Chapter 26: Purchasing a Magikarp

Xia You took a closer look and realized the man in the suit looked very familiar. Upon reflection, he was none other than the man he had faced in his final battle while traveling by ship to the Kanto region.

What a coincidence.

However, the purple Rattata that had battled his Kirlia back then had since evolved into a brown, larger Raticate.

"Raticate, use Quick Attack!"

"Staryu, use Tackle!"

The two Pokémon collided, appearing evenly matched, but in truth, the Raticate held the upper hand. As they separated, the man in the suit commanded again, "Raticate, use Super Fang!"

With a swift sprint, the Raticate rushed before the Staryu and bit down hard with its sturdy incisors. As it continued to exert pressure, the gem in the center of the Staryu suddenly shattered, and its entire body tumbled backward onto the ground.

A burst of applause erupted from the crowd, cheering enthusiastically for the winner.

Seeing the young boy embrace his Pokémon, the man in the suit, despite having won the match, displayed a gentlemanly demeanor. "This was just a small skirmish. I suppose the Goddess of Victory was simply favoring me today. In any case, you should continue to train your Staryu to be stronger."

A woman wearing a red strapless evening gown walked over and linked her arm with the man’s.

Successful on the battlefield and in love, it was clear this man truly enjoyed such a life.

"Well then, is there any other Trainer who wishes to challenge my Raticate?"

Before his words had even faded, and before Xia You could react, he saw a figure flash past him—Ash had already rushed up to the man in the suit.

"I’m fired up! Let my Butterfree be your opponent!"

Shaking his head, Xia You greeted Misty and Brock, and instead of choosing to watch the battle, he walked away with Kirlia.

Before boarding the ship, fearing the crowded and noisy environment, he had put away his other Pokémon, leaving only Kirlia by his side.

Passing through stall after stall, Xia You walked along when he suddenly spotted a young man dressed as a waiter chatting with an older man selling Magikarp.

The young man was handsome, with shoulder-length, blue-gray hair parted down the middle, covering his ears. His overall demeanor was that of a gentle and incredibly kind-hearted person.

"Let me tell you a secret," the Magikarp salesman, wearing a white headband, said with a shrewd expression. "This Magikarp produces gold!"

The man blinked. "Gold?"

"That’s right, that’s right," the Magikarp salesman whispered, covering his mouth with his hand. "A Magikarp lays a thousand eggs at once. If those thousand Magikarp lay another thousand eggs each, a thousand times a thousand is one million! Just imagine, if those million eggs hatch and lay even more, it becomes an astronomical number!"

The blue-haired man seemed completely confused by the logic, murmuring, "That… that really is amazing!"

Seeing that he was tempted, the salesman continued, "I’m only selling this one Magikarp for ten thousand dollars. If it lays eggs three times, you’ll have earned over a hundred million!"

"Just three times!?" The blue-haired man was clearly hooked, his face full of astonishment. "Doesn't that mean I’ll become a billionaire very soon!?"

"That’s why I’m telling you it produces gold!" The salesman smiled at him with the tone of someone offering a bargain. "How about it? It’s a promotional price right now. I usually sell a Magikarp for ten thousand, but with the egg-laying kit, the breeding kit, and the nursery kit, I’ll give it to you for a total of thirty thousand!"

This scene! This situation!

Isn't this Team Rocket’s James and that smooth-talking Magikarp peddler?

Xia You could hardly believe his eyes. He had actually encountered this legendary, infamous scene!

Still, he couldn't understand how James, whose family was clearly wealthy, could still be swayed by money.

Seeing James take out his wallet, seemingly about to buy the Magikarp, Xia You let out a soft cough and walked over.

"Boss, how about selling me this Magikarp for five hundred?"

"What did you say!?" The salesman waved his hand dismissively. "Go on, get out of here. My Magikarp produces gold; how could I possibly sell it to you for five hundred!"

"Produces gold?" Xia You stroked his chin, carefully examining the Magikarp splashing in the tank. "But looking at it, it’s no different from the Magikarp in the river. Tell me, Boss, are you mistaken? This common Pokémon is found almost everywhere, in lakes and the sea alike. You can catch one with just a fishing rod. Other than me, who else would actually buy one?"

James shuddered, seemingly snapping out of his daze. "A Magikarp found everywhere? No one would buy it?"

Seeing James wavering, the salesman hurriedly explained, "Hey, hey, young man, don't listen to his nonsense! My Magikarp is different from the others. Gold! I'm talking about gold!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Xia You curled his lip. "If that’s the case, why haven't you become a multi-millionaire yet, instead of still standing here selling Magikarp?"

At this, James finally understood the truth.

"You scoundrel, how dare you try to scam me!"

He kicked the fish tank hard, then nodded gratefully to Xia You and stormed away in a rage.

Seeing this, Xia You folded his hands behind his back and turned to move on, but the salesman reached out and blocked his path.

"Hey, we have no grudge against each other! Why did you ruin my business!?"

Xia You tilted his head to look at him and said, "Ah, my apologies, but I have a very good impression of that man and couldn't bear to see him get scammed. If you want to sell it, go find someone else to trick."

Having said that, he prepared to walk around the man, but as he took a step, he was blocked again.

"Don't think you're walking away just like that! Since you ruined my business, you're going to pay for it yourself!"

Perhaps fearing Xia You would run, the salesman reached out to grab Xia You’s sleeve, but Kirlia stepped forward, its eyes slowly gathering light as it stared coldly at him.

It looked as though if the man's hand moved even an inch closer to Xia You, it would immediately launch a psychic attack.

The salesman was startled and hurriedly pulled his hand back.

Ignoring him, Xia You looked back at the Magikarp.

Even if it hadn't been kicked by James, based on his experience, this Magikarp was likely on the verge of evolving. If he bought it, he was sure he would have a Gyarados before long. It was a good deal.

"That's true. In that case, sell it to me for five hundred."

This price wasn't something Xia You pulled out of thin air; in other regions, Magikarp really only sold for that much. It was perfectly in line with market value.

"Five hundred?" The salesman frowned, dissatisfied. "I could have sold it for thirty thousand just a moment ago!"

Seeing Xia You unmoved, after a long standoff, the salesman rolled his eyes and finally sighed. "Fine, whatever. Five hundred it is. I'll take a loss and sell it to you."