130. Consider moving

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"Tyranitar~~"

Totem Tyranitar sat in the courtyard like a small mountain. 

It took the fist-sized Hard Stone from Chris's hand and casually popped it into its mouth, as if eating a grape. 

"Tyranitar!" 

Then it stretched out its hand again toward Chris. A single Hard Stone wasn't nearly enough to satisfy its appetite. 

Chris sighed and handed it another. Tyranitar tossed it into its mouth and chewed contentedly, finally settling down to rest in the courtyard. 

This marked the tenth Hard Stone of the day. At this rate, Tyranitar's appetite was becoming an expensive habit. Hard Stones were no ordinary rocks; they were specialized Pokémon items worth a hundred thousand Pokédollars each. That meant Tyranitar was eating a million Pokédollars' worth daily—30 million a month! 

"If I weren't a fruit farmer,' I wouldn't even be able to afford to raise it," Chris muttered to himself. 

Sure, Chris could use ordinary rocks to feed it, cutting costs to just a tenth of the current expense. But he was determined to raise the strongest Tyranitar possible, and that meant sticking to ten Hard Stones daily, supplemented with high-quality Pokéblocks. 

He reached out to pat Tyranitar, who was lying in the courtyard digesting its meal. It had a surprisingly small stomach for its size, but its appetite was insatiable. 

After earning the Badge at the Petalburg Gym, Chris had come home and released Tyranitar in the courtyard. He had expected it to be fierce and aggressive, but instead, it behaved like a big child. As soon as it was out, it plopped onto the ground, patted its stomach, and called out, "Tyran, Tyran," until Chris fed it a heap of Pokéblocks. 

Tyranitar's favorite pastime was playing with the courtyard's rockery as if it were a set of Legos. Recently, it had taken to wearing Chris's sunglasses, which it had grabbed from the balcony. Unfortunately, the sunglasses were quickly shattered after a playful headbutt into the rockery. Chris had to buy a sturdier, Pokémon-specific pair just to keep Tyranitar entertained. 

Its appearance was intimidating, but its behavior was pure mischief. It was like caring for an overgrown three-year-old. 

Chris couldn't understand how a wild, level 52 Totem Pokémon could act so carefree. How had it survived in the wild with this kind of personality? 

Then again, perhaps it was because Tyranitar was so powerful that it could afford to act this way. Its strength gave it the freedom to be capricious. 

Looking around, Chris began to realize just how cramped the yard was becoming. Tyranitar, stretched out to relax, blocked the entire path between the house and the yard. 

This wasn't the first time Chris faced space issues with his Pokémon. When he first caught Onix, he couldn't even consider letting it roam free in the yard; it was simply too large. Onix stayed in its Poké Ball most of the time. 

But Tyranitar wasn't the type to stay confined, and now the yard was too small for both Tyranitar and Hariyama at the same time. Hariyama was stuck sitting indoors while Tyranitar lounged outside, completely unable to enter the house due to its enormous size—larger even than Chris's dorm room. 

The problem had only worsened lately. Blaziken and Garchomp had started training Machamp's moves, and the intensity of their sessions required more space. The destructive power and energy of their training made it clear they couldn't practice properly in such a cramped area. 

"Should I consider moving?" Chris wondered aloud. 

But finding a new residence wouldn't be easy. The areas close to Dragon University were all urbanized, and moving farther away would make attending classes inconvenient. 

"I'll have to ask a Senior from Dragon University," Chris thought. "With so many students here, there must be others raising large Pokémon. Someone must have figured out how to handle this kind of situation." 

Chris recalled hearing that some second- and third-year students at the university owned large Pokémon like Onix and Tyranitar. 

Then it hit him—his counselor, Olivia, was from Dragon University. 

"I should just call her," Chris decided, pulling out his phone.

Chris sat down in the yard, watching as Gardevoir gracefully levitated a tray of tea from the second floor to the stone table using its Confusion. Taking a sip, he dialed Olivia's number. 

Soon, the call connected. 

"Chris? What's the matter?" Olivia's gentle voice came through. 

"Sister Olivia, I recently captured a rather large Pokémon. My dorm feels way too cramped, so I was wondering if there's a place near Dragon University with a larger yard that I could move into," Chris said, getting straight to the point. 

"I heard you caught a massive Tyranitar! I knew it was only a matter of time," Olivia teased, her tone playful. 

Chris chuckled. Although his dormitory was tucked away in the deepest part of the dorm area, other students nearby had undoubtedly noticed the towering Tyranitar. 

Being Principal Vladimir's disciple, Chris wasn't particularly concerned about the attention. Many were likely speculating that the Tyranitar had been a gift from the principal himself, who did own a Tyranitar as well. 

"As for places outside Dragon University..." Olivia mused. After a moment, she replied, "There's a high-end villa complex nearby, specifically built for Trainers. Each villa includes a large natural area to accommodate Pokémon." 

"That sounds perfect! How much do they cost?" Chris asked. 

"The price is steep—around a billion Pokédollars per villa," Olivia said candidly. 

Chris was about to respond that the cost wasn't an issue, but paused to consider. 

One billion was manageable in theory. Without heavy investment in training, he could save that amount in just over two months. His fruit farm was now producing steady revenue. With 30 plots of land, his monthly income was around 400 million Pokédollars. 

But considering his Pokémon's upkeep, especially with two pseudo-legendaries on the team, his Breeding expenses started at a hefty 200 million per month. Saving up a billion would take closer to half a year. 

"Can the villas be rented out instead?" Chris inquired. 

"Unfortunately, no," Olivia replied. "These are custom-built, high-end properties, and they don't allow rentals. Plus, most buyers are senior Breeders or Gym Trainers—regular Trainers don't usually qualify." 

Chris sighed. "Well, that option's out." 

"Does it have to be outside the university?" Olivia asked suddenly. 

"Wait—there are larger places inside the school?" Chris was surprised. He'd assumed the student dormitories were already the best accommodations Dragon University had to offer. 

"Of course," Olivia said. "Though it's not exactly a dormitory. Do you know about the seven trial islands?" 

Chris nodded. The trial islands were prestigious areas associated with the university, used for training and research. 

"Each trial island has several residences, originally built to accommodate researchers and Trainers working there. If you can get the owner of an island to approve it, you could live there." 

Olivia paused before adding, "I remember Theodore's trial island still has a few vacant villas. Since you're part of Theodore's lab, why not talk to him about it?" 

Chris's eyes lit up at the idea. "That's a great suggestion! Thanks, Sister Olivia—I'll bring it up with him."