After learning the truth behind the Pokémon trading inside the market, Sato and his two companions became even more curious to explore it for themselves.
Fortunately, they were all officially recognized guests of the Kalos League, so after the gatekeeper made a quick call, they were easily granted entry.
"WOAAAh! This place is so lively~"
Seeing the bustling crowds filling the wide streets, Mark immediately exclaimed loudly, looking exactly like a country boy visiting the city for the first time…
Sato and Joseph both twitched their mouths at the same time and instinctively distanced themselves from Mark.
Although the internal trading district had been built and organized by the League, and was indeed well-designed, the commercial districts of major cities in the Kanto Region weren't any less crowded than this.
"Forget him. Let's just do our own thing," Sato said to Fitzwilliam, then walked forward with Joseph without the slightest intention of inviting Mark along.
"Eh? Isn't that a bit mean…? Shouldn't we wait for Mark?" The simple-minded Fitz clearly felt a little bad about it.
Sato didn't slow down and replied calmly, "Doesn't matter. He's bound to get lost anyway."
Fitzwilliam scratched his head, a question mark slowly forming over it. 'Were young people these days into playing hide-and-seek like this?'
As for whether that silly Mark would get scammed… well, with his luck, who would end up scamming whom was still uncertain.
Seeing that Sato and Joseph truly didn't intend to look after Mark, while Mark himself had no idea he'd been abandoned… Fitzwilliam thought for a moment, then mumbled a few quiet words toward the air before quickly catching up to his kouhai.
"This internal trading district really is something. In just this short time, I've already seen a lot of impressive stuff," Sato said, arms crossed and head tilted slightly.
"Mm, if you say it's impressive, it must be. So why not buy something?"
"Not interested."
"Uh… alright then."
Fitzwilliam was left speechless by Sato's blunt response. But then he thought: Sato was still just a Gym Leader, yet somehow he gave off a vibe that was… wealthier than himself?
As he pondered this, Fitzwilliam's gaze slowly shifted toward Joseph.
'Hmm… the sixth young master of the Narcissus Family. Rumor had it that he had recently inherited a fortune from his mother after the Family division…
COULD IT BE…?!'
Fitzwilliam's eyes widened dramatically, glancing back and forth between Sato and Joseph as if he'd uncovered some earth-shattering secret!
Could his dear little kouhai actually be… the Narcissus family's long-lost seventh child?
'Hiss~~~~'
Thankfully, Fitzwilliam was only overthinking things in silence and didn't blurt out his wild theory aloud.
Otherwise, Sato would've surely given him a smile filled with killing intent and said, "You're making things up, twisting facts, conjuring nonsense, fabricating reality, and speaking pure madness…"
After passing through the Item trading area, the trio finally arrived at the Pokémon trading zone.
Unlike before, there were far fewer people here, and most of them were parents accompanied by children, clearly here to choose their first Starter Pokémon.
The shops in the Pokémon trading zone were all steel-framed buildings with glass walls on every side, allowing outsiders to view the adorable Pokémon inside without entering.
"That's a Spritzee. Its evolution, Aromatisse, can learn Heal Pulse. Interested?"
Spritzee -a Fairy-type Pokémon native to the Kalos Region- had a round white beak, the rest of its body pink, and its large eyes naturally accented as if wearing eyeshadow. It was undeniably adorable~
Of course, after evolving into Aromatisse, it wasn't quite as appealing anymore…
At that moment, the glass enclosure Sato had pointed to contained several adorable Spritzee playfully chasing each other around.
Joseph followed his gaze but quickly shook his head.
"Worried about its potential? Don't worry, every Pokémon here is clearly priced based on its potential. We can go in and ask if they have any high-potential ones," Fitzwilliam said thoughtfully.
"No, it's more like… it just didn't click," Joseph shook his head and declined.
Sato nodded in understanding. After all, he'd once impulsively caught an utterly average Sandile, and hadn't he trained it into something great?
For Trainers like them now, the desire to catch Pokémon wasn't as urgent anymore. What truly moved them was finding one they genuinely felt connected to.
Still, the Pokémon trading zone had been a real eye-opener. Beyond the wide variety of species, what impressed them most was how open and transparent everything was.
Even though money was obviously involved, there wasn't a single Pokémon that looked mistreated. In fact, many shops had clear signs stating that the Pokémon had the right to refuse being chosen.
After exploring most of the trading zone, the three of them finally came across an individual Trainer selling Pokémon.
Without hesitation, they walked right over.
Individual Trainers couldn't sell Pokémon full-time, so their stores were small rented booths; just enough space for two or three Pokémon to move around in.
The one manning this booth was an elderly man, around seventy or eighty years old. When he noticed his light was being blocked by someone, he instinctively called out, "If you want to buy a Pokémon, turn to the right!"
"Sir, aren't you selling Pokémon here too?"
"I said… if you want to buy-"
The old man impatiently looked up. When he realized the three people at the entrance weren't parents with kids, he finally stopped talking.
"Sir… what kind of Pokémon do you have here?"
Joseph was the one to ask again, and this time the old man didn't shoo them away. He just muttered to himself:
"…You've got some real strength, I see. Fine, I'll show you."
As he spoke, the old man took out a standard red/white Poké Ball ◓.
A flash of red light, and a ring of flowers appeared before the three of them. Looking closer, they finally recognized the Pokémon.
"Comfey!"
As Joseph exclaimed, the Dark Energy within Sato began to circulate on its own, [Emotional Feedback] had activated.
"Elite Four level potential…"
Sato didn't say it aloud, but he was already stunned inside.
This seemingly harmless Comfey actually possessed Elite Four grade potential!
For a moment, even Sato couldn't help but feel tempted!
But soon he realized he didn't have a chance…
It seemed Comfey had been sleeping inside the Poké Ball for a long time. When it first came out, it still looked a bit dazed.
Once it fully woke up, it quickly noticed the presence of the three of them.
Comfey had seen many people before, so it wasn't the least bit timid. After giving a cute little greeting to the old man behind it, it floated calmly over to the three Trainers.
It glanced at Fitzwilliam first… but quickly lost interest.
Then it swept its gaze over to Sato!
…And seemed to spot something terrifying. It even instinctively drifted backward a bit.
Finally, Comfey looked at Joseph…
"Com~Fey~"
Comfey's eyes sparkled like it had found its destined one! Without any hesitation, it floated right toward Joseph, and then gently plucked the flower ring it had woven from around itself and carefully placed it on Joseph's head.
"Com~Fey~!"
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150 PS - CH