Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 48: Young Master James (Part 2)

The young man who had been so calm and composed just moments before suddenly panicked.

"Old man—pause the test! Let me deal with this first!" he said in alarm.

With incredible speed, he pulled a set of cotton clothes from his backpack and quickly put them on. While dressing, he also took out a Poké Ball and recalled the snoring Munchlax lying nearby. In less than ten seconds, he was completely covered from head to toe.

This fluid, lightning-fast dressing routine left the elderly butler completely dumbfounded. He’d never seen anyone put on clothes that fast—how did he do it? He also had no idea what the man was trying to accomplish.

But after a moment, he understood—and even felt a little sorry for him.

Once Rio was fully dressed, the Mankey beside him went berserk. With a fierce cry, it began pummeling the fully bundled-up young man with punches and kicks. Even more absurdly, it grabbed him and performed a Seismic Toss.

The butler watched in horror. Though he didn’t understand why the clothes were emitting black mist, he seriously suspected the young man was already dead.

"Young Master James." Just as the butler was feeling sorry for Rio on the screen, a handsome young boy in a blue suit walked over with a Growlithe.

Hearing the boy’s voice, the butler immediately set aside his worried expression and bowed respectfully.

"Young Master James, have you finished your piano lesson?"

"Finally done," James said with a look of exhaustion. "I still have etiquette class later."

He then sighed and asked, "How are the interviews going? Are you currently screening the instructor I found online?"

The butler looked a little awkward. "Uh... Young Master James, the instructor you found online is currently going through a life-or-death ordeal. I’m afraid you may not get to meet him."

"What happened to him?" James asked, puzzled, and stepped closer to the screen.

What he saw was a Mankey violently beating a cloud of black mist. In the corner of the screen, a black Charizard was firing Flamethrower at a lake, completely ignoring the chaos behind it.

"That instructor is currently inside that cloud of black mist," the butler explained. Just as he said that, Mankey picked Rio up, leaped high into the air, and delivered another Seismic Toss.

James was equally stunned. "You’re saying he’s inside that... that black mist?!" He swallowed hard. "Butler, do you know where he is? We need to send a doctor!"

"I’m afraid I don’t know his location, Young Master," the butler shook his head.

James watched the screen with great concern. After about five minutes, the Mankey finally stopped—it sat down on the ground, and the black mist gradually dissipated. About seven or eight seconds later, a set of black cotton clothes was revealed. Then the clothes moved, and a young man peeled them off, completely unharmed.

"Oh my gosh—you’re alive!" James exclaimed in surprise. "And you don’t even look hurt!"

Looking at the blue-haired, aristocratic young man who had appeared on the screen, Rio was a little surprised—and also felt a flicker of recognition. Then he heard the butler say: "Young Master James, please mind your language. Crude speech does not befit your status."

James? Rio raised an eyebrow. Is this the James I know?

He studied the boy’s features more closely: blue hair, aristocratic upbringing, Growlithe at his feet, constantly reminded to watch his words because of his status. Yep—young James, no doubt.

"Sorry, Butler—I’ll be more careful," James apologized, then continued speaking to Rio. "What happened over there just now? Is that Mankey your Pokémon? Why was it attacking you like that? I honestly thought it would beat you to... to a pulp."

"Yes, it’s my Pokémon. It attacked me because once Mankey gets angry, it can’t control its emotions. So I had this custom outfit made by Silph Co.—I wear it to let Mankey vent its anger without either of us getting hurt," Rio explained honestly, patting Mankey’s head as he spoke.

After releasing that burst of fury, Mankey’s friendship had gone up by another point—now just three points away from the first-tier reward unlock.

"Even though I didn’t fully understand that, I think you’re amazing," James said, his eyes shining with admiration. "Please come be Growlithe’s instructor!"

The butler cleared his throat. "Young Master James, his test hasn’t been completed yet."

"No need for more tests—I trust him. I’ve read all his online reviews," James waved dismissively, then looked back at Rio. "So how about it? Where are you? I’ll send someone to pick you up right away."

But facing James’s hopeful gaze, Rio shook his head. "Sorry, but I have limited time. I don’t take on-site guidance orders."

No way—I’m the Lavender Gym Leader and a future League Champion. I’m not broke enough to be making house calls.

On the other side, James’s expression stiffened.

"If you don’t take on-site orders, then why did you agree to the test?" the butler asked, puzzled.

Rio said flatly: "Because you said the test paid. It’s just a little time—why wouldn’t I take it? But on-site guidance is different—it takes a lot of time, and my time is valuable."

No sooner had he finished than James raised two fingers.

"Two hundred thousand League coins—four on-site sessions a month." James stared intently at Rio. He remembered his father once saying: everything in the world has a price. If you can’t buy it, it just means... you’re not offering enough.

On the other side, Rio’s pupils contracted. As expected of a wealthy heir with villas all over the world—that’s some serious spending power.

"Uh... two hundred thousand League coins..."

"Five hundred thousand."

"Uh... five hundred thousand..."

"One million—don’t even think about it. I’m rich, but I’m not stupid."

Rio’s mouth twitched—his little scheme had been called out instantly. Still, five hundred thousand for just four visits was still an astonishing price—comparable to what the eight Gym Leaders might charge.

"Uh... for one million, this Gym Leader might just be willing to make an exception and pay a visit."

"But not anytime soon."