Chapter 60: Mo Money, Mo Problems

Ark arrived at the Pokemon Center in record time. His breathing was slightly disturbed and his body was slowly heating up.

Slowing down to stabilise himself again, Ark strolled in. His mind however, was hurrying his body to get to his own room. Waving at Nurse Joy from afar, Ark went up stairs and entered his room.

After calming himself down with a few breathing exercises, Ark sat on his bed crossed legged and thought about his system.

A familiar blue screen appeared. Ignoring the irrelevant sections, Ark found himself looking at a new option.

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Event Lottery (Stage 1)*New*

Description: A lottery only available after completing a key event in your journey. Successful completion of key events will reward an Event Ticket. Rewards are targeted towards what the host needs the most at the time of completion of the event.

Tickets: 1

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After reading the description of his new unlock, Ark displayed a bright smile. If his thinking was correct, his current problem should hopefully be resolved with this ticket.

Wasting no more time, Ark selected the Event Lottery and confirmed it's usage.

Suddenly, his vision went dark and his hearing dulled. However, after a few seconds of vulnerability, a faint rattling sound dominated his hearing. No matter where he turned his vision, it remained black thus Ark decided to relax and focus his mind on the rattling.

Within the pitch black surroundings, Ark noticed a faint outline similar to that of a wheel. As the image got clearer, the rattling sound got louder.

Eventually, the image was clear enough for Ark to realise that it was a Lucky Wheel often seen in casinos.

Mesmerised by the spinning wheel, Ark continued watching until it began to slow down.

Each tick brought a new excitement to Ark, until finally the wheel stopped. Atop the wheel, the pointer was nestled nicely on a section that had no indicator besides '$'.

Without warning, the world suddenly restored itself, colour returned and Ark found himself sat on his bed again.

Recoiling from the sudden change in light, Ark spoke to himself.

"Fuck... I could do without the epilepsy risk. Well let's see what my fortune is."

Ark thought to himself and opened the system once again.

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Event Lottery (Stage 1)

Reward: $2,500,000

Penalty: Monetary rewards sealed until next Event Lottery pull.

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Arks mind stopped. He knew that his reward would likely be money, but there was no way he could imagine that the amount he received would be enough for him to retire already.

Unwilling to believe his luck, Ark repeatedly counted the amount of zeros on the window. Alas, the result never changed.

"Is this real life?"

With this money, Ark could find a way to allow Brock to travel and he would not have to worry about travel fees at least until he gets his eighth gym badge.

"Right let's calm down and think about this, I need to find a way to use this money without arousing suspicions. I feel that the only way to do it is by calling in some help"

Arks mind immediately thought of Jenny and Delia.

For the rest of the night, Ark started to formulate a plan to use this effectively without anyone prying too deeply.

The morning rays of light beamed into Arks room, illuminating the silent room. Ark sat atop his bed drinking his first morning tea. He had awoken early that morning as he wanted to resolve this situation as soon as possible. After some serious thought, he realised that the chances of leaving today was near impossible.

Pulling out his phone from his Pocket Storage, Ark quickly found Jennys number and called it. She was an early riser as she had her work to get to, thus Ark decided to call just after she typically woke up as not to surprise her at work.

After a quick phone call with Jenny, they arranged to meet at Jennys office within the hour.

With a time set, Ark got dressed and left his room.

As he went down the stairs, Ark noticed a familiar figure waiting at the front of the Pokemon Center. The figure smiled gracefully as she saw Ark approaching.

"Are you heading out this early?"

Hearing Nurse Joys question, Ark shook his head.

"No, change of plans it seems. I will be in town for a few more days since I have a bit more business to settle here"

Nurse Joys expression suddenly brightened.

"Ah thats lucky! My gift that I tried to prepare yesterday is taking a bit longer than expected, so I was planning to apologise but it seems I may just be able to give it to you!"

Ark was curious about the surprise gift but decided against ruining it by asking.

"Thats fortunate then. Anyways I need to head out, I will be back later. Have a nice day!"

Bidding Joy goodbye, Ark left with a slightly hurried pace. He had a feeling that this ordeal will not be a quick one, thus Ark decided to not procrastinate with a slow walk.

With much familiarity, Ark burst into Jennys office and saw her preparing beverages for the two of them. A smile blossomed on Arks face as he noticed the care and attention in Jennys actions.

"You were expecting me to come so quickly?"

Jenny looked back at Ark and smiled.

"It sounded pretty urgent, so I had a hunch you would get here faster than planned"

"Not exactly urgent, but it is definitely a situation that will eat away at our time, so I wanted to get it started"

Jenny nodded after passing Ark a hot drink and sat down across from him.

Thus began a long conversation regarding the current situation.

"So to start this off, I should probably say that I have gained access to quite a large sum of money"

Jenny tilted her head at Arks words. After all, having more money is often a plus since there is less pressure, especially since Pokemon Trainers don't pay tax unless they're using Public Services. Instead, Jenny nodded at Ark to signal him to continue.

"This amount is ridiculous, especially since I am so young. The exact amount is 2.5 Million"

Ark stared at Jennys face, intent on showing how serious he was.

In contrast, Jenny had frozen. Her eyes refused to blink and her breathing had become silent.

"You- Are you serious?"

Jenny questioned Ark with a shaky voice, only to receive a nod in return. She wanted to laugh it off and claim it was a joke, however Arks earnest expression prevented her from doing so.

Breathing in deep breaths, Jenny continued her silent contemplation for almost five minutes before finally replying.

"How?"

Similar to Jenny before, Ark took a deep breath before speaking.

"I can't tell you right now, as much as I wish to, I can't. I will tell you in the future, but I don't want to lie to you right now. For now, let's just say I had a major stroke of luck in a time of need"

Jennys expression tensed slightly as she processed Arks words. While he had explicitly stated that he was keeping secrets, he had also said that he would not lie to her. These conflicting messages were causing turmoil in Jennys thoughts and heart.

"Ok... I will not ask why, at least for the time being. However, I expect you to tell me, the moment you can. Also, remember Money is not something worth losing your freedom over."

Jennys serious response caused Ark to be momentarily silenced. It seemed she was testing to see where the money came from, without explicitly asking.

"Of course, I understand that. I would never do something like that for something as flimsy as Money. Don't worry, this money was not gain through illicit means."

A sigh of relief escaped Jennys mouth.

"So? You are now rich? Why is this a problem?"

"It's not a problem per se, the problem is why I need the money. I intend to hold onto a million for myself. I also plan on sending 500 thousand home and giving you 500 thousand."

Jenny nodded along with Arks words, however, she failed to hide the astonishment within her.

"Wait! I don't need 500 thousand though!"

Ark smiled warmly at Jenny and explained.

"I plan on splitting my money with the people who are dear to me right now. This is also, so I can be assured that you're all fine when I am away."

Eventually, Jenny relented after being confronted by Arks care for her.

"That all adds up to 2 Million, what about the 500 thousand? Are you donating it?"

A guilty expression flashed across Arks face as he heard that idea. Honestly, the idea of donating to any charity had not even entered his mind. Truly a self centred person.

"Not really, I have a plan for the last 500 thousand. I plan to give it to a family within Pewter City, I am sure you're familiar with them."

"Who?"

Jenny thought about Arks interactions that she knew of, however no significant family popped up. Especially significant enough to hand over such a large sum.

"The Pewter Gyms family members. There is an issue right now, that can really only be resolved with Brocks mother taking over the gym again."

Jennys curiosity was immediately piqued as she listened to Ark. Noticing this, Ark started to explain what the situation was and how he intended to use this money.

After roughly an hour of further discussion, they had decided that jenny would introduce him to Brocks mother tomorrow morning. Additionally, they chose to keep it a secret from Ash and Brock since there was a chance they would interfere for no reason.

"You should go tell Misty your plan, and also call Professor Oak to let your family know you'll be sending this."

Thus, the first stages of Operation Pewter Gym Replacement began.