held by Jing He.
It was just like Gramps' first time on a plane.
Jing He couldn't help but feel a sense of sentimentality.
Unbeknownst to him, Gramps had become quite the seasoned traveler, able to sleep peacefully on the plane.
Apparently, the song of destruction from the previous night had dealt him a significant blow, a physical one at that.
As for Tyrogue, being a Rock-type and Ground-type Pokemon, and a young one at that, he was full of curiosity about the outside world.
His way of exploring was to bite into things first.
Whether it tasted good or not, he'd find out after taking a bite.
He would point at the clouds outside the window and ask Jing He if they were tasty, point at the mountains below and ask if they were sweet, and point at the rivers and ask if they were sour, like a child with a million questions, all of them strange and wonderful.
And most of these questions revolved around food.
Fortunately, Jing He was very patient and answered each question slowly.
With his experience caring for the Gigaforg, he could handle this.
As for Da Ye, he was fast asleep, sprawled across his chair.
"Cha~"
The Gigaforg lay on the Martial Bear Master, using his hammer to gesture at the Martial Bear Master's body.
According to his intentions, he was planning to forge a set of armor for the "Great Bear General" first.
Part of this was at the request of the Martial Bear Master himself, and another part was the Gigaforg's desire to practice his skills on the Martial Bear Master.
If he could successfully forge armor for the Martial Bear Master, he would then move on to creating armor for Charcoal Little Servant.
It was undeniable that the Gigaforg was starting to resemble a blacksmith more and more.
He was a pink little blacksmith with twin pigtails.
Meanwhile, the invincible "handyman" Rotom was floating nearby, recording the measurements for the Gigaforg and offering suggestions.
The plane traveled swiftly, arriving in Heijin City by noon.
The purpose of this trip to Heijin City was simple—to buy minerals.
Although Jing He could have purchased them directly from Da Wu, Deven Company had a partnership with Heijin City.
Many of Deven's coal-based minerals and some rare minerals found only in Sinnoh were sourced from Heijin City.
Considering Tyrogue's diverse diet, Jing He decided to procure some minerals in Heijin City.
Later, he could ask Da Wu to help transport them back.
The Heijin City Gym Leader, Piaotai, was very accommodating and gave Jing He the lowest possible discount.
In the end, Jing He gritted his teeth and spent seven million League Dollars to order a truckload of minerals for Tyrogue.
The minerals were actually secondary.
The primary reason was that he had purchased some Sangguo and Soft Sand.
Sangguo was a tool that extended the duration of sandstorms, which would undoubtedly enhance Tyrogue's future Sandstorm ability.
It was a proactive measure.
Moreover, Tyrogue loved this kind of food.
Another item was Soft Sand, which was highly recommended by "The Earth's Secret Art" as suitable food for Tyrogue.
It could significantly enhance Tyrogue's potential in the Ground-type.
After all, when Tyrogue evolved into Bangiras, it would lose the Ground-type attribute.
If Jing He didn't want Bangiras' Ground-type moves to be weak, it was essential to accumulate its Ground-type talent in advance.
The only cost would be Jing He's wallet.
The Bellflower Tournament prize money was reduced by almost half, instantly erasing his sense of improvement.
According to Tyrogue, Sangguo mixed with Soft Sand was—
Biu, or not?
Jing He couldn't help but marvel at the power of money.
Indeed, aside from minerals and tools, Jing He had also put in a lot of effort into Tyrogue's energy block diet.
Whether it was Tyrogue or Bangiras, they were both Pokemon with numerous weaknesses.
To help them develop resistance to these weaknesses early on, precious tree fruits that increased resistance were used as ingredients in Tyrogue's energy blocks.
For example, Lianpu Fruit, which resisted Fighting-type moves, and Qianxiang Fruit, which resisted Water-type moves, were both very expensive tree fruits.
But there was no alternative; these were essential for training, and Jing He couldn't be stingy.
He even persuaded Mashado, trading delicious food for a few branches from the World Tree of Origin, adding them to the mix to enhance Tyrogue's resistance to Grass-type moves.
Fortunately, Tyrogue didn't have high standards for food; he devoured everything, constantly going "Kukui" and couldn't stop.
This made Jing He determined to ask Mew for some branches and minerals from the World Tree of Origin the next time it appeared.
Part of the World Tree of Origin was a plant, and the other part was stones imbued with unique energy, which Tyrogue would probably like.
Mashado's stock was indeed limited, but for Mew, this shouldn't be a big deal.
"If I could get a branch from the Tree of Life of Xerneas..."
Perhaps Bangiras could snack on Grass-type moves in the future?
PS: Due to subscription issues, the author is considering combining chapters, creating longer chapters of 5,000 to 6,000 words each, to ensure a daily update volume of at least one chapter and boost the subscription count to 10,000?
(End)
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