Chapter 9: Three Days of Busyness, Exhaustion of Resources

Although Tatsuo is a kind-hearted person, Kane realized he had overlooked one crucial detail: good people tend to be complacent and timid. 

If Kane were ten years old, Tatsuo might have agreed to let him stay. However, Tatsuo , being an honest man, didn't have the courage to break the rules of the Pokémon League.

After much hesitation, Tatsuo suddenly said, "It's okay, I can adopt you. That way, you won't have to go to the orphanage." 

Tatsuo seemed to think he had found the perfect solution. 

Kane, however, remained unimpressed, feeling increasingly depressed. Yet, he couldn't voice his frustrations.

If it were an ordinary household, the orphanage would be eager to have someone adopt one of their children, seeing it as a way to save on food costs. However, they would definitely investigate Kane's assets thoroughly.

In such a case, they wouldn't make it simple. They'd do everything possible to prevent anyone from adopting Kane. Given Tatsuo's weak-willed and unassertive nature, he would likely compromise. Kane couldn't rely on this plan.

*If you want something done, do it yourself.*

"Thank you," Kane said, and left without further ado, returning to Ecruteak City without stopping.

It seemed that Kane had taken the wrong route from the start. These law-abiding good Samaritans wouldn't violate the rules for him.

Now, he had to consider approaching small mercenary factories that might be willing to provide him with a work permit in exchange for free labor.

When Kane returned to Ecruteak, it was already noon. 

He spent just five Pokémon Dollar's for a bowl of noodles for lunch and bought three bottles of mid-tier milk for the Ditto at fifteen Pokémon Dollar's total.

Caring for Ditto costs about fifty Pokémon Dollar's a day, and that's with Ditto being a light eater. If it were more frequently used in battle or activities, the cost would increase. And this is only the cost of feeding one Pokémon.

It's clear how expensive it is to train Pokémon in this world. Just one Pokémon like Ditto, with food and medical expenses, could cost two thousand Pokémon Dollar's a month. A typical trainer with six Pokémon would face food costs alone exceeding 12,000 Pokémon Dollar's a month, and that's the bare minimum.

Meanwhile, the average salary for a working-class individual is only 5,000 Pokémon Dollar's a month.

Even with the projected cost reductions over the next decade due to League policies supporting Pokémon training, the balance would only shift so much. If everyone became a Pokémon Trainer, basic industries would face a labor shortage. Yet the world still needed trainers for various essential roles.

But why, despite the cost and risk, do so many still aspire to become Pokémon Trainers?

It's all due to the rewards.

Pokémon-related jobs typically pay three times more than ordinary jobs. The average trainer's role is primarily defensive, protecting important infrastructure such as power plants, bridges, highways, and railways from attacks by wild Pokémon. This is where Pokémon trainers come into play.

A bit more prestigious work involves getting ranked in various League competitions. Trainers with this recognition often serve as local security or assist Officer Jennys with law enforcement.

Earning a top-three spot in any League competition essentially guarantees a path to financial success, with the possibility of being absorbed into the League's structure as rangers or search officers. These higher-tier jobs offer excellent benefits, salaries, and lifetime job security.

Gym trainers, however, are almost always from large families with their businesses closely aligned with the Pokémon League. Gym leadership is often passed down within these families, while anti-League factions have long been eliminated.

In short, being a Pokémon Trainer is expensive and risky, but the financial payoff can be tremendous once a trainer achieves success.

Kane's afternoon was spent visiting various small factories. While many were happy at the prospect of free labor, none were willing to risk providing a work permit.

Three days had passed, and if Kane didn't succeed tomorrow, he'd have no choice but to leave and return after three years when he could legally access his assets. Although this would greatly deviate from his original plan, it seemed like the only option left.

He had mentally prepared for the worst.

Feeling defeated, Kane decided against visiting the black market that evening and instead returned home, turning on the TV for some distraction.

The third day was no different. Kane visited every small and large factory in Ecruteak City, only to be rejected by all of them.

At this point, Kane had given up entirely.

His next step was to buy a space bag and prepare various supplies such as Poké Balls, medicines, food, and survival tools. All of this would be costly.

He planned to pack up what little he could, report his case the next day, and leave Ecruteak City after cremating the old man's body. His primary focus after leaving would be making money; otherwise, his current funds would last only a month.

As Kane was about to enter a bag shop, deep in thought about what he needed to buy, a middle-aged man hurriedly passed by, shoving a small card into Kane's hand without even looking back.