Pokémon: The Master who emerged from the slums

James shifted his gaze from the system's reward task to the electronic watch on his wrist. It was now past six in the evening, and the last rays of the sun painted the western sky red. The golden light of the sunset bathed the earth, bringing a peaceful warmth.

Today was his first day meeting with Machop, and James decided to focus on building a bond with his Pokémon first. As for training, there was no rush—he would officially start his Pokémon training plan tomorrow. Completing system tasks, earning rewards, and improving his strength were his next goals.

Dinner was ready, and James summoned Machop back into the house. While there were some reward fruits in his system space, they didn't seem enough for making Pokémon food. There were also the weight-training tools the system mentioned, which were the equipment James desperately needed right now. But thinking about his bank balance, which had less than 50,000 Alliance Coins, his mood darkened a bit. After all, you can't make bricks without straw.

"Well, here I am, a Pokémon trainer now," James mused to himself. As a Pokémon trainer, he could now accept tasks from the Pokémon Center. Unfortunately, Machop's current strength wasn't enough to handle the dangers of the wild. Maybe after some training, he'd consider venturing out.

James sighed, "I need to go to the mall tomorrow to buy some fruits and see if I can find suitable weight-training equipment."

The next morning, the air was crisp and refreshing, just like every other day. It was Sunday, with no classes at school. James stored Machop in his Pokéball and set out for the Pokémon Center. Yesterday, he had just received his trainer's certificate and his starter Pokémon, Machop. Today, he was back at the Center, now as a certified Pokémon trainer.

James had a clear goal: to check if there were any reward tasks that matched his current abilities. Honestly, there were plenty of tasks at the Pokémon Center, but most of them were clearly too dangerous for him at this point.

One such task was a request for collecting Beedrill honey—a single liter costing as much as 80,000 Alliance Coins. This was an enticing offer, almost equal to James's salary from a year of working at the library.

James swallowed and thought to himself, "Being a Pokémon trainer really seems like a profession with a bright financial future."

However, remembering the sharp stingers of Beedrill and their aggressive swarm tactics, James quickly dismissed the idea. Machop didn't have any defensive traits, and if they fought Beedrill up close, their attacks would surely land without any chance to dodge.

Furthermore, the task center had many other high-risk, high-reward jobs that made James swallow hard. He thought to himself, "Being a Pokémon trainer really is a profession with a bright financial future."

That said, the wild wasn't just dangerous because of Beedrill—there were plenty of other dangerous Pokémon out there. With Machop's current strength, attempting such tasks would be asking for trouble. Going up against Beedrill, Machop wouldn't even be able to withstand their poison. "These tasks are best saved for when I have enough strength," James thought, scrolling through the task list and finally setting his phone down with a sigh.

Deciding to forgo those tasks for now, James headed to the mall to buy some fruit for making energy blocks. He planned to create some mid-tier energy blocks to keep Machop energized during training. Plus, he still had "Lychee Fruit," which could boost Machop's physical attack. It would be more effective to make energy blocks out of it rather than simply eating the fruit directly.

With that in mind, James set out immediately. He arrived at the mall, a well-known hub in Baofang City for all things related to Pokémon fruits, energy blocks, and training tools. You could even buy skill discs here.

On the first floor, James found that most of the products were fruits and energy blocks. If he didn't want to make them himself, he could buy pre-made energy blocks. The price of a basic energy block was about 10 Alliance Coins, while mid-tier ones could cost several times more. A high-quality mid-tier energy block could go for as much as 1,000 Alliance Coins.

Mid-tier energy blocks were expensive, but the nutrients they contained far exceeded those of the basic ones and were perfect for Pokémon absorption. Making these blocks required the guidance of a mid-tier breeder, unlike the easy process of making basic energy blocks.

Of course, the tools for making these energy blocks—the Fruit Maker—were also incredibly expensive. You couldn't even get the basic model for less than several hundred thousand Alliance Coins. If you wanted something more advanced with smarter operations, the price would go well over a million, which was far beyond James's budget.

Fortunately, James only used a basic centrifuge. While he often failed when making basic energy blocks, he was lucky to have the system's knowledge, which allowed him to easily craft some mid-tier energy blocks. If others knew, they'd be amazed at his talent—being so young and already able to reach the level of a mid-tier breeder.

James browsed through a few stores, checked the market prices, and spent over 20,000 Alliance Coins on enough fruits to make energy blocks. He filled in his delivery address, and the stores promised to deliver the goods by the afternoon.

He estimated that these fruits would last Machop about half a month. "Training Pokémon sure is expensive," James sighed. "If I don't find a way to earn some money, I might be eating dirt with Machop."

Luckily, Fighting-type Pokémon were generally less resource-intensive than others. They relied more on battles to improve their skills and strength rather than just accumulating resources. This was one of the reasons why James had chosen Machop as his starter Pokémon—its potential could be enhanced through constant training and combat, not just external resources.