Magikarp and Feebas

Yuga watched as the sleazy man moved tank after tank filled with Magikarp to the side, revealing a large water tank.

Though this tank was larger than all the others, it only held two Pokémon inside.

Those two Pokémon were Magikarp and Feebas, but Yuga didn't look down on them at all. These were two genuinely blue potential Pokémon.

"Aren't these still just Magikarp and Feebas? I thought you were going to show me some treasures!" Yuga's excitement was contained in his heart, but he maintained a calm exterior.

The sleazy man gave Yuga a look that said, "You don't understand anything!" He continued, "These are extremely rare blue potential Pokémon! You just don't appreciate their value!"

The man emphasized the rarity of the blue potential Magikarp and Feebas by repeating the word "extremely" three times.

"Blue potential Pokémon?" Yuga feigned surprise, widening his eyes into ovals and looking like someone who hadn't seen much of the world.

The man was pleased with Yuga's reaction and proudly said, "These are the pinnacle of years of our family's effort in breeding Magikarp and Feebas!"

The reason why the Magikarp King's family had also taken up the task of breeding Feebas was mainly to find a breakthrough point for evolving Magikarp. However, it was clear they had failed.

"Are they really blue potential Pokémon?" Yuga asked, pretending to be shocked.

"Of course! Why would I lie to you? Originally, I was planning to find a good buyer during the Lily of the Valley Conference, but since you and I seem to get along well, as long as your offer is acceptable, I'm willing to sell them to you." The man gave Yuga a look of good fortune and said.

"How much would I need to pay for them?" Yuga asked "eagerly."

"What do you think of one million for each?" The man had intended to let Yuga make the first offer, but seeing how clueless Yuga appeared, he was afraid the offer might be too low, so he spoke first.

"One million for each is already quite low. The blue potential Pokémon of other types on the market, not to mention their prices, are extremely rare to find. This is a reasonable price." The man continued when he saw Yuga's hesitant expression.

In fact, the man was not wrong. One million for a blue potential Pokémon was genuinely not expensive because blue potential Pokémon were not part of the regular commodities circulating in the market.

High-potential Pokémon like these, especially ones with blue potential, were often kept for personal use, making them a rare sight on the market. Especially within the League's official Pokémon Day Care, while they did release a few blue potential Pokémon to the market over the years, those occurrences were few and far between.

Considering the countless number of Trainers affiliated with the League, the few blue potential Pokémon released to the market hardly made a ripple.

Private Pokémon Day Care did sell more blue potential Pokémon, but their numbers were limited. After all, their breeding techniques were not on par with the League's standards.

In summary, hearing about blue potential Pokémon in the market only occurred a handful of times each year.

"Uncle, even though they are blue potential Pokémon, they're still just Magikarp and Feebas, right?" Yuga said with a hint of difficulty.

"Oh my, my dear friend, I'm really giving you a good deal here! What more can you ask for?" Seeing Yuga's unsure expression, the man's face drooped.

"Why don't you sell them to someone else then? Even though they're blue potential Pokémon, Magikarp and Feebas shouldn't be hard to sell." Yuga asked in confusion.

Although it's challenging for Magikarp and Feebas to evolve, a little time spent can result in obtaining blue potential Gyarados and Milotic. The small cost is negligible. Even if I can't evolve them myself, I could sell them to someone who can, like at the Sootopolis Gym, and still make a profit.

However, the eager demeanor of Magikarp Salesman to sell to Yuga seemed odd.

"Oh, young man, why so many questions! Just tell me whether you're buying or not! Either way, these two are undoubtedly blue potential Pokémon," Magikarp Salesman said in frustration. He wanted to curse under his breath. Blue potential Pokémon were sure to sell, and there would even be a bidding war on the market. However, his two Pokémon were no longer in their infancy. They were both over two years old, and selling them legitimately was not feasible.

He wasn't a fugitive or anything; he couldn't just do a job and run. He still wanted to do business peacefully in the future. Openly breaking the League's laws was out of the question.

When Magikarp King's family first bred these two exceptional Pokémon, they hadn't intended to sell them. Their aim was to nurture them into Gyarados and Milotic. However, several years had passed, and there had been no progress. Feebas not evolving was understandable since its evolution method remained unknown. However, Magikarp not evolving was peculiar.

While Gyarados was indeed more difficult to evolve compared to other Pokémon, with careful nurturing and time, it was still achievable. Failing to evolve it indicated a lack of dedicated care.

Most Trainers fell short of this level of dedication, which was why Gyarados seemed hard to evolve. However, this Magikarp, painstakingly nurtured by his family, shouldn't be considered neglected. Even though it had reached a high level, it still showed no signs of evolving. Helplessly, the family had decided to let both it and Feebas go.

Unfortunately, both these Pokémon were considered "mature" and had passed the stage when the League allowed their sale. Coupled with Magikarp's issues, the uncle was eager to find a suitable buyer.

"Uncle, how about you lower the price a bit, and I'll buy them all!" Yuga now realized that these two Pokémon must have some kind of issue, which was why the sleazy uncle was so impatient.

"Well, let's say 900,000 each. Can't go any lower," the uncle said, his expression pained.

"800,000, or I won't buy them," Yuga countered.

Considering Magikarp's problem, the sleazy uncle gritted his teeth and finally agreed to Yuga's offer.

There were no formal procedures when exchanging money, and Yuga immediately knew these Pokémon were no longer in their infancy. However, he didn't mind.

Seeing that Yuga seemed to be aware but hadn't exposed the situation, Magikarp Salesman gave him an understanding look.

Leaving the uncle's stall with Paul, the latter looked at Yuga with amazement. "Big Brother Yuga, you're amazing! You actually managed to buy blue potential Pokémon!"

Paul's grandfather ran a Day Care, and though Paul was young, he understood the significance of blue potential Pokémon. Out of all the Pokémon at the Blue Sky Day Care, blue potential Pokémon couldn't be counted on one hand. They were their prized possessions.

After spending most of the day with Yuga, Paul was gradually getting more comfortable around him. Conversations between them flowed more easily.

Yuga smiled and explained, "The fact that he was willing to sell these Pokémon to me so easily means there must be something wrong with them."

"Something wrong? What's wrong?" Paul looked puzzled.

Yuga chuckled and said, "We don't know what's wrong yet. We'll have to go back and take a look."