There's Something Off About My Pokémon. [41]
Back home, Lu Cheng explored the "Pokémon Market" app that Zhao Dachun had recommended, and he was shocked.
"Whoa, the prices here are way cheaper than on Taobao!"
As he scrolled through, Lu Cheng saw a wide range of items neatly displayed, far surpassing the variety of Pokémon-related goods on Taobao. When he checked the Berry section, he even found rare berries like Bluk Berries and Mago Berries, which could enhance a Pokémon's coat, making it shinier. However, they were still as expensive as ever.
But that wasn't the main point. The key was that the prices on Pokémon Market were significantly cheaper than on Taobao!
"A Poké Ball for just 8,000 yuan? Isn't the price on Taobao listed at 10,000?"
"And this Pecha Berry—400 yuan? That rip-off merchant charged me 500 for one!"
Staring at the tempting, brightly highlighted discount prices, Lu Cheng couldn't help but lament, "If I had known about this app earlier, I could have saved so much money!"
What Lu Cheng didn't realize was that Pokémon Market had originally been a self-organized marketplace formed by trainers and merchants. It was passed around by word of mouth among a small group of trainers. By avoiding hefty marketplace fees, the merchants could offer lower prices, and trainers could enjoy discounts. As the user base grew, even large companies joined Pokémon Market. Sensing an opportunity, Alibaba soon acquired it. However, due to the marketplace regulations, Pokémon Market only allowed certified trainers and merchants to register.
If Pokémon Market were open to the general public, it would undoubtedly pose a significant threat to the state-owned Pokémon department stores.
After all, the general public also has a significant demand for Pokémon items, and since Lu Cheng wasn't a fully certified trainer yet, it made sense that he hadn't known about the "Pokémon Market." For example, the Pecha Berry he had bought online for 500 yuan came from one of the largest berry cultivation companies in the country, the Whiscash Group. The same company, selling the exact same berry, only charged 400 yuan per berry on the Pokémon Market. No wonder Lu Cheng felt a bit cheated.
"Who would've thought I'd end up being the one ripped off?" Lu Cheng muttered to himself. "No way, I need to get some of that money back!"
He clicked on the link Zhao Dachun had sent him, which led to a shop with a diamond rating called Dachun's Custom High-Quality Pokéblocks. Pokéblocks were divided into three levels: basic, mid-tier, and high-quality, with their nutritional value increasing in proportion to the price. All certified high-quality Pokéblocks could only be made by manufacturers who held an advanced nutritionist or medical specialist license issued by the Pokémon Association.
As for the "spicy chicken" and "braised pork" dishes that Lu Cheng's father cooked, they couldn't really be classified as Pokéblocks; they were more like Pokémon cuisine—dishes made for Pokémon to eat.
A set of high-quality Pokéblocks could fetch over 100,000 yuan on Taobao, so the price Zhao Dachun gave Lu Cheng was indeed a great deal. With a heavy heart, Lu Cheng clicked "buy," and 30,000 yuan for the deposit, plus another 70,000 yuan for the balance, was immediately deducted from his account. The sudden drop in his balance gave him a painful pang. Being a trainer is way too expensive!
And this was just to evolve Treecko. He had already spent 100,000 yuan, and Lu Cheng needed even more money to improve his system's attributes, which meant his need for money was more pressing than most trainers.
Frowning, Lu Cheng muttered to himself, "The 200,000 yuan prize for winning the U20 tournament should be enough to cover Vulpix's evolution, right?"
His parents' full support had given Lu Cheng a strong sense of responsibility as well.
"Oh wow, even training equipment like the Competitive Vest costs 150,000 yuan?" After placing his order, Lu Cheng stayed on Pokémon Market, scrolling through the items. With each discovery, he was more astonished, his eyes widening in amazement.
At the moment, Lu Cheng was looking at the "Custom Pokémon Training Belt" launched by Raiden Company last year. Like the Competitive Vest, it was designed to improve a Pokémon's endurance and speed. However, because each Pokémon's size varies, Raiden only offered custom services, and the price was a hefty 150,000 yuan.
"Now that I think about it, the system is actually pretty generous..." Lu Cheng muttered.
Ding—Rewards earned from achievements and tasks cannot be transferred or sold, or they will be reclaimed by the system!" the system chimed in, seemingly aware of Lu Cheng's sneaky thoughts. It then added, "This does not apply to common items like Gold Nuggets.
"Who was thinking that? Definitely not me!" Lu Cheng laughed awkwardly as he continued searching.
Oddly enough, he couldn't find any information about the "Charcoal" around his Pokémon's neck on the Pokémon Market. He tried different keywords multiple times, but still had no results, so he decided to give up. This Charcoal was clearly no ordinary item—after all, it boosted Fire-type moves by 20%, making it a godsend for any Fire-type Pokémon. Although his Vulpix hadn't learned Flamethrower yet, judging by the strength of its Ember attack, it would likely master it in a few days.
"Huh, what's this?" While enthusiastically scrolling through items, a red exclamation mark suddenly popped up. Curious, Lu Cheng clicked on it, revealing an invitation from Pokémon Market:
"Congratulations! You are the 426,754th beta user of Pokémon Market. We sincerely invite you to join the new 'Pokémon Forum' beta project. Share your valuable feedback for a chance to win a Mystery Trainer Gift Pack!"
The fact that Pokémon Market had only around 400,000 users didn't surprise Lu Cheng. Given that the number of certified trainers was relatively small and that Alibaba hadn't publicly promoted the app, this user base likely grew through word of mouth.
"Pokémon Forum?" Lu Cheng clicked into the Pokémon Forum, which displayed an interface similar to most online forums but with a polished and attractive design. The forum's mascot was a cute little alien-like creature with a large astronaut helmet, giving it an adorable, cartoony feel.
The forum featured various posts, ranging from item trading to Pokémon communication threads, and even a few casual joke posts:
My Snorlax Won't Gain Weight: Anyone have a Power Booster? It's not available on Pokémon Market, and my Electabuzz needs it to evolve!
Thief Guevara: No Power Booster, but how about a car battery?
My Snorlax Won't Gain Weight: Get lost! Serious inquiries only, no scammers!
Pumpkin Monster: Need a trade partner for my Kadabra's evolution. Willing to pay!
Justice Hero Hitmonlee: Beware! This guy has been exposed before for scamming people's Pokémon. Be careful!
Explosion is Art: Can a hundred Voltorbs beat James?
Without realizing it, Lu Cheng had spent half an hour scrolling through the forum, laughing so hard that tears almost came to his eyes. This forum is full of characters—everyone here is so talented! I love it!
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