Chapter 325: Significant Haul
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In a corner of the slot machines, the appearance of a Meowth symbol brought a windfall for the reserved young man. Suddenly, his hands were brimming with 15 copper game tokens.
Whether by coincidence or sheer reversal of fortune, the young man who had been steadily losing earlier was now on a lucky streak.
Although he kept insisting that no major rewards like the "777" jackpot had appeared, every ten spins seemed to yield three or four small wins, and occasionally, two rows of matching symbols.
Naturally, the nearby security staff, alerted to unusual activity, took note of the reserved young man.
After observing him covertly for a long while, their only conclusion was that this guy had genuinely hit a lucky streak.
According to some technical staff in the arcade, the young man had triggered a slot machine algorithm designed to increase win rates after absorbing a significant number of game tokens.
For the next hour, no matter how haphazardly he played, his winnings piled up rapidly. Soon enough, he held 129 silver game tokens.
However, half an hour later, his luck seemed to dry up. Within minutes, his silver tokens dwindled to 105.
"Hey, buddy, I think your luck's run out. Why not quit while you're ahead? Take those 105 silver tokens and redeem something valuable at the counter," advised a plump man nearby, feigning concern.
His rosy-cheeked grin betrayed his concealed delight.
Earlier, this very man had sold the reserved young man three copper tokens for 300 PokeDollars and watched enviously as his fortune soared.
The sight of the young man's dwindling tokens now brought him a perverse sense of satisfaction.
His "advice" was merely a reverse psychology ploy to keep the young man playing.
"Yeah, you should stop."
"Your streak's over, pal."
"Those 105 silver tokens are worth 1,050,000 PokeDollars! How about this—I'll give you 900,000 PokeDollars for them right now. That's better than redeeming prizes," chimed in other players and staff, all with similarly "helpful" suggestions.
Unmoved by their "kindness," the young man gritted his teeth and kept feeding tokens into the slot machine, unwilling to believe his luck had run out.
His persistence delighted those around him, especially the security staff. They knew the machine had reached its payout threshold and had adjusted to lower win rates.
If the young man continued, losses were inevitable.
Sure enough, within minutes, his tokens had dropped to 86, and in less than 15 minutes, a third of his winnings were gone.
When his silver tokens were down to 80, the young man finally admitted defeat. With a dejected sigh, he pocketed the remaining tokens and reluctantly left his seat.
Seeing him give up, the plump man and the others bombarded him with more "friendly" advice, but the young man ignored them and resolutely headed for the prize exchange counter.
The security staff, though slightly disappointed to see him leave, were pleased he'd lost over 20 more silver tokens before quitting.
At the counter, the young man ignored the suggestions of a cheerful attendant and instead focused on a thick catalog filled with prize images, searching for suitable items.
This arcade, now under the 'League's' management, boasted a vast selection of prizes, including rare Pokémon and items, far surpassing the options at the Vermilion City arcade Sato had visited previously.
However, with the city's higher prices, the required tokens had also "reasonably" increased.
The top three prizes were extraordinarily valuable, especially the first—a Dratini egg, a pseudo-legendary Pokémon of Kanto. But the cost was astronomical: 50,000 gold tokens. At 1,000,000 PokeDollars per gold token, the egg was worth a staggering 50 billion PokeDollars.
Unsurprisingly, the top 20 prizes were all rare and costly, requiring at least 3,000 gold tokens each.
With only 80 silver tokens, the young man could only dream of these treasures. He quickly skimmed past them and focused on prizes within his reach.
Eventually, he exchanged 30 silver tokens for three Hidden Power TM discs, 10 tokens for two Protect TM discs, and 30 tokens for three valuable Big Nuggets, easy to sell for cash.
The remaining 10 tokens he kept, seemingly as a future gambling fund.
After completing his exchange, the young man left the arcade without issue, despite being trailed by security.
Once outside, he bent down to tie his shoe. As his head lowered, his facial features blurred, and when he straightened, his face had transformed into an utterly average, unremarkable one.
The reserved young man's true identity, naturally, was Sato, who had used his Ditto's disguise abilities to infiltrate the arcade.
With Ditto's face mask securely in place, he blended seamlessly into the crowd, evading the security personnel following him.
After losing his pursuers, Sato sighed in relief, ducked into a shop, and used the restroom to change. When he reemerged, he was dressed as an elite Pokémon trainer, his Ditto mask removed.
"Looks like my acting needs improvement," he thought, emotionless, as he bought snacks from a street vendor to reward his Ditto, now in the form of an Ambipom.
"Earning money like this is such a hassle. Well, I won't be returning to that arcade. Still, with today's winnings and my savings, I should be able to bid on some good items."
Reflecting on a tip from a recent acquaintance, Mia, Sato had spent the afternoon in the Golden Arcade, earning a significant haul. Now, with his plans complete, he prepared for the next step.
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There's a surprise in the next chapter! Look forward to it!