Pokémon: Above the Top

At 8:00 PM, Sato arrived alone at Goldenrod City's largest and most famous Silph Game Corner. Even before stepping inside, the deafening noise from within was already overwhelming.

The Silph Game Corner was situated in the heart of the city, where real estate was worth its weight in gold. Yet, the facility itself was massive—covering an area as large as two full-sized soccer fields.

But what truly drew people in weren't the flashing lights or lively atmosphere—it was the generous prizes.

At the very top of the exchange list sat two highly coveted rewards:

A Larvitar and a Dratini.

Alongside these, there were other rare Pokémon, valuable items, specialized Poké Balls, high-tech equipment, and more.

However, after glancing at the staggering number of zeroes required to exchange for a Dratini, Sato didn't even bother counting. Since the game corner had been established, there hadn't been a single lucky soul who had managed to win a pseudo-legendary baby Pokémon.

Retracting his gaze, Sato walked over to the counter and exchanged 10,000 Pokédollars for 100 game coins.

The exchange rate alone was enough to drive away most ordinary people. It was a stark reminder of Goldenrod City's incredible affluence.

Casually tossing the pouch of game coins, Sato wandered around the venue like a wide-eyed child experiencing a casino for the first time—his head constantly turning, eyes filled with curiosity.

But in this place, his behavior hardly attracted any attention.

The truly wealthy patrons used V.I.P. cards to play directly. A kid walking around with a small pouch of game coins was just another casual visitor, likely someone with limited funds.

So, after roaming for a while, Sato realized—not a single staff member had approached him.

"Perfect."

Murmuring to himself, Sato leisurely made his way toward an inconspicuous corner where a row of virtual racing machines stood.

The "horses" in this racing simulator were all Pokémon capable of being used as mounts.

Choosing a Rapidash at random, Sato straddled the machine and inserted two game coins.

As the course layout appeared on the large screen in front of him, Sato "galloped" forward on his Rapidash.

Ten minutes later, he dismounted with a lingering sense of exhilaration.

The game was expensive—but undeniably immersive.

Despite being a simple obstacle-dodging race, the experience was remarkably lifelike.

The heat radiating from Rapidash, the way its muscles tensed and moved, even the subtle shifts in balance when stepping on a rock—everything was meticulously simulated.

Rather than playing another round, Sato resumed his leisurely stroll. His eyes casually drifted across the countless game machines, as if he were just a child carefully picking out which one to play next.

But in reality, his remaining peripheral vision was hard at work.

Every unnoticed glance was dedicated to scanning the layout, noting the staff placements, and memorizing the security arrangements.

Having spent so much time in this new life, Sato was gradually perfecting his ability to use his age as a disguise.

And the results?

Impressive.

Whether it was his opponents underestimating him in battle or the security personnel here dismissing him as just another kid, it all worked to his advantage.

"Found it."

Feigning curiosity, Sato meandered over to one of the most popular games in the arcade.

The slot machines.

Each machine had three spinning reels and one lever.

As long as all three reels displayed the same symbol, the player would win a prize based on the symbol's payout ratio.

Simple. Direct. Fast-paced.

It was the perfect money sink for those who craved instant results.

Casually, Sato stole a glance at a particular mural near the row of machines.

Then, he calmly retracted his gaze and sat down at a random machine.

"Click!"

"Ding!"

"Ding!"

"Ding!"

"Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!"

"Huh?"

Sato watched in mild disbelief as the machine spat out over a hundred game coins all at once.

For the first time, he felt a little stunned.

On the screen, all three reels had landed on the same symbol—a trio of adorable Jigglypuff.

The three Jigglypuff even winked in sync, as if mocking him.

Even in this loud, chaotic game corner, the sound of over a hundred coins cascading out instantly drew the attention of the surrounding players.

Sato hesitated for one second.

Then, as if completely unaware of what had just happened, he excitedly inserted two more game coins and pulled the lever again.

"Ding!"

"Ding!"

"Ding!"

"Clatter! Clatter! Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!"

Sato's hand hadn't even released the lever yet, and already—

Three Pikachu symbols lined up perfectly on the screen.

And, as even more coins poured out, the animated Pikachu trio let out a cheerful cry—

"Pika! Pika!"

Winning twice in a row with the jackpot—this time, the surrounding players couldn't sit still.

One after another, they crowded around Sato, staring at his collection tray, which was now filled with a significant layer of game coins, preventing them from bouncing away.

Once could be a coincidence.

But twice?

Sato sighed helplessly at the growing crowd, then grabbed two more game coins, inserted them, and pulled the lever.

"Ding!" "Ding!" "Click…"

This time, the reels didn't align, and Sato quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Around him, the onlookers let out disappointed sighs. They had hoped the boy had some kind of winning trick.

Sato inserted two more coins and pulled the lever again.

The reels stopped—completely different symbols.

The crowd finally relaxed, convinced that Sato had just been lucky. Slowly, they began to disperse.

Feeling more at ease, Sato casually inserted another two coins.

"Click!"

"Ding!" "Ding!" "Ding!"

"Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!"

The entire crowd froze mid-step. One particularly excited onlooker twisted their neck too fast while turning back.

Sato looked down at the flood of game coins spilling out of the machine. Then, he slowly raised his head.

On the slot machine screen, the three reels were all showing a bright red '7'.

Finally, he turned—and met the stunned gazes of half-twisted spectators, all frozen in disbelief.

"…Isn't that the highest jackpot?"

"Yeah."

A hesitant voice broke the silence, and everyone still half-turned managed a stiff nod.

"Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!"

The sound of game coins pouring out continued, but Sato snapped back to reality.

With a shy smile, he said:

"Wow, I guess I'm really lucky!"

In an instant, the entire crowd surged forward again.

Young kids smaller than Sato, elderly players whose speech was slightly slurred, and everyone in between—all of them now excitedly surrounded him.

"I… really was just lucky."

"Yeah, sure!"

They all nodded in unison, but their hungry gazes clearly said: Who are you trying to fool?!

"Click!"

"Click!"

"Click!"

Three more spins—no winnings.

But by now, Sato's collection tray was nearly overflowing, and the crowd only grew larger.

I swear, even I didn't know I was this lucky!

Sato smiled bitterly to himself.

Ten spins.

Twenty spins.

After playing fifty rounds, he had burned through all 100 coins from his first win—and gotten nothing. Finally, the spectators, feeling a mix of relief and disappointment, began dispersing.

"Ding!" "Ding!" "Ding!"

Then—

"Ding!"

That fourth sound was Sato's heart skipping a beat.Behind him—the crowd stirred again.

Another three red '7s' lined up perfectly on the screen.

Sato didn't even need to turn around—he could feel the fiery gazes of the people behind him. Even with all his battlefield experience, he found it hard to endure this level of attention.

"Forget it."

Shaking his head internally, Sato realized that tonight's recon mission was over.

He silently waved over a staff member and requested a large bag.

Then, hoisting it onto his shoulder, he carried all his game coins to the exchange counter—with every eye in the arcade watching him.

"Sir, you've won a total of 2,438 game coins. What would you like to exchange them for?"

The exchange counter employee remained surprisingly calm.

It wasn't the first time they had seen someone with ridiculous luck, so their reaction was rather composed.

Sato glanced at the prize list.

With over 2,000 game coins, there were actually quite a few good things he could redeem.