Sato carefully browsed the exge list, skipping past the first and sed tiers before seleg the third-tier Pokémoion.

  Charmander / Squirtle / Bulbasaur – 1000 game s

  Totodile / Chikorita / daquil – 800 game s

  Eevee – 800 game s

  Abra – 500 game s

  Lapras – 500 game s

  Houndour – 300 game s

  Sneasel – 300 game s

  …

  All the Pokémon avaible for under 1000 game s were listed ihird-tier exge list, including the Kanto and Johto starter Pokémon promily at the top.

  " I selee in person?"

  Seeing Houndour and Sneasel, Sato became ied and asked the question casually.

  "If you wish to exge for a specifion, I take you to see them in person." A polite and well-matendant approached and replied smoothly.

  "Houndour and Sneasel. If you have Murkrow as well, I'd like to see those too."

  "We do have Murkrow. Please, follow me."

  Sato was led into a special room reserved for Pokémon exges. Inside, rge gss enclosures were ly arranged, each taining one or more Pokémon of the same species.

  At the ter of the room, encased in thick reinforced gss, a zily dozing Larvitar rested uhe bright fluorest lights.

  Since Larvitar didn't possess the Dark type before evolving, Sato couldn't use Dark Energy to gauge its potential.

  Gng up at the harsh overhead lighting, he felt a pang of pity for the Larvitar.

  In this kind of enviro, there was no way it could develop properly.

  Notig Sato's brief pause, the attendant remained silent.

  Everyone who ehis room would iably be drawn to the Larvitar first.

  "Let's keep going."

  Snapping back to reality, Sato signaled for the attendant to tinue leading the way.

  A few steps ter, they arrived at a row of Murkrow, ly perched on tree branches iheir gss enclosures.

  Activating Dark Energy, Sato sed their emotional feedback—to his surprise, all ten Murkrow were of Elite Stage potential.

  Shaking his head internally, he preteo be unimpressed, signaling the attendant to move on to the Houndour and Sneasel enclosures.

  As expected, every Pokémon offered as a prize had at least Elite Stage potential, but none exceeded that level.

  If verted into Pokédolrs, purchasing a Houndour or Sneasel for 300,000 Pokédolrs would be expensive, but at least the guaranteed potential meant no risk of being scammed.

  Sato had to admit—Silph Game er had a reputation to uphold.

  "Did none of them i you, sir?" The attendant, notig Sato's reluce, asked in a polite yet observant tone as he prepared to leave.

  "No. I'll exge for something else instead."

  Feigning disi, Sato put on a perfectly ving "childish disappoi" act.

  "I noticed you seem quite fond of Dark-type Pokémon. ame er retly acquired a batch of Dark-types from ions. Would you like to take a look?"

  "ions?"

  Pretending to be surprised, Sato eagerly nodded.

  "Right this way."

  The attendant gave a small smile. Handling kids like Sato was easy—they were easier to vince, and more likely to exge for multiple prizes oempted.

  After all, the more items a pyer redeemed, the lower the individual value of each prize.

  For the Game er, redug costs while still valuable rewards was the key—some prizes existed only as bait to draw in pyers.

  Take the Larvitar in the ter gss case, for example—it was over 30 years old now.

  An old Larvitar, utterly pitiful.

  As they moved further ihe gss enclosures disappeared, repced by metal cages.

  Clearly, these Pokémon had just arrived and had yet to be tamed or assessed.

  Sato didn't care about Pokémon that weren't his partners. So, while he showed a look of disgust on the surface, inwardly, he felt nothing.

  "This is the pce. These Dark-type Pokémon were captured in the Hoenn regio me introduce them to you..."

  "No need, I know them all," Sato said impatiently, waving his hand as he used his Dark Energy to s the unscious Pokémon in front of him.

  Iy, this batch sisted of only the three most on Dark-type Pokémon from Hoenn—Pooa, Carvanha, and Nuzleaf.

  The three species were separated into two iron cages and a rge water tank, all pletely unscious. This was clearly a "rush shipment," and the numbers were siderable.

  There were about forty to fifty Pooa, including seven ht Mightyena, making Sato suspect that they had captured aire wild Mightyena pack.

  His Dark Energy feedback revealed that only four or five of them had Elite potential, while the rest were Ordinary level. With his high standards, Sato immediately turned away and sed the Nuzleaf instead.

  Pooa had never been a Pokémon he particurly liked, but unfortunately, among the thirty or so Nuzleaf, not a single one had a potential above Elite level.

  "Huh?"

  Sato's heart stirred.

  In that murky water tank, somethied a powerful surge of excitement—and the iy of its potential was at the Elite Four level!

  "A lucky find!"

  Sato was thrilled.

  Ten years from now, something like this would be impossible. But right nions had little unication. Even in Johto's neighb Kantion, many local trainers still weren't fully aware that Dark-type Pokémoed!

  And as for Hoenn, it was even more isoted. Eveer's Pokémon Potential Analyzer only had data for Pokémon from Kanto and Johto.

  "How much for a Carvanha?" Sato asked.

  "Because they're from Hoenn, the price isn't cheap. 800 game s per Carvanha," the attendant expined.

  "That expe costs as much as Totodile! Carvanha is a dime a dozen in Hoenn, basically the same as Goldeen over here," Sato remarked.

  The attendant was a little surprised by the kid's knowledge but still patiently expihe difficulties of transport and care.

  Looking at the murky water that cealed everything inside, Sato had to admire the attendant's ability to lie with a straight face.

  Still, he had only haggled for the sake of haggling, so after pretending to relutly accept, he signaled for them to fish out the "hidden gem" lurking in the depths.

  Holding the Carvanha with Elite Four Dark-type potential, Sato walked out of the room with satisfa.

  After that, he wasted no time and spent the rest of his game s on Teical Maes (TMs).

  Fmethrower, Thunderbolt, Psychiergy Ball, Brick Break, X-Scissor, Protect, Ice Beam, and Waterfall—all priced at 100 game s each, and he exged for one of each.

  Aerial Ad Venoshock cost 80 game s each, and he picked up one of each as well.

  Finally, he acquired two stat-boosting moves—Swords Dand Rock Polish, each for 130 game s.

  On top of that, he exged five copies of Protect for added security.

  Including the Carvanha he bought for 800 game s, he was left with just 18 game s. Since he po return tomorrow to tihering information, he decided to hold onto them.

  Each of these TMs was assigo the Pokémon that hem most—even the Carvanha, which he had yet to train.

  This time, Sato's eeam had truly leveled up!