-034- Southern Pond

The next day.

JOJO’s Breeding House was bustling with activity. Several new Pokémon had appeared in Tong Si’s yard: Meowth, Pichu, Exeggcute, Mankey, and Jiang Tao’s Slowpoke.

After Tong Si became the rookie champion of the Pokémon Battle Club, he quickly rose to fame among the new trainers. Stories of Tong Si and his Electabuzz were being told throughout the busy streets. Many novice trainers, upon hearing that Tong Si had opened a breeding house, flocked there out of admiration.

Originally, they just wanted to observe JOJO’s Breeding House, but to their surprise, there was a sign hanging at the entrance.

“Skill Training: Thunderbolt, Brick Break, Weather Ball, Light Screen, Electric Net.
Any skill, fifty thousand Alliance coins per session.
Guaranteed mastery—no charge if not learned.”

Reading these words, the group of rookie trainers was instantly moved. In the market, even a random skill disc would cost tens of thousands. Rare and precious skill discs could go for hundreds of thousands. The worst part was, one skill disc might not guarantee learning—a trainer might need to buy several, as learning from them was a matter of probability.

But here, Tong Si had written in bold: “Guaranteed mastery—no charge if not learned.” And to learn a skill, all it took was fifty thousand Alliance coins! This was the epitome of honest business.

The trainers, all newcomers, were drawn in by the irresistible price. Who could resist? One after another, they wanted to sign up and have Tong Si teach their Pokémon skills.

However, Tong Si stated that each skill would only be taught to one Pokémon per week. This was to ensure the integrity of the skill transmission.

Hearing this, the rookie trainers grew anxious. They hadn’t expected the slots to be so precious! Each one of them sought to be the first, scrambling to secure a spot, even starting an impromptu auction on the site to bid for a slot.

Tong Si watched the scene with a hint of helplessness. He didn’t mind earning more, but it wouldn’t be fair to the other trainers. And he prided himself on being an honest merchant.

In the end, he decided to determine the five lucky recipients by drawing lots. The trainers had no complaints; those not selected could only wait for next week.

Jiang Tao was fortunate enough to be chosen to learn the Weather Ball skill from Tong Si—a pure stroke of luck, no backdoor dealings.

After the drawing, the four trainers and Jiang Tao paid the fee together. Tong Si had intended to give Jiang Tao a discount, but Jiang Tao declined, saying his family was wealthy enough.

Leaving their five Pokémon in Tong Si’s care, the trainers departed. The others who didn’t get a spot were reluctant to leave empty-handed and promptly bought out the remaining eight Pokémon eggs. They held firmly to the belief that anything from Tong Si was guaranteed to be good.

Even though most already had their first Pokémon, they didn’t mind starting to raise a second. Tong Si thus earned eighty thousand points and four hundred thousand Alliance coins—a tidy profit.

With the eggs sold out, Tong Si decided to restock with a new batch. The elimination rounds for the top sixteen of the other three battle clubs were taking place that day, and the contest for the title of strongest rookie across the four clubs would happen the day after tomorrow. Tong Si thus had two days to rest.

“Let’s go get some more Pokémon eggs first,” Tong Si thought, gazing at the empty shelves. The breeding house needed a few eggs to look proper. Moreover, he wanted to hatch a few Lotad and a Barboach. That way, the two ponds in the yard could be put to proper use.

“Eevee, today we’re heading to the southern ponds!” Tong Si announced after deciding where to go.

Eevee, still groggy, climbed onto his lap as he searched the map of Jiahua City. Grandpa Chu’s place in the countryside was indeed a source for eggs, but not the ones he wanted. Tong Si planned to go to the supply area near the ponds and get some Lotad.

Of course, he could catch them himself, which wouldn’t cost anything. But once caught, they’d be considered his own Pokémon. Tong Si only wanted to breed them, not train them. Buying eggs was best, and raising them in the yard would mean they were still wild Pokémon.

“Eevee, today we’re heading to the southern ponds!” Tong Si decided and prepared to set out.

Eevee raised its soft paw, full of enthusiasm.

Electabuzz, seeing Tong Si about to leave, hurried over to join him.

“Electabuzz, there are a lot of Pokémon in the yard today—you’re in charge of guarding the house,” Tong Si said.

They bumped fists, entrusting the breeding house to Electabuzz. Naturally, the front door was locked. Since last night, trainers drawn by his reputation had been visiting nonstop. If anyone wandered in without permission, it would be troublesome.

The road to the southern ponds wasn’t short, and Tong Si didn’t want to take the bus. He called a Dodrio Express. While Arcanine Express was faster, it was far more expensive. Dodrio Express was slower, but cost less than half as much, making it the most sensible choice.

After about half an hour, Tong Si arrived near the southern ponds. The contrast with the skyscrapers of Jiahua City was stark—the southern ponds were almost completely natural. There were many water-type Pokémon here. If one wanted to catch water-types, this was the place.

However, capturing Pokémon from the ponds wasn’t simple. First, you needed a certificate issued by the Pokémon Association; otherwise, it was illegal hunting. When applying to capture water-types, you had to declare the number, and only after approval could you catch up to that number.

This was one reason Tong Si preferred to buy eggs—otherwise, going through the Association’s procedures was too cumbersome. As a rookie trainer registered for less than three months, he wouldn’t be allowed to catch multiple Pokémon anyway.

“Come out, Eevee!” Tong Si released Eevee from its Pokéball. He knew Eevee disliked being inside, and if not let out soon, it would throw a tantrum.

At the edge of the pond, Eevee happily splashed in the water. Tong Si couldn’t help but think of Eevee’s water-type evolution, Vaporeon. If he could obtain a Water Stone, Eevee could evolve into Vaporeon, gaining either the Water Absorb ability or the hidden ability Hydration.

Tong Si rather hoped Eevee would get Water Absorb, making water-type moves ineffective against it.

“Who’s there?” A sharp voice suddenly rang out as Tong Si and Eevee wandered along the pond’s edge.

… (To be continued)