Chapter 28: A Deal

Zhao Fang slowly typed out a question mark—not because he thought there was something wrong with himself, but because there was clearly something wrong with Dr. Odawara. Weren’t they just discussing Pokémon a moment ago? How had the conversation suddenly shifted to him having to call the professor “Dad,” and even marrying May?

“Dad!” May, flushed with embarrassment and anger, twisted her father’s waist with practiced ease—clearly a technique she’d picked up from her mother.

“Ow...” Dr. Odawara snapped back to his senses, looking rather awkward. While it was true his daughter seemed somewhat close to this boy, they were both just children. Surely there was nothing to worry about.

“Ahem, sorry, I got a bit carried away... You’re asking about how to make Dreepy not look like a Shiny, right?” As soon as the conversation turned to his field of expertise, Dr. Odawara’s entire demeanor changed; confidence radiated from him.

“Yes, that’s right.” Zhao Fang nodded, deliberately ignoring the twisted expression still lingering on the professor’s face. May, meanwhile, was still sulking, tugging so hard on her father’s sleeve that his face had contorted into a permanent frown, but he could do nothing about his precious daughter—not after the slip of the tongue he’d just made.

Dr. Odawara coughed again, and only then did May release her grip with an indignant huff. The professor picked up a box from behind him.

“Generally, for Dragon-type Pokémon, if you don’t want others to notice it’s a Shiny, you just apply this biological coating. It’s not expensive—just fifty thousand League coins for a full treatment.” Dr. Odawara spoke nonchalantly, but Zhao Fang’s eyelids twitched.

Fifty thousand League coins? Even if he sold himself, he wouldn’t be able to scrape together that much money.

“Of course, your Pokémon is Ghost-type, so the standard biological coating won’t work. In that case, you’ll need these. After it eats one, its color will match the capsule for a month—one capsule per month, at a cost of about a hundred thousand League coins each.” With a calm demeanor, Dr. Odawara took a small bottle from his backpack, filled with a variety of colorful capsules.

Zhao Fang was filled with envy. This was cutting-edge technology! With a monopoly on such tech, you could charge a hundred thousand per capsule, and customers would have no choice but to pay. If Zhao Fang had the strength of a Gym Leader, he wouldn’t have to worry about this at all.

But he didn’t, which meant he needed those capsules; otherwise, Dreepy would never see the inside of a tournament. He’d be stuck battling in the wild forever.

The problem was, real life wasn’t like the games—you didn’t earn experience points for beating wild Pokémon. Only battles with powerful Pokémon owned by trainers could truly make a Pokémon stronger. So no matter what, Dreepy had to compete.

Zhao Fang didn’t want such a powerful pseudo-legendary to end up as nothing more than a decorative Pokémon in his hands.

“Um... Dr. Odawara, is there any way to pay in installments?” Zhao Fang asked with a wry smile. A hundred thousand League coins per month was an astronomical figure.

“No can do. I don’t offer installment plans... But we could make a deal: I give you a Pokédex, and in return you collect data on the Pokémon you encounter along your journey. Let me do regular checkups on Dreepy, and I’ll provide the capsules for free.” Dr. Odawara shook his head at first, then grinned as he made his offer.

Zhao Fang stared at him in astonishment. This wasn’t a deal, it was pure generosity.

“Really?” Zhao Fang was thrilled. With a Pokédex, he’d be one of the official Pokédex holders, entitled to all sorts of privileges.

“Of course. My checkups are a bit thorough, though.” Dr. Odawara nodded. A hundred thousand League coins was pocket change to him, and besides, he and Professor Oak had invented these capsules together.

They’d regretted it after the fact—trainers who needed them couldn’t afford them, and those who could afford them didn’t need them.

After all, trainers with wealth, power, and influence didn’t care if others coveted their Pokémon. Anyone who dared lay a finger on their team would lose that hand in an instant.

Besides, regardless of May’s connection to Zhao Fang, the fact that this boy had managed to capture a powerful pseudo-legendary meant he had potential. Dr. Odawara was curious to see what other Pokémon Zhao Fang might catch in the future.

“No problem!” Zhao Fang agreed without hesitation. Forget saving a hundred thousand coins—the Pokédex alone was worth it. He’d even be willing to let Dr. Odawara keep Dreepy at the lab for a week if need be.

Having struck a deal, Zhao Fang rode Dr. Odawara’s Pidgeot back to Littleroot Town.

The moment he got off, his legs turned to jelly. He hadn’t realized he was afraid of heights until now, but it seemed his fear was rather severe.

“Zhao Fang, are you afraid of heights?” May asked, covering her mouth to stifle her laughter. Her shoulders shook; Zhao Fang could tell she was struggling not to burst out laughing.

“A little...” Zhao Fang answered awkwardly. Honestly, unless you’d ridden on a Pokémon, it was hard to imagine how unnerving it could be—the small body swaying in the air, making you feel like you could fall at any moment.

“It’s nothing. You just need to do it a few more times!” May said, giving him a knowing look and a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Chatting with May, Zhao Fang followed Dr. Odawara to the lab, where he released Dreepy.

At first, Dreepy was less than cooperative, acting as if it would rather throw itself into a brawl with a Normal-type than submit to tests. But the promise of a hotpot and a barbecue after the checkup quickly changed its mind.

Watching Dreepy undergo a battery of tests, Zhao Fang yawned, feeling a bit bored and wondering if he should go home for a bit.

“Zhao Fang, look! These are the moves Dreepy can use right now!” May came over excitedly, waving a sheet of paper.

Zhao Fang perked up immediately. He’d asked Dr. Odawara to check Dreepy’s move set as soon as they entered the lab, and now he finally had the results.

“Let me see...” He took the sheet and immediately spotted the four moves he already knew about, plus Quick Attack and Double Team, just as he’d expected. But the next move surprised him.

“Dragon Tail?” Zhao Fang hadn’t anticipated that Dreepy had already mastered Dragon Tail.