Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 36: Silph Co.’s Technology

"Bro, this outfit is guaranteed quality, right? It can definitely withstand a Mankey beating, yeah?" Rio confirmed with the Silph Co. delivery employee.

"Don’t worry, sir—we’ve tested it. This outfit can not only withstand a Mankey’s attacks—even if a Hitmonchan specializing in punching kept using Mega Punch on you, the person inside wouldn’t feel a thing, not even a hint of pain," the Silph Co. employee said, patting his chest with confidence.

"And what if?"

"There’s no ’what if,’ sir. You have to trust Silph Co.’s expertise in manufacturing Pokémon items. If there absolutely had to be a ’what if,’ then Silph Co. will refund you triple the full amount and cover all your medical expenses."

Hearing that, Rio’s last shred of doubt vanished. "Excellent—hearing you say that puts my mind at ease." He smiled and patted the employee’s shoulder, transferring the remaining 120,000 League coins as the final payment.

That’s right—this outfit had cost him 150,000 League coins to custom-order.

"Sir, your purchase has met our membership requirements. Here is your VIP card." After Rio completed the transfer, the employee handed him a card.

"From now on, all your purchases with us will receive a 10% discount, and you’ll be invited to all our new product launches."

"Thanks." Rio took the card casually.

It looked quite refined, prompting him to examine it closely—especially the distinctive half-split Poké Ball logo of Silph Co., which was clearly plated in gold.

"No wonder they’re the world’s top Pokémon item manufacturer—the same company that developed the Master Ball. They’re seriously loaded," Rio couldn’t help but think to himself.

Soon, the Silph Co. employee left. Once he was gone, Rio’s face immediately showed a hint of pain.

"Raising Pokémon is really expensive. Without some skill and financial backing, there’s no way you’d make a name for yourself in this world."

With that, he picked up the box containing the outfit and walked back to the Pokémon House, ready to test it out.

When he entered the room where the Pokémon were kept, Mr. Fuji and Cynthia were in conversation. Mr. Fuji was asking if she’d like to adopt a Pokémon from the house, but Cynthia politely declined, saying she wasn’t looking to catch any more right now.

Rio overheard and smiled, shaking his head.

If he remembered correctly, after becoming Champion, Cynthia had once told Paul—Ash’s rival—that he reminded her of her younger self: someone who only wanted to catch the strongest Pokémon. If that was true, then the teenage Cynthia currently before him wouldn’t find any Pokémon at the Pokémon House worth her attention.

After all, most of them had been abandoned by their trainers for lacking strength. And the one Pokémon she did fancy, she didn’t even dare approach.

Of course, that same Pokémon had also caught the attention of many other volunteers—but they too only looked, never mustering the courage to go and catch it.

"Rio, what are you laughing at?" Cynthia, having just turned down Mr. Fuji, noticed Rio walking past with a box and chuckling to himself, and she bristled.

"Me? I’m laughing at you—being all talk but no guts," Rio shot back casually. "You want to catch Mankey, but you don’t have the nerve."

These past days, Cynthia had been constantly at odds with him. If he said roast duck rice was good, she’d insist roast chicken rice was better. If he said one side was more likely to win a Pokémon battle, she’d argue the other side was—and then bet on it. Fine by him—with his system, he could see Pokémon stats, so he had nothing to fear. He won far more bets than he lost. In fact, more than half the money for that Silph Co. outfit had come from Cynthia.

Caught off guard, Cynthia’s face flushed slightly. But her competitive spirit flared up immediately: "As if you dare to catch it either! Don’t tell me you haven’t set your sights on that Mankey."

"I actually do dare. Today, I’ll show you how I get along famously with Mankey." Rio set the box down. "Want to bet? I bet I can stay in the same room as Mankey without any trouble."

"Bet! Whoever chickens out is a coward!" Cynthia’s eyes widened, unable to tolerate Rio’s smugness. "Ten thousand League coins—I bet you can’t do it."

"Deal—ten thousand it is." Rio grinned. Excellent—that shaves another ten thousand off the cost of this outfit.

Mr. Fuji, caught between the two of them, sighed and simply walked away. He’d grown used to their sudden squabbles.

"Rio, that Mankey is very aggressive. Don’t get hurt over a bet," Mr. Fuji offered a kind warning before leaving.

"Don’t worry, Grandpa Fuji. I never do anything without being sure," Rio said with a smile.

Hearing that, Mr. Fuji didn’t try to stop him—after all, Rio had a habit of delivering on whatever he said.

Once Mr. Fuji was gone, Rio picked up the box and went into an empty room to open it.

The outfit inside surprised him. He’d expected a high-tech material suit, but when he opened it, a wave of black mist billowed out—though it didn’t spread far, confined to about a twenty-centimeter radius. Reaching in, he only found a piece of paper and a button; nothing else.

He pulled out the paper. It explained that the outfit was made based on Ghost-type Pokémon properties and, when worn, granted immunity to Fighting-type and Normal-type attacks.

After reading it, Rio understood why the Silph Co. employee had been so confident. All of Mankey’s current moves were Fighting-type or Normal-type—it couldn’t possibly hurt him.

Also, per Rio’s request, the outfit allowed adjustment of the Ghost-type damage immunity level so that Mankey would still feel the impact of its attacks. The lower the immunity setting, the weaker the Ghost-type effect, and the more impact he’d feel—but the outfit had force-dispersing materials, so those impacts generally wouldn’t cause serious harm.

Rio pressed the button. The black mist dissipated, revealing a set of pitch-black clothing. Without the instructions, anyone would have taken it for ordinary black cotton long johns.

Soon, Rio emerged wearing the black cotton outfit, even covering his face completely. In the autumn weather, his eccentric look drew stares from everyone in the room.

"What, you’re going to lock yourself in a room with Mankey wearing that?" Cynthia couldn’t help but laugh. "You don’t think dressing thick makes you tough, do you? Rio, just give up. If you die in there, my days will get a lot less interesting."

Rio ignored her and headed straight for the room where Mankey was being kept. Laugh now—soon you’ll see what Silph Co., the world’s top manufacturer, can do.

The door opened, and Rio stepped inside.

The first thing he saw was Mankey in the corner, going crazy with a stick. The moment it spotted Rio, it leaped straight up and swung the stick at him.

"Ho-ja~!"