Returning to the black market once again, Aoki first visited the Pokémon sales office. He randomly selected a shop and sold the four Pokémon he had forgotten to offload earlier, receiving a total of 50,000 League coins. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
Next, he headed to the largest general store in the black market and purchased a storage ring with a capacity of five cubic ters, which he wore on his right index finger. The ring had a plain design and cost exactly 50,000 League coins—the amount he had just earned.
The storage belt issued by Team Rocket on Trial Island had only one cubic ter of space, which was now too limited for Aoki. Moreover, the belt bore Team Rocket's logo, making it too conspicuous if he wished to move freely within League territories in the future. Buying a new storage tool had beco a necessity.
The technology behind space storage items in the Pokémon world was well-developed. A five-cubic-ter storage ring costing only 50,000 League coins made sense when considering that even a standard Pokéball, a form of spatial technology itself, was priced at just 200 League coins.
After transferring all his items from the Team Rocket belt to his newly acquired ring, Aoki decided that this ring would be his primary storage tool from now on.
Without wasting ti, he proceeded to a specialized Pokémon food shop—not to purchase pre-made Pokéblocks but to buy rare ingredients necessary for crafting high-quality Pokéblocks tailored to each of his Pokémon's needs. Ordinary berries and dicinal herbs wouldn't suffice; he required rare materials to optimize their nutrition.
Aoki ignored the shelves stocked with standard Pokéblocks, even the high-end ones, but couldn't help sighing when he saw their prices. The most basic all-purpose Pokéblock cost 500 League coins per piece. A single Pokémon could consu dozens in one al, and higher-level Pokémon had even greater appetites. Spending tens or even hundreds of thousands of League coins on a single al was not uncommon.
Despite his expertise in crafting Pokéblocks, Aoki couldn't yet market high-end ones himself. If others discovered that he, with his current status, possessed the skill to produce such premium items, it would bring not wealth, but disaster.
This particular shop was owned by several breeders based in Saffron City, including a senior breeder, making it a well-respected establishnt even in the black market. No one dared cause trouble here.
To the shop clerk's confusion, Aoki spent a staggering one million League coins—not on Pokéblocks, but on peculiar ingredients. Most custors ca here to buy ready-made Pokéblocks, but Aoki ignored them and instead selected strange and obscure materials.
However, a knowledgeable breeder would imdiately recognize the significance of Aoki's purchases.
He acquired powder from a deceased Quasi-Elite-level Houndoom, rich in Dark energy, and feather powder from a fallen Quasi-Elite Honchkrow—both essential for enhancing his Murkrow's strength. For Slowpoke, he bought low-grade Sage Stone powder and a Gyarados scale, crucial for boosting its Psychic and Water-type abilities.
For Gastly, Aoki selected rare Ghost-type materials: a small piece of toxic black sludge and ghostly fabric imbued with lingering spectral energy. These items were the most expensive of his purchases.
Anticipating the future growth of his unborn Skorupi, he also bought a Heracross exoskeleton that contained traces of poison energy.
These rare and expensive materials cost Aoki a total of one million League coins. However, when combined with suitable berries and herbs, the advanced Pokéblocks he could craft from them would be worth ten tis as much.
In addition, he spent another 100,000 League coins on supplentary berries and dicinal herbs.
After completing his purchases, Aoki had only 700,000 League coins left. He imdiately transferred this amount to a bank card linked to his League ID and discarded the anonymous black market card, wary that Team Rocket might have tampered with it.
From an initial balance of 3.6 million League coins, he was left with just 700,000 in less than a day. This highlighted just how costly Pokémon training was—even with Aoki making his own Pokéblocks. For an ordinary Trainer without his expertise, raising Pokémon was an imnse financial burden.
Moreover, these expenses were only temporary. Once the current batch of Pokéblocks was consud, he would need to restock, and as his Pokémon grew stronger, their nutritional requirents would only increase.
Dragging his tired body, Aoki exited the black market through one of its many discreet exits, drawing no attention to himself. In Saffron City, he no longer dared to let Slowpoke use Teleport casually—Sabrina had left a deep psychological shadow on him. Even though she had unknowingly awakened his latent Psychic powers, he had no desire to face soone against whom he stood no chance.
Once outside, he found a secluded alley and changed back into the attire of a regular League Trainer.
He hailed a cab and headed straight to the Pokémon Center in the city's heart.
By the ti he arrived, the sky had turned completely dark. He had planned to return earlier, but Sabrina's unexpected appearance had caused him to lose three to four hours of consciousness.
After presenting his League ID, Aoki booked a room at the Pokémon Center. He also spent so League coins to have the staff deliver als for both him and his Pokémon directly to his room.
After enjoying a hearty al, he collapsed onto the bed. The day's events had left him both physically and ntally exhausted.
The lingering headache from awakening his Psychic powers hadn't fully faded either.
As his body relaxed into the bed, a wave of deep exhaustion swept over him, and before he knew it, he had fallen into a deep sleep.
The rooms at the Pokémon Center weren't luxurious, but they offered near-absolute security. Unless a war or a terrorist attack broke out, a Pokémon Center was a League-sanctioned haven—guaranteeing safety above all else.
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