Chapter 229: Alvida wants to participate in the gorgeous contest!

Thoughts quickly flashed through Zoro's mind, and he immediately added:

"Sir James, it's best if you choose a newborn Pokémon with higher potential for the two of them, or perhaps even a Pokémon egg. I want them to grow alongside their Pokémon, so that the bond between them will be much stronger."

"Ah…what a clever idea!" James nodded approvingly.

At Zoro's signal, Alvida and Koby both stepped forward, their eyes gleaming with anticipation as they looked at James.

"Hello, Sir James!" Alvida greeted him cheerfully.

"Hello, hello." 

James smiled and summoned the Rotom tablet again before asking, "I've noted Mr. Zoro's request. Now, do either of you have any specific preferences when it comes to your Pokémon?"

"I... I don't have any particular requests," Koby replied shyly, his timid nature showing through.

On the other hand, Alvida, confident and bold, wasn't nervous at all. Instead, she looked at James with bright eyes and said, "Sir James, if possible, I'd love for my future Pokémon to be as beautiful as I am! That way, we can enter Pokémon beauty contests together!"

"Uhh... as beautiful as you…?" 

Upon hearing this request, cold sweat formed on James's forehead.

He wasn't one to judge based on appearance, but in the Pokémon world, the only ones who might match Alvida's appearance were certain unusual Pokémon like Lickilicky. However, James was sure that if he introduced a Pokémon like that, it would kill the mood of the transaction.

But could there really be a Pokémon that could match Alvida's temperament and compete in beauty contests?

Even if she entered such contests, Alvida wouldn't garner much support from the audience with her looks. In fact, it was questionable whether she'd receive any support at all—unless a miracle happened that made her truly beautiful.

Otherwise, winning a beauty contest would be a monumental challenge for her.

This might just be the hardest dilemma James had ever faced in his trading career!

"Yikes…" James thought to himself, feeling stuck. After glancing at Alvida's figure, his mind whirled at high speed.

One Pokémon after another flashed through his thoughts.

Suddenly!

A unique figure appeared in his mind, blowing a kiss at him!

"Ah!" James trembled slightly, but his thoughts immediately clicked into place. Clenching his fist in realization, he said:

"Yes! I've found the perfect one!"

Without further hesitation, he began searching on the tablet. Soon, he pulled up the information on a particular Pokémon and presented it to Alvida.

"Ms. Alvida, see if this Pokémon is to your liking."

[Pokémon: Smoochum] 

[Type: Ice, Psychic] 

[Ability: Hydration (prevents negative conditions in rainy weather)] 

[Level: 3] 

[Price: 1,500 Points]

Although Zoro had set a budget of 5,000 points per person, James chose Smoochum, which cost only 1,500 points, leaving ample room for bond evolution and future growth. He figured there would be plenty of opportunities for Zoro and his crew to spend points in the future, so there was no need to spend everything at once.

...

"Smoochum?" 

Alvida blinked her large eyes, focusing intently on the tablet.

At that moment, James began to introduce the Pokémon to Alvida and the others:

"Smoochum is a humanoid Pokémon known for its Ice and Psychic-type abilities."

"It's one of the few species in the Pokémon world that is exclusively female."

"Also, once Smoochum learns the move Rain Dance, it can perfectly sync with its Hydration ability and its Ice-type moves."

"Upon evolving into Jynx, it gains even more powerful combat capabilities, being able to flawlessly use both Ice and Psychic-type moves."

"Jynx has also participated in numerous beauty contests in the Pokémon world and achieved excellent results."

"In short, this Pokémon is both powerful in battle and well-suited for contests. It's versatile enough to shine in any situation!"

"Wow~! That sounds amazing!"

As soon as James finished speaking, Koby sighed, his gaze fixed on the baby Smoochum displayed on the screen.

Alvida, too, was instantly captivated by Smoochum baby's appearance.

The small figure resembled a baby. Adorably poised, her big lips were always curled upwards, as if eager to kiss the whole world.

Before evolving into Jynx, baby Smoochum still looked absolutely adorable.

It was this cuteness that made Alvida decide almost without hesitation.

"Sir James, I want this Pokémon!" 

"It's a perfect match for me! Just as cute and charming!"

Alvida laughed, unaware of her own self-importance.

In her view, only such a cute little creature was worthy of being her Pokémon!

Hearing her decisiveness, James was both impressed and anxious, fearing she might change her mind. Without delay, he summoned the Pokéball containing baby Smoochum and handed it over to Alvida.

With a smile, he added, "A wise choice!"

James couldn't help but smile faintly, thinking to himself: 

"I hope Miss Alvida will still be excited about joining the contest once she sees Smoochum's final form."

He hadn't misled anyone. After all, Jynx's appearance was indeed a perfect match for Alvida.

And in the world of Pokémon, there were indeed people who used Jynx in beauty contests and earned wide recognition.

So James had perfectly catered to Alvida's wishes.

After wrapping up the conversation with her, James quickly turned his attention to Koby.

"Mr. Koby, it's now your turn to pick a Pokémon."

"Ah...yes!" Koby stammered, standing up straight like a soldier, his face full of nerves.

"Haha, no need to be so tense," James chuckled. He waved his hand, changing the content on the tablet's Rotom screen before showing it to Koby.

"Since you didn't have many specific requirements, I've chosen this Pokémon for you based on its unique traits. 

"Mr. Koby, I wonder if this will meet your expectations?"

With a swift flick of his wrist, James presented the tablet to Koby.

On the screen, a brand-new Pokémon appeared.

While baby Smoochum resembled a human baby, this Pokémon looked more like a young boy, though its face had a distinct bear-like quality.

[Pokémon: Kubfu] 

[Type: Fighting] 

[Ability: Inner Focus (immune to flinching)] 

[Level: 3] 

[Price: 1500 points]

Like Alvida's baby Smoochum, Kubfu was only a few days old.

James continued his explanation:

"This Pokémon is called Kubfu. It has a very serious personality, and if it loses in battle, it becomes even more motivated to train and grow stronger.

"Because of this trait, most members of the Kubfu species become elites."

"This Kubfu, along with Baby Smoochum, is considered an exceptional individual in its species!"

"In daily life, Kubfu practices various martial arts just like humans. Combined with the fighting techniques from the pirate world, it has the potential for incredible achievements!"

"Of course, such an outstanding Pokémon does come with a few challenges," James noted. "Kubfu's evolution path can be somewhat complex. It has two potential evolutions—Single Strike Style and Rapid Strike Style—depending on the martial arts it studies."

[Tl/n: Single strike on the Left, Rapid Strike on the Right. And the big ones are their Gigantamax Form respectively.]

"There are specialized facilities in the Pokémon world where Kubfu can train and evolve."

"If you're unable to evolve it on your own, Mr. Koby, you can always seek assistance at the Celestial dojo, where Master Enel can help Kubfu complete its evolution."

"Two evolutions?" 

Although Koby didn't fully understand the mechanics of Kubfu's evolution, he could sense the Pokémon's potential from James's description. 

Summing it up in his mind: A promising future!

Staring at the determined expression on the screen, Koby felt an emotional connection, as if he was seeing a reflection of himself.

Without further thought, he nodded eagerly. 

"Sir James, it's decided! I want this Pokémon!"

"A smart decision!" James beamed, summoning the Pokéball with Kubfu and handing it over to Koby.

Moments later, a bond of energy flowed between Koby, Alvida, and their respective Pokéballs.

"Then, Sir James, we'll take our leave now," Koby said.

Although thrilled to receive their new Pokémon, both he and Alvida bowed politely to James, casting a grateful glance at Zoro, who had financed their purchases.

The deal was complete.

The two were about to step aside to allow Kuina, who had been waiting patiently, to approach James for her own transaction...

But just as they were about to leave, James called out to them.

"Please wait a moment, both of you."

"Huh? What's the matter, Sir James?" Koby and Alvida turned back, curious.

This time, James turned his attention to Zoro, smiling as he spoke:

"Mr. Zoro, the budget you allocated for each of them was 5,000 points, correct?"

"Huh?..." 

Zoro, caught off guard by the sudden question, was momentarily stunned. After gathering his thoughts, he nodded and replied, "That's right, Sir James."

Because Pokémon transactions had always been handled by Leo, even a seasoned buyer like Zoro wasn't entirely familiar with how pricing worked.

All he knew was that Leo would never cheat them.

Now that the Pokémon had been acquired for just 6,000 points, Zoro was pleased to have saved some points.

However…

James then added:

"In that case, Mr. Zoro, I recommend using the remaining points to buy additional abilities for their Pokémon, such as Armament Haki, Observation Haki, or the Navy's Six Powers technique.

"These abilities, native to the pirate world, are nearly impossible for Pokémon to learn on their own.

"But they've been proven to be incredibly effective in battle!

"Especially for Mr. Koby's Kubfu and Ms. Alvida's Smoochum… 

"Since both of these Pokémon are still in their infancy, exposing them to Armament and Observation Haki early on could accelerate their growth and lay a strong foundation."

"So, Mr. Zoro, why not use the leftover points to equip their Pokémon with these special abilities from your world?"

Zoro, taken by surprise, seemed excited by the prospect. James, as always, maintained his warm, friendly smile, subtly nudging the transaction to its next logical step.

Inside, however, James was already smiling at a job well done: I knew these points would be spent eventually~