Chapter 38. Spending Money

The day after Alex and Jenny celebrated their newfound wealth, they immediately moved into a mansion. Jenny had always felt sorry for her Arcanine and his large size in her tiny apartment—relatively speaking. Ever since he evolved, she had been saving up for a new place. She wanted a home with a large garden where her Pokémon could roam freely and spacious rooms that would make Arcanine feel normal again. When Alex proposed his market scheme, she was initially hesitant about spending all her savings and taking out a loan. However, the way Alex phrased it convinced her. He said he needed a loan. He was going through with his idea with or without her, which reassured her that she wasn't being dragged into anything. He merely needed an adult's proxy. Sure, she was taking a risk, but knowing Alex, he would go through hell to pay it back. He was kind in his own way. Now that their plan had paid off, she didn't hesitate to pick out her dream home—one significantly larger and more expensive than her original dream home. "I love the space, the high ceiling, and the wider doorways. The backyard is big enough for a jog, and there's a pond," Jenny gushed as she looked around the property. "Do you mind if I keep Wishiwashi in the pond?" Alex asked. "It should be fine. You just need to feed it." "No problem." They now lived on the west side of Saffron City, a residential area for the wealthy. The truly rich, however, wouldn't live in the city. At most, they owned apartments, treating them like permanent hotel suites. The truly wealthy were also truly powerful. What fear did they have of wild Pokémon when their own teams could destroy a city before a Pokémon flood even had a chance to succeed? The sheer collective pressure of their Pokémon could freeze a Champion-level Pokémon in place. The house Jenny bought was small for a mansion, as it was in the city. The property was about 80m × 50m (262.5 feet × 164 feet), slightly smaller than a soccer field. It was still enormous compared to an average home, but she had the money. She planned to use the rest of her funds to cover taxes. The mansion cost about 5 million Pokédollars, and with a 1% property tax, she could comfortably afford to live there for 600 years—not even counting depreciation. She also planned to continue working because it was her passion, so she would be just fine. Alex, on the other hand, planned to move out at 16 to travel the world. He would likely burn through all his current finances and more.  But that didn't mean he wouldn't enjoy it while it lasted. Hence, he bought Premium Moomoo Milk, Premium Gogoat Milk, elite-ranked meat, Premium Pokéblocks with various effects, species-specific resistance training equipment for Growlithe, Raticate, and himself, a set of state-of-the-art mobile targets for Clauncher, high-end grooming kits for each of them, the latest outdoor travel kit, the newest phone with an accompanying Rotom, the newest laptop, high-end clothing sets until he reaches 6 ft (1.83 m), all known TMs, random held items he thinks he'll eventually need, two highest-rated Fire Stones, six Wishiwashi, sets of potions, various random technologies, and more. All in all, Alex spent 3 million Pokédollars. The premium consumables alone cost 1 million Pokédollars for all five of them—Rotom included. Poor guy shouldn't be left out. The training equipment forces the wearer to maintain a pre-programmed position, resisting any changes, making it quite the workout even during daily life. Unfortunately, it's quite bulky, so it can only be used during training sessions. The state-of-the-art mobile targets are a remote-programmable unit that flies around autonomously. The expensive part is the Elite-resistant target, ensuring long-term use even under intense training. The latest outdoor travel kit is built using space technology. A slim backpack that hugs Alex's back contains all the purchased items with space to spare. It includes camping gear, diving gear, climbing gear, skydiving gear, and all-weather resistance, all reinforced to withstand Elite-ranked damage. Carrying this thin backpack is like having a home on his back—one he can take anywhere in the world. The new devices are all top-of-the-line, featuring extended battery life, massive memory capacity, superior damage resistance, and reduced signal emissions. They're practically the Pokémon world's version of military-grade equipment. Among the gadgets are drones, spy cameras/microphones, alarm systems, multipurpose goggles, armor, a motorcycle, generators, and more. Is it overboard? Yes. Is it necessary? Probably not. Will he actually use them? He'll probably forget he even has them. Was it a good purchase? Totally. The clothing sets include damage-resistant shirts, pants, underwear, bodysuits, coats, shoes, and hats—all designed to withstand harsh conditions. Alex even bought a full set in a larger size for when he eventually grows into it. The TMs were a no-brainer. You never know when you might need them. The held items were truly random—Life Orbs, Choice Items, type-boosting items, Quick Claw, Razor Claw, weather rocks—anything that caught his eye, he bought. Just in case. The potions? Every single kind currently available. A hundred of each, to be exact. Finally, the Wishiwashi. Alex plans on preparing Beat Up x6 "bullets" to activate Growlithe's Justified ability. Just because he won't use them now doesn't mean he won't in the future. Once Growlithe evolves and reaches Elite rank, maybe those attacks won't even penetrate Arcanine's skin anymore. It's worth testing. Overall, Alex strolled through the mall like he owned the place. In his opinion, the three million Pokédollars he spent was worth every bit, and he'd gladly do it all again. Maybe not the tech, though. No way it'll be outdated that quickly... right? In any case, both he and his Pokémon were about to undergo a major upgrade with everything he bought—especially the food. The level of nutrition in these milks, meats, and Pokéblocks must be insane. At least, they better damn well be. As for the Pokémon's progress over the past five months? Name: Raticate, Expert Type: Normal, Male Ability: Run Away Moves:  Advanced: Quick Attack (50% Damage), Swords Dance(Priority +1), Thunder Wave(Priority +1) Raticate was able to advance Thunder Wave to the Advanced level, with a bonus to release speed. He had always relied on Thunder Wave in the past but had dropped it in favor of Swords Dance while training at the Fighting Dojo. Now that he had the time to practice it again, he managed to upgrade it without any issues. His current goal is to master Shadow Ball to ensure he can deal long-range damage. He already excels at hit-and-run tactics up close, but adding a ranged attack to his arsenal would make him even more dangerous. The only issue is that he noted its increased difficulty, meaning it might take longer to master compared to his previous moves. Name: Growlithe, Expert Type: Fire, Male Ability: Justified Moves:  Advanced: Morning Sun(+25% Heal) Growlithe has been struggling at the Dojo lately, as he is a newly promoted Expert. Because of this, he is often forced to skip setting up Sunny Day. His thoughts at the time of ranking up? He kept wanting to heal more, so he no longer needed Sunny Day to achieve it. Rather than an increase in output, he describes it as an improvement in the efficiency of absorption, which is why the effect has increased by 50%. Now, he is working on Heat Wave after realizing that he might have to fight more opponents by himself in the future. Heat Wave had saved the day during his fight on the rooftop, so he sees it as a valuable move to master. Name: Clauncher, Adept Type: Water, Female Ability: Mega Launcher Moves:  Basic: Splash, Water Gun, Vise Grip, Flail, Aqua Jet, Hone Claws, Pounce, U-turn, Thief, Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse, Aura Sphere, Mud-Slap, Mud Shot, Icy Wind, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Take Down, Protect, Facade, Endure, Sleep Talk, Swords Dance, Substitute, Helping Hand, Tera Blast, Weather Ball, Venoshock, Sludge Wave, Rest, Rock Slide, Smack Down, Flash Cannon, Water Pulse, Chilling Water, Rain Dance, Waterfall, Liquidation, Surf, Hydro Pump, Flip Turn, Muddy Water Clauncher is getting close to evolving and has already attained Basic proficiency in all possible moves. Her current objective is to reach Advanced rank in Aqua Jet, as it serves more as a mobility skill. She had Raticate teach her his methods and thought process for improving techniques. Unfortunately, she doesn't share Raticate's talent for spotting openings, but she does have a knack for predicting an opponent's movements. She uses this ability as a guide to effectively utilize Aqua Jet—primarily to create distance rather than just passing by. Name: Rotom, Novice Type: Electric Ghost Ability: Levitate Moves:  Novice: Astonish, Double Team, Thunder Shock, Thief, Foul Play, Dark Pulse, Nasty Plot, Charge Beam, Volt Switch, Electro Ball, Thunder Wave, Eerie Impulse, Thunderbolt, Electric Terrain, Thunder, Charge, Electroweb, Sunny Day, Will-O-Wisp, Confuse Ray, Hex, Night Shade, Shadow Ball, Spite, Poltergeist, Protect, Facade, Swift, Endure, Sleep Talk, Substitute, Hyper Voice, Helping Hand, Tera Blast, Uproar, Pain Split, Stored Power, Reflect, Light Screen, Rest, Trick, Rain Dance Description: Rotom, the Plasma Pokémon. This Electric/Ghost-type has the unique ability to possess electronic devices, changing its form and typing to match. Mischievous and energetic, it often causes appliances to behave strangely. Rotom, though not part of the main combat team, is a key member of the secret combat team. It agreed to help in life-and-death situations but prefers to stay inside the phone—specifically, on the internet. With a bit of coaxing, Alex convinced Rotom that improving its move proficiency would help it defend both him and the phone more effectively. In the end, Rotom agreed, though its main priority remains enjoying its time online. ----- Support me on Patreon patreon/babywrath