Chapter 55 Gold? Is It Worth Much?

After the match, the four of them began to share their catches.

Needless to say, Brock was the unluckiest. Although his face was the gloomiest, he had reeled in two living fossils—an existence so infuriating and defying of both man and gods that it practically begged for a firing squad.

One had to realize that currently in the Kanto region, Omanyte and Kabuto were still entirely unrecorded Pokémon in official records.

Meanwhile, Blue had casually picked up a Feebas, and Ash had traded for a special Eevee exchange coupon. It was a double harvest of friendly neighbors from Pallet Town.

All in all, all three of them could be considered to have reaped a rich harvest.

"So, you actually fished up this thing in the high-roller zone?"

Ash and the others looked at Misty with sly, smiling eyes.

The latter had been beaming with joy that morning, but by now her mood had undergone quite a dramatic shift.

Because the water in the high-roller zone was far too clear, the Pokémon there were basically just Tentacool and Tentacruel, allowing the upper crust to fish to their heart's content.

Even with her three-star Fishing Master profession, Misty was left like a clever housewife struggling to cook a meal without rice, and in the end, she had only managed to reel up a pink Pokémon.

This Pokémon was entirely pink, with a pair of swirling ears on its head and a thick, long pink tail behind it, looking remarkably delicious.

"Beep. Slowpoke, the dazed Pokémon. Its tail is edible, expensive, and a top-tier delicacy, but eating it is illegal."

"Beep. Slowpoke, the dopey Pokémon. It has only one nerve in its head, reacts sluggishly, and nobody knows what it is thinking."

Ash and Blue's Pokédexes broadcasted simultaneously.

Seeing that all three of them were staring at her, the Slowpoke sat on the deck, delayed for a long time, and finally tilted its head, letting out a sound.

"Slow...?"

The three of them: "..."

The next second, the three burst into roaring laughter, declaring one after another that this Slowpoke suited Misty perfectly.

Amidst the giggles, Misty could only blush as she recalled the Slowpoke, reluctant to just throw it away outright.

Dopy as it was, it was undeniably cute. In the end, she could only stomp fiercely on the deck, angrily swearing a solemn oath before the other three.

"Hmph! This is so frustrating! If I ever catch another Pokémon as dopey as this again, I'll quit being a Water-type Trainer once and for all!!"

...

Nighttime.

The four of them walked together, eating street snacks while browsing the surrounding shops and stalls. As soon as dinnertime hit, all sorts of bizarre shops opened up for business.

An Octillery was selling takoyaki...
A Jynx was performing stone-breaking on its chest...
A Cloyster was performing water-jets...

Ash and his group were overwhelmed, stopping and going, utterly dazzled.

"Hey, you over there, the rich kid!"

At that moment, a low shout caught the attention of the four.

They stopped in their tracks and looked toward the source of the voice, only to find that the speaker was a middle-aged uncle.

He was rather short, with a headband tied around his bald head exuding an aura of determination, and a kindly face that screamed legitimate businessman.

Following the direction of his gaze, Ash subconsciously pointed at himself.

"Yes, yes, that's right, you, the wealthy young master!"

The middle-aged uncle flattered him with a beaming smile.

Hearing this, Ash's face instantly flushed red. He took several deep breaths before patting Brock on the shoulder and rubbing Blue's head.

"Ha, well, well! I've hidden it for so long, and today I've finally been recognized!"

He akimboed and laughed up to the sky.

However, Blue curled her lip and asked dubiously, "That's not right. Three generations of our ancestors were honest farmers; since when did you become a rich kid?"

"You little girl don't understand. I also inherited two acres of land in Pallet Town; how am I not a rich kid?"

Ash curled his lip and turned his head back to the middle-aged uncle:

"Hehe, perceptive uncle, do you have any pointers...?"

"Oh-ho! The young master's vision is naturally higher than mine. Let me tell you secretly, I have a colossal deal here right now... I wouldn't mention it if you weren't a rich kid!"

The middle-aged uncle leaned in, speaking sneakily, and then flipped his hand to pull out a gleaming golden Poké Ball.

"Look at this! This is a golden Poké Ball, and inside is an exceptionally precious golden Magikarp!"

The brilliance of the gold blinded the eyes of all four, and Ash's gaze was instantly and deeply captivated by the Poké Ball.

"Gold..."

he muttered softly.

Golden, luxurious, lavish...

Seeing the country boy before him wearing the expression of someone who had taken the bait, the middle-aged uncle smiled secretly with triumph while continuing to fan the flames.

"Do you know what a golden Magikarp is? It can produce gold! One ton a month, fifty tons a year! Within five years, you'll be the richest man in the entire Kanto region!!"

"Gold..."

Ash was still infatuatedly repeating the word.

Finally, the middle-aged uncle brought up the main point and shouted loudly:

"What a coincidence, young master! Now at a slash-upon-slash rock-bottom discount, the golden Magikarp was originally priced at one hundred million, but now it's only three million, and you can become the richest man in the world!"

Ash was clearly completely conquered, grabbing the tycoon-gold Poké Ball in his hand with a yearning expression, looking utterly intoxicated.

"..."

The other three, however, said nothing.

It was obviously a scam; probably only a blockhead like Ash would fall for it.

Anyway, since he couldn't afford it either, there was no need to pierce the veil.

What did barefoot people have to fear from thieves?

"Producing one ton a month means it should produce twelve tons a year. Didn't you even notice such an obvious scam? You're really bringing shame to Pallet Town!"

Blue scornfully spat and gave Ash the middle finger.

...

"Well... young master, are you going to buy it?"

the middle-aged uncle asked with a grin.

Ash snapped back to reality abruptly, clutching the golden Poké Ball tightly, and asked anxiously:

"Oh, right, you said the golden Magikarp is only three million—does that mean I only need to pay three million to take this Poké Ball away?"

The middle-aged uncle was startled. Could he actually be a rich kid after all?

He had planned to continue hoodwinking him and make a profit of one hundred thousand or so, but he hadn't expected to hit the jackpot in one go?

So he hurriedly rubbed his hands together and smiled benevolently:

"That's right, that's right! Just three million, and you can take away the peerless golden Magikarp and become the richest man in the world."

"Oh, then I understand."

As he spoke, Ash suddenly raised the golden Poké Ball and pressed the button. With a "pop," a completely golden Magikarp began flopping around on the floor.

However, he completely ignored the splashing golden Magikarp on the floor, and instead slipped the golden Poké Ball back onto his belt.

"Then I'll just take this golden Poké Ball. Bye-bye."

With that, Ash made a move to leave.

Middle-aged uncle: "???"

He grabbed Ash's wrist, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Is there a problem? Golden Magikarp for three million; golden Magikarp plus golden Poké Ball is also three million. Rounding it up, this golden Poké Ball is free, right?"

Ash looked even more wronged than the uncle, placing the golden Poké Ball right beside him—in Pikachu's hands.

There was no way he was giving it back anyway.

The moment he laid eyes on this noble Poké Ball: Tycoon Gold Limited Edition, he decided to give Pikachu a new home.

Middle-aged uncle: "?"

The three of them: "?"

How was this logic a bit brain-melting...?

"Oh, even if it's free, I can't take it for nothing?"

Ash thought about it for a second, and decided that reasoning made sense—there was no such thing as a free lunch in the world—so he flipped his hand and flicked out a tiny coin.

"Then I'll use all my worldly possessions to buy a free item, no problem, right? You're making a killing, bye-bye."

With that, he swiftly led the other three away from the stall.

Middle-aged uncle: "???"

The uncle stared in utter bewilderment at the coin in his hand...

...

After the three left, the middle-aged uncle furrowed his brow deeply.

Yet, he flipped out another golden Poké Ball and stuffed the gold-painted Magikarp back inside it.

Damn it, are youngsters these days all so calculating?

A ten-yen coin scammed him out of a gold-plated Poké Ball... How was a shady merchant like him supposed to make a living?

No way! Even if his legs get broken today, he'll find another sucker to buy his gold-plated Magikarp!

The determination headband on his head was reserved precisely for when his enemies came knocking, to give himself one extra second to make a desperate escape.

Hmph, the day he became a shady merchant, he had already taken life and death lightly.

To hear the truth in the morning and die in the evening was enough.

He was a man of great enlightenment.

At that moment, a man with oversized floral beach shorts and flip-flops, sporting blue seaweed-like hair, passed by the stall.

"Hmph~~"

He wore a casual expression and was even whistling a tune.

"Hey there, rich kid!"

James, who was still strolling around, trembled violently all over upon hearing those keywords.

Damn it!

Could I have been caught by my family?!

His gaze whipped around sharply and spotted that middle-aged uncle pointing right at him.

"Crap, how does he know I'm actually a rich kid!? Could he really be someone from my hometown?!"

James immediately broke out in a cold sweat, his body moving like a mechanical robot as he slowly walked over.

Seeing this, the middle-aged uncle's brow lit up with joy. He hurriedly sidled up and spoke sneakily:

"Hmph-hmph, I don't tell just anyone... I have a golden Magikarp right here. Do you know what a golden Magikarp is? It can produce gold! Ten tons a month, a hundred tons a year! Within five years, you'll be the richest man in the Kanto region!!"

Hearing this, James merely relaxed his brow. It seemed the man wasn't from his hometown.

Gold... though?

That was nothing.

The bed he slept on as a child was built entirely out of gold.

Even when one leg of his table was crooked, it was propped up with a gold brick.

Relying on this trinket to become the richest man?

"Move along, don't bother me if you've got nothing to do!"

James waved his hand dismissively, his face full of disdain.

An aura of supreme, upper-crust tycoonship slammed into the middle-aged uncle's face, almost suffocating him and making him desperately want to kneel and worship the blue-haired young man right then and there...