At a certain crossroad near Pallet Town in the Kanto region... "Let's part ways here. Here, this is a spare waist bag of mine. Don't refuse—I'm only lending it to you for now; you'll have to return it later. Besides, we're already friends, aren't we? Next, I plan to head to Vermilion City and catch a boat to the Bell Tower in the Johto region for a look. I heard Ho-Oh used to stay there. Let's say our goodbyes at this intersection. Until we meet again, if fate allows."
After saying that, Sage Harlan took out a waist bag (the same style as Gary's) from his backpack and handed it to Alex Drake. He then turned around, shouldered his own pack, and walked toward Vermilion City, leaving behind only a dashing silhouette that slowly vanished from Alex's sight.
After Sage left, Alex took out two Poké Balls from his coat, intending to put them in the waist bag. As soon as he opened it, he couldn't help but freeze.
Inside lay a stack of Pokédollars. Alex counted them—about six thousand. Just then, a note fell out.
"Don't get emotional yet. These are all lent to you, not a gift, and I'll be charging interest. If you're really moved beyond words, help me collect more legends about Pokémon. After all, people who truly love Pokémon aren't usually bad. I also couldn't bear to see such a good Pokémon like Charmander follow you and go hungry nine times every three days, haha."
(╯▔□▔)╯
"This guy—what does he mean Charmander would go hungry nine times every three days with me?" Alex turned his head and complained to Charmander with a clenched fist.
"Char~" Charmander responded by helplessly spreading its hands.
"Now I really owe him a huge favor," Alex sighed, gazing in the direction Sage had gone.
"Let's go, Charmander! Let's head to town first." After recalling Charmander into its Poké Ball, Alex walked toward Pallet Town.
Pallet Town... Alex strolled along the stone-paved streets, constantly scanning his surroundings. He slowly passed by various shops, occasionally stopping to carefully inspect the goods displayed at the entrances.
For a moment, it felt as if he were back on Earth, but the cries of Pokémon entering his ears reminded him of his current reality at every turn.
Last night, through his conversation with Sage, Alex had gained a general understanding of this world.
In this world, besides the Pokémon League acting as the overarching authority and the various town Gyms under its command ruling the major regions, there were other forces—mostly guilds, conglomerates, schools, and families—that assisted the League in maintaining stability and balance.
This was a more realistic world, not as idyllic as in the anime.
This world also classified Pokémon strength levels for reference: Initial (0-9), Novice (10-19), Remarkable (20-29), Superior (30-39), Gym Leader Level (40-49), Elite Four Candidate (50-59), Elite Four Level (60-69), Champion Candidate (70-79), Champion (80+).
Furthermore, if you thought every ten-year-old child in this world could get a free Starter Pokémon and a Pokédex from the League to set off on a journey...
Wake up! Dreaming is more realistic. Those children who could receive a Starter basically had parents who'd paid taxes to the League since they were young—100,000 Pokédollars a year, which added up to one million over ten years. And those were just some ordinary Pokémon with relatively high potential bred by the League. Not to mention true Starters, whose potential was even higher—they were far more expensive.
You had to realize that Starter Pokémon in any region were bred and trained from scratch by the League. Food, training equipment, and labor costs all required massive amounts of money. Did people really think the League was some divine entity that didn't need to eat or could turn stone into gold?
The Pokédex was an even bigger luxury. Setting aside its basic functions, it was practically a "golden finger" for rookie Trainers, integrating various features into one device. Not only was it an encyclopedia, but it could check a Pokémon's status at any time and provide appropriate guidance and suggestions—it could basically serve as a semi-Breeder. Beyond its inherent functions, owning a Pokédex meant you were recognized by regional research institutes, Professors, and the institutions behind them. It carried powerful derivative value; in the Trainer circle, holding one was equivalent to having an endorsement. Additionally, Pokédex owners enjoyed different benefits compared to regular Trainer IDs—not only free treatment at Pokémon Centers, but also free lodging and other perks. Therefore, those who owned a Pokédex were basically "true-blue" League Trainers and would mostly become the backbone of the League in the future.
Other than that, it would be because the child's elders had performed a great service for the League.
Children meeting those conditions could receive a Starter Pokémon from the League's designated representatives in various locations when they were ready to set off.
As for families that had lasted for generations or ruling clans, there was no need to even mention them. They were loaded! Even Pseudo-Legendaries were nothing to them!
Of course, you could also choose to buy Poké Balls. They were sold in this world, but even the most basic Poké Ball cost five hundred Pokédollars. How many times could you afford to throw them? Did people really think Poké Balls were indestructible? It was also extremely dangerous in the wild without a Pokémon for protection. Not to mention that most wild Pokémon were very ordinary with limited potential; only a tiny minority were "golden legends."
The only remaining option was the black market. The black market—if you knew, you knew—was full of shops not recognized by the League on the surface.
After all, the League's public laws still prohibited the trading and selling of Pokémon, including Pokémon eggs.
But, as a certain tycoon once said: when profit reaches 10%, people are stirred; when profit reaches 50%, people dare to take risks; when profit reaches 100%, they dare to trample on all human laws; and when profit reaches 300%, they aren't even afraid of the gallows.
Gradually, more and more black markets appeared, and their scale expanded. Most of the time, the League turned a blind eye—they couldn't crush them all, lest a true rebel emerge to slaughter everyone.
Most children from ordinary families with the potential to become Trainers would choose to buy a common Pokémon like a Rattata or an Oddish on the black market.
And now for the main event.
First, it was impossible to expect reality to be like a game where you just took your Pokémon to some forest to conquer Bug-types, and your level shot up, turning you into a god-tier swordmaster in a starting village who could punch Arceus and kick an overpowered Caterpie. That just wasn't realistic.
Secondly, breeding and raising Pokémon cost money! Could they cultivate like immortals and stop eating just by leveling up like in a game? Pokémon also needed to eat, drink, and use the bathroom. If you wanted a Pokémon to become stronger, you had to invest resources. The expenses for caring for Pokémon, treatment costs, and so on—none of it was free.
Finally, even if you officially registered as a Trainer with the League and obtained qualification, there were at least a hundred registrations per region every year. But how many Trainers successfully collected eight Badges and challenged the regional League Conference? And even more were eliminated during the Conference itself.
Only those exceptionally gifted genius Trainers had a chance of being valued by major conglomerates and the League.
Otherwise, why else would Team Rocket develop so well? And there wouldn't be so many Bug Catchers and Youngsters in this world.
So, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Sage Harlan Alex's benefactor. In a sense, that grandson Dylan Hayes was also a different kind of "good person"; if there was a chance in the future, he must definitely thank him properly.
Alex arrived at a Trainer supply store on the street and walked in. Although the shop wasn't large, the variety of goods was very complete.
Alex quickly headed to the travel supplies section he needed. A small travel backpack, a single-person tent, cookware, miscellaneous items, blankets, clothes, belts, and so on. He browsed and selected in the travel goods area, soon gathering what he required. Although it took some time, he was quite satisfied with his picks and couldn't help but nod.
Alex then turned his gaze to another display shelf holding Pokémon food, and the corners of his mouth twitched. Just a month's worth of slightly better Pokémon food cost one thousand Pokédollars. But there was no choice—it was necessary—so he gritted his teeth and took two portions.
"Forget it, I can't skimp on what shouldn't be skimped on." Alex rubbed his temples. Finally, enduring the pain, he bought one Potion, one each of Antidote, Parlyz Heal, Ice Heal, and Burn Heal, two bottles of Repel, four Alert Bells, and three Poké Balls. He also bought a basic Pokémon breeding manual, a large bag of Pokémon food, plus some dry rations and ingredients. Together with the travel supplies from before, he was "extorted" for a total of 4,945 Pokédollars.
Since he spent a lot, the boss was quite enthusiastic. After chatting friendly with the boss and fishing out some information, Alex systematically packed all the purchased items into his backpack one by one, then shouldered it and walked out of the shop.
Stepping outside, a cool breeze blew past, and Alex's heart felt just as cold. He only had one thousand Pokédollars left in his pocket, and he couldn't even save it.
An hour later... Alex walked out of a secluded alley, holding an ordinary Resident ID card obtained through "regular channels" (Resident ID Card: Alex Drake, Male, Origin: Pallet Town, League ID Number: 46784346543479). He looked at it—it was efficient, with all procedures complete. Alex couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Although it might not withstand a truly deep investigation, it was enough for the early stages; he'd make other plans later. He checked his wallet—it was empty and shriveled, with only one 50-Pokédollar coin and three small coins left. It looked cleaner than if a dog had licked it. It really wasn't 9999, nor 1999, but just 998.
Alex took out the basic Pokémon breeding manual from his bag. With his backpack on, he flipped through the book while walking out of town. Finally, he spent the last of his 50-Pokédollar "fortune" to board a long-distance bus to Viridian City.
He still had some self-awareness. The road ahead was long and arduous, and he would seek the way high and low—for now, learning was the priority.
(End of Chapter 4)