Zane looked at Budew's info panel and began to formulate a training plan.
"Budew, base stat total of 280, already knows Stun Spore, Absorb, and Seed Bomb…" he muttered, recalling the data in his head. "Not bad. It's a hell of a lot better than a Magikarp, at least."
Speaking of base stats…
In this world, just like in the games, every species of Pokémon had a different base stat total. But whether it was in a game or in reality, the gap between stats wasn't the only thing that determined the outcome of a battle. A base stat total determined the upper limit of a Pokémon's life force, the inherent gap between species. What truly influenced a battle was the training a trainer provided and their ability to command their Pokémon in the heat of the moment. There were plenty of real-world examples to prove that point, both here and in the games he'd played.
Generally, a Pokémon's base stats never changed. But there were exceptions, like Mega Evolution. A Mega-Evolved Pokémon's stats would change because it had temporarily broken through the upper limit of its own life force, evolving into a higher-level being and undergoing a metamorphosis. Of course, that state wasn't permanent.
Beyond that, some individual Pokémon could experience changes to their base stats through unique circumstances. Zane thought of the giant Dragonite from the lighthouse in the Kanto anime, and the ancient, oversized Gengar, Alakazam, and Jigglypuff that had also appeared in that region. Had they managed to break through their species' original stat limitations? It was a fascinating thought, but those Pokémon were a world away in Kanto, far beyond his reach for now.
After a brief trip down memory lane, Zane's thoughts returned to his own situation. As far as starting points went, his was pretty decent for the average trainer. But for him, a transmigrator with a hacked legendary and an editor in his pocket, it was a perfect start.
Besides, even if someone handed him a pseudo-legendary like a Larvitar right now, he couldn't afford to raise it. The resources required to raise a Larvitar were exponentially greater than those for a Budew. A Budew could survive in the wild without any supplementary food. A Larvitar, on the other hand, had to literally eat mountains to grow. To evolve into a Tyranitar and reach its full potential, regular rocks weren't enough; it needed stones rich in rare minerals just to stay healthy.
And even though his Budew could get by with just photosynthesis and water, Zane had no intention of letting it. It was go big or go home. He was going to do everything in his power to provide Budew with the absolute best resources and help it grow into the best Budew it could possibly be.
"Food that Grass-type Pokémon like…" Zane sat at the desk by the window, carefully studying the nutrition books he'd borrowed from the library.
Budew was lounging happily on the sunny windowsill, the bud on its head wiggling contentedly in the warm sunlight. The weather was so nice that even Cramorant wasn't making a fuss about going out; it was just standing in a patch of sun, staring into space. The room was a picture of perfect tranquility.
"Found it!" Zane flipped to a page in the middle of the book and looked at the information listed.
Monthly Nutritional Recipe for Grass-Type Pokémon (Note: Listed ingredients are essential)
Standard Quality (Price: Approx. under 200 Pokédollars)
Formula: 2 Apricorns + 3 Big Roots OR 1 Tiny Mushroom + 4 Apricorns
Medium Quality (Price: Approx. 200-500 Pokédollars)
Formula: 3 Apricorns + 2 Big Roots + 1 Balm Mushroom
High Quality (Price: Approx. 1,000 Pokédollars)
Formula: 1 Glimmering Gold Berry + 2 Big Roots + 1 Balm Mushroom
Perfect Quality (Price: Usually 2,000+ Pokédollars)
Formula: 3 Spike-Thorn Berries + 3 Big Roots + 1 Bubble Rock + 1 Glimmering Gold Berry
Zane stared at the prices, and his stomach churned.
But then he read a footnote that the standard quality food for a single Larvitar cost 3,000 Pokédollars a month, and he suddenly realized how incredibly cheap Grass-types were to raise.
Damn, being a trainer really is a profession that burns money!
How could any normal, working-class trainer afford to buy this kind of food for their Pokémon? The gap between them and the rich trainers was gigantic, built right into the economy.
In that moment, Zane shed a tear of regret. Why the hell didn't I add a money-modifying cheat to the editor?!
Fortunately, the fine print noted that these were recipes for a month's supply of nutrients. The rarer ingredients, like the Glimmering Gold Berry, were so energy-dense that a Pokémon often needed a full month to completely digest the nutrients. Unless you were obscenely wealthy, feeding them this stuff every day was a waste, as the excess energy would just go unused.
This meant he only needed to buy the ingredients once a month. But still, it was an insane expense. One Pokémon at 2,000 a month was manageable. A full team of six would be 12,000 a month… a number Zane couldn't even begin to comprehend right now.
He thought of the freshly deposited salary in his account. Well, it was back to a life of pinching pennies.
He looked over at the carefree Budew sunbathing on the windowsill and offered a silent prayer.
Kid, you better work hard and make this investment worth it!
Deciding to either go all-in or not at all, Zane allocated 3,000 Pokédollars as Budew's official "growth fund." He set aside 1,000 for his own daily expenses and saved the rest.
Since he had the day off, he took Cramorant and Budew on a trip to the large department store in the center of Petalburg City.
The department stores in this world sold everything. From evolution stones for Pokémon on the upper floors to clothes and toilet seat covers on the lower ones, if you could think of it, they sold it. (probably)
Zane had plenty of time, and since it was his first visit, he decided to take the escalators, sightseeing on each floor as he went up. He was surprised to see that the best-selling product in the entire store seemed to be portable tents, likely due to the sheer number of trainers traveling through the region.
"High-tech, huh?" Zane touched the fabric of a display tent. It was incredibly lightweight, and the display showed it packed down into a tiny bundle.
So that's how they do it in the anime, he thought. And here I was thinking they all had Doraemon's fourth-dimensional pocket or something.
The floors for normal consumer goods ended at the sixth level. From the seventh floor up, it was all trainer territory. There were the basics, like Poké Balls and spray-on Potions, as well as all sorts of strange and specialized items. He saw a Macho Brace developed by the Devon Corporation, a Soothe Bell to calm a Pokémon's emotions, special Repels to ward off wild Pokémon, and even a Light Ball to boost an electric-type's attack power.
The prices were all steep, however, and he didn't need any of it at the moment, so after a quick browse, he continued on up.
<><><><><><>
Read 10+ advance chapters at patreon.com/MightyJahseh
Support this fanfic w/ your stones & reviews.